10 big improvements in Apple's iOS 7
Apple unveiled the much awaited update to its iOS mobile operating system, iOS 7, on Monday at the WWDC 2013. In Apple's words this is "the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone." Not only does the next iteration of the OS bring a completely overhauled user interface design, it also adds many missing features that were being offered by rival mobile platforms. Here's a look at the 10 most significant new features of iOS 7.
1. Notification centre
Apple has updated the Notification Center with a new translucent background replacing the linen like texture. It's now divided into three tabs- today, all and missed. While the today tab summaries your events, appointments, weather and traffic, missed gives a log of all alerts and notifications from apps.The 'all' tab includes all notifications. The Notification Center can be accessed by simply swiping down from the top from your home screen or even lock screen.
2. Control Center
A lot of users have been complaining about the lack of a central destination that gives them access to the most used settings. Apple addresses that problem with Control Center which can be brought into view by swiping up from the home screen or lock screen.
You'd see controls for turning on or off Airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb and screen orientation settings. You'd also be able to adjust the screen brightness, play, pause, or skip a song, connect to AirPlay-enabled devices or turn on new Airdrop file transfer feature tom the Control Center. Apple's also put handy shortcuts for flashlight, timer, calculator, and camera.
3. Multitasking
Apple used to offer multitasking for select apps so it was more about switching between recently used apps than accessing a apps simultaneously. With iOS 7 Apple allows all apps to multitask and run in the background.
It has also majorly overhauled the front end or the multitasking interface visible to the users. Pressing the Home button twice now brings up the preview screens of the apps you have open on your phone rather than their icons at the bottom of the screen. To quit an app, you just need to swipe it up and out of preview. We've seen this before on webOS, PlayBook OS and even on some HTC Android phones but it's a nifty way to handle multitasking. Multitasking is also intelligent as it adapts to your pattern of accessing apps, refreshing content at the same time interval.
4. AirDrop
Those who use the Mac know that AirDrop is used for transferring files between two computers on the same network. The same feature now comes to the iPhone. AirDrop lets you quickly share photos, videos, contacts -- and anything else from any app on your phone with a Share button. You can just tap Share, then select the person (another iOS user) you want to share with. AirDrop offers transfers using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and you don't need any additional setup. Transfers are encrypted, so they're secure.
All content saved after the transfer is accessible from its respective app. It's worth pointing out that AirDrop is available on iPhone 5, iPad (4th generation), iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation) and requires an iCloud account.
5. New Camera app
The iOS 7 camera app offers a new way to switch between camera modes and includes a new 'square' mode. You can switch between all the modes - still, video, pano (Panorama), and square by simply swiping across the screen. The app also brings filters to apply effects to your photos before or after you shoot them in still and square modes. It's worth pointing out that filters in Camera are available on iPhone 5 and iPod touch (5th generation), while filters in Photos are available on iPhone 4 or later, iPad (3rd generation or later), iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation).
6. Updated Safari web browser
Safari has also been overhauled to offer a distraction-free richer browsing experience as buttons and bars stay hidden until you scroll. You can go back and forward using swipe gestures. It now offers a unified search plus URL box, a new tab view that's not restricted to just 8 tabs and a Shared links menu along with the Reading List that lets you access the links shared by people you follow on Twitter from within the browser. It also remembers your password, user names and credit card numbers through the new iCloud Keychain. Safari can enter them automatically whenever you need to sign in to a site across iOS 7 and the new OS X Mavericks desktop OS. It comes with 256-bit AES encryption, for security.
7. New Photos app
The updated Photos app offers a new way to browse photos through Collections, Moments, and Years, that smartly group of your photos and videos based on the time and place. You can tap Years to see photos taken in that year. Each year holds Collections, based on different events such as trips or commencements. And in the Collection view, there are distinct Moments according to the exact location. It also includes iClod Photo Sharing through which you can share your favorite moments with people by creating a shared photo stream. They can post photos, videos, and comments to your stream, and everything appears on everyone's iOS devices in the Shared tab.
8. Updated App Store
The new app store not only offers a new clean user interface, it also lists apps relevant to your location. For instance if you're in a new city, it will offer apps that you might find helpful like guides, maps and others. It also offers a new Kids category. But the best feature has to be automatic updates that keeps your apps up to date without your intervention or you seeing the updates badge.
9. New Siri and Siri Eyes Free
The Siri voice assistant sports a new look and new features in iOS 7. The voice behind Siri has been updated to offer a more natural speech pattern -- in a new female or male voice. Siri now has access to more sources, including Bing, Wikipedia, and Twitter. It also performs new tasks like controlling apps and phone settings. Siri is also at the centre of iOS in the Car that lets users make calls, control music and check mails and messages while driving. It will be introduced in select cars in 2014.
10. Activation lock
New security features in iOS 7 will make selling or using your stolen device more difficult. Turning off 'Find My iPhone' or resetting the device requires your Apple ID and password. You are also required to enter your Apple ID and password to reactivate the device.
Extra Features:
New user interface, icons and overhauled native apps - In addition to to the above features, iOS 7 brings in a new design philosophy. iOS 7 features a new Parallax Motion effect on the home screen, so the background wallpaper shifts when you look at the phone from different angles using the phone's accelerometer bringing depth to the interface. The new Weather app features animations to depict the weather conditions. Folders offer multiple pages letting you group more apps. The new Mail app offers swipe gestures to organise your mail.
iOS 7 will also bring FaceTime audio to make high quality voice calls using the Internet. It will also offer Per App VPN allowing users to hook on to a remote network for individual apps
Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 with Android 4.2 officially launched
The latest member in the Galaxy family is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor alongside 1GB RAM. The device runs on Android Jellybean 4.2. The 4-inch WVGA TFT LCD display on the device has a resolution of 480x800 pixels. It also has a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 0.3-megapixel front facing camera. The camera app on the device comes with features such as Sound & Shot, Best Shot and Best Photo that have also been seen on recent Galaxy devices(Galaxy S4).
According to the announcement, the phone will come with the option of a dual-SIM in certain markets. Samsung has also said that an LTE version of the device will be coming in select markets.
Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 comes with 4GB of internal storage (user accessible storage approximately 1.77GB) with up to 64GB expandable storage through a microSD card slot.
The device will also come pre-loaded with Samsung features and applications such as S Translator, S Travel, Smart Stay, S Voice, Easy Mode, Samsung Hub and Samsung ChatOn. In terms of sensors, the device will come with Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity and AGPS connectivity.
The smartphone weighs around 115g and has a battery capacity of 1,500mAh.
Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 key specifications:
4-inch TFT LCD touchscreen
1GHz dual-core processor
1GB RAM
4GB internal storage, expandable up to 32GB
5 MP rear camera
0.3 MP front-facing camera
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0
1,500 mAh battery
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
Lenovo K900 smartphone with 2GHz processor launched for Rs. 32,999
Lenovo has launched its flagship Android smartphone, the K900 in the Indian market at a price point of Rs. 32,999.
The phone will be available at 3,000 Lenovo outlets starting July. Lenovo has also launched five other Android smartphones, namely A706, A390, P780, S820 and S920.
The Lenovo K900 was first showcased at CES earlier this year. The K900 packs in Intel's dual-core Clover Trail+ platform, specifically the Intel Atom Z2580 dual-core processor clocking in at 2GHz. The device features a full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) display, 2GB RAM and is expected to come with 16GB of internal storage. It has a non-removable 2500 mAh non-removable battery.
The phablet comes with 13-megapixel rear camera with a new Sony Exmor BSI sensor and a 2-megapixel front camera. Lenovo equipped the K900's rear camera with an f1.8 focal length lens, making it the first smartphone to offer such a wide aperture on its camera. In addition to these improvements to the rear camera, the 2-megapixel front camera has also been widened to an 880 viewing angle, the widest available on a smartphone front camera for convenient self-portraits and video calls. It ships with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
At 6.9mm and a 162gms (that's heavy), Lenovo claims the K900 is the thinnest phone in its class. Despite its slim profile, the smartphone is strong and sturdy unibody construction sporting a stainless steel and polycarbonate exterior.
Lenovo K900 key specifications:
5.5-inch 1080p IPS capacitive touch display
Intel Atom Z2580 2GHz dual-core processor (Clover Trail+)
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
13-megapixel camera with Sony's Exmor BSI sensor
2-megapixel front camera
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Galaxy Mega 6.3 launched in India
Samsung has launched its Galaxy Mega large screen smartphones in the Indian market. The Galaxy Mega 5.8 will be available across the country within a week from today for a price of Rs. 25,100 while the Galaxy Mega 6.3 will be available in mid-June for a MRP of Rs. 31,490.
Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 is a dual-SIM device that has a 5.8-inch screen with qHD (540x960 pixels) resolution. It is powered by a 1.4GHz dual-core processor alongside 1.5GB RAM and features an 8-megapixel rear camera, as well as a 2-megapixel front facing camera. The phone comes with 8GB expandable storage and has a 2,600mAh battery. It runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box.
The Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 sports a large 6.3-inch 720x1280 display and shares the same camera as that of Galaxy Mega 5.8. The Device is powered by a dual-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz. The Galaxy Mega has 1.5GB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and A-GPS all feature same as that of Mega 5.8. The phone comes with a 3,200 mAh battery and runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box. The phone comes with 16GB internal storage capacity and has a microSD card for expanding the storage up to 64GB.
The GALAXY Mega smartphones will offer split screen feature for a variety of applications including email, messages, 'My-Files,' 'S-Memo,' 'S-Planner', amongst others. The devices will also feature the much talked 'Air View' feature, that lets users preview information in emails, photos in Gallery and speed dial contacts without opening them.
The phones are being launched with special offers from Reliance and Vodafone. Reliance customers buying the phone will get 2GB data per month free for 3 months and unlimited access to Big Movies library, WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter. Vodafone customers will get 2GB data download including both 2G and 3G data per month for two months.
Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 key specifications:
- 6.3-inch HD display of 720x1280 resolution
- 1.7GHz dual-core processor
- 1.5GB RAM
- 16GB internal storage, can be expanded by up to 64B
- 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash
- 2-megapixel front camera
- 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v 4.0, GPS
- Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
- 3200 mAh battery
Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 key specifications:
- 5.8-inch display with resolution of 540x960 pixels
- 1.4GHz dual-core processor
- 1.5GB RAM 8GB internal storage, can be expanded by up to 64B
- 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash
- 2-megapixel front camera 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v 4.0, GPS
- Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
- 2600 mAh battery
Micromax Canvas Music A88 smartphone with bundled JBL Tempo headset launched for Rs. 8,499
Indian handset manufacturer Micromax has launched a new Android smartphone, the Canvas Music A88 for Rs. 8,499.
As apparent from its name, the major selling point of the smartphone is its music focused experience. The phone offers consumers unlimited songs download via its MLive! content store. It's not clear at this point if access to unlimited downloads is offered free. In addition to this, Micromax has partnered with audio brand JBL to bundle the JBL Tempo headset with the phone.
Micromax Canvas Music A88 is powered by a 1GHz Mediatek dual-core processor (MT 6577) and has 512MB of RAM. The dual-SIM phone features a 4.5-inch display that sports a resolution of 480x854 pixels. The phone runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
Speaking about the new launch, Ajay Sharma, Country Head Smartphone Division, Micromax said "At Micromax, we are continuously channelizing our energies to innovate finest devices that are relevant to our customers. Canvas Music A88 coupled with JBL headset and unlimited songs download via MLive! Application serves as a perfect offering to the youth echoing our vision of providing a fulfilling entertainment experience to all the music and multimedia lovers. Through our latest device, we aim to further build the Canvas success story to unprecedented heights."
The phone has a 5-megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash and a VGA front facing camera. It has an internal storage of 4GB expandable up to 32GB via microSD card and an 1,800mAh battery.
The Canvas Music A88 will be available in Black and White color variants across all leading retail outlets in India starting May 16, 2013.
Micromax Canvas Music A88 technical specifications:
4.5-inch display with a resolution of 480x854 pixels
1GHZ Mediatek dual-core processor
512MB RAM
4GB internal storage, 1.93GB user accessible, expandable by up to 32GB via microSD card
5-megapixel rear camera, VGA front camera
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, 3G
Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean)
1,800mAH battery
