Posts tagged with "iPhone"

OmniVision’s New Camera Sensor Would Be Great On Future iPhones

OmniVision, the company behind the current iPhone 4’s camera sensor and among the rumored iPad 2 camera suppliers, has announced a new native 16:9 CMOS image sensor that will provide 1080p HD video recording with simultaneous 10 MP image capturing capabilities. OmniVision is promoting the OV10810 as the “ideal choice for digital still and video camera hybrids and high-end smartphones”, and there’s no doubt such specs would be more than welcome on a future iPhone – perhaps not the iPhone 5 that should come out later this year as that’s likely already been built and it’s in the middle of testing stages.

Still, this new camera sensor from OmniVision sets the bar higher for digital cameras and smartphones, thanks to its 1080p or 720p video recording at 30 fps and the possibility to capture photos at the same time. Sounds a bit like the future of smartphones – no doubt several camera / smartphone makers will adopt this in the next months.

In the meantime, check out the press release below and imagine an iPhone with 1080p videos. [via Engadget] Read more

More Hints At Verizon iPhone Announcement Tomorrow

Last weekend, the big news was that Verizon is holding a special media event tomorrow in New York. Rumor has it, the event will (finally) be about the long-awaited Verizon iPhone. After years of speculation and rumors from major publications such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, it looks like the announcement is happening and the device is going on sale in the first week of February.

Over the weekend, further hints to the device have surfaced online. SAI reports of AT&T public relations head Larry Solomon “attacking” the rumored CDMA iPhone saying that Apple’s phone is built for speed, and that’s not what you get with CDMA:

The iPhone is built for speed, but that’s not what you get with a CDMA phone. I’m not sure iPhone users are ready for life in the slow lane.”

He says AT&T’s GSM technology is faster than Verizon’s CDMA technology.

Read more

Spotted: History of Apple’s Devices

Spotted by TUAW at iLounge’s CES booth, here’s a gallery of Apple’s mobile devices through the years. The collection starts from the original iPod in 2001 and goes straight to the latest iPhones and iPods released in 2010, with the exception of the iPad, which is probably not considered a mobile device by iLounge either.

Looking at the photos, it’s clear how much is changed in 10 years. Even more than iTunes’ interface. Look at the original iPod, or a model from 2005 and 2006 and then take a look at the devices listed under 2007 and 2008. The difference is enormous. Sure, the iPod Classic is still alive and kicking (I have a 160 GB one right here), but we know the majority of consumers are buying iPod touches or Nanos now. These photos are the best example of Apple’s evolution and refinement process from 2001, and then 2007,  through today.

Check out the full gallery here.

Social Radio Reads Your Friends’ Status Updates Aloud

Social Radio for iPhone is a new app developed by @anshuchimala which is available at $0.99 in the App Store. And it has to be one of the weirdest, most original and useful utilities for Twitter and Facebook I’ve seen in a while. Or should I say “listened to”. This app, in fact, once granted authorization to access your Twitter and Facebook timelines, can read your friends’ status messages aloud. And, you can control the app with your voice, too. That’s it.

What’s cool about Social Radio, besides the fact that it’s developed by our friend Anshu, is that it looks minimal, it’s got Helvetica and it really reads Twitter and Facebook with iOS’ built-in accessibility features. I also appreciated the fact that each status updates comes with the original author, so you’ll listen to the app say something like “Federico Viticci wrote”. Usernames will be spoken aloud, http:// links will be excluded. Smart. The app plays a continuos stream of messages from your timeline starting from the most recent ones, until you hit pause or tell it to stop. You can swipe on the screen to move between status updates or just let Social Radio do its job and auto-play them.

Social Radio may look like a silly experiment to get iOS to read Twitter and Facebook messages. If you think about it, though, the app can be very useful for the visually impaired (just set it up once, then listen to it) or for when you’re driving and you really want to stay on top of your social networks.

Social Radio is a cool app that can be yours for just .99 cents. Give it a try.

VLC for iOS Pulled From The App Store, Now on Cydia

Just like we expected in October, VLC for iOS has been removed from the App Store. But this time, the removal of one of the most popular free apps for iPhone and iPad has nothing to do with Apple and the app review team’s rules. Instead, we have to thank developer Rémi Denis-Courmont, who since October has been busy trying to get the app out of the App Store because it violated VLC’s GNU public license. Rather than keep calm, carry on and let other developers (Applidium, the guys behind the VLC port to iOS) distribute VLC for iOS for free, he forced to get the app removed. Read more

Verizon iPhone Announcement on Tuesday, Jobs To Join On Stage

Earlier today, Verizon sent out invitations for a special event the carrier will hold on Tuesday, January 11 in New York City. As the invitations went out and media outlets started reporting about it, speculation immediately arose about the event being focused on a very special announcement: the long-awaited Verizon iPhone. By making a few guesses basing on the invitation list ( Jim Dalrymple of The Loop, MG Siegler of TechCrunch and Andy Ihnatko were invited – they’re all Apple reporters / bloggers) and through some rumors heard earlier today about Apple imposing a vacation freeze on its employees in the first week of February, many are reporting the speculation is real, and the Verizon iPhone will be announced on Tuesday.

The Wall Street Journal weighed in to confirm the carrier managed to close a deal with Apple and will be able to sell a CDMA version of Apple’s phone. Daring Fireball’s John Gruber says it’s going to be about the Verizon iPhone as well. On a side note, tech blog Gizmodo wasn’t invited to the event – they say it’s because Apple isn’t inviting them to events anymore after the iPhone 4 leak last Spring.

All Things Digital is now reporting Apple CEO Steve Jobs will join Verizon’s President and COO Lowell McAdam on stage for the announcement.

While the appearance isn’t 100 percent assured, sources in position to know tell me that, barring any unforseen circumstances, Jobs will likely join McAdam onstage in New York when he announces the addition of the iPhone to its handset line-up.

For Verizon customers waiting for the iPhone and current users willing to switch on Big Red’s networks, it looks like the wait will be finally over on Tuesday with the iPhone on Verizon announcement.

Trimensional - An iPhone App That Does 3D Scanning

Rank this one under the ‘how the eff did they do that’ apps, right up there with Word Lens. Trimensional, from Grant Schindler, is a 3D scanner for your iPhone 4 or iPod Touch (requires front-facing camera). It detects patterns of light reflected off your face to build a true 3D model. Here’s how - it models images in 3D simply by turning down the lights, turning up your iPhone screen’s brightness and holding close to an object, like your own face.

When you’re done with your 3D image, you can view a 3D slideshow, email or save tehm to your camera roll. Trimensional averages 4 out of 5 stars in the App Store and was released January 5, 2011.

Video after the break. Read more

Rovio Releases Angry Birds Free with 12 Exclusive Levels

While we were all waiting for the OS X 10.6.6 and the Mac App Store to show up in Software Update, Rovio released a new version of Angry Birds in the App Store, for free. The app is called “Angry Birds Free” and must not be confused with “Angry Birds Lite”, which wasn’t updated since last April. This new version of the popular iOS (and now Mac, too) game contains 12 exclusive levels specifically built for users who want to try a free version before a paid upgrade.

But Angry Birds Free doesn’t stop at new levels not accessible in the paid counterparts. It’s also got Game Center integration with leaderboards and achievements, plus 4 new mini episodes that should keep you entertained before considering going paid. Two weeks ago, Rovio added 15 new levels, Game Center support and the Mighty Eagle to Angry Birds HD for iPad.

Angry Birds Free is available here, well, for free.