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Category: iPhone 5s

There are 5 posts published under iPhone 5s.
15 Dec, 2013

YEC Answers: 9 Tips for Developing a New Mobile App

Considering how saturated the app market is, what advice would you give to an entrepreneur developing a new mobile app? -CitizenTEKK

The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

1. Identify Factors

This one is simple because I am working on my own mobile app now and have been doing a crazy amount of research in this area. Basically, find the sticky factor and the viral factor. What this means is what makes the end user want to come back and add content on a daily (if not more) basis? Then, after they add their content, what makes them want to share that with their network?

Andrew Vest ( https://twitter.com/AndrewVest ), Preferling ( http://www.preferling.com )

Entrepreneur at YEC comments at CitizenTEKK

2. Gather Usage Metrics

Due to the overwhelming amount of mobile apps in the market, it is very important that you analyze your app through metrics. Services such as Mixpanel can be integrated into your app to gather important usage data, which can guide you to the compelling portions of your app. Once you identify how and what your users find value in, you can focus on those and remove underutilized features.

Phil Chen ( https://twitter.com/nethacker ), Givit ( http://www.givit.com )

Entrepreneur guest blogs at CitizenTEKK

3. Deliver Value

In the oversaturated startup and app market, delivering value that users can see, understand and that truly delights is job one. Your app doesn’t have to change your users’ world — but if it makes their live easier or more rich, you may be onto something.

Brendan Mangus ( http://twitter.com/bpmangus ), Colorwheel Media Consulting ( http://www.colorwheelconsulting.com )

Brendan Mangus, YEC

4. Think International

App developers have set their benchmarks on the U.S. market, forgetting how quickly Asia, South America and Europe are booming in the mobile space. Create apps that can go global and provide value in more than just one language.

Grant Gordon ( https://twitter.com/grantagordon ), Solomon Consulting Group ( http://www.solomonbi.com )

Grant Gordon of Solomonbi

5. Launch in Test Markets

Launch your app in test markets first. So much of gaining traction in the app store comes down to either being featured or being a top 25 app. The best way to game the system is to test your app out in small regional markets before you launch in the U.S. Work out the bugs and figure out what drives downloads. Don’t launch too early in the U.S.

Adam Lieb ( http://www.twitter.com/adamslieb ), Duxter ( http://www.duxter.com )

Commentator at CitizenTEKK

 

 

6. Solve Real-World Problems and Stay Committed Through the Iterations

The app market is indeed saturated. However, most of the apps are poorly built. This is the result of hopefuls building apps just to build one, and this mindset is generally wrong for an entrepreneur. Focus on solving real-world problems you are passionate about. Remember that startups and app development go through iterations. You will not always get it right the first time. Stay committed.

Gideon Kimbrell ( http://twitter.com/gideonkimbrell ), CLUBSCORE, INC ( http://www.clubscore.com )

 

7. Solve One Problem Extremely Well

Too many app builders try to solve too many problems at the same time. It’s not about how many features your app has; it’s about how well you’ve been able to perfect the one your app was built for in the first place. Build a clean, beautiful app that executes its main job extremely well. Once you deliver a great user experience, you are already ahead of 90 percent of the competition.

Juha Liikala ( http://www.twitter.com/juhaliikala ), Stripped Bare Media ( http://www.strippedbaremedia.com )

CitizenTEKK hosts discussion from YEC

 

8. Ensure a Strong PR Launch

When you launch a new app, make sure you make a splash in the media. That requires a significant amount of legwork prior to launching your app. You don’t want to have to pitch a story to media outlets about a product that has been out for months already. Hit the ground running by preparing customized media pitches for specific journalists well in advance of the launch.

Chuck Cohn ( http://twitter.com/chuckcohn ), Varsity Tutors ( http://www.varsitytutors.com )

Chuck Cohn from YEC

 

9. Research Trends

App developers should invest a lot of attention in trending technologies, particularly geo-targeted push notifications, cloud/Dropbox integration, social media sharing options, easy transactional features and light battery usage. Although some trends turn out to be just fads, these user-friendly developments are already showing strong staying power.

Phil Laboon ( http://twitter.com/#!/eyeflow ), Clear Sky SEO ( http://www.clearskyseo.com/ )

YEC entrepreneurs

Young Entrepreneur Council
1346
23 Sep, 2013

Top Startup and Tech News Today-7 Things You Missed Today

1. LinkedIn Sued by Users Who Say It Hacked Email Accounts, Stole Contact Lists

LinkedIn users claim that LinkedIn accessed their email so the company could mine out a list of contacts and then send spam-like emails. The suit claims that “Linkedln is able to download these addresses without requesting the password for the external email accounts or obtaining users’ consent.” The complaint argues accessing “the users’ email accounts and downloading of all email addresses associated with that users’ account is done without clearly notifying the user or obtaining his or her consent” and is essentially hacking.

 

The suit doesn’t make clear how LinkedIn is hacking these email accounts – there are no specifics, except for the accusation that LinkedIn is hacking the email accounts. LinkedIn is denying the accusations, and put out a statement, saying that. “LinkedIn is committed to putting out members first, which includes being transparent about how we protect and utilize our members’ data… We believe that the legal claims in this lawsuit are without merit, and we intend to fight it vigorously.”

2. BlackBerry Returns to Corporate Roots to Save It From Oblivion

BlackBerry is cutting its workforce and product line in order to refocus on the demographic that first brought them success: corporate customers. BlackBerry announced last week that they were cutting 4,500 jobs and taking a writedown of up to $960 million for unsold phones. BlackBerry’s Z10 phone, which was supposed to make BlackBerry relevant and a smartphone leader again, was released to mediocre reviews. BlackBerry’s attempts to find an acquirer have been fruitless so far.

 

BlackBerry’s shares have fallen 17% to $8.73 since September 20th. The stock has fallen 94% since its 2008 high. BlackBerry, which was credited with inventing the first smartphone more than a decade ago, has not managed to keep pace with Apple and Samsung. The company continues to produce news models and products of smartphones, however, none have managed to become a hit with the consumer audience so far.

3. New Surface expected from Microsoft at NYC event

Microsoft is expected to announce new Surface tablet computers in New York on Monday. One version of the Surface tablet is expected to have a smaller screen to compete with Apple’s iPad Mini. The new Surface tablets are expected to be lighter and thinner, thanks to a new processing chip that uses less energy and doesn’t require a fan.

 

Microsoft released Surface tablets last October but sales have generally been slow. During the April-June period, they accounted a $900 million charge in expected losses for the Surface RT after they slashes prices. Microsoft is trying hard to join the personal tablet trend, although they are still not the leaders of the industry.

4. German group claims to have hacked Apple iPhone fingerprint scanner

A group of German hackers have claimed to have hacked the iPhone fingerprint scanner, just two days after Apple launched the new technology. Two prominent iPhone security experts validated the claim made by the German hacker group, the Chaos Computing Club. Apple representatives did not comment.

 

The Chaos Computing Club, one of the larger and more respected hacker groups, posted a video on their website showing somebody accessing an iPhone 5S with a fake fingerprint. The website then continued to describe hoe members of their biometric teams had been able to crack the fingerprint scanner. “Fingerprints should not be used to secure anything. You leave them everywhere, and it is far too easy to make fake fingers out of lifted prints,” Starburg, another hacker, said on CCC’s site.

5. Tests: New iPhones Less Durable Than iPhone 5

SquareTrade, which provides protection plan for gadgets, tested Apple’s iPhones to see if they could withstand drops, dunks, and other common smartphone injuries. It found that the latest models of iPhones were not as durable as last year’s iPhone 5.  However, the biggest disappointment was Samsung’s Galaxy S4, says SquareTrade, which stopped working after being submerged in water and being dropped a height of five feet. The phone that withstood these challenges the best was Googles Moto X.

 

“We were expecting that at least one of the new iPhone models would up its game, but surprisingly, it was the Moto X that proved most forgiving of accidents,” said chief marketing officer of SquareTrade, Ty Shay. Generally, with every iPhone the upgrade, the phone becomes more durable and stronger; it seems as though this time, it is not the case.

SquareTrade reviewed each device based on eight factors, including the material, the phone’s size, it’s weight, the phone’s ability to withstand drops of five feet, and the phone’s ability to stand being dunked in water for 10 seconds.

 

Officials from Samsung, Google, and Apple have not responded.

6. Nokia racks up the retweets by poking fun at Apple’s iPhone 5C

A tweet posted to Nokia’s Twitter account said “thanks, Apple” and was juxtaposed with images of the rainbow-hued Nokia Lumia product line, along with the text “imitation is the best form of flattery.” The photo has received over 38,000 retweets and is one of the most successful branded tweets ever. Business Insider reports that Twitter has confirmed that this tweet is in the “top echelon” of marketing tweets throughout all the site’s history.

 

Although Nokia didn’t invent multi-colored electronics, and Apple’s been pushing colored iPods for year, the Lumia did bring back color to the cell market in a noticeable way. And besides, it’s a war between brands on Twitter – generally, anything goes in these situations.

7. Sprint confirms ‘One Up’ early phone upgrade program

On Friday, Sprint confirmed their early-upgrade program, “One Up,” that will let customers pay in monthly installments and change their phones annually. Spring is the last of the four major carriers to offer such a program. Under the plan, subscribers could get an unlimited talk, text, and data plan for as low as $65 a month. New or existing customers who have owned their phone for at least a year are eligible. Customers who are eligible don’t have to trade in their phone during the sign up process if they don’t want to.

Jessie Yen
211
20 Sep, 2013

Top Startup and Tech News Today: 7 Things You Missed Today

1. Hackers Offered Cash, Booze to Crack iPhone Fingerprint Security

 

Hackers are excited for Friday’s iPhone 5S release; not because they want the product, but because they want to be the first to hack the fingerprint scanner. A micro venture capital firm joined security researchers in offering $13,000 in cash, as well as alcohol, Bitcoin currency, books, and other prizes to the first hacker to do so. The content is hosted on istouchidhackedyet.com. Arturas Rosenbacher, who donated $10,000 to the hacking competition, says the effort will bring together some of the hacking community’s smartest minds to work towards the common goal of helping Apple identify bugs they might have missed.

 

An already published problem is the fact that it is possible to bypass the lock screen of iPhones to access photos, email, and other applications. Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said that the company was already working on a fix as “Apple takes user security very seriously.”

 

2. Apple Suppliers to Boost Gold iPhone Production

 

Apple has asked suppliers to increase production of the gold iPhone 5S by an additional third after seeing strong demand. On Apple’s Hong Kong website, the gold iPhone 5S has already sold out. The gold model is the most popular among pre-orders in Hong Kong, which is a major iPhone market. Another major market is mainland China, which was among the first markets where Apple launched the new iPhones. While stores haven’t disclosed estimated of how many people have showed up, the lines seemed longer than the lines for the iPhone 5 launch.

 

The iPhone 5C, with its plastic casting and colorful design seemed to be less popular than the 5S in Hong Kong. Most customers seem willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a higher-end smartphone.  28-year-old Chris Wong explained the situation by stating “I think the metal casing looks much better.”

 

3. Online Piracy of Entertainment Content Keeps Soaring

 

Although sites like Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu continue to grow and make it easier to legally watch entertainment online, the volume of pirated entertainment also continues to grow, at a faster pace.  In fact, the amount of bandwidth used for copyright infringement accounts for 24% of total Internet bandwidth. The number of people engaged in copyright infringement has also grown; as of January 2013, 327 million users illegally sought copyrighted continent.

 

This copyright infringement is detrimental to Hollywood studios, music companies, and other industry essentials. The general method employed by such organizations is generally a sponsoring of bills – for example, in 2012, most of the entertainment industry backed SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). However, both acts died in Congress after a massive opposition campaign led by Google, Wikipedia, and other internet giants, as well as a huge negative backlash from the civilian public.

 

4. Google redesigns logo, homepage

 

Like many other companies, such as Microsoft and Yahoo, Google has also revamped its official logo. The logo has been changed on Google’s search page and a new menu bar with a smaller range of links on the right side, has been installed. The new logo is flatter than the old, drop-shadowed logo, and is the first change to Google’s logo since 2010. A spokeswoman at Google said that similar changes would slowly be rolled out across all of Google products. This is being done in an attempt for Google to help streamline users’ experience of Google’s services; they hope that by flattening the logo, they remove distractions from the user.

 

Sarah Rotman, a tech analyst, said that Google’s revamped logo is subtle, as Google depends on loyalty and does not want to make any large changes that would alienate Google’s users.

 

Although many other changes have made, not all changes are available to all users yet. It is an ongoing process that will finish slowly.

 

5. Will Google Glass Catch On in the Office?

 

Christopher Kaeding performed a typical surgery – a knee to ligament reconstruction – while broadcasting his view of the procedure via Google glass. He showed the surgery to local medical students in a nearby conference room, saying that the device allowed him to shift between conversations with students and consultants without having to desterilize his hand. He plans to buy one when they officially come out in 2014. “Glass is first and foremost a consumer device intended for people from all walks of life,” says Chris Dale, Google spokesman. Startup Evernote chief executive officer, Phil Libin, says that Google Glass will likely be used mostly at work.

 

Google Glass features navigation, speech-to-text transcription, and video. Supervisors can use the gadget to film inspections, technicians who need a reminder can review product manuals; there are so many possible usages for Google Glass, which is why people assume that most Google Glass purchases will be to businesses and government agencies. “There’s the potential with Google Glass for there to be a significant increase in corporate surveillance of employees,” says Frederick Lane III, author of The Naked Employee: How Technology Is Compromising Workplace Privacy. “The amount of information that could be collected is really staggering.”

 

6. Microsoft commits to ‘many more’ Windows RT tablets

 

On Thursday, during Microsoft’s 2013 financial analyst meeting, Microsoft executives said that customers should be prepared for “many more Windows RT tablets” in the future. Although Windows RT and The RT-powered Surface had had many negative complains, RT-powered tablets are here to stay, says Microsoft. Terry Myerson, who is the executive VP of all of Microsoft’s operating systems, says that he is looking into exploding commonalities in design, silicon, and interfaces in order to allow a consistent Microsoft experience regardless of platform. Specifically, Myerson said that he held three beliefs: one silicone interface, one API, and all apps for all devices. Al devices should also be cloud-powered with core services powering the device.

 

7. Microsoft ups iPad-for-Surface trade-in deal

Last week, Microsoft offered $200 store credit to anyone who brought in their iPad to trade it in for a Surface tablet. Now that amount has climbed to $350. However, the process for turning your iPad in is now harder. First, Clover Wireless must determine the value of the old device. Secondly, a new Microsoft devices, such as a Surface tablet must be purchased. Then, Clover needs to be sent the old iPad – after an undisclosed amount of time, Clover will send a prepaid Visa card with the value of the trade-in stored inside of it.

A standards iPad in good condition is worth roughly $285 in rebates, which is less than half of its $599 retail price. The rebate value depends on the make and model of the item being exchanged. If you are interested in trading in your iPad for a Surface tablet, then its good news; the Surface RT starts at $350 for 32-GB. There is no announced expiration date for the deals, but it is questionable whether or not these deals will continue as more and more Surface models are released.

 

Jessie Yen
1837
19 Sep, 2013

Top Startup and Tech News Today: 7 Things You Missed Today

1. Apple’s new iOS7 makes bold statement

 

Though two new iPhones come out this week, the more dramatic shift in Apple technology might come from the software and not the hardware. iOS7, the new mobile OS, became available on Wednesday. “It is a major upgrade,” said Gerry Purdy, analyist and consultant with Compass Intelligence.  “This is the first big thing that (Apple chief executive) Tim Cook has implemented, which puts all the software and hardware design under one roof, to have a unified experience across products.”

 

While both new iPhones have both been receiving lukewarm responses, some analysts say that the new OS is the bolder statement from Apple, designed to keep people in the Apple ecosystem. The new OS has a different look and a different feel describes Ramon Llamas, analyst with research firm IDC, who continues by saying that Apple is “asking people to make a leap of faith.”

 

Darrell Etherington of TechCrunch described iOS7 as a “visual shock… The look is bound to be controversial; Apple has opted for bright, bold colors with more clean lines and far fewer textures, shadows and gradients. There is still some depth to the OS, however, with transparency effects giving a sense of background and foreground elements.”

 

Apple claims that the new operating system has over 200 new features, including improved multitasking, sharing, new camera apps, more variation for Siri, and iTunes radio. The new software has drawn much attention, as the iPhone launch itself seems to be less grandiose than ones of the past. The iOS7 might actually hurt Apple because it allows people with the iPhone 4 or 5 to get benefits, as they can also upgrade their OS, and therefore reduces the need for people to upgrade their physical device and get an iPhone 5s or 5c.

 

2. 7 Misses in iOS7

 

  1. The wallpaper. Some wallpapers make legibility nearly impossible. You have to trial-and-error wallpapers on your phone to see if you can still read the text.
  2. Apple Calendar remains awful.
  3. Folders. You can have more than 9 now; the limit no longer exists, but regardless of how many you have, the maximum number of these apps that will be visible is 9.
  4. Photo streams are still backwards.
  5. Control Center. It’s easy to bring up, hard to get rid of. It doesn’t do well in landscape mode, and it has minimal amounts of text. Generally hard to use.
  6. Sharing stuff.
  7. The keyboard. There has been absolutely no change. Auto-correct is still as terrible as it was pre-iOS7.

 

3. Obama Petitions FCC to Legalize Cellphone Unlocking

 

The Obama administration doesn’t think that unlocking your phone and moving to a new carrier should send you to prison. On Tuesday, the administration sent a petition to the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) asking it to override a law schedule to take effect on Jan. 26, 2014. This law would make it a crime punishable by up to five years in prison to unlock your cellphone without getting explicit permission from your carrier. Instead, they asked the FCC to make rules that give consumers permission to unlock their phone if they outright own it. This power also extends to tablets and other mobile devices.

 

4. When Will Samsung Go 64-Bit?

 

Apple attracted much attention when it revealed the first 64-bit chip for smartphones on Tuesday. Samsung chimed in shortly after, saying that it too, was going to go 64-bit. “Not in the shortest time. But yes, our next smartphones will have 64-bit processing functionality,” said Samsung’s mobile business chief Shin Jong-kyun.

 

64-bit ARM chips are most likely a 2014 event, according to ARM. Samsung will be hard pressed to get 64-bt chips into Galaxy tablets or phones before next year. When that happens, mobile devices will become competitive with laptops, says ARM. “It will allow tablet-like devices to go from information consuming devices to information creation devices,” ARM’s Bruce said.

 

5. No Internet? No Problem: Youtube Getting Ready To Let You Watch Videos Offline, On Your Phone

 

Youtube streams more than 6 billion hours of video per month; soon, this video giant will be available to people regardless of their web connection. Next month, Youtube will let viewers save clips on their phones and other devices for up to 48 hours; these videos will be able to viewed regardless of internet. The videos will still be free and Google will still run ads on these clips.

 

Youtube announced this via blog post and said it would allow uploaders to opt out of this offline feature. The practical benefit for viewers is that they can now watch videos in places where internet is inaccessible, such as a plane or in a car. This should boost viewing for the site. But, this puts pressure on Youtube’s ads rates because they open up more inventory. Here’s a snippet of Youtube announcing the move:

 

“We’re always exploring ways to bring more viewers to your content. As part of this effort, later this year we’ll launch a new feature on YouTube’s mobile apps that will help you reach fans — even when they’re not connected to the Internet…

 

This is part of our ongoing updates to give people more opportunities to enjoy videos and channels on YouTube mobile. Check out the YouTube blog when this launches in November for more details on how this will work for viewers.”

 

6. Verizon accused of violating FCC rules by blocking Nexus 7 from its 4G LTE network

 

Verizon has been accused of ignoring the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) rules. Jeff Jarvis says that Verizon refused to hook his unlocked Nexus 7 tablet to its LTE network because the device wasn’t “part of [their] lineup and can’t be activated.” This violates the regulations the FCC placed on Verizon in 2008.  (For a quick recap: in 2008, Verizon was slapped with a mandate that made it allow any devices to connect to its LTE network and barred it from blocking any applications on its users’ devices).

 

The notes given by the FCC are very clear and offer little to no leeway. “So this is not a matter of anything Verizon cannot do,” Jarvis writes. “This is a matter of what Verizon will not do. And that is what makes this a violation of FCC regulations and Verizon’s assurances.”

 

Verizon says that the Nexus 7 is not yet “Verizon 4G LTE certified” and that it will let customers know when the device passes through certifications. But, the Nexus 7 was launched two months ago, and it’s hard to believe that Verizon is just getting onto it.

 

7. New Internet Explorer Is 30% Faster Than Other Browsers, Microsoft Says

 

Though the number of browsers available keep rising, and though Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome keep expanding their consumer base, Internet Explorer is still the most popular web browser. On Wednesday, Microsoft released a “preview version” of IE 11 which, they claim, runs 30% faster than all other browsers.

 

IE 11 supports multi-touch gestures for touch PC’s. This will be helpful for those buying new Windows 8 touch PC’s and “downgrading” them. They also feature some new tools for developers, like support for developer tools, and a Web standards called WebGL for 3D graphics.

Jessie Yen
5479
10 Sep, 2013

iOS7 Revolutionizes the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c

The rumors floating around the release of Apples new iPhones, 5s and 5c, have been clarified with today’s press release.

 

Hardware-wise, the iPhone 5c is essentially a slightly improved version of the iPhone 5, sporting a “beautifully, unapologetically plastic” case, a higher capacity battery, and shares a new front facing camera with that of the 5s; the iPhone 5s, however, offers a greater revamp with faster processors, fingerprint security, and a better camera.  

 

Underneath its aluminum shell, the iPhone 5s houses the new A7 chip and an M7 motion coprocessor, which work together under the faster 64-bit architecture and allows for maximal use of motion sensing apps. A more advanced security feature is included in the form of a fingerprint identity sensor, providing access only to the owner and to whomever they wish to share the device with.

 

While the display remains the same, the camera and video recording capabilities of the iPhone 5s exceeds that of all other iPhones. The camera uses a true tone flash, adjusting to lighting conditions, instead of the previously used, monotonous LED flash. Additionally, it allows for burst mode photography for when you want to find the perfect picture of a moving target. The front facing camera is 1.2 MP and allows for 720p HD video recording with a backside illumination sensor—a vast improvement from the VGA quality camera from previous iPhones.

 

The spec improvements are not the only things that make the new iPhones amazing; the new iOS7 that they come equipped with blow everything else out of the water. All the improvements are made to maximize both the efficiency and user interface of the phones. There are 10 major features attributed to iOS7 : control center, multitasking, Safari, Air Drop, iCamera, Siri, iOS in the car, app store, music & iTunes Radio, and the activation lock.

 

Previously, users have had to tap on the settings icon and rummage through different categories in order to tinker with the display, WiFi connection, volume, etc. The addition of the control center allows users to simply swipe up from anywhere and having immediate access to all the main parameters available—there’s no need to go through a list of items to change what you want.

 

Multitasking works to conserve as much energy as possible while being as pragmatic as possible. On the energy conservation front, it adapts to network conditions and coalesces updates. In terms of practicality, it essentially learns the usage patterns of each app and performs background cycles accordingly. For example, if someone were to open Facebook every evening and their mail every 3 hours, the new iPhones will learn to recognize the pattern and get the most updated info from these apps early evening and every 3 hours, respectively. Together with the usage pattern recognition, iOS7 will also open an app and keep it in the background when it expects you to use it.

 

Safari gets a new interface and new built-in functions from its predecessors. It now has a smart search field, looking for the top URL hits, Google searches, and bookmarks that match the phrase. The search histories have also been cached so that sideways swiping allows you to switch between histories.

 

Air Drop acts similarly to NFC (near field communication), but less mechanical and more efficient. Normally, NFC requires tapping phones together or creating one-on-one wireless connections for file sharing between devices. The addition of Air Drop allows you to instantly share a file to all proximal friends of your choosing at the same time. The recipient will simply receive an icon and can choose to accept the file or not.

 

The iCamera app comes with new filter and management features. With a variety of filters available, they can be applied to a picture and alter the ambience, which is all fine and dandy. What it can also do is apply filters before the image is taken, so you will know what it will look like under each filter beforehand. iCamera can also organize photos based on time and location—instead of a stream of images inundating the phone screen, the separation of images offers a sense of meticulousness.

 

Siri also gets a few nifty upgrades. Its voice changed from her monotonous tone to a more engaging one. Also, Siri can also become a “he!” Users can now switch between female and male voices in various languages, the list of which will be included as time passes. The new Siri will understand a wider range of commands than it previously did allowing for more hands free action. Along with the increased commands, it now integrates Wikipedia and Bing results when being consulted.

 

iOS7 will be able to work seamlessly with cars with built in screens. One can basically have iOS7 on the car screen. That, coupled with Siri, users can experience a completely hands and eyes free car experience with the new iPhone 5s and 5c.

 

The app store now includes 2 new categories for searching apps: age range and location. The “age range” category is self-explanatory; it shows apps that are appropriate for different ages from children to teens to adults. The app store can also suggest popular apps based on location, taking the physical environment into account to maximize the user’s experience. Additionally, apps will no longer have countless update notifications—they will do so automatically!

 

The music app gets a revamp and now has iTunes Radio built in. The main improvement is that it can now access music from the iCloud as well as your music library. iTunes Radio offers a myriad of station suggestions, including trending songs from social media such as Twitter.  Similar to Pandora Radio, one can also create stations based on a song, artist, or genre.

 

Finally, the activation lock is added for increased security. It works off the “Find My iPhone” app. One of the worst fates of an iPhone user is that their phone is stolen, wiped clean and refurbished for the use of others. With activation lock, this will no longer be the case. In the unfortunate chance that this happens, anyone who turns off “Find My iPhone” or wipes the phone clean will still have to log into the iCloud before being able to reactivate it.

 

The new iPhone’s iOS7 is, as Tim Cook says, the “biggest change to iOS since the iPhone.” Is his comment befitting of the technological titan? Let us know your thoughts!

Dat Mai
291