Side-by-side pics show how Samsung is cleaning up TouchWiz one pixel at a time

One thing we're looking forward to with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge is the newly toned down TouchWiz UI that will hopefully be much more intuitive and more responsive than previous versions of Samsung's Android overlay. Some new pictures posted by AndroidCentral of the Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy S6 show how Samsung has been slowly working to refine TouchWiz to give it a cleaner look that fits in better with Google's Material Design in Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Continue reading...

Read More [...]

Posted in 2015 at 03:19PM, March 04

Next-Generation iPhone Said to Feature Upgraded Touch ID With Reduced Errors

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has provided reliable information about Apple's upcoming product plans in the past, claims that Apple's next-generation iPhone will feature an upgraded Touch ID module with reduced reading errors for an improved and safer Apple Pay experience.

"We think the new iPhone,expected to launch in 3Q15, will be equipped with an upgraded Touch ID module, with which Apple (US) intends to offer a better and safer Apple Pay user experience with reduced reading errors. We therefore raise our 2015F shipments of Touch ID module by 12.4% to 262mn sets, boosted by Apple Pay and new iPhone models."

Kuo wrote in a note to investors that he expects the next-generation iPhone to ship in the third quarter of 2015, lining up historically with past releases of iPhones in September.

Read More [...]

Posted in 2015 at 03:19PM, February 10

YouTube Begins Using HTML5 Instead of Flash for Default Video Playback [iOS Blog]

YouTube yesterday announced it has begun using HTML5 video by default for all playback on its website, marking a substantial step in its gradual move away from Flash. The company states the new default will work in most popular web browsers including Safari.



Richard Leider, Engineering Manager for YouTube, reiterated on the adaptability of HTML5 over Flash and the use of the former's capabilities beyond a simple web browser. With YouTube's extension to devices like gaming consoles, and even the Apple TV, the benefits of dropping Flash became far more apparent over the years.

Over the last four years, we’ve worked with browser vendors and the broader community to close those gaps, and now, YouTube uses HTML5 by default in Chrome, IE 11, Safari 8 and in beta versions of Firefox.



The benefits of HTML5 extend beyond web browsers, and it's now also used in smart TVs and other streaming devices.

The new shift to HTML5 will allow better video streaming in adjustment to shifting network conditions, quicker video playback, easier access to 60 FPS HD and 4K content, with updates to encrypted media extensions that will allow the service to overall be "faster and smoother."



Despite having long dominated web video and other interactive content, Flash has been under fire for years over to performance and security issues. Back in 2010, Steve Jobs famously wrote an open letter, his "Thoughts on Flash," to address the ongoing controversy over Apple's refusal to support Flash on its iOS devices. After summing up a series of shortcoming of Flash, Jobs end his letter by suggesting "Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind."

Read More [...]

Posted in 2015 at 03:19PM, January 28

California Judge Dismisses Notebook Logic Board Lawsuit Against Apple [Mac Blog]

U.S. District Judge William Alsup this week dismissed a lawsuit filed against Apple over allegedly defective Apple notebooks, reports Reuters . Filed on behalf of Uriel Marcus and Benedict Verceles with class action status, the suit accused Apple of deliberately selling notebooks with logic boards the company knew were faulty.





The plaintiffs claim Apple in May 2010 stated selling defective MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air notebooks with logic boards that failed within two years. Apple was accused of misrepresenting the faulty notebooks by advertising them as "state of the art" and the "most advanced" notebooks on the market. According to the suit, Tim Cook allegedly was made aware of the logic board issue in 2011 but did nothing to remedy the issue.



In his dismissal of the suit, Alsup said the plaintiffs failed to show that Apple's notebooks were of a substandard quality, noting that both plaintiffs were able to use their computers for a reasonable amount of time.

"Plaintiffs have failed to allege that Apple's logic boards were unfit for their ordinary purposes or lacked a minimal level of quality," Alsup wrote. "Both plaintiffs were able to adequately use their computers for approximately 18 months and two years, respectively."

Alsup also refuted the plaintiffs' claim that Apple misrepresented its products. Following this dismissal, the plaintiffs have until January 22 to amend their lawsuit.



Apple is facing another MacBook-related lawsuit that accuses the company of selling MacBook Pro models with defective graphics cards. This second suit is the result of a growing number of consumer complaints citing screen glitches, GPU failures, and system crashes in Apple's 2011 line of MacBook Pro notebooks.

Read More [...]

Posted in 2015 at 03:19PM, January 09