AfterDawn: Tech news

News written by James Delahunty (September, 2014)

AfterDawn: News

VIDEO: Finns crazy to get iPhone 4 (yes, '4')

Written by James Delahunty @ 25 Sep 2014 8:30

VIDEO: Finns crazy to get iPhone 4 (yes, '4') Despite being around four years old now, enthusiastic but impatient Finns showed up at stores today to buy an iPhone 4 for €99.90.

While we have been so entertained by a video of a guy dropping his brand new iPhone 6, and several others showing that it will just bend right out of shape if you stick it in your tight jeans pocket (not a feature!), today's iPhone video from Finland is a little surprising.

Retailer Verkkokauppa got its hands on some ancient refurbished iPhone 4 models (the one that can't get iOS 8!) and wanted to sell them off for €99.90 a piece to make a quick return. They sent out units to multiple stores, limited to just 50 in each store. The problem is, a lot more people showed up at stores.

At stores in Helsinki and Pirkkala (near Tampere), police had to come to calm people down. Stores were only allowing ten people in at a time once they opened at 9AM, so naturally that ticked off quite a large number of people.

Witnessing mobs of people fighting in America on Black Friday every year to get deals before the holidays is rather sad, but witnessing Finns getting rowdy and upset over a four year old iPhone is one of the saddest videos I have seen in some time. Check this video out from Pirkkala...

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

What you should know about Apple Pay

Written by James Delahunty @ 09 Sep 2014 8:13

What you should know about Apple Pay Apple Pay is a new mobile, contactless payment system developed by Apple Inc. that will soon be available to use online and offline. What should you know about it?

Today in Cupertino, Apple unveiled its new iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and introduced its Apple Watch line for the first time. It also dated iOS 8's public release for later this month and gave away a U2 album to iTunes customers.

Another service announced by Apple - and strongly linked to the new iPhones and Apple Watch - is Apple Pay, which the company promises will revolutionize how to pay for physical goods and services offline, and how you pay for things in apps on your iPhone.

So here is a quick run down of what Apple revealed to this point.

What is Apple Pay?

Apple Pay is a new mobile payments and contact-less payment service provided by Apple, which the firm promises is simple to use, private and secure. Using NFC (near-field communication) built in to the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, you can pay for goods and services easily without having to produce a credit card or debit card, using Passbook, and TouchID as part of the authorization process.

When will it be available?

Apple Pay will be available as a free update in October.

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

Now unveiled, what is Apple Watch all about?

Written by James Delahunty @ 09 Sep 2014 6:24

Now unveiled, what is Apple Watch all about? Apple has finally shown off its upcoming Apple Watch wearable device to the public, slating it for release in earlier 2015. So what was the fuss all about and did Apple deliver?

Describing it as its most personal device ever, Apple showed off the upcoming Apple Watch in Cupertino today. The smartwatch will come in three varieties - Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition - in either 38 mm and 42 mm sizes and with enclosures rafted from custom alloys of polished or space black stainless steel, space gray or silver anodized aluminum and 18-karat rose or yellow gold. A line of watch straps are also available.

UI, Controls and Fitness

Each Watch comes with a Retina display that tout a Force Touch feature, which can essentially tell the difference between a tap and a "press". The user interface is of course based on the company's iOS operating system, though obviously redesigned for such a small display and to support the Watch control mechanisms.

Apple has introduced the "Digital Crown" which you can use to control the UI, for navigation, zooming or scrolling. It also serves as the device's Home button and can be used to access Siri.

Apple Watch puts a strong emphasis on fitness and exercise. The Activity app is designed to motivate you to be more active throughout the day while the Workout app provides the metrics you need during your sessions, as well as goal-setting and pacing during popular session-based workouts, such as running and cycling.

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

Apple unveils iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus

Written by James Delahunty @ 09 Sep 2014 4:41

Apple unveils iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus As expected, Apple has shown off two new iPhone models, claiming they are the biggest advancement in the iPhone line so far.

Information leaked about the new iPhones turned out to be largely correct. As rumored, Apple introduced two new iPhone models - the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus - with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch retina HD displays, respectively. The 4.7-inch display touts a 1334 x 750 resolution (38 percent more viewing space than an iPhone 5s) and the 5.5-inch display boasts a full hd, 1920 x 1080 resolution (88 percent more viewing area than an iPhone 5s).

Both run iOS 8 powered by Apple's second generation 64-bit "Destkop-class" A8 chip. Both also include the M8 motion coprocessor that gathers motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, compass and the new barometer, which senses air pressure to provide relative elevation.

The new iPhones also support high quality voice calls over LTE (VoLTE) and Wi-Fi calling if supported by the carrier and support 802.11ac Wi-Fi with speeds up to 433 Mbps and Bluetooth 4.0.

The iSight camera has gotten a new sensor featuring Focus Pixels for faster autofocus. High-definition video on iPhone improves with faster frame rates up to 60fps for 1080p video and 240fps for slo-mo, as well as continuous autofocus, cinematic video stabilization and time-lapse video. iPhone 6 Plus users also benefit from new image stabilization features.

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

Apple to unveil iPhone 6 today, but what else?

Written by James Delahunty @ 09 Sep 2014 6:55

Apple to unveil iPhone 6 today, but what else? It has already been a year since Apple unveiled the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c smartphones, which means it has almost been a year since iPhone 6 speculation really kicked off. Today, Apple will hold an event in Cupertino, California, in which it is almost certain to show off the iPhone 6, making it first iPhone not unveiled in San Francisco.

The Flint Center for the Performing Arts can hold a lot more media personnel than the Yerba Buena Center, so perhaps Apple feels this event is of greater importance than its most recent ones, or maybe it is simply that the iPhone is not what it is most eager to show off this time.

Since the iPhone 6 is something you could put your house on showing up today, what do we know about it? Well, for starters there is almost a consensus already that it will be available with either a 4.7-inch or 5.5-inch screen, the latter providing a sixth row of apps on the home screen. One rumor spreading today suggests that the 5.5-inch device will be called iPhone 6 plus, or iPhone 6+.

It is also expected to pack Apple's new dual-core A8 chip and 1GB of RAM, run iOS 8, and for the first time may be available with 128GB of storage. Until now, only the iPad provided a 128GB option, while the iPhone was limited to 64GB. Previously though, every doubling of internal storage provided in the line-up added an additional $100 to the price tag.

Read more...





News archive