Category Archives: iPhone 5
iPhone 5, HTC One cameras compared by iMore
Here at TUAW, we’re strictly an Apple blog, but our friends over at iMore tend to take a more cross-platform look at things. Today, iMore’s Allyson Kazmucha published a lengthy and detailed side-by-side comparison of the 8 megapixel camera built into the iPhone 5 and the highly-touted 4 MP camera that is part of the HTC One Android phone. How did the iPhone 5′s camera compare?
Kazmucha took photos at the same place and time with both cameras, so you really get a feel for how each camera responds to certain lighting conditions. The iPhone uses an f/2.4 aperture on a 1/3.2-inch sensor with a pixel size of 1.4 micrometers, while the HTC One has a slightly faster f/2.0 aperture and a pixel size of 2 micrometers on the same sensor. As she points out, these “UltraPixels are larger and should allow for better light sensitivity, particularly in low light situations.”
iOS 6 obtains FIPS 140-2 certification, opening door to more government use
Close on the heels of last week’s announcement that US Department of Defense approval of iOS 6 devices was imminent comes word from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that a cryptographic module in iOS 6 has achieved FIPS 140-2 certification (Level 1). This has, to quote our tipster, “huge implications for government use of iOS (and eventually Macs)”.
Apple iOS CoreCrypto Kernel Module v3.0, when operated in FIPS mode, “generates cryptographic keys whose strengths are modified by available entropy”. CoreCrypto is described as “a software cryptographic module running on a multi-chip standalone mobile device and provides services intended to protect data in transit and at rest.”
The module met Level 1 of FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) 140-2. Level 1 provides the lowest level of security, as no physical security mechanisms are required beyond the basic requirement for production-grade components. CoreCrypto uses FIPS-approved algorithms including Triple-DES, AES, SHS, and an additional alphabet soup of acronyms.
iOS 6.1.4 update appears for iPhone 5
A somewhat unexpected iOS update showed up this afternoon for iPhone 5 owners. iOS 6.1.4 is a small update at 11.5 MB and the release note shows that it provides an updated audio profile for speakerphone.
The build number is 10B350 for those who keep track of such things. No developer beta of this update was released prior to today.
Win a collector’s item: a Behringer iNuke Boom Junior speaker dock
I’m usually very good about turning around reviews; usually within a week or two of receiving a review device or accessory I’ve had a chance to try it out, take photos, and write it up. But there are two things that have been sitting in my office unopened for a few months, and I finally decided to get going on them. One item is a Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 that I’ll be writing up shortly now that the weather in Colorado is cooperating (except for the winter storm hitting tomorrow…), but today’s focus is on what’s in the big box in the corner of my office — the Behringer iNuke Boom Junior iPod/iPhone speaker dock.
Ballistic’s new Aspira case line for iPhone 5
This will be a rather quick review, not just because silicone iPhone 5 cases are quite commonplace, but because there are mainly just good things to say about these new cases from Ballistic Case. They’re all members of the Ballistic Case Aspira series for the iPhone 5 (US$34.99), and three readers will have a chance to win one.
