Apple [AAPL] has released the final version of iOS 5.0.1 which promises to fix battery life. It is available for all iOS 5 compatible devices and ranges between 44Mb and 790Mb depending on if you install the smaller OTA delta update or get the full iOS via iTunes. The file size also varies between the iPad and iPhone by a few Mb.
Archives for November 2011
Dragon Express Brings Nuance Speech Recognition to the Mac App Store
November 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Nuance has just released a new Dragon Dictation product for the Mac. It arrived in the Mac App Store under the name of Dragon Express and has been launched with an introduction price tag of $49.
Google Translate iPhone App Now Supports 63 Languages
November 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A new update for the iPhone Google Translate app is ready for download. It brings several new languages to the app which makes the total up to 63 languages supported.
The new languages added include Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.
Nokia Lumia 800 Design History Revealed
November 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Nokia has created a video that goes over the thought process behind the design of the Nokia Lumia 800. The new smartphone runs the Windows Phone Mango operating system and is a huge change in direction for the company who has worked for years with the Symbian OS.
iPhone 4S Proximity Sensor Works Almost Full Time
November 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The proximity sensor in the iPhone 4S is active all the time the screen is active. The reason for this is the “Raise to speak” setting on Siri that can detect when you lift your 4S to your head so it can activate Siri.
$79 Amazon Kindle Costs $84 to Make
November 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
iSuppli has been calculating the cost to built an Amazon Kindle. To do this the company takes apart the device and looks at the individual parts and then calculates costs associated to each part. The sale price of the Amazon Kindle is $79 although the price to build it is calculated at $84.25 which means Amazon lose about $5.25 on each sale of the device… or do they?
The Voice of UK Siri Revealed as Jon Briggs
November 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The voice of Siri in the UK is male, unlike the US version which is a female. It has now been revealed that the voice of the UK Siri is Jon Briggs. The strange thing about all this is that he didn’t actually know that Apple was going to use his voice for Siri although nothing shady was happening. The story as we have been told says that the voiceover artist originally recorded 5,000 sentences for Scansoft. This company shortly after merged with Nuance Communications whos engine was then used by Apple to create Siri. Apple tried to keep Jon quiet although he hasn’t signed a contract with them. He first found out about being used in Siri when he saw an advert for Siri.
iOS 5.0.1 Battery Fix Update Appears to Solve the Problem
November 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
It appears that the beta testing of iOS 5.0.1 is going extremely well with regards to the battery issues in iOS 5. One user reports the results of the update by saying “Frankly the difference is nothing short of amazing”. This particular version of the beta software being tested was running on a Verizon iPhone 4 which the user said after updating to iOS 5 had some severe battery problems. These are now gone.
Nokia To Hand out Lumia Windows Phone Devices to Select Devs
November 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Nokia has confirmed that it will hand out a free Windows Phone to certain developers. Those who qualify are the ones who are either Nokia Launchpad members, Nokia Developer Champions or who received a Nokia E7 back in February.
“If you received a Nokia E7 back in February when we announced our new smartphone strategy, you’ll automatically receive a Windows Phone device. If you are currently a Nokia Developer Champion or a Nokia Launchpad member, you are already eligible, and you will soon receive an e-mail to explain how to get your new Nokia Windows Phone.”
Amazon Buys Yap to Take on Siri
November 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The Amazon Kindle Fire might be getting voice services in a similar way to how the iPhone 4S has Siri. Amazon has quietly purchased a speech recognition company called Yap from what reports are hinting at today.
Amazon or Yap hasn’t commented on the deal and from what we see, it has been done quietly through a company called Dion Acquisition Sub which is listed as being at an Amazon owned building.
iOS 5 Panorama Camera Mode Can Be Activated Without Jailbreaking
November 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A couple of days ago a feature was found in iOS 5 that revealed the camera app has a deactivated panorama mode built in. Apple has chosen to simply switch it off so that the option is not available. We don’t know the reason for this other than it probably isn’t a finished feature yet which will be activated at a later date when Apple have tidied it up a little.
Amazon is Ordering More Kindle Fires
November 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A report today indicates that Amazon has increased orders for the Amazon Kindle Fire. The company is believed to have made an order for an additional five million units to be delivered by the end of this year.
