News

Apple Buys Rights to Use Fingerprint Scanner Technology

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iphone-fingerprint-ifixyouriApple has recently purchased AuthenTec, a biometrics security company, for $356 million or $7 per share. Within that purchase, Apple has received the rights to use hardware and software technology and has received the rights to the patents for its 2D fingerprint scanner, according to the SEC filing.

How Apple Plans to Use the Technology

There is plenty of speculation as to what Apple will do with the technology it garners by its purchase of AuthenTec. Perhaps the fingerprint technology will make it onto the next versions of the iPhone or iPad.

In addition to the fingerprint scanner technology, AuthenTec is well-known for its NFC (Near Field Communications) smart sensor. One rumor that had been circulating since the early part of 2011 was that Apple would add these capabilities to the iPhone 5, but it didn’t materialize.  Perhaps it will become available to the iPhone or iPad in the future.

In the meantime, if you’re holding out for a future generation that will include the new technology, and want to keep your current device, remember you can simply get your iPhone or iPad fixed if it fails in the interim.

When the Deal Began and Why

Before Apple decided to buy the company, AuthenTec had been trying to sell licenses for its, as yet unspecified, technology. It had approached several consumer electronics companies, but was unsuccessful in selling the licenses.

Many companies seem to have been unreceptive due to the pricing on the technology. Apple had expressed interest in buying the licenses, but negotiations fell through sometime in early 2012.

At that point, Apple considered another option, purchasing the company and everything that went with that purchase. Apple’s argument for the pricing was that it had a unique set-up to offer. Unlike other companies, which have several different platforms, Apple has a one-platform company set-up. This means there are less challenges in applying the technology AuthenTec has created.

Though it is unclear which technology Apple wanted most from this purchase, the fingerprint scanner or the NFC scanner, Apple insisted on a quick purchase. Is your next iPhone going to a) unlock via fingerprinting? or b) automatically communicate with nearby phones? Or is it something else entirely — what do you think?

laptops, Tips

Tips To Extend MacBook Battery Life

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macbook-battery-life-ifixyouri

The battery life of a Macbook depends primarily on its usage, as well as its configuration. All MacBooks have a battery status menu that displays the charge level of the battery as well as whether it is charging or not. The battery status menu and the menu bar lay side to side on the right side of the computer. It undergoes varying changes and updates depending on the system workload and screen brightness. Below are some tips that you can use to get the most out of your MacBook battery.

First Things First

Click on system preferences on your MacBook dock. A silver square with a gear train inside represents the system preferences. Next, click on energy saver and check the graphics settings. If they are set on the ‘higher performance’ option, change it to ‘better battery life’. In order to save the changes on your graphics option, you will have to log out.

Use Only What’s Necessary

Turn off unused technologies and features and maximize your MacBook’s battery life. This follows the same logic as switching off the lights in an empty room. Start by ejecting DVDs and CDs that you are not using. The optical drive will use battery power to read these media as long as they are in the drive. Disconnect all peripherals such as digital cameras, external hard drives, mice and printers. Connected peripherals draw power through the fire wire or USB ports. This reduces your battery life considerably. Shut down any running applications that are not in use as well as runaway applications.

Turn off Local Networks

Turn off your Bluetooth or AirPort to extend your battery life if you are not using them. Click on the menu bar and select the AirPort or Bluetooth option. Choose the turn off option of either feature from the drop-down menu to turn them off. You can also deactivate the two features from the system preferences option.

Reduce Brightness

Reduce your screen brightness to a comfortable level. The brightness of your MacBook screen has the greatest impact on your battery life when compared to any other setting. Pressing the F1 key will dim the screen to a comfortable brightness level. For example, reducing your screen brightness from 100% to 50% on a MacBook Pro will add up to three hours on your total battery life.

Pressing the F8 key on your MacBook will turn off the keyboard backlight further extending your battery life.

Check Your Battery Condition

If you are running Mac OS X v10.6.x or higher, holding the option key and clicking the battery status menu will display the condition of your battery. The MacBook should indicate normal battery condition for optimum performance. A ‘replace soon’ condition indicates that the battery needs replacement soon while a ‘replace now’ condition requires immediate battery replacement. If you see this sign, your computer may be getting old and you should check out iFixYouri’s Mac laptop repair services.

News, Tablets

Steve Jobs’ iPad Stolen for a Clown

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Barely weeks after the Apple co-founder’s home was broken into and valuables were taken back in July, evidence emerged pointing to one Kariem McFarlin. Police said the 35-year-old resident of Alameda stole items including a silver-colored iPad device that belonged to Steve Jobs. The mobile device was allegedly robbed from his home situated along Waverley Street.

Given to Kenny the Clown

The police said that Mr. McFarlin gave the iPad to his long-time friend, a 47-year-old man known as Kenny the Clown (whose real name is Kenneth Kahn). The professional clown recounts how his friend walked up to him and handed him the silver-colored iPad.  Kahn was unaware that the iPad belonged to Steve Jobs until four days later when the police came asking for the device.

Kahn, a well-known street performer, had a brief opportunity to use the stolen iPad for his clown routine.

The Court Hearing

Although Kahn admits that his friend is not “any type of menace”, records held in the courts show McFarlin has pleaded guilty to different offenses in the past. The police have added that the offender has confessed to his crimes and will require a sum of $500,000 to bail himself out.

The Concerned Parties

With a case like this that involves one of Apple’s greatest inventors, Steve Jobs, one would expect both the family and his Apple counterparts to comment on the incident. But to date, none of them have come forward to issue a statement on the matter.

Uncategorized

Opening Weekend of iPhone 5: Over 5 Million Sold!

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In its first weekend of being available to consumers, the highly anticipated iPhone 5 was quickly purchased by over 5 million fans across the US.  Apple stores in cities around the country reported selling out their Verizon and AT&T iPhones, while a few iPhones with Sprint service were still available on Sunday.

While the initial shipments were completely sold out, it is estimated that Apple could have sold an additional 2-3 million units if there was a greater supply available.  Apple CEO Tim Cook was naturally pleased with the results, but knows there were many consumers who were turned away.

“We are working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible,” he said.  “We appreciate everyone’s patience.”

About a year ago, the iPhone 4S debuted to the public, who gobbled up over 1 million of the popular devices.

Already Disappointment with the iPhone 5

Naturally, there will be features to celebrate, as well as elements that will let down new iPhone 5 owners.  This time, the resounding disappointment comes from the new Map app, which replaces the Google Maps app that came with previous iPhone generations.  Apple’s version of the map app doesn’t include local transit information, and apparently the directions aren’t very accurate.

Apple’s response is that it plans to continue updating the app, and the features will develop over time.

iPhone 5 Sold Out – Now What?

The next shipments from Apple won’t likely appear on shelves for about a month, so those clamoring for the device will need to keep using their old models in the meantime.  Of course, when the new version arrives, so will the inevitable mechanical issues that accompany brand new complicated devices.  If you get your hands on the new iPhone and it doesn’t work properly, don’t spend time complaining about it in forums – just send it or take it in to the iPhone 5 repair professionals, iFixYouri.

Uncategorized

iPhones Used by Citizens to Keep Gov’t Officials Accountable

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If you have ever meant to report vandalism or broken street lights to City Hall but simply forgot, then you are like a lot of people. Too many responsibilities get in the way, and next thing you know, you are walking by the same broken street light or defaced public bench. Even if you had an iPhone with which to take a photo, where would you send it?

Access to Government

Today, cities across the United States are starting to use current technology to keep government officials on their toes. Americans can now download apps which give them access to City Hall. Instead of getting mad, then forgetting about the pothole that nearly took out his left-front tire, a citizen can photograph the offending hole and send it to local government immediately. This allows the government to triage and do an initial evaluation to measure their priorities.

Getting Results

The result is that problems are solved much more quickly than before. It is typical for an iPhone user to photograph vandalism in the morning before work and see it cleaned up by the time he drives home at 5 p.m. Local government adopted the technology to enable Americans to become more involved and to urge officials to behave responsibly.

Images are applied to tracking software which shows City Hall where a problem is located. A pothole will be fixed or a light replaced within hours. This is the key: the apps are working. Members of local governments act quickly when damage or a code violation is brought to their attention, partly because it is now publicly documented.  Just make sure your phone is working – if you can’t take a picture, you can’t report a problem.  Get your iphone camera fixed by professionals like iFixYouri.

Bad Behavior

Another way this tool has been used is to report instances of abuse. Citizens might spot a member of Congress:

  • Using a government car to go to a baseball game
  • Enjoying expensive luncheons on city dime
  • Committing fraud (or even abuse, in the case of police)

More than 200 cases of fraud have already been called in by concerned members of the public.  With the proliferation of mobile technology in America, this trend is sure to be on the rise.  Do you think this technology is going to be more important, going forward?

Uncategorized

iPhone 5 Drop Test by iFixYouri.com and 9to5mac.com

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iPhone 5 Drop Test

We finally got our hands on one! The long awaited iPhone 5. It’s has already been dissected by our friends over at ifixit, but has its durability been tested yet? We decided to put it through the ringer and see just how tough this new design really is! Nothing scientific, just some real world scenarios that to see how this device holds up. Supposedly it has stronger glass and is lighter, so in theory, it shouldhold up better. Let’s have a look for ourselves and find out!

First off, we’ve all done this before, stuck a phone in our pocket with keys and some sharp objects. The iPhone 5 held up remarkably well, with no scratches on the face even after going at it with a razor blade.

Here’s one that most of us have done at some point. We left it on our lap and stood up. Short drop, landed on the ground, with minor damage.

Next, we slide it into our pocket and miss, ouch! That one definitely left a mark.

We are texting and simply fumble it to the ground…check out our video to see what pans out and how the iPhone 5 survived!

This phone is by far the most durable iPhone we have seen. The strengthened new gorilla glass, paired with the light design is definitely beneficial to the iPhone being able to survive your average drop. We’re excited to start providing iphone 5 repair services to all of our loved customers!

Uncategorized

What is a Superphone?

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It is well known that the cellphone industry keeps on reinventing itself. It was not too long ago basic phones were followed by feature phones and then came the smartphones. Today, there is a new generation of phones called superphones. A superphone is one of latest phones with extremely powerful, high-speed processors.

Technical Specifications of a Superphone

A smartphone itself is already a very powerful handset. However, a superphone is basically a smartphone with much more features and processing power. For starters, a superphone has a screen of at least 4 inches. Then it usually has two cameras, one at the back and the other at the front, with resolutions of 5 to 8 MP that enable very high quality images and videos.

Some superphones also come with two or more microphones that enable clearer, crisper calls as well as audio-video recordings. In order for these features to work, superphones need a lot of processing power. This power is made possible by their dual-core processors that have speeds of at least 1 GHz.

How Does a Superphone Compare with a Smartphone?

One of the most important things to remember is that a superphone and a smartphone are not very different phones; in fact, a superphone is a much more advanced smartphone. It has most of the features of a smartphone but with much higher capacity. Although a smartphone offers features like an OS, a user interface, and apps, a superphone has far more advanced features.

Apps

The two types of phones have many basic differences. While a smartphone can maybe support hundreds of applications, a superphone can easily support hundreds or thousands of applications.

Resolution

While most superphones have touch screens with resolutions of at least 480 by 320 pixels, smartphones come with resolutions of at least 160 by 120 pixels. They are also available with physical buttons.

Network Connectivity

While smartphones mostly support 2G or 3G connectivity, superphones can support 2, 3 and 4G connectivity, as well as Wi-Fi connectivity. While one of the features of a smartphone is its web experience, a superphone has a very advanced web experience much like that on a PC or a tablet.

Other Features

A superphone has other features such as user-focused phone experience and inherent location awareness. On the other hand, the user experience in a smartphone is determined by the manufacturer as well as the user’s carrier.

Are Superphones the Future?

Superphones are thought to represent the future of phones. No phone can claim to be a superphone if it does not have all of the above features. Apart from that, superphones are thought to be a better alternative to multiple devices like a PC, a tablet or a camera.

In the future, superphones may come with a processor of 3 GHz and 2 GB RAM. In addition, they might come with a 3D or HD camera, more advanced operating systems, and a powerful battery — at least 1800 mAh.

Some of the superphones available in the market include the Samsung Galaxy S2, HTC Sensation, HTC Evo, HTC Desire, Nexus One, etc. All these phones have features such as a 1 gigahertz processor, a 4.3 inch LED/AMOLED touchscreen display, and 4G connectivity.

One thing is for sure: whether it’s a smartphone, a dumbphone, a superphone, or a gramophone, it will not last forever.  The more features, the more problems.  Never fear, however; if you need to get superphone repair, iFixYouri has the crew for the supertask.

Smartphone, Tablet and Computer Repairs and News