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Microsoft is announcing today that it has signed a deal to license the ARM architecture allowing the company to design its own micro architecture around the ARM IP. Is Microsoft getting in the chip business like Qualcomm, Marvell, Apple? This announcement will surely fuel a lot of speculation about Microsoft future mobile strategy. The company claims that this deal will enhance its research and development around Arm-based products but other details about it are confidential. Full press release after the break:
Continue reading Microsoft signs ARM architecture licensing deal. Getting in the chip business? →
The Google team has updated the mobile version of YouTube today with a new m.youtube.com site featuring an HTML5 enabled interface. Contrary to the majority I not going to hype this thing up as if it was the second coming of the Christ just because it uses HTML5 for the UI and because if bypasses Apple’s stupid “3G = Crappy quality video” restriction in the native YouTube application. You heard that right folks! Everybody’s going gaga over this thing because the iPhone can now playback good quality YouTube videos over 3G…just like Android, Windows Mobile and Symbian phones with their native YouTube application…meh. The new UI is a nice touch but nothing mind blowing at all (and MS is screwed once again here because of the lack of HTML5 support in IE Mobile)…And just to be clear, the video aren’t in HTML5, only the UI. Check the video demo after the break:
Continue reading New HTML5 YouTube Mobile site launched →
I’m going to spoil the surprise let you know straight up that the Nexus One is indeed faster than the iPhone 4 at loading web pages according to a quick comparison done by Engadget. The only time the iPhone 4 loaded faster was when the Flash 10.1 plugin was enabled on the Nexus One. Either way the difference bin speed between the two handsets is marginal at best and doesn’t affect the user experience at all IMO. Check out both video after the break:
Continue reading Android 2.2 vs iPhone 4: Browser performance →
Tired of all the Retina display vs Super AMOLED comparisons? Well, here’s something we haven’t seen..heard before: a quick look at the iPhone 4 noise cancellation capabilities. Similar to the HTC Touch Pro2 and Google Nexus One,the iPhone 4 features dual microphone for noise cancellation. So does it work or is it just a gimmick? Check out Pocketnow’s test after the break:
Continue reading iPhone 4 Noise cancellation test →
Here’s a pretty good display comparison between the Samsung Galaxy S and the iPhone 4. Contrary to Engadget’s stuff this one isn’t insanely zoom-in so you can see how both handsets look like fom a normal viewing distance. The colors are definitely richer on the Super AMOLED and the aspect ratio of the screen makes up for the slightly lower PPI and PenTile Matrix. Check it out after the break and make sure to watch it in 1080p:
Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S vs iPhone 4 display video comparison →
Brandon at Pocketnow has just posted a cool first impressions video of the iPhone 4. I won’t get my hands on one until next month so It’s nice to hear what other’s think about it (sites other than Engadget, Giz etc…you know what I mean..) especially when you take into account that Brandon waited 11 hours to get it (!). You will see him give you a hardware tour of the device and also some quick size comparison vs the HTC HD2, Nexus One.. Check it out below:
Continue reading Nice iPhone 4 first impressions video →
720P video recording seems to be THE feature on all the latest high-end handsets launching this year. We’ve already seen the iPhone 4, Samsung Galaxy S, HTC EVO 4G and Acer Stream but is time to see how the Droid X gets the job done. The videos posted below were all shot with the current rom (which probably isn’t final yet) and looks fairly good IMO (better than the EVO 4G and Acer Stream but with same nasty pink spot in the middle..).
Continue reading Motorola Droid X 720P video samples →
Here’s a quick comparison between the iPhone 4’s Retina Display and the Samsung Galaxy S’s super AMOLED. The first thing you will notice is the PenTile Matrix sub-pixels arrangement on the Super AMOLED which make the panel look really inferior to the IPS LCD on the iPhone 4. People will automatically jump to the conclusion that the higher pixel density on the iPhone 4 is the winner here, but this isn’t the case. The problem here is the PenTile Matrix which cause the image to look fuzzy not the lower PPI. A interesting test would be to snap a couple of pictures of the Droid X or regular Droid screen and compare them to the Retina Display of the iPhone 4. Both Motorola handsets have a similar ISP LCD panel as Apple’s device (but with lower PPI because of the size of their screens) so you probably won’t notice any major difference other than the smaller size of the pixels on the iPhone 4 (check out how the LCD panel of the HTC HD2 compares to the PenTile Matrix on the HTC Desire here). I personally think that Apple made a good decision when going for an IPS panel instead of a Super AMOLED now that it is known that Samsung’s latest and greatest tech still uses the PenTile Matrix. Sure you won’t notice any big differences from a normal viewing dsitance but the text does look fuzzier and can be a little bit annoying after a while (but that’s just my opinion after my experience with the HTC Desire).
Two more videos comparing the outdoors visibility and veiwing angles after the break:
Continue reading iPhone 4 Retina Display vs Samsung Galaxy S Super AMOLED →
Everything isn’t going too well today for Apple. It seems like the first batch of retail iPhone 4 has quite a few problems. First is the yellow tint / yellow bar present on some of the Retina displays. As you can see in the pictures this thing looks really bad especially on a white background. There’s still some hope though if this anonymous poster at the Apple insider forum is to be believed:
Apple is using a bonding agent called Organofunctional Silane Z-6011 to bond the layers of glass. Apparently, Apple (or more likely Foxconn) is shipping these products so quickly that the evaporation process is not complete. However, after one or two days of use, especially with the screen on, will complete the evaporation process and the yellow “blotches” will disappear.
How do I know? I was involved in pitching Z-6011 to Apple.
So the only thing to do now is to wait and see if this is the yallow bar goes away once the Organofunctional Silane Z-6011 finally evaporates.
Continue reading First batch of iPhone 4 suffering from screen issues and antenna problems →
Here’s an extensive hands-on video of the Motorola Droid X shot during the launch event. The build quality seems too be really good and the screen is definitely better than the one found on the HTC HD2 and HTC EVO 4G (the Droid X’s screen has a higher PPI thanks to the 854×480 resolution and an IPS panel resulting in better viewing angles and contrast). The new MotoBlur UI doesn’t look too fancy and gets the job done IMO. Check out the video after the break (btw, the clicking sound that you will hear throughout the video isn’t coming from the handset but from the Autofocus of the DSLR camera recording the video…).
Continue reading Motorola Droid X hands-on video →
The Engadget team has juts posted a quick size comparison between the iPhone 4 and the recently announced Motorola Droid X. With it’s massive 4.3″ screen the Motorola Droid X obviously dwarfs the sleek looking iPhone 4. Interestingly the Droid X is nearly as thin as the iPhone 4 but gets thicker at the top because of the camera and dual LED flash. It would be interesting to hear the what it feels like to use the Droid X on a daily basis given that I already find that the HTC HD2 is too big and hard to use with one hand (the Droid X is larger than both the HD2 and HTC EVO 4G!).
Source: Engadget
Windows Live Messenger has finally been released on the iPhone today for free. The application seamlessly integrates all the features found in the desktop version into a nicely laid out UI tha reatins the commen design queus of the iPhone OS:
Chat:
Instant message with your Windows Live Messenger and Y! Messenger contacts on the go so you’re always connected to the people that matter most. You can even receive IM notifications when your app is closed so you never miss a message.
Social:
Windows Live Messenger gives you one place to view the updates your Messenger friends are sharing from social networks like Facebook, Flickr, MySpace and more, helping you cut through the clutter on the go.
Photos:
Upload photos right from your phone to share your favorite moments with the people that matter most. Create albums, add captions, and let your friends and family comment on your photos.
Hotmail:
Access your Hotmail account without leaving the app to read, reply to, and compose emails. Get email notifications within the application so you know when you have new messages.
It will be interesting to see how Microsoft intends to integrate Windows Live Messenger into Windows Phone 7. So far we haven’t seen anything on this front (only basic social network integration into the people’s hub) so it is still any one’s guess if this services will be natively integrated into the OS in a later update or if Microsoft is planning to develop a application similar to the one released on the iPhone today that would be available on the Windows Phone Marketplace.
Source: iTunes
One more video comparison for you folks. This time it’s the iPhone 4 vs the HTC EVO 4G. And the winner is…..obviously the iPhone 4.Check out the video below and see how the HTC EVO 4G video suffers from crappy compression artifacts and totally messed contrast (with a nice purple tint as the center of the lense…) compared to the smoother image and framerate with more natural colors on the iPhone 4:
Continue reading iPhone 4 vs HTC EVO 4G HD video comparison →
We finally have what looks like the first real iPhone 4 pictures and HD video sample shot in 720P courtesy of the Czech website Jablí?ká?.cz. As I expected last week the iPhone 4 camera seems to be one of the best ever on a mobile phone (outside of Japan…) and the video quality shown in the video below is so far better than what we have seen from the HTC EVO 4G , Droid X , Acer Stream and slightly better than the Samsung Galaxy S . Check it out after the break:
Continue reading iPhone 4 HD video sample (720P) and pictures →
The US ITC (International Trade Commission) has announced today that it has agreed to probe Apple in relation to the HTC patent infringement case started on May 12 (which was a follow to Apple’s action on March 2nd). HTC has formely asked for a ban on import of Apple’s products in the US.
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to institute an investigation of certain portable electronic devices and related software. The products at issue in this investigation are portable electronic devices that utilize certain power management methods and may incorporate hardware and software for telephone directories within mobile telephone systems.
The investigation is based on a complaint filed by HTC Corp. of Taiwan on May 12, 2010. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the United States and sale of certain portable electronic devices and related software that infringe patents asserted by HTC. The complainant requests that the USITC issue an exclusion order and a cease and desist order.
The USITC has identified Apple Inc., a/k/a Apple Computer, Inc., as the respondent in this investigation.,/p>
By instituting this investigation (337-TA-721), the USITC has not yet made any decision on the merits of the case. The USITC’s Chief Administrative Law Judge will assign the case to one of the USITC’s six administrative law judges (ALJ), who will schedule and hold an evidentiary hearing. The ALJ will make an initial determination as to whether there is a violation of section 337; that initial determination is subject to review by the Commission.
The USITC will make a final determination in the investigation at the earliest practicable time. Within 45 days after institution of the investigation, the USITC will set a target date for completing the investigation. USITC remedial orders in section 337 cases are effective when issued and become final 60 days after issuance unless disapproved for policy reasons by the U.S. Trade Representative within that 60-day period.
Source: USITC and Reuters
UBM TechInsights has just issued a press release and a couple of documents showing that Apple’s A4 chipset found in the iPhone 4 and the iPad shares the exact same ARM core as the Samsung S5PC110A01 found in the Samsung Wave and Samsung Galaxy S Handsets. There’s nothing surprising here given that this core was build by Intrinsity for Samsung (who also manufactures the Apple SoCs). Intrisity was then bought by Apple a few weeks ago. Steve Jobs can claim that Apple build the A4 but the fact is that Intrisity did it before being bought by Apple. At the end of the day this doesn’t really matter much (and the both chipset use different GPUs anyway). Full press release after the break:
Continue reading Apple’s iPhone 4 and iPad A4 ARM Chipset has the same core as Samsung’s S5PC110 →
I just noticed that Apple has provided 6 photo samples (re-sized them to save bandwidth, originals are here) supposedly taken with the iPhone 4 5mpix camera. According to them those picture are untouched and come straight from the device taken in optimal condotions. If that’s indeed the case then all I can say is; wow. They just look awesome, there no blurring at the edges and no sharpening artifacts at all. Other companies like HTC, Samsung or LG can learn a thing or two because this thing is leagues better than what they are currently shipping. Here’s a sample from the upcoming LG Panther/ GW910 Windows Phone 7 device but the Nokia N8 is still the best I’ve seen so far (with its 12 Mpix sensor).
Check out some new samples (HD Video) here and an HTC EVO 4G vs iPhone 4 HD video comparison here
The boys at Engadget have posted of couple of pictures of the newly announced iPhone 4 vs the HTC EVO 4G. As you can see in the pictures above the iPhone 4 is definitely a lot thinner that the EVO 4G (which is already thicker that the HTC HD2 btw) but IMO the iPhone 4’s Retina…high resolution screen is a total waste given the 3.5 size of the display. Looking at the macro shots of both handset it’s clear that you can’t distinguish pixels on both screen. Apple does have better color calibration though. They’ve also upload a screen comparison video of the iPhone 4 vs the iPhone 3Gs (why not the HTC EVO 4G?):
Continue reading iPhone 4 vs HTC EVO 4G comparison →
That’s right folks. You’ve already seen it before but it’s not official. Steve Jobs has just announced the iPhone 4. More to come….(image courtesy of Engadget). The device is only 9.3mm thick and features a super high resolution 3.5″ display composed of 326 pixels per inch… 960×640, 800:1 contrast and IPS panel. The iPhone 4 features the Apple A4 SoC found in the iPad and will feature up to 32gb of storage. The device also has a 5Mpix camera with backlit sensor and LED flash and is capableof shotting 720P videos at 30fps. THe other new features a the inclusion of a 3-axis Gyroscope.
iPhone OS 4 has now been renamed iOS 4. iOS is now a platform just like OSX. Many new iOS based deviecees will probably come out of Apple in the coming years (devices other than Tablets and Phones..). Bing is now a search engine option alongside Yahoo and Google (still default). The iPhone will also featur video chat but only through Wifi. It will be available in Black & White for $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB launching June 2′th (pre-orders start June 15th)
That’s for now. Will post my thoughts later tonight.
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