Galaxy Strong Contender To IPhone

The Galaxy's screen measures 4.8 inches diagonally, compared with 3.5 inches for the iPhone. That translates to a display area that's nearly twice the size. Yet the Galaxy is thinner and lighter.

Apart from that, the Galaxy shares the iPhone's curvy and shiny design, along with a center button that wakes up the device from power-saving mode or takes you from whatever you're doing to a home screen.
Unlike the iPhone, the Galaxy runs on faster 4G cellular networks (AT&T markets its iPhones as 4G, but the network is based on older technology). The Galaxy also comes with a new wireless technology called near-field communications, which can be used to share files and make purchases.

Pictures taken with the Galaxy were sharper and had better light balance than those with the iPhone, based on a handful of test shots I took. The Galaxy's tool for measuring data usage — for those of us no longer on unlimited plans — surpasses what comes with the iPhone.All that makes the Galaxy a strong contender to Apple's popular device.

I understand the comparison isn't entirely fair. The iPhone 4S is about eight months old, and there's a new model expected this fall. Last week, Apple previewed changes to the phone's operating system, promising improvements to its Siri virtual assistant, a mapping service with voice navigation and more.But the reality is the new Galaxy is available this week — not in September or October.

All four national wireless companies and regional carrier U.S. Cellular will sell the Galaxy, which runs the latest operating software from Google, a flavor of Android known as Ice Cream Sandwich.

The basic model with 16 gigabytes of memory will cost $200 with a two-year contract through AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and U.S. Cellular. That's comparable to the iPhone's $199. A 32 GB model will cost $250, which is cheaper than a comparable iPhone at $299. T-Mobile will charge at least $30 more than others, though it may still be cheaper overall with lower monthly data fees over two years.The Galaxy phones will be available in white or blue. AT&T will also have a red version this summer, but it won't carry the 32 GB model.Now back to Galaxy's screen.The Galaxy shines when displaying widescreen video. That's because much of the display's increase is in width rather than in height when the phone is held on its side, or landscape mode. The iPhone wastes some display real estate to make wider videos fit. There are unused strips of black above and below those videos.

When watching a foreign movie through a Netflix app, the Galaxy's larger screen makes the subtitles much easier to read. I can read them fine on the iPhone, but my eyes kept zeroing in on the text to do so, making me miss the action.The colors on the Galaxy also appeared richer, thanks to a screen that uses organic light-emitting diodes, rather than a standard LCD.All that video can deplete your data allowance in no time.On the iPhone, the tool for measuring data usage isn't easy to find. You have to choose "General" in your settings, then "Usage," and then "Cellular Usage." There's info there on the amount of data sent and received, but no total. You have to remember to manually reset the counter each month on the day your billing cycle starts.

On the Galaxy, "Data usage" is the third item from the top under "Settings." You can tell the phone when to warn you that you're about to reach your cap for the month. You can also automatically disable data usage when you've reached a pre-specified point to avoid extra charges. You don't have to do any math to get the total used, and the counter automatically resets each month. You can also see which apps use the most data.

Before I go further, I'll say a few things about where the iPhone still excels.— The iPhone has more software from outside parties, extending the device's functionality. Many apps are written only for the iPhone and other Apple devices. Versions for the Galaxy and other Android phones sometimes come months later and lack all of the features.— The iPhone works better than Android devices in corporate settings. Android, for instance, lacks the tools needed to access Wi-Fi at my office or the corporate email system (though some might consider that a plus for Android).— The iPhone has Siri, the virtual assistant that hears your voice commands and talks back.

The Galaxy introduces a voice assistant, but she's best described as Siri's forgotten stepchild. The Galaxy couldn't find an Indian restaurant just a block from me, and she gave me the name of a doctor when I asked for Thai restaurants. The Galaxy also lacks Siri's attitude and sense of humor.

Me: "What is the best smartphone?" Siri: "Wait, there are other phones?"The Galaxy replied with the grammatically incorrect and boring, "Opinion vary but I think Samsung Galaxy is the best of them all."Here's where the Galaxy prevails:— As with other Android devices, the Galaxy syncs well with Google services. By signing into a Google account, names, emails and phone numbers from my Gmail contacts are automatically transferred to the phone. The same happens with calendar entries. Apple uses a separate contact and calendar system, not the one I already use through Google.— You can remove the plastic back cover to switch the battery or insert a microSD card for additional storage of up to 64 gigabytes. The iPhone's battery can be replaced only by a technician, and there's no slot for more storage.

This article comes from:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=155403533

Popular iPad 3 helps Argos out of trading slump

Gadget fans who flocked to Argos to buy the new iPad 3 gave the troubled chain a welcome sales lift.Improved sales of electronics goods, driven by the highly-anticipated release of the latest iPad in March, eased the recent decline at the catalogue stores.

But the wash-out weather proved a dampener for Home Retail's other chain Homebase, which saw soggy sales in the past few months.

Popular gadget: iPad 3 drives forecast-busting sales at ArgoBoss Terry Duddy was nevertheless upbeat about the group's summer prospects, saying he had already detected signs of some consumer cheer ahead of the Olympics.'One of the things that may be coming through here is a bit of a feelgood factor as far as consumers are concerned - people are getting out there and continuing to enjoy themselves,' he said.

Gazebos sold well over the wet Jubilee weekend as Britons looked for cover from the rain, while Union Jack items such as deckchairs were also in demand.Argos saw like-for-like sales decline by a much better than expected 0.2 per cent in the three months to June 2. Analysts had expected Argos first quarter sales to fall by around 4 per cent.

The improved trading followed an 8.7 per cent decline in the previous six months as Argos struggled amid a tough consumer electronics market and dire high street trading conditions.

Two Argos stores were shut in the past quarter, leaving it with 746. Home Retail plans to close 10 this year, but continues to resist calls for widespread closures, claiming its stores support its presence online and that only seven are loss-making.

Meanwhile, DIY chain Homebase suffered an 8.3 per cent slide in like-for-like sales. Seasonal products, which account for around 40 per cent of sales in the 341-strong business, plunged by around 15 per cent after the wet start to the summer.The dismal weather in April accounted for 80 per cent of the first quarter sales decline at Homebase, but it outperformed competitors in a difficult market, according to Home Retail.

Kingfisher-owned rival DIY chain B&Q recently unveiled a 12 per cent slide in sales due to poor demand for outdoor products and building materials.Duddy claimed they were 'victims' of the weather, with Homebase heavily weighted towards garden products.

THis article comes from:http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-2161471/iPad-3-helps-lift-Argos-trading-slump.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

iPhone 5 vs Galaxy S3″ to get most phone profits this year?

So, this year is the clash of the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5? Research group said Apple and Samsung will eat the whole 90 per cent of the smartphone profits this year.

Similar to the prediction made byUBS analyst’s Maynard Um, ABI Research said on Friday that Samsung Mobile, maker of the new Samsung Galaxy S3 Android smartphone, and Apple inc, the “iPhone company,” will bag the whole 90 percent of the smartphone market profits this year.

Citing the strong and growing demand for smartphones worldwide, ABI revealed that shipments alone grew 41 per cent (year-over-year) after recording 144.6 million units during the first quarter of this year.

55 per cent of the total smartphone shipments last quarter were generated by Samsung and Apple, and surprisingly, the two companies also accounted for more than 90 per cent of the smartphone profits, beating other mobile makers like Nokia, which ships Windows Phone-based smartphones, and RIM, maker of BlackBerry phones.

The research firm also revealed that the South Korean company shipped 43 million in Q1 2012, while Apple delivered nearly 35 million. Finland-based phone maker, and the former mobile phone leader, Nokia, occupied the third spot after shipping 11.9 million and Research in Motion’s shipment was down 20 per cent after shipping 11.1 million only.

This year, Samsung is selling its new “high-end” smartphone which includes the latest version of Android out of the box, the Samsung Galaxy S3. The device will go on sale this month in North America, and currently attracting new customers in Europe and Asia with its quad-core CPU and large display.

Meanwhile, Apple inc is expected to unveil its latest smartphone this coming October, the long-rumored iPhone 5. According to sources of multiple tech outlets and analysts, the iPhone 5 will support Long Term Evolution, and will include a new design, a larger display, and will ship with the latest version of iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system, out of the box.Via Arirang.

This article comes from: http://www.popherald.com/news-abi-smartphones-samsung-galaxy-s3-vs-iphone-5-17953/

Daily iPhone App: Pocket Planes flies high

Odds are that if you read our quick interview with NimbleBit, you already went to check out Pocket Planes, the new freemium title from brother David and Ian Marsh. If you were a big fan of Tiny Tower, you've probably been counting the days until it arrived, already knowing just how addictive these deliciously grindy games can be. But if you've never heard of NimbleBit or played Tiny Tower, maybe you need me to tell you: Go play Pocket Planes.

The one caveat is that it is a time-based freemium title: The gameplay consists of a series of small bursts on various cycles rather than a full-fledged traditional game. But just like Tiny Tower and Pocket Frogs before it, Pocket Planes is polished to a brilliant shine. It features the Tiny Tower bitizens, and this time, they're flying planes around a real world pixel map. Using coins and bux, you can set up airports, fly passengers and cargo around the world, and slowly build up your tiny little (gigantic) airplane empire.

A lot of people have noted that the game's more complicated than NimbleBit's previous titles, but only in that there are slightly more interesting choices to be made: You get to set your planes out on routes you choose, and given that fuel costs gold every time you fly, it's always possible that you'll spend more on gold than you are able to earn by delivering your cargo. Some cities are snowed in or otherwise blocked off, too, so making the right choices about where to send your planes for the most money isn't immediately apparently. Experienced gamers will probably like the extra complexity, however, and I have a feeling that even casual players will learn that making the right choices can be more fun than just tapping away for profit.

And there are plenty of fun extras in the game, too. NimbleBit has clearly learned a lot from Tiny Tower and its various patches. You can take on flights to a randomly selected town every three days to earn extra money and items, and you can even join a "flight crew" with other players, which allows for some very light, very anonymous multiplayer gameplay. The "BitBook" fake social network is back from Tiny Tower, and the citizens post some hilarious updates.

With tons of planes to build and collect, hundreds of airports to open and upgrade, and lots and lots of great characters and production value, Pocket Planes is a great iPhone title. It's another jewel in NimbleBit's very profitable crown, and unless freemium titles cause you to break out in hives, it's a must-play game. Download it now for free in a universal build. Oh, and join the "#schramm" flight crew -- we're #311 in the world and growing!

This article comes from:http://www.tuaw.com/2012/06/14/daily-iphone-app-pocket-planes-flies-high/

Mountain Lion: Making Friends By Bringing Us All Together

Across every announcement made by Apple during their 2012 WWDC Keynote, from new Retina Display Macs to new Maps in iOS 6, one element remained: Unity.

In every Keynote and in every press event, there are always little holes Apple leaves in their stories to be filled later with new advancements or products. And yet, this year’s keynote seemed more like they were gathering all of their things together and stacking them by the door so when the time comes, they’ll be able to leave at a moment’s notice.

This year’s Keynote was a calm and subtle warning to us all: We’re on the move, and if you want to come along, best you follow our lead.

From the beginning, Tim Cook made mention of 400 million iTunes accounts, complete with credit card information, used to purchase things like apps in either store, music, movies and more. Craig Federighi boasted Apple’s 66 million Mac users, a number which, according to him, is 3 times greater than what they had just 5 years ago.

Since Lion released electronically last summer via the Mac App store, it’s sold more than 26 million copies. In fact, 40% of all Mac OS X users are now running Apple’s latest and greatest, and it only took them 9 months to get there.

Scott Forstall hailed the mobile operating system, saying more than 80% of all iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch users are running iOS 5. With these pieces in play, Apple’s newest software offerings are able to do much more than they currently can. What’s more, they will begin to work together and become even more seamless, thanks to the glue that is iCloud.

Apple has long strived to be more than a computer and electronics company, but an ecosystem. In the early years, Steve Jobs talked about the Mac becoming the “digital hub” for all your media, allowing it to be stored elsewhere, such as the iPod. Now that iOS and OS X are becoming more and more like one another, one can’t help but look at the holes in the story and wonder where Apple is going next and what new things they will add to their ecosystem.

As it stands, they are pushing the Mac hard into iCloud, making sure everything syncs and works “like magic.” In addition to bringing over a few familiar iOS apps to the wildcat’s lair, they’re also trying to teach the Mac a few new tricks they’ve been learning during their growth spurt in mobile.

It’s a brilliant move, really. Apple has more than once released a great product or innovation into the world, only later to reveal that they’ve been viewing it less as a way to make money and more as a form of informal education. For instance, Apple has plenty of reasons to run and operate their own stores: They control the content, the experience and the message. But as they run these stores, their also able to see how customers interact with their products, learn what customers are asking for, and even quietly test out new technologies on their retail stores before rolling it out elsewhere.

For nearly 5 years, we’ve been playing with our iPhones, taking them everywhere we go and putting them through their paces. We didn’t know Apple was learning about how we like to interact with our devices, how we like to get information to these devices, and how we like to consume our content. Mountain Lion is the product of all this research and rolls some of iOS’ best features into our Macs.


This article comes from:http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1112554397/mountain-lion-making-friends-by-bringing-us-all-together/

An iPad for every student at Grand Island high school

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — The Northwest Public Schools board voted board voted unanimously this week to provide iPads for all high school students.

The proposal adopted by the Grand Island school board was different from the one discussed in May, which anticipated starting with the high school before expanding to provide iPads throughout the K-12 district. The idea was to move down one grade per year, until students in all grades had an iPad.

The price cited at the May meeting for a six-year program was $533,000.The proposal considered this week was to lease 730 iPads for two years at a cost of $154,000.

After the meeting, Northwest Public Schools business manager Sharon Placke said the technology is changing so rapidly that many people thought it did not make sense to commit beyond a two-year lease.

Brian Gibson, technology coordinator for the school district, said iPads have the potential to reduce the cost of textbook purchases.He said some teachers use a textbook as a guide, but then have students use the Internet or free apps on their iPads to learn the principles being taught in the textbook.

Gibson said Northwest High would be one of about nine central Nebraska schools that will receive iPad training from Educational Service Unit No. 10, which will also reduce costs for the district.

After the meeting, Placke said each student will probably pay a $35 fee for use of an iPad. She said the fee would help defray the cost of buying insurance, called AppleCare, for the iPads. Low-income students who receive free or reduced-price school lunches could request a fee waiver.

Superintendent Bill Mowinkel noted that all students — regardless of whether they got the fee waived — would be responsible if their iPads were lost or damaged, just as they are responsible for damaged or lost textbooks.

This article comes from:http://www.omaha.com/article/20120613/NEWS01/706139923

Apple taking aim at Chinese market with Mountain Lion, iOS 6

The sharp focus that Apple has brought to bear on the Chinese market was evident on Monday during a keynote presentation to kick off the Worldwide Developers Conference. While talking up new additions to OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, head of Mac Software Engineering Craig Federighi presented a segment on "Features for China" in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.

"One area I want to highlight especially are some features we're adding for China," he said. "The Mac has been growing fantastically in China and we have some wonderful features that we think are going to make it even more popular there."

The additions included an improved Chinese Pinyin input method, a new dictionary and eight Chinese fonts. Safari in OS X Mountain Lion will also add the popular Chinese search engine Baidu as a search option, support for micro-blogging via Sina Weibo and video sharing selections for Youku and Tudou. Federighi also mentioned the inclusion of easy setup of popular Chinese email services coming to Mountain Lion.

"It's going to be important. Get your apps ready for China," he said to the assembled crowd of developers.

Later in the presentation, Scott Forstall, Apple's president of iOS Software, talked about upcoming Siri support for Mandarin and Cantonese in iOS 6. The new language support will make good on a promise that company made last year to teach Siri Chinese in 2012. Siri's Chinese language abilities will include Mandarin, tuned for both Taiwan and the Chinese mainland, and Cantonese, tuned for Hong Kong and the mainland.

"As part of making Siri more international, we're now taking local search, which was U.S.-only in iOS, around the world. So you can now do local search even in China," Forstall said.

Responding to Monday's keynote, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty called Apple's China-specific features "significant investments" that the company is making to reach the market. She believes that focus on China will be "key to long-term growth." The investment bank expects increased sales of the iPhone in the region to contribute 33 percent of incremental revenue for Apple in calendar 2013.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said in April during a quarterly earnings call that the company's revenue in China has been "mind-boggling." The region brought in $7.39 billion in revenue during the March quarter, driven largely by iPhone sales, which were up five times that of the year ago quarter. The executive said the iPhone and iPad are creating an "incredible" halo of demand for Macs, which were up more than 60 percent year over year during the quarter. Cook noted that an "enormous number of people" in China are moving into the middle class and Apple is doing everything it can to understand the market and capitalize on the opportunity.

This article comes from:http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/06/12/apple_taking_aim_at_chinese_market_with_mountain_lion_ios_6.html