Technology Guide

Lately, it’s been quiet on the iPad Mini rumors side. When 10 Oct, the rumored invitation day, came and went, we started worrying that  previous rumors  have let us down. While this may be the case indeed, not all is lost, as new rumors suggest the announcement event  has only been moved to October 23. Today’s rumors are not any better than the last, but at least, they help keep our hopes high.  The sources of this new version have shared it with fellow journalists at AllThingsD, who seem to trust them. Unfortunately, there are no new details about the 7.85″ slate and there isn’t even a rumored venue for the announcement. Either way, if the event is supposed to happen on the 23rd, Apple should be sending the invites next week, so we’ll know more then for sure. The end of the month shapes up to be a really busy time for the industry, if the current rumors are to be believed. This supposed iPad Mini announcement on the 24 will be followed by the launch of Wi...

Today we finally get to see all price options for Microsoft’s next-generation computer OS – the Windows 8. The OS will launch on Oct 26, but you can pre-order it on a DVD right now, if you absolutely need to have a disc. For the rest of us, the update would be available online for download and purchase via the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant for a cheaper price. The full Windows 8 Pro OS will be downloadable as well when you purchase the license separately. Oh, yes, and the prices, of course. An online upgrade from Windows XP, Vista or 7 to Windows 8 Pro will cost you $40, as  we’ve seen  before. That’s a time-limited offer, valid only until January 31, 2013. But there are other options, too. If you insist on getting the update on a DVD in one of their newly designed product boxes (one of which is pictured above), you will have to shell out $70 (already available for pre-order). As  previously detailed , if you buy a Windows 7 computer right now, come Oct 26 you w...

Foxconn’s Zhengzhou factory workers go on strike  for new iPhone 5 quality standard Around three to four thousand workers have gone on a strike at Foxconn’s factory in Zhengzhou. The reason? Apple’s new and stricter dema nds over the iPhone 5 quality. Apparently, Apple isn’t happy with how the iPhone 5 scratches and chips off, so it has asked Foxconn to improve the smartphone’s manufacturing process.  In fact, the new standard allows for just 0.02mm appearance defect. Here’s what Sina Weibo, a Foxconn employee, has to say. It’s tough under such stringent quality requirements. A 0.02mm appearance defect is already beyond that of our vision. With such a demanding task, workers’ mental pressure becomes so immense that they have to vent it out. According to China Labor Watch, workers aren’t on a strike just because of the higher quality demands, but also because they didn’t receive the training necessary to meet them. Apple iPhone 5 production lines in the facil...

Nokia City Lens is one of the “most well received new applications” from the Finnish company (they also used it  to generate buzz for the WP8 Lumias before unveiling them). The Symbian and MeeGo users weren’t left out – they got to participate in the beta trials, which are now over. There’s some bad news though – City Lens is becoming Lumia-exclusive.  If you have the beta installed on your Symbian phone or Nokia N9 (the only MeeGo phone), you can continue using the app. But there’s a catch – the beta app doesn’t support the  latest Nokia Belle update . There are reports that the app crashes after the update. You could still try Live View, which is City Lens’s predecessor. Nokia still has big plans for the Windows Phone app though, especially  the WP8 version . Not that that’s a big consolation to 808 PureView and N9 owners. via