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Posts tagged with "iPhone"

Sleipnir: Free, Innovative Browser for iPhone

From the same developers of Inkiness for iPad comes Sleipnir, a new app for the iPhone that’s without a doubt one of the most innovative, stable and fast alternative browsers released in the recent months. My problem with alternatives to Mobile Safari is that they don’t provide anything better than Apple’s implementation, aside from a different visualization of tabs. Many apps sold through the App Store simply gained popularity because they brought “desktop-class tabs” to the iPhone or iPad, with the trade-off of adding ugly UIs and navigation controls to an already-powerful WebKit engine. I’m all for alternatives and different solutions to built-in software (especially when the third-party version is available for free, like Sleipnir), but I’m looking for something that really takes advantage of iOS. Not just a port of desktop functionalities.

Sleipnir offers just that. From the first first launch, you’ll immediately notice it’s an app developed with the iPhone (and iPhone users) in mind. It doesn’t come with “desktop tabs” yet it allows you to organize open pages in an innovative and useful “tabbed view” I haven’t seen in any other app. Sleipnir might just be the most innovative iPhone browser to date, powered by a nice interface design and a seriously great engine. Read more

iPhone 4 Gets NFC ‘Sticker’ from Softbank

Japanese carrier Softbank is responding to complaints about the iPhone 4’s absense of an internal NFC chip by issuing a ‘sticker’ that gets applied to the back of the iDevice. It covers most of the backside along with looking ugly and covering up Apple’s own logo. Now granted many people slap cases on their iPhones anyway, but this is how the FeliCa payment system is going to work (for know). The ‘sticker’ does not communicate with the iPhone so its abilities are limited. The beautiful set of ‘stickers’ go on sale in February for a cool ¥2,980 ($36).

It works pretty simply: Japanese iPhone users attach the “sticker” to their iPhones (Apple’s bumpers still fit) and it adds FeliCa RFID smart card functionality to the iPhone. Once the ‘sticker’ is charged with e-money, users can tap their iPhone on card readers in train stations, restaurants, convenience stores and other places in Japan to make payments.

[via Engadget via Softbank (translated)]

47 Million iPhones Sold in 2010, First 2011 Shipments to Include CDMA iPhone?

According to new reports from Digitimes, Apple will ship 20-21 million iPhones in Q1 2011, raising the global goal from 19 million units. CDMA iPhones are included in this number, with shipments expected at 5-6 million units in both North America and Asia.

The first-quarter shipment goal for WCDMA iPhones has been adjusted from 13 million units to 14-15 million units, the sources said. The shipment goal for CDMA iPhones, which will be launched in North America and Asia Pacific in the first quarter, is set at 5-6 million units, the sources added.

Digitimes also claims 47 million iPhones has been sold in 2010, with Q4 2010 shipments estimated at 15.5 million units. The almost-50 million iPhones sold in 2010 number would play great for Apple’s marketing strategy. As for the CDMA iPhone, we previously heard rumors of the device set to come out India and Korea, too. At this point it seems likely that Apple won’t restrict the new device to Verizon, but it will make it compatible with most Asian carriers running CDMA networks.

Last, Digitimes confirms Foxconn is still the only exclusive maker of the iPad 2 which, according to a report from Digitimes in November, will feature a lighter design, a USB port and a Retina Display.

No More Hidden Fees: We’re Giving Away Wallet Dilemma So You Can Shop Safely Overseas With Your Credit Cards

Perhaps there’s a beautiful French woman waiting for you overseas. Boarding the next International flight and armed to the teeth with your Visas and MasterCards, you’ve found the perfect place in Paris to buy her that beautiful diamond ring. While I am stealing a page out of a Google commercial, spending money overseas is no joke when credit card fees are involved. Don’t be caught off guard: Wallet Dilemma for the iPhone accurately approximates just how much those Euros will end up costing you in good ol’ USD.

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Apple’s Antenna Fix? Hide It Behind The Apple Logo

According to Patently Apple, the antenna engineers at Cupertino might have figured out a better placement for 3G antennas in future iPhone and “telephonic” MacBooks: hidden behind the Apple logo.

As Patently Apple reports, while the whole Antennagate story was spreading like a virus on the Internet and general media, Apple was busy thinking about a new patent they call the “logo antenna”. Placed behind the famous logo that’s on the back of computers, iPhones and iPads, such location would allow to “gain a stronger signal without intervening metal or other conductive housing walls interfering”.

It is difficult to place antennas in small and lightweight mobile devices, and the solution detailed in this patent would imply a “conductive antenna cavity” with “vertical sidewalls and a planar rear surface or may have other suitable cavity shapes”. Technical details are provided in Patently Apple’s coverage of the patent.

To regular users, this means that Apple has been thinking about new ways to improve antenna placement in mobile devices, and they’ve been thinking about MacBooks with built-in 3G connection, too. Me? I just want a glowing Apple logo on my iPhone.

Concept: iPhone-connected Smart Finger For The Visually Impaired

iOS devices come with great accessibility support. It is fairly easy for developers to implement in their apps, and iOS is packed with accessibility functionalities out of the box. The Thimble is “a concept multimedia finger glove” designed by Erik Hedberg and Zack Bennet that has an optical scanner right above the finger tip which is capable of on-the-fly conversion of text to Braille messages.

We know the iPhone 4 can be controlled with Braillant-32 bluetooth Braille Displays, but this concept is different: the Thimble also acts as a location-aware device that can connect to the internet to pull news and other data and pass them along as Braille messages. From the video below, it also looks like there’s some kind of speech recognition technology in there.

The Thimble is just a concept for now, but I think it would make for a great product to further extend iOS’ accessibility features. [FSM via dvice]

iPhones and iPads Take Over The Italian Parliament

In spite of the major conflicts and debates going on right now in the Italian Parliament, it seems like every member agrees on one thing: getting an Apple device for Christmas. As noted by iSpazio, members and senators from PD, PDL (Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi’s party) and FLI are all getting iPads from Santa.

It is unknown whether the devices will be gifted as a “bonus” for personal use or will be deployed for work purposes in the Parliament. We read about the iPad being used by congressmen at the U.S. House of Representatives before, and at the White House, too. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Italian Parliament coming up with its own apps to check on daily appointements, logs and activities.

As iSpazio also notes, members of FLI will be able to choose from iPads and iPhones. Not bad!  Why not giving away some Macs as well at this point? I think members would enjoy an awesome app like Screens.