Traveler 2.0

iPhone Rumors Include 3D Camera

A patent filing discovered by Patently Apple reveals that Apple may be developing “a killer 3D imaging camera” for still and video photography. Meanwhile, rumors about what to expect in the iPhone 5 are starting to heat up (yes, again).

According to the patent filing, the cameras Apple is developing would use depth-detection sensors such as laser, RADAR, and LIDAR to create 3D images. The cameras will also incorporate advanced chrominance and luminance sensors for enhanced color accuracy; facial recognition; and facial gesturing recognition.

Of course, just because Apple has filed a patent for 3D cameras doesn’t mean the company will incorporate that technology into a future product. And even if Apple does add 3D imagery, the technology might not show up in the next iPhone.

Speaking of which, the Los Angeles Times is reporting some of the latest iPhone 5 rumors. Among the expected features are:

* iPhone 5 production is expected to begin sometime in June. Then again, it might be fall.

* The next iPhone is likely to have a larger screen, anywhere from 4 to 4.7 inches (compared to the current 3.5 inches).

* A 4G iPhone 5 is pretty much a no-brainer.

* A quad-core processor, replacing the current dual-core chip.

Here's hoping the next iPhone has a bigger screen. Now that I also have a Samsung Galaxy Note, my iPhone looks miniscule in comparison.

Asking Siri Dumb Questions, Southern Style

In my personal blog, "A Southerner in San Francisco," I've had some fun asking the iPhone 4S Siri questions about the South. After all, Siri technology is reportedly handled, at least in part, by Apple's new data center in North Carolina. So Siri should know a little something about her home state, right?

Check out the video below to see how Siri fares under Southern cross-examination.

 

What to Do About iPhone 4S Battery Life Blues

Owners of the new iPhone 4S no doubt got all charged up about the improved camera, faster speed, and Siri, the virtual personal assistant with a bit of sass. Unfortunately, some of those owners aren't so charged up about the iPhone 4S's battery. 

As it turns out, Apple forums and other sites are filling up with distress signals from iPhone 4S owners who complain that the smartphone's battery loses its juice way too fast. Apple's been mum thus far about the problem and any fix it has in store, just as it was when Antennagate was reaching a fever pitch.

While the world awaits from an official response, here are some things you can try to stop the iPhone 4S battery bleeding:

* Use the iPhone until it runs out of juice and powers off, then fully recharge it without interruption.

* Disable the calendar in your Exchange mail account, then re-enable it.

* Turn off Location Settings for apps that don’t really, truly need it. Yes, this means Angry Birds.

* Go into your Settings and find System Services. Turn off Diagnostics & Usage, Location-based iAds; and Setting Time Zone.

 * Turn off Push email, if you can stand it, and switch to manual Fetch.

 * Dim your screen’s brightness level.

If you want to get all severe about it, turn off 3G data, Bluetooth, and/or Wi-Fi, or all of the above by putting your phone into Airplane Mode when you don’t need it. Of course, then you have to remember to turn Airplane Mode off later. If you go this route, set an alarm on your phone’s clock as a reminder.

Some cool things I learned about Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs' death was a shock, even though his recent resignation from Apple was obviously health related. Having absorbed the shock, I've spent a lot of time reading the stories about his life and impact. Here are some of the cool things about Jobs I didn't know: 

 * He and Steve Wozniak started Apple in 1976 with $1,300. The company's current market value: $351 billion. I'd say that was a wise investment.

* Jobs bought Pixar for $10 million. The Walt Disney Company later acquired it for $7.4 billion. Another wise investment. 

 * Ella Fitzgerald sang at his 30th birthday party, in 1985. Ella was still going strong at that time. I can say this becaise I was lucky enough to see her in concert in 1983. She tore the roof off, brought the house down, and smiled sweetly throughout.

 * Jobs told a reporter that taking LSD was one of the most important things he'd done in his life. Only a child of the 70s could say such a thing and get away with it.

 * No market research went into the iPad. Said Jobs: "It's not the consumers' job to know what they want." This is the equivalent of Henry Ford saying that if he had asked consumers what they wanted in transportation, they would have said "a faster horse." In this era of focus groups and market research, it takes enormous insight, a deep well of confidence, and I'll just say it: big cojones, to forge ahead with your vision.

 * Speaking of cojones: In the eighth grade, Jobs needed a particular part to finish the frequency counter he was making, so he called William Hewlett, the co-founder of HP. Hewlett had no idea who Jobs was but talked to him for 20 minutes, gathered the parts Jobs needed, and offered him a summer intern job. This is one of my favorite Steve Jobs stories, ever.

* Jobs and Wozniak built and sold blue boxes that made it possible for people to make free, and illegal, long-distance calls, back in the days of Ma Bell's monopoly. How ironic that, decades later, Apple's iPhone was so closely aligned with AT&T for what seemed like an eternity. 

* His motto came from "The Whole Earth Catalog," which was: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." 

* Many people quoted in the obits have compared Steve Jobs to Walt Disney. Taking that comparison to the extreme, can you imagine what a Jobs World or a Jobs Land might have looked like? Everything would be beautifully, tastefully designed and minimalist, like an Apple Store with rides, and everyone breaking out into dance routines in front of webcams. That's one theme park I'd gladly visit.  

 

How to get money for your old iPhone

Apple recently expanded its recycling program, allowing you to trade in your  old iPhone and iPads in exchange for Apple gift cards at a "fair market value." 

But is it really a fair market value?

To find out, I went to Apple's recycling page to see what my still-in-good-condition iPhone 3G (16 GB, locked to AT&T, and not jailbroken) might fetch. The result: a $65 Apple gift card. Next, I went to eBay and discovered that similar used, good-condition iPhone 3G phones had recently sold for $135 to $220. Finally, I headed over to Amazon.com and learned I could get a $114.40 Amazon gift card in exchange for my old iPhone 3G. Amazon's trade-in programs require that you send in the original packaging and accessories, which I still have. The Apple offer doesn't appear to come with those requirements. So kudos to Apple for being eco-minded. But I'm going to trade in my old iPhone 3G at Amazon instead. 

 

Now writing for Internet.com's iPhone blog, still grooving on Apple stuff

Image via CrunchBase

At the beginning of May, I took over writing Internet.com's iPhoneGuide.com, an iPhone blog for business users and IT types. I've started the ball rolling with a new regularly occurring feature, the iPhone Rumor Roulette, a roundup of the latest iPhone rumors (of which there is no shortage). I also plan to do hardware, software, and accessory reviews, and offer tips.

And I'd love your feedback. What types of posts about the iPhone would you find most interesting or useful? Please drop a comment here and let me know.

Now for an aside (actually, let's call it what it is: a tangent). I'll still continue to write about the iPhone, the iPad, the MacBook Air, and my other favorite mobile technology in this blog. Admittedly, I focus a lot on Apple products. After years of using both Mac and Windows computers, I finally gave up Windows and went all Apple, all the time, about two years ago.

That doesn't mean I won't criticize Mr. Jobs and his Cupertino cohorts. For instance, I know my iPhone is tracking my whereabouts and no doubt irradiating me in the process. Not too crazy about that. I also realize the iOS is a walled garden, and that Apple has gotten too big and sometimes looks a bit too much like the new Evil Empire. 

Yet here I am, in a San Francisco cafe, writing this post on my 11-inch MacBook Air, listening to tinkly new age music on my iPhone 4, in close proximity to a bunch of other Mac laptop users who are contentedly tapping away. Whether you love Apple products like me or loathe them, we're in a golden age of consumer electronics, folks, and as my wise nephew Stafford would say, I'm just happy to be here.