Category: Apple

Chaos Computer Club Breaks Apple’s TouchID

The biometrics hacking team of the Chaos Computer Club has successfully bypassed the biometric security of Apple’s TouchID by using everyday means. A fingerprint of the phone user, photographed from a glass surface, was enough to create a fake finger that could unlock an iPhone 5s secured with TouchID.

Apple launched its new iPhone 5s with a fingerprint sensor, which was supposedly much more secure than previous fingerprint technologies.

In reality, Apple’s sensor has just a higher resolution compared to the sensors so far. So we only needed to ramp up the resolution of our fake”, said the hacker with the nickname Starbug, who performed the critical experiments that led to the successful circumvention of the fingerprint locking. “As we have said now for more than years, 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.”

The process, requires a 2400 DPI photograph of someone’s fingerprint from a glass surface, which is then laser printed at 1200 DPI and used to create a thin latex sheet that serves as the fake print. You can watch the video below:

[youtube id=”HM8b8d8kSNQ” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

However, most iPhone 5s users may want to consider fingerprint access as an option for convenience rather than security.

September 23, 2013
AirPlay Mirroring From an Android Phone Demonstrated

Koushik Dutta VP of Engineering at CyanogenMod just posted a video showing off AirPlay Mirroring from an Android phone(HTC One). There are other apps in the Play Store that connect Android devices over AirPlay, but the mirroring support integrated into the Operating System is something new.

He is been working on Android streaming support to various protocols/devices for the “AllCast” media streaming app since Google’s changes cut it off from the Chromecast, and Apple’s screen sharing feature is the latest target for him. AllCast support is already in place for pushing media to Roku and DLNA-compatible hardware, and he further says this mirroring feature is “coming soon to a CyanogenMod near you.”

You can watch the demonstration below:

[youtube id=”oYNEJSJbHWc” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

[via,via]

September 21, 2013
Now Get Handwriting Support in Google Translate for iOS devices

Google Translate app for iOS has got a slow but useful update today, which added a new look and gave handwriting support. This feature was already available on the Android app two years ago, and also to its web app earlier this year, but after this update your iOS device will also be able to recognize what you have written on the screen.

The user interface and icons have been changed and now fit in with the newly available iOS 7’s landscape and now the app supports more than 70 languages, which includes seven new languages.(including Marathi)

Google says handwriting is now supported in 49 languages, which should be a boon for the world’s travelers, and at the low price of free is worth throwing on your phone on the off chance you’ll need it. It’s available to download now on iPhones and iPads running iOS 5.1 or later, or if you’re running iOS 7, you can just lie back and let the background update do its thing.

September 20, 2013
Apple iPhone 5S Goes on Sale- shipping delayed to October

Apple’s 2013 iPhone the iPhone 5S has gone on sale in various markets including the US, if the online version is not available a Apple Store App will be the best way to buy as did we. The iPhone 5s is available in 3 colors and 3 size variants. The Unlocked option is the best one to go for if you are not from the US. Prices range from US $ 649 for 16GB and US $ 849 for 64 GB plus taxes for the unlocked variant.

Although Shipping for the phones has been moved to october its still possibly the best and fastest way to get one. If you already own an iPhone 4s or 5 iOS 7 went live yesterday and all supported devices can now download the OS, to get a better taste of whats to come.

September 20, 2013
Apple iOS 7 : The Good And The Bad

While developers around the world have been running iOS 7 on their iDevices for quite some time now, commoners began receiving the much hyped and much awaited update last night.

We take a look at the good and the bad things that Apple has introduced in the new OS.

The Good

1. Multi-Tasking

In iOS 7, Apple has completely retooled the way multitasking (or switching between apps if we want to be a tad more precise) works. While beckoning the app switcher in iOS 7 remains the same — a quick double tap on the home button — the entire implementation has been completely retooled.

Apps can now take advantage of full background multitasking but as always, you don’t have to close apps for battery saving reasons. Apple does a great job of freezing them in place so they don’t suck up your battery life.

2. Control Center And Notification Center

The first thing each iDevice owner did after jailbreaking his/her device was to add shortcut toggles for simple utilities like turning WiFi on and off, Airplane mode, BlueTooth etc. Finally, Apple decided to incorporate this feature into the OS itself, with iOS featuring a brand new Control Center.

By flicking upwards from the bottom of the screen, you can enable or disable Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Do Not Disturb; adjust the volume and brightness; pause or play music; enable AirDrop and AirPlay; and quickly access your camera’s LED light (for use as a flashlight), timer, calculator, and camera.

The Notifications panel also undergoes a makeover with it being divided into 3 categories.

3. AirDrop

In iOS 7, not only can you quickly send photos, videos, and contacts using AirDrop, but just about anything from any app that has the share button (with the exception of music). The only problem is that it only works on iPhone 5 or later because of the chip architecture in the iPhone 4S.

4. Email Management

Swiping right on an email in iOS 7 lets you delete the message, as always. But now it also reveals a “More” icon that you can tap to see more options, including the ability to move the email into a folder, mark it as unread or mark it as “junk.” With so many third-party apps vying to be your go-to iOS mail app, Apple seriously needed to beef up Mail—and it did, with this and other enhancements.

The Bad

1. Icons

When Apple gave the world its first glimpse of iOS 7 in June, professional designers and ordinary iPhone users alike were struck by the radical visual changes that the company had made to its signature mobile operating system. While Apple touted the brighter, flatter, and simpler design as the “biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone,” members of the design community denounced the new interface as “ugly,” “childish,” and “inconsistent.”

At the center of the criticism were iOS 7’s new home screen application icons, whose lush, metaphorical designs were replaced by colorful, geometric abstractions. Safe to say they aren’t pleasing everyone.

2. Rough Installation

After downloading iOS 7, it took us six tries to actually install it. Granted, we attempted to install the OS the day of its release, late in the night—which was probably peak time for Apple’s servers. But we still think Apple should have been able to predict the demand and been better prepared.

3. Siri

Siri continues to get better, it’s still nowhere near being a feature that won’t frustrate you more than help you.

Many times, it won’t be able to connect or won’t have an answer, and anytime it can’t help you quickly, it ends up taking up much more of your time as you dig through the phone to find an app you realize you should have opened in the first place.

4. Awkward Contrasts

When Apple showed off iOS 7 in June, it was pretty proud of how the new icons seemed to float above the background wallpaper to create an almost 3-D effect. In real life, the interaction between iOS 7 and the screen background is challenging at best. Because groups of apps stored together no longer are set off with a black background and white border, they adapt to the wallpaper colors behind them.

The results are mixed. Sometimes, you get offsetting contrast, sometimes you don’t. Worse still, the white text is often not so easy to read against the background, because the new font is thinner. You may find yourself experimenting with wallpapers to get it right.

What do you think? Which features impressed you the most and which made you flinch? Let us know in the comments section below!

September 20, 2013
Apple’s iCloud now Lets Windows users Sync Bookmarks With Chrome and Firefox

Apple’s iCloud previosuly allowed Windows users to sync mobile Safari bookmarks with Internet Explorer, but now Apple is opening this functionality up to more web browsers

The additional functionality comes by an update to Apple’s iCloud Control Panel for Windows, a small app designed to keep contacts, calendars and bookmarks up-to-date between iOS devices, Mac and PC.

As reported by Apple Insider, the extra options mean the majority of Windows users will be able to take their bookmarks with them without resorting to using a third-party browser like Chrome for iOS. It also means that PC users can enjoy far greater freedom of browsers than those with Macs can.

Apple notes that the appropriate iCloud Bookmarks extensions for Chrome and Firefox must be installed for the system to work. Apple has yet to add iCloud bookmark syncing support for the Mac versions of Chrome and Firefox.

iCloud Control Panel 3.0 for Windows can be downloaded for free from Apple’s Support Downloads webpage.

September 19, 2013
Google Announces Calico, a New Company Focused on Health and Well-being

Google today announced Calico, a new company that will focus on health and well-being, in particular the challenge of aging and associated diseases. Arthur D. Levinson, Chairman and former CEO of Genentech and Chairman of Apple, will be Chief Executive Officer and a founding investor.

Announcing this new investment, Larry Page, Google CEO said:

Illness and aging affect all our families. With some longer term, moonshot thinking around healthcare and biotechnology, I believe we can improve millions of lives. It’s impossible to imagine anyone better than Art—one of the leading scientists, entrepreneurs and CEOs of our generation—to take this new venture forward.”

Arthur Levinson will remain Chairman of Genentech and a director of Hoffmann-La Roche, as well as Chairman of Apple. “ I’ve devoted much of my life to science and technology, with the goal of improving human health. Larry’s focus on outsized improvements has inspired me, and I’m tremendously excited about what’s next.”

Tim Cook, Chief Executive Officer of Apple, said:

For too many of our friends and family, life has been cut short or the quality of their life is too often lacking. Art(Arthur) is one of the crazy ones who thinks it doesn’t have to be this way. There is no one better suited to lead this mission and I am excited to see the results.”

Larry Page further mentioned on his Google+ post, This is a lot different from what Google does today. But as we explained in our first letter to shareholders, there’s tremendous potential for technology more generally to improve people’s lives. So don’t be surprised if we invest in projects that seem strange or speculative compared with our existing Internet businesses. And please remember that new investments like this are very small by comparison to our core business.

Calcio is California Life Company!

September 19, 2013
iOS 7 Download is Live, Get Links here !
Apple iOS 7 download is now live for a vast variety of iDevices including iPad’s, iPhone’s and iPod’s . As always, the new iOS is available as an over-the-air update (go to the Settings menu on your iPhone (4, 4S, 5), iPad (iPad 2 and newer), and iPod touch (fifth-generation only) and navigate to General > Software Update) or a direct download from iTunes.

Also since the whole world is probably busy updating their devices, the links below may help those who are unable to download directly from Apple.
[youtube id=”S5-KmW1QhcE” width=”100%” height=”300px”]
September 19, 2013
Apple Releases iTunes 11.1 With iTunes Radio, Genius Shuffle And iOS 7 support
Apple’s continuous endeavor to improve its products and software has led to the next release of their music playing software, iTunes.

Features in the new software, according to Apple, include:
- Tunes Radio. Choose from over 250 stations or start a new one from your favorite artist or song. Enjoy iTunes Radio ad-free once you subscribe to iTunes Match.
- Genius Shuffle. Introducing a magical new way to experience your music library. Choose Genius Shuffle and iTunes instantly plays songs that go great together. Click it again to hear something new—enjoying your music has never been this easy.
- Podcast Stations. You can now create custom stations of your favorite podcasts that update automatically with new episodes. Your stations, subscriptions, and current play position sync over iCloud to the Podcasts app.
- Sync with iOS 7. You can now use iTunes to sync your favorite music, movies, and more to devices with iOS 7. In addition, iTunes now makes it even easier to quickly organize and sync apps to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Also remember that iTunes Radio is for U.S. iTunes account holders only for now, with no word on when international users will gain access just yet.

You can grab the new update from Apple’s website or by checking for updates in iTunes.
September 18, 2013
Apple Offering “Last Compatible Version” Of iOS Apps

A new feature has been spotted that has been rolled out by Apple that provides a little love for the older germination hardware and iOS applications now that Apple iOS 7 will be launching tomorrow, together with the new Apple iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C smartphones launching on Friday September 20th.

The new Apple iOS feature offers the “Last Compatible Version” to older Apple hardware running older versions of Apples iOS mobile operating system.

Image Via Reddit

The feature appears when a person attempts to download an app with a new version that’s not compatible with the flavor of iOS that they’re running. A pop-up will appear to explain that the requested app requires a newer version of iOS, but that the user can download the last compatible version that was made available.

This new feature should make it pretty simple for folks trucking along with old iOS hardware to continue to use their favorite apps, even if they require a newer version of Apple’s software than the device is capable of running. It’s certainly a nice little surprise for those users, especially on the eve of iOS 7’s arrival.

It’s a smart move, as older iPhones are resold around the world and often stay in use years after Apple stopped selling the device. This allows those owners to have access to apps that run efficiently on those devices, which helps with the overall user experience and Apple’s ecosystem.

If you’re rocking an older piece of iOS hardware, such as aniPhone 3G or first-generation iPod touch, you can try it out yourself by hitting up the App Store.

September 17, 2013
Burberry Uses iPhone 5s to Capture Spring/Summer 2014 Runway Show

Apple and Burberry today announced that iPhone 5s is being used to capture and share beautiful photos and videos before, during and after the Burberry runway show in London on Monday, September 16. It will use the the all-new iSight camera on iPhone 5s, Burberry is shooting high quality photos and video for runway and beauty looks, product details, and backstage moments.

“iPhone 5s makes it even easier to take great photos with the world’s most popular camera,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPhone & iOS Product Marketing. “We’re thrilled to see the amazing photos and HD video Burberry has captured with the incredible all-new iSight camera.”

“This collaboration celebrates our relationship and shared foundation in design and craftsmanship. We have a mutual passion for creating beautiful products and unlocking emotive experiences through technology, which has made it intensely exciting to explore the capabilities of iPhone 5s,” said Christopher Bailey, Burberry Chief Creative Officer. “We’re inspired by what this could mean for the future as we continue to explore the merging of physical and digital experiences.”

Through photos and video shot exclusively on iPhone 5s, consumers globally can share in the anticipation of the show build up, as well as the excitement of the day itself, across Burberry social media channels and on www.burberry.com starting today. In addition, customers can watch the show live on Monday, September 16, at 2:30 p.m. GMT+1 at www.burberry.com.

This can be a good advert for Apple if the videos taken come up crisp and clear.

September 13, 2013
Samsung wants 64 bit processors in its Smartphones too

Post Apple’s September 10th announcement of the two new iPhones, with the iPhone 5s running a 64 bit chipset, Samsung head JK Shin has said that the next Samsung smartphone will run a 64 bit processor too, reports Korea Times.

JK Shin added that Samsung is aware of the Apple’s plans in China and will be affected by them. The upcoming 64 bit smartphones will come “not in the shortest time,” but that “our next smartphones will have 64-bit processing capability.”

ARM has been promoting their 64 bit architecture for some time and this would be any easy in-house production for Samsung for their next Exynos 6 and Galaxy S5 combination expected to be announced at CES January 2014.

Is this a knee-jerk move by Samsung, or is it a planned announcement? Only the folks at Samsung know.

September 12, 2013
Apple to launch the iPhone 5S and 5C in India by Oct 20th

Apple yesterday announced the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, two new iPhones that are set to replace and enhance the experience you get from the current generation iPhone 5.

In the US and several other countries the Apple iPhone 5S and 5C will go on sale starting September 20th 2013, however no concrete information was available on their launch dates in India.

Apple sources close to iGyaan have let us know that Apple India is planning to bring the new iPhone 5C and the 5S to India as early as Oct 20th. The iPhone 5C which will be a replacement of the iPhone 5 will actually cost as much as the iPhone 5 does today, Rs. 44500 for 16GB. This is thanks to the inflated costs of Dollar vs Indian Rupee. The iPhone 5s however will launch for upwards of Rs. 50,000 for the 16GB variant making the 64 GB iPhone 5s the most expensive smartphone till date in India, since it will cross the Rs. 65,000 barrier.

Apple saw a 400% growth in the past year in India, and it thanks quick availability and easy payment schemes for it. Last year Apple was able to sell out its initial stock of 20,000 iPhone 5 units in one day, this year the company plans to bring in over 100,000 units at the time of launch, this number will include a variation of iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S in all colors.

India as a market has shown some real potential, and Apple wishes to remain at the forefront of technology. We have been planning the launch for over a month prior to the announcement yesterday, and it should happen in Oct, if the Cupertino office is in line with our Ideas.

Many claim that Apple may not have the same impact in the market with the iPhone 5C or iPhone 5S as they did with the iPhone 5, because of the lack of innovation in these new products.

Apple is hoping that the new Touch ID security features will enable a lot of business folks, who prefer Samsung phones/ Blackberry devices, to easily pick the iPhone 5S thanks to the rock solid security.

September 11, 2013
Here is a Roundup of Apple’s 10th September iPhone 5C and 5S Event

Despite many expectations, every bit of information from the past leaks came true as Apple took stage on Tuesday 10th September to launch two new iPhones the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C. One handset which is replaces the existing iPhone 5 and one which supersedes it.

The iPhone 5c which was expected to be a cheap iPhone, never really made it to that mark, basically its a complete change of play by Apple. It definitely looks cheap, thats thanks to the extended use of shiny/glossy plastic polycarbonate composite. But it also is a phone intended to replace the iPhone 5, a phone which was made out of premium aluminum and glass has been replaced by a phone made of plastic with the exact same specs and the exact same price. Sure it was intended to be cheap, a cheap move by Apple.

iPhone 5c

One thing it does do however, is play with the colors, opening the market to a frenzy of color options which have been limited to the two from the origin of the iPhone. The iPhone 5c retains the retina display and A6 chipset, along with the same 8 MP camera and lightning connector. It does add an upgraded FaceTime HD front camera for High definition FaceTime and VOIP calls.

The iPhone 5s however, is a whole new story. The existing shell of the iPhone 5 has been upgraded with a few new exciting enhancements in hardware, Apple calls the iPhone 5 “the most forward thinking phone ever”.

The iPhone 5s adds a new A7 architecture which adds new capabilities to the device. In retrospect, the iPhone 5 is half as fast and has half as powerful graphics in comparison to the new iPhone 5s. You also get a new camera system, that increases the size of pixels and has a new element lens, for brighter and more accurate images. The new iPhone 5s will also feature a champagne gold color, which seems to have created a buzz on the twitter feeds despite it leaking out almost 6 months ago. The new iPhone 5s also has the worlds first desktop level 64 bit architecture, making life for developers difficult initially, but opening them up to a whole new world or options for future apps.

[pullquote_left]The Touch ID may as well be the new revolution for the mobile industry[/pullquote_left]

What is a mobile industry first is the new Touch ID sensor, a fingerprint sensor on a smartphone is a new one alright. It opens up a whole new array of possibilities, even though Apple has not yet opened it up to developers.

The Touch ID replaces the lock code requirements and also password requirements for you iPhone, hopefully you can also use it to access the iPhone keychain to auto-magically enter passwords.

Apple also announced that iOS 7 will be officially available post September 18th 2013 for all those supported devices.

The iPhone 5C will be available fro Pre Order on September 13th whereas the iPhone 5S will go on Preorder September 20th 2013. starting $549 and $649 for the 16 GB unlocked variants.

September 11, 2013

Apple iPhone 5s vs iPhone 5c

Apple just brought all the rumors to an end by launching two new iPhones, the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c. The iPhone 5c is a poly-carbonate build phone with various color options like white, pink, yellow, blue and green, the phone has all the same features as the previous iPhone 5 which has now been discontinued. On the other hand the iPhone 5s has a typical iPhone 5 build that uses aluminium and glass, the 5s is available in three colors: silver, space gray and gold, this phone comes up with some upgraded features.

So lets simply compare both the iPhones:


Specifications	iPhone 5s	iPhone 5c
Dimensions	123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm	124.4 x 59.2 x 8.97 mm
Weight	112 grams	132 grams
Processors	A7 chip with 64 bit architecture and a M7 motion compressor	A6 chip
Display	4 inch retina display with a resolution of 1136 x 640 (326ppi)	4 inch retina display with a resolution of 1136 x 640 (326ppi)
Rear Camera	8 megapixels with 1.5µ pixels, f/2.2 aperture, Sapphire crystal lens cover, True tone flash, backside illumination sensor, five element lens and hybrid IR filter	8 megapixels with 1.5µ pixels, f/2.2 aperture, Sapphire crystal lens cover, LED flash, backside illumination sensor, five element lens and hybrid IR filter
Video Recording	Full HD @ 30fps, true tone flash, Slo – mo Video, improved video stabilization	Full HD @ 30fps, LED flash, video stabilization
Front Camera	1.2 MP, 720p video with a resolution of 1280 x 960	1.2 MP, 720p video with a resolution of 1280 x 960
Siri	Yes	Yes
Touch ID	Fingerprint Identity Sensor (Yes)	No
Colors	Silver, Space Gray & Gold	White, Pink, Yellow, Blue, Green
Price	16/32/64 GB – 649/749/849 USD	16/32 GB – 549/649 USD

The pricing and availability of these phones in Indian market is still not confirmed, we will have to wait and see as factors like prices are of great importance in the Indian market. Meanwhile, which phone would you like to go for, do let us know below.

September 11, 2013

Category: Apple

The Good

The Bad