SAN FRANCISCO – Back when I had a morning commute, I would often pop in some earbuds before hopping on the bus and rock out to one of the many tunes on my iPhone as we rode through Chinatown. The problem, of course, came when I reached my desk mid-song: Did I pause and try and find the song on my Mac’s iTunes library? Or did I continue to listen through my iPhone, only to look up hours later and realize I’d drained my phone’s battery when I should have switched to my desktop?

Luckily, there was Seamless (Mac App Store link), a little app–actually, a pair of apps, a free one for the Mac and a $2 app for the iPhone–to rescue me from this daunting first-world problem.
Seamless allows you to easily transition a song, podcast, or audiobook mid-play from your Mac to an iOS device, and vice versa. The Mac and iOS apps even coordinate fades on each device, bringing the volume of “Don’t Stop Believin’” down on your Mac as it cranks up the volume on your iPhone. Both devices need to be on the same Wi-Fi network at the time of the transition, and, of course, each must have access to the same audio file to pull this off, but fulfill those two criteria and you’ve got yourself a magic trick.

It’s actually surprising how well this works in practice. Seamless even recognizes iTunes Match tracks, and will start downloading a cloud-hosted song to your iPhone on its transition from your Mac. (I’ve used this trick on more than one occasion to add a few tracks to my iPhone’s offline library for a flight or a road trip.) To see Seamless in action, you can check out the developer’sdemo video.
Though the Seamless apps perform the Mac-to-iOS-to-Mac transitions, they query and play tracks through iTunes on your Mac and the Music app on iOS. This means that once your transitioned song finishes playing, the respective music app will automatically shuffle or play the next song. If you’re playing a song within a playlist on your Mac, and you also have that playlist on your iOS device, Seamless will even drop you off inside that playlist, ready to play the next song in the lineup. (Sadly, this doesn’t work when transitioning from an iOS device to a Mac, but it’s still pretty nifty.)

Even though my morning commute has now been shortened one bus ride, Seamless is still a fantastic little gem, and one I’m glad exists. I do wish there was a way to transition music from one iOS device to another–say, iPhone to iPad–but that’s about as far as my complaints go. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to transition Cake’s “I Feel Free” over to my iPhone and go out for some lunch.

LONDON – Apple has seeded iOS 5.1 beta to developers and it hasn’t taken some long to discover references to next-generation iPhones and iPads within it.

References to an iPhone 5,1 and an iPad 3,2 as well as an iPad 3,3 were noticed by Filippo Bigarella, reports Apple Insider, as well as a reference to an iPad 2,4.

While current second-generation models are referred to as iPad 2,1, iPad 2,2 and iPad 2,3 within iOS, iPad 2,4 has not been spotted for, with some speculating that it could refer to an iPad that will be compatible with US network carrier Sprint’s CDMA network.

Another interesting point to note about iOS 5.1 beta is that it isn’t available over the air – as future iOS updates will be – but must be downloaded from Apple’s developer site instead.

The developer build is coded 9B5117b and once installed cannot be rolled back to previous versions of iOS, Apple warned.

Apple also released a preview version of Xcode 4.3 alongside the iOS 5.1 beta.

SAN FRANCISCO – While there are many dozens of Android phones on the market, Apple to date has released only five models of the iPhone. Only three are currently offered by Apple and its U.S. carriers (AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint). Whether you’re planning your first foray into the world of iPhone ownership, or an upgrade from a now woefully outdated first- or second-generation model, choosing which iPhone to buy is a decision that requires some thought. Your options: The iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4, and the iPhone 4S.
Cash as cash can
The first question, as it so often is when it comes time to buy shiny new electronics, is what your budget is. In theory, if you’re buying your new iPhone for yourself, you’re prepared to set aside at least $70 per month for service (and possibly considerably more, depending upon your service plan). Each carrier sells new iPhones with two-year contracts, so whichever iPhone you get, remember that you’re paying at least $1700 over the next two years to use the device.

But your phone’s contract cost is non-negotiable. Where you can save some cash–if you’re willing to sacrifice in other areas, as we’ll discuss below–is on the one-time expenditure you make when you actually buy the phone itself.

The iPhone 3GS is available for free from Apple’s online store, though you’ll have to sign a two-year contract with AT&T to get that 8GB model at no cost. (Apple sells an unlocked version of the 3GS for $375.) AT&T is the only carrier to offer the 3GS, as that phone is only compatible with AT&T’s GSM-based network. (Curiously, AT&T lists the iPhone 3GS for sale at $1, though as this article was published, AT&T’s online store claimed to be out of stock.)

Bargain hunters who’d like a phone released after 2009 can still save some coin by opting for an 8GB iPhone 4. It costs $99 with a two-year contract, which you can sign with either AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon. (Unlike the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4 works on the CDMA network used by Verizon and Sprint as well as AT&T’s GSM network, though you have to buy a phone compatible with that specific network.)

Then, there’s the latest iPhone model–the iPhone 4S, which came out in October. It starts at $199 for the 16GB model, with 32GB and 64GB versions available at $299 and $399, respectively. Again, those prices require a two-year contract; you’ll be able to choose which carrier–AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint–that you sign up with.

What’s in storage
If money is no object, your next must-answer question applies to storage. As noted above, the free AT&T iPhone 3GS and the $99 iPhone 4 are both offered only in 8GB models. And the phone’s operating system and stock apps eat up some of that storage anyway; you’re probably looking at no more than 7GB of usable storage with one of those models. Is that enough?

That depends. Will you be syncing your iTunes music library with this iPhone? If the answer is yes, check how much music you own by clicking on Music in the Library section of the iTunes sidebar and then looking at the status line at the bottom of the window. If you’re using iTunes Match, you can obviously free up plenty of music space, since most of your music will instead reside in iCloud, not on your device.
If your music library won’t be a problem, consider what else you might use the iPhone for. Many apps are on the smaller side–well below 50MB. But if you’re an avid gamer, remember that graphically intense games can gobble up 600MB or more in an instant. And if you plan to take oodles of photos–or shoot hours of video with the built-in camera on your phone–that’s another big potential space-eater.

Remember that the iPhone 4S comes with either 16GB, 32Gb, or 64GB–plenty more storage, if that’s what you need.

Feature show
On the hardware side, the 3GS is available in black only and sports a rounded back. The 4 and 4S are available in both black and white, and sport a straight back. You can still find cases and accessories for all three models, but accoutrement for the 4 and 4S are more readily available.

All three models support iOS 5, Apple’s latest and greatest incarnation of its mobile operating system. But there are significant differences among the three iPhones in terms of what they do and how they do it.

Cameras: Each can take photos and shoot video. The iPhone 3GS is limited to a single 3-megapixel camera and shoots VGA-quality video. The iPhone 4 employs a 5-megapixel still camera that can shoot 720p HD video, and a second, front-facing VGA-quality camera. The iPhone 4S uses an 8-megapixel still camera that can shoot 1080p HD video, and the iPhone 4′s same front-facing VGA-quality camera. Only the iPhone 4 and 4S support FaceTime, Apple’s video-calling technology for calls between iPhones, iPads, iPod touches, and Macs.
In plain English, the iPhone 4S can take point-and-shoot quality photographs, the iPhone 4 shoots decent photos, and the iPhone 3GS takes photos with a decidedly camera phone-esque veneer.

Processors: Camera quality isn’t the only way the iPhone 3GS, 4, and 4S compare along a good, better, and best scale. The phones’ internal processors mirror that line; the 4S uses the same Apple-designed A5 chip that powers the iPad 2, and it blazes. Both the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS use an A4 processor, with the 3GS the measurably slower of the two older models. You may only notice that slowness if you’re frequently around folks using newer, faster iPhones, however.

Displays: The iPhone 4 and 4S use Apple’s Retina display, packing the screen so densely that your eye can’t make out the individual pixels; it’s a particularly impressive feature for apps written to take advantage of the Retina display. The 3GS’s display is less visually impressive, but still quite legible.
Voice Recognition: Only the iPhone 4S supports Siri, Apple’s virtual voice recognition-based assistant. Folks who use Siri quickly come to depend on it for quick tasks like scheduling reminders, setting appointments, checking the weather, and taking dictation. But the vast majority of iPhone owners have long relied on their fingers for those tasks without much difficulty, so you won’t suffer much without it.

Pick a phone, any phone
So, how do you choose? If you’re the kind of gadget hound who needs the latest and greatest Apple technology, well, then you probably didn’t just read this piece–the iPhone 4S is the only option that will satisfy you.

The $199 that separates the 16GB iPhone 4S from the 8GB iPhone 3GS could pay for somewhere between two and three months of cellular service for either phone. Whether paying extra cash for the increased storage, better cameras, additional features, and snappier performance is worth it is an entirely personal decision.

Some extra points to consider: You’ll sign a two-year contract when you order a new iPhone (unless you opt for much pricer unlocked versions of the iPhone you buy). You’ll never be able to upgrade your iPhone’s storage space size. But it’s quite likely Apple will offer another major iOS upgrade or two over the next two years, and there’s no guarantee that the already two-and-a-half-year-old iPhone 3GS will support any or all of the features of a hypothetical iOS 6; 2008′s iPhone 3G, for comparison’s sake, can’t run iOS 5.

Spending $99 for the iPhone 4 instead of taking the free 3GS may thus provide a better return on your investment, since you’re under contract with your carrier anyway. It’s a better phone in numerous respects, and will very likely be able to run at least one iteration of iOS that the 3GS cannot. Saving an extra $100 by eschewing the iPhone 4S today might make it easier to justify purchasing a hypothetical future iPhone once your new contract is up two years from now.

If, on the other hand, you’re considering a new point-and-shoot camera, or you’re apprehensive about your potential skills as a literal touch-typist, the extra $100 for the iPhone 4S may be worth it.

Regardless of which phone you choose, the good news is simple: You’ll end up with an iPhone, and that means you’ll have an excellent smartphone in your pocket.

What’s the difference between Opera Mini and Opera Mobile? With Opera Mini, the cost-saving compression is always turned on. There are computers located in cool locations such as Iceland that squeeze the webpages down before sending them in smaller (and thereby cheaper) packages to phones. This also enables less-capable feature phones to view full webpages, where the built-in browser can’t. Opera Mobile has cost-saving features too, but here one can turn them on and off, making the browser more like the Opera Turbo feature in an Opera desktop browser.

Learn more about Opera at www.opera.com.

By Ben Camm-Jones
August 17, 2011

LONDON – Kingston has announced the Wi-Drive, a portable storage and file-management device for iOS.

The flash memory-based drive is aimed specifically at the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad and offers additional storage space and file-management features to owners of iOS devices.

To start off you can transfer files onto the Wi-Drive from your Mac or Windows PC via USB. You’ll then need to download the free Wi-Drive app from the App Store and once you have it installed you’ll be able to connect your iOS device to the Wi-Drive over Wi-Fi.

It comes with either 16GB or 32GB of storage space and up to three users can then wirelessly access the content stored on the Wi-Drive.

“Wi-Drive allows Apple device owners to wirelessly manage document and media files, and choose to share them with others, while on the go for work or pleasure,” said Krystian Jaroszynski, European Product Marketing Manager at Kingston.

“This unique functionality, combined with the durability of a Flash memory based device, will satisfy both casual users and the most discerning technophiles,” Jaroszynski continued.

The 16GB version is available from Cancom for £89 and the 32GB version costs £119 from the same supplier. It is also available through solutions inc., Square Group, Farpoint, Western Computer, MCC Group, Micro Anvika stores and online at Ebuyer.

By Ben Camm-Jones
August 17, 2011

LONDON – Apple has ordered 26 million iPhone 5s from suppliers to be delivered in the second half of 2011, it has been claimed.

Digitimes reports that Apple has ordered six million iPhone 5s for Q3 and 20 million for Q4, according to “Taiwan-based supply chain makers”.

Total iPhone shipments will reach 95 million for the year, with some 56 million in the second half alone. As well as the 26 million iPhone 5s, there will be 30 million shipments of the current models, the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4.

The report also states that component suppliers are likely to be put under pressure by Apple to lower prices, in particular touch-panel makers.