MasHD Blog

Apple has announced a new 4" smartphone line called the iPhone SE , the phones , priced to compete against mid range handsets bring in the best of three previous iPhone models into a attractive price which is half of what you would pay for a standard iPhone model is aimed at younger buyers and those who like to have a small and a pocket-able handset .The phone , designed to look like the iPhone 5S aesthetically is now basically Apple's entry level device ,replacing both the iPhone 5C and the 5S .The phone packs some of the older iPhone 5S hardware components -which at the time were brilliant , and now it is refreshed with a 64Bit Apple A9 Soc , a 12MP rear camera which can capture 4K and iOS 9.3 . The handset is said to be available for a starting price of $399 for the 16GB and $499 for the 64GB model - a significant price reduction considering that the Apple A9 equipped iPhone 6S costs almost double the price . Carrier pricing is even more attractive as the handset goes fo...

64Bit in mobile is only about a year old , iOS , which started the craze (Evolution) with the iPhone 5S and the iPads were first generation products that supported the new ARM architecture that provided 64Bit processing power , but as many apps were still coded to 32Bit  , that 64bit edge is/was not really that visible so Apple is now making a initiative to make all iOS apps coded to both the 64bit and 32Bit coding starting next February .News of having 64bit support is good news as the new architecture promotes the expansion of Video and memory allowing high quality apps , this news however is not going to be good for remaining legacy Apple devices as they are sure to drop out in the next few updates (iPad 2 , iPad Mini , iPhone 4S ) , but in the end most users will eventually feel more satisfied with the user experience once the platform becomes a 64bit only one . Source - GSMArena

Most apps usually cost cents or a few dollars to purchase , but the new WizzyWiz 4K app takes app pricing to a whole new level because it costs a mindblowing $999 . The app , as its name explains - is a 4K video recording app for the iPhone 5S . The app allows its (no idea on what to call them) users the ability to shoot 4K at 24 fps or take 24 burst photos at 4K resolution and stitch them for a high resolution photo that will come to about 72MB . The app however has certain restrictions as it requires the phone to be of the 32GB  or 64GB variant and run iOS7 instead of the upcoming iOS8 update due to issues with the camera interface . The app at first glance has a tonne of cool features , but for that kind of money , eager photo buffs can buy a semi-Pro DSLR  , or a 4K capable smartphone without buying something that is virtually intangible . if you really want to buy - iTunes Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - SlashGear

The ALS Ice Bucket challenge is probably the biggest internet sensation since the Harlem shake , the process , which involves the participant(s) pouring water with ice cubes while naming 3 other competitors while donating some amount for ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) in the process, at first the competition was reserved for the elite , but soon after everyone and their brother took up the challenge as a form of entertainment and all the while managed to generate $80 million for  ALS research.Samsung , which spends billions on advertising annually , decided to use the event to promote the Galaxy S5's waterproofness by doing its own icebucket challnge last Friday . The 15 second video , which consisted of a mounted Galaxy S5 and a S-Voice "voice over" and ice in a pail showed off the waterproof abilities of the Galaxy S5 which remained  soaking wet from the ice water drop and afterwards it(the voice) challenged the iPhone 5S , HTC One M8 and the Nokia Lumia 930 to d...

With Android devices pushing beyond 5" in their smartphone display size consumers are slowly dodging tablets in favor of large screen "Phablets",So as phones get bigger, companies that rely on constancy like Apple have no option but to heed to customer demands by launching their own large screen smartphones breaking the 4" barrier for good . According to the latest rumors and mock-ups in the internet . the company is said to launch a 4.7" device that is said to be made in a unibody design similar to that of the iPad Air/Mini and iPod Touches . The design might be a hint that Apple is starting to unify their hardware designs to look similar to each otherto avoid prying eyes of industrial copycats . The strange aluminuim shell is flanked by two strips of plastic for the antennas which are similar to the implementation used by HTC in the One M8 . Although the mock-ups might be some clever fake(s) the design does hint that the next iPhone will certainly be ...

Apple has announced CarPlay, a feature that will integrate your iPhone with your car, allowing you to access your phone more easily using just your voice or the controls on your car. CarPlay works by connecting your iPhone to your car. After that, you can make and receive voice calls, messages and a lot more using Siri and your voice. Want to use maps for direction? Apple Maps will provide turn-by-turn navigation (where available) and show the map on the car's built-in display. Or you could listen to music, podcasts, audiobooks, etc. through your car's speakers. Once connected, your car will essentially turn into a massive docking station and let you access essential functions more easily without having to fiddle with the phone. CarPlay will make its debut with vehicles being announced at this year's Geneva International Motor Show and cars from Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo will be the first to have the feature built-in. Apple also has a whole bunch of other car m...

Live photos showing the alleged casing of the upcoming Apple iPhone 6 made the rounds on the web. The images give us a possible glimpse of Apple’s much awaited large-screen iPhone model. As you can see in the photos above, the iPhone 6 will feature similar design to the iPad Air with a sleek, all-metal body and almost bezel-free display and thin profile. In short, if the pictures turn out to be the real deal, the iPhone 6 is going to be quite a looker. A couple of reports have suggested that Apple will reveal two iPhone models – one with 4.7” display and one with a screen larger than 5" in size. We doubt we are going to see either one before this fall. GSMArena

Despite the fact that the iPhone 5S is supposed to have better battery life than its predecessor, a small number of units are exhibiting extreme battery draining issues. This is, according to Apple, due to a manufacturing defect, and only affects a minor portion of devices. An Apple spokesperson said that the company “recently discovered a manufacturing issue affecting a very limited number of iPhone 5S devices that could cause the battery to take longer to charge or result in reduced battery life”. Apple is replacing affected units at no cost. “We are reaching out to customers with affected phones and will provide them with a replacement phone”, said the spokesperson, who did not mention an exact number of units affected; instead, “a few thousand phones” was used to describe how widespread this issue is. To put things in context, Apple sold 9 million iPhones over the first weekend of availability, granted, numbers are combined for the 5S and 5C. Pocketnow

Exhibit A -Some Gold phones from Samsung's Past   Some pundits have been wading into Samsung for "copying Apple" by  releasing a gold version of its Galaxy S IV right after Apple released and then quickly sold out of its gold iPhone 5S. "If recent reports are correct, the demand for the gold version is higher than Apple expected. Of course Samsung wanted in on the action," wrote TechCrunch. Cult of Android cheekily asks: "does this company [Samsung] have any shame?" The main theme appears to be that Samsung blatantly copied Apple's glorious winning strategy by releasing a gold Galaxy S IV right after Apple. But if we are going to get into a juvenile peeing contest about gold plated phones, it may surprise commentators to discover it was Apple that copied Samsung. Exhibit B - Apple's Gold color iPhone 5S Exhibit C - Samsung's Gold Galaxy S4  Samsung released a gold smartphone in August, weeks before the gold iPhone 5S ...

According to a reports by a Korean media outlet, Samsung is into the close to completion of a 64-bit mobile processor intended for use in its own smartphones. The report further speculates that the chip will be first used in the company’s next flagship. The chip will also be used for products beyond smartphones, such as tablets. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if Samsung were to use the 64-bit chip in its upcoming line-up of Chromebooks destined for 2014. Shortly after the unveil of the iPhone 5s, Samsung stated that it’s working on a 64-bit CPU, which will find its place in 2014 flagshps. Right now, though, they are still in the sampling stage. Smartphones are quick approaching the 4GB RAM barrier, at which point 64-bit CPUs become a necessity. Rumors are that Android 4.4 KitKat is slated to bring 64-bit support. There is also a probability Samsung unveils a flagship with 4GB of RAM next year, since the Note 3 already has 3GB.( GSMArena )

Fame has its price, making you a bigger target than the kid down the street, as exemplified by this latest demonstration involving the newly released iPhone 5s and its much advertised fingerprint sensor. Hackers from Germany’s Chaos Computing Club (CCC) have shown how they were able to deceive Apple’s latest security feature into believing they’re someone they’re not. Apple‘s iPhone 5s, which just became available in stores last Friday, features a new biometrics-based security system that involves analyzing a user’s fingerprint and using that to unlock the phone. You can read up on how the technology works, as well as our overall impressions of the iPhone 5s, in our detailed review. While Apple is hardly the first to introduce such a security system, the iPhone 5s is probably the first to distribute it to such a massive market. Naturally, not everyone is happy about it or even believes that the technology is a more secure alternative. CCC member Starbug released a video as well as ...

Credits - Apple As expected, Apple's just announced the iPhone 5s, its latest flagship smartphone. It runs iOS 7, and looks almost exactly like the iPhone 5 but comes in different colors: silver, a new "space gray," and gold — as was heavily rumored. The standout feature is Touch ID, which is an integrated fingerprint sensor in the new sapphire home button that scans your "sub-epidermal layers" at 500 points per inch to read your fingerprint and unlock the phone. You can also authenticate purchases, so buying apps, music, and movies in iTunes and the App Store just got a lot easier. There's a capacitive ring around the that activates the sensor, and it can read your fingerprint in any orientation. You can also have it authenticate multiple fingerprints, so you can share your phone with specific family members without having to reveal your passcode. Importantly, fingerprints are encrypted and stored locally on the A7 chip in the phone itself — App...

Credits - TheVerge The new iPhone 5c is finally official. After months of rumor and speculation, Apple has opted to introduce its latest smartphone today at a special event in Cupertino. CEO Tim Cook detailed the latest updates in iOS7, noting that Apple has been "hard at work completing iOS7" in time for its September 18th release, before inviting Phll Shiller on stage to unveiled the new iPhone 5c. It looks identical to the leaks and case parts we've seen recently, with a plastic back and a variety of colors. The back and sides of the device are made from a single part, with options for green, white, blue, red, and yellow colors. Shiller claims you "won't see seams, or part lines, or joins," thanks to the hard-coated polycarbonate. Apple has also created custom cases with a soft-feel silicon rubber that slip onto the handset. The cases, priced at $29 each, also provide an additional color option on top of the regular colors of the iPhone 5c. ...

Apple's iOS 7 will arrive on the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S on September 18th. The all-new OS will also head to the iPad mini, the third- and fourth-generation iPads, and fifth-generation iPod touch on the same day. In today's keynote, Tim Cook boasted that the operating system will soon be "the world's most popular operating system." A later update will add the OS to the iPad 2 and iPhone 4. Announced back in June, iOS 7 is the first major visual overhaul of the OS since its initial introduction in 2007. It features all-new icons along with redesigned core apps, a new Notification Center, webOS-inspired multitasking, and a Control Center with settings toggles, music playback, and quick shortcuts to apps. There's also AirDrop for local file sharing over wireless, and even Apple's attempt at a Spotify and Rdio competitor in iTunes Radio. There were a couple of small feature additions today, including a male voice for Siri for the US and select other terri...

To readers paying close attention to press reports, there may not be many surprises Tuesday when Apple (AAPL) hosts its big September three-ring circus for analysts and the media. The critics will be unforgiving if the event's tentpole announcements don't include: The Phone 5S , a speedier iPhone 5, probably with fingerprint recognition for ID purposes, possibly with near-field communication (NFC) technology for buying stuff in stores. The iPhone 5C , a plastic-bodied iPhone that comes in colors and is slower, less powerful, lower-res and less expensive (e.g. $400 plus or minus). The release of iOS 7 , the first top-to-bottom redesign of the face the iPhone shows the world, complete with new metaphors, new light sources, a Pandora knock-off and a look designed to make Samsung's smartphones feel old fashioned. New programming and new tricks for Apple TV, Steve Jobs' final "hobby" by which he hoped to someday disrupt the entertainment industry. Distribu...

Two days ago, some schematics showed up that appeared to reveal the general design and dimensions of both the upcoming iPhone 5S and the rumored lower-cost iPhone. While we haven’t been too concerned with the look of the iPhone 5S, since it’s likely to just mirror the 5, this budget iPhone has been a much more intriguing prospect. There have been rumors going back months which attempted to describe its construction, and this week’s contribution sure seemed to line up nicely with some of those. On the chance that this really is how the phone will arrive, an unofficial 3D render has been created with the data from that schematic, possibly giving us our first look. Again, this is all very unofficial – these are not Apple-sourced images. But what they lack in official provenance they make up for by helping to whet our appetites just a bit for this rumored hardware. We’re definitely getting a retro vibe here, as certain elements remind us of the iPhone 3G(S), not to mention the iPod –...

Apple is rumored to launch at least one new iPhone model later this year, with iPhone 5S being the logical name for one of them, a device that’s expected to be an iPhone 5 upgrade. But while the iPhone 5S is not even official yet, the GooPhone i5S, a Chinese Android knock off, is getting ready to sell for just $99. GooPhone doesn’t need any more introductions by now as, unfortunately, the company has ripped plenty of other products including them into its “Goo” line – and they’re not all Apple devices, as the lists includes copies of the iPhone 5, the iPad mini, the HTC One but also the Galaxy Note 2. The GooPhone i5S is similar to the iPhone 5 when it comes to design and user interface, although the device runs Android, even if it’s made to look like iOS. When it comes to hardware, the GooPhone i5S will offer you a 4-inch display, 1GHz dual-core MT6577 processor, 512MB of RAM, 5-megapixel camera and vanilla Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with an iOS skin on top. The first 1,000 buyer...