Oct 18, 2013

Hands On: The Difference Between The iPhone 5S And The iPhone 5

Comparing the iPhone 5S with last year's iPhone 5 reveals more than a few differences—but most of them are under the hood.



Today's the day that the new iPhones have hit the shelves in the U.S. The pricier—and apparently more desired—iPhone 5S is not easy to find today, but after managing to get my hands on one, here's a quick comparison between the new 5S model and last year's iPhone 5.

First Impressions

The iPhone 5S, at first glance, is identical to its forebear. But with a flashy new A7 64-bit chip, the M7 motion co-processor, Apple's clever Touch ID fingerprint sensor and some powerful photography/video features, its insides bear little resemblance to the iPhone 5. Both phones boast a bright 326-ppi Retina touchscreen, of course, and the new version maintains the dimensions of its predecessor, weighing in at the same 112 grams. In our early testing, we compared a black 16GB iPhone 5S with a white Verizon iPhone 5 (pictured below).

Appearance

From the front, you could mistake the iPhone 5S for last year's iPhone 5 if it weren't for the new home button. The iPhone 5S's home button has lost the iconic rounded square of past generations in exchange for its nifty new fingerprint sensor. Beyond that, on the back of the device you'll note that the 5S has a new oblong-shaped dual flash to the right of the lens. The charging port, headphone jack placement, buttons and speaker arrangement remain unchanged. Beyond that, about the only discernable difference is that the iPhone logo has been Jony Ive-ified, featuring the printed "iPhone" logo in a thin font to match iOS 7's ubiquitous Helvetica Neue Ultra Light typeface.

Speed

As more comprehensive benchmarking comparisons would suggest, the iPhone 5S is noticeably faster than many competitors, easily doubling the speed of last year's model in many tests. The iPhone 5 is certainly no slouch, but upon activating my device, a "space gray" 16GB iPhone 5S running on AT&T's network, my first takeaway is whoa... this thing is fast. Granted, any new phone is blazing fast right out of the gate, but the 5S opens apps, loads webpages and executes so quickly it's hard to imagine a phone actually doing things faster than this. Next to an iPhone 5 over a shared Wi-Fi network, everything happens faster on the 5S. The camera was actually the most notable—it recovers in an instant with no lag at all. 

Camera

How does the iPhone 5S and its juiced-up camera compare to the iPhone 5? Well, the iPhone 5S's shooter is noticeably faster, like the phone is in most regards. The 5S, in our testing, seems to snap photos instantly. Burst mode is a cool trick, too—and one unique to the 5S, like the slow-motion video camera. Holding down the home button while shooting yields a ton of photos really, really quickly, but the only use cases we can imagine are tricky-to-capture shots, like maybe at a kid's football game when objects (and children) are moving, in order to get an in-focus shot.
The sample shots below compare the camera's respective capabilities in a handful of shooting conditions, though we've got a more in-depth examination of the 5S's camera features cooking too. In all of the pictures, we allowed autofocus to do its work rather than manually focusing with a tap like we make a habit of normally.
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As you can see, the iPhone 5S performed a bit better under duress in bright- and mixed-light situations. The photos are mostly pretty comparable, though we'll be testing the 5S camera and its improved flash in more settings to see where (and if) it shines. Bells and whistles like Slow-mo, burst mode and the True Tone flash will likely be its strongest qualities, so we look forward to playing with all of those further.

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New 2013 Jailbreak/Unlock iPhone 5,4S iOS 7.0.2 Untethered With RedSn0w

The Most wanted Popular jailbreak tool from www.Unlock-Jailbreak.net compiled by the iPhone Team ñ has just been released and updated with full and easy support for Jailbreak Unlock iPhone 5/4S/4/3GS iOS 7.0.2 & 6.1.4/6.1.3/ Jailbreak iOS 7 Untethered. You may have caught our tutorial, which detailed how one could jailbreak their device tethered using Redsn0w iOS 7, although since it was a pre-iOS 7.0.2 & 6.1.4/6.1.3/iOS 7 release, users needed to “point” the tool to the older firmware.
Team Unlock-Jailbreak was created few years ago, combines some of the jailbreak and unlock communityís most talented developers all known for producing reliable jailbreaks in the past. This team was assembled in order to develop a reliable untethered jailbreak and unlock iphone 5,4S,4 iOS 7.0.2 & 6.1.4/6.1.3/7 for post-A5 devices, including the iPhone 5, the iPad mini and the latest-generation iPad. This has now been achieved with the just-released userland jailbreak tool, known as Unlock-Jailbreak.net.
To Jailbreak and Unlock your iPhone 5/4/4S/3GS iOS 7.0.2 & 6.1.4/6.1.3/7 visit the official website http://www.Unlock-Jailbreak.net
They are a trustworthy, US company (iPhone Jailbreaks and Unlocks ). All unlocks and jailbreaks are guaranteed to work, or your money back. No quibbles, no questions, no hassle. Unlock and Untethered Jailbreak all iPhones regardless of bootloader, baseband and firmware version up to the latest and beyond. Since the founding in late 2007, more than 500,000 people have used the teamís services to safely and securely Unlock and Jailbreak their iPhones. Customers prefer them for 4 simple reasons:
The benefits of unlocking your iPhone are clear: You will be able to use cheap local (pay as you go) sim cards in the phone, and make phone calls at cheaper local rates. You can use the iPhone on cheaper networks (especially as data rates are often very expensive on the standard iPhone carrier networks). You can use more then one phone number on the iPhone, and switch your simcard at any time you wish. Of course, you can always use the original sim card after unlocking. The unlock does not affect the way your iPhone works (if you use a good unlocking service such as that offered by Unlock-Jailbreak.net) it enables the phone to accept ANY simcard.Other benefits of unlocking your iPhone are the addition of Cydia and installer on the unlocked iPhone.
The benefits of unlocking your phone are numerous. Not only will you benefit from being able to use any SIM card on any network in your phone, but you will also be able to take advantage of roaming services offered by most major networks.Unlocking your handset may also enable dual, tri or even quad band functionality, allowing you to use your phone in even more countries around the globe.Simply put, the iPhone in itÃŒs standard form is heavily restricted and jailbreaking and unlocking the iPhone enables it to be used to itÃŒs full potential, so why wouldnÃŒt you do so?
www.Unlock-Jailbreak.net Team have successfully jailbroken over 550,000 iPhones worldwide only in the past year. This is unparalleled by any other paid service in the industry. They have achieved this by combining a very simple solution with a fantastic 24/7 customer service department through many forms of contact, including telephone and live chat.

Jailbreakers, we are once again sitting right in the middle of that beautiful time period when updated jailbreaking tools are available to jailbreak iPhone 5,4S,4,3GS iOS 7.0.2/7/6.1.4/6.1.3, which allow us to free our iOS devices from their technical shackles. For those who have been sitting with an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad running Appleís iOS 7.0.2 firmware, you will no doubt be aware that after weeks of hard work and research, Pod2g and his team have released an untethered jailbreak for all existing iOS devices, excluding the third-generation Apple TV.
We have found ourselves in an all too familiar situation over the last couple of months, stuck in limbo between wanting to update to the latest official firmware, but not knowing when or indeed if a functional jailbreak iOS 7.0.2 would be released to jailbreak iPhone 5,4S,4,3GS iOS 7.0.2/7/6.1.4/6.1.3. Keeping history in mind, we should be able to rest easy in the fact that researchers such as Pod2g have always managed to escape the securities put in place by Apple to bring a jailbreak to the masses, but there will always remain a small part within us that has doubts each time Apple pushes a new version of iOS.
With work on the iOS 7.0.2 and iOS 7 jailbreak being finished and satisfactorily tested, the team involved have included the files and exploits in a new version of the Chronic Dev Teamís Absinthe tool that was introduced to us as a jailbreak solution for iOS 5.0.1. One of the main benefits of the tool is the extreme simplicity of the interface, with user guidance being provided all the way through and only involving a few clicks to get the job done.
As confirmed by iPhone Dev Team leader MuscleNerd, the 7.0.2 jailbreak will also be available through the use of the tried and tested Redsn0w tool as well as an updated version of the command line interface cinject binary. We already know that a large number of users prefer the familiar interface that the Redsn0w tool offers jailbreak iPhone 5,4S,4,3GS iOS 7.0.2/7/6.1.4/6.1.3, but for those who arenít stuck on familiarity and want to go down the route of using Absinthe for its rather cool and edgy sounding name as well as the simple and intuitive interface, then it is officially available to download now! Some Redsn0w updates are just minor vanity house updates or meager bug fixes, but it gives me great pleasure to announce that the just-released version 0.9.12b1 uses Absintheís exploit to jailbreak 5.1.1 untethered. The fruit companyís latest and greatest firmware version hasnít coughed up many bugs hitherto, but the limited jailbreak capabilities have meant that many users still havenít been able to enjoy optimal performance, until now.
If you have already jailbroken your device using Chronic Devís Absinthe, you really donít need to use Redsn0w now. But if you are a unlocker, and have been waiting for a tool like Sn0wbreeze, PwnageTool or Redsn0w for restoring to a custom firmware (A4 devices only), you would be glad to know that Redsn0w has finally been updated with support for 7.0.2 untether.

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Apps Crash Twice As Often on iPhone 5S Compared to iPhone 5

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If it seems like your apps are crashing more frequently since you upgraded to the new iPhone 5S, you're not alone.
Mobile applications crash twice as often on the iPhone 5S than they do on both the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C, according to tests by Crittercism, a mobile application performance management company.
But even with the doubled rate, crash frequency is still relatively low across all versions of the iPhone 5. The 5S has a crash rate of about 2%, compared to the original 5 and 5C's rates of just around 1%, Kalyan Ramanathan, Crittercism's chief marketing officer, told Mashable.
In some cases, crashes are just annoying, such as when your app fails while you're reading headlines on a news site. But for some apps, a crash can actually harm business. For example, a customer trying to purchase something through an app may give up and not buy the product if it crashes, Ramanathan explained.
The 5S might be seeing more crashes than the 5C because of its new hardware, which wasn't available to developers before its launch, Ramanathan said. The iPhone 5S includes a dual-core, 64-bit A7 chip that's nearly twice as fast as the A6 CPU, the chip that both the 5 and 5C have.
He added that he expects the crash rate on the 5S to improve as developers have time to test their apps on the new hardware.
"When you change a lot of hardware, you're going to have cases where issues crop up," Ramanathan said. "Give it a few months. You'll see the crash rate render down to the norm."
To study crash rates, Crittercism looked at hundreds of millions of app launches since the release of the new iPhones.
Have you experienced increased app crashes on your iPhone 5S? Tell us in the comments, below.

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iPhone 5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S4 Comparison: 5S "Fastest Phone Ever Tested" vs. LG G2, HTC One

iPhone 5S.
(Photo : REUTERS/Stephen Lam)

The iPhone 5S has one title it can boast in its battle vs. the Samsung Galaxy S4—"fastest phone ever tested."
In a recent test, researchers pitted the top smartphones from HTC, LG, Apple and Samsung against eachother to measure their processing speeds and performance. The test, which was compiled for Which? magazine, resulted in a big win for Apple's latest flagship smartphone.
Here's the top-seven finishers along with their single-core and multi-core scores:
1.) iPhone 5S: 1410 (single), 2561 (multi) 
2.) LG G2: 882 (single), 2355 (multi) 
3.) Samsung Galaxy S4: 687 (single), 1939 (multi) 
4.) HTC One: 643 (single), 1805 (multi) 
5.) iPhone 5C:  711 (single), 1281 (multi) 
6.) Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini: 649 (single), 1135 (multi) 
7.) HTC One Mini: 477 (single), 880 (multi)  
From Which?: "In June of this year we found the iPhone 5 had been eclipsed and that the Samsung Galaxy S4 had seized the number one spot for processor speed. In fact the iPhone 5 languished back in 7th place. But Apple is back. New Which? lab tests have revealed that the recently released iPhone 5S has broken all records in our processor benchmarking tests."
The benchmark tests were used with Geekbench software.
"These benchmarks are useful as they let us compare phones against one another but they aren't the be all and end all," said Which? technology researcher Jon Barrow.
"In truth most of the top phones feel fantastically smooth in everyday use. The iPhone 5s will feel a little snappier when swiping through menus and opening apps - and that fraction of a second when you launch a programme is not to be underestimated when you consider how often we use our phones.  But premium handsets, like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One, also feel lighting fast."
Galaxy S4 vs. iPhone 5 Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5 battle has been one of the more memorable smartphone comparisons for smartphone users in recent years. Each device has its own fanatics and critics, and while the average smartphone user doesn't understand the complicated technolgy behind each device, they are adamant on which phone provides a better experience for them.
The iPhone 5 has been lauded for its smooth operating system right out of the box, but the Galaxy S4's advanced Android OS allows the user to personalize their experience. These are two of the most significant differences between these devices, which also shed a bit of light on the type of user that owns each smartphone.
However, one considerable factor consumers may want to consider when deciding between the smartphones is the cost it takes to build each model-which trickles down to your pockets during purchase.
Samsung's Galaxy S4 is all the rage these days, but its Apple competitor, the iPhone 5, may still have a leg up on its smartphone counterpart in at least one category: the iPhone is a cheaper model to make.
A estimate by HIS iSuppli suggests quite a difference in prices between the two mobile phones. This, of course, means Apple will have more profit and, as a result, more money available from the smartphone business for innovation, marketing, support and price competition.
According to the His iSuppli estimation, the Apple iPhone 5 with 16GB of storage costs $196 to manufacture (for the lowest-end model), including materials. The cost for the 32GB version is estimated at $217, while the 64GB version runs $238.
Samsung Galaxy S4 estimates to cost $244 for the 16GB model at the high-speed packet access version (a 4G mobile standard), with $236 going for materials and $8.50 for manufacturing. That means the S4 roughly $48 more per unit to make than the equivalent iPhone. The LTE version of the S4, with 16GB, is $3 cheaper.
"Although [the S4's] hardware is not radically different from the Galaxy S III introduced in April of 2012, the Samsung Galaxy S4 includes some critical component updates that enhance its functionality as well as its BOM cost," said Vincent Leung, senior analyst for cost benchmarking at IHS, in a statement. "Among the upgrades are a larger, full high-definition display; a beefed-up Samsung processor; and a wealth of new sensors that set a record high for the number of such devices in a smartphone design."
According to the His iSuppli estimation, the Apple iPhone 5 with 16GB of storage costs $196 to manufacture (for the lowest-end model), including materials. The cost for the 32GB version is estimated at $217, while the 64GB version runs $238.
Samsung Galaxy S4 estimates to cost $244 for the 16GB model at the high-speed packet access version (a 4G mobile standard), with $236 going for materials and $8.50 for manufacturing. That means the S4 roughly $48 more per unit to make than the equivalent iPhone. The LTE version of the S4, with 16GB, is $3 cheaper.
"Although [the S4's] hardware is not radically different from the Galaxy S III introduced in April of 2012, the Samsung Galaxy S4 includes some critical component updates that enhance its functionality as well as its BOM cost," said Vincent Leung, senior analyst for cost benchmarking at IHS, in a statement. "Among the upgrades are a larger, full high-definition display; a beefed-up Samsung processor; and a wealth of new sensors that set a record high for the number of such devices in a smartphone design."

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Why You May Want To Upgrade To The Apple iPhone 5s Or 5c If You Travel Overseas

BEIJING, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 20:  A sales assist...
Apple iPhone 5s smartphones at the Wangfujing flagship store on September 20, 2013 in Beijing, China. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
When the iPhone 5 was released last year, I wrote about the roaming problem among competing carriers with locked handsets and different frequency configurations for each handset model. Roaming between different iPhone 5 models among U.S. carriers on LTE was impossible because of their use of different portions of the 700 MHz spectrum. At that time the FCC had 
opened a docket to force interoperability in order to foster competition and prevent manufacturers and carriers from locking customers into specific handsets that were not capable of being “ported” over to another provider.
In that article I questioned why Apple had not combined different portions of the spectrum for U.S. carriers in a single handset so consumers could purchase one phone and change service providers, rather than being locked into a carrier with an expensive phone. I suggested that the phone could be designed to accommodate multiple frequency bands and antennas in a common package so the user could have one choice that was adaptable to different providers.
Less than a year later, not surprisingly, Apple has released its latest version of the iPhone 5: the 5S and 5C, and done just that. It has combined some frequency bands in two handsets to accommodate the three primary LTE carriers in the U.S. There are actually five different versions of the iPhone 5S/5C with varying radio configurations depending on geographic region. Where you live and which phone you purchase will determine where you can roam around the world and which carriers your specific phone will operate on in the United States.
Here is what you need to understand and what is new.
Coverage differences between the iPhone 5 and 5S/5C
When I compared the iPhone 5 (and now the 5C) with the 5S, I was only concerned with the ability to roam internationally on LTE high speed data networks and the phone’s interoperability with different U.S. carriers. Processor speed, display resolution and their latest user-authentication were not relevant.
The iPhone 5 has very limited LTE frequency bands and came in three versions: one for Verizon, one forAT&T T +0.7%, and one for Sprint. T-Mobile, the real contender in the market in overseas roaming as of last week, was not even considered for the iPhone 5 when they were first released, although I found with different APN settings a Verizon unlocked phone would work to a limited extent on T-Mobile.
With the introduction of the iPhone 5S and 5C and the rapid deployment of LTE, the world has changed significantly. Selecting the correct phone will allow customers to have portability between three of the four carriers if they initially purchase the right handsets. The new iPhone 5 models also get you far better coverage in different parts of the world. Apple also added the 1700/2100 MHz and 2100 MHz bands to their newest phones. This can be quite important in certain regions and on cruise ships. There is a significant difference between the original iPhone 5 and the latest iterations. That difference, if you travel a lot overseas, might be worth the upgrade.
LTE: The 4G global standard
LTE, which stands for Long Term Evolution, is the standard that is being adopted by a majority of carriers around the world for high speed cellular data services. It is now available in more than 97 countries and venues in North and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania. While scores of carriers have adopted and implemented these systems, the frequency bands differ among regions. For that reason Apple introduced the different versions of their new phones.
While there are five different variants of the new phones for the global market, the good news is that in the United States two of the models are capable of being used with multiple carriers rather than being locked into one provider for each model. If you purchase a phone from Verizon you can cover three of the four carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon). If you buy a phone and have it unlocked from T-Mobile or AT&T it will work between those two carriers, but not Verizon. Note that if you purchase phones from the Apple store directly they are all locked with the exception of the generic GSM-AT&T version.
The five different iPhone cellular radio configurations for the iPhone 5S/5C
The Apple web site lists five different versions of the 5S/5C phones together with their technical specifications but fails to identify directly which versions are for which markets. All of the models are LTE capable, but that does not mean they are system-interoperable between geographies or carriers. In the United States the four major carriers have implemented LTE to varying degrees. Each company uses different portions of the 700 MHz spectrum and other frequencies, so Apple had to create a series of phones to work on the different combination of systems and channels.
Here is the breakdown of the different models of iPhone 5S and 5C:
  • A1533 GSM (AT&T and T-MOBILE): The GSM version will work on AT&T and T-Mobile. It is distinguished from the Verizon phone in that it does not contain a CDMA radio, which Verizon (and Sprint) have adopted for their voice transmission protocol. The Model A1533 GSM, which is advertised as the AT&T version, will not work for voice calls on Verizon for technical reasons, nor will Verizon let you register the AT&T/T-Mobile phone on its network because it does not have CDMA capabilities. If you purchase one of these phones for use on T-Mobile, the carrier will unlock it after you have been a customer for 40 days. AT&T will also unlock their phones.
  • A1533 CDMA (VERIZON): The Verizon phone is technically the same hardware as the GSM AT&T/T-Mobile version (which is why it has the same model number) except that it does have a CDMA radio. If you compare all of the frequency bands between these two A1533 sub-models they are identical (other than CDMA). What is important for the consumer is that ALL Verizon 4G phones are now sold unlocked. This means that if you subscribe to Verizon and buy one of its phones you can move it to the other two dominant carriers and have the same functionality, so long as you update the APN information unique to each carrier, in “Settings.”
  • As for Sprint, it will not allow registration on its network for other than the unique Sprint model handset. Theoretically, its phone will work on the other carriers if the cellular providers will allow you to register it, but presently they will not.
  • A1453 CDMA (SPRINT): The Sprint phone is locked so it will not work with any other cellular provider, unless Sprint changes its policy about unlocking. According to the specifications the only difference between this model and the A1533 (Verizon) are the two extra frequency bands specific to Sprint.
  • A1457 GSM UK and EUROPE: This version is designed for the European market and definitely will not function on LTE in North America. It should work properly on AT&T and T-Mobile 4G networks, but not on Sprint and Verizon (because it does not have CDMA capabilities).
  • A1530 ASIA AND OCEANIA: This phone is specifically designed for Japan, Asia, and the Pacific Rim countries like Australia and New Zealand. It should work in Europe, and on AT&T and T-Mobile in the United States.
Roaming in different parts of the world
Both the iPhone 5C and 5S have equal roaming capabilities on 3G, 4G, and LTE systems. This was not true with the original iPhone 5, which is one reason that you may want to update your phone if you travel a lot and want ultra-fast data. The ability to roam on different data networks depends on a number of factors including frequency bands for a specific carrier and roaming agreements. LTE roaming may not be available but slower speeds might be offered. In some countries, LTE may be called 4G-LTE or 4G.
If you have an unlocked iPhone 5, 5C, or 5S then LTE roaming may be supported outside its designated country if you use a valid SIM card that is recognized by that carrier. You can identify the capabilities of your iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S or iPhone 5 by model number on the Apple web site.
To determine coverage for a geographic region, here is a link that provides the latest LTE implementation worldwide.
If you purchase a phone from Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile and wish to change your service provider you will need to update your APN settings because they are carrier- specific for data services. While all GSM-capable phones will work for voice service on any carrier without changes to system settings, this is not the case for data. A list of all carrier APN settings is available.  Apple also supports changes to these settings through iTunes.

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