The Difference Between iPhone Apps and iPad Apps

The iPhone and iPad, as everyone knows, are two highly popular, bestselling gadgets from Apple. The iPhone is a smart phone that can be used to make calls, send text and email messages, read books on, play music and videos, browse the Internet, and many more. The number of applications that can be downloaded and used on the iPhone is only limited by its storage capacity-and the purse of the iPhone owner. Some applications (or "apps" for short) are free, while others cost a certain amount, usually $1 or $2 for the most popular apps. On the other hand, the iPad is a much larger tablet device, which is used mainly for connecting online, reading books, and playing multimedia files. Basically, the iPad can do all the things that the iPhone is capable of, except make calls and send text messages. (There are some iPad apps that do allow the sending of texts, but with certain restrictions.)

In short, the iPhone and the iPad are much the same in terms of what they can do. Their glaring difference is that the iPhone is a phone, and the iPad is not. In other words, the iPhone can be-and is primarily-used to make phone calls, while the iPad is more like a netbook or portable personal computer. Another difference that stands out is their sizes. The iPhone has a 480×320 touchscreen, while the iPad has a much larger one that measures 1024×768 pixels. Looking at the two devices, about six iPhone units can be placed on the surface of an iPad.

The size difference is a key factor in comparing iPad and iPhone apps. Practically all iPhone apps (except those for making calls) may be downloaded on the iPad. The apps will work pretty much the same except that they will appear bigger to fit the larger iPad touchscreen. But not all apps meant for the iPad will work on the smaller iPhone. Apps that are native to the iPad use greater detail to take advantage of the larger touchscreen space. If these apps could be "shrunk" on the smaller iPhone screen, they wouldn't look as great-in fact, they might as well be unreadable. This is the reason why native iPad apps cannot be downloaded to an iPhone. But, just to make a point clear, the reverse can be done: most iPhone apps can be downloaded to and used on an iPad.

Examples of native iPad apps that won't work on the iPhone are magazine and newspaper apps. On the iPad, a magazine spread looks great and is very readable. But imagine the same on an iPhone screen. The pictures and text in a magazine or newspaper article won't simply fit on the smaller space.

Can it be said then that apps are better on the iPad than on the iPhone? This is close to the truth, but it's not quite there yet. While it is true that practically all iPhone apps can migrate to and function well on the iPad, an aesthetic loss is incurred in the process. Apps that are native to the iPhone, when viewed in an enlarged manner on the iPad, look less sharp, more pixelated. One may see jagged edges and blurry parts on the graphics of these apps. This naturally results from enlarging or doubling graphics originally composed for a smaller screen. This effect is known as "pixel doubling."

To correct pixel doubling, the iPad user is given the option to view a native iPhone app in its original, smaller size. Thus, on the iPad, the app will occupy just about one-half of the screen. For some native iPhone apps, there is also an option to download a higher-resolution version. With this, the app looks great on the iPad as it does on the iPhone.

There too are apps that have both iPad and iPhone versions. The user simply has to download the correct version to enjoy the apps with all their graphics and functionality intact.

Find reviews on new apps for iPhone and iPod touch, ipad games, and everything else at AppCraver.com, a website dedicated to app reviews for all of the iDevices.

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Verizon Apple iPhone 4 Slower than ATandT iPhone: Report

Verizon and AT&T iPhone 4s perform differently in different scenarios, says a new report. In motion, AT&T's was faster, but stationary the opposite was true.

The Verizon iPhone 4 is slower than its AT&T counterpart, according to Metrico, a company that tests mobile device performance. This bit of bad news for the long-awaited device follows reports that it additionally suffers from antenna signal loss when held in the "death grip" — a phrase coined after the release of the AT&T iPhone 4, which was found to drop reception bars when in held in a specific, but mostly natural, way.

According to the Metrico report released March 7, differences it discovered between the Verizon iPhone 4, which is based on CDMA technology, and the GSM-based AT&T iPhone 4 depend on how the smartphone is being used.

"The AT&T iPhone experienced double the mean data download speed of the Verizon iPhone," the firm said in a statement, " but the mean load time for an average Web page was about the same on both devices."

Metrico also found differences when the devices were being used in motion — in a car, say. "The AT&T iPhone successfully completed around 20 percent more data download sessions than the Verizon iPhone," reported the firm. "The results were opposite when the iPhones were stationary; the Verizon iPhone was more consistent uploading data when stationary in comparison to the AT&T iPhone, with a 10 percent success rate."

The findings echo those of early reviewers. The Wall Street Journal's Walter Mossberg, in a Feb. 3 review, reported that he performed "scores of speed tests" on the two iPhones, which he mostly used in Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland and, for a day, Chicago. "Despite a few Verizon victories here and there, AT&T's network averaged 46 percent faster at download speeds and 24 percent faster at upload speeds," wrote Mossberg. The differences were most notable, he found, when the phones were being asked to perform labor-intensive tasks, such as downloading large numbers of e-mails.

"AT&T's speeds varied more while Verizon's were more consistent, but overall, AT&T was more satisfying at cellular data," Mossberg concluded.

David Pogue's experience, reviewing the iPhones for The New York Times, was one that has made so many folks look forward to the iPhone on the Verizon network. He drove around San Francisco — an Achilles' heel for AT&T iPhone coverage — dialing a landline number. Over the course of 30 minutes, the AT&T iPHone dropped the call four times, while Verizon's held it continuously.

Metrico additionally compared the iPhones to other devices on their respective networks. It found the AT&T iPhone to rank near the top on download and upload speeds, "with comparable performance to the Sony Ericsson Xperia, the LG Quantum and the HTC Surround." The Verizon iPhone, however, ranked "below average in data download speed relative to other Verizon smartphones like the HTC Incredible."

The Smartphone Mobile Experience evaluation testing that the phones underwent offer carriers and original equipment manufacturers information with which they can establish a scientifically derived user-experience baseline, Richard McNally, Metrico vice president, said in the statement. Metrico's performance evaluation included performing more than 10,000 Web page downloads, more than 2,000 upload tests and placing nearly 4,000 voice calls.

"The mobile industry is competing on performance, and anecdotal performance information isn't good enough to drive management and marketing decisions," McNally added.

The Verizon iPhone 4 has inspired a number of organizations and Web sites to run performance tests of their own. Consumer Reports found that having a finger on various parts of the phone can cause a "meaningful decline in performance," and so was unable to recommend it. Tech site iLounge held the Verizon iPhone in various bear-hugging ways and noticed a "dramatic, dramatic slowdown" in upload speeds. Analysis group AnandTech, in its testing, found the death-grip issue to have been addressed.

"Getting a case still makes sense," the site reported, "but using the phone without one is no longer something that will dramatically affect phone usability.”

link search :eweek.com

Books overtake games as most numerous iPhone apps

In what is predicted to be a pivotal year for ebooks, with next month's iPad launch, the number of books available as iPhone apps now exceeds the number of games

The electronic book passed another milestone this month, with the number of books available on the iTunes App Store passing the number of games for the first time. According to data released earlier this month by the mobile phone advertising company Mobclix, there are more than 27,000 books now available as apps. Games lag behind, with 25,400 published this year, followed by entertainment, education and travel.
It's a trend that seems to be gathering momentum, with the number of book apps outnumbering games almost two to one over the past month. Next month's launch of the iPad, Apple's new tablet reader, alongside a dedicated book store, is set to accelerate the shift to electronic reading still further.
"The iPhone has always been perceived as a games-centric device, said Canongate's digital editor, Dan Franklin, "so the idea that books are outranking games is very exciting."
Franklin, who moved into digital publishing a year ago, said that his first thought on getting the job was, "When are Apple going to do something?" because "they have form". A move from Apple into the ebook market will "bring new people to reading like they have brought new people to music with the iTunes store", he added.
"It's a very exciting time," agreed Penguin's digital publisher, Jeremy Ettinghausen. "It's very exciting that people are using iPhones to read books."
"I travel on the tube every day," he continued, "and you do see people reading books, reading newspapers and playing games. As publishers we need to be on the things that people are using during that distraction time, that commuter time."
But he argued for caution in focusing on the number of titles being published, stressing that "it's very easy to produce books for the iPhone".
"It's interesting to see what's selling," he said, "rather than what's being submitted – quite a lot of the books are free downloads, whereas the games tend to be paid for. I'm more interested in what's going out than what's going in."
A significant proportion of these apps are free downloads of out-of-copyright books, but according to Franklin the recent surge in book apps can also be attributed to improvements in Apple's approval processes.
"Initially books weren't seen as being top of the pile," Franklin explained, but with the launch of the iBookstore imminent, "Apple are now taking more notice of book submissions".
"With the iPad due next month, and Google looking like they're going to launch their Google Editions, this is the key year for electronic books," he said.

Cheaper iPhone with new controls may come this summer

Apple will be bringing out lower-cost iPhones this June with new, gesture-based controls, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty.
In a note to investors, Huberty said research suggests the biggest barrier to iPhone entry for many consumers is the price of hardware, followed by the cost of the service plan. This was the case in emerging markets like China and India, as well as in the United States. I find this incredibly strange because the $200 or $300 you plop down initially is nothing compared to the amount you’re paying over the length of the contract. This idea has been kicking around for a while and some thought we would see the mythical iPhone Nano last summer. Instead, Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) introduced the iPhone 3GS and made the 3G version $99. The bargain iPhone 3G hasn’t hurt sales of the 3GS, as Apple recently said the demand for the latest iPhone has outstripped supply.
“We expect Apple to launch new iPhones in June that offer both a lower total cost of ownership and new functionality, potentially including gesture-based technology,” she wrote in a new note to investors Friday,” Huberty said.
This is where things get interesting because Apple does have a lot of juice now and could possibly get AT&T (NYSE: T) to lower the costs of data plans for iPhone users. It was recently able to get AT&T to offer somewhat reasonable, contract-less data plans for the iPad. AT&T would be crazy to give away revenue so easily but if this move keeps the iPhone away from Verizon (NYSE: VZ) for a few more years, you have to do it. As for the gesture stuff, we’ve seen rumblings to suggest that it will use the camera for a contact-less way of controlling your iPhone. If done right, this could enable you to control your phone without blocking your view or leaving smudges on that pretty screen. Steve Jobs seems pretty excited about the next iPhone, are you?

App Store Arrives in Bulgaria

The Apple store for iPhone, iPod Touch, and soon iPad, applications is officially on the Bulgarian market.
The store will allow Bulgarian customers to register for free, download thousands of games and applications for business, entertainment, productivity, and more, and pay with credit cards issued in the country instead of looking for different creative ways, such as using an address in Romania, as it has been until now.
The launch of the App store in Bulgaria is simultaneous with the launch in 12 other countries such as Macedonia, Jordan, Kenya, and Madagascar.
App store currently offers over 140 000 applications, some free and some paid, and has locations in 90 countries around the globe.
In Bulgaria, the mobile operator Globul is the official distributor of the iPhone, but there isn't yet any data about the number of iPhones in the country.

New mobile music services are booming

Filed under: mobile entertainment, mobile services | Tagged: blackberry, iphone, nokia, mobile music, itunes

The Apple iPhone, combined with the iTunes store, proved that mobile music is quite an interesting market.
Other mobile device manufacturers are jumping the bandwagon and rolling out new music services.

First there was Nokia’s “Comes With Music” (CWM) service, launched in October 2008, giving users unlimited access to 4 million tracks. Sony Ericsson followed with improvements on their PlayNow platform. Also Blackberry came with mobile music applications.

Eric Nicoli, CEO of the EMI Group, proved the potential of the market, speaking at the annual MIDEM event: “You only have to look at Japan, where 90 percent of all digital music sold is downloaded on to phones to see what a mobile download market can be.”
In other markets however, it hasn’t come quite that far just yet. For a long time, the high price tag of music-enabled phones was an obstacle. But manufacturers want to change that with their new product range. Several operators are targeting the younger generation with mobile phone subscriptions that include access to the mobile music service.

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