MobileCrunch |  |
- Get Ready For A Photo App Explosion With iOS 5
- Why No AMD-Powered Smartphones?
- Google Accidentally Posts Details About Its Next Android Search App Update
- Man To Line Up Over A Month Early For The iPhone 5 (But Mostly For Attention)
- HTC Launches Developer Support Site, Still No Unlock Tool
- RIM’s First QNX-Powered BlackBerry May Be Rushed To Its Q1 2012 Release
- iTunes Replay for Movies Stalled?
- Mystery Solved: The Hercules Is T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S II
| Get Ready For A Photo App Explosion With iOS 5 Posted: 08 Aug 2011 06:06 PM PDT  At this point, it’s already clear that the iPhone has become the camera many people use on a daily basis. The iPhone 4 is now by far the most popular camera on Flickr (and that’s true even though it’s being undercounted — likely drastically). And apps like Instagram, Hipstamatic, and Camera+ are exploding in usage, despite being iPhone-only. But some upcoming changes in iOS 5 point to an even brighter future for the iPhone as a camera. We’re likely to see an explosion of photo apps as a result. Specifically, iOS 5 will include Core Image. This was previously announced at WWDC, but the current beta builds going around now point in the direction of what this should mean. With the latest beta (version 5), a ton of effects have been added. Last week, BGR posted the iOS 5 beta 5 changelog. Among the bullet points:
“CI” obviously stands for “Core Image” and the part after that explains what many of the effects mean and/or do. All iOS 5 developers will now have access to many of these advanced tools. Simply put, it should make image/photo processing much simpler to implement and execute. Previously, developers had to use the weaker Core Graphics to manipulate images on the iPhone. Or they had to jerry-rig their own solutions to tap into something like OpenGL for more powerful functionality. While filters may seem like a simple feature, they’re not easy to create from scratch. iOS 5 will now give developers built-in options and a base so they no longer have to create from scratch. These Core Image options will also significantly speed up image processing for many of the apps out there already using some filters. The reason is that it gives developers easier access to OpenGL, which is what developers currently use for things like video game graphic rendering — it’s significantly more powerful than Core Graphics, but harder to access. Does the mean the end of Instagram, Path, Camera+ and the like? No, those guys will likely continue to operate on the more advanced end of the spectrum. Camera+’s “Clarity” filter, for example, is likely far beyond what iOS 5 will offer out of the box. But it will be another step towards the commoditization of filters as a whole. If an app has camera functionality, many more will now likely include them because, why not? You’ll also likely see more apps that focus on video as a result of these additions to iOS. And there should be many more that focus on “crazy” photo effects. Of course, the next iPhone itself may have an even bigger impact in the space. Rumored to have an 8 megapixel camera with a new sensor, the device will also likely be much faster when it comes to processing power. Combine this with the changes in iOS 5 and we’re likely going to see another leap forward in mobile photography. And don’t forget the largest player in the photo space, Facebook. Work continues on their next app geared more towards photography. Meanwhile, Google appears to be attacking the space from a number of angles. And support for Tweeting pictures will now be fully baked into iOS itself. Started by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple has expanded from computers to consumer electronics over the last 30 years, officially changing their name from Apple Computer,...
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| Why No AMD-Powered Smartphones? Posted: 08 Aug 2011 04:48 PM PDT  With companies chomping at the bit to enter the growing mobile space and take advantage of the opportunities therein, it’s almost more intriguing to explore why some companies don’t throw their hats in the ring. Case in point: AMD — the second largest x86 processor manufacturer in the world has yet to make their play. Why haven’t they made their push into mobile, just like everyone else? Well, if AMD SVP Rick Bergman is to be believed, it’s because they believe their true strengths lie elsewhere. Rather than try and force their way into an already crowded market, Bergman said AMD has “other areas it can focus on in order to grow.” Perhaps it’s a smart move for the perennial also-ran of the x86 processor race. ARM has already carried off the lion’s share of the mobile processor market, striking lucrative licensing agreements with companies like LG and Texas Instruments, meaning their processors now power a huge number of mobile devices. If AMD really wanted to compete, it would require a little bit of luck and a lot of cooperation — either with Intel to combat ARM’s stranglehold on the market, or with ARM to one-up their longtime rival. Neither of those options probably sounded very appealing. For AMD, the future largely remains in their traditional desktop, server, and notebook offerings, but the higher-ups have set their sights on another booming market: tablets. Their Z-series processor, launched back in June, was AMD’s first step into tablet computing. While it hasn’t popped up in any must-have tablets yet, AMD remains hopeful that their graphics and processor technologies will align with the growing performance and battery needs of tablet customers. Their rival in graphics, Nvidia, thinks the same, however, and has an ambitious roadmap as well. So is that it for them? Have they decided to watch the smartphone wars unfold from the sidelines? Not exactly: Mr. Bergman hinted that they may make a move “if the right circumstances come up and we can see a way to impact the market.” We’ll see if that conservative strategy pans out, but as my old Latin teacher used to say, “fortes fortuna adiuvat.”
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| Google Accidentally Posts Details About Its Next Android Search App Update Posted: 08 Aug 2011 12:19 PM PDT  In a post on their Mobile Blog (since removed), Google today announced an update to its Google Search app for Android, bringing a few new features that should improve your overall search experience. None of them will change your life, but since we know what to look forward to, we might as well look forward to it, am I right? The update will group suggestions by type, with the web suggestions appearing up top. Travelers, nomads, and peeps outside of the States will also get to see country-specific suggestions and search results as long as they're in a country with a Google domain. Another fun feature is the ability to remove history items by performing a long press, and we all know there's nothing more embarrassing than having an awkward search history. Have you ever been the only one in your group of friends with a decent smartphone? If you have, you already know how handy this feature will be. Google included a couple helpful tips for using the app, one of which we found to be pretty exciting. Some of you may have already discovered this, but there just so happens to be a way to search through other apps on the phone using the Google Search app. All you have to do is go into the settings section of the app and check out “searchable items.” The app has also undergone a little makeover, now sporting a new, smoother user interface. Within the UI, users can tap the arrow to the right of a search suggestion or history item to make a quick change before searching. Google has removed the post (which you can peep here in screen grab form), and there’s no telling when these features will roll out, but at least we know what to expect. Google provides search and advertising services, which together aim to organize and monetize the world’s information. In addition to its dominant search engine, it offers a plethora of...
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| Man To Line Up Over A Month Early For The iPhone 5 (But Mostly For Attention) Posted: 08 Aug 2011 11:57 AM PDT  Each time a new iPhone is set to hit the shelves, I get my pre-order in nice and early. Waiting in line is for chumps, right? Then Launch Day Eve rolls around, and I end up carting myself off to the Valley Fair Apple Store and camping out for 14+ hours anyway. Not for the product, mind you — it’s more so to surround myself with eccentric people and see what the hardcore early adopter/Apple fanbase looks like. You know, for science or something. Friends and family call me crazy. (“You’re going to sleep in a mall?!” they’ll say. “For a whole night?!” as if Valley Fair transforms from a posh shopping mall to an in-door version of the streets of Compton as soon as the sun goes down. ) I’ve got nothing on this guy, though. He’ll be camping out for the iPhone 5 (which, of course, hasn’t actually been announced yet) for over a month, and has turned his would-be time-wasting into an entrepreneurial experiment of sorts. Meet Rob Shoesmith, a marketer (of course!) from the UK. Realizing that an abundance of public power outlets and WiFi hotspots would allow him to do his job from just about anywhere, he decided to do what any sane person would do: live in a tent outside of an Apple Store in London’s Covent Garden district. For over a month. His quest isn’t just for the iPhone 5, though — in fact, Apple’s latest handset seems to be more of a secondary objective at this point. Taking advantage of all of the attention that comes with being that-guy, he chose to leave all of his cash at home and rely instead on gifts and sponsorships.. and it’s working. The amount he’s received varies depending on who you’re talking to (largely because some details are getting lost in the back-and-forth currency translations, and because some of the “sponsorships” [like access to a car] are loans rather than permanent presents), but it’s easily in the range of tens of thousands of dollars. So far, he’s received everything from Solar-powered iPhone chargers and web cams to shampoo, aftershave, massive boxes of candy, and uh.. a box full of garden gnomes. His next goal? A security guard to watch his stuff while he sleeps. Imagine the laugh we’ll all get if Apple doesn’t launch the iPhone 5 in September! Then imagine him laughing as he trucks his mountain of sponsorship gear back to his flat, and how he can forever pitch himself as the guy who got an insane amount of press coverage for sitting on the street. iPhone or no iPhone, this guy wins. You can find Robert’s blog (where he seems to be blogging less about his upcoming adventures in living on the street and more about the free stuff he’s getting) here and follow him on Twitter here. Update: Updated for clarity — while Robert plans on being out there for weeks on end, he’s not out campin’ on the sidewalk just yet. Which, to be honest, makes all the swag he’s received thus far that much crazier.
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| HTC Launches Developer Support Site, Still No Unlock Tool Posted: 08 Aug 2011 10:39 AM PDT  Last time we heard from HTC, they had just announced that they would begin to make good on their promise to unlock their devices’ bootloaders. Well, we don’t have that long-awaited unlock tool yet, but thanks to a recent announcement, at least we’ll know where to find it when the time comes. HTC announced the opening of HTCDev.com this morning, which is intended to be a one-stop shop for your tinkering needs. While we’ll have to make do with our locked bootloaders for the time being, we can at least start playing with their OpenSense SDK, which among other things includes SDKs for their Sense 3D interface and the Scribe pen technology. HTC was also kind enough to make the source code and binaries for most of their devices available to boot, which means the ardent Android devs among you have more than enough to play with for now. While HTC Dev’s contents skew heavily toward their Android offerings, they do also make a token effort to reach to their Windows Phone developer base — one page is dedicated solely to giving up-and-coming developers a crash course on the WP7 development process, but to say it’s sparse is a bit of an understatement. The effort is welcome, and the real onus to drum up developer support is on Microsoft, HTC wculd do well by making the site a little less one-sided. Still, you can hardly blame them — since the heady days of the G1, HTC has been been an Android advocate of the highest order.
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| RIM’s First QNX-Powered BlackBerry May Be Rushed To Its Q1 2012 Release Posted: 08 Aug 2011 10:03 AM PDT  RIM's had a rough go of it in the past few months. But there's a shiny, glittering ray of hope peeking out from the collecting rubble, and it's called QNX. The Waterloo-based phone maker has been working for quite a while now on a replacement for its BlackBerry OS, and according to a report from BGR, the first QNX-powered handset (codenamed the BlackBerry Colt) will arrive in the first quarter of 2012. Unfortunately RIM seems to be repeating past mistakes. After the launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook, the tablet was called rushed and half-baked due to its lack of native email. The reason for this was that the company had to re-write code for its BlackBerry Enterprise Servers to work with QNX, which is apparently a very difficult task. These companies face a great deal of pressure from investors to launch as planned, so even without email, RIM pushed out the PlayBook anyway. RIM seems to be making sacrifices with its first QNX phone, too. RIM had originally suggested that its first QNX-powered smartphones would pack dual-core chipsets. BGR's source, on the other hand, says that the Colt only touts a single-core processor. Obviously, this could change between now and Q1 2012 (and we hope it will), but as it stands now a multi-core chipset isn't part of the picture. The unnamed source also suggested that RIM has a QNX-specific BlackBerry Enterprise Server in the works, but that the Colt won't be backwards-compatible with current BES versions. Companies opting to use Microsoft Exchange email on the Colt will have to use ActiveSync. With RIM struggling as it has been, the first QNX-powered handset needs to be better than we could have imagined, even if it's late. Timeliness is important, but means nothing without a stellar product. Hopefully RIM will remember the PlayBook, and make sure this thing's ready to go before launch. After all, there's no new platform looming on the horizon to keep hope alive this time.
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| iTunes Replay for Movies Stalled? Posted: 08 Aug 2011 08:30 AM PDT  Apple has been planning to launch a new cloud-based movie streaming service, which would allow you to re-download your movie purchases to other devices for no extra charge. The service, a part of “iTunes Replay,” was originally planned to launch within “the coming weeks,” according to multiple reports. But now it seems that will not be the case. The movie downloading service would have been similar to the newly added feature on Apple TVs which allows you to stream any TV show episode that you had previously purchased using your iTunes account. These shows appear in the “Purchased” section of the iTunes store on desktop and mobile, as well as on the Apple TV itself. After this feature was added through a recent software update for the Apple TV, there was hope that support for movies was just around the corner. Unfortunately, that support may be a long time coming. According to CNET, citing multiple film industry sources, Apple has yet to sign agreements with four of the top six movie studios, and negotiations could continue for many months. One of the problems has to do with the “HBO Window” – the period of time after a movie’s release on DVD during which HBO has the exclusive electronic distribution rights to the films. HBO has deals with three of the six major studios, 20th Century Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros., which means only HBO can stream their movies within that designated time frame. iTunes cannot offer streaming access to these movies at the same time. While such a blackout period wouldn’t necessarily prevent Apple from launching a cloud-based movie streaming service, it would make the service less attractive to consumers. However, it would not prevent Apple from signing deals with the studios not tied to HBO: Disney, Paramount, and Sony Pictures. Apple could choose to rollout a mixed offering, where some studio releases are available before others, even though they both arrived on DVD at the same time. Image credit: MacRumors
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| Mystery Solved: The Hercules Is T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S II Posted: 08 Aug 2011 07:25 AM PDT  There's been some question over whether or not the Samsung Hercules for T-Mobile is in fact a variation of the drool-inducing Galaxy S II. From the words written across the back panel of that pictured phone, I'd be willing to say the evidence is conclusive — The Samsung Hercules is actually the Galaxy S II dressed up as a demigod. The Hercules will be T-Mobile's first HSPA+ 42Mbps handset, which is pretty sweet in and of itself, but there's more. The Hercules will sport a larger 4.5-inch display much like its cousin the Infuse 4G, and as we noted yesterday, looks more like the Infuse in appearance than the S II. You can also see four capacitive buttons down at the bottom, which is another design difference between the original trackpad-sporting S II and T-Mobile’s iteration. The TmoNews tipster claims that the phone is super fast and that it packs the Netflix app straight out of the box. Other specs include Android 2.3 Gingerbread running over a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 16GB of internal storage, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a front-facing shooter, and support for NFC. Unfortunately, pricing and availability are still a mystery.
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