The iPhone 5 is here with a bigger screen, faster network (4G/LTE), and better battery life.  Hipsters are giddy as they wait in long lines outside Apple stores watching videos on their iPads.  But even if you’re not a hipster, there’s a lot to like about Apple’s new flagship product.

Here’s a list of what’s new on Apple’s new flagship product.

Bigger Display
The size of the display on the iPhone 5 grows to 4 inches (at an 1136 x 640 resolution), as opposed to the 3.5-inch screens on previous models.

Thinner and Lighter
The iPhone 5 weighs just 3.9 ounces compared to the iPhone 4S’s 4.9 ounces. Coupled with a thinner case, many of the reviews say is feels like it will fly out of your hand. And while this is generally good news, it may not bode well for those who are chronic iPhone droppers.

Better Battery Life
One of the most amazing feats Apple pulled off in the thinner, lighter iPhone 5 is that the battery life is not only as good as the previous phone… it’s actually better. Even when using LTE data!

Good Sounds
The sound on the new iPhone is crystal clear for both incoming audio on the earpiece or speaker.  And outgoing audio from the mic on the device is good, too.  Apple has included three microphones on the new device to pick up sound as well as help with noise reduction, and it seems to be working.
The speaker was especially loud and clear for calls and playing back audio.
Apple has included a new type of earbud with the iPhone 5 called EarPods.

The Camera is Stunning
The new camera on the iPhone 5 is absolutely stunning: an 8 megapixel shooter on back and a 1.2 megapixel version around front, and sports a compass, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, and accelerometer.

Faster Processor
Inside the iPhone 5 there’s a new dual-core A6 CPU running at a reported 1GHz, 1GB of RAM, between 16GB and 64GB of storage.

4G/LTE Networks
The iPhone can access the fact 4G/LTE networks getting close to Wi-Fi speeds on a cellar connection.

New iOS 6
The iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, the latest and greatest iPhone operating system.  iOS 6 has lots of improvements including some stylistic updates for a fresh look-and-feel.

A Few Down Sides

New Apple Maps, No more Google Maps
Apple previously relied on Google’s mapping prowess to power this application on the phone. However, that relationship has ended as the two tech juggernaut’s are now more more competitive than cooperative.  Since Google has been in the maps game a lot longer, Apple’s new product just doesn’t have the maturity and data as Google maps.  Iin time, Apple should catch-up.  But but for the iPhone 5, the maps may be a bit of a step backwards.

New Power Connection
The new power connector is called the Lightning port and is smaller than the now-old 30-pin dock connector. The Lightning port does not bring any new functionality. The use of the smaller plug seems to be almost entirely about downsizing components for the smaller iPhone 5 footprint.  This new connector is sure to annoy some customers in the short term since it requires getting new connectors and peripherals.

Even with a few downsides, the iPhone 5 is the best iPhone ever made.  Between the new design, blazing fast 4G/LTE network , and better battery life, there’s a lot to like, even if you’re not a hipster.

The new iPhone 5 is here and it’s a big improvement over it’s predecessors, or is it?  Are iPhone user smart enough to know know the difference between the latest Smartphone and the now antiqued iPhone 4S?  Or are Smartphone users not-so-smart and really just a herd of iSheep?

So when Jimmy Kimmel hit the streets showing people an iPhone 4S telling them it’s the new iPhone 5, here’s what happens!  Queue the “people are iSheep” footage.

The iPhone 5 has the following:

• Bigger screen
• Thinner case and weighs less
• Access to fast 4G/LTE networks
• Faster processor
• Longer battery life.

You would think Apple users would be smart enough to recognize the newest Apple flagship (mothership???) product.   None-the-less, the new iPhone 5 is sure to be the confection Apple users will consume faster than cupcakes at a pot party!   A pot party - Jimmy Kimmel is taped in LA, so maybe that explains it!

It’s that time of year when weather is in the headlines.  So be prepared!  The iMap Weather Radio is an App for your Smartphone or tablet that alerts you of life-threatening weather information.  The application “wakes up” your mobile device when danger approaches.

It uses the phone’s location to determine if there are weather alerts in your area.  It is listed for just $9.99 and is one of those “must-have” apps, especially during storm season.

Here are some links for this life-saving app:
http://www.imapweatherradio.com/
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/imapweather-radio/id413511993?mt=8

Here are some more online resources to get prepared for the unexpected, including hurricanes, Earth quakes, and even zombie apocalypses: (seriously!)
Online Help in the Face of Disaster

The movie trailer begins, “In a world with more Smartphones than people…”
But wait, this is not a trailer, this is reality. It is predicted that by the end of 2012 there will be more Smartphones that people.  Sorry humans – you had a good run, but it’s time to step aside for the rise of the Smartphones.

Smartphones and tablets will continue to outpace the human race so that by 2016 there will be 10 billion, which calculates to 1.4 mobile devices per person.  But the rise of these machines is not driven to by a nefarious attempt to terminate mankind.  Nor is it there any plan to lure people into a matrix of alternate reality while harvesting bio-energy to feed an appetite for power.

These plots are the fodder for good movies.  But it turns out, that’s what’s driving the Smartphone explosion – movies and online video!

Rumor has it that YouTube and Hollywood are joining forces to reach a generation of viewers more familiar with Smartphones than TV remotes.  This union could even more accelerate the growth of handheld devices if big names migrate to the YouTube format of “found footage” and less censored content.

So instead of Smartphones becoming self-aware and taking over the world, the next big thing could be a ten minute YouTube movie called, “Rise of the Smartphones” that you will be watching on one of your many mobile devices.  Resistance is futile

Shameless Plug…
BTW – If you feel you, your business, or organization is getting left behind with the high-tech mobile revolution, TechAdvocate can help.  Click here to contact us.

Ever finding yourself needing to pee during a movie like Tom Hanks in A” League of Their Own”.  You feel like your head is going explode like that guy in “Scanners” but you know the second you get up you’ll miss that “Luke, I’m your father” moment that defines the movie.  So unless you have a time traveling DeLorean you’re gonna have to see the movie again because you were in the toilet when movie history was made.

Too bad smartphones aren’t smart enough to pee for you…or or they?  The RunPee App helps you find the best time to pee during your favorite movies.

Click hear to learn more about the RunnPee app.

This iPhone and Android app provides a queue such as a line or a scene in the flick.  When you hear or see the queue you can make a run to the bathroom.  It also tells you how long you have and has a timer!

As an added bonus this useful yet hilarious app gives you a synopsis of the first 5 minutes of a movie in case you’re running late and lets you know if there is anything extra after the end credits.  Could you imagine missing the last 30 seconds of Ferris Bueller!

So go ahead and stop at Starbucks on the on the way to the theater and get a super-grande white chocolate mocha.  Feel free to order that bucket sized Coke with your barrel of popcorn.  You can even enjoy a few cocktails before showtime.

Until movie theaters have a pause button like your DVR or smartphone actually can pee for you, RunPee is the next best thing.

Who knew that Siri and Auto-Correct would make a such a great comedy team.  But the hits just keep coming.  Watch out Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert!  Here are some of the comic styling of this online duo.

Click here for more fun with Auto Correct and Siri