Camera Test (Low-Light And Natural Light): iPhone 5 vs Galaxy S III [IMAGES]

Whether you’re an Android fan or iOS lover (or somewhere in between – I’ve heard it’s possible to like both), there’s no denying the iPhone 5 from Apple and Samsung Galaxy S III are the two biggest smartphones right now. Both have sold in multiple millions, and although they’ve been compared in many key areas in benchmark tests, drop tests, and various other one-on-one scenarios, the performance of the new iPhone’s camera has yet to be properly scrutinized, at least not versus its fiercest competitor.
We already know the Lumia 920 will be bringing the best video and image capturing capabilities to the smartphone market when it releases later this year, that’s a given. So before we compare the two titans, it’s important to note that we’re merely mulling over the two "best" smartphones, rather than the two most capable smartphone cameras.

The iPhone 5 snapper offers a new sapphire lens, and although it is – as with its Samsung-made rival – an 8-megapixel camera, it’s supposed to perform better in low-lighting conditions. In the darker environment, without any flash, the solid shooter of the iPhone 4 / 4S certainly didn’t reach the heights, but it’s an issue Apple claims to have improved on with the iPhone 5.
We took the liberty of snapping some images from the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III in natural light and low light, without flash, and as you’ll see in a moment, there is actually very little to separate between the two. Starting off with low light, the iPhone 5 is noticeably brighter than the S III, but it does appear as though Samsung’s camera offers a little more detail. The hair of the small toy animal looks as one, and although the S III isn’t streets ahead, I would have to say it’s marginally better for those times when light is at a premium.

Galaxy S III – low light (no flash)

iPhone 5 – low light (no flash)

In the natural light, both cameras really shine. Although it looks – from these images at least – as though the iPhone 5 is slightly sharper – there’s very little between them, and for your day to day point-and-shoot needs, I don’t think you’ll go wrong with either.

Galaxy S III – natural light

iPhone 5 – natural light

Here are a couple of images more taken using the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S III under well lighting conditions. As you can see, the details are quite evident in both the photos, but the iPhone 5′s camera has somewhat better contrast output:

iPhone 5 – natural light

Galaxy S III – natural light

As stated earlier, Nokia’s 8.7-megapixel PureView camera will make both look significantly inferior, but until Windows Phone offers anything like the app choice of iOS and Android, it will struggle to be categorized alongside the Big Two.

Glitch keeps iCloud storage at 25GB until 2050

Instead of a downgrade to 5GB of storage, Apple has pushed users' renewal dates 38 years in the future.

An apparent glitch in the iCloud account system has resulted in some accounts showing extended storage space with renewal dates years in the future.
iCloud's use of online storage as a syncing medium lowers the overall requirement for online storage, so Apple has reduced the base level to 5GB. However, Apple offered existing MobileMe customers a temporary extra 20GB of storage to accommodate user data during the transition to the new service. Apple originally offered this extra storage for a month, but increased this timeframe to September 30 and has been notifying users of this upcoming change.

Instead of downgrading to 5GB, iCloud claims users' accounts will downgrade in 2050.

(Credit: Screenshot by Topher Kessler/CNET )

On September 30, Apple did make a change to users' iCloud accounts; however, to users' surprise, instead of a lowered storage level, their iCloud accounts kept the same 25GB of space and furthermore showed the expiration for the storage had been pushed back to 2050. In checking my iCloud account, sure enough the renewal date had changed from being an annual occurrence to 38 years in the future.
Unfortunately this change is just a glitch in the system, likely from an operator error, and will soon be corrected by Apple. Therefore, if you see your iCloud account show you this surprise benefit, do not be surprised if it disappears in the near future.

Apple Releases Carrier Update for Verizon iPhone 5 to Reduce Inadvertent Cellular Data Usage

Apple has issued a Carrier Update for Verizon iPhone 5 devices this evening to eliminate an issue where Verizon Cellular Data would be used while the iPhone 5 is connected to a Wi-Fi network.

This carrier settings update resolves an issue in which, under certain circumstances, iPhone 5 may use Verizon cellular data while the phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network. Follow these instructions to install the update.

1. Tap Settings > General > About.
2. Wait for the following alert to appear: (top right)
3. Tap OK to install the update.
4. Hold the Sleep/Wake button down until you see "slide to power off".
5. Slide to power off.
6. After the device powers off, hold the Sleep/Wake button to turn your phone back on.

Note: To finish the installation of the update, your iPhone 5 must be turned off and then on again. After your iPhone restarts, tap Settings > General > About, then scroll down to Carrier and verify that "Verizon 13.1" is displayed.

The update has to be performed somewhat manually but is delivered over-the-air, per the instructions above. Apple describes the update as an "important new carrier update" but doesn't provide many details on how/when these circumstances might arise.

HexaTasker Displays More Icons In Your Jailbroken Device’s App Switcher

Traditionally, the app switcher on an iOS device displays four icons at once. This limit is set by default within iOS and can’t be changed through the Settings app. While this limit isn’t the biggest inconvenience, there’s a new Cydia tweak that will expand your app switcher’s capacity.

HexaTasker will add six icons to your app switcher. It’s a pretty simple tweak with no settings to configure, and it looks quite nice. The icons overlay each other to create more space, but it doesn’t look too cluttered. You can also open or close apps just as you would with the traditional four icon layout.

The only downside is, if you only have two apps displayed in the app switcher, they’ll still be somewhat stacked on top of one another at the edges. It would have been nice to see the tweak eventually expand to its icon layout when the space is needed, but it’s not a huge issue.

HexaTasker is available for free via the BigBoss repository and is compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Check our our video walk through below if you’d like to see the tweak in action.

Emblem: OS X-Inspired Notifications For Your Jailbroken iPad

A new jailbreak tweak to hit the Cydia Store is Emblem, which can apply OS X-style notifications to a jailbroken iPad.

After downloading and installing the tweak, incoming notifications will “pop-up” on the top-right of the iPad’s screen, just like how OS X notifications appear on a Mac. Touching such a notification launches the respective application (i.e., the Messages app for iMessage notifications), and swiping the notification dismisses it.

If more than one notification appears at the same time, Emblem will first display the notifications separately, and will then combine them to create one cluster of notifications. Swiping through this notification cluster will display each individual message, which is a nice touch.

All in all, Emblem is an impressive jailbreak tweak. If the iPad notification system doesn’t cut it for you, consider downloading and installing this replacement system from the Cydia Store (via the BigBoss repository). Currently, Emblem is available for $1.99.

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook apologizes for Apple’s Map app

Apple has been hit hard by the critics and users regarding the Maps app in iOS 6. Apple removed the Google-powered iOS Maps application and replaced it with their own in-house app that’s powered by Tom Tom. The biggest drawbacks of Maps are the inaccurate mapping data, lack of public transit routes, and missing street and addresses that caused controversy since it was released.

News organizations have compared the problems with Maps to the previous iPhone 4 “antennagate” problem that happened days after Apple launched their iPhone 4 2010. The matter has gained so much criticism from bloggers and customers of iOS devices that Apple’s CEO Tim Cook published an open letter on the Apple website to publicly apologize “for the frustration this new Maps in iOS 6 has caused our customers.”

Tim Cooks promises that Apple’s Maps will get better over time as his company focus on its service and obtains more accurate map data. Mr. Cook’s own comments seems to confirm earlier reports from TechCrunch that claimed that Apple is on a hiring spree to lure away Google Maps engineers to work for Apple that will help them improve their own map application.

The full letter from Tim Cook is included below:

To our customers,

At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.

We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.

There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.

While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.

Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.

Tim Cook
Apple’s CEO