Where is the iPhone 5?

Today, Apple introduced the world to its next smartphone, and it looks quite a bit like the iPhone 4. That's because the new phone — called the iPhone 4S — is essentially an iPhone 4 with slightly different insides. Nobody should be surprised by this revelation, as the company has already done this once before with the move from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS. But for the millions of Apple fans eagerly anticipating a device that could wow their Android-equipped peers, the lack of an iPhone 5 will sting for quite a while.
We have been hearing about an all-new iPhone for almost a year now, with sketchy sources and leaked specs pointing to a larger 4" display, thinner profile, and revamped home button. Leaked pictures of protective cases for the mythical device pointed to rounded edges and a unibody frame much like the iPad 2. For the past few months, it was almost a given that the company was poised to release a proper successor to the iPhone 4, and then when Apple announced that it wanted to show everyone the next iPhone, we all got pretty excited.
But the event has come and gone, and what we have to look forward to isn't quite what we were expecting. The iPhone 4S is, indeed, a ridiculously powerful device. The phone is endowed with a beefy dual-core A5 processor that will deliver the same blazing speed that it does in the iPad 2. Mobile gamers have a lot to look forward to, including faster graphics and more robust games, and app lovers will undoubtedly benefit from a doubling in processor speed.
Unfortunately, for everything the iPhone 4S is, there are several things it is not. The general consensus seems to be that Apple may have dropped the ball by not bringing an iPhone 5 to market this year. As the 4S was making its debut, most technology buffs voiced their displeasure with a new smartphone that looks no different than the one we've all had for a year.
Social networks are abuzz with the lack of an iPhone 5 reveal, and Twitter users are still quipping one-liners like "iPhone 4S: The S means 'So, that's it?'" But it wasn't just fans and industry insiders who took issue with the announcement — Apple investors seemed displeased with the lack of an iPhone 5 as well. Stocks dipped sharply as it became clear that an iPhone 5 simply wasn't in the cards, but have since recovered a bit.
The bottom line is that despite what the iPhone 4S can do, it looks just like the one that came before it. With its ultra-clear Retina display, the 3.5" screen is impressive, but loses its luster quickly when placed along side the massive displays of top Android devices. When the iPhone first launched, a 3.5" display was a pretty impressive feature, but that simply isn't the case any longer.
Another area in which the iPhone 4S comes up short is its network capabilities. Everyone was expecting the new Apple smartphone to finally jump on the 4G bandwagon, but again, the company clearly has other plans. The 4S won't support LTE or new iPhone carrier Sprint's blazing WiMax network. Apple did its best to put a positive spin on the situation, stating that the phone supports HSPA+, which some providers refer to as 4G. Unfortunately, it didn't do much to win over fans, as true 4G speeds are still out of the new device's grasp.
Fans, analysts, and tech junkies all tuned in to watch Apple announce the iPhone 5, and for the time being, it looks like we'll all just have to wait. The iPhone 4S will likely be a successful product for Apple, and the new features like an 8-megapixel camera, 1080p high-definition video recording, and Siri — a built-in, voice-activated virtual assistant — are great selling points. But for those of us who have explored every inch of the current iPhone 4, all we can think about is 5.

Awesome Gadgets!

Auto Destruct!
Victorinox’s flash drive protects your data with its own life. If it detects a hacker closing in on its password, it will draw enough power from the computer’s USB port to fry itself.

Chinese Magical Hard-Drive!

A Russian friend of mine has posted this absolutely amazing story.

He works at a hard-drive repair center in a Russian town right next to the Chinese border. A couple of days ago a customer has brought a broken 500Gb USB-drive that he had bought in a Chinese store across the river, for an insanely low price. But the drive was not working: if you, say, save a movie onto the drive, playing the saved movie back resulted in replaying just the last 5 minutes of the film.

Windows 8 Developer Preview is live and free to download.

As you probably noticed by now, we’ve covered a lot of news related to Microsoft’s upcoming OS, Windows 8, but in case you want to experience Windows 8 on your own, now you have chance to do that for free.

Must have gadgets of 2012

From new ultra-light and super-thin notebooks to TVs you can draw on and designer 3D glasses, the coolest tech toys and latest gadgets were on grand display this month at the IFA technology fair in Berlin. Technology companies have high hopes for these new products.

Read on to see 10 of the coolest tech toys for 2012.

 1.Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet





Launched at IFA 2011, Samsung's Galaxy 7.7 Tablet is 7.89 millimeters thin and weighs only 12 ounces (335 grams). It incorporates the company's “Super AMOLED Plus” display technology, which it says delivers “brilliant, high-contrast colors and a beautiful, crisp viewing experience.” The device has a battery that provides up to 10 hours of video playback time, Samsung says.

Paul Simon played "Sound of Silence" at 9/11 Ground Zero

Twitter hits a 100 million users!

Micro-blogging site Twitter now has 100 million active users worldwide, an 82-percent increase from the beginning of this year, according to analyst firm Ovum.

The social media site is on track to add a further 26 million by the end of 2011. Fifty-five percent of its active users are interacting with Twitter via mobile, a promising growth area for Twitter going forward, Ovum said.

Twitter also announced that it will be expanding its Promoted Tweets advertising model so that Twitter users will see promoted tweets from potentially any brand rather than just those companies they have selected to follow.

“This has the advantage of expanding the advertising reach but could annoy Twitter users if they are subject to Promoted Tweets from parties they have no interest in,” said Ovum analyst Eden Zoller.

Zoller noted that Twitter chief executive Dick Costolo said the existing model is doing well. “But without hard figures to back this claim, it is not that reassuring – ‘exceeding expectations’ is tired fudge used by too many companies,” she said.

Despite its strong growth trajectory, Twitter is in challenging position, the analyst firm said.

“Costolo does not want to float Twitter until he has built a robust advertising business, which is understandable, but there is mounting pressure for Twitter to go public.

“But in order to buy time, keep shareholders happy and the advertising community prepped, Costolo needs be more transparent about how well the business model is performing rather than just quote stats, however good they may be,” Zoller said.

A guide on choosing Video DSLR's

Brief History of the VDSLR

For quite a few years now, many low-grade non-professional digital cameras have possessed the ability to take not only still frame images but video clips as well. However, for the most part, professional-grade digital SLRs have remained focused on their core competency (still images) without expanding into video.

In 2008 Nikon changed this trend by announcing the D90, the first DLSR with video capabilities. This impressive innovation sprouted from Live View, a technology present on Nikons, Canons and many other models that allows you to preview and take shots using the camera’s LCD screen rather than the viewfinder. Nikon basically took Live View much further with the D90 by recording the images that the screen was taking in at a high frame rate.

Shortly after the D90 was released, Canon responded with the amazing 5D Mark II, the most recent update to Canon’s legendary 5D. So began the battle of the VDSLRs, an entirely new breed of camera (and a mouthful of letters). Today there are quite a few VDSLRs on the market (and several more planned for release) ranging from just over $600 at the base to up above $5,000. I chose five (two Nikons and three Canons) to examine and compare. We’ll begin with the one that started it all: the Nikon D90.

Nikon D90

The D90 has been around since 2008 and though it’s a great camera, it’s starting to show its age in the VDSLR market. As mentioned above it was the first DSLR to break onto the scene with a movie mode, but is fairly limited in this capacity. For instance, rather than shooting in full 1080 HD at 30fps, you get a max of 1280 x 720 at 24fps (though 720p/24fps is in fact fine for most purposes). There’s also no ability to edit what you shoot in camera.

On the photographic front, It ranks fairly well at 12.3 MP and can be boosted beyond the ISO (up to 3,200) of its predecessor the D80. Overall, many of the features are comparable to the D300S below. I think the relatively low price of the D90 makes it one of the better Nikon options out there for semi-professionals and newcomers interested in shooting both video and still frame.

Nikon D90 Quick Breakdown
Estimated Price	$850
Movie Sizes	320 x 216 pixels, 640 x 424 pixels or 1,280 x 720 pixels (720p AVI)
Movie FPS	24 fps
Effective Pixels	12.3 megapixels
Sensor Photo Detectors	12.9 million
Max Resolution	4288 x 2848
Sensor Size	23.6 x 15.8 mm
Pixel Density	3.3 MP/cm²
Max Shutter	1/4000 sec
ISO Rating	Auto, 200 – 3200 (plus 6400 with boost)
LCD	3″

Nikon D300S

The D300S is pricier than the D90 but adds a few key features to the video options. It features stereo microphone support for increased audio quality and has basic in-camera movie editing abilities.

Other notable features include dual slot memory storage, giving you the choice of CF and SD, a continuous shooting capability of up to 7fps, and an amazing 51 point AutoFocus.

Nikon D300S Quick Breakdown
Estimated Price	$1450
Movie Sizes	320 x 216 pixels, 640 x 424 pixels or 1,280 x 720 pixels (720p)
Movie FPS	24 fps
Effective Pixels	12.3 megapixels
Sensor Photo Detectors	13.1 million
Max Resolution	4288 x 2848
Sensor Size	23.6 x 15.8 mm
Pixel Density	3.3 MP/cm²
Max Shutter	1/4000 sec
ISO Rating	200 – 3200 in 1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps (100 – 6400 with boost)
LCD	3″

Canon EOS 550D (Rebel T2i)

he Canon Rebel T2i is a brand new upgrade to the T1i. This camera is prepared to impress on all fronts. The video capability goes up to full HD (1920 x 1080 at 30 fps) with in-camera editing features and tons of playback options (slow motion, jump to first frame, previous frame, next frame, jump to last frame, cut out first or last, frame, and audio volume).

All this with is packed with a whopping 18 megapixels and an ISO boostable to 12,800. Top that off with a price tag of well under $1,000 and I’d be lying if I said I don’t look at my own T1i with a tinge of regret.

Canon EOS 550D Quick Breakdown
Estimated Price	$799
Movie Size	up to full HD (1920 x 1080)
Movie Format	MOV (image data: H.264; audio: Linear PCM (with internal mic: monaural, with external mic: stereo))
Movie FPS	Up to 30
Effective Pixels	18 megapixels
Sensor Photo Detectors	18.7 million
Max Resolution	5184 x 3456
Sensor Size	22.3 x 14.9 mm
Pixel Density	5.4 MP/cm²
Max Shutter	1/4000 sec
ISO Rating	Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800 (with boost)
LCD	3″

Canon EOS 7D

The 7D is definitely reaching more towards serious professionals than the 550D. Critics love the 1.0 magnification, 100% field of view on the viewfinder and continuous shooting of up to 8 fps. The AutoFocus is a 19 point system, considerably less than the 51 point AF on the Nikon D300 above.

The movie features are similar to the T2i with full 1920 by 1080 HD support and a range of other options all the way down to 640 x 480. Additional great movie features include manual exposure control and the ability to shoot in adjustable frame rates up to 30 fps.

Canon EOS 7D Quick Breakdown
Estimated Price	$1766
Movie Size	up to full HD (1920 x 1080)
Movie Format	MOV (image data: H.264; audio: Linear PCM (with internal mic: monaural, with external mic: stereo))
Movie FPS	Up to 30
Effective Pixels	18 megapixels
Sensor Photo Detectors	19 million
Max Resolution	5184 x 3456
Sensor Size	22.3 x 14.9 mm
Pixel Density	5.4 MP/cm²
Max Shutter	1/8000 sec
ISO Rating	Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800 (with boost)
LCD	3″