Apple Unveils the New iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, iMac with Retina, Thunderbolt 2, OS X Yosemite Available Today, iOS 8.1 Coming on Monday!

Apple has unveiled the iPad Air 2, a successor to its incredibly thin 10-inch tablet from last year.

The overall design is largely the same, with slim bezels on the size and slightly larger ones at the top and bottom. The original iPad Air was heralded for being as thin as a pencil; the iPad Air 2 is 18 percent thinner, coming in at a ridiculously skinny 6.1mm. To achieve this feat, Apple swapped out the display for a laminated version, leaving no air gap. it includes an anti-reflective coating, which Apple says has never been included in a tablet before.

The iPad Air 2 also comes with a new chipset, the A8X, which was created specifically for the device. It uses a second-generation 64-bit architecture, which should improve performance across a range of tasks. Apple says graphics performance will be 180 times faster than the original iPad.

The tablet also includes Apple’s M8 motion co-processor, tracking motion with precision. While you won’t be running with the iPad (unless you’re determined) it could still prove useful for lower intensity apps and games.

Tablets aren’t known for their photography credentials, but the iPad in particular has proven a useful snapper for many people both outside and in the home. The iPad Air  2 has an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, boasting 1.12 micron pixels, an f/2.4 aperture and 1080p video recording. It also supports slow-motion recording; 120 frames per second at 720p resolution.

The FaceTime camera has been improved with a new sensor with f/2.2 aperture, capable of accepting 81 percent more light. Face detection has been improved and it also includes “burst selfies” for capturing perfect self portraits.

In line with yesterday’s leak, the iPad Air 2 has a new home button with Touch ID, which should make unlocking the device just that little bit simpler. It also supports Apple Pay for secure online purchases.

iPad mini 3 with same specs different screen size and a Gold color.

The device was confirmed yesterday when images of the device, alongside the iPad Mini 3, were found inside a user guide for iOS 8.

iMAC

A stable of new iPads wasn’t all Apple had up its sleeve today. The folks in Cupertino have also been hard at work on a desktop update, and the iMac is the beneficiary.

If you’ll recall, Apple quietly trotted out a more affordable version of the machine back in June, but this fall’s release packs a much bigger punch.

With the latest model, the company’s all-in-one option gets a boost in the screen department with the addition of a Retina panel. That 27-inch display is what Apple’s calling “Retina 5K,” which touts a 5,120 x 2,880 resolution with 67 percent more pixels than 4K.

The outer edge is 5mm thick, keeping the trim frame all the way around.

 

At its October media event, Apple announced the release of OS X 10.10 Yosemite later today.The world first got a glimpse of Yosemite at WWDC in June. The annual desktop OS update includes a more modern look, new cross-functionality with iOS devices and expanded search capabilities.

Apple is also touting new iCloud Drive cloud storage features and a major update to its iWork productivity suite.

Apple ran a public beta for OS X 10.10 this summer, granting more than 1 million users early access to the update.

At its iPad conference today, Apple announced that its new NFC-based mobile payment service,Apple Pay, would roll out on Monday, October 20. Apple says over 500 banks will support the service.

Apple first introduced Apple Pay during its iPhone and Apple Watch event a little over a month ago. Supporting Mastercard, Visa, and American Express cards, the company hopes to make in-store cashless transactions easier and more secure. The process generates a one-time payment number, and the merchant never sees your credit card information.

Of course, Apple Pay isn’t the first payment system to work with NFC-chips. Google Wallet has been around for a while without tremendous success, but Apple hopes its loyal user base and simple TouchID authentication will help make payments via phone (or watch) the norm.

Apple just announced that the Apple Watch SDK, WatchKit will be available to developers starting next month.

Developers will be able to create apps for the Apple Watch that will launch in early 2015. Apple introduced the Apple Watch at its September event.

Today’s announcement isn’t surprising. Apple makes new OS SDKs available at its yearly WWDC event months ahead of the release of new hardware.

Apple giveth and Apple taketh away. And apparently, Apple also giveth back.

At the Apple event this morning in the Town Hall auditorium at Apple’s headquarters, Craig Federighi, the company’s senior vice president of software engineering said Apple will restore  the camera roll to its Photos app as part of the updates to iOS 8.1.

Camera Roll is back and will will support Apple Pay. public beta for iCloud Photo Library.

“We are bring back the beloved camera roll,” Federighi told the audience.

But of course there’s more. Federighi also announced a public beta for iCloud Photo Library and support Apple Pay as well. Apple Pay  and iOS 8.1 will launch on Monday.

Google reveals its self-driving car!

Google first announced its plans in 2010 to make a self-driving car that, well, drives itself around and the passengers just have to sit and enjoy the ride without worrying about driving the vehicle. After years in development, Google has revealed an early version of its prototype vehicle.

The car, other than its self-driving ability is not much. It’s a cute little hatchback with just two seats inside and a screen to show the route. It doesn’t have any creature comforts on the inside and that is on purpose as this one is more for testing and demonstration purposes.

The Google car has no steering, pedals or gear shift. It drives itself around using an array or sensors that can reportedly see as far as two football fields in every direction. You just have to press a button and tell the car where you have to go and it will do the rest for you. The speed on the current car is capped at 25 mph (40kmph).

Google will be building 100 prototype of this car and later this summer it will test early versions of this car with manual controls. If everything goes according to plans, the company plans on doing a small pilot program in the next couple of years in California and will eventually work with partners to bring the technology on to the road.

Latest Rumors: Samsung to unveil Galaxy S5 on February 23!

The rumors surrounding the next generation Galaxy S smartphone are coming in thick and fast. Firstly, the device was tipped for a March release, which was even backed up by a statement from the company’s VP, but we then had a Samsung executive saying that their flagship smartphone will not be showcased at the Mobile World Congress.

Now, we have another report from Mobile Review’s Eldar Murtazin, who says that the hotly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone will be announced on February 23. It has to be noted that the same guy had correctly predicted the Galaxy S4 launch date last year.

 

Samsung Galaxy S5 launch – 18.00. Barcelona. 23 February. Price the same. Launch – end of April. Specs – u know them 🙂 new touchwiz 😉

— Eldar Murtazin (@eldarmurtazin) January 21, 2014

 

Samsung will announce its 2014 flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone at a dedicated event in Barcelona on February 23, which is a day before the Mobile World Congress kicks off. Furthermore, Mr. Murtazinclaims that the device will be available in the stores by the end of April, which alligns nicely with earlier rumors.

Meanwhile, Samsung Galaxy S5 is expected to sport a 5.2-inch display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and the device is said to offer a choice between the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset and Samsung’s next generation Exynos. The other hardware specifications of the Galaxy S5 include 3 GB of RAM, 16 megapixel rear camera, fingerprint sensor, new TouchWiz user interface and a 3,000mAh battery.

However, these are just speculations based on the previous rumors and there is no official confirmation at the moment. We will keep you posted when Samsung starts sending invitations for its next Unpacked event.

Samsung official: Samsung Galaxy S5 to be unveiled in New York City during March

Two new Samsung Galaxy S5 rumors, including a potential surprise, have landed today ahead of the device’s arrival later this year.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 rumor mill continues to churn at an incredible rate ahead of the device’s likely arrival in the early part of 2014. Rumors have been swirling for months now though they have started to pick up in recent days with launch dates, release dates and features firming up ahead of its arrival.

Two new rumors have popped up today and they point at two different things. The Samsung Galaxy S5 launch date and the Samsung Galaxy S5 battery size and power. One of the rumors seems to confirm something that we’ve already learned and the other hints at a potential surprise on board the Galaxy S5.

According to ZDNet Korea, another Samsung executive has dismissed a Samsung Galaxy S5 launch at Mobile World Congress, saying that the show’s main purpose is as a “business meeting” rather than a launch pad for a flagship device. This falls in line with rumors from earlier this month that suggested that the Galaxy S5 would skip MWC 2014 and instead, launch in March and get released in April.

It’s still not clear where the Samsung Galaxy S5 will be launched though recent reports have indicated that the main event will be held in a European city and not in the United States. Last year’s Samsung Galaxy S4 was launched in New York City at the Radio City Music Hall.

The other rumor is a bit of a surprise. While rumors initially indicated that the Galaxy S5 would have a 4,000 mAh battery, a new rumor from PhoneArena suggests that Samsung might be using a 2,900 mAh battery with fast charging. The fast-charging and the size of the battery being the surprises.

The Galaxy S5 will reportedly use technology from Amprius, a battery startup based in Silicon Valley which according to ExtremeTech, utilizes a “new kind of lithium-ion battery that stores around 20% more energy than batteries currently on the market.”

Samsung’s Galaxy S4 uses a regular 2,700 mAh battery so it could be that the Galaxy S5 battery has some advantages over it. However, given that rumors point to a new high-resolution QHD display on board the Galaxy S5, it’s possible that that will even things out.

The Galaxy S5 appears destined for an early 2014 launch and it appears that it will do so with a number of high-end features on board. Recent rumors point to both a plastic and metal design, a 5.2-inch QHD display, Snapdragon 805 processor or a Exynos 6, 16MP camera, Android 4.4 KitKat, and more.

Samsung’s new Galaxy S will replace the Galaxy S4 as the company’s flagship and challenge the likes of the iPhone 5s and the rumored iPhone 6, the latter of which is rumored for later this year.

Sony takes on Microsoft, prices new PS4 below Xbox One

Sony Corp on Monday priced its latest PlayStation 4 console $100 lower than the new Xbox One by rival Microsoft Corp as competition for gamer’s pockets intensifies ahead of the year-end holidays and gift-giving season.

Sony said it would sell the latest PlayStation model for $399 late in the year shortly after Microsoft announced a $499 price tag for its first new Xbox in eight years and said it would go on sale in the United States in November.

Sony also drew cheers from the audience at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles when it said the PS4 would run second-handgames and did not require an always-on Internet connection.

Microsoft had earlier elicited groans from gamers when it announced restrictions on used games for the Xbox One and said players had to log onto the Internet for authentication.

“The PlayStation 4 won’t impose any new restrictions on used games,” said Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America as the audience whistled and applauded.

Microsoft and Sony hope the consoles will attract new fans and retain users who are increasingly playing games on smartphones and other mobile devices, gradually diminishing the $66 billion video game business. Both companies are also offering more entertainment options.

The Xbox 360 is currently the best-selling gaming console in the United States, but global sales are almost on par with the PlayStation 3.

The new Xbox and PlayStation are both pricier than the $300 Wii U which Nintendo Co Ltd launched late last year but which has sold poorly, partly due to a dearth of new gaming titles. Nintendo is expected to announce new games for the device at the E3 on Tuesday.

Sony did not give details about original programming content for the PS4 but said new game titles would include Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag by Ubisoft and Kingdom Hearts III by Disney Interactive Studios and Square Enix Holdings Co Ltd.

“It’s a very compelling price… given the entertainment PS4 will provide to gamers,” Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO Andrew House told the E3 event.

The Xbox One is costlier than the current Xbox 360 and includes a Kinect motion sensor for hands-free game playing. Microsoft also announced several exclusive game titles, including a rendition of ‘Minecraft’ and a new installment in the popular ‘Halo’ franchise, which will be released in 2014.

The device will go on sale in 21 countries, including Britain, before the year-end holidays, the company said. Yusuf Mehdi, an executive at Microsoft’s interactive entertainment unit, did not set any sales targets for the new Xbox.