The AppAdvice Week In Review: The Fire Phone, iWatch And More
June 22, 2014
Amazon and Adobe announced some interesting new products this week that could change the face of mobile. We also heard plenty of new information about Apple's "iPhone 6" and "iWatch."
The Big Three Stories of the Week
1. The latest on the iPhone 6 and iWatch
Apple’s next iPhone could feature a built-in barometer. This sensor could be used for altitude tracking and weather forecasting.
As Brent Dirks noted "With a barometer, apps could help users determine their current altitude or change in altitude, like when on a run. A barometer is also used to help forecast upcoming weather changes because of changes in air pressure."
For more recent headlines about the iPhone 6, see:
Meanwhile, more information leaked about Apple's long-rumored wearable device, the iWatch. On Tuesday, Economic Times said the device would arrive before the end of September and feature an OLED display. The paper expects a price point of $349 with initial shipment numbers around 10 million units. Unfortunately, the same report said that Apple was having power draw issues with the OLED display. Whether this issue could delay the release of the iWatch remains to be seen. Later in the week, The Wall Street Journal noted that the iWatch will arrive in different versions and come equipped with a number of sensors. The publication reports that the device is likely to come in multiple screen sizes. It’s not specified whether these will include the 2.5-inch measurement that was reported earlier by Reuters as a probable size of the device. The Journal also reports that, according to people familiar with the matter, the iWatch will feature more than 10 health- and fitness-tracking sensors. Finally, 9to5Mac reported that over the past few weeks, the company has invited athletes from the NBA, MLB, and NHL to its Cupertino campus to test the smart watch’s fitness capabilities in intense training environments. They note:
Apple is said to be working with Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Kings right winger Dustin Brown, and a few other star athletes, including a player from the Boston Red Sox, on the testing project. The athletes are said to have signed non-disclosure-agreements regarding the existence of the upcoming Apple wearable device.Both the iPhone 6 and iWatch are expected to launch in September. 2. Amazon sets another Fire The Fire phone is here. On Wednesday, Amazon officially revealed the company’s first smartphone. Featuring a 3-D interface, the handset has a quad-core 2.2 GHZ processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 13MP rear camera with optical image stabilization. Is the Fire phone different enough to compete with Apple's iPhone? Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos offered his answer in a recent interview. The Fire phone launches exclusively at AT&T on July 25. 3. Adobe further embraces mobile, iPad Adobe this week revealed its 2014 Creative Cloud release. Among the announced goodies are a new Adobe Photoshop Mix app for iPad, and Adobe Lightroom for iPhone app. Available for Creative Cloud subscribers, Adobe Photoshop Mix offers non-destructive photo enhancements, selections, and the ability to cut out and mix images. As noted on its App Store page: Lightroom for iPhone “Enhance(s) everything from smartphone photos to raw images from DLSRs using powerful and familiar tools. Automatically sync all your mobile edits with Lightroom 5 on your desktop. Easily share all your photos to social media sites. With Adobe Lightroom mobile, your photography is going places.” Adobe also introduced two new hardware tools for mobile users called Ink and Slide. Launching at $200 for the pair, the aluminum-clad digital drawing tools work with the iPad. These, in turn, work with two new apps called Adobe Sketch and Adobe Line. For further consideration
Viral Video of the Week Did you miss Amazon's Fire phone unveiling? Here you go: http://youtu.be/w95kwXy_MOY
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