Android Phone Roundup

So since I last posted, quite a few new android phones have made their way out to the market. The most notable of these are:

• HTC Rezound
• Samsung Galaxy S II
• Google Galaxy Nexus
• Motorola RAZR

HTC Rezound

     The Rezound is an impressive phone from HTC that resembles the HTC Thunderbolt. It packs a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor from Qualcomm, an Adreno 220 GPU, 1GB of RAM, an 8MP rear camera capable of taking 1080p video, a 2MP front-facing camera, 16GB of internal storage, a 720p HD 4.3" HD screen and integrated Beats audio. Of all its impressive specs, the screen is the most noteworthy. With a pixel density of 342ppi, it outshines even the iPhone 4S's screen with its sharpness, not to mention the fact that the screen is significantly larger. 

Samsung Galaxy S II

     The Galaxy S II is the successor to the widely popular Galaxy S, and at the time of its release it was one of the slimmest smartphones, weighing in at 8.49 mm thick. The Galaxy S II features a 1.2 GHz dual-core "Exynos" System on a Chip (SoC) CPU, 1GB of RAM, an 8MP camera capable of 1080p video in addition to a front facing cam, and a 4.3" Super AMOLED+ screen. The Galaxy S II is one of the first devices to offer a Mobile High-def Link, this allows up to 1080p uncompressed video output with HDMI while charging at the same time. 

Google Galaxy Nexus

     The Google Galaxy Nexus is one of the most anticipated android phones of the year. It boasts a 4.65" 720p Super AMOLED HD screen, a 1.2 GHz dual-core TI OMAP processor, 1GB of ram, 16GB of internal storage, an 8MP camera that can take 1080p video & front facing cam, and is the very first phone to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Motorola Droid RAZR

     The RAZR is an Android-based follow up to Motorola's iconic RAZR flip-phone that dominated the market years ago. The RAZR is the thinnest android smartphone on the market right now, being 11.1 mm thick. The RAZR is powered by a 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPU, has 1GB of RAM, has an 8MP rear facing camera that can take 1080p videos, a 1.3MP front facing cam, 16GB of internal storage, and a Super AMOLED Advanced 4.3" qHD screen.

Update

So it's been a while since I last posted here, mainly because of school. But my exams are almost over so I should be posting here regularly again. Thanks for being so patient with me guys!

HckrSvn

An Apology

Hey guys, I'm really sorry I haven't posted in so long now, my schedule's been really crazy and I've had several exams too. I should be back to posting here in a few days though, and I'll cover all the stuff I missed since I last posted.
Thanks for bearing with me,

HckrSvn

Samsung DoubleTime

AT&T has announced the DoubleTime, a new entry-level smartphone from Samsung that should appeal to messaging fanatics. The DoubleTime has two touchscreen displays and a flip out QWERTY keyboard.

The DoubleTime has 3.2-inch, HVGA (320 x 480 pixel) touchscreen displays on both the inside and outside. The inside of the flip contains a four-row QWERTY keyboard and shortcut keys for menu, home, back, and search. The DoubleTime is powered by a 600MHz single-core processor, and has 260MB of internal storage. It supports microSD cards of up to 32GB in capacity, and comes with a 2GB card pre-installed. The back of the phone features a 3.2 megapixel camera with camcorder functions.

The DoubleTime runs Android 2.2 Froyo with Samsung's TouchWiz interface. It will be available later this year in a white and pink color scheme. Pricing has yet to be announced.

[MobileBurn]

Your opinion on the iPhone 4S

So what do you think about the iPhone 4S? Do you think it's a great improvement? A disappointment? Why do you think what you think?

Let me know in the comments below or in an email to compjunkies@hotmail.com

iPhone 4S New Features

On October 4th Apple unveiled their newest addition to the iPhone lineup, the iPhone 4S. Many of us, myself included, were hoping for something more than just a slightly heavier iPhone 4 with features that have already been on Android phones for the past 6ish months, so the iPhone 4S was a letdown to many. Nonetheless, I have no doubt that the iPhone 4S is a great phone and that many people will be willing to buy it, especially now that it's available on Sprint.

Here's a list of new features:

• 1080p HD Video Recording w/ stabilization
• 8MP Camera with an advanced color and IR sensor, faster shutter, & face detection
• Apple A5 Dual-Core 1GHz processor
• CDMA & GSM capable (World phone)
• Siri voice assistant
• 4G Capable
• Improved antenna for fewer dropped calls and better reception
• Longer battery life

Note: I didn't include any of the features being added in iOS 5 because they aren't iPhone 4S specific.

[Apple]

Let's Talk iPhone Roundup

So as you may have heard Apple held their "Let's Talk iPhone" event today at which several announcements were made, the most notable being about the new iPhone 4S.
Here's the official CompJunkies roundup: (The iPhone 4S is being omitted because I'm writing a separate article about it soon)

General
At the "Let's Talk iPhone" event earlier this day, Tim Cook made the announcement that Mac is the number one selling desktop and notebook in the USA.

iPods
Apple stated that there have been no hardware changes to the iPod touch, as many were hoping, but rather the availability of a white iPod touch. In addition, Apple mentioned that the iPod nano is getting some new clock skins and a Nike+ adapter.

iCloud
Coinciding with the release of iOS 5, Apple is planning to launch their could service, iCloud, on October 12th while their new service, iTunes Match, will be available at the "end of October" for $24.99 a year.

iOS 5
This is one of Apple's most significant iOS upgrades to date. They've added many new features and apps, here are just a few of them:

• News Stand - A native app designed to facilitate your newspaper and magazine reading habits.
• Improved notification system - Strikingly similar to Android's, in my opinion.
• Siri Assistant - Your iPhone is now akin to that of the Starship Enterprise's computer!
• Launch your camera app straight from the lockscreen
• Faster web browsing
• Native todo list app
• Twitter integration
• iMessage - Similar to RIM's BBM service
• Photo editing straight from the photo app
• PC/Mac free setup
• Over the Air (OTA) updates
• iCloud integration
• Family location services
• More HERE

What's New From Android?

Samsung is holding a Google flavored event on October 11th with the tagline “What’s new from Android?“. This is right around the time we expect the Nexus Prime/Ice Cream Sandwich combo to be released, so it’s only fitting to assume that the event will revolve around the next major Android update. The specs of the Prime are unknown, but if history tells us anything, it’s that Google won’t hold back in the hardware department. 4.5″+ screens and dual core processors are now standard on high-end Android devices, and we’re sure that the Prime will be able to keep up with anything that’s currently available.

Ice Cream Sandwich will merge Gingerbread and the tablet-optimized Honeycomb into one single OS capable of running on all form factors. Android has a major issue with fragmentation, and ICS should unify the experience and bring Android’s UI up to par with iOS.

[iFans]

Google SIM Cards Found in Spain?

Google-branded SIM cards have been found in testing with Nexus S devices in Spain, fitting with previous rumors of a Google-based cell service. Google currently offers VoIP calling and free texting through their Voice service, but expanding to a full-fledged carrier would be a major update. Currently Google is testing their own ultra-high speed fiber internet service in Kansas City, and is working on offering that same service in other parts of the country.

Google to Purchase T-Mobile?

A friend of mine who works for T-mobile tipped me off to the fact that Google was considering buying T-Mobile. Honestly I'm not surprised, think about it: Google owns the Android OS, and they recently just bought Motorola Mobility. With T-Mobile under their belt they would have complete control of the OS, the phone, and the service.

While this seems like an excellent idea, I'm not entirely sure how this would work out with AT&T purchasing T-Mobile...

I'll keep you guys updated as I find out more.

"Let's Talk iPhone" Event Scheduled for October 4th

As first noted by The Loop, Apple has invited press members to their fall iPhone event which will take place on Tuesday, Oct 4th, 2011 at 10:00 AM Pacific Time. The event itself will be held in Apple’s Town Hall Auditorium on their Cupertino campus.

The tagline of the invite is “let’s talk iPhone,” which is unsurprising considering the countless iPhone 5 rumors that have sprouted recently. It’s also very possible that iOS 5 will be shown off alongside the new iPhone, so keep your eyes and ears open on the fourth of October.

[The Loop]

Amazon Announces Kindle Fire

Today at Amazon’s tablet event, the company announced a great new line of Kindles that now fit the financial needs of all. The lowest model is now only $79.99 and it includes 2GB of storage for up to 1,400 books while lasting a whole month before needing to be recharged. Next up there’s the

The Android-based Kindle Fire packs a dual-core processor, 8GB of storage, 7-inch vibrant IPS screen, and up to 8 hours of battery life. It’s available for pre-order today and the amazing price of $199. It looks like the iPad really has a budget competitor now.

[Amazon]

HTC Considering Buying webOS

Cher Wang, chairwoman of the handset maker HTC has publicly announced HTC's interest in buying the webOS operating system HP following the latter company's decision to discontinue the manufacturing of webOS hardware. Wang believes that HTC's distinctiveness will allow to make unique products on different OSes. Keep in mind that HTC still hasn't had serious negotiations with HP yet.

“We have given it thought and we have discussed it internally, but we will not do it on impulse,” Wang said in an interview with the Economic Observer of China. “We can use any OS we want. We are able to make things different from our rivals on the second or third layer of a platform. Our strength lies in understanding an OS, but it does not mean that we have to produce an OS.”

Microsoft to Release Windows 8 Developer Preview Today

According to the official "Building Windows 8" blog, Microsoft will be releasing a developer preview of Windows 8 "later tonight". The OS preview will be available in both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) builds, bundled with dev tools and a demo application suite. Upgrading from Windows 7 unfortunately isn't supported, so you'll have to do a clean install. The blog stresses that this is only a developer preview, rather than a beta release.

You probably want to try out the preview release—and you can. Starting later tonight you can download the Windows 8 Developer Preview. This includes a 64-bit (x64) build with development tools to build apps, and a 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) build without development tools. The releases also include a suite of sample applications (please note these are merely illustrations of potential apps, not apps that we intend to ship with Windows 8). The ISOs are linked to from http://dev.windows.com.

[Building Windows 8]

$250 Kindle Tablet

One of TechCrunch's editors has gotten a peek at Amazon's upcoming Android tablet. According to his report, the device is a full color variant of the Kindle running a heavily modified (and orange) version of Android to run on the device, making it incredibly similar to the Nook Color. Amazon has chosen to limit the internal storage of the device to only 6GB, so it would appear that they will be pushing their cloud services to users.

In addition to all this, Amazon plans to give customers a free subscription to Prime, Amazon's premium service that includes access to movies, tv shows, an free 2-day shipping on most products.

Amazon plans to release a 10" version if the tablet is a success, and for only $250 the device is sure to sell like crazy.

[TechCrunch]

iPhone 5 to Launch in First Week of October

An internal document from Best Buy recently leaked onto the internet points the launch date of the iPhone 5 to be within the first week of October. The memo states that pre-orders of the new iPhone will be taken during the first week of next month.

In addition, Best Buy suggests that the 5th-gen iPhone will also be coming to Sprint. While these launch dates are always subject to change, they are consistent with several iPhone 5 rumors that have come about these past few months.

[IMAGE]

Preview of HTC Sense 3.5

XDA just received a 5-minute preview of the upcoming update to HTC's Sense UI for their Android devices. I think that HTC has done a great job of polishing the interface in addition to adding in new widgets and animations; HTC has also redesigned their lockscreen and dock. For those of us that enjoy skinning the default Android UI, the Sense 3.5 interface will be released with HTC's upcoming Sense 3.5 devices (HTC Vigor, HTC Bliss) later this year. ROMs with Sense 3.5 for HTC's other devices should be released soon after it has been made public.

[XDA.cn]

Dolphin Browser for iOS [Free]

The popular Dolphin Browser for Android has made its way to the App Store. This third-party browser is free on the App Store and is fully compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Dolphin Browser has a variety of features such as highly customizable gestures, built-in translations, speed-dial, tabbed browsing, and much more. However, Dolphin Browser is based off of Apple's WebKit so it won't be too much different than any other third-party iOS browser. Hit the link below to head over to Dolphin's website.

Dolphin-Browser.com

Steve Jobs Resigns

As of today, Steve Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple. He's been onleave since this January because of medical complications, although he still was the CEO. Interim CEO Tim Cook is in charge now that Jobs resigned. Steve Jobs said he wasn't leaving Apple though, he plans staying as the Chairman of the Board of Apple, Inc. from the looks of his letter.

CUPERTINO, Calif., Aug 24, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Apple’s Board of Directors today announced that Steve Jobs has resigned as Chief Executive Officer, and the Board has named Tim Cook, previously Apple’s Chief Operating Officer, as the company’s new CEO. Jobs has been elected Chairman of the Board and Cook will join the Board, effective immediately.

“Steve’s extraordinary vision and leadership saved Apple and guided it to its position as the world’s most innovative and valuable technology company,” said Art Levinson, Chairman of Genentech, on behalf of Apple’s Board. “Steve has made countless contributions to Apple’s success, and he has attracted and inspired Apple’s immensely creative employees and world class executive team. In his new role as Chairman of the Board, Steve will continue to serve Apple with his unique insights, creativity and inspiration.”

“The Board has complete confidence that Tim is the right person to be our next CEO,” added Levinson. “Tim’s 13 years of service to Apple have been marked by outstanding performance, and he has demonstrated remarkable talent and sound judgment in everything he does.”

Jobs submitted his resignation to the Board today and strongly recommended that the Board implement its succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO.

[Update] - Here's a copy of Steve's letter addressed to his employees and the public:

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve

What do You Think?

I just changed the theme and layout of Computer Junkies and I wanted your guys' opinions on it. What do you like about it? What don't you like about it? Did you like the old layout better? Do you have any suggestions?

Shoot me an email or comment below and let me know what you think.

compjunkies@hotmail.com

HP isn't out of TouchPads

As stated on one of HP's executive's twitter account, Best Buy and HP are not out of Touchpads yet. You can sign up to be notified when they have more HERE.

$100 HP TouchPad at Best Buy

Now that HP has discontinued webOS, they have begun to liquify their remaining stock of TouchPad tablets. The base 16GB WiFi model is now just $99 and the 32GB model can be had for only $149, which, despite the abandonment, is quite a steal. Due to webOS’s web-OS-ness, it’s very possible that the platform will continue to live on with support from the hacking community.

If you want to grab one, stop by your local Best Buy (or try your luck online) in the AM. Stocks won’t last long, so good luck.

[Pre Central] via iFans

Leaked Droid HD Photos & Specs

Photos and specs of the upcoming Motorola Droid HD have been leaked on the internet. Even though the photos lack detail, we can definitely tell you that this Droid is going to be awesome. From the leaked specs we know that the Droid HD will come with a 1GHz dual-core CPU and a gigabyte of RAM. The screen is a pocket-stretching 4.5" and could potentially boast a resolution of 1280x720 or a qHD LCD screen. Like the Droid 3, the camera will be 8 megapixels and capable of taking 1080p video.

[Engadget]

"App Store" for Windows 8 Confirmed by Microsoft

A recent post on Microsoft's "Building Windows 8" blog by Steven Sinofsky stated that Microsoft had assigned teams of developers to work on specific areas of the future OS. What caught our eye, thought, was that one of those focus areas was an App Store which is supposedly going to be complete in time for the launch of Windows 8.

[MSDN]

Rage for all iDevices Free for a Week

RAGE is currently free on the App Store for an entire week in celebration of their 100,000 "likes" on Facebook. Currently, RAGE has some of the best graphics on iOS to date. And in terms of gameplay it has been almost unanimously reviewed as one of the best games available for any mobile device.

[App Store]

HP Ditches WebOS

HP has announced today that they will discontinue all development and production of webOS related smartphones and tablets. Featured on the Pre and TouchPad, webOS
is
was a pretty unique operating system that was favored by homebrew enthusiasts and those who wanted a fresh UX. The demand for Android and iOS devices is likely the cause of webOS’s death, since the Pre family of devices flew pretty far under the radar for most average users.

In addition, HP reported that it plans to announce that it will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones. HP will continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward.

It’s sad to see webOS go, but there is a slim possibility that the operating system will live on in some incarnation if acquired by the competition.

Update: If various tweets by HP executives (most notably Richard Kerris, head of Developer Relations for webOS) are to be believed, only the physical products HP produces that run webOS will be eliminated. WebOS, as a platform, will live on, and it seems like the licensing idea is going to become a reality.



via iFans.com

iPhone 5 Mockup Based on Leaked Case Images

WRAN (And how it's going to cover the Earth with internet)

The IEEE 802.22 WRAN standard has been finalized to allow the use of white space—the part of the wireless spectrum in between TV channels—for internet access. This will allow 22Mbps “Super WiFi” to blanket a theoretical 62 mile radius using just one transmitter. As noted by Ars Technica, only 307 stations would be needed to cover the entire United States under optimal (but not realistic) conditions. It’s unknown how long it will take to become ubiquitous, but combined with LTE, WiMAX, and WiFi hotspots, a constant data connection anywhere in the world is becoming a very real possibility.

[Ars Technica] via iFans

LG CEO: iPad 3 to feature Retina Display

LG's CEO, Young Soo Kwon, mentioned to the Korea Times that the upcoming iPad 3 is going to feature a hi-res Retina display akin to that of the iPhone 4. There have been many rumors about this topic, and the Korea Times also reported that the next-gen iPad would have a 2048x1536 display. Additionally, there are rumors that Apple is going to create a more powerful "iPad HD" for professional users; perhaps both new models will be released at the same time at different pricing levels. (Something that would be necessary if the Retina display is too expensive to include on the standard iPad model.)

"He said more smartphone manufacturers will release new models employing LG’s “Retina Display’’ that has been used in iPhones and iPads.

Kwon’s remarks come following talks with Apple to supply picture quality-enhanced Retina Displays for the upcoming iPad 3."

[Korea Times]

iPod Touch with 3G?

Over the weekend, 9to5 received a screenshot showing a cellular data toggle switch found in the latest iOS 5 beta. Unless this was accidental, which seems highly unlikely, this means that an iPod touch with 3G could be headed our way as early as this September—and how magical that would be. The screenshots were taken on a fourth generation iPod touch running iOS 5 beta 3.

[9to5]

Spotify coming to the US on Thursday

Spotify has announced that they will finally be bringing their streaming music service to the states tomorrow, July 14th. Invitations are available from Spotify, but there is no word on how quickly they will roll out the service to new users. The European version has 3 tiers of service, ranging from a free, ad supported model, to a premium option with offline mode and mobile streaming (£9.99/month). We expect stateside features to be the same, though it’s possible that some music will not be available due to licensing issues—which have been the bane of Spotify’s U.S. existence.

The service is very highly regarded across the pond, so it will be interesting to see how Americans respond. Streaming music radio sites like Pandora and Last.fm are popular, but Spotify has a familiar iTunes-like desktop client, and is able to stream specific songs and integrate with existing libraries.

via iFans

Swype ported to iOS

Swype, the handy keyboard replacement that thrives on other platforms (most notably Android), has been ported to work on jailbroken iOS devices by Andrew Liu (@wyndwarrior). You can get Swype by downloading it from here, and then SSHing it to your device and installing through iFile.app. An easier alternative would be to add the following repo from Cydia and download/install from there: wynd.x10.mx/repo

Andrew does warn that the package is still in beta, and that it won’t work with many apps (Mainly apps from the App Store; although he does say that a fix is coming soon for that).

After you install, be sure to respring your device.

Follow Andrew on Twitter to get the latest updates!

iPhone 3Gs to be free on contract after iPhone 5 is released

Mike Abramsky, RBC Capital Markets General Manager, has told investors that Apple is planning to reduce the cost of the iPhone 3GS to $0 on contract following the release of the iPhone 5. There are still rumors that Apple will be releasing a low-priced iPhone with 4th-gen hardware, but the 3GS price reduction could just be a way for AT&T to clear out inventory and combat Android sales. As noted by BGR, Verizon does not offer a 3GS, so AT&T will have the upper hand with budget conscious buyers.

An 8GB 3GS is currently $49 with a 2-year contract. Refurbished units can be had for just $19, and AT&T offers baseline data plans for $15 per month. At this point, there really isn’t much reason for anybody to purchase a dumbphone.

[BGR]

via iFans

Black Macbook Air?

According to various tipsters, Apple may start offering black MacBook Airs with the coming refresh. Up until the transition to a unibody design, Apple offered black polycarbonate MacBooks, but has since discontinued the option. After Apple bought out Liquidmetal, many users speculated that future products would be a darker shade of grey (Liquidmetal’s natural color), but today’s rumors suggest that the MacBooks would be anodized black. The black option would be available only on the top-end Air model, similar to the original MacBook. 

The date of the MacBooks Air refresh has been all over the place, but the most recent reports indicate that Apple is holding off until the release of OS X Lion sometime next month. Obviously, this would reduce the hassle for early adopters, and could be an additional selling point in advertisements and promotions. In addition to the possible new color, the updated Airs will supposedly feature a more powerful Intel Sandy Bridge processor and the Thunderbolt I/O seen on the latest Macs.

[MacRumors]

via iFans

Apple WWDC '11 Keynote

The Apple WWDC '11 Keynote presentation is now live on Apple's website: http://goo.gl/PCF9w

[Apple]

iOS 5 Key Features

Key Points:

• To be released this fall as a free update
• Available for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 4G, iPod touch 3G, iPad, and iPad 2
• Contains over 200 new features, most notably being: all-new and improved notifications, iMessage text messaging between iOS devices, Twitter integration, and new camera and Safari features

This major update to Apple’s mobile operating system will be available in the fall as a free update for the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 4G, iPod touch 3G, iPad, and iPad 2. There doesn’t seem to be any notion towards limited features for older-generation devices, but we’ll work on confirming this. If you want, you can enter your email address and Apple will notify you when it is released. iOS 5 contains over 200 new features, the following being the most notable: all-new and improved notifications, iMessage text messaging, a newsstand illustrating all of your App Store subscriptions, an official creative to-do application called Reminders, in-app Twitter integration, new camera features such as grids, photo editing and enhancing abilities, new Safari features included tabbed browsing on iPad, and the ability to setup and use your iOS device without a Mac or PC. Here’s a breakdown of some of these and other features:

Revamped Notifications

Currently, notifications can easily become a nuisance when you’re playing games or using other applications. They pop up, they’re obtrusive. In iOS 5, notifications are all-new and improved. There’s a new drop-down menu called Notification Center, which allows you to keep track of all of your notifications in one convenient location. Perhaps Apple took a lesson or two from the notification system on Android–they now have striking similarities. To reveal Notification Center, you simply swipe down and you can then choose which notifications you would like to see. If you want to delete the notification, you can simply tap the “x” button located next to it. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a “clear all” option for deleting your entire queue of notifications. This is something, however, that could be seen in a future update. New notifications also appear briefly at the top of your screen, without interrupting what you’re doing. Furthermore, they appear on your lock screen for quick access.

iMessage

This is an official application designed by Apple that allows you to send text messages to other iOS devices over Wi-Fi or 3G. It’s compatible with any iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad that is able to be upgraded to iOS 5. This is another new iOS feature that his strikingly resemblance to another company’s features, this time it being RIM’s BlackBerry Messenger (BBM).

Newstand

Another application designed by Apple. This one adopts the iBooks bookshelf design as a convenient place to show you all of your App Store subscriptions. This includes newspapers and magazines, which the app will alert you about when there is new issues available. There is also a new section on the App Store that is specifically dedicated to subscriptions.

Reminders

You can create reminders for yourself in a neat and clear to-do list. There’s also integrated calendars for your convenience. Reminders also works with iCal, Outlook, and iCloud, so changes you make update automatically on all your devices and calendars.

Twitter

Twitter integration is another prominent feature of iOS 5. Of course, Twitter is already available on iOS devices in a variety of different formats—through Safari, the official Twitter app, or other apps on the App Store—but this is different. You sign in once in the settings, and you can then tweet directly from Safari, Photos, Camera, YouTube, or Maps. You’ll be able to tweet text, photos, videos, and more. It would be nice if this functionality was able to be added to third-party apps from the App Store, but we can’t confirm this functionality just yet. You can add a location to your tweets based on your iOS device’s location tracking ability.

Safari

There’s a variety of new features in this mobile browser from tabbed browsing on iPad to the Safari Reader. The latter allows you to display web articles without any ads or any other distractions. There’s also Reading List, which saves webpages offline for later viewing. These webpages can be synced with iCloud.

“PC Free”

This is perhaps the most creative feature of iOS 5. Thanks to a combination of Apple’s iCloud service, on-device software updates, and on-device setup, you’ll be able to use your iOS device without ever connecting or configuring it with a Mac or PC. You can do everything wirelessly and backup and restore your iOS device through iCloud.

Other Noteworthy Features:

• Wi-Fi Sync: You’ll be able to sync your iOS device with iTunes wirelessly, and automatic syncing is also available.
• Mail: You can now use text properties such as underline, italics, and bold. Your iCloud account is also connected to Mail.
• New Multitasking Gestures (using four or five fingers):
• Swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar
• Pinch to return to the home screen
• Swipe left or right to switch between apps

[via iFans]

Apple iCloud Logo

Apple is busy at work decorating the Moscone West center for the WWDC 2011 conference which is this next Monday. During this process @stop on Twitter was able to nab a few pictures of the conference center. It gives us an official look at the iCloud logo which, unsurprisingly, is of a fluffly cloud.

iPhone 5 Update

We recently posted a leaked picture of an iPhone 5 backplate, but upon closer inspection we have concluded that there (Potentially) is already a working iPhone 5 model based on the reflection off the backplate. Take a look and see for yourself. (Click image to enlarge)

[image via iFans]

iPhone 5 Backplate Pictures Surface

This comes by way of Chinese site tw.apple.pro, which has actually a decent track record in recent Apple product releases (they leaked parts of the iPad 2). This photo supposedly shows a white iPhone 5′s backplate with even more evidence of the separation of the camera and the flash components.

The page is in Chinese, so you’ll have to use Google Translate to read it (unless, that is, you speak it). Apparently, this component was from the Beijing Fengtai district.

[via iFans]

[tw.apple.pro]

iPod Nano with camera pictures leaked

Next in the long line of iPod leaks is the next generation iPod Nano, which seems to be receiving that which was taken from it in the previous update: a camera!

The tiny touchscreen MP3 player will also be going clipless, which might take away some of the value for the more active music aficionados out there. This leak comes courtesy of www.apple.pro, which gave us another photo of the next generation iPod Nano last month. However, due to the proximity to April Fools’, the photo was disregarded. 

[apple.pro via iPTF]

Note: The apple.pro website is written in Chinese so translation may be required.

UPDATE: Microsoft to buy Skype for 7+ Billion

The rumors are true, Microsoft is purchasing Skype for a whopping 8.5 billion US dollars. Microsoft states that the iOS and Mac Skype clients will continue to be updated and supported as usual. Microsoft has made no comments on what they're actually planning, though.

Google Music Beta

Google has released their cloud-based music service for Android dubbed "Google Music". Google Music is very similar to Amazon's Cloud Player in that users can upload their media to Google using Google's music managing sync application. (Which is able to connect to your iTunes libraries) Once uploaded, music can be listened to over the air via Google's webapp or an Android device, this is convenient (Especially for older Android devices with little internal storage) because no local storage is required; all your music will be held on Google's servers. Fortunately, Google's music player stores cached copies of recent songs in the even that you lose your connection while listening to your music. Another great feature is that users can manually select songs and albums to be downloaded to their device for offline listening. Another cool feature is the "Instant Mix" that allows for iTunes' Genius-like music mixing.
 

Playlists are automatically synced across all platforms so no wires are needed. At the moment there is no iOS app, but Apple should be releasing their streaming service sometime soon. But with both Amazon and Google's cloud-based music services, Apple needs to get a move on it to keep up.

[Google]

Microsoft to buy Skype for 7+ Billion

Here’s an interesting move by Microsoft: the usual “people familiar with the matter” are stating that the software gargantuan is nearing a deal that would end up costing them more than 7 billion USD, but would get them one of the most ubiquitous VoIP solutions available: Skype.

Negotiations were supposedly just wrapping up on Monday, and that an official announcement could be made as early as tomorrow (Tuesday). However, the same “familiar” people cautioned that the deal could still fall through.

The Wall Street Journal sees the move as giving Microsoft a positive, stable presence in the future of the internet:

Buying Skype would give Microsoft a recognized brand name on the Internet at a time when it is struggling to get more traction in the consumer market.

With the story still developing, it seems as if an announcement could be made at any time in the near future.

Developing…

[WSJ & iPTF]

Microsoft on why Windows Phone 7's keyboard is great

Microsoft hit at least one aspect of Windows Phone 7 out of the park: the virtual keyboard. The virtual keyboard is one aspect that Apple has held since the release of the original iPhone, and Google has struggled to compete with. Even RIM, renown for their phenomenal BlackBerry keyboard, can’t build a virtual keyboard that is up to snuff. Then comes Windows Phone 7, and suddenly Apple has a competitor.

It’s no accident, as Microsoft points out in this month’s issue of R&D Magazine. The Windows Phone 7 product group and Microsoft Research team combined their talent, and implemented the principles of machine learning. It’s an interesting combination of mathematics and linguistics that helps to develop such an accurate text prediction service. Language has a pattern, and programming Windows Phone 7 to take advantage of that also helps to provide accurate predictions, sometimes even before you start typing the next word.

It’s an interesting look not only into the development of soft keyboards such as these, but also into the whole Microsoft bureaucratic scheme. Two totally different and almost unrelated departments had to come together to make the best possible product; if that hadn’t happened, there’s no telling how the keyboard would be.

via [R&D]