According to iTechWhiz, conversations about the 8th edition of iPhone are booming across social media networks. And the conversation is being driven by Apple’s “5 years advance Research and Development road-map,” which stipulates that the iPhone 8 (if it’s called that) should already be in development.

Although we can’t rip up any actual spec information on the iPhone 8, iTechWhiz has come up with best-guesses for features and release dates based on previous iPhone models.

If you look at the history and product life cycle of the iPhone, we can expect the iPhone 8 to grace us with its presence somewhere near to the end of 2015, exactly three years after the release of the iPhone 5.

By 2015 Apple would have been able to improve on current bug-bears, like the quality of the phone’s signal, and amp up positive features like the retina display, and memory.

Of course, two years is an eon in consumer gadget timeframes, but here are a few things that could be part of an i8 design.

Flexible sceen

A9 processing chip

32MP back camera and 1080 pixel HD video recording as well as a 8MP front camera.

5G network

Flicking files into other peoples phones.

Wireless charging

Apple iOS 10 operating software

Next generation Siri

Apple gets greener. A phone that reduces use of carbon emissions with future mobile means of shopping.

Of course, none of this will matter if Apple doesn’t tackle a few more immediate concerns, including a critical need to overhaul iOS

Read more: http://www.2oceansvibe.com/2013/04/29/apples-5-year-plan-imagining-the-iphone-8-pics/#ixzz2v2oGQAJ4

Windows Phone doubles share in Europe, trails iPhone by only one per cent in Germany

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Windows Phone is continuing to make inroads over the Atlantic, almost doubling its share of new phones sold in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK.

According to Kantar Worldpanel, Windows Phone has now hit 9.2 per cent share in those key European countries, up from just 5.1 per cent share last year.

Most interesting of all, perhaps, is Windows Phone’s performance in Germany, where Microsoft’s mobile platform hit 8.8 per cent. That’s just one single percentage point below iPhone – a massive achievement. In addition, Windows Phone hit 10.8 per cent share in France and 12 per cent share in Great Britain, the first time it has ever hit double digits in either of those two countries.

“Windows Phone’s latest wave of growth is being driven by Nokia’s expansion into the low- and mid-range market with the Lumia 520 and 620 handsets,” said Dominic Sunnebo, a director at Kantar Worldpanel. “These models are hitting the sweet spot with 16 to 24-year-olds and 35 to 49-year-olds, two key groups that look for a balance of price and functionality in their smartphone.”

Android, of course, is by far in the lead, with 70.1 per cent market share.

However, Google should not rest on its laurels:

“Android remains the top operating system across Europe… but its dominant position is increasingly threatened as growth trails behind both Windows and iOS,” Kantar Worldpanel said in a release. Kantar Worldpanel’s data typically reflects the latest three months of actual smartphone sales, which the research company gets by interviewing actual consumers.

Interestingly, Samsung’s share is starting to dip as well. Sony, Nokia, and LG are beginning to “broaden the competitive landscape”, Sunnebo said, as they mount a sustained comeback.

Transparent iPhone 6: New images, videos prove it’s real; coming 2013

By 

• Vicky Kapur

Published Thursday, April 04, 2013

We’re tempted to say ‘we told you so’. Indeed, we did (Read: Transparent iPhone 6 confirmed by Apple Inc.)

It’s confirmed – transparent smartphones, made of glass, are coming your way, and it’s going to happen this year itself. 

Before we tell you all about the phones, let’s tell you a little about the company behind it – it’s the Taiwan-based Polytron Technologies which is busy putting finishing touches to its prototype glass phones for at least two smartphone manufacturers.

Will Apple be one of those? You bet. We do. 

Polytron Technologies is a global manufacturer of electronic and optical vision glass, and is subsidiary of Polytronix, Inc., an American company that provides the patented product Polyvision Privacy Glass to the Taiwan operation. Polytron also has a branch company, Polytron Technologies (Xiamen) Co, in China Xiamen to service China customers.

You can draw the parallels with Apple Inc., which is an American company with manufacturing operations in China and research capabilities in Taiwan. 

But it isn’t just Apple – Samsung, which caught the world's attention with the Youm flexible OLED displays at this year’s CES, is another among the rumoured contenders, with some of the images of the transparent prototype glass phone showing the Samsung logo in the background.

Some of the other names – apart from Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics – that are rumoured to be interested in Polytron’s transparent glass technology for their smartphones and other electronics include LG and Fujitsu.

Either way, Sam Yu, General Manager at Polytron, has confirmed that we will see transparent (or at least semi-transparent) glass smartphones before this year becomes history. That, we tell you, will be history itself.

For those of you who’re wondering how will the transparent smartphones hide the ugly parts of phone – the batteries, antennas, circuitry and the works – well, those will remain hidden as they can’t be made invisible – at least not yet. Polytron’s glass technology will allow for a portion of the smartphone to remain see-through, with the rest covered behind casing.

At the same time, work is on to make at least some of the opaque insides also transparent, including the circuitry. Near invisible electrical wiring is possible today, and Ploytron claims that with its patented technology, it may be able to craft glass that can create a transparent effect, making the phone see-through.

Another advantage of this glass is that it is much lighter than the display material used in today’s generation of smartphones, which means that it will reduce weight as well as shipping costs – which is what both customers and smartphone manufacturers want albeit for different reasons. 

 

iPhone 6 Concept with Larger Screen & Stunning Design

You might have seen several iPhone 6 concepts on the web so far, but the one we're going to cover today is nothing like before.

It comes from the renowned Italian 3D artist Federico Ciccarese who has made a drawing of what the iPhone with large screen could turn out to be like.

And just as with most of the iPhone concepts designers have made so far, this isn't likely to turn out a reality, but there's no harm in dreaming. Keeping that thought, take a look at the iPhone 6 mockupimages made by Ciccarese.

He also mentions on his site that a bigger canvas would make way for the icons on the Home Screen to receive recognition… a 5.5 inch iPhone would include a 6th icon in the dock for example. A thinner appearance and a tapered back (just like it was in the case of iPhone 3GS) would allow for a more comfortable grip.

The device with a 4.7 inch screen is purported to have a 750*1,388 pixel resolution and the large iPhone would go bigger with 5.5 inch screen and a resolution of 878*1,568 pixels. And if these iPhone 6 resolution expectations are compared, the currently available iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5 come with a resolution of 640*1338. You can also notice the edge-to-edge design, which is amazing to say the least.

A no side bezel would also make a 5-inch iPhablet that isn't quite big in size and can be used in a single hand. This edge-to-edge screen is questionable as a smartphone standard, but it should be noted that a sapphire-hardened front glass with be built for future iPhones in Messa Arizona, a new plant of Apple.

Also, the biggest unknown for the upcoming iPhone is the form factor, because the current unibody with the steel frame becoming the antenna has been around for 4 years. The iPhone 5 saw the replacement of the glass cover with a two-tone metal backplate on the back, but there were only slight differences when it comes to the chassis between the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 4.

So it's not known whether will recuse the existing four year old design or come up with a radical new lookfor the next iPhone. Liquidmetal doesn't look near so far, even though Apple has worldwide rights to advanced alloy liquidmetal.

Where do you see the iPhone 6 in terms of design?