Apple launches fan-driven 'Remembering Steve' tribute

By: Aseem Gaurav on October 19, 2011

Technology giant Apple has posted a special page on its site titled ‘Remembering Steve’ which displays written messages as a form of tributes left by Apple fans from all over the world.

Steve Jobs, the mastermind behind an empire that has revolutionised personal computing, telephony and music, died in is home California on October 5, 2011 after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer. Shortly after his demise, the company invited customers to share their condolences and remembrances by emailing at rememberingsteve@apple.com. Apple said it has already received more than 1 million messages from those recalling Steve. The company is also holding a company-wide memorial for Apple’s co-founder on October 19.

The black and white page refreshes automatically and brings continuous stream of messages from the users.

One such message reads:

“The heart of Apple (us users) will forever be heavy as the true patriarch is gone. Rest in Peace Steve Jobs. --You will always be the "Apple" of our eyes as we watch what evolves now from the great company you created!” sent by Stacy from Tustin, California.

Another reads:

“My prayers go out to Steve's family, friends and co-workers. Today the world has lost one of the most amazing human beings, but Heaven has gained a wonderful angel. Steve first touched my life in 1983 when the first computer I ever learned to use was the original Mac. No hard drive, one floppy disk drive, small black and white screen and this crazy thing called a mouse. One "click" and I was hooked. Many Macs, iPods, iPhones and iPad later, I'm still impressed and always a fan. My deepest condolences,” sent by Joanne from Geneva, Illinois.

Visit the site here.

iPhone 4S selling like hotcakes; 4 million in just 3 days‎

By: Aseem Gaurav on October 17, 2011

The iPhone 4S, Apple's latest gadget, which officially went on sale in the US and in six other countries on October 14, is selling like hotcakes in the US and elsewhere. Apple says it has sold over 4 million iPhone 4S devices in the first three days, setting a record as customers lined up at stores from San Francisco to Sydney to be first with the new touch- screen handset.

Apple fans say they don’t want to miss this opportunity to own one of the last gadgets developed at the company under its iconic co-founder Steve Jobs.

The device, powered by Apple's dual-core A5 chip, promises to deliver up to twice the processing power and up to seven times faster graphics than its predecessor. The phone also sports a new 8 megapixel camera with advanced optics for high-quality photos, voice-command services, and Apple's latest operating system, the iOS 5, which comes with 200 new features.

Other important reason why the device is doing so well in terms of sales is now it is available on Sprint. Last year at the time of iPhone 4 launch, the device was available only to AT&T customers. The handset then came to Verizon Wireless earlier this year and last week on Sprint.

According to Apple, over 25 million users have downloaded the iOS5 and 20 million have joined iCloud. The latest operating system is now available for the iPhone 3GS and 4 and comes pre-loaded on the iPhone 4S.

The success of the iPhone 4S in its first weekend of availability seems to strengthen the lead of Apple in the smartphone market over its peers and eliminates all doubt over consumer reactions to the device.

Reports and analysis also seems to suggest that a lot of users are ditching their old phones for Apple's latest device.

It will be available at $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model, and $399 for the new 64GB model.

October 16 is Steve Jobs Day

By: Aseem Gaurav on October 16, 2011

Today is “Steve Jobs Day” in the Southern US state of California. The announcement comes a week after the 56-year-old Apple founder's death.

In the statement released on Saturday, California governor Jerry Brown described Apple founder as a "unique California visionary" whose achievements "changed the world communicates."

Apple has invited Silicon Valley luminaries to a private memorial service at Stanford University’s campus for its founder. Similarly, another service for Apple staff will held on October 19 at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California.

Apart from these events, the Discovery Channel will air a documentary called “iGenius: How Steve Jobs Changed the World” hosted by “Mythbusters” stars Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman. The show will feature: theoretical physicist Michio Kaku, musician Stevie Wonder and NBC Correspondent Tom Brokaw.

Even the fans of Apple founder have created a "Steve Jobs Day" Web site with followers dressing up like him, wearing turtle necks, and mimicking its hand-on-chin pose. Visit the site here.

"In his life and work, Steve Jobs embodied the California dream. His innovations transformed an industry, and the products he conceived. His vision helped put technologies in the hands of ordinary consumers. It is fitting that we mark this day to honor his life and achievements as a uniquely Californian visionary. He epitomized the spirit of a state that an eager world watches to see what will come next," the Californian governor said in a statement.

Jobs died at his home on October 5 at age 56 in California following a long battle with pancreatic cancer. After his death, Apple issued a statement saying: "We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.”

To a certain extent, the outpouring of grief over Steve Jobs death, resulted in sky-high sales of iPhone 4S which debuted recently. Apple sold a whopping one million units of iPhone 4S in its first 24 hours, thus, beating the previous record held by iPhone 4 for selling 600,000 units on the first day. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak also paid tribute to his collaborator by camping out overnight. The iPhone 4S comes with Siri, a voice-based ‘digital assistant’, a dual core A5 chip and a 8 MP camera that also shoots 1080p HD video.

As skeptics wonder the reasons behind sky-high sales, Apple fans know that they want to praise this great piece of Steve.

Review: iPhone 4S personal assistant Siri

 By: Aseem Gaurav on October 13, 2011

The new iPhone 4S has brought sheer excitement among consumers. Apple has said that pre-orders of its iPhone 4S have topped one million in a single day, surpassing the iPhone 4’s single day pre-order record of 600,000.

The $199 iPhone 4S, goes on sale on October 14 with a new operating system, faster A5 processor, 8MP camera and several other incrementally upgraded features.

Out of many blockbuster features that people would have obviously expected from the late Steve Jobs's company, one really prominent addition is an artificial-intelligence system called “Siri” that has to be tried to be believed. The PA answers questions and offers information using natural language. It understands words of context and colloquial phrasing.

Siri is an amazing category-redefining speech recognition tool and saves time and profoundly changes the definition of phone. To use Siri, users will have to hold down the home button for a few seconds and the application will launch. You can use this took to make calls, send text messages or e-mail, schedule meetings and reminders, make notes, find something on Internet, find local restaurants and get directions, and lots more.

iPhone 4S users also get answers, and even perform complex calculations using Siri. Here are some of the sample conversations with Siri.

Me: “What’s the weather look like today?”

Siri: “Getting your current location. Here’s the forecast for today.”

Me: “Where can I have dinner?”

Siri: “I found 14 restaurants close to you.”

Besides this, one can dictate emails and text messages, over Bluetooth, and that too without looking at the screen.

Moreover, Siri can read incoming messages which you can reply via voice. Like if you ask "Will the weather get worse today?" and it answered, "I don't think the weather is going to get worse" and displayed a weather chart. You can also use the PA to check addresses and stock prices.

But the system has limitations as it can’t read the contents of email and accuracy may not be like you always want. Overall, Siri works well even in beta and you need to be specific in your commands to use the device for best results.

Twitter gets 'tweet' trademark, settles lawsuit

By: Aseem Gaurav on October 11, 2011

Popular micro-blogging website Twitter can finally own the “tweet” or “Tweet” trademark. They’ll be able to use the term legally as their own mark post the settlement with Twitter advertising company Twittad.

Talking about the settlement, James Eliason, CEO of Twittad, said that his company would transfer the registered trademark of “Tweet” to social media site in exchange for them dropping the lawsuit they filed against his company in September.

Few years back, Twittad obtained the registration of the word after making the most of its slogan “Let Your Ad Meet Tweets” for its company. But then Twitter filed a lawsuit against the company in a bid to force the company to cancel its trademark. The company even blocked Twittad’s Twitter account due to the dispute.

Twitter had applied for the same trademark in 2009, but USPTO rejected their application twice because of existing trademark and the ensuing disputes.

Since the issue has now been resolved, Twitter will once again restore Twittad’s account. It is still not clear how much money Twitter paid to the advertising firm, but some estimates suggest it to be hefty.

Steve Jobs dies at 56; Apple fans pay tributes to master innovator

By: Aseem Gaurav on October 6, 2011

Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder and former CEO, has died at the age of 56 after a long battle with cancer.

Apple announced his death in a statement saying: "Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being.

"Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple."

"Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."

Jobs's family also released a statement saying: "In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve's illness.”

Microsoft Corp co-founder and chairman Bill Gates used the Apple co-founder's own words in his tribute. Gates said: "For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor.''

US President Barack Obama remembered him as a visionary and great American innovator.

www.iPadfanzz.blogspot.com mourns the horrible and shocking loss of the King of iPad and iPhone.

The sheer genius of Steve Jobs made possible that every dorm room and bedroom now has an iPad and iPhone – the gadgets we adore all. His impact on computer hardware and software industry is immeasurable and his departure leaves a vacuum that is not easy to fill. He has built a legacy that which in my imagination could only a few ever rival. His death has prompted a global gasp with countless people remembering how much valuable he was and how much he has transformed the worlds of computing, mobile and music.

Charismatic, visionary, perfectionist are some of the words that people have used to describe Jobs.

A college drop-out and the son of adoptive parents, Jobs founded Apple in his family’s garage in 1976 with his friend Steve Wozniak and the second time after a return credited with saving the company, which now vies with Exxon Mobil as the most valuable publicly traded corporation in the United States.

Wozniak said it was Job’s eye for detail and nothing less than perfectionism were instrumental in delivering products that “were at the intersection of art and technology."

Job’s relationship with the company that he co-founded was not silky as a slump in May 1985 ensue that he was fired from Apple by the company’s chief executive officer (CEO) John Sculley and the board. Imagine being fired from the company that you founded and by the very people that you recruited. Jobs said that “I still loved what I did...And so I decided to start over” and called this a story about "love and loss."

In 1997, Jobs again returned to Apple, which was then losing money. It was his sheer vision and leadership that transformed a directionless company into producing key products in 1998 with iMac. From there on, it was going to be Apple all over. The iMac's launch was accompanied by an advertising campaign called 'Think Different.' Three years later the iPod was launched, the iPhone arrived in 2007 and, then last year, came the iPad – dubbed the "Jesus phone" for its quasi-religious following.

Steven Spielberg, one of the founders of Pixar rival DreamWorks Animation, has called Jobs the greatest inventor since Thomas Edison.

Outside Jobs' house in Palo Alto, neighbors and friends drew messages with markers on the sidewalk. "Thanks for changing the world," read one.

Our world will be less interesting, less exciting, and less meaningful without him.

Goodbye, Mr. Jobs. We will miss you so very much.

Review: Camera Boost 2 for iPad 2

By: Aseem Gaurav on October 1, 2011

Interealtime has launched a major update to their Camera Boost app. The app, already in the market for quite a while, now uses a new video processing engine that is fast and don’t crumble with multiple effects enabled.

One of the best features of the app is that it allows users to apply effects and adjust pictures while actually taking them. Thus you can view the final picture in the best form before you take it.

But what’s new in the update. Well, now it offers real-time image altering for videos. The app records video in 960 x 720p with effects like HDR and noise reduction. With just a tap you can apply multiple effects and adjust any image control during recording. It is now possible to alter color balance and lighting contrast during recording, apart from other advanced effects.

Besides you’re free to choose various effects on and off and fine tune image controls at will. A list of presets with popular styles comes along with the app, but you can create your own presets.

One feature that stands out in the app is image enhancement which makes possible for you to reduce noise level while preserving picture quality. You can also correct white balance and exposure, in addition to supporting tap-to-expose.

The redesigned app now offers improved user interface, which is now more linear and accessible. Overall, the additions are powerful and make it worthy than before.