Google unveils Nexus tablet made by Asus and Project Glass pre-orders
The device is made by the Taiwanese company Asus rather than the firm’s own Motorola hardware unit. It runs the new Jelly Bean version of Android. An 8GB version will be sold for $199 (£127) from mid-July pitching it directly against Amazon’s Kindle Fire. The firm also showed off its internet-connected augmented reality glasses revealing […]
Kindle Fire 2 may hit as soon as July
If you’re waiting for the Kindle Fire 2 or a new e-ink Kindle, you may not have to wait much longer. What’s next for Kindle hardware? Well, a credible source has told us that Amazon will unveil a second-generation Kindle Fire this summer and that it’s targeting July 31 for a launch event. While we […]
Apple Stores get their turn under NY Times’ investigative spotlight
A just-published Times report on pay and conditions at Apple Stores has at least one news outlet wondering if recent Apple activity around salary increases was meant as a kind of preemptive strike. Was recent Apple activity around raises at its retail stores a preemptive strike against a just-published New York Times article? That’s what […]
Windows Phone 8 system update announced by Microsoft
Microsoft has unveiled the next version of its smartphone operating system. Windows Phone 8 shares much of its code with the firm’s PC system, making it easier for developers to write programs for different types of devices. The company said it should mean there would be some “amazing games” for handsets running its new release. […]
Microsoft unveils Surface Windows 8 tablets
Microsoft has unveiled Surface – its own-brand family of tablets. The touchscreen computers will be powered by its upcoming Windows 8 system and contain a choice of an Intel or ARM-based processor. It allows the firm to challenge Apple’s bestselling iPad with a device that can run standard applications such as its own Office programmes […]
Cloud music is still the future for Apple, Amazon — really
Given recent headlines about cloud music, you might be forgiven for thinking that the feature is huge with consumers. Word came Monday that Apple has finally caught up to Google and Amazon and begun to stream songs from the company’s cloud. The following day, CNET broke news that Amazon is very close to reaching agreements […]
iOS 6 Passbook vs. Google Wallet
Apple’s Passbook will beat Google Wallet by killing the whole mobile-payment game. Sorry, Google Wallet fans, but Apple may have just pulled the mobile-payment rug from under Android’s feet. In signature Apple fashion, the new iOS 6 Passbook app takes a shockingly simple approach, which is just why it’ll prove a hit. Google Wallet’s dilemma […]
Apple draws up battle strategy against Google at WWDC
They are classic “frienemies,” collaborating when the interest is mutual and going for the other’s jugular when the opportunity presents itself. So it was that on Monday Apple made clear that it’s willing to cut ties with Google if that’s what it takes to move its own agenda forward. Among the product and technology announcements […]
Intel open to putting Windows Phone on its chips
Intel has opened the door to potentially supporting Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system on its chips, according to a report by Computer World today. Intel is taking a wait-and-see approach to the Windows Phone platform, which has won some critical praise but limited commercial success. Instead, the company is largely betting on the continued success […]
Nano-SIM design gets green light — but did Apple win?
According to ETSI, it has finally come to an agreement on the Nano-SIM standard. The only issue is, it didn’t say which company won. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) announced today that its committee has come to an agreement on the Nano-SIM standard. There’s just one issue: the organization didn’t say which technology was […]
RIM promotes Playbook tablet in South Florida
Maybe you’ve heard that Research in Motion, the maker of Blackberry mobile devices, has updated its Playbook tablet to rival the iPad. Or maybe you haven’t, which is one of the company’s biggest challenges today: getting the word out. People think of RIM as limited to business Blackberry handsets, not consumer products. “That’s a problem,” […]
Facebook smartphone to be ‘released next year’
Social networking giant Facebook is to launch its own smartphone by next year, reports have suggested. The New York Times cited unnamed sources, including Facebook employees, suggesting that the network had been hiring several smartphone engineers. Facebook recently admitted it was struggling to make money out of its growing mobile audience. The company, which recently […]
Here comes Yahoo’s own Web browser — Axis
Yahoo is announcing tonight that it’s getting into the browser business with its new Axis browser. There are versions for iPad and iPhone, and plug-ins for the desktop browsers Chrome, Firefox, IE, and Safari. The design goal, according to Ethan Batraski, head of product for the Search Innovation Group at Yahoo, is to eliminate the […]
Charge your cellphone — for a fee
GoCharge is spreading its network of cellphone charging stations across South Florida, targeting the area for the next phase of its expansion. Ever run out of battery life on your cellphone just when you need it most? GoCharge wants to be your go-to place to get your smartphone charged — for a fee. The network […]
Windows Phone edging out iPhone in China, says Microsoft
Is Windows Phone starting to give the iPhone a run for its money in China? Microsoft thinks so. Making its debut among Chinese consumers just two months ago, Windows Phone has already picked up a market share of 7 percent, according to Microsoft. That’s a tad higher than the 6 percent share owned by Apple’s […]
Heavy Reading study says mobile cloud will rule
The mobile cloud is set to ‘subsume’ cloud computing as we currently know it, according to a study released yesterday by Heavy Reading. Despite cloud’s obvious benefits to the business enterprise, it is the mobile industry where recent hype has centred, with much of the focus based on how companies such as Google, Apple and […]
Samsung to launch next Galaxy phone
Samsung will put the rumours and alleged leaks about its next flagship smartphone to rest when it unveils the handset in London later on Thursday. More than 20 million copies of the existing Galaxy S2 have been sold since its launch in April 2011. Analysts say its success helped Samsung overtake Nokia to become the […]
RIM CEO: We’re not abandoning BlackBerry physical keyboards
Research In Motion is not killing off its physical keyboards, according to CEO Thorsten Heins. Heins, who addressed a room full of journalists and bloggers at the company’s BlackBerry World conference here, said he wanted to clear up confusion based on the company’s unveiling of the BlackBerry 10 software. It was widely reported or intimated […]
Android’s new ally against the iPhone: Ubuntu
Strong sales of the iPhone 4S are putting renewed pressure on Android to innovate. Ubuntu for Android could give the platform a key capability iPhone is still missing. Last year was a long time ago for Android. That was when Google’s mobile platform was stealing market share from all the other smartphone platforms — winning […]
Samsung overtakes Nokia in mobile phone shipments
Samsung Electronics has overtaken Nokia to become the world’s largest maker of mobile phones, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. Nokia took the top spot in 1998 from Motorola, but in the first quarter of 2012 Samsung shipped 93m phones compared to almost 83m by Nokia. Samsung also reported its highest quarterly profit since 2008. […]