It’s Super Bowl Time!

Alright kids, it’s SUPERBOWL TIME!

This Sunday, the Superbowl XLVii pregame starts at 11am ET with kick-off scheduled for 6:30pm ET.

The most anticipated game of the year will pit the Baltimore Ravens against the San Francisco 49ers in the New Orleans Superdome.

Over 100 million people are set to be watching the game in various settings and using different methods, from big Super Bowl parties, to streaming though the internet all over the world, to sitting in bars, to sneakily watching it at work ( poor suckers).

Whatever way you’ll be watching the game this Sunday, we have the technology that will make the experience all the more exciting!

Live Streaming:- FREE!

NFL.com will live-stream the entire Super Bowl game for free.

CBSSports.com will also broadcast the entire game. Viewers will be able to choose from different camera angles, as well as connect to social-media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

http://superbowl.livefyre.com/– A live feed that collates live chat, photos from fans at the game and all over the world, the Super Bowl commercials, and an instant game tracker.

Apps:

NFL Mobile. Only for Verizon subscribers, who can watch the game live on their iPhone.- Free

The official Superbowl XLVii guide – free
A good app for it’s intended use, but it’s only intended to be used by those lucky bastards who happen to be either at the game, or in New Orleans. Includes locations of Super Bowl events, fan stores, parking and media centers.

Foodie Recipes- Game Day Guide – Free
40 Recipes to please everyone at the party! (Cos food’s pretty important )

The Football Party Game – $5.49 ( Note, only one person in your group needs to buy the app)
Before the Super Bowl starts, your friends ( with you at the party or not) will answer 20 questions to do with the upcoming game- from What color the Gatorade is, how long the national Anthem will last, who will score a penalty first etc. Those who choose the correct answers will gain points automatically through the app and whoever wins the most points wins the game. We are definitely not suggesting that this could be used as a drinking game.

49ers Gameday Live ( iPhone App only) – Free
For dedicated Niners fans, with all the stats, team member info, photos, videos, and interviews, you could want, with live updates and information as the game is won by the Niners. GO NINERS!

Baltimore Ravens Mobile App – Free
Similar to the 49ers app, with stats and vital information with live updates during the game.

Skype, Facetime, TOK Football Apps.

If you are unable to be in the same room with all of your football lovin’ friends, Skype and Facetime can be a useful tool to celebrate touchdowns, argue over calls or gloat over opposite team goals. Another App to add to this list is The TOK Football App. After registering an account, this app gives you the chance to invite and speak (Live and continuously) with up to 4 friends while watching the game on TV. The app also includes real time stats and info about the game.

So, hopefully now you have all you need to watch the Super Bowl this Sunday and make it the best game-day experience possible!

… GO NINERS!

Apple iTV

The Apple product we believe will knock your socks off in 2013 is the much speculated Apple iTV.

There have been analyst’s like Richard Greenfield from BTIG ( An equity trading company) recently stating that while the Apple TV is an exciting future product, they don’t believe Apple can release it this year because of legal issues , tying up the loose ends with cable providers and networks, etc.

Call us optimistic, but we disagree. Not only do we believe that Apple needs this product this year, there have been intense rumors all over the internet about this very product- with numerous ‘secret sources’ giving legitimate sounding information.

Sounds familiar to the time before the iPad and the iPhone were released right? Which means that there is a revolutionary product coming with Apple’s name all over it!

In a recent interview, Apple Ceo Tim Cook spoke about the possibility of Apple entering the television market; “ It’s an area of great interest to me. I can’t say more than that.”
Of course he can’t, because marketing. Let’s get everyone excited!

There have been sources from Sharp that say that they are building HD screens for Apple already, there is the patent that Apple have for a universal television remote, the news from Foxconn visitors that production on specialty components for the TV had already begun last summer. Sources ‘familiar with the matter’ at the end of 2011 have said that “Apple executives have discussed their vision for the future of TV with media executives at several large companies.”.

So what is Apple TV? Well, in the words of Tim Cook, “When I go into my living room and turn on the TV, I feel like I have gone backwards in time by 20 to 30 years”. So, the Apple TV will be a product that will bring the television market into the present, if not the future.

Sounds good right?

Now, imagine your TV in HD, with an A6 Processor, Retina screen capabilities, run by iOS, and with the ability to be controlled by your voice via Siri (voice and face recognition is predicted).

The Apple TV will be a homebase for all of your apple products, (Statistically, if you own one product, you’ll own more than one – around 2.6 actually), all connecting wirelessly with the ability to share content.

Imagine Internet, social media and wireless connectivity, Apps, gameplay, and add in content from iTunes or streamed though Airplay, combined with content from a cable provider.

Sounds revolutionary. Bring it on in 2013, Apple.

Some updates for Apple computers in 2013

Slightly less exciting than the new iPhone, but just as important, are updates we’re expecting for Apple computers in 2013.

 
Firstly, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Apple are investing $100 million dollars in 2013 to outsource manufacturing of more of their products and devices in America, as opposed to China where the majority of manufacturing is completed currently.

Moving on to the technology, according to recent reports Apple and a company called Broadcom are working together to bring superfast Wi-Fi technology to Apple’s 2013 Mac lineup. This predicted connectivity, known as “5G Wi-Fi,” is theoretically capable of delivering peak speeds of 1.3Gbps and is excellent news in the world of Wi-Fi.

Lastly, the beautiful and acclaimed retina display is expected to be part of the new MacBook Air’s in 2013, making one of their best laptops even better.

Stay tuned for all your Apple news!

2013 Predictions Part 3 – What to expect from apple regarding the iPhone?

The product that Apple is arguably most known for and the one which most of it’s consumers get excited about, certainly the one that gets the most media attention, is the iPhone. D’uh.

Now, 2012 bought about the iPhone 5, which was… fine. It was great! But, it wasn’t as…exciting as a lot of fans were hoping it to be. It’s a tough gig to be expected to be revolutionary all the time, but as it turns out, that’s just something Apple has to deal with, and a lot of people are hoping and predicting that by dealing with it in 2013, that means bringing it.

So, bringing it when exactly? There have been sightings online of a device called iPhone 6.1 being tested with iOS 7 ( The iPhone 5 was similarly tested as iPhone 5.1 and 5.2). The IP address of these devices has been traced to the Apple campus in Cupertino. The fact that they are testing a new iPhone so soon means good things for an earlier release date.

There are a lot of reports that say that WWDC 2013 is when and where we can expect the new iPhone. We here at iPhone Antidote agree with this prediction, however there are others predicting September, similar to the iPhone 5 release date. It is not expected that Apple will release the new iPhone at any other time, and it is expected to have at least one new iPhone this year (there are a few rumors that Apple might try and release two new iPhones this year, iPhone 5S and iPhone 6).

Whenever it is, people are really hoping for a hop, skip and a jump from the fairly averagely received iPhone 5, over the iPhone 5s, straight to a massively impressive iPhone 6.

So is this a realistic expectation? Some say yes! Some say no. Guesstimating is fun!

There are numerous wishes and optimistic predictions for  super impressive new and amazing features for the next iPhone, but here are some of the more realistic rumors:

*Bendy Flexible display. Similar technology has actually been presented at CES in Vegas today by Samsung, however Apple also have a patent for their own version of the technology. A race to spur on an earlier release perhaps?

*NFC – Near Field Communication. A type of device radio communication that will allow for more social media interaction and more importantly easier purchase transactions through your phone.

*A wider screen.

*Retina Display.

*Full Gesture Control.

*Purely aesthetic design modifications such as hiding the camera behind a liquid crystal window.

*Improved Maps.

*Improved Siri.

*Larger storage– up to 128 GB

*Different colors similar to what is available on the iPod

*A display using Indium gallium zinc oxide, in order to reduce power consumption, while boosting pixel densities and improving the signal-to-noise ratio for touch input.

*Something we haven’t even dreamed of yet!!

So there are the more realistic rumors and predictions so far for the new iPhone (/s) in 2013. We’ll keep you updated!!!! Happy dreaming!

What’s next for Apple?

2013 should bring some interesting moves from Apple, and these are already being rigorously debated by those who are in the position to do so, and those who aren’t.

As per usual with Apple, everything is a guessing game, and we are only at the mercy of the limited amount of information analysts pour through patent documents to discover or that which is leaked – purposefully or not.

Over the next couple of days we’ll be looking at and making predictions for everything coming up in the Apple world in 2013 – their release schedule, the possibility of new products, new updates to existing products, and how this will affect you, as a customer, and the industry as a whole.

There are people who say that after the very public lawsuit with Samsung, Apple (as well as other industry players) will be reticent to create anything unless it is completely new and revolutionary. In other words, we won’t see anything new released that might be seen to have been built on the technology of other products as that would only welcome more lawsuits, which is bad for not only the company but for the whole industry.

There are others that are adamant that this year, after an arguably lackluster year in 2012, Apple must impress the tech world and it’s fans with new products or surprising updates to current products if they want to stay relevant.

Who’s right?

We’re going to pick through all of the  predictions and rumors, educated guesses and outright optimistic hopes for Apple in 2013, and give you the best of all of it.  Stay tuned!!

iPhone Antidote 2012 Holiday Gift Guide

Here’s a list of awesome gift ideas for your loved ones just in time for Christmas! From the cheap and cheerful to the truly luxurious, for kids all the way to grandparents, we think we’ve got everything covered for gifts in the iPhone world! Merry Christmas!

1. The good ol’ fall back stocking stuffer- the iPhone case. For this year’s version, we suggest going to zazzle.com or vistaprint.com and ordering a custom iPhone case, perhaps with a picture of your smiling face on the back… or for something more ingenious, try for a picture of the side of your loved one’s face, so when using it, their phone will look see through…

Alternatively, you can go for something a little bit more… flashy, perhaps something you wouldn’t stuff into a stocking. Introducing the worlds most expensive iPhone case- designed by UK brand Uunique, who claim that it’s London Lotus iPhone 5 Case is the most expensive on the market. At $302,985, I bet they’re right.

2. Another stocking stuffer, but more of the necessary ‘school shoe’ type. If you don’t know what to get someone, and you don’t really like them that much- get them some iPhone lightening to USB cables. $19. Super… useful.

3. For the reader in the family, sign them up for some audio books. Go to audibleshopnow.com to sign them up, and they get two free audio books of their own picking, plus whatever book you want to pony up the cash for. If they can’t handle people speaking books at them, buy them some books on iBook for their idevice.

4. The gift of music. Music is the soundtrack of our lives. It creates moods, aids memory, allieviates boredom and enhances life events. It can also be a whole lot of fun. For the gift of music, buy them a Pandora gift card, or an iTunes gift card.

Pandora Internet Radio is a service that recommends and plays music based on the user’s selected preferences through any computer or idevice. A one year subscription for Pandora is $36 www.pandora.com/one/gift

Giving an iTunes gift card means your loved one can buy the tracks and albums they really want. You can buy these online over here or at many major shopping outlets- you may want to look around too, as you can often get great deals on these if you buy multiple.

5. Headphone splitter. A very small gift, capable of bringing so much joy. Have you ever needed to share something with a loved one, friend or work colleague in a public space? Ever wanted to watch a TV show in an airport? At school/work? Ever need only the two/three/four of you to hear? The headphone splitter is tiny little gadget gold. Buy one for your girlfriend with a DVD copy of that show you don’t want people to know you watch together. Less than $5 at Radioshack.

6. Speaking of headphones– another excellent Christmas Present. The two top picks from us are; Skull Candy Heavy Metal and BeatsByDre.

For Skull Candy , not only are the Heavy Metal earbuds a very decent, sexy product, all Skull Candy earphones and headphones come with a lifetime warranty, so you’re effectively buying your loved one headphones for life. Right now you can get 50% MSRP by entering the coupon code REDBULL50 at checkout. www.skullcandy.com

If you want to go for a more professional sound quality and have a little more cash up your sleeve, we recommend BeatsByDre headphones. With a range from Wireless to Studio, the listening pleasure is guaranteed with these bad boys. www.beatsbydre.com

7. For the times when headphones aren’t needed, you can give the gift of music OUT LOUD! Good speakers are invaluable and make for a great Christmas present. Our recommendations are on the cute, cheaper side and the slightly more expensive, quality side. How much do you really like them??
For cutesy, go for the Deadmau5 MP3 Speaker from Urban Outfitters. Damn Cute. $35.
For quality, sophistication, and ease of use, try Jambox- either the original or the big Jambox. Also not bad looking, this speaker is wireless, can be used with any of your devices capable of Bluetooth and produces amazingly pure sound quality. They come in multiple colors and you can buy them from multiple retail stores such as Costco, Fry’s, Best Buy, Staples or Radioshack. You’re looking at about $150 for the original, smaller Jambox.

8. If a friend or family member is obsessed with Draw Something or similar game on iPad or iPhone, or simply prefers the antique skill of handwriting, a shiny new Stylus is a perfect present for them. The best one in our opinion for design, precision and overall quality is the Hand Stylus, available as of Sept this year. Go to www.handstylus.com. $29.95

9. Christmas time means snow! Snow means everyone having one freezing cold hand whilst they use their iPhone for updating that all important Facebook status right? No! Staaahp! Get a friend some Touchscreen Gloves and they’ll have two cosy hands all winter long! Best to get are Mujjo Leather touchscreen gloves, $168, second best are Mujjo Knitted touchscreen gloves for the more acceptable price of $32, orrrr, go to the national deals section of livingsocial.com and get some very respectable ( but perhaps not as warm) Sol and Oscar touchscreen gloves for $21.00.

10. For the friend that loves to use the Camera on their iPhone or iPad, the Griptight Gorillapod tripod for iPhone is a perfect present. Making their iPhone completely stable for that crucial photo taking moment, giving them the ability to set the tripod up on any surface, and giving them the opportunity to be all that much closer to taking the perfect iPhone picture. Or selfie. $30 from www.joby.com ( Currently Free US Shipping).

11. So you got your brother/sister the Tripod, and they’re happy as Larry taking photos. How about you ingeniously join presents together by theme, and get Mom and Dad a photo printer or Digital photo frame, so they can enjoy their progeny’s genius photography? Hammacher Schlemmer sell the The iPhone Photo Printer and the Wireless Smartphone Photo Printer, both of which print out extraordinary quality 300 dpi resolution photos (without ink cartridges), the second with the added bonus of not having to plug your iPhone in to the printer. The first is $159, the Wireless version $219. Take a look. http://www.hammacher.com/product/79938

12. Something for the Chef’s in the house. The iGrill oven Bluetooth thermometer is a digital thermometer that can be connected to any Bluetooth-enabled device, and enables the user to set a timer, view the current temperature in the oven, and look up recipes online. Sweet. $80. http://store.igrillinc.com/

13. If you’re someone who has to make sure the four legged members of your family get presents under the tree, this might be something less tasty but more useful than the usual bones and cat treats. The Tagg GPS Pet Tracker is a waterproof GPS-powered collar so that if they ever go missing, you, or someone in your family can check the Web-based map and know exactly where Scruffy got off to. $99 for peace of mind.

14. This one… Well, this gift idea might just have to be for yourselves, kids. Or me. It’s pretty damn awesome. The Logicom SPY-C Tank.

A futuristic tank. Tick. Moveable camera. Tick. Controllable from any iOS or Andriod device. Tick. It’s own wifi hotspot allowing you to control it both indoors and out. Tick. Night vision mode. Tick. Walkie Talkie Capability. Tick. The Spy-C tank will even let you record videos and upload photos via email or various social networks once they have been saved to your device. Santa… Hey Santa…you there Dude? I… I have a question…
$210.00

15. And last but not by any means least, Apple. D’uh. If you have the cash, spread the Apple joy this Christmas! Of all the products, we think that the iPad Mini or Macbook Air would be most welcome under the Christmas Tree. Both are long serving gifts and both have the ability to help the new owner improve their lives through the magic of technology. iPad Mini starts at $329 and Macbook Air 11 inch starting at $999.

Merry gift giving and the happiest of Holidays Kids!

New Apple Releases today!

Apple had a bunch of upgrades released today!

The new iPad mini, along with a revamped full size iPad, a 13- inch Macbook Pro with retina display and a new superslim iMac update. Let’s have a look!

# The 13 Inch Macbook Pro with retina display comes with a hefty price tag – $1699 (With free shipping)- but with over 4 million pixels making the screen pop with vibrant color and amazing quality,  this model being the  lightest Macbook Pro– and with incredible power, storage capability and speed, it is apparently well worth it for professionals who can afford it.

Considered to be very similar in performance to using the 15-inch model that was released over summer, the advantage of the 13-inch is that it is significantly lighter- by almost a pound.

It is generally agreed that Apple are making the Macbook Pro their flagship laptop– the one that elicits all the gasps, the one that is the dream laptop, and according to all sources, they are well on their way.

#The new iMac update comes with an all-new design– impressively reducing the thickness of the machine ( 40% less volume than the previous model) , drastically improving the speed of the machine and totally re-engineering the widescreen display.

The new machines come in 21.5 inch and 27-inch displays that have been improved by adding an anti-reflective coating– making it 75% less reflective, and by moving the LCD right up behind the cover glass making the display a lot clearer and brighter.

The machine also comes with 60% faster graphics, a brand new ‘fusion drive’ which combines huge storage capacity with lightening fast speeds. This combined with the latest Intel quad-core processers means that this machine packs a lot of power- and a lot of speed.
The 21.5 inch will be available in November at a starting cost of $1299, and the 27-inch will be available in December at a starting cost of $1799.

#With the new iPad mini weighing in at half the weight of the full size iPad (.68 pounds), and the screen being two-thirds smaller ( 7.9 inches rather than 9.7) , the first impressions out is that yes, the mini iPad is small, but it is not tiny or dinky. Having kept the impressive build and feel of the full sized iPad it has the same feeling of the iPhone 5- amazingly light in the hand and yet you still feel like the device is a serious one.

The screen resolution is impressive for it’s size with the same number of pixels present as on the iPad and iPad 2, it has a front facing and back facing camera, up to 10 hours of battery life, a fast A5 processing chip, and all apps made for the iPad are able to be used on the iPad mini.

Apple aren’t really entering into the tablet wars as much as a lot of people thought- rather, they are just releasing an extremely good, smaller version of a very good device. Prices start at $329, with pre-orders starting October 26th.

#The fourth generation iPad was also released today, with an upgraded A6X chip that makes it run twice as fast as the previous model whilst still retaining the 10 hours of battery.  It also comes with Apple’s new lightening connecter and and wifi speeds that are up to twice as fast as the previous model.
The new model comes in the same storage and pricing configuration as the previous iPad, starting at $499 for the 16gb wifi models. Preorders start October 26th.

In good guy Apple news, customers who are understandably annoyed that they purchased the 3rd generation iPad within the last 30 days will be able to swap out the two devices at *certain* Apple retail stores at no extra cost. Customers are advised to call ahead because the option to swap the iPads is not made by Apple, but is instead a store by store policy.

And that’s a wrap! We hope you guys enjoy these products if you can!

iOS 6 Review

The iPhone 5 of course comes with the new operating system iOS 6, however you can and should upgrade your current model for free– and it’s been available since Sept 19 ( 100 million devices have so far been updated!).

Keep in mind that even though it’s available on all Apple models after and including the 3GS, only the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S can utilize all the features. And there’s 200 of them!

It will take time to find them all and Apple hasn’t even named them all, here are the best and most noticeable new features of iOS 6.

#Email has been upgraded in a few noticeably better and more efficient ways, incorporating a new VIP email inbox so that you don’t have to sift through crap that’s only kind of important to get to the juicy most important emails.

There is now the ability to insert numerous photos & videos in the body of an email instead of attaching them one at a time, and you can now have more than one signature, depending on if you’re sending an email to your boss or your crush ( *special signature for your crush actually not recommended).
To select or delete draft emails, just hold down the compose button.
The smallest but somehow best new feature with email is that instead of pressing the refresh email button to get new emails, you can now simply swipe down, you get a spinny wheel and voila new emails. It looks much better.

#Handling incoming calls has been improved ( although this feature has been around on driods for a while, it’s nice that Apple has caught up, and it’s a very useful feature). When someone calls, you now have the option to answer the call, put the call through to voicemail, or reject the call and reply to that person with an automated text message. There is also the option to reject and get the phone to remind you later that the person called.
Another call handling feature is Do Not Disturb– this feature, when turned on, prevents notifications, texts and calls from everyone except a select few that the user chooses. An unknown number calling more than once in a three minute period with be let through as well, allowing for possible legitimate emergencies.

# Shared photostreams, allows users to share photos with friends in realtime without messy attachments. The selected photos are uploaded to iCloud, available to friends and family right in their own photo app on their mac ( running mountain lion ) or their iphone ( if it’s running iOS 6) and if the friends aren’t on an apple device, the photos are available on their very own unique URL.

#If you’re worried about privacy, the new Advertising tracking feature is for you. The ability to turn off and stop marketers from targeting you with ads. Small but pretty powerful.

# iOS 6 comes with deeper facebook integration – you can now post photos straight from the camera, ask Siri to make a post for you, post location from maps, post scores from the game centre, and tap to post to twitter and fb from the notification centre. Facebook THIS!

# The much discussed Passbook app is a virtual wallet for keeping and more importantly easily accessing your boarding passes, coupons, loyalty cards, movie tickets and more, with tickets/boarding passes appearing on the lock screen when the event time approaches or you enter into the right location ( E.g. airport).
With NFC ( Near Field Communication ) rumored to be released for Apple devices after Christmas, this will mean that in the not too distant future payment processing applications will be available for this passbook as well.

#Siri is improved with this new operating system, with 7 new languages added to her repertoire, the ability to ask Siri to launch apps and to interact with maps and new knowledge for Siri with movie screening times and sports scores.

#You can now Facetime over any 3G or 4G cellular network as well as over wifi.

#Safari is a lot faster and now includes iCloud tabs which have the ability to sync open tabs between iOS6 and OS x Devices. Through the reworked sharing options menu you can also send an interesting article/picture etc via email, message, and facebook, as well as being able to print, copy, or add to bookmarks. A super nice new feature is the ability to add a website to an offline reading list for later perusal.
When viewing safari in landscape, there is now a ‘view in full screen’ button, on the bottom right.

#Updating apps no longer requires a password, and downloading a new app doesn’t close the app store. Newly downloaded but unopened apps get a fancy bright blue ‘new’ banner.

#The Find My Friends App has been updated, so that you can be notified once friends or family have left or arrived at a certain location.

#There is a bunch more emjoi icons.

#For the alarm you can now escape the godawful noise you’ve been putting up with and pick any song from your music to gently raise you from your sleep.

#Late night listening– A new EQ setting that lowers the jarring bass making the music less intrusive, allowing falling to sleep easier.

#8 more default wallpapers

#Bluetooth settings appear right at the front of the settings page.

So there you go, the best improvements that come with upgrading to the iOS 6 operating system.

There are a few features that you will lose when upgrading to iOS 6 – youtube for example, is absent from the update, but you can just go to the app store and download it for free.

The new operating system is definitely stacked full of small but ultimately more efficient improvements, making the user experience that much more fast, fun, and valuable.
Then there’s maps. Which… we’ll discuss… next time…

iPhone 5 review pt 2

Now that we’ve looked at the physical features of the iPhone 5, lets have a look at the real magic, the stuff that actually takes you where you want to be.

We’ll start with what is specific to the iPhone 5, then we’ll look at the what comes with the new operating system update- iOS 6.

Along with being larger, the iPhone 5 screen has the ability to be 18% brighter than the 4S.

It has built in wireless LTE technology that connects to faster networks so that you get much faster browsing, access to emails, etc. It also includes Wi-Fi N support which allows incredibly fast wireless connection to 5GHz networks, which means faster downloads, streaming and browsing when connected wirelessly AND gives you a better range for connecting to more wireless access points from greater distances.

This technology combined with the new processer in the 5 makes the device noticeably faster and more efficient, and according to Apple, twice as fast as the 4S. Snazzy.

The camera on the iPhone 5 is much improved, with better HDR, faster picture taking speeds and the ability to take panoramic photos of up to  240 degrees. You just watch, the next trip you go on- all your photos will end up panoramic. It’s kind of addictive.

The audio quality is significantly improved on the 5, with higher fidelity speakers that are not only louder but carry a much better sound quality. There are also three microphones on the 5, which help with noise cancellation and improve video sound quality.

Overall the iPhone 5 proves to be simply a better, faster, and more efficient user experience. Seemingly small changes have noticeably improved the phone greatly from previous models- and that’s before we even look at the improvements that come with the new iOS 6 operating system- over 200 new features– stay tuned!

The iPhone 5, Whatsup?

So now that we’re past the anticipation, the big event, the jubilation and by some accounts the disappointment, how is the iPhone 5 really doing? Is it better? As good as expected?

Articles leaking the new software and hardware features of the phone were building public anticipation right up until the announcement. Although most of those proved correct and worth the excitement, marking massive improvements to the 4s, there was some disappointment that there wasn’t a huge secret feature that Apple had managed to keep a secret.

Nevertheless, due to sly marketing or actual unexpected demand that led to limited supply, the iPhone 5 sold out in it’s presales in unprecedented time. Two million phones in about an hour starting at midnight September 14^th– twice the number of the presales for the 4s. In the three days following the actual release on Sept 21, Apple says they sold over 5 million more iPhones. AT&T are saying that it was the biggest iPhone launch by a long shot.

So, all pretty good.  There were, of course, those who said that the numbers were disappointing, that the device wasn’t worth any of the anticipation, etc, etc, those damn Samsung owners, so used to complaining they don’t know something to be happy about when they see it.

And here is what to be happy about: The new Features of the iPhone 5

Let’s look at the hardware first- after-all, first impressions only happen once right?

It looks great. Like, great. Still available in black and white, with the outside frame made completely from aluminium and glass. It’s pretty.

The iPhone 5 is 20% lighter than the 4s and by gosh you can feel it… It almost feels like a child’s toy in your hand, except much, much more serious. And sexy. A lot of the lightness has to do with the thinness of the device- 7.6 mm. Smooth all over. Fitting to the hand, no matter the hand.

The height has been increased to 4 inches, enabling the screen to contain more content- more icons, emails, calendar, and it makes watching movies a lot better. Awesomely, Apple have managed to keep retina display  effect- continuing the iPhone’s dominance in sharp high resolution screen display.

Apple kept the width of the iPhone the same as previous models, which has faced some contention, with people ( Even Steven Wozniak) stating that they believe it should have gone wider or stayed with the width and height. In saying that, the retained width and the increased height makes it seem not only a better device than the 4s but also remains the one-hand manageability.

Lastly, the iPhone jack has moved, making it more pocket friendly, and the dock shape has changed from a 30 pin dock to an 8 pin dock called lightening. Excellent news overall, somewhat dampened by the added expense and somewhat relative bother of buying and using adapters. But, there’s only one way forward, and in the pursuit of excellence, sometimes you gotta buy adaptors.

So, that’s the physical- see it, breathe it and touch it iPhone 5 features. Stay tuned for the software specs, a look at Apple’s Maps V Google Maps and how YOU can profit from buying the new iPhone 5. (This one’s important… just so you know…)