Thursday, November 16, 2017

iPhone’s 3D Laser Camera to AR Technology

iPhone’s 3D Laser Camera
So the latest buzz in town is that Apple plans on incorporating 3D laser technology into its new iPhone model by the year 2019. After the immense success of the iPhone X Apple plans on recreating history with the new innovation of having a 3D laser camera at the rear of the phone.

The main focus of attention of this camera is going to be on augmented reality. Apple plans on coming out with an AR device in the year after the rumored iPhone that is 2020 or in their words “when technology can cope up with ideas”.

 

How will Apple’s new iPhone work?


 
As mentioned earlier the new iPhone will have a rear 3D facing camera. This camera uses a laser to bounce light off objects to determine how far they are and their precise location to one and another. This technique is called time of fight.

Once the time of flight of the scene before the camera is taken, the iPhone can then analyze the measurements and create the scene on the iPhone’s screen, Thereby creating a 3D map of the visual in front of the camera.

Apple has even got this new tech patented. The new laser is known as #22.

 

How the 3D Laser works?

 

In basic terms the entire thing works with the help of three components, the first being an image sensor- this captures the image or scene before the camera.

The second component is the optical transmitter- it sends pulses to the scene and objects within it.
The third component is the optical receiver- this part receives pulses from the scene and correlates it into an image on the iPhone’s screen.

 

Augmented reality and Apple:

 

The purpose of the 3D camera is the AR glasses that Apple plans on bringing to shelfs by the year 2020 that is one year after the reported iPhone.

Codenamed T228, The new AR headset will have its own operating system and chip and this new IOS will be known as Reality OS.

Apple is testing the waters of AR technology with touch panels, head gestures, Siri and more all to work in conjunction with the 2019 iPhone.

 

2019 iPhone and AR headset:

 

There are rumors floating around that the- to- be- made iPhone and the AR headset can be used together.

Apple’s metal casings manufacturer is also rumored to be making parts for their AR headsets as well. The motive is to not only make a sleek looking headset but to also make it light enough for use.
By using the AR headset in tandem with the 2019 iPhone, the wearer can see point of interest in real time on their iPhone screen.

 

AR headset Patent:

 

Apple has got the AR headset patented with touch screen display and the ability to work alongside an iPhone. Points of interest can also be seen on the iPhone screen from a real environment. This comes along with interaction functionality.

With the success of the iPhone X, Apple is all set to take the world of tech by storm with its latest market offering and if Apple can live up to the hype, Then they can surely make history with its 2019 iPhone and AR headset.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Set Up Apple Pay Cash and Person to Person Payments

Apple Pay Cash
Now you can send and receive money with Apple Pay Cash in Messages or just by asking Siri. There is no app needed to be downloaded and the cards that you have already in Wallet can be used to make payments in stores, in apps or simply anywhere across the web. Right from sending money to your child in college or paying your bills to paying a babysitter, you can send and receive payments from across the table or even from across the country in an instant with the help of Apple Pay Cash.

There are some pre-requisites to make or receive payments with Apple Pay. You need to be a resident of the United States and must be at least 18 years old. In addition you also need the following:
         
  • A device that is compatible with iOS 11.2 or later.     
  • An authentication for your Apple ID that is two-factor. You have to make sure that with the help of your Apple ID you sign in to iCloud on any device that you want to utilise for sending or receiving money.      
  • You also need to have an eligible credit or debit card in your Wallet, to be able to send money.
After the above steps, you need to also agree to the Terms and Conditions of Apple Pay. This can be done the first time you try to receive or send cash. Verifying your identity is also something you will be asked to do. After the Terms and Conditions are accepted, you can make and receive payments with your family and friends instantly, easily and safely straight from your iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad. However, you cannot use this one to one payment with Apple Pay for activities that are business-related, such as running transactions for your business or paying your employees.

Setting up Apple Pay Cash in Wallet


When you receive money from someone, it is safely kept on your Apple Pay Cash card by default. You will be able to see the new addition of your Apple Pay Cash card in Wallet and you can use it for your personal transactions or transferring some amount to your own bank account from your Apple Pay Cash.

While setting up for the first time, you need to use any device supporting Apple Pay Cash when you’re signed into iCloud with the help of your Apple ID. Thereafter, you need to tap on Settings and then on Wallet & Apple Pay. After this, you need to tap on the Apple Pay Cash card and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen. If Apple Pay Cash is turned off on any one particular device, other devices can still be used to access Apple Pay Cash by signing in with your Apple ID.

No fee is charged to use Apple Pay Cash with a debit card. However, using a credit card will cost you a 3% credit card fee on the amount. Your credit remains unaffected on setting up Apple Pay Cash. At certain points, you will be asked to verify your identity while using Apple Pay Cash for security reasons. Failing to comply with this step will result in reduced functionality of Apple Pay Cash.

Friday, November 10, 2017

iPhone has a Frustrating AutoCorrect Bug That's Driving People Crazy

 IPhone X: The Autocorrect Bug


With the release of the iPhone X, Apple has seen some crazy sales, with ques of people queuing up in front of Apple stores for hours and hours on end. Apple is even having to replenish stocks with some customers being on the order list for 4-5 weeks before they get their brand new iPhone X.

After going through all the rigmarole of getting An iPhone X, people are now facing an autocorrect issue. This AutoCorrect bug seems to pertain to the typing of the letter I. It seems when users go to type the letter I they get an A followed by an exclamation mark or an A followed by a question mark in a box, something that looks like this A! or this A[?] when you type it out on the iPhone X.

Number of AutoCorrect Bug cases reported:


The problem seems to persist in only some iPhones while there are cases of the AutoCorrect bug being reported in iPads, iPods and other iPhones as well.

The AutoCorrect bug has not affected the whole population of iPhone X users but it is sufficiently large enough for Apple to take steps to correct the issue.

Reasons of the Autocorrect Bug:


As of now Apple has remained mum on the issue other than to say that the problem may be due to IOS 11.1. But there are users who claim that they have faced this AutoCorrect bug even when their Apple devices are running on previous versions of IOS. But with all issues out there, there are also those who are dedicated to giving some reason or the other for the problem. Some Theorists out there speculate that it is because of both an autocorrect problem and an emoji problem that the bug has cropped up.

 

Extent of the AutoCorrect Bug:


The problem can be irritating while you are typing and want to be done with the text. But this bug is not only confined to Apple specific apps but to other applications as well. So now even you’re Tweets and various other posts will look like spam considering the amount of times an individual uses or wishes to use the letter I.

Solving the AutoCorrect Bug:


Apple is now saying that they are releasing a new version of IOS which will reportedly solve the AutoCorrect issue. The Beta version of the IOS is all set for release with the actual version coming in the next week or so.

Apple has issued a temporary fix which users can do for themselves by going to settings, general, keyboard, text replacement and adding a new replacement i in the place of I and press save. This is short term solution and hopefully with the new version of IOS we can say bye to all our AutoCorrect woes.

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Android 8.1 Developer Preview

Android 8.1 Developer Preview

Android 8.1 is official: you can download the first preview for developers

A few months ago we finally met Android 8.0 Oreo with all its novelties and, with this new version, the manufacturers began to announce as quickly as possible the terminals that would see that update and the approximate time. With the arrival of the Pixel 2, in addition, Android 8.1 was expected to come with some new features, but finally it was not like that.

However, Google announced that the developer preview of Android 8.1 can now be downloaded in compatible devices and, in addition, the final version we would see in December of this year. If your phone meets the requirements and you are brave enough, we explain how you can have Android 8.1 in its first previous version.

Just a few weeks after the introduction of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, and exactly two months after the announcement of Android Oreo, Google today made official the new version of its operating system: Android 8.1 Oreo.

This new edition corresponding to API 27, is available from today in the form of Developer Preview, and will receive updates within the beta program until the final version, which should arrive next December according to the statements of the great G.

Do not miss our analysis: Android 8 Oreo, in-depth analysis and opinion

The first previous version of Android 8.1 can now be downloaded as a factory image from the official website for Android developers. Google, as always, indicates which devices are compatible with this version:

Nexus 5X
Nexus 6P
Pixel C
Pixel
Pixel XL
Pixel 2
Pixel 2 XL

Those users who are already part of the Android Beta Program - of which Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL still do not benefit - will receive the update via OTA in the coming days. The rest, they will have to install the update package manually, as long as they have an unlocked bootloader. The second preview will arrive in mid-November, and the final update of Android 8.1 is scheduled for next December.

At the moment the list of changes to the full that comes with this update is unknown. However, it is expected that Google has finally enabled the co-processor Pixel Visual Core integrated into their new pair of devices, responsible for enhancing-even more-their photographic capabilities.

Since it is a previous version, it is possible that operating errors could arise. Therefore, only the installation of this update is recommended for advanced users, and on devices that are not used as primary. Anyway, if you want to proceed with the installation of the new version, it is advisable to back up all the data in case something goes wrong.

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Apple Earnings: X Things to Watch

Apple
The share market is currently seeing Apple reaching an all-time high as the iPhone manufacturer gets ready for its quarterly results and the launch of its newest product, the iPhone X. As a reminder to the readers that Apple wants the iPhone X to be pronounced as “iPhone ten” instead of the incorrect “iPhone ex”, listed below are X things to lookout for in this week’s results.

1. Everyone is looking forward to the iPhone sales, obviously. The September quarter ending typically showcases the year’s largest iPhone launch. This year’s schedule that was split meant that only the usual iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus models were launched before the quarter-end. A few analysts have heard news that the iPhone 8 has not sold as well as it was anticipated. The cause could be that customers were waiting for a November launch or maybe because they were reluctant to buy a wireless charging phone or also maybe because the iPhone X has a delicate glass back that is expensive to replace. Apple’s figures showing the unit sales will help provide an answer. Wall Street is analysed the results and came up with the conclusion that approximately 46m iPhone sold in the span of the quarter, with just 1 percent increase every year, with an amount of $50.7bn total revenues and $1.87 earnings.

2. As far as the iPhone X is concerned, the big question at the moment is the supply and not the demand. The latest OLED screen technology and the camera with 3D depth sensors are both proving to be a hold-up in the supply chain. The time durations for shipping have remained stable at 5-6 weeks since the time the pre-orders for the iPhone were opened last week, which is more than what a few forecasters had expected. It is likely that analysts will question the Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook about how realistically the company will be able to meet this requirement of holiday sales.

3. Talking about holiday sales, the entire focus will be on the December results. Wall Street consensus is expecting 84m iPhones that will generate revenue of $85.8bn.

4. The vital clue to the answering the question about the iPhone sales figure derived from Apple’s revenue viewpoint is finding out this device’s average selling price, which considering the minimum starting price is $999, is on the rise. However, for the present quarter, the ASPs might see a dip due to the steady demand for the iPhone 7 at a lower price, which was launched last year.

5. Another critical issue in making the latest iPhones a hit is China, where Mr Cook has maintained his stand as relentlessly bullish, even though the region has seen sales falling to over 10 percent overall in the last quarter. After seeing a decline in six quarters back to back, Canalys analysts are of the opinion that Apple’s iPhone sales have increased 40 percent in China in the last quarter, growing to 11m from last year’s 8m.

6. Although majority of the focus is on the iPhone, Apple has been actively promoting its services business since the last year or so. This particular aspect has seen a strong performance, with a growth of 22 percent and helped Apple rise more than expectations in the last year.

7. The launch of Apple Watch Series 3 in September generally received positive feedbacks, even though it faced an early hitch over the issue of wireless connections that were dropped. Apple did not increase the sales for Apple Watch and instead grouped it in the category of “other products” along with headphones, iPods and other accessories. Most of analysts have raised their estimates for Apple Watch sales in the past few weeks, with the latest LTE cellular wireless connection seen as a specific approach. Neil Cybart of Above Avalon, who is Apple specialist analyst, considers that the revenue from these “other products” would amount to $3.0bn which would comprise of 2.9m from the Watch unit sales alone.

9. The Mac has not been one of the favourites among the loyal Apple users, the reason being the rising number of dongles needed to plug into the reducing number of USB ports of the Macbook and the actually troublesome keyboard of this compact laptop. This quarter appeared to the second strongest for the Apple Mac as a result of the back-to-school season and thus RBC is expecting Mac Unit sales to rise to approximately 5m.

10. Even with the above nine items, the X factor that establishes the stock price in the direct outcome of Apple’s earnings is generally one thing specifically: will it meet or not meet the predictions of the iPhone unit sales made by Wall Street? In the past seven quarters we have seen that it has missed thrice, met the expectations three times and just once hit straight down the centre. Its performance against the ever-increasing expectations of the investors will be disclosed this week.