On Monday June 7, 2010, Steve Jobs of Apple Computers introduced Apple's new smartphone, the iPhone 4. The sleek, ultra-thin device was presented to an audience of software designers at the Worldwide Developer's Conference in San Francisco.
This is the design that was “leaked” and presented on the web by Gizmodo in April. Gizmodo claimed that the phone was left at a bar and sold to them by a third party.
While customer satisfaction rates higher for Android phone users, and Blackberry is the top selling smartphone on the market, Apple can boast that of all mobile web browsing, iPhone is the leader.
Steve Jobs, in his usual superlative manner, introduced several features of the iPhone 4. The design is thinner than any other smartphone on the market. The front and back consist of specially designed glass that is 30 times harder than plastic. Longer battery life allows 40% longer talk-time than previous models.
Many news sources have reported on the technical problems Jobs had when he tried to demonstrate online features of the phone. He openly expressed his frustration, and had to discontinue some of his presentation. Later he said that staff was scurrying backstage. He told the audience that they had discovered that there were 570 people using wireless devices in the immediate vicinity. Most of his audience members were actively communicating on their phones and laptops during the presentation. Steve Jobs laughed and let them know that if they would log off, he could resume his demonstration of the iPhone 4. Presumably enough of them responded, at least those working for Mr. Jobs did, and he was able to continue his demonstration.
Along with Global Positioning (GPS), compass and accelerometer, Apple has added a gyroscope to track movement. The phone can even demonstrate the effects of gravity. Jobs displayed these properties by playing a game of Jenga for the audience, spinning around on the stage, moving the phone in his hands while the audience watched the projected image and the changing perspective. The phone's representation of gravity was seen when the tower fell.
The iPhone 4's display is said to be four times sharper than previous smartphones. “Retina Display” presents 326 pixels per inch, providing an image as rich as the human eye can detect. Objects presented on the screen will appear as sharp as items held in your hand.
The phone's camera capabilities are the most innovative. A 5 megapixel camera with a lens on the front and back is standard on every iPhone 4. This camera has LED flash, and HD video capabilities. The iMovie application is available for $4.99 that allows you to edit and embellish video to create movies which can be shared through texting (MMS), email or youtube.
Steve Jobs brought “The Jetsons” to mind as he introduced the phone's camera-phone capabilities. Apple has designed “FaceTime” which compares to the laptop application, Skype. FaceTime provides video calling through the internet. Apple's demonstration of FaceTime emphasized the value this feature will have for deaf callers who use sign language.
The iPhone 4 retails for $199 for the 16GB model, and $299 for the 32GB model, with a two year AT&T contract. They will be available in the U.S. June 24, and will be in a total of 88 countries by September.
Contributed by :
Patty Harshbarger
Computer Renaissance, Bradenton, FL
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Keyboard Shortcuts
This week, a friend asked a question I hadn’t heard lately: What are all the extra keys on the keyboard for? We all know the basic QWERTY and punctuation keys, but there are many other keys that can make life easier once you are familiar with them.
We teach ourselves how to move around and access our favorite tasks, but there are many shortcuts right on the keyboard to simplify things. As we know, each letter key has a lower and upper case that is determined by the position of the “shift” key. In the same manner, depressing the “control,” “alt,” and “Windows” keys change the function of other keys.
Keys that move the cursor around a document allow you to keep your hands off the mouse while typing. The arrow keys move one space at a time. Hold down Control with an arrow key and move one word at a time. “Home” takes the cursor to the beginning of the line, and “End” moves to the far right. Page up and Page down skip through the document.
Online, go to www.SEOConsultants.com/windows/keyboard/ to find a helpful tool. This page has a clickable keyboard with a description of the functions of each key. It is worth the time to check it out and discover the shortcuts that are right under your fingertips. As an example, in order to cut, copy or paste, simply highlight the word or selection, then hold down “control” and press x, c, or v. To switch between your current work and the desktop, hold down the “Windows” key (near the spacebar) and press “D.”
The F keys across the top of the keyboard perform various tasks specific to the program you are using. F1 accesses the Help menu. In Internet Explorer, F11 toggles between full screen and normal viewing mode.
My favorite shortcut when I am web surfing is the backspace key. Press it to go back to the previous screen without using the mouse. Use Page Down and Page Up, Home and End to move quickly through the site.
Customize your copy of Microsoft Word 2007 to meet your needs and make life easier. Click on the icon in the top left corner, or on “File” and go to “Word Options” near the bottom right of that drop-down. Browse through the options there to find new shortcuts and features.
Contributed by:
Patty Harshbarger
Computer Renaissance, Bradenton FL
We teach ourselves how to move around and access our favorite tasks, but there are many shortcuts right on the keyboard to simplify things. As we know, each letter key has a lower and upper case that is determined by the position of the “shift” key. In the same manner, depressing the “control,” “alt,” and “Windows” keys change the function of other keys.
Keys that move the cursor around a document allow you to keep your hands off the mouse while typing. The arrow keys move one space at a time. Hold down Control with an arrow key and move one word at a time. “Home” takes the cursor to the beginning of the line, and “End” moves to the far right. Page up and Page down skip through the document.
Online, go to www.SEOConsultants.com/windows/keyboard/ to find a helpful tool. This page has a clickable keyboard with a description of the functions of each key. It is worth the time to check it out and discover the shortcuts that are right under your fingertips. As an example, in order to cut, copy or paste, simply highlight the word or selection, then hold down “control” and press x, c, or v. To switch between your current work and the desktop, hold down the “Windows” key (near the spacebar) and press “D.”
The F keys across the top of the keyboard perform various tasks specific to the program you are using. F1 accesses the Help menu. In Internet Explorer, F11 toggles between full screen and normal viewing mode.
My favorite shortcut when I am web surfing is the backspace key. Press it to go back to the previous screen without using the mouse. Use Page Down and Page Up, Home and End to move quickly through the site.
Customize your copy of Microsoft Word 2007 to meet your needs and make life easier. Click on the icon in the top left corner, or on “File” and go to “Word Options” near the bottom right of that drop-down. Browse through the options there to find new shortcuts and features.
Contributed by:
Patty Harshbarger
Computer Renaissance, Bradenton FL
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