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Apple rumour mill turning over next-generation graphics

Now that several months have passed since the release of Apple’s iPhone 4S, the rumour mill has started turning once again as techies everywhere begin to speculate about what’s coming next from Cupertino. If the rumours are true, iPad and iPhone users can expect a boost in graphics that would see next generation models with 20 times better graphic power than the models currently on the market. The boost, according to according to enthusiast site Appleinsider , would come to new devices thanks to Imagination Technologies, who launched its PowerVR Series6 GPU core chip family at CES this week. The new chip has been touted as providing better performance than the current generation, and “enables Imagination’s partners to deliver amazing user experiences in devices from innovative ‘natural’ user interfaces to ultra-realistic gaming, as well as enabling new applications never before thought of from advanced content creation and image processing to sophisticated augmented reality and environment-aware solutions,” Imagination said in a press release. Imagination GPUs are already built into Apple’s central processing units on the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Apple TV – including the A5 chip inside the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, as well as the A4 chip inside the iPhone 4 and first generation iPad

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Apple rumour mill turning over next-generation graphics

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Advantages and Features of Mobile Web Design – What You Need to Know

2011 is being touted as the year when mobile technology really comes to the fore. So what are the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of mobile web design? Which web development features are mobile friendly and which are not? Lastly and most importantly, how do you find out how mobile web design could work for your business? Advantages of Mobile Web Design * A well developed mobile website can mean an increased range of web visitors to your web site who will be happy to use your site to full effect and appreciate that it functions in the right way. * If your business targets people on the move (e.g. a restaurant or hotel), you’ll most likely pick up business with good mobile web development. * Even if your business isn’t a natural fit with mobile technology, giving thought to good mobile web design can present your company as a professional, cutting edge outfit which embraces new technology.

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Advantages and Features of Mobile Web Design – What You Need to Know

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Google gets Siri-ous about virtual assistant

Not one to ignore the success of others, Google has acquired app-maker Clever Sense, sparking rumours it may be planning to build its own Siri-like software. Makers of local recommendation app Alfred, Clever Sense utilises artificial intelligence to generate recommendations for users based on their dining choices. The app searches for other customers and reviewers with similar tastes and uses their preferences to generate suggestions for users. “Today, we are excited to join Google and start a new chapter in curating the world around us,” Clever Sense co-founder Babak Pahlavan wrote on the company website . “Together with the Google team, we will accelerate our efforts toward this shared vision. “Google helps local businesses connect with potential customers, and its worldwide presence can bring the value of Clever Sense to a much larger audience.” While Alfred does not have a voice recognition function, similarly to Siri, it makes use of internet search to provide recommendations to user queries, and learns user preferences and tastes over time. “Discovering local information is extremely important to both users and businesses, and the acquisition of Clever Sense will benefit both,” Google said in a statement . “The Clever Sense team is at the forefront of developing a recommendation engine that connects the online and offline worlds by delivering personal and sophisticated information to users at the right time, the right place, and within the right context. “By combining their technology and expertise with our team and products, we’ll be able to provide even more people with intelligent, personalized recommendations for places to eat, visit, and discover.” Rumours that Android is developing its own voice recognition software have been circulating for some time, and the acquisition of Clever Sense’s Alfred may be the missing piece of the puzzle for the smartphone platform in its efforts to go head-to-head with the iPhone

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Google gets Siri-ous about virtual assistant

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Mac App Store reaches 100 million downloads

Whether you’re a PC or a Mac, people have certainly been app happy this year. Apple announced yesterday that the Mac App Store has sold over 100 million apps in less than one year, coming on the heels of Android’s own annoucement last week that the Android Market downloads have reached the 10 billion mark. Apple launched its online Mac App store in January, building upon the extraordinary momentum generated by its App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod devices. The original App Store revolutionized the app industry, now offering more than 500,000 apps for Apple’s smartphones and tablets. Customers have downloaded more than 18 billion apps and continue to download more than 1 billion apps per month. “In just three years the App Store changed how people get mobile apps, and now the Mac App Store is changing the traditional PC software industry,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With more than 100 million downloads in less than a year, the Mac App Store is the largest and fastest growing PC software store in the world.” The Mac App Store offers thousands of free and paid apps in various categories, including Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity and Utilities. Users can browse for apps in the online store and then buy them using their iTunes account. Additionally, Apple lets Mac developers set the prices for their apps and keep 70 per cent of the sales revenue.

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Mac App Store reaches 100 million downloads

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Android users download 10 billion apps

The app war between Apple and Android rages on as Android announced it has passed the ten billion download mark after accelerating past Apple in app download rates earlier this year . The Android platform became the world’s most popular smartphone after surpassing the Nokia Symbian earlier this year. “This past weekend, thanks to Android users around the world, Android market exceeded 10 billion app downloads – with a growth rate of one billion app downloads per month,” director of the Android Developer Ecosystem Eric Chu wrote on the Google blog . The milestone is particularly impressive considering the accelerated growth in Google’s Android Market – while it took 22 months for Android to reach 1 billion downloads, it took just once month for the smartphone maker to jump from 9 to ten billion app downloads.

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Android users download 10 billion apps

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Samsung wins right to sell Galaxy in US, despite Apple

Samsung has secured a win against rival Apple, and is now free to sell Galaxy devices in the US. The South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation has come up trumps in the latest courtroom battle with long term foe Apple, after the Cupertino capers attempted to halt sales of the Galaxy – claiming the product was too similar to its own products. Apple’s injunction – based on patent infringements – was rejected, and Samsung is now free to flog Galaxy products to the lucrative US market. Following the ruling, Samsung’s shares also rose by more than 2 per cent. “At this point in the proceedings, although Apple has established a likelihood of success on the merits at trial, there remain close questions regarding the infringement of the accused devices, and Samsung has raised substantial questions regarding the validity of the D’087 patent,” the court ruled, according to The Register .

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iPhones to get airbags – maybe

Clumsy smartphone users may soon have a fighting chance when their iPhone slips from their fingers, as it’s emerged that Apple has filed for a patent that would provide smartphones with additional support. According to CNET , Apple has filed for the rights to a shock mount system that would help the device withstand a fall. Special pads underneath the smartphone’s glass screens will be inflated when the device senses it’s been dropped – to better shock absorb and screen save. The design also makes it possible to switch shock mounts in the event they’ve been used, so the device could withstand another fall in future and stand a better chance at speedy repair. The patent reads: “In general, the thicker the glass, the stronger it is

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iPhones to get airbags – maybe

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Bad Apples: Young biker gang arrested in Apple Store burglary

A gang of Bad Apples have been arrested in connection with a robbery at Covent Garden’s Apple Store. Just days after Mr Jobs’s sad passing, Covent Garden employees arrived at work on the morning of 9 October to find that their shop had been plundered overnight by a gang of bikers. Tributes and memorials have been placed at Apple Stores all over the world in honour of the man who changed the face of personal computing. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, kind words, flowers and photographs were not the only things that employees at the Covent Garden Apple Store found. According to reports, police officers were alerted to the fact that a gang of seven moped riders and motorcyclists – most carrying pillion passengers – had smashed the storefront glass and “made off with fondleslabs and other similar devices.” All is not bad news, however. According to Channel Register , two suspects were apprehended at the time and have subsequently been charged with the Apple Store burglary. Additionally, a Met spokesman said it is understood the pair is connected to a wider gang of young burglars between the ages of 16 and 26 who are suspected in a spate of robberies across London. “Between 13 and 25 October, officers from Westminster executed a number of search warrants in connection with 48 burglaries of retail premises in central London and the theft of 35 high-powered motorcycles,” he said

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Bad Apples: Young biker gang arrested in Apple Store burglary

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Samsung’s Virtual Assistant annoys the boss

The battle for best smartphone rages on between Apple and Samsung with voice command features front-and-centre in both the iPhone 4S and the Galaxy SII. One of the most distinguishing features of the iPhone 4S is Siri – a voice-operated ‘personal assistant’ that lets users speak to their phones to send messages, ask questions, place phone calls and more. Samsung’s Virtual Assistant – powered by Vlingo – works in much the same way. When users double-tap the home screen button they are greeted with an automated voice asking “What would you like to do?” Vlingo said of its Virtual Assistant in a blog post : “Voice talk enables users to do social updates, messaging, email, hands-free communication via InCar, voice dialling and search and more. “They will also be able to initiate commands simple by double-tapping the home screen button, making it easier than ever to get things done while on the go.” Samsung announced its ‘major partnership’ with Vlingo – the brains behind Virtual Assistant – just four weeks before the latest version of its flagship smartphone – the Galaxy SII – launched. Vlingo’s technology, built on the back of software from another partnership with Google , has been pre-installed in every Galaxy SII smartphone and, unlike Siri, gives users no opportunity to turn it off. While since the launch of the iPhone 4S Siri has received a lot of attention and a largely positive reception, according to the Guardian , Galaxy users are growing irritated with their virtual assistant

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Samsung’s Virtual Assistant annoys the boss

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iPhone 5 a pipe dream for Apple lovers (for now)

After months of speculation Apple has finally realised – the iPhone 4S. While cyberspace was dominated with rumours about a radically updated and redesigned phone, the reception at yesterday’s “Let’s talk iPhone” event was a little lacklustre. Bloggers and industry experts packed the room to hear news of the iPhone 5 straight from the horse’s mouth – only to find their hopes dashed as Tim Cook took to the stage. Rather than a new product, the iPhone 4S – which will go on sale 14 October – is an upgrade focusing on inside changes.

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iPhone 5 a pipe dream for Apple lovers (for now)

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