Why the iPhone 4S is Better, Faster on AT&T

The new iPhone that Apple announced yesterday impressed some and disappointed others. Though not everyone was satisfied, the new iPhone 4S will hit the streets with a number of impressive, exclusive features. While the list of new features is long, those most touted by Apple are the new iPhone's speed improvements, hence the "S" moniker, for speed. What many customers don't realize is that a one of the main speed improvements in the iPhone 4S won't apply to Verizon and Sprint customers.

As Apple informed us at yesterday's keynote, 3G data download speeds on the iPhone 4S are up to twice as fast as the iPhone 4. This is a result of the fact that the iPhone 4S is capable of HSPA+ download speeds up to 14.4Mbps, while the iPhone 4 has a max of 7.2Mbps. The important thing to note here is that Verizon and Sprint are not HSPA+ networks. The iPhone 4S will run on CDMA on Sprint and Verizon, not HSPA+, and thus will have the same download speed capability as the iPhone 4.

So the new boost in download speeds will come only to AT&T, but maybe you don't care. After all, 7.2Mbps is adequate for most data users, and the fact remains that AT&T's network likely won't deliver those max theoretical speeds in many locations.

Even if you don't care about or dismiss the speed capability differences of the iPhone 4S on AT&T vs. Sprint and Verizon, the iPhone is still better on AT&T, a fact that has been true with the iPhone 4 and will continue to be true with the iPhone 4S. Why, you ask?

Like the iPhone 4, the iPhone 4S will not be able to simultaneously do voice and data on Verizon (or Sprint). This means no sitting on conference calls while browsing the web or playing Words with Friends. No talking to your wife on the phone while looking up the name of a high-brow restaurant you can take her to last minute since you forgot your anniversary and boy won't simultaneous voice and data get you out of that jam which is a big relief since you're such a typical "guy". The reality is that AT&T customers have been living with this ability for years, since before the iPhone existed, and the idea that CDMA customers continue to tolerate the alternative is pretty hard to believe.

Faster, more capable. The iPhone 4S, like its predecessor, is simply a better phone on AT&T. Sorry, Verizon and Sprint customers.

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Android runs inflight entertainment on Boeing Dreamliner

The airline industry is turning to Android for in-flight options.

Boeing has chosen the Android platform for in-flight entertainment for its new 787 Dreamliner airplane. Once integrated, passengers will be able to play games, listen to music, watch video, and more from the comfort of their seat.

Mark Larson, the technical manager at Boeing's Dreamliner Gallery, told the Australian Businss Traveler that all current 787s will see touch displays built into seats, giving the airliner's passengers something to do on those long flights. Economy seats will see a 7-inch display, whereas first-class suites are expected to offer a larger, 17-inch experience.

photo: Scott Webster

Panasonic is reported to be manufacturing the displays, which will include wider viewing angles and less light reflection than today's tablets. Larson indicates that while the 7-inch screens will be touch interface, the business and first-class displays may prove to be gesture-based.

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Boeing is just the latest player in the airline industry turning to Android for in-flight assistance. Skycast Solutions recently introduced TrayVu, an Android-powered entertainment system, which is said to be both lightweight and easy to install, built into seat-back trays. American Airlines began offering 6,000 Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets as an entertainment device for first-class passengers on select 757 and 767 flights.

Adapted from Android to power inflight entertainment for Boeing Dreamliner, Scott Webster, Sept. 21, 2011 10:59 AM PDT

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Flash Video on iPad & iPhone!

Adobe announces media publishers can now stream Flash-based video to iPhones and iPads

September 10, 2011

ZDNet UK reports that Adobe has finally released Flash Media Server 4.5, supporting Apple iOS. Broadcasters can now stream Flash-based video content in HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), an Apple-derived format.

Photo credit: James Martin/CNET News

Apple's iPhone and other mobile devices are well known for not supporting Flash, so in April Adobe said it had come up with a workaround.

Flash Media Server usually packages video streams using MPEG4 fragments, in the F4F file format. However, the new version adds support for a different protocol, HLS, which Apple created for QuickTime and iOS.

Read the full version here.

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BlackBerry 7 Compatible Apps

There are plenty of quality downloads to run on RIM's new BlackBerry 7 OS

Aug. 26, 2011

RIM's latest batch of BlackBerry smartphones, the first to run the new BlackBerry 7 OS, is currently being released across the globe.
Note You must employ BlackBerry App World with a valid BlackBerry ID to download many of the apps spotlighted in this post.


Flixster for BlackBerry
Flixster for BlackBerry is the BlackBerry-toting movie buff's best friend. Find the closest nearby theatres using the app's GPS or cell-tower location, and mark your favorite theatres for easy access in the future. View show times, trailers and reviews from popular services like Rotten Tomatoes. Buy movie tickets using your BlackBerry. And peruse Flixster's collection of more than 50,000 DVDs for future viewing.



Google (GOOG) Maps for BlackBerry
Google Maps is the must-have mobile-mapping app for BlackBerry, and thankfully it runs well on RIM's new BlackBerry 7 OS. View your current whereabouts on a Google map, based on GPS or cell-tower-location; get walking/driving directions; share your current location with friends, via Google's "Latitude" service; and much more. All for free.




ScoreMobile for BlackBerry
ScoreMobile is a must-have application for sports fanatics with BlackBerry 7 smartphones. With near real-time scores for a variety of professional sports and leagues, including MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, EPL and PGA, ScoreMobile helps ensure that you never miss any of the action. The software also provides a variety of statistics on players and teams, news, standings, even betting odds for you gambling types. And the latest version integrates with BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), so you can interact with BBM contacts during sporting events.


Foursquare for BlackBerry
On foursquare, the latest social-networking-craze, users "check-in" to the various places they frequent, and attempt to secure badges and "Mayor" titles for favorite establishments. Since the service is employed mostly on the go, there's no better way to get in on the fun than with the new BlackBerry foursquare app, which is compatible with BlackBerry 7.




Poynt for BlackBerry
Poynt is the only mobile, local-search application for BlackBerry 7 you'll ever need. The app uses your current location, based on GPS or mobile-tower location, to find the closest nearby businesses, retailers, restaurants, gas prices, events and much more. Poynt offers a dedicated weather section, too. You can find local movie theatre listings and purchase tickets via BlackBerry. And the app integrates with your BlackBerry calendar and address book so you can quickly add contacts or events.

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Capture It for BlackBerry
Capture It for BlackBerry is a simple, screen-capture utility that lets you quickly snap images of your BlackBerry's display and then save them in your media folder. It's easy to use: Just assign the app to one of your BlackBerry convenience keys and press the corresponding button whenever you want an image of your smartphone screen. Or, if your convenience keys are already dedicated to other applications, just choose the Capture It option listed in your BlackBerry menu or click the Capture It icon. (Note: All screen shots for this post were captured using Capture It)


Wikitude for BlackBerry
Thanks to new digital compasses packed into all of RIM's BlackBerry 7 smartphones, users can now access cool augmented reality services like Wikitude, which lets you search for people, things, events, etc., around you, simply by launching the app. To employ the service, you just launch the Wikitude browser, hold it up and then scroll around you to see what shows up. You can locate nearby or relevant Twitter "tweets;" find existing BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) contacts; read Wikipedia articles; locate the closest ATMs and restaurants, and much more.

Google Voice for BlackBerry
Google Voice lets you use one single mobile phone number to send and receive calls and texts on a variety of compatible mobile devices. And the Google Voice for BlackBerry application helps organize and employ the services various components. The app also allows you to place cheap international phone calls using the Voice "dialer;" send and receive free SMS text messages from your Voice inbox; set up unique voice-mail greetings for specific callers; read transcripts of your voice mail; and much more. Best of all, the app integrates with your BlackBerry address book for easy access to all of your contact information.


Navita Translator for BlackBerry
If you've ever found yourself in need of a quick translation and you own a BlackBerry 7 smartphone, Navita Translator is for you. The app's basic interface makes it simple to translate words or phrases you type into the text field, and it will even "speak" translations to help with pronunciation. Navita integrates with the core BlackBerry messaging, SMS and browser apps, so you can translate text directly from these sources, as well. Its conversion isn't always perfect, but still, it's a valuable tool.

SocialScope for BlackBerry
SocialScope is by far one of my favorite BlackBerry applications, but I listed it last in this post for a reason: the app is not currently available to all BlackBerry users, you need an invite to set up a SocialScope account. Still, its one of the best social networking apps for BlackBerry, and it lets you monitor and update a variety of services, including Twitter, Facebook, foursquare and Flickr. You can request an invite on the SocialScope Website...and if you follow me on Twitter and ask nicely, I just may be able to send an invite your way—until I run out, that is.


Adapted from BlackBerry 7 Compatible Apps, By Al Sacco, techworld.com.au

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Building Apps for the iPhone 4’s Retina Display

Apple Uses Double Resolution for iPhone 4; Ahead-of-Time Resolution Independence

Aug. 22, 2011

Building apps for the iPhone 4’s Retina display involves creating two sets of images—one at 163ppi and another at 326ppi. After slugging our way through an app build or two, we feel confident that we have a decent workflow for attacking future Retina display app designs. Hopefully this information is of use to other designers.

When it comes to building UI elements that scale easily in Photoshop, bitmaps are your enemy, because they pixelate or become blurry when scaled. The solution is to create solid color, pattern or gradient layers with vector masks (just make sure you have snap to pixel turned on, where possible). While a little awkward at times, switching to all vectors does have significant advantages.

Before anyone mentions it, I’m not suggesting any of the methods are new—I bet most icon designers have been working this way for years. I’ve been using vector shapes for ages too, but the Retina display has changed me from using them when I could be bothered, to building entire designs with vector shapes exclusively.

I usually draw simple elements directly in Photoshop using the rectangle or rounded rectangle tool. Circles are drawn using the rounded rectangle tool with a large corner radius, because the ellipse tool can’t snap to pixel. Layer groups can have vector masks too, which is handy for complex compositing (option-drag a mask from another layer to create a group mask).

More complex objects get drawn in Illustrator to the exact pixel size, then pasted into Photoshop as a shape layer. Be careful when pasting into Photoshop as the result doesn’t always align as it should—it’s often half a pixel out on the x axis, y axis or both. The workaround is to zoom in and scroll around the document with the hand tool and paste again. Repeat until everything aligns. Yes, it’s maddening, but works after a few attempts. Another option is to zoom to 200%, select the path with the direct selection tool and nudge once, which will move everything exactly 0.5px.

Even more complex objects, that require multiple colours, get drawn in Illustrator to the exact pixel size, then pasted into Photoshop as a smart object. It is a last resort though—gradients aren’t dithered and editing later is more difficult.

If you need to use a bitmap for a texture, there are three options: Use a pattern layer, a pattern layer style or build a bitmap layer at the 2× size, then turn it into a smart object. I prefer to use pattern layer styles in most cases, but be warned, patterns get scaled using bicubic interpolation when you scale the entire document (so they become softer when scaled). The solution is to create two versions of each pattern and manually change pattern layer styles to the correct pattern after scaling. A little tedious, but totally doable, just don’t forget.

Scaling up
At this point, your document should be able to scale to exactly double the size without a hitch.

I have a Photoshop Action set up that takes a history snapshot then scales to 200%. That means previewing at the Retina display’s resolution is only a click away. If you’re feeling confident you’ve built everything well, you should be able to scale up, edit, then scale down and continue editing without degradation. If you run into trouble, a snapshot is there to take you back. Using one document for both resolutions means not having to keep two documents in sync. It’s a huge advantage.

A word of warning: Layer styles can only contain integer values. If you edit a drop shadow offset to be 1px with the document at the 2× size, then scaled it down, the value will end up as 1px, because it can’t be 0.5px (a non-integer value). If you do require specific changes to the 2× version of the Photoshop document, then you’ll have to save it as a separate file.

Exporting, exporting, exporting

Now for some bad news. Exporting all the images to build an app can be extremely tedious, and I don’t have much advice to assist you. As my documents act as full screen mockups, they’re not set up in a way that Photoshop’s slice feature is any use. Layer comps don’t help either—I already have folders for each app state or screen, so switching things off and on is easy.

The best export method seems to be: Enable the layers you’d like visible, make a marquee selection of the element, copy merged, new document, ok, paste. Not much fun when you have hundreds of images to export.

The problem is amplified when saving for Retina, where there are twice as many images, and the 1× images must match the 2× images precisely.

The best solution I’ve come up with so far is:

• Build your design at 1×.
• Use copy merged to save all the 1× images.
• Duplicate the entire folder containing the 1× images.
• Use Automator to add @2x to all the filenames.
• Open each @2x image and run the Scale by 200% Photoshop action. This gives you a file with the correct filename and size, but upscaled content.
• Scale your main Photoshop design document by 200%.
• Use copy merged to paste the higher quality elements into each @2x document, turn off the lower quality layer, then save for web, overwriting the file.

Exporting layers

In some cases Photoshop’s Export Layers To Files script can help. It’s especially helpful if you need to export lots of icons or images that are the same size and can be set up on individual layers in a separate document. The script can be found under the File menu.

Actions and Workflows

All the Actions and Workflows I use myself can be downloaded below. The Automator Workflows can be placed in your Finder Toolbar, for quick access from any Finder windows without taking up any space in your Dock.

Download zip: Bjango Actions and Workflows

 

Kudos to Apple for choosing exactly double the resolution for the iPhone 4, and for using ahead-of-time resolution independence. As complex as the process is now, things would have been far worse if they chose a fractional scale for the display.

Adapted from: Designing for Retina Display, bjango

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Mobile Platforms to Go the HTML-5 Way?

The key advantages of HTML5 app stores are cross-device portability and a buy-once-use- everywhere application model.

Aug. 17, 2011

HTML5 is to be a game-changer according to some who see it take over most mobile platforms. The question, however, is what its real impact to the mobile industry will be.

Background: Web vs. Apps

In today’s world of apps, the web seems to have taken a seat in the back row. However, many industry observers are predicting a comeback with HTML5 advancements, the proliferation of smartphones and ubiquitous backing by both telcos and Internet players. Is the web as we know it about to change?

First Things First: What is The Web?

Firstly, the web is a language for creating interactive, navigable content, which consists of three main parts: HTML, the language used to define the static text and images, CSS, the language defining styling and presentational elements and JavaScript, the language describing the interactions and animations.

Secondly, the web is a paradigm for open, unfettered access to content that is not under the control of any single entity. When single vendors like Apple and Google control apps distribution, the web seems to challenge the status quo.

Web pages differ from mobile apps in many ways today.

From Web 1.0 to the Mobile Web

The web has gone through two major phases. Web 1.0 was the era of the dumb terminals and static web pages. The first generation of the web assumed all intelligence was in the network; the device had to issue a simple request to fetch a page and then present it on the screen.

Web 2.0 is the era of smarter terminals and interactive pages. In this second generation, designed around the ‘read-write web,’ the user is not just a consumer but also an editor, curator and producer of content. Web 2.0 helped create today’s phenomena of Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter, blogs and nano-publishing.

Though it started as an outsider to the web, the mobile industry has been rapidly catching up since the early WAP days. Apple’s WebKit browser engine is now the common ‘circuitry’ behind more than 500 million devices shipped to date by all major smartphone vendors. Opera, the mobile browser vendor, counts over 100 million monthly active users on its Mobile and Mini browsers.

In the manufacturer camp, smartphones are likely to reach well into sub-$100 retail price points this year. Operators are deploying solutions for optimization of content delivery, facilitating efficient use of the network while browsing the web.

Mobile industry initiatives such as the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC) are pushing the envelope for web applications, aka widgets, while EU-funded initiatives like webinos aim to use the web as a medium for deploying applications across mobile, PC, TV and automotive screens.

HTML5 as a Technology Change

The hype surrounding HTML5 has peaked this year. HTML5 promises to push the capabilities of web applications to the point of making web apps as engaging as Flash applications and as integrated with the device as mobile applications. HTML5 introduces several technology improvements in these domains by adding off-line storage, 2D graphics capabilities, video/audio streaming, geo-location, access to the phone’s camera and sensors, as well as user interface tools.

HTML5 promises to push the capabilities of web applications to the point of making web apps as engaging as Flash applications and as integrated with the device as mobile applications.

This next generation of web languages in the form of HTML5 is being standardized by the W3C and the WHAT working group who are driving forward web apps as equal citizens to mobile applications.

Yet, HTML5 is still work in progress and even standards bodies show fragmented approaches to HTML5 completion. The W3C expects official completion of the HTML5 set of standards in 2014. In parallel, WHAT has taken a different approach to completion and is now working on ‘HTML’ as a continually evolving set of specifications.

Despite the adoption of the WebKit engine as a de-facto standard, HTML5 implementation on mobile devices is both fragmented and incomplete.

Independent studies have shown that every mobile WebKit implementation is slightly different. In addition, the leading smartphone platforms show inadequate HTML5 support – some devices show partial HTML5 support (at best 2 out of 3 HTML5 features supported), while some others are lagging further behind.

Much like history has shown with the PC browser wars of the 1990s and the Java ME fragmentation of the 2000s, mobile browser fragmentation in 2010s will be driven by the need to differentiate (‘embrace and extend’) and the varying speeds among vendors in implementing the latest WebKit engine.

What about HTML5 app stores? Already a number of start-ups such as have proposed app stores focused on web apps. The key advantages of HTML5 app stores are cross-device portability and a buy-once-use- everywhere application model.

Unfortunately, supply does not always imply demand. HTML5 app stores cannot deliver a business model change if there is no demand. Firstly, users care about availability of popular content (Angry Birds, Skype, Facebook) most of which are not available as web apps, often due to HTML technology limitations. Secondly, users care about choosing among hundreds of thousands of apps, which is currently a 2-horse race (Apple and Google), with the web lagging far behind in terms of the number of apps. Thirdly, users are becoming loyal to their smartphone platform (Android, iOS, BlackBerry), where the native app store dominates.

How to Compete in a Software World

HTML5 introduces several technology innovations. However, HTML5 remains a technology change that is not designed to solve discovery, distribution or monetization problems – in other words, it is not designed to change the business model.

Operators can act as the matchmakers between developers and end-users by helping developers take the right apps to the right users through featured placements, social graph-based recommendations and segment targeting. Similarly, handset makers can act as on-device retailers, connecting the developers to the right audience in the right region, through white space across the handset real estate.

What will be changing the business model of the web are the innovations introduced in the apps economy – where content is created with semantic tagging (description, category, user ratings), discovered via web stores (much like app stores), distributed within walled gardens (Facebook), and monetized through micro-payments (much like apps). We call this web 3.0. 

The question is how the mobile industry can leverage on the web and the native platforms that dominate the apps world. The trick here is not to compete, but to leverage on the network effects of the platforms where handset makers/ network operators can position themselves as a new generation of over-the-top players.

For example, operators can act as the matchmakers between developers and end-users by helping developers take the right apps to the right users through featured placements, social graph-based recommendations and segment targeting. Similarly, handset makers can act as on-device retailers, connecting the developers to the right audience in the right region, through white space across the handset real estate.

This is also where we believe WAC has the best chances of success by helping operators reposition as over-the-top players on top of the app stores. That is, by helping developers reach out to users with ubiquitous billing, quality assurance, content curation, local content deals, privacy and security assurance. It can also help extend app stores away from the virtual and into the physical retail space.

At the same time, network operators and handset makers can help drive the web into a viable alternative for native platforms in many ways. They can push the development of WebKit towards better bandwidth management and closer integration with hardware multimedia acceleration. Moreover, the mobile industry can sponsor the development of better cross-platform tools that allow HTML and JavaScript developers to target multiple native platforms and mass-market browsers.

No matter how telcos decide to compete in the software world, they need to adopt agile development methods and move at software speeds to catch-up with the platform players in controlling the last mile to the consumer.

The future of connected web and devices is going to surprise us – much like how applications turned telcos’ economics upside down. As Bill Gates once famously said, “we always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten”.

The web is going to be a game changer, but not the way we expect.

Adapted from HTML5 and What it Means for the Mobile Industry, Andreas Constantinou, 06 Jun, 2011

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