Apple’s New Killer App: Its Smartphone Software Patent

The headlines sounded the first signs of alarm (or glee, depending on which camp you’re in): “Apple Granted the Mother of All Smartphone Software Patents.” For Apple investors, the news about the patent it has been granted that covers nearly every key aspect of the smartphone user inteface is very good.

For those banking on Android and Windows phone manufacturers, not so much. And whileResearch In Motion’s (NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry devices might also take yet another hit, RIM itself may just become slightly more valuable — for its patents.

The online reaction after Apple was awarded the patents on July 17 was swift as analysts and bloggers digested the news. OnPhandroid, a website dedicated to Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android mobile operating system, Kevin Kraus wrote:

“The effects could be swift and lethal… The granting of such a broad patent could have the negative effect of stifling competition in the marketplace and limiting software developments.”

In a decade that has become defined by its legal battles almost as much as technological innovation, what exactly did Apple win, and what are the potential repercussions that are getting the tech press so excited?

In all, Apple was granted 25 patents as part of the application, many of which dated back to a 2007 filing. Two key points make this particular ruling so worrisome for other smartphone manufacturers:

1) One of the patents in particular (8223134) covers “Portable electronic device, method and graphical user interface for displaying electronics lists and documents.”

2) Elements of the patents granted were first filed by Apple back in 2007.

Point one means Apple now has a patent that covers a wide range of commonly used smartphone touchscreen user elements. Think of the tasks that people often use smartphones for — displaying a list of instant messages or e-mails, reviewing photos and documents, scrolling, displaying their calendar, viewing a Web browser and looking at maps. Apple’s patent could arguably cover it, especially when combined with a multi-touch user interface.

Point two means it’s going to be more difficult for competing companies to argue in court that Apple has succeeded in patenting something that’s been in common use for years. The company first filed for these patents back when the iPhone was initially released and before the interface elements began to show up in competing mobile operating systems.

As Patently Apple points out, at the time when Apple was filing for these patents, other smartphones relied on either physical buttons and scroll wheels to accomplish the tasks, or required the user to navigate through a series of menus and button combinations. One of the breakthroughs of Apple’s iOS was its use of an intuitive, multi-touch interface that incorporated gestures and a virtual keyboard — and Apple has always maintained that other smartphone competitors stole much of this from it.
This article comes from:http://www.investorplace.com/2012/07/apples-new-killer-app-its-smartphone-software-patent/

Can Apple Launch in China Without Incident?

The big question for the China launch of the new iPad on Friday isn’t whether it will sell well, but if the retailer can keep the police out of it.

When the iPhone 4S launched in January, hundreds of customers waited overnight outside the Apple store in Beijing’s tony Sanlitun shopping district. But when the surrounded store didn’t open as expected the next morning, at least one fan pelted the facade with eggs and by midmorning authorities had moved in to disperse the mass of expectant customers thronging the outside of the store. The incident led Apple to temporarily suspend sales of the iPhone 4S in the five retail stores it then had in China.

It has happened before. In May 2011, on the first of the sale of a white iPhone, shoppers scuffled with employees, and one of the same Sanlitun store’s windowsended up smashed.

This time Apple is taking a different approach. According to the press release announcing sales of the new iPad on July 10, the company will begin taking reservation requests for the tablet on its online store daily from 9 am to 12 pm beginning Thursday, the day before the official launch on Friday. Customers will then be given a set time to pick up their devices.

Word about the new sales approach has been spreading around China’s popular Sina Weibo microblogging service. Apple Exchange, a Weibo account with about 1.3 million fans, put out a message reminding users of the order-ahead process.

But some users were less than clear about what that meant. One Weibo user responded to the message asking, “pre-order means what? Every machine has to be ordered ahead of time?”

It remains to be seen how many would-be customers have gotten the message, and whether those who were frustrated with their attempts to order the iPad online might not just show up at the store to try their luck.

Also unclear is what role scalpers will play this time around. In January, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported that clashes between two groups of scalpers were to blame for the fracas in front of the Apple store.

This article comes from:

Vodacom, Cell C compete in iPhone arena

Vodacom has followed rival mobile operator Cell C with the release of cheaper iPhone packages, or “Smart Plans” for Apple's fifth-generation smartphone.

While SA's first and second operators, Vodacom and MTN, respectively, have had the latest iPhone, the iPhone 4S, on their shelves since December last year, third operator Cell C started stocking Apple products for the first time this past weekend.

Cell C customers can now get the iPhone 4 and entire iPhone 4S range on Straight Up contracts, ranging from R329 per month for the iPhone 4S 16GB, to R799 per month for the 64GB handset.

Yesterday, Vodacom unveiled new iPhone 4S packages as part of its “all-in-one Smart Plans” – packages introduced last week that include the handset, data, talk time and SMSes. Prices start from R319 per month, for the iPhone 4S 16GB – and go up to R799 per month for the 64GB version.

Cell C's entry-level contract, for the iPhone 4S 16GB, costs R10 more than Vodacom's price on the same phone and includes significantly fewer minutes and SMSes (50 minutes and 50 SMSes as opposed to 95 minutes and 100 SMSes on Vodacom's plan), and includes 250MB more data.

Both operators' top packages, for the iPhone 4S 64GB, are available for R799 per month. Cell C's plan – Straight Up 400 – includes 400 minutes, 400 SMSes and 700MB of data, while Vodacom's plan – Smart Advanced – includes 810 minutes, 400 SMSes and 400MB of data.

This article comes from:http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56858:vodacom,-cell-c-compete-in-iphone-arena

Former Apple VP Bertrand Serlet joins Parallels board

Apple's former Senior VP of Mac OS Software Bertrand Serlet has joined the board of directors at Parallels, the virtualization software company in a non-executive role. Serlet, who did stints involving both science and programming at Xerox PARC as well as Steve Jobs' former company NeXT, left Apple last year to focus "less on products and more on science." His role at Parallels will be to help supply additional vision and direction for both its flagship product and its server-management tools.

Serlet was part of a large crew of former NeXT employees who came with Jobs when he returned to running Apple in the late 90s. Serlet had contributed much to NeXTSTEP and OpenStep, the heart of OS X software. He also worked on WebObjects and CoreFoundation, building on the work of his predecessor in the Software Engineering VP job, Avie Tevanian. He was with Apple for 14 years (including a decade-long stint at Ariba), and is also working with a cloud-based startup Upthere.

Parallels is best known for its self-named product, one of the three major virtualization solutions for running Windows and other operating systems on the Mac, allowing it to be the most versatile of the three mainstream platforms in its ability to run nearly any other operating system (past or present). The company started in 2004 primarily focusing on Windows and Linux server virtualization, but came to prominence when Apple unveiled the Intel-based version of OS X in 2006 and the first Mac version came out. The company continues to sell the Plesk server automation software.

This aticle comes from:http://www.macnn.com/articles/12/07/17/parc.next.veteran.helped.create.os.x/

Why Apple's Siri is leaving many iPhone users wanting for more

We met at an Apple product announcement in Cupertino, Calif. She was helpful, smart and even funny, cracking sarcastic jokes and making me laugh. What more could a guy ask for?

Since then, we have had some major communication issues. She frequently misunderstands what I'm saying. Sometimes she is just unavailable. Often, she responds with the same, repetitive statement.

Her name is Siri.
At first, Siri, the voice-activated digital assistant on Apple iPhones, seemed a little too good to be true. Sirilured me into a relationship promising to help me set up appointments, to gently wake me in the morning for work, and to give me the ability to text someone while I was driving.

It didn't work out that way. "There's something wrong, and I can't answer your questions right now. Please try again in a little while," Siri will say when I ask something. Or: "I'm really sorry about this, but I can't take any requests right now. Please try again in a little while."

She is always polite. But I'm starting to suspect that "I'm really sorry" is just something Siri says to shut me up. Apple introduced Siri as a beta test, meaning it was still a work in progress. That was unusual for Apple, but the company was counting on it to change the way people searched for information on mobile devices. It wanted a head start.

But it doesn't seem ready to change anything yet. Many people I have spoken to have switched Siri off and reverted to the iPhone's voice dictation service (the little microphone next to the keyboard), which is more reliable because it doesn't use Siri's artificial intelligence software.

Those who have left it have done that for good reason. Gene Munster, a securities analyst at Piper Jaffray, recently ran a series of tests with Siri and discovered that this is a significant problem for Apple.

Munster subjected Siri to over 1,600 voice tests, half in a quiet room and half on a busy Minneapolis street. In the quiet room, Siri understood requests 89 percent of the time, but she was able to accurately answer a question only 68 percent of the time. On a busy street, Siri could comprehend what people were saying 83 percent of the time, but answer a question correctly only 62 percent of the time.

This article comes from:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/software/why-apples-siri-is-leaving-many-iphone-users-wanting-for-more/articleshow/14992409.cms

Apple rivals need to bite the bullet on phone updates

HALF-WAY THROUGH this afternoon, my phone updated itself up with a new look. It’s a Galaxy Nexus, one of the few models of Android phone that Google licenses and sells directly to end-users, so when it released the new “jelly bean” version of its Android mobile operating system, the Nexus got a direct update just a few hours later.

For those who use Apple’s iPhone, such upgrades are hardly news. Most iPhone users will be getting an upgrade themselves, some time this autumn, when iOS 6 is released by the Californian company.

For the majority of Android and other smartphone users, though, updates are as rare as first-class upgrades on a flight. Phones keep the operating system software they were primed with when you first bought them and that software stays with them until they break.

Because upgrades – and the software that runs on phones – used to be entirely controlled by the phone companies, it is still common for them to manage the process of rolling out new versions, which happens once in a blue moon.

The usual reason given for such control is that it is their network, so devices connecting to it should only run software that they control or understand. In truth, though, phone companies don’t really seem to care. Even security flaws barely merit an update.

Phone companies have no real incentive to push upgrades to their users, as long as you keep paying for calls and occasionally splash out on a new phone.

Google’s Galaxy Nexus is sold outside the traditional mobile phone contract. Mine is plugged into T-Mobile’s US mobile phone network, but it is not beholden to that company. Instead, it gets its upgrades from the heart of the Googleplex itself, just as the iPhones pick up their software from Apple direct.

In its original vision of Android, Google didn’t intend to sell its own phones. It also didn’t envisage rolling out its own updates. The whole point of Android was that it would be open source, so that mobile providers and manufacturers could mint their own variations on the original Android theme.

But, as with so much Android, Google has quickly realised the limitations of this strategy in comparison to Apple’s iron-tight grip on its iPhone ecology.

The biggest issue, as developers have repeatedly noted to Google, is fragmentation. Initially, coders worried that there would be too many varieties of Android phone. Programming for different screen sizes, hardware keyboards versus touchscreens and processor speeds would mean not only more complex programs, but also the expensive requirement for coders to test on a wide (and growing) range of hardware.

The limitations of Apple’s “you can have an iPhone in any size as long as it’s Steve’s” meant that its app makers have had very little variation to cope with.

Google software design anticipated this challenge to a certain extent and coders (with the exception of game-makers, who tend to push phone hardware to its limits) have learned to live with a jungle of alternative Android implementations.

No, Google’s real problem has been with version fragmentation. When Apple upgrades the operating system behind the iPhone, every iPhone that’s capable of running the new software gets that new version. The vast majority of iPhones walk lockstep into the future.

Most Android devices get left behind by phone manufactures and mobile companies. There are still original Android 1.0 users out there. More than two-thirds of the Android devices being used are four versions older than the latest iteration running on my phone.

With that kind of spread, developers are loathe to depend on new Android features that will only be usable on a few phones. Nobody is going to use the fancier parts of Google’s “cloud messaging” feature, for instance, because only a tiny number of Android users will have an operating system that supports that.

Most of the new features of Android dodge this problem by being slicker versions of old features. A “jelly bean” phone feels faster and has fancier notifications, but it’s one thing for Google to introduce brand new features and quite another to get developers to use them.

That would not matter, except that Google is facing serious competition in the mobile marketplace this year. Apple is determined to keep upgrading its phone and tablet software. Microsoft is, finally, due to make an appearance in the market with its advanced new mobile software. To compete, Google needs to cat herd all of its Android manufacturers and developers into the future – and to do that, it needs modern Android versions running on a large numbers of phones out there.

Google could just give up on both phone network operators and manufacturers. It already owns Motorola. While Google’s management have promised to keep a Chinese wall between the Android team and Motorola’s mobile division, it could decide to drop such niceties in order to compete with Apple, which has no such qualms, and Microsoft, with which a scared Nokia is tightly hugging for security right now.

Motorola this week announced a cheap Android phone that could be just the ticket: the Atrix HD. It is running an old version of Android, with no indication of when it might upgrade. Google can’t even cat herd its own set of cats.

This article comes from:http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2012/0712/1224319858525.html

Apple's iPod Nano could return to taller form, rumor says

If there's one chameleon in Apple's iPod lineup, it's a close race between the iPod Nano and the Shuffle. Both have changed dramatically over the course of their respective product life spans, and a new rumor says it could happen all over again to the next Nano.

According to Japanese Apple-focused blog Macotakara, Apple's next iPod Nano will return to an earlier form of sorts, reverting back to the tried-and-true "oblong style" form factor. As a frame of reference, the current Nano is more like an iPod Shuffle, just with a touch screen on the front instead of click controls.

One curious thing about this rumor is what this means to the cottage industry that's been built up around using the iPod Nano as a watch. There have been numerous third-party accessories that use the iPod Nano as a digital time piece, so much so that Apple made it a point in one of its last major iPod Nano software updates to add additional faces.

The benefit in all this, Macotakara offers, is that the device will sport a dedicated home button, and run an iTunes app, presumably meaning it will have a fully working version of iOS. However, that would also put into question where such a device would fit in with Apple's iPod line, considering its proximity to the iPod Touch.

Apple's last major update to the iPod Nano was the move to a square, touch-screen form factor in September, 2010. Apple then quietly reduced the price of the 8GB model at its iPhone 4S event last year from $149 down to $129. The company typically updates its iPod lineup in the fall, just when school is beginning and just ahead of the holidays.

Macotakara's report, which was spotted by 9to5mac, contradicts a series of leaked photos that began in April of last year, depicting a sixth-generation style iPod Nano with a built-in camera. The camera was a feature included in an earlier generation of the Nano, which was nixed when the device was shrunk down.

This article comes from:http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57469637-37/apples-ipod-nano-could-return-to-taller-form-rumor-says/?part=rss&subj=crave&tag=title

Microsoft vows hardware fight with Apple

Microsoft is going to turn up the heat on Apple, with a more aggressive focus on hardware, CEO Steve Ballmer said in an interview with Computer Reseller News.

After making predictable declarations about advantages in the corporate "enterprise" software market, he said that "we are not going to let any piece of this [go uncontested to Apple]...Not the consumer cloud. Not hardware software innovation. We are not leaving any of that to Apple by itself. Not going to happen. Not on our watch,"according to CRN.

"Hardware-software innovation" is the operative phrase here, as that's the newest fight Microsoft is picking with Apple.

Microsoft is getting set to deliver its own PC for the first time in the company's history when Windows 8 rolls out later this year. Dubbed Surface, the line of tablets sports innovative keyboards -- allowing laptop-like functionality -- and includes models running Windows 8 for both Intel and ARM processors.

Ballmer recognizes that Apple has a distinct advantage by controlling both the hardware and software. That results in a taut hardware-software design, like the iPhone and iPad, which consumers obviously like.

"Right now we are working real hard on the Surface. That's the focus. That's our core. Look, we'll see what happens," he told CRN.

Where this strategy leaves its hardware partners like Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer, and Asus is not clear. Though he did say, "We do feel empowered to innovate everywhere and bring our partners with us."

This article comes from:http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57468996-92/microsoft-vows-hardware-fight-with-apple/

Apple faces new legal challenge in China

Apple is facing a new legal dispute in China - this time over Siri, its voice recognition software.The move comes just days after Apple paid $US60 million ($A59.04 million) to end a dispute over who could use the iPad name in China.

Shanghai Zhizhen Network Technology Co Ltd patented its Xiao i Robot software in 2004, while Apple's Siri, which made its debut with the release of the iPhone 4S last year, was first developed in 2007.

The Chinese company's version operates in a similar way to Apple's personal assistant and works on the iOS and Android operating systems.Si Weijiang, a lawyer acting for the Shanghai-based firm, said it had tried to contact Apple two months ago over the alleged infringement but received no response.

'We sent legal notices to Apple in May, but no one contacted us. We filed the lawsuit in late June to the Shanghai number one intermediate people's court,' Si told AFP.'Currently the case is now at the court-mediated stage.''We mainly ask Apple to stop infringing on our patent and cover the court costs, but once the court confirms Apple has infringed on our patent, we will propose compensation,' he added.

The company's chairman, Yuan Hui, told the Apple Daily newspaper that the firm had 100 million users in China.'People feel that China has no innovation, that companies here just copy. But in fact, we are leaders in our field, and we have created our own innovation,' Yuan told the paper.

It added that Apple was also facing legal action from another Chinese company for allegedly infringing its 'Snow Leopard' trademark.The High Court of the southern province of Guangdong said on Monday that Apple had paid $US60 million to settle a long-running legal battle with Chinese computer maker Shenzhen Proview Technology over the iPad name.

Both Proview, based in the southern city of Shenzhen, and Apple had claimed ownership of the Chinese rights to the 'iPad' trademark.Proview's Taiwanese affiliate registered 'iPad' as a trademark in several countries including China as early as 2000 - years before Apple began selling its hugely successful tablet computer.

Analysts said the Chinese government wanted the matter resolved, wary of the damage a ruling against Apple could do for the foreign business climate in China.

Greater China - which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan - is Apple's fastest-growing region, with revenues second only to the United States.

This article comes from:http://www.skynews.com.au/tech/article.aspx?id=769717

Apple, Google remove Trojan spamming app from stores

Apple and Google removed an app from their app stores after it was revealed to be harvesting users' phone contacts as spam targets.

The Find and Call app was originally thought to be an SMS worm but later discovered to be a Trojan, according toKaspersky Lab. The Russian software security firm said it alerted by Apple and Google to the presence of the malware in their stores, leading to the app's removal.

Apple confirmed it removed the app for violating App Store rules."The Find & Call app has been removed from the App Store due to its unauthorized use of users' Address Book data, a violation of App Store guidelines," Apple spokesperson Trudy Muller told CNET.

CNET has also contacted Google for comment and will update this report when we learn more.The app required users to register their e-mail address and phone number and then would offer to find friends from users' phone book. The phone book data would then be captured and transmitted to a remote server, Kaspersky said.

The malware would then spam the user's contacts with text messages that appeared to come from the original user and including links to download the malware."The 'from' field contains the user's cellphone number," the report says. "In other words, people will receive an SMS spam message from a trusted source."

Both the iOS and Android versions also uploaded users' GPS coordinates to the remote server. The app also allowed users to enter information for social networks, e-mail, and even PayPal.

The app's author told Russian blogAppleInsider.ru that the app was still in beta and blamed a "failure of one of the components" for the spam. "This bug is in process of fixing," the app author said in a translated e-mail.

While malware is no stranger to Google's app store, Kaspersky points out that this is a first for Apple."It is worth mentioning that there have not been any incidents of malware inside the iOS Apple App Store since its launch 5 years ago," Kaspersky Lab said.

The malware discovery comes as Apple grapples with a binary corruption problem that led to incomplete app downloads and app crashes. After reports of the problem surfaced, Apple acknowledged the issue and said was working on a solution.

This article comes from:http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57467274-83/apple-google-remove-trojan-spamming-app-from-stores/

what iphone video player do you like?

iPhone has published for several years,we all know that watching video maybe a good feeling on iPhone,but how many iphone video player do you know?

There are 7 iPhone video player,which one do you like best?
1. QuickTime Player
2. MplayerX
3. Movist
4. VLC Media Player
5. RealPlayer
6. Plex
7. XBMC
I have used most of them,I like QuickTime Player,because it play video fluently,and it also can play many video formats,Of course,the other iPhone video players are also OK.If you have not try the other video players,you can have a try!

I have searched some information about these iphone video players,each has its own character,like the MplayerX,it has Clear pictures of the video.

Like QuickTime X, if you choose to have your video playing in a window, rather than maximised, all of the title bars of the window and any playback controls that are present will disappear.

Apple Will Release $299 iPad Mini in October

A research analyst claims that Apple will unveil a 7.85-inch iPad Mini with 8GB of memory in October.Fresh off the heels of Google’s own 7-inch tablet, new rumors are still firing about the same-sized iPad. Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves suggests that the 7.85-inch iPad Mini will debut in Q4.

“We anticipate an entry-level 7.80-inch iPad with 8GB of NAND capacity to price at $299 with an initial gross margin of 31%,” wrote Hargreaves, in a research noteposted last Thursday.

Hargreaves went on to claim that the iPad Mini will probably cannibalize some of the larger iPad sales. Hargreaves told CNET that Apple would most likely kill off the $399 iPad 2 to make way for a 16GB iPad Mini.

“We estimate Apple will sell 10.0 million 7.85-inch iPads in FQ1 (Dec. 2012) and 35.2 million in all of F2013,” he said. “Based on estimated component order volume, we believe our iPad Mini unit estimates are well within Apple’s production capacity. We anticipate 25% cannibalization of the larger 9.7-inch iPad (for every four 7.85-inch iPads added, we reduced our 9.7-inch iPad estimate by one), so our total F2013 iPad estimate increases to 91.6 million from 65.2 million.”

Rumors of a smaller iPad started circulating when Tim Cook took the reins as Apple CEO. Cook’s predecessor, the late Steve Jobs, famously had a dim view of the 7-inch form factor.

In recent months, TabTimes has learned that Apple has reportedly been testing a 7.85-inch iPad at its offices in Cupertino, while other sources (including Samsung) have claimed that the device could pop up as early as September.

This article comes from:http://mashable.com/2012/07/02/apple-ipad-mini-october/

Brand New iPhone App Allows Australian Sales Reps To Process Orders Instantly While On The Road

JobSync is a mobile ordering system for sales reps, enabling them to take orders and process them instantly from their iPhone to better serve the customers while on the road. Reps can also access live inventory levels, avoiding customers ordering out of stock products and improving information flow.

The original software was designed by Damian Smith from software development companySyncIT. Having performed as a stable platform across Windows Mobile devices for years, Damian and his team decided to extend its reach to iPhone, and has seen massive public interest generate around the app in a short time.

SyncIT started over ten years ago, and has been tasked with designing creative online and mobile solutions for a number of clients – building systems to manage the transport of coal, to treatment cycles for cancer patients.“After witnessing wholesalers struggling with their order systems on a daily basis, we have come up with a one-stop solution for sales reps which will improve productivity and turn-around time, as well as reduce human error,” Mr Smith says.

“We saw a need for a simple yet effective way to remove the paperwork involved in the sales process. We wanted to give business owners the opportunity to improve their day to day operations, customer satisfaction, increase cash flow and ultimately grow their business.”

By downloading JobSync onto their iPhone or Windows mobile device, sales reps can check on the client’s account history before knocking on their door. They can access the client’s last order, check live stock levels and place an order based on that, also ensuring that the order is linked directly into their account system.

Should the client want to check out new products, the sales rep can also display the latest catalogue directly from their mobile. Orders placed in the field go directly through the warehouse, where the product is packed and dispatched – saving time and money. Lost order sheets and ordering products that are out of stock are a thing of the past.“We’ve designed JobSync to work anywhere and everywhere. Even if you’re out of mobile coverage, you can continue working offline, knowing the data is secure and the order will be sent through when mobile coverage is available again,” says Mr Smith.

“You need to be one step ahead of your competitors – you can’t afford for the order sheet to go missing or to expect clients to wait for out of stock products to arrive. JobSync puts your business ahead of the game and frankly I don’t think it can afford to operate without it.”

This article comes from:http://www.sfgate.com/business/prweb/article/Brand-New-iPhone-App-Allows-Australian-Sales-Reps-3677728.php

'Apple concept stocks' higher on iPhone 5 early launch date

Shares of Taiwanese suppliers to Apple moved higher Wednesday morning after the local media reported that the U.S. consumer electronics giant will unveil its iPhone 5 in August, a couple of months ahead schedule, dealers said.

With the expected early launch of Apple's newest smartphone model, hopes have been raised that Taiwan's contract makers will enjoy an increase in shipments and higher profitability for the second half of this year, dealers said.

As of 11:12 a.m., shares of casing supplier Catcher Technology Corp. had risen 2.86 percent to NT$197.50 (US$6.61), and cell phone camera lens maker Largan Precision Co. had climbed 4.82 percent to NT$609.00.

Cell phone camera lens supplier Genius Electronic Optical Co. had gained 2.78 percent to reach NT$240.50, while shares of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. were up 0.70 percent at NT$86.60 although the gains were capped by worries over the losses on its investment in the Japanese company Sharp.

The weighted index was up 0.77 percent at 7,192.70 points on turnover of NT$29.40 billion.. "The market has been waiting for the new iPhone so the reports stirred up buying in these Apple concept stocks this morning," MasterLink Securities analyst Tom Tang said.

Apple is expected to place orders with component makers in July in preparation for its planned launch of iPhone 5 in August, which is aimed at cashing in on back-to-school buying at the end of the summe.While component suppliers such as Largan and Genius will benefit from the strong demand from Apple, Hon Hai is likely to serve as the sole assembler of iPhone 5, the reports said.

"After recent consolidation on the broader market, investors tended to seize any leads, whether positive or negative, to trade and the reports prompted buyers to return," Tang said. "However, I prefer to advice investors that they should trade these Apple concept stocks with caution as the global financial markets remain overshadowed by lingering concerns over the debt problems in the eurozone," Tang said.

Tang said he is afraid that demand for iPhone 5 in Europe and the U.S. will be compromised by a weakening global economy caused by the European debt crisis. "The current interest in Apple concept stocks reflects hope rather than reality," Tang said. "It is possible that many investors will sell these stocks for trading purposes and will lock in their profits soon."

This article comes from:http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201206270011

iPad-Controlled LED Wall Display Will Leave You Mesmerized

There's something about a blank wall that can make a room feel empty. Usually, adding a little art to the space is enough to fill the void, but if you happen to be a little be geeky, you can do one better than that. That's what Greg Friedland decided to do: He decorated a wall with a giant, iPad-controlled moving art installation, called the Aurora LED Wall.

The "installation" is a four-foot-by-eight-foot display, with 544 LED lights positioned on a grid. The lights, backed by wood board, are capable of displaying 16 million colors. A microcontroller feeds the commands to the LEDS, and it's controlled by a Processing Sketch on a computer. Thanks to the software, the display will also respond to music--it'll change colors and patterns depending on the beat of the track being played.

Where does the iPad come in? An app on the tablet, called TouchOSC, lets you interact with the display with the swipe of a finger. You can pick the color palette, resize and sharpen the pattern, control the speed of the display, and generally move and disrupt the flowing images. If you're feeling a bit artistic, you can also do your best finger-painting to show on the display. The app also lets you create custom patterns and activities for the display.

The Aurora LED Wall would certainly be a great addition to any room, and it's quite the conversation piece. In fact, you may run the risk of constantly getting distracted by it rather than getting on with other work or household tasks.

This article comes from:http://www.pcworld.com/article/258270/ipadcontrolled_led_wall_display_will_leave_you_mesmerized.html

5 Reasons Apple's TV Will Change the World

The Apple (NAS: AAPL) iTV chatter has been quiet lately, and understandably so. The past few weeks have been full of real news about new MacBooks and iOS 6 updates to worry about unicorns, iTVs, and other fictional creatures.

However, now it's time to revisit the possibility that Apple's full-blown HDTV may be taking up space in early adopters' living rooms as early as this holiday season.Yes, it could happen. Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White notes this week that a Chinese website, 21cbh.com, claims that contract manufacturer Hon Hai will be receiving Sharp LCD TV panels, probably intended for production of the iTV, during this year's third quarter. The shipment would give Apple enough time to get its inevitable smart TV on the market by the end of this calendar year.


The story isn't airtight, of course. We're talking about an analyst citing an obscure supply-chain watcher with a tidbit of information that may or may not have anything at all to do with the iTV. There are so many places where this rumor can crumble apart.

However, does it really matter if Apple rolls out its Web-enabled flat screens late this year or early next year? It's going to be a hit. Denying that point will only break your heart, so let's go over a few of the reasons a lot of people will be buying the iTV.

1. It's Apple. Duh.
After selling hundreds of millions of iOS devices, it's hard to question Apple's success. Cynics argued that the iPad was just a blown-up iPhone touch, but it changed the way we view tablets. The iTV is similarly going to change the way we view smart televisions.

Apple is King Midas with iOS until it proves mortal.
2. The iTV will be more than just a supersized iPad.
On a recent trip to Asia, White learned that Apple isn't simply blowing up the iPad. That would be silly. Who wants a touchscreen monitor? Not only do you not want a smudged screen, but who wants to get up to navigate a TV? That's so 1965.

It's been rumored for months that the iTV touchscreen element would be the remote control. That makes perfect sense. The remote would have an iPod component to navigate through the big screen.

3. FaceTime is just skin-deep.
White's also hearing that the Apple smart TV will feature a special motion-detection technology. Sounds a lot like Microsoft's (NAS: MSFT) Kinect, right? Motions and gestures can trigger functions beyond the remote control.

However, just as all three of Apple's iOS lines come with user-facing cameras for FaceTime, it would follow that Apple's iOS-fueled television would have a pretty decent camera as part of the motion-detection technology.

As Microsoft's working with cable providers on a premium Skype promotion, Apple's likely to make a value-added feature on its TV. Consumer videoconferencing is about to get popular, the way corporate videoconferencing has over the years.

4. Content is king.
Netflix (NAS: NFLX) has done a great job of educating the market on the value of streaming TV shows and movies, but its digital catalog lacks the new releases and first-run shows that consumers crave.

Apple has already been reasonably successful with its iTunes video offerings, but now it's going to have the actual TV that serves video in its ideal environment.

Could it be that Netflix has stayed away from offering piecemeal rentals -- and Apple has refrained from offering unlimited digital-media smorgasbords -- as an unwritten truce? Obviously, consumers want both. Viewers want the deep library that Netflix can stream and the fresh content that Apple markets through iTunes. Apple's TV will probably either incorporate Netflix streaming and iTunes piecemeal rentals as the mother of all digital solutions, or the company will take on Netflix.

Either way, Apple already has the iTunes ecosystem ready to go.
5. Apple has learned from past mistakes.
Apple didn't put out the first smartphone or tablet. The class act of Cupertino simply raised the bar.

We've seen companies throw their weight behind smart televisions before home Wi-Fi was everywhere. We had Google (NAS: GOOG) fumble its initial foray into Google TV by failing to strike the necessary deals for content. Apple, on the other hand, has had time to watch the field play out. It knows which paths to avoid, and that's why Apple will be a TV star sooner than you might think.

This article comes from: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/06/23/5-reasons-apples-tv-will-change-the-world/

Apple iPad review: why it's a genuine leap forward

The most important part of any tablet, whatever the quad-core brigade may say, is the screen. Unlike any internal component, the screen is what you’ll still be noticing a week after your purchase, the part upon which all of your attention is focused. Upgrading it is the most effective way to improve any tablet.

We’re sure all manufacturers understand this, yet few are in a position to make such bold strides as Apple. Following the iPhone 4’s leap with its “Retina” display, the new iPad has a similarly groundbreaking 1536 x 2048 panel – that’s four times the iPad 2’s 768 x 1024 resolution in exactly the same 9.7in diagonal – and higher than many 27in LCDs. Apple calls it “resolutionary” – a word that makes us queasy, but the sentiment is spot on.

The quadrupled pixel count doesn’t quite give the same pixel density as the iPhone 4 – it’s 246ppi compared to the smaller screen’s 326ppi – but it’s way ahead of any other tablet on the market. Asus will soon release its 10in Transformer Pad Infinity, with a 1920 x 1200 resolution; that’s as close as it gets.

The biggest beneficiary is text, so sharp that you can’t see the pixels any more. The same applies to images, provided the originals are of suitable quality. In fact, the new screen acts like a magnifying glass on every medium-resolution logo or banner ad you may have hoped no-one would notice, which will have web developers desperately scrambling to update their assets.

Apple has curated a section of the App Store highlighting the first Retina-optimised apps, and those we tested did a fine job of showing off the improvement. Flight Control Rocket and Real Racing 2 HD look superb, and the updated Kindle app shows the new iPad is a capable ebook reader as well.

Colour saturation is excellent, and our subjective impressions were backed up by the figures: we measured brightness at 426cd/m2, with an excellent contrast ratio of 906:1. Put simply, the new screen is a revelation, and if you find you’ve stopped actively marvelling at it after an hour or so, a trip back to an iPad 2 will be a shock to the system – it’s like going back to a standard-definition TV after watching Full HD.

This article comes from:http://www.bit.com.au/Review/306245,apple-ipad-review-why-its-a-genuine-leap-forward.aspx

IPad Boom Strains Lithium Supplies After Prices Triple

Prices for the conductive metal, the lightest in the periodic table, have tripled since 2000 in a market now worth $1 billion a year as uses expand in vehicles, ceramics, electronics and lubricants. Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), maker of the Prius electric-gasoline car, have few alternatives as they pursue higher performance and mobility, leading Dahlman Rose & Co. analysts to forecast lithium demand will double by 2020.

Talison Lithium Ltd. (TLH), whose shares have gained 22 percent in the last month, together with Soc. Quimica & Minera de Chile SA, Rockwood Holdings Inc. and FMC Corp. (FMC), account for almost 95 percent of world supply. Rio Tinto Group (RIO), the third-biggest mining company, may join the largest suppliers if it goes ahead with a mine in Serbia it says is capable of producing 20 percent of global output of the metal.

“There are some companies now that we think are attractive to get a hold of lithium exposure,” Evy Hambro, who manages about $13 billion in mining stocks for BlackRock in London, said in an interview. “We’ve got a small exposure today and we’re looking for some more,” he said without naming any companies.

Demand for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries out of Asia has helped prices climb threefold in the last 12 years, London- based Roskill Information Services Ltd. analyst Robert Baylis said. Global use doubled from 2000 to 2011 according to Roskill, which has recently consulted on six lithium projects.
Lithium Oligopoly

The advantage of lithium-ion over other battery types is that a typical cell can generate more electricity than competing cells like such as lead-acid. There is about 1.7 grams (0.6 ounces) of lithium carbonate equivalent in a mobile phone, 2.1 grams in a smart phone and 20 grams in a tablet, according to Dahlman Rose.

There will be a “step change,” in the global lithium industry in 2016 or 2017 when electric cars became more commonplace, Rockwood Chief Executive Officer Seifollah Ghasemi said. Hybrid electric vehicles that are fitted with a lithium- ion battery contain about 1.3 kilograms (2.9 pounds) of the material, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles have about 12.8 kilograms, while an electric vehicle uses about 19.2 kilograms.

The four-strong lithium “oligopoly has the capacity to significantly ramp supply higher, but it will take time and significant capital to accomplish,” Dahlman Rose analysts Anthony Young and Anthony Rizzuto said in a May 16th report. “There are a limited number of known high-grade resources that can be economically extracted and there has not been a new lithium mine constructed in the last 25 years.”

This article comes from:http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-19/ipad-boom-strains-lithium-supplies-after-prices-triple.html

what is the difference between iPhone and iCloud?

what does it mean to upload new photos to icloud for the photo streaming feature on the iphone, but not in iphone when icloud is the new facet for iphone. There's a folder for photos for iphone so it must mean that the upload is sent to iphone right? But how can you tell theses photos be "property" of icloud exclusively when you do not know how it works and it doesn't have a folder intrisically?

ICloud is provided by apple for the clouds service, let users can free storage 5 GB of data .ICloud platform can storage your personal information to apple's servers, through connecting to a wireless network, this information will be automatically inform your hands on every equipment, these devices include iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, or even Mac computers.

The biggest difference between iPhone and iCloud is that iCloud can support many people share data,and it is cloud service,iPhone is terminal services.

The example that I have given show me that iPhone and iCloud can be at the same step,and the photos that you can download and upload from iCoud,and you should know how does the iCould work!

Google, Apple Tighten Grip on Smartphone Market

Apple is marching into new markets—most recently U.S. prepaid mobile phones—to continue the growth of its iPhone and iPad devices and iOS software.

At the same time, the Cupertino, Calif., company is developing software, such as mapping, that it once obtained from Google to make its devices stand out and to control some features more tightly.Google is shifting gears with its Android software to exert greater control over its destiny. In the past, Google relied on hardware manufacturers to build Android devices and on carriers and other retailers to sell them to consumers.

Today, Google is partly adopting Apple's integrated model by manufacturing some devices on its own and it plans to sell several devices directly with big marketing campaigns.

What's behind these moves? Apple and Google see bigger gains ahead. Of the about 1.4 billion phones sold this year, only about 35% will be smartphones, a percentage projected to climb to 75% in the next five years, according to research and trading firm Wedge Partners. That potential bounty is intensifying the fight to sell more devices and accompanying services.

Their ambitions are squeezing onetime market leaders RIM and Nokia. Last week, Nokia said its cellphone business is deteriorating rapidly and it would cut another 10,000 jobs by the end of 2013. BlackBerry-maker RIM is undergoing a strategic review under a new chief executive as its losses have mounted and its stock has slid.

Nokia, RIM and others "really underestimated what Apple and Google could do," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at research firm Gartner Inc. While Apple and Google have built up a "tremendous lead" thanks to their ability to offer books, music and hundreds of thousands of mobile apps, he said the mobile market is accelerating so much that "anything could change very quickly."

Overall, Google's Android held 59% of global smartphone shipments in this year's first quarter, up from 36.1% a year earlier, while Apple had 23%, up from 18.3%, according to IDC. Smartphones powered by Nokia's Symbian OS, which it is phasing out in favor of software from Microsoft, dropped to 6.8% from 26% over the same period, and RIM's share fell to 6.4% from 13.6%.

Yet Apple and Google—just bit players in the mobile market five years ago—face challenges that could trip up the two amid fast-changing consumer tastes and evolving technology.

Google, which gives away its Android software to device makers, doesn't make much money from the devices, even though it comes preloaded with Google's search engine and other services, analysts say.

This article comes from:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303379204577474794114369320.html