What if the Apple Watch was ROUND?

As we all know, Apple’s new wearable device the “Apple Watch” as they call it was unveiled to the world earlier this week as a rounded square timepiece. While Motorola & LG have opted for a circular smartwatch with the Moto 360 & the LG Gwatch R respectively. Apple’s Watch will be available early next year in two square editions and a variety of finishes. Square might be the only option in Apple’s smartwatch portfolio right now, but what if the Apple smartwatch was circular?

Designer Alcion has tried to find out exactly what people were really expecting from Apple. In a series of concept images, Alcion offers a glimpse at what Apple’s smartwatch would look like with a circular display. Perhaps not surprisingly, there are a number of UI elements that match a round display perfectly, including the home interface and activity monitor. Apple’s Watch might be a little chunky square with bulging sides right now, but this thin concept shows the potential for future generations. We don’t expect smartwatch components to get squeezed into a thin and elegant frame anytime soon but the same was expected from Apple.

All images copyright Alcion.

Image Copyright : Alcion

Finally, a Larger iPhone?

Source : Google

This past week, a photo surfaced showing a Taiwanese holding up two Apple smartphones -- one an iPhone 5, and the other an alleged iPhone 6. Another tech enthusiast later came saying that the image was a fraud, and instead published his own pictures of the handset.

The images were posted in a couple of tweets, no details provided except an #iphone6 hashtag. In them we see what appears to be the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 placed next to the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 model. Neither of them are powered on though!

The design of the two handsets is nothing we haven't seen before. On Wednesday, for example, a lot of images surfaced, what was claimed to be a final build of the Apple smartphone. If one looks carefully between the two series of pictures, there's only one difference between them (the Apple logo cutout on the back)

In the  leaked photos, both of the iPhone 6 models have a small front-facing camera visible at the top.

Source : Google

Apple is expected to launch the two new smartphones (iPhone 6) sized 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch respectively for the general public this fall (September - October) along with their new mobile OS - iOS 8 & OS Yosemite for Mac which were launched for developers in the WWDC (World Wide Developer Conference). 

Is apple going the right way with IOS7 and further

Back in 1982, personal computers had monochromatic green screens. If you wanted to design a user interface, you had two tools available: Green letters and blank spaces.

Image Credit - Google Images

Steve Jobs had a deep and rich vision in 1981 for how user interfaces could work. If nontechnical users were going to do highly complex tasks on a computer with no training, he felt that Apple would need to make the technology disappear and the operations be utterly intuitive to nontechnical people. 

Here are some examples and difference between ios6 & ios7:-

Image Credit - Google Images

Image Credit - Google Images

Image Credit - Google Images

Image Credit - Google Images

Image Credit - Google Images

Image Credit - Google Images

Image Credit - Google Images

Image Credit - Google Images

Image Credit - Google Images

The iPhone was the highest realization of Steve's vision. Unlike PC applications, iPhone apps were not merely software programs; they transformed the phone into familiar physical objects. The notepad looked like a real notepad; the calendar was like holding a calendar; the clock looked like a clock and the library looked like a real wooden shelf with books. This is called Skeuomorphism. Skeuomorphism makes it easier for those familiar with the original device to use the digital emulation and that it is visually appealing. 

Steve Jobs once said this:-

“people don't know what they want until you show it to them.”

― Steve Jobs

In iOS 7, all of that is gone. Apps are now controlled with cryptic little florescent symbols that are interspersed across the screen. Everything looks the same. No more notepad; no more dials for making selections. It's all just dull software; black letters on white. Even the blue tint that helped you see if the keyboard shift key was pressed has been eliminated.



Apple has brought back the era of the hideously ugly, monochromatic 1982 UI. And it's worse than an IBM PC. Instead of a soft green color palette, iOS uses garish, florescent colors against harsh white backgrounds.

Image Credit - Google Images

This is the a good example of difference between skeuomorphic and flat interface.

Image Credit - Google Images

This is so wrong.

DOCUMENTS V.S. CONTROLS

The worst thing about iOS 7 is that the distinction between documents and controls is gone.

The iPhone always had a feeling like a well-engineered European sports car, with simple, purposeful buttons and dials to control the device. These controls were clearly and substantively distinct from user documents and workspaces. Now it's all blurred together, so you can't tell any more which things are controls and which aren't.
It reminds me of the days when you had to read a manual to learn how to use a piece of application software.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

The designers of iOS 7 forgot that consumers buy Apple products because they want simple, elegant devices to make their lives easier. But it appears to me as if the goal of iOS 7's designers was to look cool and hip, no matter the impact on users.

The new icons are garish, distracting, and less intuitive than the old ones. The new graphical flourishes--like making the lock screen photo go blurry.

I think this is far and away the worst thing Apple has ever done. Not only did the company throw away 30 years of progress, they have pulled all the major app makers down with them.

Apple has made a giant mess with iOS 7. It's hard to imagine the Apple design people owning up to what they did any time soon.

It pains me to say it, but I think Apple has given its loyal customers good reason to start looking at Android and other options.

Image Credit - Google Images

New Apple iPhone 5S & 5C. Which one to buy?

Apple is launching two new iPhones, the Iphone 5C and the Iphone 5S, and the big question for many is going to be which is worth their hard-earned money. Both present attractive packages, but is there a strong reason to choose one over the other? Here’s a breakdown of the main considerations for those facing that choice.

CAMERA

The iPhone 5s improves the smartphone camera experience enough to make this a key point in its favor. While all flash photography that doesn’t involve expensive umbrellas, off-camera units and softboxes is inherently evil, the 5s True Tone flash really is loads better than the one in the 5c.

Flash aside, the 5s camera sensor and lens assembly is much better, and the processor means faster autofocus and faster shutter activation. Slo-mo video and burst mode are also big positives in favor of the iPhone 5s. If you’re really into mobile photography (or any kind of photography), the iPhone 5s is worth the premium.

VALUE AND COST

For the money, Apple’s iPhone 5c is a very capable device. It’s cheaper than the 5s at equivalent storage sizes, and it’s not missing too many tricks at the moment compared to the 5s, besides the camera features mentioned above, and the secret payload of the A7 and M7 processing components.

The iPhone 5c’s design is surprisingly appealing, and were the 5s available in both finishes, One would be hard-pressed to choose one over the other. Basically, if you’re currently happy with an iPhone 5, 4S or 4 but are looking for a change or have an upgrade coming, but aren’t overly concerned with being cutting edge, the 5c is the phone to get.

FUTURE-PROOFING

The 5s has a secret payload, as mentioned above, which is built-in to the A7 system-on-a-chip and M7 motion coprocessor. App developers will start designing software intended specifically to leverage the A7′s 64-bit processing power, and power-saving/motion tracking features made possible with the M7. If you want to make sure you have hardware that can take full advantage when these titles start to hit, you’ll need the iPhone 5s.

Ultimately the phone that’s right for you is the one that holds the most appeal to you personally. There’s nothing wrong with that, but Apple’s new strategy of releasing two new iPhone devices means a lot more people will be trying to make up their minds between them. Hopefully the considerations above help that decision

Disclaimer: Courtesy of all images : Google Images.

Top 10 Apps for Apple and Android - 2012

There are now hundreds of thousands of apps available for your Apple as well as for Android, 

The following list showcases our pick of the best free  apps, and includes  applications for social networking, travel, news, photography, productivity and more.

1. Facebook

The world's biggest social network brings a great experience to the iPhone and andriod, but nonetheless still enables you to access your contacts, feeds and other important information. This sense of focus makes it in many ways superior to using Facebook in a desktop browser.

2. Pulse

RSS has a reputation for being a rather dry technology, feeding you dull lists of headlines. Pulse flips RSS on its head, providing streams of feeds that grab your eye with photographs. It's perhaps not for the hardcore RSS crowd, but if you follow a small number of feeds, it's a great choice.

3. Dropbox

Plenty of apps exist for transferring content between your computer and your device, but Dropbox is free and easier to use than most of its contemporaries. Dump files you want to sync in a folder on your computer and Dropbox for your device will enable you to access them, download them for offline viewing, and, in many cases, view them.

4. Skype

FaceTime is a great alternative to standard voice calls, but it's no good if you're trying to contact someone without a Mac or compatible iOS device. Therefore, Skype remains an essential download. The interface is simple and usable, enabling anyone with a Skype account to make free calls to other Skype users and cheap calls to anywhere in the world. If you're on Pay and Go, this is particularly handy, but the app also enables iPod touch users to utilise their devices for calls.

5. Twitter

The official Twitter app might lack some of the features found in the likes ofTweetbot, but it does provide a sleek and simple means of using the service. It also directly mirrors the latest navigational scheme on the Twitter website.

6. Evernote

Clients to access the popular Evernote service for storing notes and ideas online are available for so many platforms that we half expect a ZX Spectrum app to be announced tomorrow. On the iPhone, Evernote is efficient and usable, enabling you to rapidly scan your notes and also create new ones.

7. Adobe Photoshop Express

If you're looking for Photoshop-style power, Photoshop Express won't impress. However, if you're after a quick, free, highly usable tool for making edits to your iPhone photos, Adobe's app is ideal. Use it for cropping, straightening, exposure adjustments, colour effects, sharpening and more.

8. Shazam

Shazam is an app that feels like magic when you first use it. It's deceptively simple—hold your iPhone near to a music source, and wait while the app listens and tells you what track is playing. But the sheer technology behind this simplicity is mind-boggling, and while Shazam doesn't always guess right, it's worth a download.

9. Flipboard

It would be a hard ask to expect the Flipboard experience on the iPhone and iPod touch to match that of the iPad version, but it nonetheless has a good go, transforming your favourite feeds and news sources into a tiny, beautiful digital magazine.

10. Sums

Although we're fond of PCalc, mentioned elsewhere in this selection of apps, there's something really lovely about Sums. The visual design feels sleek and modern, with a handy tape-style path of totals displayed; even better, operations are performed via gestures. This is a bit weird at first, but it soon becomes second-nature.

(All Image Credits: Google Images)