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Microsoft caught lying about Windows 8 tablet size in iPad vs. Windows comparison

iPhoneHacks — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:54:02 +0000

Hot on the heels of releasing the Windows 8 tablet ads which took a dig at Apple’s iPad, Microsoft has launched a new webpage that compares the ASUS VivoTab Smart Windows 8 tablet with the full-sized iPad. Similar to the ad, the chart compares the Windows 8 tablet’s thinness, battery life, weight, display size, microHDMI and microSD ports, printing, ability to run Microsoft Office suite of products and more. Microsoft has also included a diagram of the 9.7-inch iPad next to the ASUS VivoTab Smart Windows 8 tablet that looks visibly larger. However, Elliot Temple of Curi.us says that Microsoft is being dishonest in the advertising as the image is not up to scale. He explains on his blog: Microsoft has drawn a 10.1 inch tablet 36% larger than a 9.7 inch tablet (140×78 pixels vs 102×79). This is so far off you can visually see it’s wrong. The iPad has a screen area of 45.16 square inches, which I double checked with a calculator. The ASUS VivoTab Smart has a screen area of 43.56 square inches. That’s right, the ASUS screen is smaller than the iPad’s. The iPad screen is 7.76 by 5.82 inches. The ASUS screen is 8.8 by 4.95 inches. ASUS is larger in one direction but smaller in the other direction, and has 3.55% less area than the iPad, not 36% more as Microsoft depicts. Microsoft had initially also stated that the Windows 8 tablet has a bigger touchscreen than the iPad, but it seems to have removed it. The ASUS VivoTab Smart is lighter than the iPad, has a bigger touchscreen and more ports, works with more printers, lets you see two apps at once, and runs Microsoft Office and other desktop programs. It now just says: The ASUS VivoTab Smart is lighter than the iPad, has more ports, works with more printers, lets you see two apps at once, and runs Microsoft Office and other desktop programs. However, it is yet to fix the image, which shows that the Windows 8 tablet is visibly bigger than the iPad, which is not the case. Temple goes on to write: How can the screen with a larger diagonal measurement be smaller? Because it’s a different shape. Long and thin gets you a bigger diagonal but a smaller screen, for the same diagonal inches. It is quite embarrassing for a company like Microsoft to get caught lying about something like this. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. HT: Daring Fireball Continue reading →

Dots – a very addictive strategy puzzle game for iOS [Review]

David Gilson — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:30:37 +0000

Dots is a game that takes a stylish new twist on a tried and tested game genre. The objective of the game is to collect dots by connecting like colours in horizontal and vertical lines. It sounds simple, but you are playing against the clock. If you think your brain is up to some fast pattern recognition, read on. Dots first appears as being a exceptionally abstract design. Fortunately though, there are simple tutorials that guide you through how to play. You learn that you must connect like-coloured dots and that once connected the dots disappear. You’ll also find that dots fall to fill the space left by the dots you’ve just collected. It’s this falling mechanism that is somewhat reminiscent of the old Columns formula – an old game where you’d match different coloured jewels. One thing that Dots lacks in comparison is that there’s no chain reaction – the game doesn’t automatically match colours, you have to make the connections. As you connect like colours, a bar will grow around the screen if the bar fills the screen’s perimeter you’ll clear every dot of that colour. However, there’s a shortcut if you can draw a square of like-coloured dots that also clears all like-colours. It pays to keep playing because all of those dots you collect can be spent on buying extra tools that enable you to play even better. The acquisition of power extends a social achievement system. There are badges associated with various milestones in the game, such as the number of rounds completed and number of concurrent dots connected. The game also connects to your Twitter and Facebook accounts, and shows you how your friends are doing in comparison to yourself. Considering that Dots is free and doesn’t have any adverts, it’s a surprisingly high quality product. The challenge of the game lays in weighing up the configuration of the board, and making the most strategic choices for which dots to clear so that you might create squares or long lines of dots to collect on the next turn – all of which has to be done against the clock so you can’t spend too long thinking. Ultimately, the longevity of the game will depend on your taste for puzzle and strategy games. It’s at least worth checking out for the refreshing design. Get Dots from the iTunes app store. Continue reading →

Effortlessly make movies from photos with Photo Movie Maker Pro for Mac [Deals Hub]

StackSocial — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:25:27 +0000

If you’re looking for a powerful little Mac app that will help you create sweet videos using your photos and music, then this iPhone Hacks Deals offer is going to be right up your alley. Movie Maker Pro’s simple interface really helps set itself apart from other competitors in the space. The built-in photo editing features not only allow to directly edit your photos before you create a video but you can also add dozens of sweet photo effects to give your final project that extra special touch. If you love taking pictures and are looking for a new and fun way to showcase them then this application is definitely worth a shot – especially for the low price of $19.99. How does it work? Simply drag in your photos and music, drop in a built-in theme and your memories are transformed into a wonderful movie that you can share on DVD and all your other iDevices. You can provide motion, transition and slideshow effects, along with adding background music and subtitles which will give your movie that extra special look you’ve been waiting for. Photo Movie Maker Pro for Mac Features Provide motion, transition and slideshow effects. Edit photo (rotate photo, add text, crop photo, effect photo). Effect photo: 36 kinds of photo effects for you to choose. Add animated captions to photos to help tell the story. Change move in duration and move out duration for themes. 12 kinds of subtitles effects for you to choose. Loop play the imported musics This app will help you make those photgraphed moments all the more memorable – and iPhone Hacks has it for you at a fraction of the regular price. So don’t delay – head to the Deals Hub now and grab Photo Movie Maker Pro for just $19.99 today! Subscribe to our mailing list Continue reading →

Drive Awake app alerts you when you’re drowsy

Rounak Jain — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:22 +0000

Cafe Amazon, a chain of coffee shops in Thailand, has released a new app called “Drive Awake” that alerts you when you’re about to doze off. The whole thing is a neat marketing campaign by the cafe, as the app shows you directions to the nearest Cafe Amazon if you’re found sleeping so that you can get a cup of coffee. Sleep-detection is done by constantly monitoring your eyes using the iPhone’s front facing camera, and setting off an alarm when ever your eyes close. Here’s a video showing how the phone needs to be placed for the app to work properly (skip to 0:34): The app does a decent job at detecting when your eyes close, but it also raises false alarms occasionally. Still worth a try though. You can download the app from this link for free. Eye-tracking was popularised in mobile phones by Samsung with the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy S4. We’ve also told you about an iOS app that brings the S4′s smart pause feature to the iPhone. Via: Gizmodo Continue reading →

Microsoft releases another Windows 8 ad that takes a dig at the iPad

Rounak Jain — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:56:38 +0000

Microsoft follows up on its earlier Windows 8 commercial with yet another ad that takes a dig at iPad’s limited capabilities in certain areas like multitasking, the lack of Microsoft Office, and no MicroSD slot. The ad compares the lack of Microsoft Office on the iPad, but weirdly positions its own OneNote iOS app as the inferior offering. It also highlights the lack of Windows 8′s side-by-side multitasking feature, and also the lack of an inbuilt MicroSD slot, and limited printing capabilities (why printing?!) on the iPad. Apart from software features like multitasking and printing, Microsoft also compares the iPad’s weight and thickness with an Asus tablet. We’ll see what Apple does on this front when it releases the next iPad, rumored to be thinner, lighter and have iPad mini like narrow bezels. Here’s the ad: Tell us what you think of the ad. Is it effective in convincing people to buy Windows 8 tablets over an iPad? Continue reading →

Evernote now lets you add reminders to your notes

iPhoneHacks — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:16:34 +0000

Evernote has just released an update for its note-taking app to allows users to add Reminders for their notes, which was one of the most requested features. Evernote announced the launch of the Reminders feature on their blog: For the millions and millions of people around the world that use Evernote everyday to achieve their goals, we’re excited to announce a new part of Evernote that will keep you on track every step of the way. Reminders are here. Our three most requested features rolled into one small package: – In-app and email Alarms – Quick note based to-do lists – Pinning notes to the top of your note list The Reminders feature is available on Evernote for Mac, iOS and Evernote Web. To set a reminder for a note, you can tap on the alarm clock icon located at the top on Mac and the Web and at the bottom on the iPhone and iPad. You have the option to set an in-app alarm and optionally, a reminder email. You can download the update via the Updates tab in the App Store app or using this direct iTunes link. Have you been waiting for the reminder feature? Let us know in the comments. Continue reading →

Apple’s WWDC 2013 Keynote to be Held on June 10

iPhoneHacks — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:50:32 +0000

As expected, AllThingsD reports that Apple has said that WorldWide Developer Conference 2013 Keynote will be held on Monday, June 10 at Moscone Center in San Francisco. Apple hasn’t mentioned who will be giving the keynote speech, but we expect Tim Cook to give it this year. Apple is widely expected to give us a sneak peak at iOS 7 – the next generation mobile operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and also give a preview of the next major version of OS X. We can’t wait to see what Apple has in store for us at this year’s keynote. As always, we’ll be live blogging the event. via AllThingsD Continue reading →

Popular email management app Mailbox now available for iPad

Rounak Jain — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:12:01 +0000

Mailbox, the popular email management app that Dropbox acquired, was today updated with support for the iPad. The app, in case you’re not familiar, treats your email inbox as a to-do list, letting you mark emails as “done” or snooze them for later. Mailbox was launched earlier this year in February with an unconventional reservation system to limit rollout as the service had a lot of server side infrastructure that needed to be gradually scaled. The interface on the iPad is fairly similar to to the stock Mail.app, with a list of mails on the left, and a detail view that shows you the selected mail on the right. Just like the iPhone, the list view has the horizontal swipe gestures to snooze emails, mark them as done or delete them. There’s also a settings panel that can be accessed by hitting the options button on the top left, or swiping from the left edge of the screen. Mailbox currently works only with Gmail accounts, but the app description notes that support for other email providers is coming soon. You can download the app from the updates section in the App Store or by visiting this URL. Continue reading →

Apple’s tight control over components resulting in high iPhone 5 repair costs [Report]

iPhoneHacks — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:40:55 +0000

When iFixit disassembled the iPhone 5 back in September, they found it easier to repair as it opened from front-to-back. Unfortunately that hasn’t helped to bring down the costs of repairing an iPhone 5, according to a report on MarketWatch. iCracked, a repair firm charges $79 to $99 to fix an iPhone 4S screen, which is half the cost of fixing an iPhone 5 screen ($169 to $199). The report points out that the high costs is due to Apple’s tight control over components. There is a tight control on iPhone 5 components in the market, Forsythe says. “Market forces determine the price,” he says. “Apple sells about 300,000 iPhones a day and, as the repair market grows, prices will get lower.” “Apple controls everything from the manufacturing to the gear for the iPhone 5,” says Jeff Haynes, editor at deal site TechBargains.com. As the iPhone 5 is larger than the 4, the cost for replacement parts rises, he says. “Apple is trying to get people to sign up for Apple Care for $99 and to rely on their services at the Apple store,” he says, “If you don’t, that cracked screen could cost you at least $230.” Due to the high cost of components, quite a few repair shops haven’t still started offering iPhone 5 display replacements. iFixit, which offers repair manuals, is currently selling iPhone 4S display assembly for $95, where as iPhone 5 display assembly is available for $199. Interestingly, as MacRumors points out you need to follow a 29-step guide to replace iPhone 4S’ display compared to a 23-step guide to replace iPhone 5′s display. If you’re someone who tends to drop his/her iPhone, it probably makes sense to opt for AppleCare+ for $99, which covers up to two incidents of accidental damage with a $49 service fee or get a case. Via MarketWatch Continue reading →

Shazam for iPad finally hits the App Store, brings auto tagging, Rdio and Spotify integration and more

iPhoneHacks — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:44:25 +0000

Shazam has released a new version of its app, which finally adds support for Apple’s iPad. In addition to the iPad support, Shazam 6.0.0 brings number of new features such as auto tagging, real-time updates of TV shows and music tracks being tagged, top tags in any city etc. Here’s what’s new in version 6.0.0: Explore the world with Shazam’s interactive maps. Zoom from your current location to cities, countries and continents across the globe to discover what’s popular. Welcome iPad users: Shazam is now a universal app – we have some awesome new features coming first to the iPad: Auto Tagging: When Shazam is running it tags music and media around you – like songs featured in a TV show or music playing on your device. Shazam even runs in the background and tags while you check your emails or play a game. Dynamic new home screen: Browse real time updates of what’s being tagged on TV right now (US only) and the hottest music tracks globally. Flip through your recent matches – add the ones you like to your favourites Auto tagging is enabled by default, but you can turn it off by tapping on the Auto Tagging toggle that is available at the top right corner, just next to the Home tab. When the auto tagging feature is enabled, Shazam runs in the background, even when you’re using some other app and tags music tracks till you turn off the feature. You’ll see a red status bar when Auto Tagging is running. When there is a match, it displays the album artwork of the song on top, you can tap on star button to add it to your favorites. Unfortunately, the auto tagging feature is available only on the iPad app currently. Shazam plans to add the feature to the iPhone app in a future update. The update also comes with Rdio and Spotify integration, so subscribers of these popular music streaming services will be able to launch the Rdio or Spotify’s app directly from Spotify to listen to the tagged song. While the Rdio integration is available to all users, Spotify is available only to users who have purhcased Shazam Encore, the paid version of Shazam. Download links: Shazam Shazam Encore ($6.99) Continue reading →