Introducing iOS7: The mobile OS from a Whole New Perspective!

iOS 7 started with a desire to take an experience people love and make it better. To make it even simpler, more useful, and more enjoyable — but still feel instantly familiar. The design of iOS 7 is beautiful because it’s all of those things. And it’s the start of a new chapter for iOS.

Control Center, AirDrop for iOS, and smarter multitasking are just a few of the great new features in iOS 7. And all your favorite apps have been enhanced to make everything even easier to get to and use. So with iOS 7, not only is your device more capable, you are, too.

Control Center

Notification Center

Multitasking 

iTunes Radio

Photos

AirDrop

Camera

Safari

Siri

Mail

Weather

Messages 

NOTE:

1. Panorama format is available on iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and iPod touch (5th generation). Square and video formats and swipe to capture are available on iPhone 4 or later, iPad (3rd generation or later), iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation).
2. Filters in Camera are available on iPhone 5 and iPod touch (5th generation). Filters in Photos are available on iPhone 4 or later, iPad (3rd generation or later), iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation).
3. AirDrop is available on iPhone 5, iPad (4th generation), iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation) and requires an iCloud account.

iOS 7 will be compatible with:

iPhone 4, 4S and 5.

iPod 5th Generation.

 

iPad 2, iPad Retina and iPad Mini.

Galaxy S3 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update in video with new features!

While there is now a new model available the Samsung Galaxy S3 remains extremely popular around the world and in a few weeks time it should be treated to some nice new features via the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update, which has now been leaked and shown off in a demo video.

There are already a variety of custom ROMs available for the Galaxy S3 that allows owners of the device to get an early chance to use the later firmware, as officially the handset is currently on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.

Now the guys over at SamMobile has given owners of the handset a sneak preview in what the new firmware will bring to the handset once released officially via a video you can see below. The official software is still being tested by Samsung with a release expected sometime next month, and it’s not known if the 4.2.2 update will bring the Galaxy S4 camera features to the device or if owners will have to wait for 4.3 Android.

Some of the new features coming to the device with the 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update include the new S4 lockscreen, ability to change clock size, new screen modes from the S4, Daydream, Driving mode, more options in Notification Center, Full screen Samsung apps, new Galaxy S4 voice controls, and much more.

There is also the opportunity for owners of the handset to flash a version of this software to their Galaxy S3, but it is only done at your own risk and is available via SamMobile. Most users will be waiting until the official software is rolled out though, although as we always see with Android updates its availability will be dependent on individual carriers.

Once Samsung does release the firmware officially you can be sure we will be bringing the news as we upgrade our own unlocked version of the device.

Samsung beats Chromebook Pixel and Retina MacBook with new high-res laptop display

Samsung is to unveil a new super-high resolution panel which could set the standard for notebook displays. This week, the company will launch a 13.3-inch QHD 3200 x 1800 panel with 276 pixels-per-inch (PPI), and offers greater pixel densities than Apple’s Retina MacBook Pro 13 (227 PPI) and Google’s Chromebook Pixel (239 PPI).

Just last week, Sharp announced it would begin manufacturing its new high-pixel density IGZO LCD panels in 11.6-inch, 14-inch, and 15.6-inch variants. Samsung says the display will provide 30 percent greater power-savings than existing LCD displays but has yet to confirm if the panel will come to new ultrabooks. If it does, Toshiba’s 13.3-inch Kirabook— with its impressive 2560 x 1440 display — could have some high-resolution competition in the near future.

Google unveils Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, complete with Siri competitor and more!

Apple kicked off this month with its WWDC keynote, unveiling the next version of its mobile operating system: iOS 6. Then Microsoft quickly followed with its Windows Phone 8announcement. And now it’s Google’s turn.

Google’s I/O keynote is already underway this morning, and the search giant just unveiled its next version of its mobile platform Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). The update features a Siri competitor, UI enhancements, and more…

Perhaps the biggest new feature in Android 4.1 is Google Now, a.k.a Google’s response to Siri. The voice-recognizing digital assistant can answer a wide range of questions, and responds to them in a seductive female voice.

But unlike Siri, Google Now tailors its answers and search results based on your browsing history, daily routine (that it learns over time) and other personal data like your calendar info. Creepy.

Other enhancements include offline dictation, which actually sounds really interesting, active Notification Center widgets (above), and Project Butter, which Google says will finally make Android’s scrolling and page transitions lag-free.

All in all, Android 4.1 looks like it will be an impressive upgrade. And you have to admit, it seems like Google is pushing the envelope with its mobile platform much more than Apple is at the moment in terms of new features.

It’ll be interesting to see how Apple responds in October, as chances are that it has saved a few new iOS 6 features for its next-generation iPhone.

iOS 6 would work with older devices all of the way back to the iPhone 3GS, BUT..

When Apple announced that iOS 6, the latest version of its mobile OS, would work with older devices all of the way back to the iPhone 3GS, people cheered. It’s not typical these days for major software updates to support 3 year-old products.

But don’t give Tim Cook and company the Nobel Peace Prize just yet. Some two-year old devices, like the original iPad, aren’t getting any iOS 6 love. And even the ones that aresupported aren’t guaranteed to have access to all of its features…

We touched on this a bit this morning with a few of the new Maps features. But apparently it extends to other iOS 6 apps and features as well. This list comes straight from the disclaimer on Apple’s iOS 6 page:

• Flyover and turn-by-turn navigation – iPhone 4S and iPad 2 or later
• Siri – iPhone 4S and third generation iPad
• Shared Photo Streams – iPhone 4 or later and iPad 2 or later
• FaceTime over cellular – iPhone 4S and third generation iPad
• VIP inbox – iPhone 4 or later and iPad 2 or later
• Offline Reading List – iPhone 4 or later and iPad 2 or later

So as you can see, even though the 3GS will be eligible to upgrade to iOS 6 when it dropslater this year, it may not be worth it. No 3D Maps, turn-by-turn navigation, Shared Photo Streams, VIP inbox, or Offline Reading List. What gives?

Aside from the Maps stuff (performance maybe?), we can’t figure out why Apple would feel the need to hold 3GS users back from all of these features. Maybe it’s a ploy to nudge them into upgrading?

If that’s the case, then the move may end up backfiring. Folks are already complaining about how confusing this will be to consumers, and worse, how it could end up causing fragmentation on the platform.

WWDC keynote roundup: What Apple introduced Yesterday

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed with the influx of Apple announcements that took over your Twitter stream yesterday — don’t worry, ECb has you covered. Here’s a quick overview of what was introduced yesterday…

iOS 6

Sure, Apple showed off some cool features in their new desktop software. But for ECb, the star of the show yesterday was iOS 6. This is the platform’s largest update since October of last year, and not only does it include a fresh coat of paint, but it also brings about several new features.

• Siri – Siri now knows more about movies, sport scores and can launch applications. She also understands more languages, works in more countries, and Apple is even working with car-makers to help make her more auto-friendly. Oh, and she’s coming to the iPad too.

• Facebook – iOS 6 includes deep, system-level Facebook integration. Users can now post pictures to the social networking site directly from the Photos app, update their statuses from Notification Center, and Like content from iTunes, iBooks, and the App Store. Even better, the Facebook integration API is open to third-party developers. So no more signing in for app permissions.
• Phone app – The Phone app in iOS 6 gets a number of nice little enhancements, including a Do Not Disturb option and the ability to reply to ignored calls with preset text messages. But perhaps the coolest addition is that you can now make FaceTime calls over 3G.
• Maps app – This is easily the biggest update in iOS 6. The Maps app has been completely rebuilt from the ground up and now offers Yelp and Siri integration, a new 3D Flyover view, and live Traffic Layers. Oh, and it also finally includes audible turn-by-turn directions.

• Photo Stream  – Now you can share all of your photos in your Photo Stream with people you choose, in iOS 6. Just a single tap sends photos to the Photos/iPhoto app of friends and family. Or, if they don’t have an Apple device, they can view your media on the web.
• App Store – Both the App Store and the iTunes store have been completely remodeled for iOS 6. They look different, act different, and make browsing through content more enjoyable. The best part? No more having to exit the App Store for every new download.

• Mobile Safari – The default browser gets a couple of new features in iOS 6, starting with iCloud Tabs. This will allow you to keep all of your open tabs in Safari on your Mac synced with iOS. You can also now save entire webpages to Reading List for offline reading, and view web pages in full screen (landscape mode only).
• Mail app – The Mail app in iOS 6 is nearly identical to its predecessor albeit a few handy new features. One, users can now choose which contacts they want to be notified of for new Mail messages with VIP inbox. And two, photos and videos can now be attached to emails from within the Mail app.

These are just the few of the new iOS 6 features that made it into Apple’s announcements today. We’re expecting to see a lot more surface in the coming months.

New apps

Despite early predictions that there would be a couple on hand, Apple unveiled a single new iOS application this morning. It’s showing up pre-installed in the iOS 6 beta, but it’s still unknown at this point if it will be available to non-iOS 6 devices via the App Store in the fall.

• Passbook – Passbook is a digital wallet of sorts. It stores and organizes all of your event tickets, boarding passes, gift cards and credit cards. And allow you to use them all from within the app. It can even notify you if you’re near a shop you have a gift card to, or of any last-minute itinerary changes.

Even though this announcement kind of flew under the radar today, we’re certainly keeping our eye on it. Apple has opened the app’s API up to businesses and developers, so it’s really be up to them how successful it is.

New Macs

Aside from software announcements, Apple also refreshed their entire MacBook lineup today. Both the Air and Pro models received considerable performance upgrades, but the show-stopper was definitely the all-new Retina display variant.

The ‘Next-Generation MacBook Pro’ features a stunning 2880-by-1800 display, which equates to a staggering 220ppi (pixels per inch) or more than five million pixels. That’s 3 million more than an HDTV (iPad 3 has a million more than an HD TV).