The recently launched product by Apple have created a lot of buzz in the telecommunication market. People were awaiting the release of this phone, especially after the disappointment caused by iPhone4 . The product was released in September 2012. Financially, the sale figures have created an overwhelming picture. However, for a critical analysis of this launch, it is necessary to have some reviews for iPhone5 by Apple. These reviews by customers and prominent experts would help you to rate this product correctly.

Company Claims

Before going to the opinions of users and critics, let us know what the company has to say about this device. During the announcement of this version of smartphone, Apple has claimed that it would be the best models in the series of iPhones produced till now. Here are some features that were highlighted by the company sources:

• The newly designed outer structure. A great display with larger screen, 8MP camera, wireless technology with faster speed.


• The phone simplifies the various functions by providing more space with a thinner and lighter version. Thus, though the display is larger, the user would not have to bear extra weight.


• The A6 chip used in this phone enables user to download and save Apps quickly. Also, the battery life is more compared to the previous models.


• The newly added Maps has been reinvented with new features like spoken directions, real traffic signals, turn-by-turn navigation, etc.
  
  Passbook that is a new digital wallet, for storing different passes, has been added to this version. This application stores and manages boarding passes, tickets, cards, etc.


• The phone has been added a new call answering systems with additional features to send messages and reminders for incoming calls.
  
  The amazing voice system, siri, imitates and reproduces your voice to send messages, receiving calls and arranging meetings. This is quite like a personal aide that searches the appropriate locations on command.


• With the FaceTime, cellular connection and Wi-Fi network has been linked. So, the user can watch their friends or share the screen with callers, from wherever the user is located at that time.

Thus, these are some proclaimed characteristics of the iPhone 5. This thinner and smarter version have got mixed reviews all over the world. Many companies, individual customers and newspapers have shared their experiences. Let us have some important opinions about this model by Apple.

• Wall street journal:The online publication has appreciated the company for making the sixth generation of the phone remarkable. It compares the characteristics of the previous version with this iPhone 5. Apart from bigger screen and design, it also gives special attention to the new operating system and its features. Also, centralized camera has received good reviews. Integrated facebook has been praised too. The journal notes that the current limitations of this version is the inability to upgrade old customers, connector replacements and the apps menu.


• New York Times: The newspaper has given rave reviews for the product on the basis of three factors: compatibility, design and components. It has given full marks to the developers and producers to bring such excellent version in the market, compared to the predecessor model. However, certain factors like wastage of previous accessories bought by customers and complicated procedure of passbook have been criticized by the experts.


• Telegraph: The head of technical matters in news media declared this Apple product as a big competitor in the current market. It states that this marvelously produced and amazingly designed, iPhone 5, is surely an object of mass attention. According to the experts, the combination of aluminum and glass has worked well to create a lighter version of the smart phone. Also, the size of the screen has made it user-friendly and easily accessible. It predicts that the current model has replaced the earlier one with a bang, and surely creates expectations for a better model in future. The final rating given is quite high.


• Loop: According to critics here, the newly invented product looks similar to those of old versions. Though the looks are not different, technological buildings differs a lot. It praises Apple for providing a perfectly larger screen, not too big one. Thus, the phone can be easily operated and applications are simply navigated. It appreciates the battery performance. However, it poses some difficulties while handling the menu bar for the Apps, as newer additions are not visible on display. It concludes by giving applaud to the Apple product.


• En-gadget: Here, iPhone 5 has received applaud for the magnificent look and advanced features. Especially, the reduced weight of the model and bright display are the two major benefits, as per the reviewers here. Experts have critically explained the functioning of the operating system that supports the phone. However, some shortcomings have been noted like lightening problems, limitations of passbook, absence of exact location on the maps, etc. The reviewers hopefully await for developments in these areas.


• Bloomberg: The experts here have praised the phone for being thinner and faster than other versions. It says that the phone is solid to handle with a light-weight body and bears a nice look. It appreciates the technology and built-in apps, which helps quick downloading, uploading of photos, music and movies. However, they have criticized the phone for its complicated functioning and procedures. Also, the battery life does not fulfill the expectations of customers. Overall, it praises the current Apple product for its overall features.


• USA today: The users have claimed here that this new model really has quite a potential. As per the company reports, it provides larger display and a friendly operation system with longer battery life. The additions like maps and siri have been praised by the customers, for functioning perfectly on demand. However, the replaced connector have been criticized, as it does not support the older charges, batteries or accessories. Thus customers are complaining for unnecessary expenses that they have to bear. However, the overall review appreciates the Apple product for being a truly advanced invention in the market of telecommunication.

Hopefully, these reviews and analytical accounts will help you to know more about the iPhone 5 by Apple. You can refer to this information to compare the device with the existing versions by other companies.

In our other article for today we talked about how you can use an iPhone or an iPod Touch for controlling VLC while in this article we describe how to use one of these two iOS devices for controlling Boxee.
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The first thing that you have to do is access App Store from where you have to download the free Boxee Remote App and then install it on the iPhone / iPod Touch. Now, make sure that on your computer you have Boxee running. After that, tap on the Boxee icon on your iOS device to open the application. Since this is the first time you are opening the application, you are going to be greeted with an introduction screen which is going to explain the two modes.

When you open it in Button mode, you are going to see four directional buttons, a back arrow button and an OK button. We should note that this Button mode works the same as the normal remote. For entering the Gesture mode, you will have to tap the Gesture button which is located at the top of the screen. These gesture modes are going to work just like a touchpad on a laptop. The Boxee icon is dragged with the thumb across the screen in order to move around within Boxee and the icon is going to turn red when it is being touched or dragged. To select you must tap on the icon. As for the Settings button, this is going to give you the possibility to add or remove a host computer. In addition, from here you are able to adjust the sensitivity level of the controls. When you will have to enter text, an onscreen will pop up. While you are playing a video you will notice Pause and Stop buttons as well as a volume slider. The latest version of boxee remote is 1.3 which brings mouse support for Boxee Browser. The application is compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch as well as the iPad. It works on devices that run at least iOS 3.1.

All things considered, the Boxee remote application for iOS devices is very simple and easy to use. If you have a Wi-Fi connection available, you might want to use this software for controlling Boxee as it makes your life a lot easier. Since it works over a Wi-Fi connection, you don’t need to purchase any additional hardware for the computer. Another advantage relies in the fact that you do not have to be within the line of sight for it to work.

If you use VLC on a frequent basis for your multimedia needs and you own an iPhone (or iPod Touch), you might want to know that you can use your device as a remote.
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In this article we are going to suggest a couple of free applications that you might want to try.

The first one that we would like to recommend is called VLC Remco which works on Windows, Linux and Mac. After you finish installing the application, launch it and it will start scanning for computers where VLC is installed and is running. If it doesn’t find any computers that run VLC, you should open VLC and access Tools > Preferences. In the Under Show settings you will have to select All and after that go to Interface > Main Interfaces and thick the box called HTTP remote control interface. After that, save and restart the program. Now it should be able to find the computers which are running VLC. If you have Windows Firewall running you will probably get prompted to allow VLC to access the system. All you have to do is tap on the computer that you want to connect to and after that browse the source of the video and music files. After doing this you’ll obtain access to standard playback controls so you will not need a keyboard and a mouse anymore for navigating through your media.There is another useful software you might want to consider, VLC Remote Free. If you prefer more advanced controls, this is the program to get which brings additional playback controls. The Free version is ad-supported and lacks some options while the Pro version will set you back $4.99. After installing the application on your iPhone or iPod Touch, you will have to go to the developer’s website and download the Remote Setup Helper which has to be installed on your PC or Mac. The setup process is pretty simple and straightforward. Since this is the free version of the application, not all options will be available, such as browsing for a file to play so you will have to start the video or music on your computer first. After doing this you will be able to control the playback of your media right from the iPhone / iPod Touch. You have to jump to a particular area of the clip by sliding the time bar located at the top of the screen, while the bar at the bottom is for controlling the volume.

We should mention that you can go to the Settings menu where you will find an option for boosting the sound in VLC for up to 400% which might prove to be useful if the sound quality of a video is low. If you are on the look for simple remote control of VLC with the help of an iPhone or an iPod Touch, both applications should be just what you need. You might want to opt for the full version of VLC Remote which comes with several handy features that you might need for a better VLC control.

If you are searching for a method of controlling your computer from across the room you should know that the iPhone or an iPod Touch can be used as a remote control with the help of a software called HippoRemote Lite. In order to do this you must have a Windows, Mac or a Linux computer, the HippoVNC server installed on the host computer, the HippoRemote Lite application installed on the iPhone, along with a Wi-Fi router. The following guide is for those that are running Windows 7 on their computer.
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The first step that you need to take is to download the HippoVNC Server file, open it and after that run it. You will have to select a folder where you would like to extract the file and after that run the file named WinVNC.exe. If you are prompted by the firewall application you will have to select to allow access.

Now that you have arrived at the Settings window you will have to enter a password in the section called Authentication and after that hit on OK. If you do not have iTunes installed on your computer you’ll have to find out the IP address of the host machine. There are more than just a few ways of obtaining it, but perhaps the simplest way is to hover the cursor in the System Tray over the HippoRemote Lite icon. If you do have iTunes on the computer you should know that HippoRemote is capable of automatically detecting your computer so that you will not have to enter the IP address. You can run HippoVNC as a service if you prefer to have it run every time you turn on your computer. If you want to do this you must do a right click on the System Tray icon and after that choose Install Service. The next step that you have to perform is connect the iPhone to the Wi-Fi network. After the connection has been made, you must open the HippoRemote Lite application and after that choose Add Connection. Now you’ll have to type in the IP address that you typed earlier in the HippoVNC Settings window. After you are done you will have to Tap Done. Now you should be able to see the IP address of your computer at the Saved Connections section. You must select to make the connection with the PC. You will be able to make several adjustments once you are greeted with the Settings screen of HippoRemote. Keep in mind that not all of the options are available in the Lite version. To benefit from all of the options available you will have to get the full version. In order to make the switch to the trackpad you’ll have to tap on the Trackpad button which you can find at the top left.

Once you do this you will be able to control your computer with the iPhone / iPod Touch. For moving the cursor on the screen of the computer you must drag or flick your fingers across the trackpad. You will notice that the buttons located at the top act as left and right mouse buttons, and all you have to do is tap on these to get the appropriate result. If you tap on the keyboard button it is going to bring up the virtual keyboard. As for the Split Screen, this will give you the trackpad and the keyboard at the same time.

Once you select Email Link you will be taken to your e-mail application and then you can add a message and send off the link to your contacts. The person who will be getting the e-mail will get the message with the appropriate link and will be able to access this file with his default browser.
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Another feature that you have is to save the files that you have on your Dropbox on your iPhone or iPod Touch. To do this you must tap on the arrow icon located on the lower right corner of the screen. To save it in your photo library you must tap on the Save Photo.

Without any doubt, the best feature of Dropbox is the possibility to access all of your important files from wherever you are on multiple computers or other devices. The process of adding files from your computer to the Dropbox is very easy, while adding files from your iPhone or iPod Touch is just as easy. What you have to do is go to a folder in your Dropbox and then tap on the “+” icon which you will notice at the top right corner of the screen, below the battery icon. Once you do this a screen will pop up and you’ll be asked what you want to upload. You have to tap on Existing Photo or Video. Now you must browse to the location where the photo you want to add is and then it will be added to your preferred folder in Dropbox. Now it is going to be available on all of the portable devices as well as computers where Dropbox is installed on. All things considered, Dropbox is a very useful application for those of you that would like to have access to files on a portable device made by Apple as well on a computer. Not only is it free to download, but it is very easy to install and to use. Keep in mind that the free version offers 2GB of storage space while for more money you can get more space. The Pro 50 package brings 50GB of available storage for $9.99 / month or $99 / year. For more space you can opt for the Pro 100 package which will set you back $19.99 / month or $199 / years.

There’s also the Teams package that offers more than 1TB of available storage space which comes with centralized admin and billing, large shared quota and other features as well. Dropbox is also available for your iPad, BlackBerry or an Android-running device.