iPhone 5 Shortcomings

With Apple's expected announcement on September 12, 2012 regarding the release of iPhone 5, many iPhone fanatics are anxiously awaiting the details of the phone’s new features. However, there may be some shortcomings to this new device; and even for diehard Apple users, a switch to an Android phone might not be such a stretch anymore.

Some of the expected iPhone 5 shortcomings are:

The iPhone will finally get a bigger screen. It's expected that the current 3.5-inch design will grow to 4-inches diagonally. But rumor has it that this increase will come with a change in the display's aspect ratio. Meaning, instead of the iPhone's original boxy shape, it will be more of a rectangular design, a 16-by-9 ratio. Though this seems like a good idea for frequent mobile movie watchers, the majority of Apple’s app designs were developed for the original aspect ratio. This then causes a potential incompatibility fitting old apps to screen. That familiar little black box, that is now lost in many videos, may reappear soon with the larger screen.

 One of the improvements a lot of the older generation iPhone users are looking for is an  easier way to text. The small keys on the keyboard are difficult to use when the phone is held upright in landscape mode, and texting when the phone is turned on it's side, in a portrait orientation, requires two hands that are seldom no available. The inclusion by Apple of a “Swype”-like keyboard technology could go a long way to make texting simpler.

Finally, rumor has it there will finally be a USB connector for the iPhone 5. While this is a universally sought after improvement, it will may make your current Apple accessories obsolete. That’s right, you’ll have to replace your iHome, many USB cables, chargers, etc. To add insult to injury the new charger is not expected to be backward compatible with your older iDevices.

So in the end the question is this: Do these shortcomings outweigh all of Apple’s improvements to the phone? Or is the current iPhone 4, with it's tired and true features, all the iPhone you'll need in order to pass on the iPhone 5?

Sources: TechCrunch: Apple's New iPhone, PhonesReview: Android vs. iPhone Market share

iOS 4.2 Supports New Network Congestion Reducing Technology

It appears that Apple is joining the fight in cutting down smartphone signaling with the company's latest iPhone iOs 4.2. Tests by Nokia Siemens Networks have displayed that iPhone iOs 4.2 supports a technology known as Networked Controlled Fast Dormancy. What the technology basically does it makes the network and the handset work together in order to create the best conditions for smartphones to be able to function quickly while at the same time having a longer battery life and minimizing network congestion.

Smartphones connect to the network constantly and are often driven by applications. However, this creates an huge amount of signaling as smartphones switch from idle to active mode in order for them to interact with the network. As soon as the smartphone has gathered all the necessary information it requires, it sometimes may switch immediately to the idle state in order to conserve your battery. Then when you want any kind of data from the network, your smartphone just has to reconnect. This involves the network and the smartphone exchanging many small signals.

Unfortunately, all this disconnecting and reconnecting takes a lot of time and can even cause a slow network response which can become increasingly frustrating. However, leaving your smartphone in an active mode at all times drains the battery extremely fast.

To overcome this problem, Nokia Siemens Networks has introduced a method that keeps your smartphone in an intermediate state as opposed to putting it into an idle mode or an active mode. From this point your smartphone can wake up much more quickly and also needs to send fewer signals to and from the network to start a data connection. This allows you to get a fast network response as well as a longer battery life.

The new Apple software release supports this way of working on networks that use this specific type of technology. Nokia also uses this technology in their smartphones which they released earlier this year. Testing in the Middle East reported up to 11 hours of battery life, and North America testing showed a 50% decrease in smartphone signaling.

As more smartphones and operators OS's incorporate technologies that improve smartphone performance, smartphone networks will play an increasingly important role in making your overall smartphone experience more enjoyable.

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