The iPhone 4 / 4S’ design was always hailed as being among the best-looking in the smartphone market, but because of the glass front / back design, it wasn’t all that durable; people I know have had their device’s glass completely shattered from innocent 3-4ft drops. Samsung’s Galaxy S series of smartphones, on the other hand, were always plasticky but a whole lot more durable. This was the case for the years 2010-2011.
iOS 6 was launched a few days back and while feedback overall is positive, its Apple-made Maps app has received a lot of negative feedback. Users dislike the distinct lack of transit directions, inaccurate data, lack of points of interest especially when compared with Google Maps on iOS 5 and especially with the even stronger Maps app on Android smartphones.
Although the blogosphere has been dominated almost entirely with reports and coverage of Apple's iPhone 5, it's important to remember that the Cupertino company's sixth flagship device is just one of many new and exciting smartphones releasing this Fall. The Windows Phone 8 platform will be hoping to make a significant impression on a market dominated by iOS and Android, and in terms of Windows Phone 8 handsets, the Nokia Lumia 920 is the pick of the bunch.
From its internal hardware, software to its design, and camera, we’ve covered just about every possible aspect of the iPhone 5 here at Redmond Pie. One aspect that hasn’t been covered in more technical detail is its display. We know that it’s 4-inch tall, has a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, a resolution of 1136 x 640 and a corresponding pixel density of 326 pixels per inch, but we weren’t sure just how much of an improvement it is when it comes down to visual quality and fidelity, until now that is.
Critics often berate Apple for retailing its smartphones, tablets and computers, at higher price brackets than some would estimate their worth to be, and although it's a topic of fierce debate, there's little denying that your average Cupertino product costs a considerable amount more than a similar alternative created by a rivaling company.
The iPhone 5, which you couldn't possibly have missed coverage of since it's been discussed and nauseam by geeks and non-techies alike, is actually Apple's sixth-generation smartphone, despite being handed the "5" moniker. In 2007, Apple introduced the original iPhone, then the iPhone 3G arrived, and a while later, Apple introduced the 3GS - a much faster, slicker experience than both of its predecessors. The iPhone 4 brought a radical new design and Retina display to a table now crowded by ravenous iFans, and the iPhone 4S cuts a more vivid picture, having been introduced only eleven months ago.
The smartphone market is among the largest and fastest growing markets in the world of consumer electronics. It is currently dominated by the iPhone and Android smartphones, with BlackBerry and Windows Phone at a distant 3rd and 4th position. Now that Apple has released the iPhone 5, arguably the biggest smartphone of the year with 5 million units sold in the opening weekend, it’s time to take a look at the smartphone market and, more importantly, involved consumers.
The modern high-end smartphone is the ultimate example of the convergence of technology: besides being, you know, a phone, these devices are our music players, video players, alarm clocks, organizers, dictionaries, calculators, internet communications devices, full HD video recorders and go-to cameras.
It appears to be something of a trend these days, but the release of Apple's new iPhone 5 has done nothing but lead every two-bit tech fan with a video recorder to take to YouTube in an attempt to prove, or disprove, that the thing can be scratched. And by scratched, we mean pretty much obliterated.
Yesterday, it was confirmed through multiple benchmarks that, with its custom ARMv7 dual-core chip dynamically clocked between 750MHz to 1.2GHz, Apple’s iPhone 5 is indeed the fastest smartphone available in the market today. It bests every other high-end Android smartphone (Galaxy S III, One X, Galaxy Nexus, you name it!); doesn’t matter if they come with four cores or are clocked at higher frequencies.
