Friday, October 14, 2011

How To | iOS 5 Upgrade Procedure : Error Free

Apple released its iOS 5 this week offering its users to upgrade to the latest version of iOS, but what came as a big disappointment was that while upgrading, the users came across Error '3200' , '3002' , '3004' and '3014' messages. The reason being - overwhelmed Apple servers and overburdened User's connections.


While the iOS 5 comes as a massive update to all the Apple users - bringing in more than 200 new feautures - resulting in web surge, what it ended up in was Error messages being reported by users while upgrading to iOS 5 with no solution available for the problem making most of the upgradation processes to fail.


But what might help you in upgrading your iDevice successfully are the following guide that just might work out for you. Take a look!

First of all you need to install the IPSW firmware for your iDevice.
IPSW firmware for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, iPad 2, iPod Touch 3G and iPod Touch 4G can be downloaded directly from the links below without using iTunes :
iPhone 3GS
iPhone 4 (CDMA)
iPhone 4 (GSM)
iPad
iPad 2 (CDMA)
iPad 2 (GSM)
iPad 2 (Wi-Fi)
iPod touch 3G
iPod touch 4G


After the IPSW firmware is downloaded, there are 2 options for you to select from :
Note : Backing up your iDevice before upgradation is highly recommended.

Option 1:

Hold the 'Alt' key (Windows) or 'Option' key (Mac) and click on 'Restore' in iTunes which asks for the location of the IPSW firmware that was downloaded earlier. Then, the update process would follow.
Note : You can download the latest version of the iTunes from here.

Option 2:

After the downloading, close iTunes and disconnect your iDevice from your PC. Then you shall copy-paste the IPSW file to the following path.
  • For Windows Users
%APPDATA%Apple ComputeriTunesiP{one|ad|od} Software Updates
  • For Mac Users
~/Library/iTunes/iP{one|ad|od} Software Updates

Now, connect back your iDevice and open the iTunes. The iTunes would automatically detect the IPSW file from the above location. Afterwards, hit the Update Button on the iTunes. Then, the update process would follow.

If the process makes your iDevice totally inoperative or if Error '3194' is reported, put your iDevice in DSU mode and then you might try restoring while in recovery.

If the Error reported states 'An internal error has occurred', it means that the Apple servers have been overwhelmed and the you show try the upgradation process after some time.

Good luck mates.!

Blown away with the all-new UI of iOS 5? Interested in knowing more about iOS5Share your opinions and reactions . We'll surely get back to ya' soon..!!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Review | Tablet War : Kindle Fire vs iPad 2 vs Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs BlackBerry Playbook vs Motorola Xoom vs HP Touchpad [Detailed Comparison]

In a race for the best tablet, we are going to conduct an detailed comparison of the 6 best tablets - Kindle Fire , iPad 2 , Galaxy Tab 10.1 , BlackBerry Playbook , Motorola Xoom and HP Touchpad - currently available in the market and figure out the best of the best.

With a plethora of Tablets to select from, to get your perfect-one it may require a long brainstorming session.

Galaxy Tab 10.1


So to make the going easier for you, we are going to find which tablet should you pick and which one you should kick.

In this comparison, we are going to judge these tablets on the following 8 criteria's:
  1. Operating System
  2. Processor
  3. Touchscreen
  4. Storage and Memory
  5. Camera
  6. Connectivity
  7. Battery Life
  8. Price
Here they follow :

1. Operating System

Arguably the biggest difference among the all 6 competitors.
  • Kindle Fire runs on its own special OS 'Android 2.x' rumored to be Android FroYo
  • iPad 2 runs on Apple's iOS 4.3
  • Blackberry Playbook runs on RIM's own Tablet OS
  • HP Touchpad runs on webOS 3.0
  • Galaxy Tab 10.1 & Motorola Xoom run on Android 3.0 Honeycomb
Edge : iPad 2


2. Processor

All the 6 units use dual-core processors. 
  • Kindle Fire uses a 1GHz Texas Instruments OMAP chip
  • iPad 2 runs on 1-GHz dual-core Apple A5 custom-designed processor
  • Blackberry Playbook uses a 1-GHz dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP
  • HP Touchpad runs on 1.2-GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
  • Galaxy Tab 10.1 runs on 1-GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor
  • Motorola Xoom uses a 1-GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor
Edge : iPad 2

iPad 2

3. Touchscreen
  • Kindle Fire has a 7inch screen and a screen resolution of 1024x600 pixels
  • iPad 2 has a 9.7inch screen and a screen resolution of 1024x768 pixels
  • Blackberry Playbook has a 7inch screen and a screen resolution of 1024x600 pixels
  • HP Touchpad has a 9.7inch screen and a screen resolution of 1024x768 pixels 
  • Galaxy Tab 10.1 & Motorola Xoom have a 10.1inch screen and a screen resolution of 1280x800 pixels
Edge : Blackberry Playbook

Blackberry Playbook

4. Storage and Memory
  • Kindle Fire comes with a 512MB RAM and 8GB of storage space
  • iPad 2 comes with a 512MB RAM and options of 16 , 32 and 64GB storage space
  • Blackberry Playbook comes with a 1GB RAM and options of 16 , 32 and 64GB storage space
  • HP Touchpad comes with a 1GB RAM and options of 16 and 32GB storage space
  • Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes with a 1GB RAM and options of 16 and 32GB storage space
  • Motorola Xoom comes with a 1GB RAM and 32GB of storage space
Edge : Tie between Blackberry Playbook & HP Touchpad

HP Touchpad

5 .Camera
  • Kindle Fire doesn't have a mic or a camera
  • iPad 2 has both front-facing and rear-facing camera
  • Blackberry Playbook has a 3-megapixel front-facing and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera
  • HP Touchpad has a 1.3-megapixel front-facing and no rear-facing camera
  • Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a 2-megapixel front-facing and a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera
  • Motorola Xoom has a 2-megapixel front-facing and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera
Edge : Motorola Xoom

6. Connectivity
  • The Kindle Fire only connects to the web via Wi-Fi, there is no 3G, no Bluetooth and no GPS.
  • iPad 2 comes with Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth support
  • Blackberry Playbook comes with Wi-Fi, coming soon 4G connectivity, Bluetooth, micro USB and HDMI output support
  • HP Touchpad comes with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and micro USB support
  • Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support
  • Motorola Xoom comes with Wi-Fi, 4G connectivity, Bluetooth, micro USB, micro SD and HDMI output support
Edge : Motorola Xoom

Motorola Xoom

7. Battery Life
  • Kindle Fire has a 8-hour battery life
  • iPad 2 has a 10-hour battery life
  • Blackberry Playbook has a 7.5-8hour battery life
  • HP Touchpad has a 8-hour battery life on being heavily used and 9-10 hours for regular use
  • Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a 9-10hour battery life
  • Motorola Xoom has a 8-8.5hour battery life
Edge : iPad 2

8. Price
  • Kindle Fire is priced at £199
  • iPad 2 is priced at £439
  • Motorola Xoom is priced at £499
Edge : Kindle Fire

Kindle Fire


Judgement

Try it before you buy it!
At a price as low as £199, Kindle Fire is considered to be a steal by many. But at that amazing price the device doesn't offer some basic features like no 3G or Bluetooth connectivity. So, Amazon will have to upgrade it sooner or later if it dreams of competing with iPad 2 or Galaxy Tab 10.1

Apart from the Kindle Fire, Motorola Xoom and Blackberry Playbook come loaded with features. But our recommendation to our readers would be to first gets a hands-on experience of the tablet and then pick the best of these best tablets up for the grabs!

Still confused about which one to pick and which one to kick ? Share with us . We'll surely make it easier for you..!!