Category Archives: iPhone 4S
Apple confirms GLONASS support for iPhone 4S
Apple has updated its US iPhone 4S tech specs page to say that the new devices supports GLONASS positioning systems.
GLONASS stand for Global Navigation Satellite System and is the Russian version of GPS that was developed in the 1990s.
According to Wikipedia, the GLONASS system fell into disrepair in the 90s as the Russian economy sank, but in the last decade the system has come back with Russia launching its 24th satellite last year, giving GLONASS coverage to every inch of Russian territory.
Before GLONASS, the iPhone only supported assisted GPS. There’s no word from Apple yet if the iPhone 4S will take advantage of both systems simultaneously on a world wide basis to give users more accurate positioning data.
A Duet With Siri [Video]
If our post which mentioned some of the funny responses from Siri cracked you up, then checkout this duet created by Jonathan Mann with Siri – iPhone 4S intelligent personal assistant.
Jonathan is a musician and songwriter, best known for writing a song a day and has been apparently doing it for over 1000 days.
Jonathan has cleverly used the lyrics to get Siri to participate in the duet. We thought Siri speaking to Siri video was funny, but this is hilarious!
Checkout the video below and let us know what you think:
iPhone 4S users complain of yellowish display tint
Some iPhone 4S users are reporting their screen has a yellowish tint.
The tinting problem supposedly affects the whole display and gives everything a washed out appearance when compared to the iPhone 4. This is apparently different from the yellow tinting problem of the iPhone 4 which appeared as yellow blotches on the screen.
The iPhone 4′s problem was caused by glue used in the manufacturing process and went away once the glue dried.
Customers on Apple support forums are actively discussing the current issue, which appears to affect the black models more than the white; though some white models still have it. Many suggest this is the result of using more than one screen manufacturer. One of the manufacturers may be producing a lower quality display.
Just how good is the iPhone 4S camera?
Yes, the iPhone 4S is pretty darned good for a smartphone camera, but people are getting a bit too misty-eyed over the quality.
We’ve been flooded with well-meaning comparison images, some pitting the iPhone against some high-end still and video cameras from companies like Nikon and Canon.
Today, the makers of the great little Camera+ app sent us some shots comparing the original iPhone, the 3G, the 3GS the 4, and even the lust-worthy Canon EOS 5D Mark II, which sells for a paltry US$3000+.
The tests show two of the old iPhone cameras out of focus, which isn’t exactly fair. No, those cameras didn’t have tap-to-focus, but it was possible to get some pretty fair macro images. I’ve done it. Also, at the small size the images have been presented, it’s not a surprise that the iPhone 4S looks pretty good against the big Canon. The differences start to show up and full resolution, and when the more expensive camera images are not heavily compressed.
Same with some of the video comparisons I’ve seen. The iPhone 4S is shown against a semi-pro camera, but in a very small video window. Try viewing the output of both cameras on a 50″ monitor and then we’ll talk about it.
If you really want to compare still cameras, try low light imaging, and blow the frames up so we can see the resolution and the noise.
Siri is the iPhone 4S’ most enticing feature
I could have probably told you this without doing all of the research, but Loopt asked around anyway, and found out that Siri was the iPhone 4S’ most exciting new feature for consumers. Sure, that camera is really impressive, and that processor will come in handy when running new games and apps. But 45% of those polled say Siri is the killer app for the new iPhone. And that makes sense — not only is Siri flashy and new (and available only on the iPhone 4S, for now), but it’s pretty much the marquee feature for the device according to Apple’s marketing.
And since that feature was only available on the iPhone 4S, then who, do you think, were the most frequent buyers of that new device? Turns out, according to Loopt’s fairly informal data, that it was actually iPhone 4 owners. Personally, I usually go for a “leapfrog” system of hardware upgrades (and since I already have an iPhone 4, that leaves me out of this round), but that’s probably not the case with most iPhone 4S buyers — some people just need to have the latest and greatest, so according to this data, most day-one iPhone 4S buyers were standing in line with their iPhone 4s already.