Saturday, June 13, 2015
Apples Bluetooth based wireless hotspot tech prime candidate for iWatch
In its application for "Network access using short-range connectability," Apple proposes a method by which a device can connect to, and share a network with, a second device via low-power communications, such as Bluetooth.
Source: USPTO
Specifically mentioned in the document is a primary device that has the ability to establish a connection with a remote network, but may not have a built-in radio transceiver, as would a smartphone. A second device, which has such a radio, is paired to the first and can provide the necessary communications access by allowing the first device to pair and share data over protocols such as Bluetooth. This also lets the primary unit stay in a low-power state, thereby increasing battery life.
The invention works much like existing Bluetooth tech. A supporting device, such as an iPhone, can broadcast a signal, advertising the availability of its shared network to other electronics within range. In turn, the device without a cellular radio can send a request to pair with the host, asking that its network sharing be activated. Pairing takes place when the supporting machine activates the shared network and begins sending data to the first device. All this is done without user intervention.
Apple intends for the hotspot pairing to be brief, leaving enough time to obtain push notifications, messages, emails, news and other Web-based assets. In one embodiment, the first device establishes or re-establishes a connection with a remote cloud server, like iCloud, for various updates. Once this task is complete, the shared connection is severed by the host device, allowing both units to return to a low-power sleep mode.
From the filings description:
In this manner, users can leverage their mobile radio communication devices, such as their cell phones, to provide network access to their other devices without having to manually enable such connections. In turn, the other devices can benefit from the network access while remaining in low-power mode during a short-range connection that uses a low-power enabled connection.Although the invention makes no mention of a watch, the techs low-power data transfer capabilities are in line with features some speculate will be incorporated into the so-called "iWatch." For example, the wearable device may rely on another iDevice for heavy computation and other power-hungry operations via Bluetooth, making it somewhat of a "headless" product. This idea was first seen in an Apple patent application published earlier this year.
It should be noted, however, that other industry watchers see Apple building in Wi-Fi connectivity and possibly high-functioning components like GPS modules. Alternatively, the purported watch may use the above described technology as means of power savings, while still sporting Wi-Fi and other advanced communications hardware.
The most recent iWatch rumors point to the inclusion of a low-energy, flexible OLED display manufactured by LG, though specifics are scarce as usual.
Apples short-range communications patent application was filed for in March and credits Daniel Borges, Michael Jason Giles, and Michael Larson as its inventors. The invention first passed the USPTOs desk as a provisional patent application in 2012.
Data source: via AppleInsider (By Mikey Campbell)
Image source: TC
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Endorsed by Tim Cook at WWDC Anki Drive likely to launch this month
With Apple CEO Tim Cook’s endorsement, Anki, a company with artificial intelligence and robots-based products, debuted Anki Drive at WWDC earlier this year.
Anki Drive is a car game for iOS that connects to physical cars. The app is currently available via the App Store while the cars and mat system will be available via retail channels…
The demo from Apple’s 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference can be seen above. At the event, the creators of the product said that it would ship this fall. Today, we’ve learned that the company plans to make Anki Drive available in both Apple Retail Stores and Apple’s Online Store as soon as this month.
Of course, the debut could be delayed for several reasons, but October is the current launch plan. A spokesperson for Anki
Data source: via 9To5Mac (By Mark Gurman)
Monday, May 25, 2015
The 10 best new photography features in iOS 7
One major reason—maybe the reason—to snap up iOS 7 is the new photographic capabilities built into the Camera and Photos apps. The new features expand the range of photos you can take, and most are accessible and easy to use.
iOS 7 works on the iPhone 4 and later, the iPad 2 and later, and the fifth-generation iPod touch, though you’ll see some variation in features depending on the model you have.
Shooting
1. The Camera app’s new vision: Apple completely overhauled the Camera app’s interface in iOS 7, giving it a different look, feel, and style of operation, with slick performance throughout. Using the text-based swipe interface is much easier than poking at tiny buttons, as in previous versions, and it lets you access the different camera types much more quickly and easily. Just swipe to the Photo camera and tap, and you have a picture. Do it again, and you have a video, a square image, a panorama, or (if you have the iPhone 5s) a slow-motion video.
1. The Camera app’s new vision: Apple completely overhauled the Camera app’s interface in iOS 7, giving it a different look, feel, and style of operation, with slick performance throughout. Using the text-based swipe interface is much easier than poking at tiny buttons, as in previous versions, and it lets you access the different camera types much more quickly and easily. Just swipe to the Photo camera and tap, and you have a picture. Do it again, and you have a video, a square image, a panorama, or (if you have the iPhone 5s) a slow-motion video.
Slo-mo (iPhone 5s only) and Square are the new cameras added to the revamped Camera app.
2. Slo-mo camera: Slow-motion videos play back to the viewer at a speed slower than the one they were shot at—we’ve all seen sports video replays where the action is slowed dramatically so you can get a better view of a brilliant play. With the iPhone 5s (but not with any other iPhone), iOS 7 lets you use one of the built-in video cameras to shoot a video and then choose which parts to slow down. Designed to capture quick-action shots, the camera shoots at 120 frames per second, but you can use built-in software to slow down the playback at the points you choose while keeping the rest at “normal” speed.
Slo-mo video shoots at 120 fps, but you can later trim the video and choose the precise portions that should be slow.
3. Bursting at the seams: Nothing is simpler or more useful than the new Camera’s burst mode. Burst mode functions here just the way it does on your DSLR. You hold down the shutter button, and the camera captures 10 frames per second. It’s a great way to catch fast, full-resolution action without having to shoot a video.
Burst mode lets you take many images in sequence to capture just the right instant.
4. It’s hip to be square: The new Square camera is Apple’s answer to the Instagram-style cam that has become ubiquitous since Instagram arrived on the scene and square photos became uber-cool to a generation born too late for the original Polaroid era. With iOS 7 anyone can take a square photo—with or without the obligatory filter. For some snapshooters, that capability may be enough to entice them away from Instagram altogether.
Organizing and sharing
5. A photo finish: Apple overhauled and simplified the Photos app’s interface, with three major panes: Photos, Shared, and Albums. Within Photos, the Years block shows what looks like a computer-generated collage, except that it consists of each photo you took with or synced to your phone. Each year shows up as its own block, with a general location. This looks extremely cool, but it takes a little getting used to and would benefit from some refinement. If you tap a block lightly, you get a thumbnail of the image you’re touching—but because the thumbnails are so tiny, it’s difficult to aim precisely. Thankfully, tapping inside the Years block breaks it out into larger, more usable thumbnail sets called Collections, each labeled with date and location. Tap again and you get the precise image or Moment you want to see. From there you can edit or share your picture.
The Years pane takes some getting used to. You can tap to see a
larger thumbnail of a particular photo, but its hard to aim.
6. Filter finesse: About 100 million photo filters, available from countless iOS apps, will give you any special effect you choose. So you might say it’s about time Apple got on the filter bandwagon (or you might say “why bother?”). Apple provides only eight filters—three of them monochromatic—but they’re arguably the ones whose effects photographers use most often, and some might even improve on auto-enhance button. If you’re the kind of iPhoneographer who tends to default to the native camera, Apple’s new filters will give you yet another reason not to leave the app.
Built-in filters give you three monochrome settings and five popular camera-based
variations to apply before or after taking your shot.
variations to apply before or after taking your shot.
7. Map this: When you’re constantly snapping images, remembering where you took each shot in the Camera Roll becomes a chore. Although iOS 6 did have a photo mapper, that mapper wasn’t nearly as specific as the new Collections feature. Collections sorts through all your photos and organizes them by date and location. When you tap the location, it automatically moves you to the map.
Tap the location in a Collection or Moment, and it will automatically map your image set.
8. Better albums: The Albums pane is more granular than in the past, but in a good way. The Photos software separates your panoramas and videos from the rest of the images on your Camera Roll, making them easier to find in a hurry, but retaining them in your main Camera Roll with all your other images.
Global controls
9. Control Center launch: iOS 7 gives you a new, super-quick way to launch the Camera app and to access the Camera Roll: the new Control Center. Unlock the phone, swipe up to access Control Center, and tap the camera icon. That’s even easier than searching for the Camera app’s icon on your home screen.
Swipe up, tap the camera icon at bottom right,
and shoot. What could be faster?
10. Shared streams: iCloud has always let you stream photos, but now you can have a shared photo stream that selected people can contribute to and comment on. It’s still limited to the most recent 1000 images uploaded, but you can restrict who has access to or can comment on your photos. This feature is especially useful for sharing a group activity—letting multiple people add shots to the shared photo stream can lend various perspectives to the same event.
Data source: via Macworld (By Jackie Dove)
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Apples smart dock would give Siri a permanent place in the home
Like third-party peripherals, Apples proposed dock can include a speaker, microphone and built-in screen, but goes further by allowing access to the Siri virtual assistant.
Source: USPTO
Currently, Apples only docking solutions for both the iPhone and iPad are limited to charging and line-out audio. In contrast, the proposed dock would have a screen, tactile controls or a touch panel with which a user can interface. Other embodiments include a scroll wheel, buttons and other manual controls.
Instead of carrying Siri onboard, the dock would be mostly headless until an iPhone or iPad was operatively coupled to the unit. Basic functionality like a clock and radio are provided, but voice recognition and heavy processing are accomplished by the iOS device.
Basically, the dock listens for a specific prompt, recognizes an activation request by the user, relays commands to the docked iPhone and executes any operations returned by the device. Examples could be playing a song or facilitating communication between the user and Siri.
In operation, a user would perform an initial setup that would include assigning an audio prompt, such as a spoken word or hand clap, that will be used to activate the unit and its services. For example, a user may want to set the prompt as a finger snap. When in listening mode, if the dock "hears" a finger snap, it will activate the iPhones voice recognition feature.
By setting listening thresholds, the dock can selectively filter out ambient noise while still allowing a user to operate their device remotely using only audio cues. Since the system relies primarily on audio input, an effective limiter must be implemented to ignore responses by Siri. In these scenarios, the dock would deactivate listening mode during voice recognition operations.
Internal components include a wireless communications module for accessing off-site databases and Internet assets like webpages or cloud storage. If, for example, a user wanted to change their schedule for the day, they could initiate Siri via the always-listening dock and modify a calendar stored in iCloud.
In addition to the built-in hardware, the dock can also be fitted with add-ons like a removable hard drive, environmental sensors, a GPS module and more. Some embodiments allow for the dock and iOS device to be paired but uncoupled, meaning the dock would transform into a sort of smart wireless speaker system.
Finally, users can force the dock to deactivate Siri by issuing a verbal command or other audio input. Alternatively, the dock itself can time out Siri voice recognition and put the iOS device to sleep after a predetermined time period. There is also a provision for wireless inductive charging.
Apples smart dock patent application was first filed for in May 2012 and credits Scott Krueger, Jesse Dorogusker and Erik Wang as its inventors.
Data source: via AppleInsider (By Mikey Campbell)
Image source: TC
Image source: TC
Friday, May 22, 2015
Fine you can have a physical keyboard on your iPhone
The device is currently available for pre-order, so we havent gotten a chance to go hands-on with one, but from a design perspective, the Typo seems like a mixed bag. If youre curious about where the Home Button went -- which was my first concern upon seeing the keyboard placement -- it has been relocated to the bottom-right of the keyboard itself, which means no more Touch ID functionality. Bummer.
Still, if youve been searching for physical keys on your iPhone for the past five years, US$99 will make that dream come true, starting in January 2014.
Data source: via TUAW (By Mike Wehner)
Origine source: Typokeyboards
Origine source: Typokeyboards
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)