Speck Products: Designing for the iPhone 5

In an airy storefront along a tree-lined Palo Alto, California street, the Speck Products design team is faced with a unique challenge. Designing a case for Apple’s mysterious, rumor-shrouded iPhone 5.

Arguably the most popular – and successful – smartphone and laptop case and cover maker, Speck is currently burning the ‘midnight oil’ to prepare designs for one of the world’s most secretive products: Apple’s iPhone 5. But it’s not the first time.

  • Don’t miss: Our exclusive Speck Products gallery

Speck has done this before – very successfully. with each incarnation of the newest Apple products they’ve come up with smart, sleek cases and covers that combine quiet luxury with industrial simplicity that has Speck products stocked in Apple stores across the country.

Like many people, I discovered Speck while looking for the perfect shell to protect my laptop – my most recent Speck acquisition was a charcoal cae for my Air, picked up in Apple’s Union Square store. I’ve grown to not just like my Speck cases, but really love them.

I think a lot of other gadget geeks feel the same way. Personally, I blame the first wave of iPods and their fun-to-accessorize form factor for spawning our collective obsession for having to buy even more stuff to go with our gadgets.

When I found out Speck was not only local to the Bay Area but that they were opening their very first store, I joined CNet’s Daniel Terdiman for the opening.

Turns out it’s much more than a storefront, combining retail with design lab so the geeky-passionate design team can interact with customers face to face, pairing the creative with the customers – something I find refreshing in a Valley full of people pushing products that practically have disdain for users. For me, the icing on this cake was meeting a very happy staff behind the scenes at the indie company, and finding female CEO Irene Baran at the helm.

Speck’s designs have scored high with everyone, and not just me – though especially with Apple fans. The ‘Toblerone-style’ iPad 2 case and stand is a must-see, equal parts gadget couture and uncanny entrepreneurial design. one of their most popular designs is their iPhone 4 case, with its low-profile ID and credit card holder and its built-in, retractable kickstand.

What intrigued me most, however, was trying to figure out how Speck can possibly design a case for a product like the iPhone before details about its super-secret specifications even hit the gadget blogs. Misplaced iPhone prototypes notwithstanding, that is.

I got a chance to ask Speck Products a few questions about what it’s like to make a case for a heavily guarded secret. Jeanne Hultquist, Speck Products’ VP of Marketing answered as much as she dared from their exciting environment of edgy design and gadget espionage.

Violet Blue: Does Speck have anything exciting in mind for the iPhone 5 that you can tell us about?

Speck Products: we have many, many ideas for the new iPhone 5cases, and are obsessed with what the possible designs might be. It’s the stuff that keeps our whole team up at night.

However, we don’t have any inside information on what the form factor will be, so we have no idea what we will actually ship yet. It’s too early to tell. we watch the rumor blogs just like everyone else in this business. It’s not until we get real iPhone5 in our hands that we can really get to work. So definitely look for us in the iPhone 5 line.

VB: Speck has been designing ahead of the curve for Apple products since the beginning. What’s fun about designing for Apple gear?

Speck: Considering that Apple makes some of the mostinnovative devices on the planet which are 100% guaranteed to delight consumers, we revel in the glory of making cases that really complement and protect these devices.

And we also really enjoy seeing our customer’s reactions, which is why we opened our first retail store – really more of a lab – in downtown Palo Alto so we can realize first hand how people use their iPhone, iPad, MacBook Air, etc. cases.

Further, “new” cases seem to be everywhere, but it’s often “more of the same” and really nothing new at all. But Speck is different, offering more ingeniously engineered “industry firsts” for protection and functionality than anyone else in the case industry. Our award-winning co-molded CandyShell, the flip-back stand functionality on our iPad cases, and even our SeeThru & SeeThru Satin MacBook cases are living proof that our inspired thinking delivers better products that stand the test of time – and the onslaught of competition.

VB: How does Speck design a case for a phone or tablet that is shrouded in secret? Does it seem like a moving goalpost?

Speck: we brainstorm on previous generations of products and keep it ready for when the new generation comes out but we really click into gear as soon as the device first goes on sale.

VB: When will your iPhone 5 cases hit the market?

Speck: That all depends on when Apple gets the iPhone 5 (assuming there is an iPhone 5) device(s) on the shelves, but looking at our track record, we typically are able to ship our cases for Apple products within amonth of the device coming to market.

Also, we are not the kind of case company that ships product that is untested and unproven, which often results in unhappy customers who have a wonky case. we take our time to make sure the fit is perfect, the button and camera holes are well-placed, etc. so that our customers continue to be loyal fans.

Find Speck on Twitter @SpeckProducts, on Facebook, more photos are on their Flickr, and you can directly support this woman-run indie company when you shop at their online store, speckproducts.com.

  • Don’t miss: our exclusive Speck Products gallery.

Photo courtesy of Speck Products.

Seven Useful iPhone Apps for the Architect

the iPhone has revolutionised the way professional Architects carry out their business. thanks to the iPhone essential reference documents and tools that were once office bound can now be taken out to site and used whilst on the move. With this selection of useful Apps, the Architect will have a superb arsenal of tools at their disposal.whilst the following eight Apps all attract a fee, those looking for free iPhone Apps for the Architect should check out our other articles.CAD touchR2 – £14.99The first useful App for the Architect is CAD touchR2. Although being one of the most expensive, what you get is a precision drawing tool right there in your pocket. This App allows Architect’s to produce precise drawings, sketches and diagrams which can then be used to calculate important data such as floor areas, diameters and wall quantities. Completed drawings can be emailed with the data results direct from the application. This application, written by Martin Fabrizi Carianni, will suit any Architect that is required to produce accurate technical drawings.Architects Sketchbook App – $0.99From Autodesk, perhaps the best software house known to Architects (they are the people behind AutoCAD), comes a creative drawing tool. This App is not for producing technical drawings as you would with AutoCAD, but for creating freehand style sketches. the embedded SketchbookPro paint processor enables the production of superb quality drawings and with 46 preset brushes, pencils and markers an Architect will have no problems conveying their proposals. all brushes are customizable allowing the finished product to be endlessly fine tuned. it works on the iPad as well as the white iPhone 4 and iPod touch. whilst not free, it is only $0.99 and represents excellent value for money.List Master Pro by List Logic Software – $4.99A professional Architect will always require a useful organizer-style App, and List Master is just right for this task. the application has loads of features allowing you to create numerous types of lists either from scratch or using the included templates. it works in both landscape and portrait modes and has a checkbox feature to allow you to check off completed items. Individual entries on the list can even be coloured to highlight their importance.Architect’s Formulator – $9.99This useful App developed by Multieducator allows an Architect to take over 200 formulas out of the office to be with them at all times. these formulas, which are so complex they are unlikely to be memorized, cover such calculations as sound absorption, sound reverberation and room acoustics. the App also contains details of common weights and material usage factors any Architect will require such as aggregate weights, bricks required per area of wall and volume per tonne. A valuable tool not just for the Architect but for anyone involved in the construction business.Architecture Shapes – £1.79This application by Italic Labs LC acts as a catalogue of architectural shapes. whilst not a design tool in itself, its purpose is to inspire creativity in an Architect lacking in ideas. it achieves this with numerous interesting photographs of buildings and structures from across the world. With this on your iPhone you will never be short of inspiration again.Architect Envi Deluxe by Open Door Networks – $3.99An extremely useful App, Architect Envi Deluxe is an encyclopaedia based on the work of the world’s most famous Architects. Each entry is packed with extensive information about the designers and their work. Each entry provides in-depth information regarding the Architect and their buildings including dates, sizes and interesting facts. whilst an essential reference for an Architect, the App is also useful for those with a casual interest in the subject matter.3D Building Bricks – £1.79Modelled on the famous Lego building bricks, this App from MobileGameGarage aims to expand an Architect’s creative side by allowing the construction of three dimensional structure right on your iPhone’s screen. as well as being a great problem and idea generating tool, it is great fun and will also appeal to anyone with just a passing interest in the construction process.Thank you for reading our article on useful Apps for the Architect. We hope that these great applications will transform the way in which you conduct your professional activities. Don’t forget to check out our related article entitled ‘Five great Free iPhone Apps for the Architect.’

Incase Audio: Interview with Joe Tan, Chief Design Officer & Markus Diebel, VP of Design – Core77

Earlier this summer, electronics accessory company Incase announced that they were launching a line of headphones to complement both the gadgets that need them and their existing portfolio. seeing as Incase has become all but synonymous with laptop bags and cases, the announcement marks a new direction for the Southern California-based company, and the initial teaser shots definitely whet our appetites for more details.

We had the opportunity to talk to Joe Tan, Chief Design Officer, and Markus Diebel, VP of Design, about the design process behind the new collection.

I know one of Incase’s primary goals was to strike a balance between aesthetics and comfort. Can you elaborate on this process?

For us, functionality takes priority. when we set out to design our line of headphones, we wanted to elevate the listening experience by focusing on the right acoustics and creating a high level of ergonomic wearing comfort.

To keep the focus on producing this listening experience, we set out to create the most minimal aesthetic that further emphasized and complemented our focus rather than detract from it with unnecessary details. In our product development cycle, we go through a repeated exercise and process of aesthetic reduction, which, in this case, has resulted in a timeless simplicity and a seemingly effortless aesthetic that we are very excited about.

To maximize the wearing comfort, we looked closely at the human anatomy, specifically the ear and ear canal shape and how our ear tips and pads would interface with them. With unique ear tip and ear cup shapes that match the human form and by incorporating memory foam into the build of the ear cups, we were able to increase the pressure dispersion at the various touch points, resulting in a better and more comfortable fit and an improved acoustic experience as a result of minimizing the sound leakage.

From L to R: The “Pivot,” “Reflex,” and “Sonic”

How did you arrive at the choice of materials?

Since we are introducing a completely new family of products, we wanted to create some sense of continuity and consistency with the rest of the Incase product line. This was achieved through our design language and approach, but also through careful editing of materials and finishes.

We’ve chosen some materials and finishes that were already part of the Incase design language, such as the soft-touch finish and coated canvas textile. we then combined these familiar materials with completely new ones like memory foam, microsuede and woven mesh (found on our ear cups), which creates a completely new tactile and sensory experience.

Alternately, it also looks like you’ve hit a sweet spot of sleek design and superior audio quality, though I haven’t had a chance to road test them yet. what was the R&D process behind the audio drivers themselves?

As creatives, musicians and DJs, we were looking for a clean and natural sound that would express music or an instrument as it’s intended to be heard—without too much over-amplification or distortion. a lot of today’s music is so well mixed and fine-tuned that we felt it was important to keep the sound reproduction as authentic as possible. at the same time, we wanted the sound to be dynamic and responsive, while also being warm and dimensional.

To develop the right drivers with the right acoustics for us, we needed to first decide on what we wanted the Incase sound signature to be. we did a pretty extensive audit of other products, listening to a wide range of headphones from premium audio to everyday product. our goal was to better understand what products sounded great over the widest range of music.

What was eye-opening in this process was that, even though the audio drivers played a large role in the sound signature creation, everything else that went into the speaker design, such as driver housing shape, volume and all other component materials were just as crucial in the final acoustic outcome. For us it wasn’t necessarily about any specific technology, but more about trying different things to achieve the sound we wanted.

Of course, audio is an interesting marketplace because the so-called “prosumer” is essentially an audiophile. do you think the audio quality stands up to that of other high-end headphones?

In our development process, our headphone builds went through regular sound signature testing to ensure our line reflected the clean audio signature we were looking for. we aren’t designing headphones for professional use—we are not pretending to make products specifically for studio musicians or DJs—but we are confident that our headphones will appeal to those who appreciate quality audio performance, the details of aesthetic design, as well as added functionality (and some of these people might just be studio musicians and DJs.) All in all, we believe that we’ve created a premium product line reflected in both physical design and performance.

And the decision to include the built-in mic across the board, how did that come about?

The iPhone and iPad are quickly becoming two of the most important sources for music, entertainment and two-way communication. This, along with the various uses and needs for headphones alongside all Apple devices, led us to the inclusion of an integrated mic and remote control be applied across our product line so that the headphones provide listening, communication and creation possibilities.

What does the future hold for Incase, specifically with regard to electronics? anything in particular to look forward to?

The future is bright, so you’ll just have to wait and see.

Stay tuned—we’ll have full product reviews next week, when the headphones hit the shelves!

Cygnett iPad 2 / iPhone 4 cases UrbanShield, WorkMate Pro, and Lavish Earth Reviews – SlashGear

It’s not often that we cover cases for any sort of device, especially Apple products, not because they don’t deserve coverage of course, but because there’s just so darn many of them out there! Every once in a while there’s a group that brings a combination of materials and form, though, that we just cannot resist giving a little extra time and a few words to. Today that attention belongs to Cygnett, an Australian-based company that will be launching their first wave of products in the USA this season, starting with the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2. Take a peek at brushed aluminum, polycarbonate, and leather-styled coverings for all your iDevice covering needs!

Lavish Earth for iPad 2

Before we begin with this iPad 2 case, I’ve got to quickly notify you that we’ve reviewed only a couple other iPad 2 specific cases before, one of them being the iFrogz iPad 2 Summit Case which I’m sure you’ll find rather similar to the purple case we’ve got here today, the next being the HandStand2 for iPad 2 which you’ll look at and instantly understand why we say it’s in a class all its own, and finally the Apple-made iPad Smart Cover case shown inside our big iPad 2 main review. What Cygnett offers with its Lavish Earth iPad 2 leather-style multi-view folio case is a refined look and feel (not to mention a couple of rather unique colors: Sandstone and Purple) for an all-encompassing case that allows you to set your iPad up on its own in several positions.

Drawbacks here are the fact that you’re no longer able to experience the top-class design that is the iPad 2 without a case on it. One of the main reasons the iPad 2 was released alongside the Apple-made Smart Cover is that it works without covering up the inherent loveliness in the industrial design of the iPad 2 hardware. Another drawback here is the added bulk, however small, that comes with basically any protection solution. The Lavish Earth cover makes up for this in fine craftsmanship around all the edges and unique look (purple, in this case) of the entire unit.

You can find out more information about purchasing the Lavish Earth case at Cygnett as it is released – these cases will likely be available at locations in the gallery image posted below, the same being true of the iPhone 4 products in this post as well:

UrbanShield for iPhone 4

Next there’s the iPhone 4 brushed aluminum case by the name of UrbanShield. This rather simple looking case ads a minimal amount of clasping rubber finish casing around the rim of your iPhone 4 and a lovely “precision-machined from premium-grade brushed aluminum” backing in several colors: black, silver, bronze, or blue. all of your ports, switches, buttons, and doodads are easily accessible with the case fully on, and with each purchase you also get a screen protector and microfibre cleaning cloth. each of the cases has a black-colored rim except the blue-backed case which has a silver-colored rim. your camera and LED flash along the back are also of course still very usable as the case has an oval-like shape opening right around them.

Similar to what I just noted about the iPad 2 case, one of your biggest concerns should be, if your a design-conscious citizen, making sure the iPhone 4 hardware shape and industrial design essence, if I may be so bold, shine through. UrbanShield appears to be doing this quite well. Check out more information on UrbanShield at Cygnett’s dedicated product page and note that the same retailers listed above will likely be carrying this case as well as the Lavish Earth.

WorkMate Pro for iPhone 4

Lastly there’s a case that takes the lovely industrial design of the iPhone 4 we’ve been speaking about and covers it all up with either a cool black and gray or a bright powerful gray and orange – thick and truly heavy-duty. This case is made up of two separate parts, a high-action set of layers of silicone plus a high-quality polycarbonate on top to protect your iPhone 4 from nearly any sort of fall or toss you’re going to encounter in your day-to-day activities. like the UrbanShield, you get a screen protector with this case and a microfibre cleaning cloth, and believe it or not, you’ll still have easy access to all of your ports, controls, and connectors.

Drawbacks of course include your inability to see most of the device other than the display, again, as I’ve been saying, but when you get this far into actually protecting your device, you should start to be willing to give up a little aesthetic goodness. that said, this case certainly isn’t bad looking, and will give your iPhone 4 a bit of unique flavor where quite often a case will dumn it down. you can get more information on the WorkMate Pro at Cygnett and check all retailers shown above for availability and pricing.

Look good to you? Let us know what you think of cases such as these!

iPhone 5: Revolutionary Voice Interface, radical redesigns and other rumours – iPad/iPhone – Macworld UK

After months and months, the iOSsphere has exploded with an iPhone 5 rumour that finally is worthy of the name. The pedestrian predictions of a dual-core processor and more memory and the labored explanations of why a tear-drop profile and marginally larger screen are a “radical” redesign pale in comparison to a Revolutionary Voice Interface, or RVI.

Other Apple rumour developments: The Date passes beyond rumor to fact; iPhone 5 might have 4G after all, depending on how you define it; Pent Up Demand, out of control-ness, and buying frenzy ahead.

You read it here second.

“The missing [iPhone 5] prototype is said to have been enclosed in a case to disguise it as a current-generation iPhone 4….how Apple applied that with the iPhone 5 supposedly wider and longer than the current iPhone 4 is a point to ponder.”

– Chris Chang, M.I.C. Gadget

The end of rumors about The Date. last week Apple sent out press invitations with the folksy, and to some highly suggestive phrase (more below), “Let’s talk iPhone.” The talk will be Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 10 am Pacific Time at Apple’s Cupertino, Calif., headquarters. Finally, someone’s rumor was actually right.

Forget about the touch thing. iPhone 5 has a Revolutionary Voice Interface.

This rumor has exploded through the iOSsphere like an instant digitalnova, fueled apparently by leaks and some informed and intriguing speculation.

Mark Gurman at 9to5mac has an extensive story about a new iOS software program called, somewhat misleadingly in our opinion, “Assistant.” Assistant lets you verbally tell iPhone 5 what to do, such as schedule an appointment or find a store: the phone processes the speech and Assistant interacts with an array of systems and application software to get it done. it can even ask you questions, such as which email address or phone number to use to contact someone.

The basic idea is not a new rumor: it’s been circulating for nearly a year since Apple acquired a startup called Siri. VentureBeat has been covering this since before the acquisition. Apple in 2009 with iPhone 3Gs introduced a feature called Voice Control, with a relatively small group of commands. Siri originally created a verbal assistant for the iPhone, using speech technology licensed from Nuance.

It was impressive but still constrained, according to VentureBeat’s Anthony Ha. he wrote, in the article linked to above: “The main limitation was the fact that it only focused on a few areas, including restaurants, movies, events, local businesses, taxis, and weather. for that reason, even though I always mentioned the app as an impressive technology, I didn’t actually use it as often as I thought, and I’ve heard anecdotally that others had the same experience. As Siri (or whatever Siri becomes) adds more features, that could change.”

That’s exactly what Siri and Apple seem to have done, which, if that’s the case in iPhone 5, elevates the embedded voice technology from being a limited-function assistant to a full-blown user-interface, not replacing touch, but relegating to touch those things that voice can’t, for now, do. (And Assistant doesn’t require you to speak slowly, or repetitively: it can, says Gurman, process your normal speaking voice.)

That’s why Assistant seems more far-reaching than Gurman’s description of it as the phone’s “system-wide voice navigation system” (though to be fair, we may just be splitting semantic hairs). As the most human of human interfaces, voice really could justify a claim by Apple that “this changes everything yet again.”

That’s certainly the very definite opinion of investor and Apple watcher Jason Schwarz in a provocative blogpost that leverages what Gurman, and others with leaked information, are now reporting.

He writes: “Wall Street has not yet caught on to the fact that this iPhone upgrade is an absolute game-changer. Consensus opinion remains severely off track with the expectation that this new phone will have a better camera, be a little faster, and look the same as the iPhone 4. The truth is that this iPhone 5 upgrade is the most significant upgrade to the Apple ecosystem since the initial launch of the product back in 2007.”

Schwarz quotes then-Apple CEO Steve Jobs at the original iPhone announcement in January 2007 as saying, “We are all born with the ultimate pointing device — our fingers — and iPhone uses them to create the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse.”

Schwarz then adds his two cents: “Well, I would add that we’re also born with the ultimate communication tool — our voice — and iPhone is about to create the most revolutionary user interface in the history of technology. I expect that this voice assistant will quickly make its way into laptops and desktops as well. Apple’s competitive advantage is widening by the day.”

The compute power required to process voice, especially to do so accurately in a fluid user interaction, is the one thing, apart from 3D online games, that actually makes a dual-core processor worthwhile on a mobile device. Rumors have consistently held that iPhone 5 will feature the dual-core A5 chip, currently used in the iPad 2.

But Schwarz is on much less firm ground when he talks about a possible revolution in search, created by this voice UI, which, he says, can handle “Web based search functions such as ‘book a table for two at 9:00 tonight’ or ‘send a taxi to my house’….Voice search, rather than browser based search, could prove to be a real threat to Google’s dominance.” But whether using one’s voice or one’s browser, the underlying search is still done by a search engine. By eliminating touch, or even just reducing it, you potentially also eliminate the human eye in search, so the ads and sponsored links — so vital to Google’s revenues – are what might be really threatened by a voice interface from Apple.

The iPhone 5 and cellular 4G redux: it all depends on how you define “4G”

A China Unicom executive speaking at MacWorld Asia this week showed to his audience a slide that identified the iPhone 5 as supporting a data rate of up to 21Mbps via HSPA+ cellular technology. That would be three times that of the iPhone 4, which supports the slower HSPA standard, as VentureBeat noted. 

VentureBeat was just one of the U.S. tech sites that picked up on the initial report, in Japanese, originating at PCWatch.  Our guess is that a lot of Japanese nuance is lost in the Google Translate version: “Deputy Director of the Institute of the Chinese carrier China Unicom is an iPhone, you feel good (Huang Wenliang) presentation by Mr., iPhone 3G network in what has become of increasing the resolution further….Right edge of the slide and the 2011 portion of the model name and iPhone 5, corresponding to the HSPA +, there is a maximum speed of 21Mbps downlink description. Develop own network China Unicom, according to the slide has been conducted from 2010 to respond to HSPA +, has been that corresponds to the HSPA + base stations are 26,000 in all of China already, as the specifications of next iPhone was introduced from the carrier HSPA + support seems to be the first time.”

But you get the gist: 4G HSPA+ instead of the lusted-for 4G LTE.

That would be, if not good news, at least better news for subscribers on AT&T and, maybe, T-Mobile, which are both rolling out HSPA+ to improve 3G speeds, even as AT&T also deploys LTE for even higher throughput.

A rumor about what caused all the iPhone redesign rumors.

The Website M.I.C. Gadget says that someone working for an “iPhone accessories supplier” told its crew that “an iPhone 5 prototype had gone missing from the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen Futian district. this should explain why we are seeing a whole lot of iPhone 5 cases in China today.”

It would apparently also explain why the cases, and the rumors about the iPhone 5’s shape and size, may be spectacularly wrong: the website was told by yet another source that the person who “stole” the prototype was paid to do so and to make sure it fell into the hands of case-makers.

First the derring-do, as recounted by Gadgeteer Chris Chang. “The missing prototype is said to have been enclosed in a case to disguise it as a current-generation iPhone 4-which brings to mind the iPhone 4 prototype acquired by Gizmodo that was camouflaged as an iPhone 3GS.” So it does, along with so much else about the notorious Gizmodo Affair, immortalized by Shakespeare in “Love’s Labor Lost (or Stolen): a felony in three acts.”

But to quote TechBuffalo, even Chang is skeptical. “How Apple applied that with the iPhone 5 supposedly wider and longer than the current iPhone 4 is a point to ponder.”

No kidding. unless, of course, in addition to all its other marvels, iPhone 5 is dimensionally transcendental, like Dr. Who’s time-traveling Tardis, where the inside is bigger than the outside. 

“We were told that Foxconn was aware of the loss and had penalized internal management for the incident. [Yet] We also heard from another source that the person who “lost” it was paid to do so,” Wang writes.

The rumor that these rumors may or may not be true is clearly false, according to the friend of a guy who knows the janitor that cleans the office of the junior assistant director of factory operations at an iPhone accessories manufacturer with links to companies in the Apple supply chain.

Signs of the Apocalypse (continued): iPhone 5 release will be “out of control” for the holidays

Josh Smith at GottaBeMobile is so excited that he gives his post two headlines. The first is “iPhone 5 Release: why Launching for the Holidays Will Set Records.”

And the second: “Why the iPhone 5 Release Will Be out of Control.”

If you read closely, he’s basically saying “The reason iPhone 5 will set records is because the release will be out of control because of Pent Up Demand.”

People, or at least GottaBeMobile readers, are ready to sacrifice their first born for an iPhone 5 apparently. “The demand is so great that 66% of our readers would buy the iPhone 5 without seeing it or knowing anything about the new device other than the current iPhone 5 rumors.” What a heart-warming testimony to the power of the free flow of digital information and the wisdom of crowds.

Smith makes us feel the pain of the “many” iPhone 5 buyers, who “have been waiting for the new iPhone for many months,” especially the “iPhone 3GS owners whose contracts expired back in June and July.” The plight of the iPhoneless in America. But also don’t forget the “many Verizon subscribers [who] have been waiting for a new iPhone before signing a two year contract.”

We’re not sure that last point computes, exactly, since Smith doesn’t cite any data to show that “many” Verizon customers have put off buying an iPhone because they really, really want the next iPhone (the one they’ll buy sight unseen based on just the rumors that GottaBeMobile and others have been posting faithfully).

For one thing, since introducing the iPhone for the first time this year, Verizon has activated 4.5 million units by the end of its second quarter in June, covering one full quarter and the final seven weeks of the first quarter. But those numbers, by definition, can’t reveal how many are postponing an iPhone purchase.

There is “pent up demand” but it seems to be most pronounced among ‘tech savvy” consumers who also can afford the iPhone-and-service-contract packages from the carriers. in the recent ChangeWave/RBC Capital Markets survey of “2,200 tech-savvy early adopters” 31% are very or somewhat likely to buy the iPhone 5, a jump from the 25% in this category last year, for the iPhone 4. RBC concluded, based on the results, that “66 percent of existing iPhone users are very/somewhat likely to buy the iPhone 5, pointing to a large pending upgrade cycle.” presumably this means 66% “of the current iPhone users in this sample of 2,200 tech-savvy early adopters,” not 66% of all current iPhone users.

Buying mobile phones outside India? Think again

A plethora of mobile phones is now available in India but many people still feel that the grass is greener on the other side (i.e. in the West). anyone can be tempted to buy a mobile phone or pick up a tablet while on a trip to western countries. One may certainly get a good deal on the price but unknowingly loses out on something very important &#151 warranty. That’s one thing which everyone expects but rarely bothers to dig deep into.

Recently, the unlocked iPhone 4 was one of the hottest and most sought after devices in India. such unlocked mobile phones can be bought from grey markets, third-party channels and also through official stores from Western countries.

However, in case your mobile phone starts giving you issues, then the only thing that comes to your mind is warranty. There are three different types of warranty from different mobile phone manufacturers.

The manufacturer’s warranty is the one offered by the original manufacturer of the product for repairing the mobile phone in case any defects are found after purchase. For example, Micromax recently announced an exchange policy for defective handsets.

Second is the replacement warranty which is offered by the dealer/seller or the manufacturer to replace the mobile phone for any manufacturing defects and if the device is still in the warranty period.

Finally, dealer warranty is when the dealer offers to get the mobile phone repaired within a certain period after purchase.

Whether online or offline, the purchase of unlocked handsets have the manufacturer’s warranty limited to the country of purchase. So if you have purchased a handset from India, then you cannot have it replaced outside India even if your phone is within the warranty period.

Talking about the warranty of iPhone 4, Apple India stated that the “iPhone is the only Apple product that comes with the warranty limited to the country of purchase.”

Even Apple Authorised Resellers like Maple India will not offer any replacement warranty on iPhone. the same is reflected in the iPhone 4 Limited Warranty document.

For instance, if you have bought an unlocked iPhone 4 or BlackBerry handset from the United States, then the warranty on that device is limited to the United States only. In case you bought the same unlocked handset to India you will not be able to claim warranty on the mobile phone here.

In short, the warranty of a mobile phone is limited to the country in which it was purchased.

Primarily, the warranty period of the handset is offered for a twelve month period. Chargers, batteries, headsets, cables and usually covers are covered under warranty ranging from six months to nine months. A majority of mobile phone manufacturers like Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG, Nokia and HTC offer a year-long warranty that involves repairing the defective parts or replacing software.

Mobile phones are usually available in India in two basic ways &#151 unlocked or carrier locked. an unlocked mobile phone means without any carrier code/apps and ready to be used with any GSM SIM module. In several countries, only cellular operators enjoy the pleasure to sell contract-free or unlocked handsets but in those cases the mobile phone still comes with some carrier software.

Carrier-locked mobile phones mean the device comes with specific software and has network connectivity locked down to a particular cellular service provider. Unlocking carrier locked handsets violates the device warranty in any country.

Advait Vaidya, senior product manager for RIM India, shed light on the matter, stating, “International warranty on mobile phones is a big logistical and regulatory challenge. In many countries, the cellular service providers sell unlocked as well as locked handsets with their own verified code running on it. In case anyone flashes or applies a software version other than the original one, the warranty is void.”

So it is a big logistical challenge for mobile phone makers to offer international warranty on mobile phones because a) cellular operators wish to get consumers to buy mobiles from them or use their custom code bearing software, and b) legal regulations differ from country to country. the most important reason for employing country specific warranty is to prevent the grey market import-export business from flourishing so that official retail partners are protected.

An online marketplace like eBay is the ground for several sellers for offering handsets with or without warranty. However, eBay India does give clarity on different types of warranty that sellers on eBay India may offer, which can be read here.

Basic requirements to claim warranty

The basic requirement to claim warranty is that you have the warranty card/certificate duly filled and stamped by the seller. Besides that, several manufacturers provide warranty that covers faulty part replacement only. Also, the owner of the mobile phone is expected to produce/share the original copy of the bill that has the handset’s IMEI number clearly mentioned on it. the mobile phone owner is required to visit the nearest service center with the mobile phone, warranty card and original copy of the bill to make the best of the warranty.

When purchasing a new mobile phone, thoroughly check for original logos, markings and see that the packaging is intact &#151 non-tampered. Always insist on getting the warranty card stamped and signed by the dealer.

Do not be surprised or agitated if the official channel of mobile manufacturers in India refuses to repair/service your mobile phone in case you fail to produce all the documents mentioned above or if the handset has been bought outside India. In that case you will have to shell out some cash from your own pocket and get your phone repaired from third party service centers.

Will Samsung’s ‘iPhone-Killer’ Galaxy S 2 Overpower Motorola Droid Bionic?

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It comes with cloud-friendly app Zumocast, which lets users bring videos, music, pictures and documents stored on their computers to their handset via remote access. In the U.S., the Droid Bionic is available for $299 on a new two-year contract with Verizon, or $599 at full retail.

Galaxy S 2 comes to the U.S. after selling a record five million units in 85 days in Europe and Asia and is the best-selling Samsung phone ever. Samsung’s phone rivals the rumored specs of the forthcoming iPhone 5. Apple has accused Samsung of “slavishly copying” its own iPhone, saying the design and features infringe upon Apple’s intellectual property.

Galaxy S2, which runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and sports Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, comes with an 8-megapixel camera with flash and can record HD video in 1080p offering the richest video content on a smartphone. the phone also has the front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video chat.

All the versions of Galaxy S 2 will get 4G treatment, offering data speeds up to four times faster than what is expected in Apple’s forthcoming iPhone 5. In the U.S., Galaxy S 2 will be carried by AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint, whose version will be called Samsung Epic 4G Touch.

Samsung Epic 4G Touch is now available for pre-orders with Walmart for $99 while it is priced at $199.99 on a new two-year contract with Sprint.

Samsung’s phone is not the only smartphone to receive a cheaper price tag option. Even the Motorola Droid Bionic will be offered by Costco for $279, plus $160-worth accessories for free. Droid Bionic will be available at Costco from Sept. 13. the accessories include a standard bionic dock, in-car navigation dock, extra battery and battery charger.

One of the most interesting things about the Costco deal is that it comes in the form of 90-day return window.

In what seems to be a twist in the tale, Verizon is not offering Samsung Galaxy S 2, effectively making Motorola Droid Bionic the ultimate phone to receive all the attention in the days to come.

Both Android devices from Samsung and Motorola offer quite a blazing performance at the hand of dual-core processing power. but there are enough differences between the two that could make you choose one over the other.

Here is a comparison between Motorola Droid Bionic and Samsung Galaxy S2:

Operating System: both the phones have Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system. Also both the smartphones will take full advantage of features like the notification bar, cloud synchronization, wireless syncing, iMessage, Twitter integration and Widgets.

Size: Samsung Epic 4G Touch on Sprint comes with a 129.5 x 68.6 x 9.6 mm dimension and weighs 129 grams, while the T-Mobile version, fondly known as Hercules, has 131 x 70 x 9 mm dimension. As the AT&T version retains 4.3-inch display, it is expected to feature 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm and weighs 116 grams. Motorola Droid Bionic comes with 127.5 x 66.9 x 11 mm and weighs 158.8 grams.

Processor: Samsung Galaxy S2 comes with dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 Mali-400MP GPU Exynos processor with 1GB RAM. Droid Bionic will come with 1 GHz dual-core TI OMAP4430 processor.

Camera: Droid Bionic sports an 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with flash with 1080p HD video capture and a front-facing camera for video chat over 4G LTE, 3G or Wi-Fi. Samsung Galaxy S2 also has a 8MP camera with autofocus and 2MP camera in front for video calling.

Display:  T-Mobile and Epic Touch 4G version of Sprint has 4.52-inch display screen whereas AT&T version retains 4.3-inch screen of original Galaxy S2 version sold worldwide. the Galaxy S2 Epic Touch 4G comes with 4.52-inch (~206 ppi pixel density) 480 x 800 pixels Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen display.

Motorola Droid Bionic comes with 4.3 inches (~256 ppi pixel density) 540 x 960 pixels TFT capacitive touchscreen. the smartphone features qHD support which is a quarter of the full HD resolution.

Storage: Motorola Droid Bionic has 16GB internal storage and another 16GB microSD card pre installed, which can be expanded up to 32 GB. Galaxy S2 boasts 16GB internal storage and can be expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. both phones have 1GB RAM.

3G/ 4G: there is Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps support for both Droid Bionic and Epic Touch 4G. but they differ when it comes to speed. With Droid Bionic featuring Verizon’s 4G LTE support, it holds speed advantage over Samsung’s phone as Epic Touch will feature Sprint’s 4G.

WLAN/Bluetooth/USB: Samsung Epic Touch offers Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot; WiMax, Bluetooth version 3.0+HS and microUSB version 2.0.

Motorola Droid Bionic has Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth version 2.1 with A2DP and EDR along with microUSB version 2.0 support.

Battery:  Motorola Droid Bionic has Li-Ion 1735 mAh battery giving up to 10 h 40 min talk time and recent test revealed that the phone could last close to 8 hours on 4G LTE, which is a big plus point for Droid Bionic as previous phones using LTE support faced issue with battery drainage.

Also for users who want to take full advantage of battery power, there is an optional battery support being released for Droid Bionic with whopping 2760mAh battery. some users have reported that even with some data consumption and heavy use, the battery managed to last 24 hours.

While Samsung Epic Touch 4G has Li-Ion 1800 mAh battery support, which will offer more than 10 hours of talk time, while AT&T versions retain Li-Ion 1650 mAh battery found in original Galaxy S2

Pricing: Droid Bionic is priced at $299 with a two year contract at Verizon. on Sprint, Epic 4G Touch will cost $199.99 with a two-year contract. AT&T version is also expected to be on the same lines in the range of $250 to $300, while T-Mobile hasn’t announced pricing or availability details.

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Apple refreshes iPod nano, lowers price

Apple announced a new iPod Nano today. the compact mp3 player wil have a multi-touch interface with larger icons to make it easier to navigate. It’ll keep its boxy good looks and have built-in support for all your fitness needs. to let you wear it as a watch, the Nano will also ship with 16 new clock faces. Pair it with a watch band and you’ll be able to keep track of time in style.

the new iPod Nano be available in 7 colors and two capacities, 8 GB and 16 GB. It’s available today for $129 and $149, respectively.

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