OS 7 iBeacons: What it does and why it's a game-changer

Forget NFC – Apple's new iBeacons feature is where it's at!

As of yesterday, anyone with a third-generation Apple TV and a Bluetooth 4.0 device running iOS 7 can set up their Apple TV with just a tap, bypassing the tedious process of using Apple’s included physical remote to set up your Apple TV the very first time you take it out of the box.

Though Apple has not confirmed that the technology which makes this “tap to configure” feature possible is the new iBeacons API, it certainly seems likely that this is actually what it is. And if so, this is just the harbinger of cool things we can expect in the future thanks to iBeacons.

What is iBeacons?

iBeacons is a new Core Location API in iOS 7 that allows any iOS device with a Bluetooth 4.0 chip (also know as Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE) in it to know where it is in relation to other BLE devices. iBeacons allows devices to talk to each other, relating their location in real time without the need for Wi-Fi or GPS. 

Touch to configure

The new touch to configure feature of the Apple TV was revealed in an Apple Support Document titled “Using an iOS device to set up your Apple TV.” What the feature allows is for the user to set up their new Apple TV without using the included physical remote control.

Previously a user would need to spend several minutes using the remote to navigate the on-screen keyboard to enter in his Wi-Fi network’s password, his Apple ID username and password, and other settings information, such as location.

Now users can simply tap their compatible iPhone or iPad to their Apple TV and all their user settings will be transferred automatically, saving precious--and frustrating--setup time. Keep in mind that while Apple instructs users to physically tap their iOS device to their Apple TV, physical contact is actually not required. Apple is just telling people to tap their device to the Apple TV to make sure the two are in close enough range of each other.

iBeacons is a new Core Location API in iOS 7 that allows any iOS device with a Bluetooth 4.0 chip (also know as Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE) in it to know where it is in relation to other BLE devices. iBeacons allows devices to talk to each other, relating their location in real time without the need for Wi-Fi or GPS. 

Touch to configure

The new touch to configure feature of the Apple TV was revealed in an Apple Support Document titled “Using an iOS device to set up your Apple TV.” What the feature allows is for the user to set up their new Apple TV without using the included physical remote control.

Previously a user would need to spend several minutes using the remote to navigate the on-screen keyboard to enter in his Wi-Fi network’s password, his Apple ID username and password, and other settings information, such as location.

Now users can simply tap their compatible iPhone or iPad to their Apple TV and all their user settings will be transferred automatically, saving precious--and frustrating--setup time. Keep in mind that while Apple instructs users to physically tap their iOS device to their Apple TV, physical contact is actually not required. Apple is just telling people to tap their device to the Apple TV to make sure the two are in close enough range of each other.

Apple TV: the first use of iBeacons?

While Apple has not confirmed that its touch-to-configure feature between a compatible iOS 7 device and the third-generation Apple TV is indeed based on the iBeacons protocol, it certainly seems like that’s what it is. The reason for this is because the touch-to-configure feature only works with iOS devices running iOS 7--and not iOS 6, which doesn’t support iBeacons. 

Also, the touch-to-configure feature does not work with first and second generation Apple TV devices, which shipped with Bluetooth 2.1 chips, nor does it work with any iOS devices that do not have a BLE chipset (such as the iPhone 4, even though that runs iOS 7 just fine).

Why iBeacons matters

Imagine never having to configure another smart device again. That’s what iBeacons allows for, as exemplified by the new touch-to-configure feature of the Apple TV. And since iBeacons is an open API, it’s not limited to only being used to configure Apple devices.

Sony or Microsoft could easily build iBeacons support into the PS4 or Xbox One, allowing users to configure their gaming boxes on the fly right from their iPhone. Think how cool this would be if you went over to your friends house and his Xbox automatically loaded all your setting when you stepped into the room?

But iBeacons isn’t just limited to setting up devices. It could be used to lock or unlock BLE-compatible car or house doors when you get within range of them. It can be used for hyper-local marketing too. Say you’re in the mall, if there is an iBeacon transmitter in a store then that store could automatically send discount coupons to your iPhone in order to entice you to purchase something.

And then of course, there’s mobile payments and ticketing. NFC, for all its uses, still has yet to reach any kind of mass adoption. Part of that is because of the infrastructure changes needed at the till, while much of it is also due to faults in the NFC technology itself.

BLE chips are cheap and increasingly found in every modern smartphone, tablet, and laptop. iBeacons could pave the way for a mobile payments system that is secure, fast, and universal--especially when you combine it with Apple’s Touch ID. 

Samsung Galaxy Trend 3 budget Android 4.2 smartphone unveiled

 Samsung has introduced a new budget dual-SIM Android smartphone, the Galaxy Trend 3. The device has been launched in China, though the company has not revealed the pricing and availability details of the device. For now, there is also no word on the roll out of the device to other markets.

The Galaxy Trend 3 follows similar design language as company's flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4. However, it features more basic hardware specifications. The Android 4.2 Jelly Bean-based Galaxy Trend 3 bears a 4.3-inch TFT WVGA (480x800 pixel) display, and is powered by a dual-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz. It comes with dimensions 129.7x66.95x9.4mm and weighs 128 grams.

Samsung's Galaxy Trend 3 features a 1800mAh battery backing the device, and as of yet, the company has not released estimated battery life figures. A dual-SIM device, the Trend 3 has support for dual standby. Connectivity options on the device include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS/AGPS, Micro-USB and 3G. The device does not come with NFC or LTE support. The Trend 3 sports a 3-megapixel rear camera with no flash.

The new budget smartphone from Samsung will be available in three colour variants - Black, Powder Pink, and White. It will also feature preloaded apps, including Samsung's App store and ChatON instant messenger.

Recently, a new mid-range smartphone, the Galaxy Trend was listed on Samsung's India online storefor Rs. 8,700. However, there were no details on the availability of the device, with the page only providing a 'Notify Me' option for consumers. So far, a Galaxy Trend 2 smartphone has not made an official appearance yet.

The Samsung Galaxy Trend comes with a 4-inch WVGA (480x800 pixel) TFT display and is powered by a 1GHz processor (unspecified chipset). It is a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) smartphone and runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with TouchWiz 4.0 UI on top. Other specifications include a 3-megapixel rear camera with no flash, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of inbuilt storage, expandable storage up to 32GB via microSD card, and a 1500mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy Trend 3 key specifications

• 4.3-inch TFT WVGA (480x800) display
• 1.2GHz dual-core processor (unspecified chipset)
• 3-megapixel rear camera
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
• 129.7x66.95x9.4mm and weighs 128 grams
• Dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) with dual standby

lockscreen of iOS 7 is Not save - Apple - Emergency Dial in the Lock Screen

Apple has yet to fix one nasty bug in the lockscreen of iOS 7, and the next one has already appeared.

On Friday, Karam Daoud, a 27-year old Palestinian living in the West Bank city of Ramallah, sent me the video above, showing how he’s able to make a call to any number from a locked iPhone running iOS 7 by exploiting a vulnerability in its emergency calling function. The trick includes international calls and calls to premium numbers, is simple enough that any phone thief could easily take advantage of it, and unlike the first bug revealed in the iOS 7 lockscreen Thursday, there doesn’t seem to be any immediate fix for users.

Anyone who gets physical access to a locked iPhone running iOS 7 can simply tap “Emergency” on the lock screen, which brings up an emergency calling screen. Then he or she can dial any number and rapidly tap the call button until the phone reverts to an empty screen with an Apple logo at the center and make the call to that number. says Daoud. “Once the black screen appeared, it was pretty clear that this is a bug,” says Daoud. “You can dial a number anywhere, any time.”

I tested this myself on two iPhone 5′s running on different carriers, and it worked in both cases, although it took more than a minute of tapping the second time. Daoud has tested the trick on earlier iPhones running the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, and says it works on them just as well.

Daoud, who runs a marketing and business development firm but has worked in the past as a bug tester for a mobile network company, says he’s already contacted Apple’s security team and described the flaw. After requesting more information and a video, an Apple contact wrote to him again to thank him for the information, telling him it would be fixed in an upcoming software update. I’ve also called Apple asking for more information and I’ll update this post if I hear back from the company.

Daoud’s bug is the second major flaw in the iOS 7 lockscreen to be revealed in just two days. The first, shared with me by a soldier living in Spain’s Canary Islands named Jose Rodriguez, allows anyone to gain access to a locked phone’s photos through its control center, including the ability to access the user’s email, Twitter, Facebook page and Flickr account through the photo app’s “share” functions.

Though the latest bug may create less potential for privacy violation, it may also be much harder for users to fix for themselves before Apple issues a software update. Users can block the photo-accessing bug by simply disabling access to iOS’s control center from the lockscreen. As far as either I or Daoud could tell, there’s no easy way to disable emergency calling on the iPhone, an option that I’d discourage for safety reasons even if it were possible.

Daoud says he appreciates Apple’s response to his emails, but was slightly annoyed that the company ignored his request for a financial reward for exposing the lockscreen flaw and helping to get it fixed. Facebook and Google, by contrast, offer thousands of dollars for information about bugs in their software. (Although it’s worth noting that Google doesn’t pay bounties for Android flaws or for bugs related to its Motorola devices.) “I don’t need the money…I would have been fine with them saying ‘We’re not Facebook, we don’t pay rewards,’ or whatever,” says Daoud. “But instead unfortunately they just ignored that part of my email.”

It’s not the first time iOS’s emergency calling screen has caused problems. Another lockscreen bypass trick used a flaw in the same feature in iOS 6.1 to gain full access to the phone’s contacts and calling features.

And why does it seem that Apple has had such continuing trouble in locking down its lockscreen? Daoud says he’s a loyal Apple fan, but argues the company has focused too many of its resources on adding new features to handsets, and not enough ensuring that their basic functions work. “I think this is a part of iOS that they’re not paying much attention to,” Daoud says. “They’re more interested in copying Samsung on new things than fixing their bugs.”

iPhone 5S release date, price and specs confirmed

Check out our round-up for everything you need to know about the new iPhone 5S including release date, features and specs

Three confirms iPhone 5S pricing and tariffs

Three has confirmed its iPhone 5S pricing and tariffs. Three has the iPhone 5S in all three flavours – so, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB – and will begin rolling out its 4G services later on this quarter (and it won’t be charging for it either – all you’ll need is a 4G-ready phone from thenetwork).

The iPhone 5S is available on three different tariffs, but you will have to pay £99 for the handset upfront on all of them. On the One Plan, with 2,000 minutes and the same minutes and data allowance as the other tariffs, the iPhone 5S (16GB) is £41 per month. 

The 32GB and 64GB versions are available for £46 or £51 per month respectively. The iPhone 5C is also available via Three, with prices starting at £37 a month and going all the way up to £42 and £47 per month for the 32GB and 64GB versions. 

“We are very excited to announce that the much anticipated iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C are now available on our network”, said Thomas Malleschitz, Marketing Director at Three. 

“iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, along with our commitment to provide 4G at no extra cost, means that our customers can look forward to an even better network experience. We will also continue to offer all-you-can-eat data, so customers can truly enjoy the full capabilities of iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C without having to worry about exceeding their data allowance.”

iPhone 5S pricing and tariffs confirmed by Vodafone

Vodafone has confirmed what you’ll have to do and how much you’ll have to pay to secure yourself an iPhone 5S once the handset gets an official UK release this Friday. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_bEVWZeDhU

“As well as being available to order online and through telesales we’ll have stock of both the 5c and 5s in our shops across the country,” said Vodafone.

The iPhone 5s is a 4G-ready device, available from launch on Vodafone’s Ultrafast 4G network, with a choice of either Sky Sports Mobile TV or Spotify Premium included. The 4G plans come with a minimum of 6GB of data, which includes the 2GB you get with Vodafone Red 4G-ready plus an additional ‘4GB bonus’ for anyone who signs up before the end of October. 

Check out Vodafone's iPhone 5S tariffs below: 

Consumer 24 month Vodafone Red 4G-ready plans (including VAT)

	Vodafone Red 4G-ready	Vodafone Red 4G-ready L	Vodafone Red 4G-ready XL
Monthly line rental	£47	£52	£57
Data (until end October)	6GB	8GB	12GB
Minutes	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Texts	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Sky Sports or Spotify Premium	6 months	24 months	24 months
iPhone 5s 16GB	£79	£19	£19
iPhone 5s 32GB	£149	£99	£49
iPhone 5s 64GB	£229	£159	£99

12 month Vodafone Red 4G-ready plans (including VAT)

	Vodafone Red 4G-ready	Vodafone Red 4G-ready L	Vodafone Red 4G-ready XL
Monthly line rental	£52	£57	£62
Data (until end October)	6GB	8GB	12GB
Minutes	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Texts	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Sky Sports or Spotify Premium	6 months	12 months	12 months
iPhone 5s 16GB	£249	£199	£149
iPhone 5s 32GB	£299	£239	£179
iPhone 5s 64GB	£379	£319	£269

Consumer 24 month Vodafone Red plans (3G) (including VAT)

	Vodafone Red	Vodafone Red L	Vodafone Red XL
Monthly line rental	£42	£47	£52
Data	1GB	2GB	4GB
Minutes	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Texts	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
iPhone 5s 16GB	£79	£19	£19
iPhone 5s 32GB	£149	£99	£49
iPhone 5s 64GB	£229	£159	£99

12 month Vodafone Red plans (3G) (including VAT)

	Vodafone Red	Vodafone Red L	Vodafone Red XL
Monthly line rental	£47	£52	£57
Data	1GB	2GB	4GB
Minutes	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Texts	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
iPhone 5s 16GB	£249	£199	£149
iPhone 5s 32GB	£299	£239	£179
iPhone 5s 64GB	£379	£319	£269

iPhone 5S release date FAQs

The iPhone 5S goes on sale in just a few days. Launched last week alongside the iPhone 5C and iOS 7, the iPhone 5S now comes in three colours, packs in a new fingerprint scanner, and runs the company’s brand new A7 chipset.

Check out our iPhone 5S release date FAQs below:

When is it happening?

The iPhone 5S will be available from 8am on September 20.

Where can I get it?

If you want to get your hands on the iPhone 5S straight away your best bet is an Apple Store. Although there will be queues, and no guarantees of picking up a handset, so be warned.

Is there a pre-order?

No.

How much does the iPhone 5S cost?

The iPhone 5S will cost £549 for the 16GB version, £629 for 32GB and £709 for 64GB

Will there be delays?

Almost certainly. In a note to investors, Jeffries & Co analyst Peter Misek said Apple would build five to ten million iPhone 5S handsets this quarter. Misek also pointed out that yields of the iPhone 5S’ fingerprint scanner have been terrible – something that could have dire consequences for consumers.

This is, perhaps, to be expected, however, as historically Apple has put its flagship handsets up for pre-order straight away after its announcements, chalking up record sales in the process. This time, in a somewhat startling move, there have only been pre-orders on the iPhone 5C.

What’s different about the iPhone 5S?

Quite a bit as it goes, but most of the new stuff is under the hood: Touch ID fingerprint scanner; new 64-bit A7 chipset with M7 coprocessor; revamped imaging capabilities; better battery life.

Apple says the new A7 chipset is twice as fast as the A6 chipset found inside the iPhone 5. You can read more about the iPhone 5S’ new features and USPs below.

What networks are carrying it?

O2, EE, Vodafone, and Three – basically all the big UK players. The handset will also be available direct from Apple as well as most major UK retailers.

Is it 4G?

The iPhone 5S – like the iPhone 5C – supports 17 4G bands and in the UK you will be able to pick up a LTE version of the handset at the following networks: O2, Vodafone, Three, and EE. Although it’s worth noting some networks do not yet have fully operational LTE services.

Everything else you need to know about the iPhone 5S – including specs, features, and hardware – is detailed below. We've also added in some videos that explain some of the handset's new features as well as and lots of pictures, so you'll be fully up to speed ahead of the September 20 release date.  

Apple iPhone 5S is official

It’s all over for another year – Apple’s new iPhone is here, and just as everybody expected, this year saw the company launch two handsets: the iPhone 5S (available in gold, silver and space grey) and the iPhone 5C (pictured below).

The iPhone 5S is the new flagship, adding in a brand new processor, improved imaging, and better battery life, while the iPhone 5C is a mid-range handset targeted at pre-pay and Asian markets.

The iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C both have 4-inch Retina Displays and run iOS 7 out of the box. Apple says there are some 200 updates inside its new iPhone and iPad platform.

The company outlined a selection in an official release to the press, which you can read below:

• Control Center, which gives you quick access to the controls you want in one convenient place with just one swipe from the bottom of your screen
• Notification Center, now available from the Lock screen so you can see all your notifications with a simple swipe, and the new Today feature gives you an at-a-glance view of your day with a summary of the important details such as weather, traffic, meetings and events; 
• improved Multitasking that gives users the ability to switch between their apps in a more visual and intuitive way, and iOS 7 pays attention to which apps you use most and automatically keeps your content up to date in the background;
• AirDrop, an entirely new way to quickly and easily share content with people nearby;
• new Camera app filters so you can add real-time photo effects, a square camera option, and you can quickly and easily switch between your four cameras—video, photo, square and panorama—with just a swipe;
• a redesigned Photos app that introduces Moments, a new way to automatically organise your photos and videos based on time and location;
• full-screen browsing with Safari’s new redesigned user interface, the new smart search field helps simplify searching, and there’s a new view for your bookmarks and your Safari tabs; 
• Siri with new male and female voices,* Twitter search integration, Wikipedia integration and Bing web searching within the app; and
• iTunes Radio, a free Internet radio service featuring over 200 stations and an incredible catalogue of music from the iTunes Store, combined with features only iTunes can deliver.