The Evolution of Technology

Posts Tagged ‘iPhone’

There might be some superficial Android/iPhone rivalry going on, but end users really benefit when developers release social apps that work on both platforms. Anything that involves sharing or messaging is better when more people use it. An app such as Viber, a VoIP and messaging app that launched on iOS late last year, only works well if many people use it. And so it’s good new for both Android and iPhone users that it is now available in the Android Market. My only question is of how much practical value the average smartphone user will get from it.

Essentially, the application is akin to Skype, in that you can call other Viber users using your data plan or WiFi connection, thereby not using any of your cellular minutes. It also says it provides text messaging, but really, since they only go to other Viber users it amounts to an in-app messaging system. There’s value in that, sure, especially since it’s cross-platform. But since almost every smartphone user has unlimited messaging, its value is limited. Also, if you’re on a tiered data plan there is a real trade-off now between voice minutes and data consumption. While those on unlimited plans will always benefit from placing calls over a data connection, someone with a 2GB cap might not.

The patent says how Apple would do 3D in a different way than tradition methods, which involve extensive software to “stitch” two photos together. Instead, Apple’s way would involve a “paradigm shift from the known software-based approaches.” The new method would utilize hardware for a “deterministic calculation for stereo disparity compensation.” Essentially, the two images will be rendered into 3D from hardware based on data from separate luma, chroma and distance sensors.
With a one-time system calibration the Apple device would be able to take both photos a videos.