The iPhone 5S event didn’t pack any surprises this time. Everything Apple announced had already been leaked through various leaks published online. Even the name of the fingerprint scanner was leaked just minutes before Apple event went live.

So, what is the all-new iPhone 5S all about you ask? Apple hasn’t changed its strategy since the original iPhone. It continues to introduce an all-new design every two-years so it wasn’t a surprise that iPhone 5S design remained the same as its predecessor. However, there are three notable differences: Metal ring, Camera and Performance.

The home button in iPhone 5S has a metal ring around it. This ring has been put in place to support the new Touch ID (fingerprint) scanner. Now unlocking your iPhone will be as easy as placing your finger or thumb on the home button and gaining access to your device. During the keynote presentation Phil Schiller mentioned that half of the iPhone users do not set pass codes. As smartphones increasingly carry more and more sensitive data securing the access to our device is of huge importance.

Apple believes that by introducing Touch ID customers will appreciate how easily they can protect their device with seamless integration of a fingerprint scanner under the home button. You can even use your Touch ID to authenticate iTunes, App Store and iBooks purchases. It’s worth noting that Apple is not allowing developers to take advantage of this new feature and is keeping it closed atleast for now.

There has been a lot of talk about customers privacy and how companies handles all the sensitive data. Apple clearly mentioned that Touch ID data is not stored on iCloud and is never shared with Apple. It is locally encrypted on the all new A7 chip.

The iPhone 5S takes another huge leap in terms of its CPU and graphics performance if we go by the numbers Apple provides. The company claims that iPhone 5S is twice as fast CPU and graphics performance when compared with iPhone 5. Mobile technology is evolving at an unprecedented rate. Just 6 years after the introduction of the original iPhone, the new iPhone 5S promises to provide 40 times faster CPU and 56 times faster graphics performance.

A7 chip is a 64 bit which is the first ever on any smartphone. But, the chip is not the only “firsts” for Apple’s smartphone. The camera system has been overhauled and now the new iPhone features dual-led flash which the company calls True Tone flash. Where traditionally companies place two white LED’s Apple has integrated white and amber color LED flashlight. The company claims that the dual-tone flash enables the iPhone to take more natural photographs in which the skin tones appear true to life.

Apple has also introduced new slow-mo mode where you can record video in 120fps to capture that perfect action in a video and create a dramatic effect. There’s an all-new burst mode as well, now the iPhone can take unto 10 shots in 1 second and even selects the best shot for you and deleting the rest is as easy as tapping one button.

iPhone 5S will be available in three metal finishes. Last years slate has been discontinued and now theres gold, silver and space gray finish available. Battery performance hasn’t seen any significant gains except for a better standby time.

iOS 7 and all Apple apps have been optimised to take advantage of the new 64bit A7 chip. Apple has also introduced new M7 coprocessor that collects data from motion sensors like gyroscope and accelerometer and feed the info to A7 without causing much battery drain.

Overall iPhone 5S features the beautiful design of the iPhone 5, is twice as fast, has enhanced camera system and now it will recognise your fingerprint. iPhone 5S is certainly “forward thinking” in every sense.

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that Facebook has hired Apple’s former Maps manager, Richard Williamson. Williamson was in charge of Apple’s iOS mapping team, and was fired in November after the new Maps application was released with many issues and faced intense criticism. By hiring Williamson, Facebook is expanding its mobile push and improving its iOS and Android application to reflect many of the changes that they have made on the web version. Facebook released version 6.0 of their iOS application earlier this week with a new Chat Heads feature and a reworked UI.

Williamson joined Facebook in the past couple of weeks to be a manager within its expanding mobile-software group, said two of the people, who declined to be identified because the information isn’t public.

The new UI displays stories and images in a simplified and efficient manner, while the Chat Heads feature allows for users to continue their conversations with friends from anywhere in the application. Last year, Facebook also hired a number of engineers from Apple in an attempt to improve their mobile experience, which turned out to be the new Home feature for Android and part of the new version released this week.

Several members of Apple’s iPhone software group have defected to Facebook as Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg focuses on reaching customers on mobile devices. Apple alumni played a key role in designing Facebook’s recently introduced mobile product, called Home.Other former Apple employees brought in by Zuckerberg include Greg Novick, a former iPhone manager who helped develop the device’s touch interface; Mike Matas and Kimon Tsinteris, software designers who joined when Facebook acquired their company Push Pop Press; and software engineers Scott Goodson, Tim Omernick and Chris Tremblay.

The report also notes that Facebook also hired Loren Brichter of Twitter. Brichter designed the widely popular Tweetie app a twitter application and worked on former iOS chief Scott Forstall’s team. With all of these new hires, Facebook is gathering talent from all different parts of the mobile market and is setting itself up for developing a solid mobile experience for its users.

{Via MacRumors}

According to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, if Apple were to introduce a $300 contract-free iPhone, they could capture up to 11% of the low-end device market. Munster believes that this is possible for Apple to accomplish and also notes that the lower cost iPhone may be introduced this year, in September.

There are reports and rumors that support the possibility of a lower end iPhone for emerging markets, with Apple currently holding up to 42 percent of the high end smartphone market. Currently, Apple’s iPhone has a gross margin of 55%, which can be reduced to 30% if Apple were to introduce a lower cost iPhone. This means that the price would be cut in half, which would likely draw the attention of more potential customers.

It is possible that a lower cost iPhone would cannibalize sales of the current iPhone, meaning that the gross margin would drop by about 2%. Piper Jaffray has been most accurate in estimating Apple’s price target, lowering it from $767 to $688. Munster also noted that Apple will perform below the Wall Street estimate of $39.6 billion with about $35 billion. Apple is scheduled to report Q2 2013 earnings on April 23rd.

{Via AppleInsider}

Apple introduced iOS app folders in iOS 4 and has had the ‘Jiggle Mode’ UI since iOS 1. On Tuesday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple the patent for iOS app folders and the ‘Jiggle Mode’ UI.

The patent, which is listed as U.S. Patent No. 8,423,911, describes the iOS app folders as “Device, method, and graphical user interface for managing folders” and describes the methods to rearrange applications and organizing them. In the patent file from the USPTO, Imran Chaudhri is listed as the inventor of the UI feature.

For example, using a sequence of inputs to create, modify and/or delete folders and content within folders is tedious and creates a significant cognitive burden on a user. In addition, existing methods take longer than necessary, thereby wasting energy. This latter consideration is particularly important in battery-operated devices.

Apple’s “Jiggle Mode” is also included in the patent, an animation that signifies that the user is able to move any of the applications on the home screen around. This is likely the reason that both features were including in the same patent, because of their interaction in iOS. In Jiggle mode, when a user places an app on top of another, it will automatically generate a folder with type of app such as ‘Games’ or ‘Productivity’. These names are taken from the app’s metadata generated from the App Store’s organizational categories.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, the selectable user interface objects jiggle as though they are floating on water (e.g., each respective selectable user interface object oscillates about a respective average position of the selectable user interface object on the display).

Apple does not own patents on all of its iOS features, getting these patents over 2 years after introducing the feature. However, as the company releases more iOS features in iOS 7 and beyond, they will begin to collect more patents along the way.

{Via AppleInsider}

With Apple’s iPhone 5S expected later this year, carriers are beginning to shift around their plans and smartphone upgrade structure to match the upcoming refresh. On Friday, Verizon reported that they will now be extending the wait time for an upgrade to 24 months, up from the current 20 months that was required. The company released details about the extension in a report from The Verge, saying, “In alignment with the terms of the contract, customers on a two-year agreement will be eligible for an upgrade at 24 months vs. today’s early upgrade eligibility at 20 months.”

It is unclear why Verizon has decided to make this change as they did not give a reason for doing so. With this extension,the company will now require all customers with expiring contracts to wait the full 24 months. Customers with contracts expiring in January 2014 will reportedly be the first to get affected by the change. The new 24 month rule will also change a number of other things, including credits through the company’s New Every Two program, which will no longer be honored.

Customers will still be allowed to share upgrades but will be restricted by device category meaning that smartphone upgrades can be used on updating to a new smartphone. The same is also applicable to tablets, stopping the upgrades from being interchangeable. Verizon appears to be the only carrier that is adopting this new 24 month waiting period, with Sprint and AT&T keeping the same 20 month structure as before. Verizon had briefly mentioned in the past several weeks that it could easily transition to contract free plans if it wanted to, similar to T-Mobile’s new “Uncarrier” plans.

{Via AppleInsider}

According to a report from Reuters, Walmart is expanding its ‘Scan & Go’ Self-checkout system to over 200 of its retail stores. The system, which is similar to Apple’s own EasyPay system is modeled around iOS devices and allows customers of Walmart stores to pay for their shopping items at a checkout station while exiting the store.

For now, “Scan & Go” only works on Apple Inc devices. An Android version should be out soon, Walmart said.

With more than half of its shoppers using smartphones, Walmart is trying to make shopping more convenient for shoppers who embrace mobile technology. More than half of the customers who have tried the “Scan & Go” feature have used it more than once, [Walmart senior vice president Gibu] Thomas said.

The system is currently in a testing phase in only 70 of Walmart’s retail locations, but will be in over 200 stores. Walmart already has the system running in stores in a number of areas, including Georgia, Arkansas, Vancouver, Washington and California. With this expansion, Walmart plans to move west to the following areas:

Walmart is bringing “Scan & Go” into a dozen more markets: Denver, Colorado; Phoenix, Arizona; Omaha, Nebraska; Dallas and Austin, Texas; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Wyoming; Bozeman, Montana; Seattle, Washington; San Jose, California; and Portland, Oregon.

This likely means that the new self-checkout system has proved to be efficient and user-friendly in the company’s pilot testing locations. Walmart is one of the world’s largest corporations that operates discount department stores and warehouse stores, and with widespread adoption of Apple’s iOS devices, this new system could prove to be successful in a number of Walmart’s stores. As a result, Walmart could save money on employees, especially during off-peak hours of shopping when stores are mostly empty. The ‘Scan & Go’ feature is available through Walmart’s free iOS app {Direct Link}, much like Apple’s EasyPay app.

{Via MacRumors}

On Monday, AT&T announced a massive new shared data plan option for its customers. The company announced the availability of three new shared data plans for businesses ranging from 30-50GB. The new plans also include unlimited texting and calls and begin for as low as $300.

The new plans make it even easier and more affordable to work or play on the go, whether that be taking mobile payments, controlling inventory, downloading videos, managing fleets, or navigating unfamiliar streets.

The new plans are ideal for businesses, as well as consumers who need more data, and build on AT&T’s existing Mobile Share plans with expanded options of 30 GB, 40 GB and 50 GB, including unlimited calls and texts.

For regular customers, AT&T limits the new plans to 10 devices, however businesses are allowed to add more devices for more money, respectively. The business plans are as follows: 15 devices for 30GB plans, 20 devices for 40GB plans, and 25 devices for 50GB plans. A 50GB plan with 10 devices would cost $800 per month/ 25 devices would cost $1250 per month. Previously, AT&T’s plans maxed out at 20GB of data for $200 per month.

AT&T will also offer users the option to add iPads and other devices for an additional cost of $30 per device. The Mobile share data-only plans for iPad and laptops are now available from 4GB-50GB for $30 to $335 per month as well as Business Pooled Nation for Data.

Businesses that will need more than 25 devices will be able to purchase data options ranging from 300MB to 10GB. With all of these new plans, companies will now be able to provide their employees with better iPhone plans and will also be able to add more users to each plan as well.

{Via MacRumors}

China Mobile is looking to make its mark in the LTE market, with an announcement from the company noting that it is planning a major LTE push to improve its network and implement it more broadly.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the company is looking to spend $7 billion in order to improve its LTE network, setting up a structure to support the iPhone 5. Currently, China Mobile’s data speeds aren’t known to be the fastest and despite the company not offering the iPhone, there are a number of devices in use on the network.

This is similar to T-Mobile USA which does not officially offer the iPhone but allows users to unlock them and operate them on its network. Although recent reports have been suggesting that China Mobile will, in fact, offer the iPhone 5, the company did come out and say that there has been “no progress” on negotiations with Apple.

While China Mobile has been in talks with Apple for years over a potential deal to offer the iPhone, Chief Executive Li Yue said that there had been “no progress” to report. In January, Mr. Xi met Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook in Beijing and discussed cooperation, raising expectations that China Mobile would soon begin offering the iPhone.

China Mobile would be a key partner for Apple, which faces fierce competition from Samsung Electronics and other rivals offering smartphones powered by Google Inc.’s Android operating system.

It is unlikely that the iPhone 5 will remain off of China Mobile’s network for long, as it is common that Apple will eventually strike deals with major carriers that could potentially benefit them. China has been a major source of revenue for Apple, with the company experiencing heavy sales of its products in the region. Just last month, an analytics report suggested that iOS and Android devices were expected to hit 246 million units in the one month alone.

{Via MacRumors}

Google appears to be dominating the iOS experience, not only with its Google Maps for iOS application but also with its Gmail app. On Monday, Google updated its mobile web application with a design very similar to its native iOS application. The company did something similar with their Google Maps app in the past.

Since launching the rebooted Gmail app for iPhone and iPad in December (http://goo.gl/2m7pd), we’ve heard from many of you that you like the redesigned UI, along with new features such as improved search and integration with Google Calendar. Today we’re rolling out a similar refreshed look to the Gmail mobile web app as well as Gmail Offline (http://goo.gl/0f1ae) that includes many of these same changes. Try it out at gmail.com in the browser of your Android, iOS, Blackberry or Kindle Fire device

The new update brings several features over from the Gmail app, which is available for free on the App Store, including improved integration with Google Calendar which a lot of users requested. The mobile web app now also uses the same UI as the native app, providing a level of familiarity and ease of use. With the web apps for both Google Maps and Gmail also available on the App Store, the company is offering iOS users an alternative for all of their cloud services.

{Via MacRumors}

Earlier this year, reports began to surface that T-Mobile USA was looking to officially offer the iPhone. By this time, the company had already confirmed its plan to end smartphone subsidies, which binds subscribers to a 1 or 2 year contract with the company in exchange for a lower or ‘subsidized’ price on a phone. Apple also confirmed to The Loop that T-Mobile would carry its products but did not specify which ones. According to mobile news site TmoNews, T-Mobile is planning to make drastic changes to its service this month, including the elimination of contracts and early termination fees.

-For starters, kiss contracts goodbye as T-Mobile moves to a no-contract world. Existing customers will finish out their current contract or upgrade to a new device without a new contract, whichever comes first. New customers won’t have to suffer with any long-term commitments. Contract wise that is.

-Early termination fees will be a thing of the past as well, which makes complete sense when announced with the removal of contracts.

-Expect the introduction of a new equipment installment plan tier, likely in the $25 – 30 dollar range as T-Mobile moves to make all its smartphones $99 or less as down payments. A $30 tier makes sense if you consider the retail value of the device is $699 = $30 x 20 monthly payments.

T-Mobile is the fourth major carrier in the United States, after AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. In late 2011, AT&T was looking into acquiring T-Mobile but the plans were shot down by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice. Since then, relations between the two companies have soured, with AT&T launching a full-page ad in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, slamming the company.

The ad specifically notes that T-Mobile’s network has twice as many dropped and failed calls, and half the data speed of AT&T’s network. The ad campaign is said to be a response to T-Mobile CEO John Legere who mentioned earlier this year that AT&T’s network was “crap”.

It is not surprising that carriers are launching attacks at each other, particularly when Apple’s products are offered on multiple networks. If T-Mobile does get the iPhone, tt will be interesting to see how it fits it into the no-contract structure, which is usually seen with regional carriers such as MetroPCS or C-Spire Wireless.

{Via MacRumors}

China is quickly becoming the focal point of the smartphone market, with the country slated to surpass the United States and become the world’s largest smart device market in the world. According to mobile analytics platform, Flurry, China has the most active Android and iOS tablets and smartphones. China has been in close competition with the United States since last year, with a user base of 222 million in the United States and 221 million in China.

The report also notes that China will surpass the US with an estimated 246 million devices as opposed to the 230 million devices in the United States. In the first fiscal quarter of 2013, Apple reported a 67 percent revenue increase in China, coming out to about $6.8 billion. During past earnings reports, CEO Tim Cook mentioned that China is a major growth opportunity for Apple as it is the second largest region and a large part of the company’s revenue comes from the country.

Apple has continued to expand in China, adding over 10 retail locations and focusing on making the country among the first to receive new product releases. China has continued to add more smart devices, with over 150 million additions in the year of 2012 in comparison to the 55 million in the United States.

China also has massive influence in the manufacturing of these products, as it is the location of major companies such as Foxconn which builds devices for Apple and many other companies in the United States. Other markets trailing China and the US include the U.K with 43 million smart devices, South Korea with 30 million, and Japan with 29 million devices.

{Via MacRumors}

Apple introduced its “Find My Friends” application in late 2011 with iOS 5, allowing iOS users to track their friends in real time, and display their own location using the GPS on their device. Now it seems that Facebook has something similiar in mind.

According to Bloomberg, the social networking giant is working on a location based app similiar to “Find My Friends” which would allow users to automatically share their location with their Facebook friends. The application would run in the background so it can consistently update the location of the user and friends of the user.

The app, scheduled for release by mid-March, is designed to help users find nearby friends and would run even when the program isn’t open on a handset, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public.

The team developing Facebook’s location software is being led by Peter Deng, a product director who joined from Google in 2007, one person said. The group also includes engineers from Glancee, a location-tracking startup Facebook acquired in May, and Gowalla, a location-based social network whose assets were purchased in December 2011, the person said.

Although Apple was the first to introduce an app with this technology, it seems more practical for Facebook who would have a existing and significantly larger user base. The social networking site could also use the locations of its users to further understand a person’s likes and dislikes, which can be used for advertising purposes.

Facebook will likely give users the option to turn off their feature if they wish, as they have done with their Photo Sync feature. It is unclear how many users would feel comfortable having Facebook automatically upload their location, let alone use it for ad purposes.

{Via iMore}

In billion KRW Sales Operating Income Net Income
2009 2Q 5.37 3.18 2.63
2010 2Q 6.72 3.54 3.40
Variation 25.2% 11.3% 29.3%

1st half net profit percentage was 52%, with sales, operating income and net income of 13.02 billion KRW, 7.08 billion KRW, and 6.77 billion KRW which was a year on year increase of 36.9%, 41.4%, 56.5% accordingly.

In billion KRW Sales Operating Income Net Income
2009 1H 9.51 5.01 4.33
2010 2H 13.02 7.08 6.77
Variation 36.9% 41.4% 56.5%

2nd quarter sales were led by successful franchises like NOM 4, HYBRID 2: Saga of Nostalgia and new game franchises like Illusia in Korea, and by releases of ZENONIA 2 and Soccer Superstars on App Store and Baseball Superstars 2010 on Android Market globally. GAMEVIL’s consolidated overseas revenue increased 52% compared to the second quarter of 2009, and 100% compared the first quarter of 2010.

GAMEVIL continues to maintain high profit margin due to its successful franchises, virtual goods sales and expansion to multi-platforms.

“We’re extremely happy with our continuous growth with high margins.” said Yong Kuk Lee, Chief Financial Officer. “International sales have been strong through distribution of Apple’s App Store and Google’s Android Market, while we maintain the leading position in the domestic market.”

For more information please visit www.gamevil.com.

About GAMEVIL

GAMEVIL(R) is a premier mobile game publisher located in Seoul, Korea and Los Angeles, USA. Established in 2000, GAMEVIL has earned a reputation as one of the best companies in the mobile games sector by crafting award winners in a diverse portfolio of games. GAMEVIL is well known for revolutionizing the sector with its original and innovative mobile games, backed by unparalleled expertise in advanced mobile technology. As a world class leader in mobile games publishing, GAMEVIL continues to lead the sector with a commitment to establish mobile as the definitive mass market entertainment platform of the world. GAMEVIL is currently listed on the KOSDAQ Market (Ticker: 063080, Bloomberg: 063080:KS, Reuters: 063080.KQ)

GAMEVIL(R), Baseball Superstars(R), ZENONIA(R), Soccer Superstars(TM) are registered trademarks or trademarks of GAMEVIL Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
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TUAW reports the head of the US Army’s Research, Development, and Engineering Command, Major General Nick Justice (I couldn’t make that name up if I tried), recently met with the collective in Cupertino. The American military, like most armies worldwide, depend on custom-built electronics that are often overpriced and outmoded before they reach the battlefield. Major General Justice’s command is interesting in exploring the application of off-the-shelf technology to US Army needs. Instead of military developed technology flowing to the private sector (as was the case with the Humvee), commercial tech would flow into the military.

It’s interesting to see the American military conferring with Apple on this matter but it makes perfect sense for a number of reasons. Firstly, Apple is the acknowledged leader in mobile technology. I don’t think there is one person left in the technology sector that wouldn’t acknowledge the versatility and ease of use of the iPhone platform. Military technologies are usually highly focused, highly specialized products. The versatility of the platform would be very enticing to an organization looking for a powerful mobile computing system that can perform many different tasks. The ease of use of the iPhone platform would also be inviting in that most recruits would be familiar with systems operation from their civilian life, freeing instructors to focus on teaching the actual applications.

Secondly, budgetary constraints have forced the military to look at inexpensive solutions to their information technology needs. The iPhone, even at the retail price of $300 – $400 USD per unit, would be a bargain for the US Army. It could take the place of a mobile communications system, battlefield information system, and IFF beacon to name but a few uses. Who knows how much they’re spending on just these three systems alone? And after the initial hardware investment, the only other expense would be in training a corps of developers.

Although in this instance it was the American military talking to Apple, I imagine similar discussions are going on in boardrooms and bunkers throughout the Free World. When viewed as a mobile computing platform, the iPhone represents such a leap forward that it can’t be ignored in either the commercial, corporate, or military space. This convergence and multiplicity of purpose has, in my opinion, permanently put Apple at the forefront of the mobile computing market as they continue to expand their presence in it.

What do you think of the US Army’s move to enlist the iPhone? Do you think corporate and military adoption of Apple’s products are the future? Leave us a comment and let us know.