Touchscreen Test: iPhone 5 touchscreen found to be over twice as fast as its Android-based rivals

Touchscreen latency is the time lag between an input on the screen and the device reacting to it. It affects the user experience directly and a high latency is what causes the perception of lag on devices.

In a test conducted by a company called Agawi, we get to see how some of the current smartphones on the market fare when put in front of a high speed camera shooting at 240fps and a custom built measurement device called Touchscope. They compared the iPhone 5, the iPhone 4, the Galaxy S4, the Lumia 928, the HTC One and the Moto X. The result, Apple’s devices being way ahead of the rest.

As you can see in the graph above, the iPhone 5 (not the new 5s, mind you, but the last year’s model) is way ahead of its Android based competition. It’s nearest competitor is the iPhone 4, released in 2010, and the nearest Android based rival being the Galaxy S4, with over twice the latency.

This is one of those things that is never mentioned in spec sheets but has a real impact in everyday performance. It’s also why in subjective tests the iOS devices feel much smoother and responsive than Android devices. And now you have actual data to back up these subjective tests.

You can see how touchscreen latency affects usage in a video made by Microsoft Research below.

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How To: build security camera at Home or Office using old smartphone or tablet

We bet there will be many of you who have an old smartphone or tablet that is lying almost useless simply because either it under performs, is outdated hardware or there are no more updates available for it. Some might even have devices with a partially damaged display screen or few other minor issues such as the low battery, scratched display, tarnished body etc. The resale value of these phones is simply too low to even be sold off and hence they get left in the closet. Why not bring them out and breathe some new life into these devices? You can make use of your old smartphones and tablets in many ways. We will show you three methods, using which, you can convert them into a security camera and use them to keep an eye on your home, office or garage from a distant location. All you need is a working device, the utility app, the device’s charger and a wireless Internet, or 3G service, if necessary. We bet most of you would be having a wireless router at home or office and connected to the internet for sure. If not, then you could use the SIM card and get an Internet connection via 2G or 3G from your telecom service provider if the device has the option.

Option 1: 

Download and install the app ‘Free Internet Cam (Web of Cam)’ from here. The app is available for Android, IOS and Symbian devices for now with Windows Mobile and Blackberry OS support to be available soon. Setting up the app is very simple. Install the app and fire it up. The first time you launch the app, you will be asked to enter your Google account details—this app works with your Google account. Give in the user name and password and proceed to the next screen. Here you decide what you want the Android device to act as. You have two options—a camera or a viewer. Select camera and tap the ‘Next’ button. Once done, the app will start up the rear camera on the display and wait for a viewer device or client to connect. You have a choice here to keep the phone’s display kept on, blank out the screen by tapping the button on the bottom or simply put the device on standby mode. The app will operate in the background and keep streaming the video feed. Now search for a proper location to place the camera device with the charger connected to it—you would definitely want the camera to stream 24x7 and the battery will not live that long for sure; hence the charger. Make sure your wireless network or 2G/3G service is available in the area you are going to place the camera. Place the phone/tablet on a higher level in the room to ensure that you cover a larger area to be monitored. Your security camera is now ready for action.

Set up the app on your phone as a viewer or camera and enter the Google credentials

To view the feed, you need the same app installed on another phone or tablet. Proceed with the same steps as mentioned above. Give in the same Google authentication details as you did in the other phone/tablet that acts as the camera and then tap the ‘Viewer’ button when asked what the device should be. Once you have logged in, your camera will show up in the list of ‘Available cameras’. Tap the relevant camera to get the video feed. Now that the feed is available via the Internet, you can monitor the room from anywhere. Keep a watch on your home, office, garage, garden, porch, etc. while travelling or while at work. You can also remotely control a few elements of the camera. You can take snapshots, switch between the rear and front camera, and even turn on the LED flash as a light source. This app can work on iOS and Android devices as both a camera and a viewer. Symbian devices can act as a camera only—it is time to bring out those old Symbian phones. Windows Mobile and Blackberry users will have to wait for now and get the app when it launches or head to the next option explained below. 

Once the device is ready, use another phone/tablet to watch the video feed

Option 2:

While the app ‘Web Of Cam’ mentioned above is good enough, there is one concern—the device is continuously streaming the video with the Wi-Fi/2G/3G service active. The device will tend to heat up and consume even more power, let alone your Internet bandwidth. There is another option you can choose and monitor the feed from any Internet-enabled desktop PC. Internet video and chat software, Skype, is best suited for this workshop. Simply install Skype on the device which will be used as the security camera and register for a new Skype account on it. Head to the settings and enable the option to answer the calls automatically and to answer calls only from the contacts list. This will prevent anyone else connecting to the phone. Now head on to your desktop or the viewing device (smartphone or tablet) and install Skype. If you already have a Skype account then sign-in or register for another one.

Install Skype and register a new user on the phone

Install Skype on your desktop or other phone/tablet to dial the camera device

Now add the camera’s Skype account to your contacts list and accept the same on the camera device too. Once done, you can keep the camera device on standby. Now whenever you want to monitor the camera feed, all you need to do is start a video chat with the camera contact from your phone or tablet. The camera device will automatically answer the call and start streaming the audio and video to you. To make the camera device operate in stealth mode, turn off all notification LEDs, sounds and alarms, reduce the brightness levels and time out of the display to the minimum and cover the display with a black card or paper to hide the display’s light. This method will ensure that the camera device will only be streaming the video when needed without anyone knowing it is there. Using Skype, you can also monitor the camera from any PC in your office, friend’s place or even from a local Cyber Cafe. Using Skype is the best and easiest way as it is compatible with most devices and operating systems and is available worldwide. However, the Skype option will only work on a phone that has a front facing camera. Hence, Skype on an older device can be only used for audio monitoring if there is no front facing camera. 

You can listen to the audio and even take pictures using skype

Option 3:

Local surveillance is also an option if you don’t have an internet connection or don’t need remote monitoring. However, the camera device and the viewer device should be connected to the same local network, either wired or wireless. For this you can use an app called ‘Wifi Camera’ for Android. This app enables your phone to act as a wireless IP camera and the video feed can be monitored from any web browser on your smartphone, tablet, PC or laptop provided they are connected to the same wireless network.

IP Cam app is also good enough, but can be used on the local network only

You can watch the video feed from any Internet browser on a PC or handheld in the same network

There are a few other apps that can be similarly used for video surveillance and are compatible with multiple operating systems and devices too. If you know of some other apps and utilities, do leave a comment in the comments section below.

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Microsoft's Surface Pro 2: hands-on with Microsoft's new tablet

Microsoft just unveiled the Surface Pro 2 at an event in New York City. Like its predecessor, it's a 10.1-inch tablet with enough specs that can turn it into a laptop or even a PC replacement. This latest refresh doesn't change much visually, but under the VaporMG casing Microsoft has bumped the specifications to the latest Intel Haswell processor, extended the battery life, and generally improved what was already a fast tablet. The battery life on the Surface Pro 2 is said to be 75 percent better than Surface Pro, while graphical performance is up 50 percent and overall performance is 20 percent better. The Pro 2 will be available in 64GB and 128GB versions with 4GB of RAM, and 256GB and 512GB editions with 8GB of RAM. Microsoft is calling it the "most powerful, professional, and productive tablet ever made." We'll be sure to put those claims to the test in our full review.

One big change is a new two-step kickstand. Like the Surface 2, it works by simply pushing the kickstand further out to create a wider 55-degree angle for the device. It appears to offer a new solution for lap use, but only if you're really willing to use the onscreen keyboard as a Touch or Type Cover as the new angle could be difficult to use.

THE SURFACE PRO 2 LOOKS THE SAME VISUALLY AS LAST YEAR'S MODEL

Picking up and holding the device in tablet mode still feels a little chunky and heavy, and the size and dimensions are unchanged from the original Surface Pro. Microsoft has also swapped the Windows logo at the rear of the Surface Pro 2 for just a Surface wordmark using the Segoe font. The Surface 2 also includes the new wordmark.

SURFACE PRO 2 HANDS ON PHOTOS

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Performance in our brief time with the Pro 2 was good, but the Surface Pro never really felt slow or laggy to begin with, so it's hard to say how much better the new model is until we can test it in real-world situations. Same can be said for the battery life, though it is impressive that Microsoft says it's able to increase the stamina by so much while still maintaining the overall size and weight of the original. The screen remains the same at 1080p resolution, but Microsoft claims that the new display offers 46 percent more color accuracy, though it's hard to get a gauge of that without comparing the two side by side.

THE SURFACE PRO 2 IS A WELCOME IMPROVEMENT OVER THE SURFACE PRO

The other half of the Surface Pro 2 story is the new power cover keyboard and docking station. The power cover offers a 30 watt-hour battery that gives the Pro 2 two and a half times the battery life of the original Surface Pro, according to Microsoft. The new Docking Station accomodates the Surface Pro 2 with the power cover attached, and offers three USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 port, audio in and audio out, a Mini DisplayPort, and an ethernet jack. Microsoft says it can support external resolutions of up to 3840 x 2160 pixels. Microsoft is pushing the Surface Pro 2 as a complete replacement for your main computer, so the Docking Station helps get it there.

Overall, the Surface Pro 2 is a welcome improvement over the Surface Pro — it's faster, lasts longer, and is more flexible than before. Paired with the updates coming in Windows 8.1, the Pro 2 might not only be the Windows tablet to get this holiday season, it is likely the laptop to beat, too
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Microsoft's Surface 2: Have a closer look at Microsoft's tablet competitor

Microsoft's new Surface 2 tablet is now official, and it marks more of a refinement over the original than a radical rethinking of the basic Surface concept. The updated model includes Nvidia's Tegra 4 processor, a 1080p display, and a new two-stage kickstand. I got a chance to briefly try out the new tablet, and the first thing I noticed was the weight. Microsoft hasn't trimmed down the Surface 2, but it feels considerably lighter than the original. You'll obviously notice that improvement when you use the Surface 2 in tablet mode, but in the laptop mode the main addition is a two-stage kickstand.

The Surface 2 kickstand answers some of the criticisms of the Surface RT. However, instead of being fully adjustable with separate angles, Microsoft has opted for only two angles. One is the ordinary laptop style, but the other feels more like an angle you'd want if you were resting it on your lap. That doesn't necessarily make the Surface 2 better to use on the lap, but it does improve things if you're willing to use the onscreen keyboard during lap use. It's simple to switch between the two angles, even at first it's slightly unnerving to push the kickstand back further than it seems like it should. It feels sturdy in either position, and a small mechanism keeps it locked in place.

While the original Surface RT debuted just in black, Microsoft has opted for a silver edition this time around. It's a new color that compliments Microsoft's push into new additions to its Surface cover colors. The front of the silver Surface 2 still has a black bezel, but you can see a silver trim that extends around the rest of the device. Along with the subtle coloring, the Windows logo at the rear of the Surface 2 has been replaced with the Surface wordmark in the typical Segoe font. Other than that, visually it's almost identical to the Surface RT. The speaker grills have been made slightly larger, and the keyboard connector has extra contact points, but if you put the Surface 2 side-by-side with the Surface RT it would be tough to tell the difference.

We'll be back with additional impressions shortly.

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