Posts Tagged ‘iPhone’

Apple’s got their head in the clouds!

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011

This week at the Apple World Wide Developers Conference a new cloud based storage service was revealed: iCloud. Apple’s iCloud is a new system that will automatically synchronize and backup all of your files across all your apple wireless devices. For the multidevice lifestyle we have all embraced with Apple products, this new way of storing and sharing information will revolutionize how we communicate with each other and how we interact with our devices.

iCloud will be a free service available for users to download this fall. The user will be able to automatically synchronize all their information including music, photos, documents, apps, and books to all wireless devices within range. This will create an automatic backup system similar to Google Docs and Dropbox.

By including the user’s iTunes library in iCloud, when a song is purchased on one device it will automatically be available on up to 10 other devices. So that means you can be listening to a song in a cafe, purchase it on your iPad and then go for a run later that day and listen to it on your iPod touch or iPhone without ever connecting your devices. All of the music purchased through iTunes will be automatically saved to the user’s cloud locker. For £25 a year Apple also has iTunes Match which will scan through all your music not purchased through iTunes and find a copy in their music library of over 18 million songs to replace your song with an iTunes Plus quality copy at 256 Kbps, even if your original copy was of lower quality.

Synchronizing your playlists is just one of the new features of iCloud. All your photos will also be synchronized and updated to each device immediately. With iCloud users can easily share photos and even upload directly to Facebook and Twitter from any device. It will be easier than ever to capture baby’s first beach day and send photos and video to grandma and grandpa immediately from any device.

Music and photos can take up a lot of memory on the iPhone and iPad, but Apple’s thought of that too. There will only be a rolling stream of 1,000 photos saved directly on the smaller devices at any time; the rest of the photo stream will be accessible through the cloud locker through a Wi-Fi or 3G connection. This does pose a problem for users who frequently travel in zones with weak wireless signals. It does not appear that iCloud will be able to stream music from the iTunes library, so there may only be a limited cache of songs accessible when on airplane mode.

iCloud will protect even the laziest users from losing their data. Apple does all the work for you constantly updating and syncing your data. All documents can be easily shared and edited so you are always working on the most up-to-date version no matter what device you use. Sharing and updating calendars and email accounts is another new feature. Text messages and SMS messages are also saved in your cloud locker along with saved ringtones and apps.

We all remember Mobile Me and how that system never really lived up to our Apple expectations. We at MadBid think iCloud is a very different product and will become a formidable competitor in the cloud based storage industry.

We can’t wait to try iCloud out on our Apple products this fall. Which Apple products will you be synchronizing? The benefits of cloud storage and synchronization can only really be optimized when you have more than one device to update, so why not pick up another i-something? At MadBid.com users have picked up the iPad 2 for just £2.52 and the iPhone 4 for £2.34. Those are just a few examples of the deals our users are wining every day, see for yourself.

iPhone 5 Nano or Mini – cheapest iPhone on the market rumoured for less than £125

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

The iPhone 5 Nano or Mini is expected to launch this summer as the less expensive alternative to the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 Nano has many new changes from all the other iPhone models we have come to know so well.

This iPhone will be 1/3 the size of the current iPhone 4 with virtually no internal storage, making the new phone significantly lighter in your pocket and lighter on your wallet. Expected to retail at around £125 off contract and even less with a contract, Apple has made this phone so inexpensive by removing the most expensive part: internal memory.

These new phones will operate almost entirely off of Cloud-based storage through MobileMe.  This means that the iPhone 5 Nano will constantly be uploading, and streaming content, through the network. MobileMe is an Apple product that automatically synchs all your files across multiple devices. This online storage service acts as a virtual “locker” to store all your personal media including photos, music, video, email, contacts, calendars, and more.

Some aesthetic changes MadBid.com expect to see in the iPhone 5 Nano, apart from its new size, are an edge-to-edge display and likely no home button.  These changes will also increase the battery life of the phone to 14 hours talk time with 3G and 7 hours talk time with 4G.

A few little perks we found out for the internal workings of the new phone include voice-based navigation and face recognition security. With voice-based navigation you will be able to say your destination and instantly get directions. Face recognition security makes it virtually  impossible for someone to steal your phone when only the owner’s face will allow use of the phone.

Making life just a little bit easier for those of us who constantly drop our phones or leave them next to a nail file in our bag, the new iPhone 5 Nano has a shatter and scratch resistant screen.

It seems Apple has thought of everything to streamline our lives. To get your hands on one of these super small marvels for an even smaller price visit MadBid.com this summer when the phone is expected to become available. Can’t wait all summer? Try the 16 GB iPhone 4 in a live auction on our site right now!

iPhone 5 expected to launch September 2011

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

The latest Apple technology, the iPhone 5 is rumoured to be available to consumers in September 2011.

The new phone is expected to have a few cosmetic changes from the iPhone 4 including a metal back instead of the current glass backing which will reduce reception interference from the antenna, a larger screen boasting up to 4 inches with an edge to edge display, and a new LED camera flash moved to the right side of the phone opposite the lens to reduce redeye in photos.

But the new iPhone 5 isn’t just getting an external make-over, the inside of the phone is being upgraded too. Apple is expected to put their patented A5 Chip from the iPad 2 in the new iPhone giving it dual core processing power.  It seems however still uncertain whether or not Apple will bring 4G LTE to this new iPhone, or if they plan to wait to include that in a future model.iphone 4

We can expect the iPhone 5 to retail for somewhere between £510-612. The typical summer debut of new Apple products has been pushed back this year with the expected launch of the iPhone 5 in September due to the disaster in Japan earlier this year where the supplier of some key components of the phone was affected. More on the phone will likely be revealed at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 6 June 2011.

Some additional titbits MadBid.com have gleaned through the rumour mill include the inclusion of Near Field Communication (NFC) Technology in the newest iPhone, which essentially turns your phone into a credit/debit card.

Near Field Communication (NFC) Technology was founded by Nokia, Sony, and Royal Philips Electronics in 2004. This technology allows phones to transfer data from other devices at a close range, much like Bluetooth. If this technology is integrated as a part of the iPhone 5 as an e-Wallet app, as we expect it will be, your phone will then become your digital wallet with the ability to pay with your credit/debit cards, customer loyalty cards, and use coupons too. With this technology you may even be using your phone to get on the London Underground one day soon!

Also, the prototype of a smaller iPhone 5 model affectionately called the iPhone Nano is expected to launch this June as the least expensive iPhone model on the market. This smaller and budget friendly phone will have a shatter and scratch resistant screen, up to 14 hours of battery life, and Face Recognition Security making the iPhone Nano nigh impossible to steal.

With all this uncertainty surrounding Apple’s latest invention, one thing is certain: MadBid.com should be your first stop to getting your hands on the latest technology for up to 98% off recommended retail prices! Can’t wait until the end of the summer? We currently have the 16 GB iPhone 4 running live on our site.

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The New iPod Nano

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

Apple have release their newest iPod: the Nano 6. The new design is even smaller than the previous Nano models; now a compact square complete with a touch screen.

The new Nano is perfect for those simply wanting a small and fast music playing device. It obviously has far fewer features than the much larger iPod Touch, but comes with a handy and practical clip allowing you to fix it to clothes or bags. The Multi-Touch screen now presents the contents in a similar style to the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad, providing continuity throughout the product lines.

The Nano 6 does miss the voice and video recorders found on the previous model, but Apple are happy to market it as ‘100 percent made for music’, and those looking for a more multi-functional model will find the Touch more pleasing.

Available in seven bright colours, the new Nano is everything you need from an iPod, for those wanting a tiny, easy to use yet stylish device, the new Nano 6 is for you.

The BlackBerry Torch- The best of both worlds?

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

As smarphones continue to take over our work and personal lives, and two of the world’s biggest phone manufacturers go head to head, many of us face a dilemma. Do we choose the sleek, fun iPhone, jammed-packed with apps making it one of the most multi-functional gadgets around? Or do with opt for a more grown-up, professional-looking and reliable BlackBerry model?
BlackBerries may not seem quite as exciting as they hold a stigma of office-bound grumpy commuters, chained to their desks by 24/7 email alerts. However, they have in recent years become one of the most popular brands of phones for teens and young adults alike, drawn in by the lure of free instant messages to other Blackberries and the easy to use full keypads. So it seems the battle is on! And now Blackberry’s manufacturer RIM has confused us even more, by launching the company’s first 2-in-1 touch screen and keypad phone, The BlackBerry Torch.

RIM has made great improvements to its previous attempt at a touch screen model, The Storm, which made a click sound every time the screen was touched. In fact, the Torch screen is now comparable to those of the leaders in the touch screen market, Apple and HTC.
Inevitably, due to having both a sliding touch screen and a keypad, the Torch is slightly chunky, but BlackBerries have always been stocky phones so that shouldn’t come as a surprises, and the iPhone 4 is rather boxy and heavy anyway. So with issues of size and screen type sorted, the real deal-breaker seems to be the extras.

It doesn’t seem plausible that BlackBerry could ever take on the mighty iTunes and App Store as they provide over a quarter of a million different ways to make a standard phone more exciting. They have certainly tried with BlackBerry App World, and maybe now, with this new handset, they have a chance to challenge Apple, as the touch screen should allow for better games.

The BlackBerry Torch is RIM’s attempt at a middle-ground, providing us with both the style of a touch screen and alongside the conventional QWERTY keypad, which seems to be reaching out to a different generation of BlackBerry users and hoping to provide an answer for those stuck in the middle of the BlackBerry versus iPhone war.

HTC HD3 phone details have been leaked

Monday, July 12th, 2010

HTC looks to have another winner up its sleeve in the shape of the updated HD2 called, surprisingly enough, the HD3.

The HTC HD3 will sport a big 1280×800-resolution, multi-touch, 4.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen, driven by a 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor. Although the screen is bigger the actual handset will be smaller than the HD2’s measuring in at 115mm x 65mm x 10mm.

The phone is likely to be one of the first to run Windows Phone 7 Series and will boast 4G connectivity as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It’ll have 1GB of onboard RAM, with 32GB microSD storage.

The latest release from HTC should be hitting UK shelves before Xmas.

The iPhone 4 is amongst us!!

Monday, June 28th, 2010

So with the new iPhone 4 now available in the UK, sales have hit a staggering 1.7million in the first 3 days. Apple have announced that it is has been the most successful product launch in Apple’s history. Although the launch has hit some glitches along the way including the ‘antenna issue’, the sales and buzz surronding the latest addition is sensational.

With a 4.5″ screen and only 0.37″ deep the iPhone is a lot squarer than the 3GS. Available in both 16 and 32 GB, it is much similar to the 3GS in features. The updates see a better camera with 5MP aswell as an LED flash.

The iPhone 4 also facilitates video calling a lot better than the iPhone 3GS.

Sony launches the smallest ever Android phone

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

No bigger than a credit card, The new Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini has gone on sale in the United Kingdom. The worlds most compact Android-based smartphone, weighing just 88 grams boasts a 2.55 inch touch s, Wi-Fi, GPS and a 5 Mega-Pixel camera.

The latest release from Sony includes an integrated social networking feature along with plenty of exclusive apps. The Xperia comes in a choice of 3 colours including Black, Silver and Pink.

The phone offers access to both Sony Ericsson’s PlayNow portal and Google’s Android Market. This latest release from Sony is aimed at the younger teen market with as demonstrated by its features and colour options. Sony will hope that they will capture the market of first time phone users as well as young teens priced out of rivals such as BlackBerry and the Apple iPhone.

Apple to unveil iPhone 4.0

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Less than a month after a prototype for the iPhone 4.0 leaked, Steve Jobs is set to unveil the latest iPhone at the WWDC conference today. The iPhone is expected to have a host of new features, including an improved camera, better battery life, more storage and a higher resolution display.

Apple traditionally uses its annual Worldwide developers conference, to update its iPhone range. Steve Jobs, will take ths stage at 6pm UK time for a highly anticipated speech, where he is expected to show of the latest addition the the iPhone line-up and reveal more details about the iPhone 4.0.

The software update will bring several long-awaited features to the iPhone, including multitasking, which means iPhone users will be able to run multiple apps simultaneously, allowing them to send an instant message while listening to music streamed over th internet.

It is anticipated that the new iPhone will hold few surprises and as one analysist commented “We’ll see the evolution of an established and hugely successful product rather than a revolutionary new device”.

Flipout makes official debut

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

FLIPOUT_Saffron_dyn_L_partOpen_Home_EMEA_m_270x321The latest mobile from Motorola is set to hit UK shelves within weeks. The new Motorola Flipout is he newest android phone to hit the market. Similar to the Nokia Twist, the Flipout is a square shaped phone that twists open to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard.

Aimed at the younger crowd the smartphone sports various colours including Licorice, Raspberry Crush and Brilliant Blue. It also features a new version of Motoblur which allows the user to filer the happenings and messages widgets in various forms as well as offering re-tweet capabilities.

The Flipout boasts The Android 2.1v as well as a 3-mega-pixel camera with Kodak Perfect Touch Technology which allows labeling and tagging which filters back into Motoblur which makes social networking that bit easier.

It looks as though this smartphone is aimed at the younger market and has varied itself from both the iPhone and Blackberry in order to differentiate itself, instead of focusing on apps to download it has focused on clever built-in features and looks to pride itself on its social networking features.