Should you upgrade to the iPhone 4S?

After an extraordinarily long wait, much longer than the usual 12 month-ish refresh cycles we have been used to previously, the next generation of Apple's iPhone is at last here with us. It has been launched and in a few days it will be on sale. The big question is whether you should upgrade your current iPhone to the latest model.

Some people have already made that decision and they pre-ordered the new model as soon as  it became possible. They now sit eagerly waiting for the delivery service to knock at their door and hand over the new device.

Whether to upgrade or not is always a tricky decision to make and it is doubly so when there is a large cost involved. The iPhone 4S is one of the most expensive mobile phones available and so you must think twice before committing yourself and your credit card to such a large purchase. Here in the UK it costs a pound under £500 ($780 including tax) just for the cheapest, most basic model and nearly £800 ($1,093) for the 64Gb model. That's a lot of money in any currency and you've got your contract on top of that.

However, you have to factor in the trade-in or sale of your existing phone and at Mazuma Mobile, a UK phone recycling website they will give me £245 ($383) for my current 16Gb iPhone 4. That means that the cost to upgrade to a 4S is a more reasonable £256 ($400). That's a more tempting proposition.

So what is the difference between the iPhone 4 and the 4S, and is it worth it?

The iPhone 4S comes with iOS 5, the next generation of Apple's mobile phone and tablet operating system and it includes the new iCloud service that stores files and music online. However, iOS 5 will work on all mobile phones as far back as the iPhone 3GS, so I can upgrade my iPhone 4 for free and get all the iOS functions and features of the 4S. Clearly iOS 5 is not a reason to buy an iPhone 4S.

It does lack Siri though and this is a voice-controlled personal assistant. You can speak into your iPhone and tell it to make appointments and perform other tasks. I'm not too fussed about this and I've never got on with voice recognition software on my desktop computer. I had voice dialling on my mobile five years ago and could say "phone home" to call home or "John" to call John, but never used it. I don't know why. I'm not convinced Siri is a killer feature that makes it worth the cost of upgrading.

I ditched my digital camera ages ago and now take most of my photos on a mobile phone. The cameras in phones aren't quite as good as proper digital cameras, but they are good enough and they are getting better. The main reason is convenience and you are more likely to have a phone in your pocket when a photo opportunity arises than a digital camera.

The new iPhone 4S has an upgraded camera built in and it is now 8 megapixels. Many people equate megapixels to image quality, but it just isn't a reliable indicator of image quality. Lens quality, sensitivity to low light, colour saturation and other factors are all important factors that affect the image quality. Imagine taking a photo when the light is poor, indoors, possibly in the evening. Is an 8mp image any better than a 5mp image if it is dark and fuzzy?

The good news is that the camera in the 4S should have better image quality and not just more pixels. It has a better lens and a better sensor and this should produce better photos. This is a plus point for the iPhone 4S, but is it enough to tempt you to upgrade?

Another advantage of the 4S is the more powerful dual-core processor. However, have you ever been using your iPhone 4 and cursed it for being too slow? I can't say that I have. For what I use it for, which is mostly non-gaming apps, it is adequate and I've not experienced any speed problems. However, I have yet to upgrade to iOS 5 and perhaps that demands more processing power. Operating systems always make increasing demands of the hardware, but since iOS 5 works on the 3GS, which is even less powerful than the 4, it can't be that processor-intensive.

Whether you decide to upgrade or not is a personal decision. I'm not convinced that there is enough in the 4S to tempt me to upgrade from a 4. I think I'll wait for the iPhone 5. If you are still using a 3GS though, then it is well worth the upgrade cost.

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More Mac malware spotted

Malware like viruses, Trojans and spyware are so rare on the Apple Mac that it's a big deal when one is spotted. Every so often one pops up, but to have two in one week is like being struck by lightning - twice!

It is becoming increasingly common to hear of malware on the Mac although there is still has a long, long way to go before it ever gets anywhere near the situation we have on Windows computers. Malware for the Mac is definitely a reality though and you do need to be aware of it. Don't assume that you are safe just because you run OS X. An operating system is only as effective as the weakest link, and that's you, the user. Malware is socially engineered to trick people into installing it, running it and entering their administrator passwords when needed.

Security company F-Secure recently discovered a new malware attack on the Mac which they have called Trojan-Dropper:OSX/Revir.A. This malware is disguised as a PDF file and it opens on the screen to distract you while it downloads a backdoor (a method used to gain access to your computer), Backdoor:OSX/Imuler.A and installs it on the system in the background. The PDF is actually some Chinese document and is unimportant because by the time you see it, you're already infected. Fortunately, the malware doesn't actually do anything harmful yet, but the capability is there and you need to watch out for it.

Security company Intego has discovered a new malware program that masquerades as a Flash installer. The Mac Flashback Trojan tries to trick people into thinking they don't have Flash installed or have an outdated version of Flash and they need to install a new version.

It appears as a link on a website and visitors may think that they need to click it to download and install Flash. By default, Safari automatically runs files that are downloaded and so the malware installation automatically starts. The malware injects code into apps when they are run and this connects to a remote server to send details about the Mac.

If you think you may have been tricked into installing this malware, open a Finder window and see if you have this file: ~/Library/Preferences/Preferences.dylib (~ means your home folder). If you don't, you're OK. If you ever see a message stating that you need Flash or need to update it to the latest version, always go to www.adobe.com and get the real version, not by clicking a link on some other website. You may want to consider getting an anti virus program for your Mac, such as Intego's VirusBarrier X6.

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Keep the tablet OS off the desktop

Ten years ago Windows was so popular that Microsoft believed that if it could be ported to other devices then they would be equally successful too. They made a version for tablet computers and for mobile phones. Yes, tablets aren't a new phenomenon and ten years ago there were tablet PCs. Mind you, they weren't the thin and light devices we enjoy today and they were more like laptop computers with the screen folded flat on top. Their weight wasn't measured in grams, but in kilograms!

There was a version of Windows on hand-held organisers like the iPAQ and mobile phones too.

Windows is a great operating system on desktop computers when used with a mouse, but it doesn't work very on small screens with relatively large stubby fingers. Even if you use a stylus or pen as a pointing device, it is still unsuitable. The whole interface is simply wrong for a small screen.

It isn't surprising that tablets and hand-held devices failed to catch on all those years ago. Tablets sold particularly poorly and hardly anyone bought them. It wasn't until smartphones came along that operating systems were written specifically for small screens, hand-held devices and fat fingers. iOS, Android and other mobile operating systems work great on tablets and hand held devices. They are hugely popular these days with many millions being sold each year.

We previously had a problem of a popular desktop OS being put on a hand-held tablet and it didn't work. Now we have the reverse situation and because tablets are so successful it is assumed that we want tablet and smartphone operating systems everywhere, even on desktop computers.

Apple has incorporated iOS features into OS X Lion running on its Macs. Microsoft has put the Metro interface from its mobile phones in Windows 8, its next desktop operating system. Ubuntu has the Unity interface which is optimised for small screen devices and has tablet-like features too.

Desktop computers are not the same as tablets! Stop putting tablet features into the desktop! I rarely want to run full screen apps on a desktop computer with a large monitor where 22in screens and bigger are common. The iMac has a 27in screen, so why would you want to run a calendar, web browser or word processor full screen? The tablet way of displaying grids of icons for apps works well on small devices, but it's not half as useful desktop computer with  a big screen and a mouse. What's wrong with a menu?

Lion, Unity and Metro could irritate desktop computer users with their tablet-like features. Some people will simply turn them off. I ignore iOS-like features in OS X Lion on my Mac as much as I can and have disabled Unity in favour of the Gnome desktop in Ubuntu 11.04. It remains to be seen how easy it will be to switch to a standard desktop in Windows 8. At the moment you have to click through menus to get it, but it's still only a beta so it may change. Let's hope so.

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Malware mail attachments

Malware comes in many forms and you always need to be on your guard against it. One of the most common ways that it will get on your computer is as an email attachment. It always pays to be highly suspicious of messages with any form of attachment.

Usually the email has some sort of message that either tells you right out to open the attachment or it is worded to make you curious about it and want to open it. Here is an example of the former:

DEAR CUSTOMER , Recipient's address is wrong Print out the invoice copy attached and collect the package at our department.

The message claims to come from a postal service, but it is a fake and the attachment will infect your computer with some sort of malware if you open it.

Here is another type:

Service: xxxxxxxx. com 9232 Girls Currently Online

Fotos: 6 fotos in attached file.

You might be tempted to open the attachments and see what the girls are like just out of curiosity, but if you do this you are likely to be infected by malware.

Apparently in one single day in mid August 25 billion emails with malicious attachments were sent. Is this really true? I don't know, but even if it is an order of magnitude out, it's still an incredible number of malicious mails. I think a large number of them ended up in my email inbox. They just got deleted though.

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Why Amazon's tablet will succeed

Tablet makers are having a rough time competing with Apple's hugely successful iPad and some are suffering from poor sales, some are suffering from legal action from Apple, and others have abandoned the market altogether. On the face of it, it doesn't seem like a good time to launch a new tablet. Will Amazon succeed where everyone else has failed?

The thing about an iPad is that it isn't just  hardware. Apple could sell the ipad at cost price and still make a healthy profit from the tablet market. Most other tablet manufacturers simply build and sell the hardware and they must generate a profit from the sales.

Apple has an app store and takes a large cut of every sale that is made. The only place you can get apps for the iPad is at Apple's app store. Most other manufacturers don't have this, but Amazon does. It launched its own app store. Although it is based on Google's Android and has the same sort of apps that are in the Android market, Amazon could tie its tablet to its own store and generate income from every sale.

Apple sells music for the iPad and takes a cut of every sale of every music track. Other tablet manufacturers don't make any money at all from the music downloaded to their tablets. Amazon sells music, has online storage for music and can stream music. It also makes money from every sale of every music track. It's another source of income for Amazon.

Apple sells movies for the iPad through the app store and as with all the other media, it makes money from it. Other manufacturers do not have this source of income, they only sell the hardware. Amazon, however, does sell movies and it generates income from the sales. Movies could be accessed and played by the Amazon tablet.

Apple sells books for the iPad too and this also generates income for the company. It's another thing that other tablet manufacturers do not have, but Amazon does. It has an excellent range of ebooks.

Amazon is basically emulating Apple and its tablet will no doubt be closely tied to Amazon's music, movie, ebook, and app stores. The company does not need to make a huge profit from sales of the hardware because of the income each one will generate from media consumption. Amazon is also well known for cutting costs to the minimum, so it is likely that the tablet will be cheap too and rumours of $250 are floating around.

So Amazon has multiple sources of income all generated by the tablet and users get all the media they need from Amazon. It's very similar to Apple's setup and it is hard to imagine how it could fail if Amazon's tablet is anywhere half way decent.

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HP TouchPad sales take off

The announcement that HP has abandoned tablets and that it is to stop making the TouchPad is sad news for everyone that likes these devices, and a lot of people do. One of the reasons, perhaps the main one, is that sales were poor and few people bought them.

Is it a bad product? No, it is actually quite good and both the hardware and operating system are quite attractive. So why didn't it sell?

The main reason is that it was against the iPad and Apple's tablet is very good indeed. In fact, all Apple's products - desktop computers, laptops, phones and iPods are very good. It is very difficult to compete head to head with an Apple product. If you're going to make a £400 tablet and grab a slice of the iPad's market you are going to have to make it better than the iPad and that is difficult.

The same is true of iMacs and MacBooks. If you want to sell laptop computers in the £1,000 to £1,500 price range then it's up against the MacBook Pro which is a great computer. The iMac is in the same price range and if you're looking for a desktop computer with this much cash to spend then it is a good buy. In the price ranges Apple sells in it does very well and it has a good market share.

The huge market share that Windows PCs and laptops have is mainly because they are cheap. Many people either can't afford £1,000+ computers or don't want to spend that much. They buy millions of cheap Windows PCs and are happy with their bargain.

The same is true of mobile phones and although the iPhone sells really well, it actually only has a small part of the overall market. That's because it has one expensive smartphone. It is outsold by millions of cheap alternatives and Android phones are set to dominate the market.

The tablet market doesn't have any cheap alternatives to the iPad. Tablet makers saw the great sales of iPads and though that there was a huge market for a premium priced products. There is, but Apple was in there first and continues to dominate it. To grab market share from Apple you'd have to create a better iPad.

This doesn't mean that there isn't a market for other tablets and since HPs announcement to stop the TouchPad the price has been dropped to a fraction of its original selling price. What happened is that sales shot through the roof and the last remaining stocks are selling out so fast it's hard to find one. The demand is huge.

This means that there was nothing wrong with the HP TouchPad and it was simply sold at the wrong price point. It shows that there is a big demand for cheap tablets and it just takes someone brave enough to create one.

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Chrome Web Store problems

One of the great features of Google's Chrome web browser is the way that it can be enhanced by adding extensions. One of the reasons why Firefox has grabbed such a large market share from Internet Explorer is because if the huge range of add-ons and extensions. Chrome is catching up fast, both in terms of extensions available and market share. Perhaps the two are related in some way, who knows?

Finding and installing extensions for Chrome is very easy and Google has built an online store. Just click the spanner icon in the top right corner and select Tools, Extensions. Then there's a link to go to the store. Well, store isn't quite the right word because most extensions are free. You just browse the categories, find one you like and click the button to install it. It's a piece of cake, or is it?

It is not hard to find people having problems accessing the Chrome Web Store though and some people have the curious problem of the images not displaying. The text is fine, but most or even all the images just appear as broken link icons. If you manage to browse the store and find something you want (even though you can't see it), clicking the install link fails to install it. You just get a message stating that the app is currently unreachable.

If you search the web for this error message you will find other people with the same problem. Many people offer solutions in forums and help pages, but they rarely work or they worked for one author and not
for anyone else.

I had this Chrome Web Store problem for weeks and tried some of the suggested fixes, but none of them helped. One thing that did work though, was to clear Chrome's cache, Click the spanner, Tools, Clear browsing data. Restarting Chrome and going straight to the store afterwards then enabled it to work, but only briefly. Just enough time to grab an extension. I installed Chrome in a virtual machine running Vista and the Chrome web store worked straight off. However, it soon stopped working. Perhaps it briefly worked because the cache was empty and when it was full it stopped. It's weird.

There are reports of people having this problem and they find it suddenly fixes itself. I had this. It wasn't working for weeks, then one day I tried it and it worked perfectly. It is still working. I didn't change any settings, install any software or do anything special. One day it just started working. I don't know what the problem is or how to fix it and no-one else seems to either. Just keep clearing the cache and trying it each day. One day it will work.

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