I T World: March 2011

Qik for iOS Lets iPhone, Android Users Converse

Apple and Google's smartphone rivalry doesn't mean iPhone and Android users can't video chat. Qik's new iPhone app provides another way to do it. Qik Video Connect for iPhone, fourth-generation iPod Touch and iPad 2 is available from the App Store now for $3. It includes video editing for conversations, live visual effects, HD video and quick syncing to the iPhone camera roll. A free version, without these extra features, is pending Apple's approval. Qik isn't the first iPhone app to allow cross-platform video chat Fring has offered this service since last July but Qik comes pre-installed on a bunch of Android devices, including the HTC Evo 4G, T-Mobile MyTouch 4G, Samsung Epic 4G and Samsung Galaxy Tab.

It's also available in the Android Market for Motorola's Atrix 4G. In January, Skype announced plans to acquire Qik, raising questions of whether Qik would continue to operate as its own service. The new iPhone app suggests that Qik isn't going away anytime soon, and that's great because Skype doesn't support video chat on Android phones. With another video chat option available to both iPhone and Android users, Facetime needn't be the only way to have emotional family moments from a distance.

Rock Your Party with Djay for iPad

If you’ve long held the dream of rocking a crowd from a pair of decks but haven’t been able to muster the scratch for the gear to hone your craft, you should check out djay for iPad. For just $20, djay can turn Apple’s tablet into a fairly robust DJ setup. The user interface is laid out like an actual DJ system, with two turn tables and a mixer. There are a ton of mixing options, like automatic beat and tempo detection, as well as visual mixing with audio waveforms. But let’s be honest: You’re not here for the mixer; you came here to scratch.

With djay, you can mix in any track from your iPad music library. An auto-cut scratching feature enables you to hit the ground spinning without ruining anyone’s night. And when your hands get tired from dropping phat beats, you can switch to Automix mode, and djay will keep the party going by spinning through your iPad music collection automagically. Djay might not teach you every trick on the scene, but it could set you on the right track. And hey, if the iPad is a good enough platform for the Gorillaz to produce an album on, it’s probably good enough for you to figure out what’s what.

Djay Launches on iPhone Upgrades on iPad

Djay, the groundbreaking Mac app from Algoriddim featured in a recent iPad commercial, just became available on both sides of the iOS platform and also got a significant update to its iPad version. The $9.99 app turns your iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS into a pair of mixing decks. Load up songs from your iTunes music library, and you can beat sync, scratch and transition between songs like a pro. You can also record your genius mix and export it as a high-quality AIFF file. Both the iPhone and the iPad versions of djay are surprisingly similar to the $49.99 desktop version of the software, used by professional and amateur DJs. One important feature that both iOS versions lack, however: the ability to lock in the key of a song.

Match the BPMs of songs at vastly different tempos, and the one you’re queuing up will start to sound either warbly or a bit baritone. When djay for the Mac automatically beat-matches songs, it is able to do so without changing the key of either tune. It’s a magical feature that can, in this writer’s experience, make DJ-ing a party almost scarily easy. Algoriddim’s head of product development, Frederik Seiffert, says that key-locked beat matching is almost impossible on the current iPhone and first-generation iPad’s hardware. “But we might consider doing it for the iPad 2 when we see one,” says Seiffert. Algoriddim is headquartered in Munich, Germany, where the iPad 2 will not be available until the end of the month.

In the meantime, the company has been no slouch on the iPad front. At the same time as it launched its iPhone app, it also released a free upgrade to the $20 iPad app, with enough new features that it might as well be labeled djay 1.5. Scratch the spinning disk with two fingers rather than one, and djay will make sure your scratch lasts for a precise number of beats. And at the tap of a few fingers, the app will loop a single measure of the track over and over. Again, it understands the rhythm and will make sure the loop is precise, so you don’t have to (unless you want to). Call it the T-Pain app for DJs.

Gone are the “low memory” messages that plagued the iPad app in its original iteration. The iPad 2, where it runs faster than ever and gives the Mac version a serious run for its money. You can even pre-cue, ie. Listen to your next song without disturbing the party, with the help of a couple of connectors from Radio Shack. Once it adds the ability to lock in keys for songs, there’ll be little that the iPad version lacks. Same goes for the iPhone version though will probably have to wait until iPhone 5 or 6 for the hardware to allow it. Still, the iPhone app is best in its class, even without those new iPad features. In short, there’s no excuse for road trips to be badly DJ’d ever again.

Verizon iPhone 5: Summer Launch Five iPad 2 Mistakes

Apple is hard at work attempting to come up with an iPhone 5 on Verizon and AT&T for launch this summer which is a worthy improvement over the iPhone 4. Expectations are high, as Apple just finished managing to do exactly that with the iPad 2 and its predecessor, the iPad 1. But something else happened today: for reasons not yet immediately clear, Apple forgot how to launch a product in a competent fashion, as the iPad 2 launches was a debacle from top to bottom. Coming on the heels of the plagued iPhone 4 launch last year, serious concerns are now on the table regarding Apple’s high profile launch day extravaganzas for its new products which had been, until recently, a positive part of the user experience. With the AT&T and Verizon iPhone 5 launch, here are five things Apple has gotten wrong in either or both of its past two major launches which it needs to clear up in time for a non-kludged rollout of the fifth generation iPhone.

Inventory

The iPhone 5, particularly by virtue of being the first iPhone to roll out on both Verizon and AT&T simultaneously, should be the most sought after day-one product in Apple history. Apple has developed a habit of late in which it brings products to market with only a fraction of the inventory built up to satisfy initial demand. Last year, many would-be day one iPhone 4 buyers went home empty handed. Most people who wanted an iPad 2 went home without one, even those who had waited in line several hours before it went on sale. Apple would have done well to delay the iPad 2 launch by a month in order to manufacture enough units to actually meet demand something it’ll hopefully keep in mind when deciding the iPhone 5 launch date, after the lost sales and revenue of yesterday’s faux-launch of the iPad 2 sinks in.

Pick a color

The iPhone 5 needs to either come in white or not come in white. There is no such thing as in between and yet Apple has tried to pull that off twice in a row now. The iPhone 4 was announced in white but got delayed an embarrassing number of times and now the company won’t even speak of it. The iPad 2 was announced in white, but unless you were one of the first ten or twenty people in line at an Apple Store, you didn’t have the option of buying one as all but literally none were manufactured and/or delivered to stores. Rather than repeating this embarrassment with the iPhone 5, Apple would do well to simply move on and not have a white iPhone 5 or make a commitment to actually manufacturing more than a few dozen of them. One or the other.

Move along

The original iPhone launch back in 2007 was run so smoothly that even if you were a few hundred people back in line, you’d be making your purchase within about twenty minutes once the doors opened. But for reasons which can only be satisfactorily explained by someone at Apple getting fired first thing Monday morning, Apple decided that iPad 2 sales should happen as slowly as possible. By the end of the day (or more accurately, the night), Apple Store employees were left only able to apologize to customers for what they knew was the sloppiest, most massively incompetent Apple product launch in as long as anyone could remember. With the iPhone 5 launch, there’s no reason why Apple can’t simply revert back to what worked with its earlier iPhone launches.

Online

Apple may have pulled the plug on online iPad 2 preorders because it knew it had such little inventory to go around that allowing even a small amount of pre-orders would have drained the tiny existing supply down to the point that there would have been literally no inventory at stores on launch day. Or Apple may have been attempting to ensure that there were in fact retail lines, as the ease of Verizon iPhone 4 preorders clearly hurt Apple in the form of ignorant headlines such as “Verizon iPhone 4 flops as evidenced by short lines,” with the ‘flopping’ part ultimately turning out not to have been true after all. Regardless of Apple’s motivation for mixing online preorders this time, there simply must be iPhone 5 preorders allowed. After yesterday’s disaster, even some of Apple’s most eager customers will likely never be willing to show up for a launch day line again, meaning that they’ll stay home and order their iPhone 5 online once they’re allowed to. Might as well let them order it in advance.

Keep it simple

When the iPhone 4 launched, it came in three total configurations. The iPad 2 launched with eighteen options as a result of two colors, three network options, and three capacities. The confusing number of options turned an already doomed iPad 2 launch into an even more absurd experience, as employees desperately tried (and failed) to convince customers to go home with a Verizon iPad 2 after the AT&T iPad 2 had almost immediately sold out. It would have been much easier if there had simply been a single hybrid 3G iPad 2 model which worked on either AT&T or Verizon. By the time of the iPhone 5, Apple must seriously consider offering a single iPhone 5 model which works on both carriers. Otherwise, buying an iPhone 5 will become as absurdly confusing as buying an iPad 2.

Sprint and T-Mobile: Lose More Ground with iPad 2

The iPad 2 launch, it’s a win-win-win for Apple, consumers, and the nation’s two largest carriers AT&T and Verizon. But what about the nation’s third and fourth largest carriers, Sprint and T-Mobile? Despite the end of AT&T’s exclusivity agreement, Apple continues to snub Sprint and T-Mobile, leaving them scrambling to stay in the game. Sprint and T-Mobile being snubbed not only hurts their revenues as subscribers wanting i-devices bleed out to AT&T and Verizon, but it also hurts their brand images.

Could Apple be ignoring the two carriers because their networks are not up to par? This can solidify consumers’ perception that the two brands are indeed the losers of the bunch. Sprint touted itself as the first 4G provider but its commitment to its WiMAX service is getting shaky as the new LTE 4G network begins to dominate the landscape. T-Mobile on the other hand was perceived as being late in the game and having lesser coverage.

There is speculation now that Sprint and T-Mobile plan to join forces to battle against AT&T and Verizon. But the two could either end up stronger or even more fragmented as they present to consumers a confusing mix of CDMA and GSM offerings with its WiMAX future uncertain and possibly supplemented with LTE. They will definitely need strong 4G products that can rival Apple’s offerings in order to remain significant players.

Vevo in Netflix out on iOS 4.3 AirPlay Update

The iOS 4.3 launches, users will be able to stream content from third-party apps on the iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to an Apple TV. But so far, the scope of support for the functionality is very much up in the air. Music-video site Vevo is one of the few companies to acknowledge that it's ready to take advantage of the new AirPlay functionality. The company added support for the feature to its iPad and iPhone apps. But unlike Vevo, Netflix doesn't see the benefit of adding support for Apple's new feature, and won't offer it in its iPhone or iPad apps. Netflix Vice President of Corporate Communications Steve Swasey pointed out to GigaOm that "Netflix is already available on Apple TV." Rightfully so, Netflix believes that adding AirPlay support to its mobile apps is rather useless, since Apple TV owners can access its content from the set-top box without the need for other devices.

However, Apple's upcoming AirPlay functionality could be a boon for other app developers that want to bring their content to the Apple TV. The only question now is whether those developers will follow Vevo's lead and see value in it. At this point, it seems many companies are still trying to decide if the functionality is right for them. One of those companies, according to GigaOm, is HBO. Citing an unnamed source, the publication said HBO is considering the possibility of using the new functionality, though the source didn't provide any details. HBO support for AirPlay would be quite a surprise. The cable network is notoriously protective of its content and so far has been reluctant to see it made available anywhere else, especially on Netflix's streaming service.

Over the past several months, HBO has commented several times on its issues with Netflix, saying the streaming company charges customers too little. Back in January, Jeff Cusson, HBO's senior vice president of corporate affairs, went so far as to say that the company "has no intention of making its content available for streaming" on Netflix. However, if HBO opts to stream content to the Apple TV through AirPlay, it could circumvent Netflix, effectively bringing its content to the television without having to ink a deal with the company it has taken such issue with. But HBO is just one of many companies; in the coming weeks look for more to announce their plans to either support or ignore AirPlay.

iPhone 5 Rumors Suggest New Antenna, Aluminum Back

The another round of rumors for the next Apple device on the horizon: the iPhone 5. According to Taiwanese source Economic News, the next generation of iPhone will be a significant upgrade from the iPhone 4, released June 2010. The iPhone 5 will no longer include the glass back of the iPhone 4 and instead use an aluminum case, as in the original iPhone. Apple's reason for the switch apparently has to do with scratching issues on the iPhone 4, as well as the problems the company experienced attempting to manufacture a white iPhone.

Also to be fixed: the much-maligned antenna. Rumors suggest Apple will locate the antenna behind the Apple logo, in an effort to deal with the exposed antenna problems of earlier phones. Economic News adds that the iPhone 5, like the iPad 2, will use the fast A5 chip in the new phone. Earlier rumors have predicted that the iPhone 5 will be bigger, smaller, cheaper, and much, more.

Samsung Considers Aspects of Galaxy Tab 10.1 Inadequate to iPad 2

Samsung is pointing out how the iPad 2 trumps its own Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android tablet. Samsung’s vice president of mobile Lee Don-joo pointed to the iPad 2’s thin design and competitive pricing (it starts at $499 like the original iPad) as major obstacles. Speaking to the Korean news site Yonhap News Agency, Lee said that Samsung “will have to improve the parts that are inadequate” of its Galaxy Tab 10.1, which runs Google’s new Android 3.0 operating system. The tablet is the 10-inch successor to Samsung’s original 7-inch Galaxy Tab, which currently retails for $250 with a two-year data contract, or between $500 and $600 off-contract. Samsung hasn’t yet announced how much it will charge for the Galaxy Tab 10.1, but Lee mentioned that the company had (not surprisingly) intended to charge more than the original Galaxy Tab.

“We will have to think that over,” Lee said, a sign that Samsung may end up offering the Galaxy Tab 10.1 for the same $499 entry price as the iPad 2. Motorola’s Xoom tablet, the first Android 3.0 tablet to hit the market, and the first one many consider being a legitimate iPad competitor, starts at $599 with a two-year data contract. That Motorola couldn’t deliver a Xoom at $499 is a common criticism against the tablet, and it’s something that’s sure to cause consumers to opt for an iPad 2 instead. Samsung likely doesn’t want to end up in the same boat, and it probably realizes it will need to compete directly with the iPad when it comes to pricing. It will likely cost Samsung quite a bit to do so, but it will be worth it to make the Galaxy Tab 10.1 a success.

iPad 2 Owes Speed Boost Mainly to iOS 4.3

The first speed test carried out on the iPad 2 showed that the new software update - iOS 4.3 - rather than the hardware can be credited with helping boost performance the most. the iPad 2 by running the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark on the tablet and found it to be significantly faster than the its predecessor by up to four times. However, further tests showed that much of the performance boost was due to the iOS 4.3 platform; indeed, swapping iOS 4.2 for the latest one improved performance on the original iPad by around 150 per cent. This means that the hardware itself only contributed to boosting performance by 50 per cent or so.

It therefore means that, if you don't mind carrying a slightly bulkier iPad, don't care much about gaming or the new Smartcover or the onboard cameras, then you might do yourself a favour and buy the current iPad and just upgrade it to iOS 4.3 in a few days; you will have saved yourself around £100 in the process. iOS 4.3 also spells bad news for the rest of the competition like the Galaxy Tab or the Google Nexus S; the forthcoming upgrade which brings a new Javascript Engine called Nitro, will give a new lease of life to both the iPhone 4 and the 3GS.

Motorola Xoom vs Apple iPad 2 10 Reasons to Pick Xoom

Apple’s iPad 2, which was announced in a special event March 2, is expected to hit store shelves March 11. When it does, customers will have the unenviable task of choosing either Apple’s latest tablet or the many other tablets from competing manufacturers that are vying for their hard-earned cash. Although last year, the decision to choose the iPad was an easy one, in 2011, it’s not as easy as one thinks. That’s especially true if customers decide to opt for either the iPad 2 or the Motorola Xoom.

The former is likely the front runner, given its predecessor’s success, but the Xoom is also a fine option. It delivers a number of solid features that consumers would be quite happy with. Even better, it does so at a price that’s quite competitive.But for those still on the fence, let’s just make it easy: opt for the Motorola Xoom. Yes, the iPad 2 looks like a nice device on paper, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it can live up the appeal of the Xoom. The average consumer could do worse than to pick up Motorola’s tablet over Apple’s.

The slightly larger display

It might be a few factions of an inch difference, but it’s important for consumers to consider that the Motorola Xoom has a slightly larger display than Apple’s iPad. The Xoom features a 10.1-inch screen, while the iPad comes with a 9.7-inch display. On paper, that might not seem like much. But when one holds the devices in their hands and compares them, it’s quite noticeable. The extra screen estate comes in handy when viewing video or surfing the Web. Keep that in mind.

Upgrade to 4G

Motorola’s Xoom currently only offers customers the ability to connect to Verizon’s 3G network when they’re away from home. However, Motorola Mobility has said that it will offer a free upgrade to 4G in the coming months. After that upgrade is in place, customers will be able to connect to Verizon’s ultra-high-speed network. Apple iPad 2 owners, on the other hand, won’t have that luxury. While Xoom owners will be surfing the Web at ultra-high speed, iPad 2 customers will be stuck on 3G.

Android 3.0 Honeycomb is promising

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed off the iPad 2 March 2, he said that the platform would come with iOS 4.3, an updated version of the mobile-operating system Apple launched last year. The Xoom, on the other hand, ships with Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb. That platform, which was unveiled this year, comes with a number of important upgrades, including a reworked design, much better browsing, improved multitasking, and several other features. Those who have gotten their hands on the platform say it’s a sizable upgrade over Android 2.2. Due to Google’s desire to make the operating system more desktop-like in its functionality, iOS 4.3 might look rather obsolete next to it.

Don’t believe the apps hype

Apple was quick to point out at its March 2 event that it has 65,000 iPad applications available to customers. The company said that the Android Market currently has about 100 applications available to tablet owners. However, Apple failed to point out that more and more developers are moving to Android to bring their applications to tablets. Over time, the discrepancy in mobile applications won’t be nearly as great as Apple would like users to believe. It’s a problem now, but it won’t be a major issue by the end of the year.

The superior browsing experience

There’s no comparing the browsing experience on the Motorola Xoom to that of the iPad 2. Apple’s iPad 2 comes with the same, basic Mobile Safari experience customers have grown accustomed to. Apple’s iOS 4.3 improves browsing a little by increasing surfing efficiency, but it does nothing to answer the vastly improved Chrome browser in Honeycomb. Not only is surfing much faster than in previous versions of the software, but the software has real tabbed browsing, like users would find on the desktop. It also has Google’s Incognito Mode, auto-fill options, and many other services typically found in desktops. Simply put, it’s the best mobile-browsing experience on the market.

Where’s the advantage?

A quick glance at the basic specs of both the Xoom and the iPad 2 reveals no sizable advantages for Apple. Both devices come with a dual-core processor, have dual cameras, and offer WiFi and 3G connectivity. Both platforms record video, snap photos and support video conferencing. In other words, the key features are basically the same. The iPad 2’s most important advantage might simply be that it comes from Apple.

The price is right

Much has been made about the price of the Motorola Xoom. Those who support Apple products say that Motorola’s option, which starts at $799 with no contract, is quite expensive, considering the iPad 2 starts at $499 with WiFi and $629 for WiFi and 3G. But what those folks seems to forget is that the most relevant competitor to the Xoom, the iPad 2 featuring 32GB of storage and 3G connectivity, goes for $729. Moreover, those who are fine with entering into a two-year contract with Verizon can pay just $599.99 for the Xoom. As one can see, the Xoom’s pricing is right where it should be.

The battery consideration

Since tablets are mobile devices , battery life matters quite a bit. Although Steve Jobs was quick to tout the iPad 2’s battery life, it’s important to note that the Xoom features up to 10 hours of life surfing the Web over WiFi and up to nine hours on 3G. The iPad 2 has 10 hours of battery life over WiFi and nine hours of battery life on 3G. So, if battery life matters, Apple’s iPad 2 doesn’t seem to hold an advantage.

The extra ports matter

The Xoom comes with an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) port and USB port for customers to pump video out of the device, connect other devices and more. The iPad 2, on the other hand, lacks those ports. Apple said that it will sell an HDMI-out adapter, but that costs customers an additional fee that they shouldn’t have to pay. After all, considering how much users are spending on a new tablet, wouldn’t an HDMI out and USB port be expected?

The mobility factor isn’t major

It’s important to note that the iPad 2 is both thinner and lighter than the Motorola Xoom. Since tablets are mobile devices, that might matter to some folks. But it probably shouldn’t matter as much as they think. The differences aren’t major. For most customers, the Xoom will be quite easy to carry around in a bag or purse. Would it be nice if it had a slightly smaller footprint and less heft to it? Sure. But it’s not enough of a problem to be a deal-breaker. And it certainly isn’t enough of a problem that customers should ignore its other benefits and opt for the iPad 2.

Verizon iPhone Gets Dinged by Consumer Reports

The reception problem that plagued AT&T’s iPhone 4 last summers is also found on the Verizon version of the iPhone, according to Consumer Reports. The influential nonprofit organization, which publishes guides on everything from cars to TVs, said that holding the Verizon iPhone “in a specific but quite natural way” can cause the phone to drop calls. Consumer Reports tested the device against five other Verizon smartphones Samsung Fascinate, Motorola Droid 2 Global, HTC Droid Incredible, LG Ally, and Motorola Droid X and said “the only phones in which the finger contact caused any meaningful decline in performance was the iPhone 4.”

The Verizon iPhone 4 launched earlier, but there has been no hue and cry about its reception, as there was with the AT&T device. “There has been no such outpouring of complaints about the Verizon version of the phone,” Consumer Reports noted. However, the tech blogosphere did take note of the problem when the phone went on sale. Last July, a few weeks after the launch of the iPhone 4 with AT&T, a clearly irked Apple was forced to hold a special press conference to address the issue. Although it denied there was any problem with the phone, Apple gave out free cases which fix the problem to anyone who wanted them.

The executive in charge of iPhone engineering left Apple weeks after the controversy erupted. Consumer Reports said because of the reception issue, it will not include the Verizon iPhone in its list of recommended smartphones, despite its high ranking. “The phone performs superbly in most other respects,” the magazine said. UPDATE: Verizon Wireless says the Verizon iPhone is seeing less than one-half of 1 percent of calls dropped in major cities such as New York and San Francisco: “Verizon Wireless iPhone 4 customers are experiencing stellar network performance.”

I T World