Color Kindle DX in Late 2012 According to Sources

DigiTimes is reporting that Amazon will introduce a color e-book reader in the second half of 2012 and will include multi-touch capacitive touch panels instead of infrared touch panels used in the previous black and white e-book readers. Hanvon already has an ebook reader with a color e-Ink Triton display, but it's seriously lacking in functionality when compared to the Kindle.

This will be a huge advancement for ebooks since it will then be practical to actually read ebooks with charts, pictures, diagrams and all sorts of full color information. A color Kindle DX would be the optimal size for students wanting to read textbooks on their Kindle (at 9.7") and older adults who value the larger screen size.

The color e- ink screen will enhance the visual presentation of magazines and children's books on the DX. 

If Amazon already has the color Kindle Fire, why release a color e-ink model ?

The advantage would be that the new color e-ink model would not have a backlit screen, as opposed to the Kindle Fire. Many people have difficulty reading on a backlit screen. Especially if you work on computers all day or wear glasses, we think you'll find that e-Ink feels less stressful on your eyes compared to the LCD screen of a backlit device (like a laptop, lcd monitor or smartphone). Here are some additional benefits that a color Kindle DX would have:

• Textbooks that contain any kind of color diagrams don't work well on the color Kindle.
• Kids are more interested in color on the pages when reading stories, and while kids may lose interest reading on a black and white DX (and currently prefer either the Kindle Fire or the iPad) they would be able to continue using the color Kindle DX and have it hold their attention.
• It would also be great to shop the Kindle Store directly from the device with the muted color screen making it easier and more enjoyable to flip through the catalog.

Permalink: http://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2012/05/color-kindle-dx-in-late-2012-according.html

Apple Working on Television Slated for 2012

Venture capitalist Stewart Alsop (an early investor in TiVo) reportedly has heard multiple sources throughout Silicon Valley speak of an Apple television project that is already underway and is on pace for a 2012 debut.  The rumored television seems like it will never be a mass market item like the Apple TV.  The Apple iMac, the integrated computer+lcd solution from Apple, starts at $1199, which places it at the more expensive end of the computer market.  So however nice the Apple TV may look, it still probably won't be as competitively priced compared with other brands using similar technology.

The naysayers may think that it will just be an Apple TV unit integrated into a TV, but Apple will not go into a commoditized Television market business.   Apple is about providing a service that helps simplify a user’s experience of technology.  No, the new Apple TV won’t be like the old Apple-TV-box stuffed inside of a television.  It will be more like an iMac with integrated set-top box for cable and satellite, iChat camera, online video services like Hulu, VUDU and YouTube, and of course Apples App Store.

Permalink: http://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2011/08/apple-working-on-television-slated-for.html

Ahead of Release Date, iPhone 5 Particulars Coming into Focus

There appears to be some more changes in store for the iPhone 5.  Digitimes has information from "upstream panel suppliers" stating that the display on the iPhone will have a design to make the screen look larger.  This is an important consideration since their information source suggests that the screen will remain roughly the same size, between 3.5 and 3.7 inches.

A rendering of the iPhone 5, from MacRumors.

New Camera
Details came out earlier about the iPhone 5's new camera (http://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2011/08/iphone-5-likely-getting-new-camera.html), which will switch from Omnivision as a supplier to Sony. The move will increase the cameras megapixel count from 5 to 8.

New Antenna
The new iPhone 4S will have different antennas so that it would be be compatible with both CDMA and GSM networks.   For more on this update, see http://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2011/08/next-gen-iphone-5-to-be-dual-mode-cdma.html.

New iPhone 4S - Bottom Part

Permalink: http://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2011/08/ahead-of-release-date-iphone-5.html

Next-Gen iPhone 5 to be Dual-Mode CDMA & GSM

The dual antennas in the upcoming iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S allow it to function on all the major carriers.  Here's a list of the major cellular companies and their network types:

CDMA Networks

• Sprint
• Verizon

GSM Networks

• T-Mobile
• AT&T

With included antennas for both GSM and CDMA networks, the new iPhone will be much more flexible.  Dual-mode is especially important for people who travel, doubly so since the SIM card will be accessible.

Qualcomm's MDM6600 wireless chip with "world-mode" (From current iPhone 4 model).

Sprint is Getting the iPhone


The big news recently was that Sprint was getting the iPhone.  Skeptics cited that the Sprint move by Apple was a  measure to wring as much money as they could out of the iPhone.  Certainly, people who really wanted the iPhone would have switched to AT&T already, but Sprint stalwarts will finally be rewarded.  The problem with Sprint has always been its coverage.  Sprint customer service is top-notch (by most studies, but I'm also a Sprint customer and they have always treated me well).   Sprint is cheaper than most carriers because their network is nothing to brag about (though T-mobile's is even worse).

Anroid is gaining in popularity versus the iOS.  Because of Android's gains, many believe Apple is letting Sprint have the iPhone because of its eroding market share.  Even so, Apple's iPhone is still on top of the pack:

http://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2011/08/iphone-4-already-best-selling.html

Either way, people at the sprint users forum are obviously happy about getting the new iPhone

Permalink: http://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2011/08/next-gen-iphone-5-to-be-dual-mode-cdma.html

iPhone 5 Likely Getting a New Camera

Bye Bye Omnivision - Hello Sony?

In what may be the strongest evidence for a new camera on the iPhone 5 yet,  it now appears imminent that Apple will drop Omnivision as a camera supplier and instead opt for Sony to provide the camera on the new iPhone 5.  Forbes cited a stock analyst who, trying to explain Omnivision's lower stock price, made the suggestion that OmniVision “may have missed Apple’s commercial production deadline,” thus losing its lead supplier status for the iPhone 5 camera's image sensor to Sony.  The analyst still expects the new iPhone to have an 8 MP camera, an improvement of the 5 MP camera of the iPhone 4.

But besides missing a production deadline, there might be other reasons for Apple to change the iPhone's camera supplier even though the 5 MP camera on the iPhone 4 hasn't had any problems yet.


Just focusing on the sensor in the iPhone 4, there are noticeable deficiencies:

1. There is a noticeable green-halo effect when taking pictures under fluorescent or halogen light.
2. The megapixel count is still fairly low in comparison to other cameras.
3. The thickness of the sensor could be made thinner. (a thinner sensor = a thinner iPhone).

Remember that the camera is a part of the smartphone that is expected to get an upgrade every year.  Another problem is that a camera on a smartphone is likely to have more noise because of its sensor.  A typical way to combat this is to tinker with the camera's sensor, but Apple and other smartphone manufacturers are hampered by existing technology at this point.

1. The higher the pixel count, the more noise the sensor produces in images. 
2. One way to combat noise in pictures is to increase the MP on the sensor as well as increasing its physical size in order to eliminate the heat and noise issues.  
3. But a thick sensor itself would prevent Apple from producing a skinny iPhone.

And while some may scoff at the whole megapixel count issue as a red herring for smartphone manufacturer's to sell their phones, there are legitimate reasons why consumers want more megapixels on their cameras:

Nowadays photos are not only used for prints.  Many people want to view pictures on their computer, ipad, digital picture frame etc. In such cases there are differences in perceived detail especially when you want to zoom in to see certain details of a picture.

However you feel about the MP issue, it's still true that people want to enjoy quality photographs taken on their smart phones.  Nobody with an expensive camera-equipped phone wants to carry around a secondary camera because their phone's camera isn't up to the task.

Copyright 2011 - http://digital-cave.blogspot.com/.

Permalink: http://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2011/08/iphone-5-likely-getting-new-camera.html

iPhone 4 Already the Best Selling Smartphone to Become More Popular at $99 Price Point

Based on July, 2011 data, the iPhone is still the best selling smartphone in all the land.  But with its new $99 price point and news that Sprint will start offering the iPhone on the Sprint network in October of 2011, will the Apple iPhone become even more popular?

The Apple iPhone is still on top. (July, 2011 data from Millennial Media).

Concerning the New $99 iPhone

• This form of iPhone clearance has been going on with Apple since the 3GS. Apple has been cutting the price on the older models as well as lowering the storage amount, usually to 8 GB.
• The 960 x 640 resolution on the 3.7” display looks like it will remain, as no new modifications have been done to cheapen the quality of the screen on the new budget-priced iPhone.
• This marks a huge step for Apple and its iPhone.  With the new $99 price point, the iPhone will no longer be considered such an exclusive item anymore.  Gone is the snob appeal as Apple begins to court "the masses" with its entry level price point, similar to what it has done with its mac mini computer in relation to the rest of its computer lineup.

Will the New $99 iPhone Make a Huge Difference for Sprint?

Verizon didn't get the boost it expected from its adoption of the iPhone.  While Sprint getting the iPhone is a big deal for the company, its basically the last major carrier to get the iPhone and much of its luster has already gone, especially now with its new $99 price point that places it more in line with a mass market commodity.  Sprint does have good unlimited data plans and as long as they don't move to a tiered data pricing structure, that could be a huge selling point for Sprint and its version of the iPhone.

Permalink: http://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2011/08/iphone-4-already-best-selling.html