Apple debuts power-packed iPhone 5s, featuring new processors and Touch ID fingerprint sensor

Apple calls it their “most forward-thinking iPhone yet” and with the slew of features packed in the new iPhone 5s, they are trying to back up those words. The Cupertino-based company boasts that the A7 ARM chip inside the iPhone 5s makes it the world’s first smartphone with a 64-bit desktop-class architecture that is said to be 40x faster than the original iPhone and bringing with it graphics power that is 56x faster as well. It also runs on an updated iOS 7 to support 64-bit processing and has a new Apple chip called M7, which is a “motion co-processor” dedicated to monitoring the phone’s motion and position data. Another new feature in the iPhone 5s is the Touch ID fingerprint sensor that lets you easily unlock the device in any orientation and verify purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBooks Store with the touch of a finger on the home button.

This new iPhone also packs in a new 8-megapixel iSight camera with a larger f/2.2 aperture, 10 frames-per-second burst mode, and “true tone” flash for more realistic lighting. It also has 13 LTE wireless band support. However, no NFC support has been mentioned by the company. The iPhone 5s is going to be sold in three colours—gold, silver, and “space grey”—with suggested retail prices of US$199 (16GB), $299 (32GB), and $399 (64GB). It will be available here in Canada at the same time as the iPhone 5c on September 20.

Apple introduces colourful, budget-friendly iPhone 5c

Apple adds a splash of colour to the iPhone family with the cheaper iPhone 5c. The iPhone 5c is powered by Apple’s A6 chip and runs on iOS 7. It features a 4-inch Retina display, 8-megapixel iSight camera, as well as a new FaceTime HD camera. It also comes with 13 LTE wireless bands, which they said is “more LTE bands than any other smartphone in the world.” Available in five different shades (blue, green, pink, yellow, and white), the iPhone 5c’s shell has been made with a single, hard-coated polycarbonate body and steel reinforced frame. It will land on our shores on September 20 and its current suggested retail price for the US is at $99 for the 16GB model and $199 for the 32GB model.

Apple introduced six silicone cases alongside the iPhone 5c for more customizability. It comes in blue, green, pink, yellow, black, and white for US$29 and will be available on Apple’s Online Store, retail stores, and selected Apple authorized resellers. 

Olympus introduces new interchangeable lens flagship OM-D E-M1

Olympus is pulling out all the stops for its latest flagship compact system camera, OM-D E-M1, which it believes can take the place of your professional full-frame DSLR. This Micro Four Thirds camera is built with an antialiasing-filter-free 16.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor; Dual Fast autofocus system that combines contrast AF and on-chip phase detection AF for faster focusing depending on the lens that is mounted; and a new TruePic VII image processor for less artifacts and clearer, more sharp images. All of these are housed in a dust-, water-, and now freezeproof camera that can work down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit.

We had the opportunity to check out the OM-D E-M1 and partner lenses some time ago and the camera really embodies the look and feel of Olympus' E-series Four-Thirds cameras but with all the key features of the popular OM-D and PEN lines.

It is also equipped with a 2.36 million-dot LCD, 1080p/30fps video support, 5-axis image stabilizer, and built-in Wi-Fi. There are also new Zuiko lenses coming out soon including the Zuiko Digital ED 12–40mm f2.8 PRO lens (24–80mm, 35mm equivalent) and the Zuiko Digital ED 40–150mm f2.8 PRO (80–300mm, 35mm equivalent). The OM-D E-M1 will be available next month with an estimated retail price of $1,399.99 for the black body.

Gmail for feature phones get a redesign, offers easier email handling

Google hasn’t forgotten its feature phone users with the new redesign of Gmail for feature phones. The latest version makes it easier to send and receive email, including letting users reply directly from the thread view; easy switching to other conversations; and reducing the number of buttons needed to press to create and read email. 

You can access Gmail using feature phones just by typing mail.google.com into the mobile browser. It has been particularly useful for Gmail users in developing countries.