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

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

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

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

Apple’s design boss says the best is yet to come

During an interview with The Telegraph published on Wednesday, Apple’s design boss Jonathan Ive said that his most impressive work at Apple has yet to come. While Apple’s late co-founder and former chief executive Steve Jobs still takes center stage when the company’s current product line is discussed, Jobs’s knack for surrounding himself with an amazing team was one of the key factors that led to Apple’s success. Among the top executives who had a hand in making Apple what it is today — the most valuable company in the world — is Jonathan Ive, senior vice president of Industrial Design at the Cupertino, California-based company. 

While Ive is one of the executives behind all of Apple’s biggest hits, including the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, the British designer who will receive knighthood on Wednesday in London says his best work is still buried deep in Apple’s labs.

“It’s a really tough one,” Ive responded when asked by The Telegraph’s Shane Richmond which of his designs he will most likely be remembered for. ”A lot does seem to come back to the fact that what we’re working on now feels like the most important and the best work we’ve done, and so it would be what we’re working on right now, which of course I can’t tell you about.”

Apple is rumored to be working on a number of products that could potentially reinvent its iconic designs. Among them are a smaller version of the iPad tablet, a thinner MacBook Pro, a high-definition television and a completely redesigned iPhone that will launch this fall.

This article comes from:http://news.yahoo.com/apple-design-boss-says-best-yet-come-125545715.html;_ylt=A2KJjai55r1PoUoARkfQtDMD

Head of Time Warner Cable Is Unfamiliar With Apple’s AirPlay

AirPlay, a software tool included with Apple’s iPads and iPhones, is widely viewed as being potentially disruptive to the cable industry, because it makes it easy for people to view a broad variety of Internet content on a television. Time Warner Cable’s leader, however, hasn’t heard of it.
Glenn A. Britt, the company’s chief executive, said in a group interview on Friday that the challenge for digital video was that there was no simple way to get Internet-based video onto the television screen. He wasn’t familiar with AirPlay.

“I’m not sure I know what AirPlay is,” he said, though he noted that he was an enthusiastic Apple customer. “Today we want to be on every screen. Today it’s a little bit clunky to get programming from the Internet onto the TV — not so hard to get it on your iPad. What’s hard is the plumbing, what wires do you connect, what device do you use. So the current Apple TV, the little thing, the hockey puck, really doesn’t do anything to help enable you to get Internet material on your TV.”
Apple pitches AirPlay as a way to make it easy to get Internet video from an iPad or iPhone onto a television, among other uses. A user can press a button while watching video to stream it wirelessly to an Apple TV box connected to a TV set.
AirPlay also makes it easy to push pirated video available on the Web onto the television, which could lead some people to drop their cable subscriptions. And it opens the door for content providers to circumvent cable and offer their own channels as apps. That gives them a direct relationship with the customer, as well as the opportunity to try new ways to increase revenue or ad sales. The Discovery Channel, ABC and PBS offer AirPlay-compatible apps. AirPlay will be coming to Apple’s computers too, in the next version of the Mac operating system, due out this summer.
Of course, while many people own iPhones and iPads, Apple TV has not been as popular; Apple sold 2.8 million of the boxes in the year that ended in September. Requiring two pieces of hardware isn’t as straightforward as getting all the content right there from the TV.  Mr. Britt noted that he felt smart TVs — Internet-connected televisions that include computer chips and software — would be better than requiring an extra box to view Web content. “I hate set-top boxes,” he said.
But with many reports speculating about a coming release of an Apple-made television, AirPlay seems like something worth following.
This article comes from: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/14/time-warner-apple-tv-airplay/