Otaku Gadgets

It has recently been unearthed that Apple has been granted a patent in Europe for an all-in-one desktop computer that can switch between mouse/keyboard and touch inputs. This patent confirms long standing rumors that Apple is moving towards a touch-based future for the flagship line of lifestyle desktop computer — the iMac.

Continue reading “Apple Granted Patent For Touch-Based All-In-One — iMac Touch Coming Soon?” »

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During the Q&A session at the special Apple press conference that was held to talk about the iPhone 4 antenna issue, Steve Jobs let slip something very interesting. When someone from the said that he cannot replicate the death grip at the conference hall, Steve replied that they had very strong signal there. He then added that they had both AT&T and Verizon cells on the campus. More on the other side.

Continue reading “Is Apple Using Verizon For Testing A New iPhone?” »

The iPad is out and about. So is the iOS 4 and iPhone 4. Everything that has been really exciting is out. So in case you haven’t noticed, the Apple rumor mill has been a short hiatus of late. Well, not anymore. It is back with a rumor with the only thing on the horizon that falls in with the supercharged mobile industry — the iPod Touch.

Continue reading “About Time: Rumors Spread About Next iPod Touch Carrying Camera, FaceTime” »

Apps have become very popular in the last years, and especially with the release of Apple’s iPhone and the Android operating system. Developers have options to create free or paid applications. A report published last week by Distimo outlined some interesting differences between iPhone, Android and other app marketplaces.

apps

The company researched the proportion of free vs paid apps in the following marketplaces: Apple Store iPad, iPhone and Universal, Blackberry App World, Google Android Market, Nokia Ovi Store, Palm App Catalog and Windows Marketplace.

The Google Android Market is the only app marketplace with a higher proportion of free applications, 57% versus 43% paid applications followed by the Palm App Catalog with 34% and all other marketplaces between 22% and 28%.

Now, this does not say anything about the absolute numbers of free applications in each marketplace. A marketplace with lots of applications might still offer more apps than a marketplace with a higher proportion but a lower selection of total apps.

What’s the main reason for this large proportion of free apps on Android marketplace? Probably the fact that it is an open platform:

Since Android is an open platform, which anyone can develop for, you see a lot more open source apps, which in general are free. So since you don’t have to pay to develop apps, developers are more willing to give away their apps with Android than with Apple.

The researchers have analysed average app prices as well. Blackberry apps lead that chart with $6.97 on average followed by Windows Marketplace with an average price of $5.96 per app. Android apps average at $3.29, iPhone at $4.01 and iPad at $4.65.

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Apple published an open letter addressing the iPhone 4 reception issues. According to the letter it is not the phones that have a bad antenna or reception problems but the way the signal strength is calculated and shown in the phone. They are basically stating that they have used the wrong formula to calculate the signal strength and will issue a software update to fix the miscalculations and to make it clearer to the user if they are in an area with weak signal quality.

Dear iPhone 4 Users,

The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple’s history. It has been judged by reviewers around the world to be the best smartphone ever, and users have told us that they love it. So we were surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and we immediately began investigating them. Here is what we have learned.

To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.

At the same time, we continue to read articles and receive hundreds of emails from users saying that iPhone 4 reception is better than the iPhone 3GS. They are delighted. This matches our own experience and testing. What can explain all of this?

We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising.

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.

To fix this, we are adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2 and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.

We will issue a free software update within a few weeks that incorporates the corrected formula. Since this mistake has been present since the original iPhone, this software update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.

We have gone back to our labs and retested everything, and the results are the same— the iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. For the vast majority of users who have not been troubled by this issue, this software update will only make your bars more accurate. For those who have had concerns, we apologize for any anxiety we may have caused.

As a reminder, if you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

We hope you love the iPhone 4 as much as we do.

Thank you for your patience and support.

In yesterday’s keynote, Steve Jobs announced the renaming of the iPhone OS 4. They are taking away the phone and simply calling the thing iOS 4. The iOS4 Golden Master was released on the day of the announcement. It carries over 1500 new developer API’s and over 100 new user features. Of course we have already  heard about all this at the special iPhone OS 4 event that took place some time back. This WWDC 2010 keynote added some extras to that announcement.

Continue reading “WWDC 2010: iPhone OS 4 Renamed To iOS4 With Over 1500 Developer API’s And Over 100 New User Features” »

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Google has decided that it will no longer use Windows-based machines for its operations. Hence, it has begun a purge of everything Windows and the sound of hearts breaking is echoing a long way from Redmond. Google has stated that this decision is based on low security level that such a mass market operating inevitably ends up suffering form. Despite the ongoing feud with Apple, Google has named Mac as one of the replacement platforms. The other is of course Linux, which they have been using for quite some time now.

Continue reading “Google Leaves Windows Behind” »

Steve Jobs appeared on News Corp’s D8 conference and answered surprisingly probing questions with relative openness. He talked about burning issues such as flash, app approval, Google’s competition, Siri acquisition, the whole iPhone at the bar incident, AT&T and more. If that topic list doesn’t tell you already, this interview of Steve is definitely one of the most revealing ones of recent times.

Continue reading “Steve Jobs Gets Grilled At D8, Answers Burning Questions” »

The wonderful folks at Patently Apple have done it again — they have uncovered a patent that could very well be seen in the next version of the iPhone that likely to be out in about a month or two from now. This new patent, granted as late as April 1, 2010 (hold those jokes), points towards a level of Facebook integration on the iPhone like never before. Continue reading “Apple Patent Reveals Low-Level Integration With Facebook And Automated Workflows” »

Vietnam is our new source for industrial leakage and I am not talking about the kind that gets agencies like EPA on your back. From that side of the world comes word of a new Macbook along with pictures and videos. It looks like a leak of a new version of the white Macbook that was last updated in October last year. As for the authenticity of the leak — Tinhte (the original source (Google translate link)) has gotten it right before and this time it looks like the real McCoy as well.

Continue reading “New MacBook Leaked And Unboxed” »