Humin: A super-smart way to manage contacts on your iPhone, and it launches today

 We took an early look at Humin, an impressive contacts app for the iPhone, back in January this year. Finally, it’s launching onto the App Store in the US today and it’s even better than when we first tried it.

Humin works best when it’s placed in your dock in place of the default Phone app. It organizes your contacts in a smart way, replacing the normal alphabetized list with factors like your location and the day and time. Over time, the app learns which people are most relevant in a particular context and displays them first.

The search facility is just as impressive. It’s based on a ‘connection graph’ built up of data from Gmail, Facebook, LinkedIn and other sources. Our brains don’t organize the people we know in order of their surnames, but by arbitrary connections like ‘We met at a party in Paris’, ‘She works at IBM’, or ‘He lives in New York City’. Humin gets its name from a ‘human’ approach to search. When I enter ‘Works at The Next Web’, I get a list of all my colleagues. If I search for ‘lives in San Francisco’, I get a list of everyone in my contacts list from that city.

 

In the months since we first checked Humin out, the San Francisco-based team has been busy refining the product and now many people will be able to discard their default Phone app completely. The startup has arrangements with all major US carriers so that your missed calls and voicemail can be routed to Humin.

The app works well overall, aside from the odd minor bug here and there (the app insists that the company ‘The Next Web’ is called ‘Next Web’, for example, and former employees can show up in a company search, even if their data shows they’ve moved on).

  

Beyond these niggles that can be ironed out by the developers over time, the quality of the experience is only as good as the quality of the contacts data on your smartphone. To that end, there’s a feature that allows users to request updated contact details from people they know.

During the app’s beta period, it would mass-mail all contacts to request updated data, without it really being clear to the user that this is what would happen. Humin briefly developed a reputation as a spammy app among some early adopters, although CEO Ankur Jain says that the company learned from this experience. Now, requests are more granular, with users being able to select exactly who they want the app to contact. I can’t help thinking that FullContact’s API would be worth the company exploring for a smoother experience, though.

Jain sees Humin as a company built around “tech that thinks about people the way you do.” He describes the core technology underpinning the app as “like PageRank for contacts.” How this could be used beyond smartphones is intriguing. Jain mentions wearable devices and cars as markets the company is exploring, although I’m sure the enterprise market could find uses related to CRM too.

Humin is currently available in the US only but will open up to new markets over time, with a UK launch coming soon.

Ingenious new app is a dream come true for lazy stoners everywhere

College kids across America, rejoice — your already cushy lives just got even easier. A new app called Push for Pizza has hit the iTunes App Store and it’s just as stupidly simple as Yo while also being vastly more useful. As the app’s name suggests, it’s literally a way for you to order a pizza to be delivered right to your address just with the push of a button.

Essentially, the app has you enter in your address and credit card information and then lets you choose between ordering a plain or pepperoni pizza from the closest pizza joint. The app will even calculate the tip you’ll leave for the delivery guy when he knocks on your door and brings you a piping hot box filled with cheesy goodness. You can program multiple addresses into your phone as well so ordering pizza shouldn’t be a drag if you’re away from your house and/or dorm room.

ServiceMax Adds New iPhone App to Suite of Field-Ready Mobile Solutions

As Part of Summer '14 Release, ServiceMax Mobile for iPhone Puts Your Entire Service Process in Your Pocket

PLEASANTON, CA--(Marketwired - Aug 19, 2014) - ServiceMax, the field service management solution for a new era of business, today released ServiceMax Mobile for iPhone, providing field workers with full end-to-end field service capabilities in their pocket on an iPhone as part of the company's Summer '14 product release. The new native iPhone application is the only field service solution on a smartphone with full application functionality, even when disconnected from the Internet.

Designed with large touch targets and streamlined navigation to accommodate a technician's life in the field, ServiceMax Mobile for iPhone empowers field workers to successfully complete complex work orders, present service reports for customer signature, provide dynamic pricing of labor, parts and products in the field, and much more. Powered by the ServiceMax Infinity Framework, the app is also highly configurable so field service organizations can seamlessly integrate their unique service processes without requiring any custom code.

The app joins the company's award winning field-ready suite of mobile apps providing mobile access regardless of location or connectivity. In addition to native device-specific apps for iPhone and iPad, the ServiceMax suite is HTML5-based, making it accessible via browser from virtually any device.

"ServiceMax Mobile for iPhone was built based on ServiceMax's years of expertise developing the industry's most proven mobile application, ServiceMax Mobile for iPad, and deploying it successfully to hundreds of customers globally," said Dave Yarnold, CEO of ServiceMax. "Field technicians work in unpredictable and changing environments and the new iPhone app, along with our iPad app, are the only field service mobile solutions that provide flexibility and full functionality, even without connectivity, so technicians can provide the best possible service to customers no matter what conditions they are working in."

ServiceMax's Spring '14 release also includes:

• Updates to ServiceMax Mobile for Laptops and iPads;
• Scheduling enhancements with new dispatch console maps platform enhancements, including the ability to use Service Flow Manager to create scheduled, multi-source workflow actions and triggers; and
• Contract enhancements with GetPrice labor pricing.

ServiceMax Mobile for iPhone is available now on the Apple App Store. For more information about Summer '14 or how ServiceMax could be a fit for your company, please visit www.ServiceMax.com.

About ServiceMax

There are more than five million field service technicians in the United States alone, yet today there's no standard technology for managing the way companies of all types and stripes empower them to truly delight their customers in the field. ServiceMax is rethinking field service and delivering on the promise of cloud and mobile software, powering a new era of field service experiences for their customers' customers. The impact of ServiceMax is simple: lower costs, greater efficiency, happier customers; all while increasing revenue. ServiceMax has helped customers on average increase productivity through mobile by 26 percent, service revenue by 22 percent, and customer satisfaction by 15 percent. ServiceMax customers include large enterprises such as Tyco, Coca-Cola Enterprises, and Elekta, and smaller businesses like McKinley Equipment and Kinetico. Based in Pleasanton, California, they are a company of innovators, thinkers and doers who care passionately about changing the world of field service. To learn more, please visit www.ServiceMax.com.

All statements, assurances and the associated outcomes represented in this document are made by ServiceMax and not Apple. Apple, the Apple logo, FaceTime, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.

The iPhone 6 Could Have A Protruding Camera Lens That Might Make It Easier To Attach Different Lenses

A protruding camera lens in the latest feature rumored to be on the iPhone 6, according to a photo on Taiwanese blog Apple Club first reported by 9 to 5 Mac.

The image purports to be a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 with a camera that extends 0.77mm from the phone itself.

It's unclear how a protruding lens would affect the camera's overall functionality.

We've previously reported that the iPhone 6's camera will be 10 megapixels, an upgrade from the iPhone 5's 8-megapixel camera.

A protruding lens could also make it easier for users to attach new lenses to the iPhone 6, enhancing the camera even further. Third-party camera lenses aren't new. A company called Olloclip has been making interchangeable lenses for the current generation of iPhones.

A patent application in March pointed to Apple working on a way for the iPhone camera to support interchangeable lenses. This recent iPhone 6 leak also appears to have a protruding camera lens.

As with all leaks and patent applications, take this one with a grain of salt.The iPhone is rumored to come out on Sept. 9. So we'll have to wait until then to find out what Apple has in store for the iPhone's camera.

First photos of purported 5.5-inch 'iPhone 6' rear shell compare part to 4.7-inch model

A batch of photos out of Asia on Wednesday supposedly reveal a rear shell bound for Apple's "iPhone 6" and show a direct comparison between another alleged handset part.



Purportedly coming from a source "deep within Apple's supply chain," the images posted toevasi0njailbreak.com are claimed to be some of the first to show Apple's 5.5-inch iPhone 6 aluminum chassis. Until now, most unconfirmed parts leaks have been related to the 4.7-inch next-generation handset. 

As seen in the photo above, which highlights the disparity the two "leaked" parts' sizes, Apple's "phablet" device design could resemble an enlarged version of the 4.7-inch iPhone revamp. The same hallmarks are present in both variants, including rounded edges, recessed volume controls, side-mounted sleep/wake button and thin profile. 

By itself, the alleged 5.5-inch iPhone 6 rear shell bears the same machining marks, anchors and screw bosses seen on previous parts said to be bound for the 4.7-inch version. The larger shell also features an Apple logo cutout that will presumably be filled with a radio transparent material for better signal transmission, an engineering design first seen in the iPad mini with Retina display.

   

Not much is known about the 5.5-inch iPhone 6, though recent reports claim the unit will sport a 2,915mAh battery to help power the larger display and advanced internals. In late July, a parts leak supposedly pictured the phablet's sleep/wake and volume control flex cables and offered a glimpse at the device's size. 

Apple is expected to unveil the next-generation iPhone at a media event on Sept. 9, though the date has yet to be confirmed by the company. Speculation has pointed toward the release of both 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch sizes, though recent rumors have said the larger version could be delayed due to production issues.

Two rumored developments about the larger of the two expected iPhone 6 models emerged this weekend. First, a 2915 mAh battery (85% larger than the one in the current iPhone 5S) was leaked that seems to fit with a previously leaked chipset that would fit the 5.5-inch form factor. Second, a Chinese website Apple Daily tipped that instead of being named the iPhone “Air,” the larger iPhone 6 will be dubbed the “6L”. If true, this information points to one under-explored issue about the new iPhones: screen resolution. Specifically, will the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6L both have 960 pixels on the short side, or will the 6L bump up to the 1080 pixels required for 1080p HD video?

Back in May, Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac wrote a very convincing story about how the new larger iPhones would move from the 2x resolution of the retinal 4 and 5 series to a denser 3x resolution. According to Gurman, both new phones would have 1704 x 960 pixel screens, which works out to 416 pixels per inch on the 4.7″ model and 356 ppi on the 5.5″ model. His argument was that, like the iPad  and iPad Mini, these two different devices would share a common pixel count to make it easier for developers to deal with updating their apps for these new devices. So convincing was his story that little else has been said on the matter.

If we accept Gurman’s math, then the upsized battery on the 5.5″ 6L will serve to give it greater battery life (despite its larger screen size) than either the current iPhone 5S or the 4.7″ iPhone 6. And this would be a good thing because the primary activity of phablet users is watching video. So better battery life means more viewing time. And who doesn’t want that?

Just to play devils advocate for a moment, what if that extra screen size was used to make the 6L full 1080p HD? This would achieve parity with Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and Note 3. Most importantly, it would deliver full resolution for all of that video 6L users will be watching at a pixel density of 401 ppi, just under the 4.7″ model’s resolution. [An interesting side note, the next big Samsung smartphone is actually smaller than their current models with a lower pixel count. The just announced Galaxy Alpha will have a 4.7-inch screen with a pixel resolution of just 720 x 1280 pixels, 312 ppi.]

The power efficiencies of the new A8 chip in the iPhone 6 models should help offset the additional screen illumination and pixel computation demands. More importantly, changes in Apple's AAPL +1.38% best practices for building apps, including auto layout, multi-resolution mode and increased reliance on vector graphics should make the burden on developers far lighter if Apple were to introduce two new devices with different pixel dimensions.

The real issue is a three way optimization between how much better the user experience of full 1080p HD video is compared to the benefits of extended battery life compared to the benefit of larger touch targets on the larger screen. As with digital cameras, more megapixels don’t necessarily make better pictures. Undoubtably Apple has tested these variations and is confident that the iPhone 6L phablet lives up to its customers’ larger expectations.

UPDATE: I had a lively Twitter exchange with @GordonKelly this morning about whether Apple would really do this. Kelly tweeted “I can’t see Apple creating more confusion with 2 new resolutions.” The question for me is really “Confusion for developers vs UX for customers.” and it all comes down to, “how much better is 1080p on a phone?” At some point Apple will have to admit to the fragmentation of iOS and get beyond pixel multiples of the original iPhone screen, as conceptually neat as this may be. [3x is very different than 2x as far as conceptual neatness goes. 2x => 4x is easier for people to grok.] I contend that all of the pieces are now in place for iOS to size more dynamically, as Kelly points out Android has done for years. Could Apple make this shift now, with the 6L? Kelly tweets, “I don’t see it. Over complication (in this case with resolutions) is not an Apple trait.”

4.7-Inch iPhone 6 Screen Put Under Microscope as New 1472 x 828 Resolution Emerges

Amid rumors of both 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions of the iPhone 6, speculation about what resolutions Apple will use for the new devices has generated a number of different theories. The most concrete suggestion so far has been a 1704 x 960 resolution that could see the current "2x" Retina display move to an even sharper "3x" display. 

A new photo from Russian luxury modified iPhone vendor Feld & Volk [Instagram page] now shows the display of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 under a microscope, with the firm tellingMacRumors the panel does indeed carry a resolution of 1704 x 960. 



The photograph posted by Feld & Volk does not, however, necessarily appear to agree with that claim, as it seems to show roughly 13 pixels per mm in the horizontal and vertical directions, while a 4.7-inch display at 1704 x 960 should be closer to 16 pixels per mm. The current iPhone 5s display is roughly 10.5 pixels per mm. 

A potential answer to this problem arrives in another report today from 9to5Mac, which has discovered references to yet another resolution of 1472 x 828 within recent Xcode 6 beta releases.

This particular file outlines for the system where icons, by default, will be placed on an iPhone’s Home screen. This particular file, which was added in Xcode 6 beta 5 earlier this month and still exists in yesterday’s Xcode 6 beta 6, is optimized for an iPhone with a resolution of 414 (width) x 736 (height). The iPhone SDK parses hardware resolutions via “point values,” so the actual “Retina” resolution is in fact double (or potentially triple) whatever numbers the SDK presents.

While analysis quickly becomes speculative, one way Apple could use both of these rumored resolutions would be to to launch a 4.7-inch iPhone at 1472 x 828 and a 5.5-inch model at 1704 x 960. In that scenario, both iPhone 6 models would have pixel densities of 355-360 pixels per inch. This translates to roughly 14 pixels per mm in each direction, close to what is seen in the Feld & Volk photograph. 

Depending on how the rumored 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch sizes have been rounded for convenience, the two iPhone 6 panels could actually offer the exact same pixel density, slightly higher than current iPhones and allowing for efficiencies in the manufacturing process if the same technologies and production methods are used in the two new models.

Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 6 at a media event on September 9, but it remains unclear whether the company plans to show off both models at the same time, and even it does, there have been rumors that the larger model should ship up to several months later than the smaller version.