Remember the whole “Apple iTV” rumor that’s been circulating for the last 3-4 years? Well, there was an equally mythical Facebook phone rumor going around for about 2 years now and today, it became reality but not like you’d expect.
Samsung unveiled its next-gen galaxy III smartphone and alone with the phones updated screen and hardware, Sammy is also releasing one of the creepiest TV spots around – “Made For Humans.”
There is nothing I want more in the world than a diverse and healthy mobile hardware environment (competition spurs innovation) but it pains me to see so much buzz around Blackberry 10′s new camera app. If the camera app is the most interesting things to come out of Blackberry world this week, I see no future for RIMM, as this was their final chance to make a splash in the mobile space.
Square, people’s favorite personal payment system has rebranded itself overnight – is now known as “Pay With Square.” In the wake of last weeks PayPal mobile payment system announcement (essentially a less attractive Square copy) Square has gone with a slight make-over and somewhat of a massive app update – both for iOS and Android.
Here are the major updates: Rebranded to “Pay with Square” - New UI Changes Make The App faster & simpler - Discovering Merchants & Businesses Much Easier - Add businesses you love to your Favorites list & Share with friends. Essentially, the UI changes allow for better and faster functionality, both in terms of performance but also in terms of finding businesses that use Square. The new UI also allows you to bookmark merchants and businesses that you have used, adding them to a favorites list and then share with friends - personalizing your whole Square experience. Solid update and smart slight re-branding by a very forward thinking company – get your iOS update here & your Android update here. Check out the hipster video below for a visual run-through of the update or visit Square for more info.
Source: Square
You’ve probably never heard of Ting Mobile but what they’re attempting to do is simply amazing. Ting Mobile is the closest thing I’ve seen to a morally sound mobile carrier and don’t even get me started about AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile (not so much the latter two). We all have horror stories about being over-charged on our monthly bill, being data throttled and the near impossible human customer support. Here is where Ting mobile comes in!
Starting March 23rd, Virgin Mobile USA will start to throttle “Beyond Talk” plans for users that have downloaded more than 2.5GB worth of data. Once users cross that magical 2.5GB limit, they’ll see their download speed drop to 256Kpbs – so good luck with that. As this is a pay as you go plan, users can drop more cash on their account and they’ll see their speeds return to normal.
Source: The Verge
After years and years of talk and few prototypes, Intel has finally come through on their promise of a smartphone chipset……well, Lenovo did it for them. Yesterday at CES 2012 in Las Vegas, Intel and Lenovo released the K800 (very imaginative name) built on Intel’s Midfield architecture. So what does this get you, besides a ridiculously skinned version of Android 4.0?:
- 1.6GHz Intel processor
- 4.5-inch 720p HD TFT
- 8-megapixel camera
- WCDMA HSPA+ 21Mbps
- 802.11n Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 3.0
- GPS
- WiDi
While the K800 has a very obelisk look to it and it’s surprisingly thick shape isn’t exactly the best looking on the market – this is Intel’s inroad into the mobile phone processor market: Lenovo’s senior vice president and president of Mobile Internet said:
…the K800 smartphone will be available in China in the second quarter and will run on China Unicom’s 21Mbs network. The smartphone features the low-power Intel® Atom™ processor Z2460 with Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology, support for HSPA+ with the Intel® XMM™ 6260 Platform, and the Lenovo LeOS user interface for a localized experience in China…
So no European nor American showing for this year but we don’t know what else Intel has in store…..besides parading Will.I.AM all over the world on his crazy 12 city Ultra Book Tour. Shame on you Intel and someone save Will.I.AM before I see a fu#$ing “Will.I.AM Inside” processor sticker on some low budget laptop.
Source: Intel
It’s that time of year again. The holidays are over and it’s 2012, so that can only mean two things: 1)We are getting close to the end of the world – 2) CES 2012 is here again. For those that don’t know about CES, it’s essentially the largest consumer products convention in the world (maybe) and it takes place every year in Las Vegas. This year, the show runs from January 10-13th and all the big players will be there: Microsoft, Samsung, LG, Sony, Intel, Google and on and on.
TechedOn will be bringing you news and new product details as they roll out – but only the god stuff. Keep checking back for goodies…
Source: CES
Rumor chatter is starting to talk about a possible late Jan. Apple even concerning iBooks/Publishing to be held in NYC. TechCrunch is saying that there will be no hardware of any kind at the even and that it’ll just cover Apple’s plans concerning the iBooks/eBook/Publishing platforms. Additionally, this even is more geared at publishers and less at the consumer base.
Source: TechCrunch
AT&T announced yesterday that is had ending its bid to acquire T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom AG, a bid that began earlier this year but saw fierce opposition from the FCC.
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) said today that after a thorough review of options it has agreed with Deutsche Telekom AG to end its bid to acquire T-Mobile USA, which began in March of this year.
The actions by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice to block this transaction do not change the realities of the U.S. wireless industry. It is one of the most fiercely competitive industries in the world, with a mounting need for more spectrum that has not diminished and must be addressed immediately. The AT&T and T-Mobile USA combination would have offered an interim solution to this spectrum shortage. In the absence of such steps, customers will be harmed and needed investment will be stifled.
This is a major blow to AT&T, as it will now pay a $4 Billion back-out fee to Deutsche Telekom AG, all while Verizon snatches up wireless spectrum. If the merger did go through, AT&T would have become the largest mobile wireless operator in America (by subscriber base), adding T-Mobile’s spectrum to its expansion into LTE.
The FCC argument was based on consumer protection and the lack of proper competition if there were only to be 3 wireless carriers left in the United States. Now we’ll see Verizon’s play, as many people believed that they were going to make a play for Sprint Wireless – that thought might be put on hold.
Source: AT&T
In its ongoing campaign to recapture the handheld market it once reigned upon, Sony has released its nextgen PSP – the PSVita in Japan. While the US release is still a couple months off, it hard not to wonder that Sony is too lat to the table and with the wrong hardware. Before we talk about approach, here are the Vita’s specs:
- CPU: ARM® Cortex™- A9 core (4 core) - GPU: SGX543MP4+ - Ex. Dim: 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm - Screen: (Touch)5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544 - Rear Touch PadMulti touch pad - Cameras: Front camera, Rear camera - Sensors: Six-axis motion sensing system - (three-axis gyroscope, - three-axis accelerometer) -Three-axis electronic compass - Wireless Comm: (3G) - IEEE 802.11b/g/n - Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR - Location: Built-in GPS - Wi-Fi -
Essentially, it’s bringing to the party some great specs (at a great price $249) but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a one use device (gaming). It will be directly compared to all the smartphones that will also come out in the spring, some of which will have similar specs and have multiple use functions, not just gaming.
So, is Sony going after the ever shrinking audience that wants just a handheld gaming device with better controls than a smartphone? Hard to believe, since the mobile industry is moving so heavily into smartphones as the dominent one off device. Does Sony not see this? Are they stuck in a time loop and don’t possess the leadership to see where gaming is going?
Sadly, all the diehard gaming companies seem to have fallen under this mindset, even Nintendo. Stop making the DS and releases all your franchise games on Android and iOS – evolve and turn yourself into a gaming company (not hardware).
Source: Sony
Flipboard for the iPad is amazing! It makes looking at content from Facebook, Twitter, New York Times and all your favorite websites so much more enjoyable than the static desktop/mobile versions. With its unique magazine+Minority Report style UI, Flipboard has really changed the way people consume and interact with digital content. Yet, there was always one thing missing…..
Today, Flipboard has announced the release of its great tablet app for the iphone – conpletely built, from the ground up, to be every bit as usefully, even on the iphone’s smaller screen. If you’ve never heard of Flipboad, check out the video below and if you have an iOS device – get downloading.
Source: Flipboard
Starbucks processed 26 million orders through its mobile apps, adding $110 million to its bottom-line for 2011 fiscal year revenue. That might not seem like a lot of money, when compared to the $11+ billion it took in from cash/credit transactions but this is a rapidly expanding minority, which is projected to explode in the coming years. Small businesses take note – start providing mobile payment options, even if it’s something as simple as Square.
Source: The Verge
Today, Adobe announced essentially the end of life for flash on mobile platforms, stating html5 will be the platform they will develop for concerning the mobile space.
“… HTML5 is now universally supported on major mobile devices, in some cases exclusively. This makes HTML5 the best solution for creating and deploying content in the browser across mobile platforms. We are excited about this, and will continue our work with key players in the HTML community, including Google, Apple, Microsoft and RIM, to drive HTML5 innovation they can use to advance their mobile browsers…”
This announcement comes about 18months after Steve Job’s open letter denouncing flash on mobile devices and encouraging Adobe to adopt html5 as their standard. (His open letter can be found here) Yet, there are no winners here – Apple doesn’t get to point their finger at Adobe and say, “See, we were right!” Companies need to realize that sometimes, the cut and run technique is the right move. Abandonment of old standards and adoption of new & emerging ones is a fine art – one that Apple has mastered. Personally, Adobe Flash on mobile devices was always dead, it just now got its headstone.
Source: Adobe
A small wireless carrier named Republic Wireless is on the verge of doing the unthinkable – offering $19/month voice/text/data plans! While we don’t know the full story yet and the complete details - what we do know is that it will essentially be buying bulk minutes from Sprint and then reselling them to its customers. Does Republic have coverage in your area? Can you get in on this ridiculous deal? Find out everything Nov. 8th and sign up for email updates here.
Source: BGR.Com
“They are coming!” Could the smartphone market be going where the PC market went 10 years ago? Gartner’s latest prediction, as to the future of mobile OS saturation and dominance, hints at the democratization of smart-phones but also to the shifting of powers. The Chart above says it all but essentailly, Gartner predicts that Android will rule the future, in terms of OS marketshare, with Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 taking second and iOS coming in third – all this by 2014.
Gartner goes on to say that it believes Apple will fall into this third place position because it is unlikely to lower its margins per phone, allowing competitors to sell their phones at cheaper prices, thus gaining market share. This is what we saw in the pc market, where Apple hold a 15% market share in the US but its profits (due to high margins) out weigh its competitors.
Personally, I believe Apple will combate this trend by releasing a cheaper version of the iphone because unlike the pc market, Apple makes tons of cash from the whole itunes ecosystem. Hardware sales are their cash cow but their vast saturation of iOS devices, also allows them to rake in billions from music/movie/app sales.
Gartner may say they predict the future but the tech industry evolves faster than their current statistical analysis allows – essentially they are predicting the future with present data – good luck with that.
Source: AppleInsider.com
Skype, you’ve been put on notice! Fring, everyone’s favorite alternative to skype, is beta testing group video chat services for their iOS/Android apps and they’re looking for a few good beta testers! The great thing about Fring is that it’s cross platform compatible, so you can talk to most of your friends, regardless of their smartphone hardware. Fring is available for iOS devices, as well as Android and OVi but the beta is limited to the first two….sorry Noki-Soft. The video below says it all but I must warn you, the dialogue is a little scary….watch at your own risk. Want in on the public beta, hit up this link – click here. “Fring you later!”
Source: BGR.com
Less than a week after Nokia’s first round of patent complaints against Apple were turned down by the U.S. International Trade Commission, Nokia has fired back with a second round of complaints, this time essentially targeting all of Apple’s products. From iPhones, Ipads, Ipods all the way to actual Macs – Nokia is taking aim at everything and all!
Specifics for the second round are as follows: Nokia is stating that Apple has infringed on Bluetooth, hand set voice quality, geo positioning, syncing of data and of course multitasking patents – of which have come from countless years of R&D – specifically $43 Billion worth! Oh Nokia, if that 43 billion number is right, I feel really bad for you. You should have spend more cash on design and marketing – you wouldn’t be in the situation you’re in now – Microsoft’s play toy.
So, how does this end? Like most patent lawsuits and complaints - either nothing will happen, there will be some kind of out of court settlement or licensing agrement but you can bet that Apple will buy Nokia before it gives in to licensing.
Source: AppleInsider.com
Johnny on the spot! Looks like everyone is lucky excpet for Apple TV & Verizon iPhone users, as Apple issued an iOS update for most of their mobile devices. iOS 4.3.1 addresses several issues: “Occasional graphics glitch on iPod touch,” – “Bugs related to activating and connecting to some cellular networks,” – “Image flicker when using Apple Digital AV Adapter with some TVs,” – “Issue authenticating with some enterprise web services.”
If you’re jailbroken, stay away until the Dev Team can sort you out but if you’re not, get upgrading. On a side note, people are experiencing a slight increase in battery life and even though Apple doesn’t mentions it in the release notes, it’s always welcome.
Source: Apple.com
Shocking! Sprint has wasted no time releasing a statement that warns against the AT&T buyout of T-Mobile USA. The third place, Sprint Nextel, has about 49.5 million customers, placing it about 1/3 the size of the new AT&T/T-Mobile company – in terms of customer base. You can bet hard currency that Sprint will do all it can to convince both the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC), that the AT&T buyout is horrible for the US wireless industry and especially bad for the American people. Here are two lines taken from their statement:
“The combination of AT&T and T-Mobile USA, if approved by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC), would alter dramatically the structure of the communications industry…”
“If approved, the merger would result in a wireless industry dominated overwhelmingly by two vertically-integrated companies that control almost 80% of the US wireless post-paid market, as well as the availability and price of key inputs such as backhaul and access needed by other wireless companies to compete…”
Sprint, welcome to the club – this is how we’ve (as customers) have felt for the last X amount of years, as realistically, there isn’t enough competition in the US wireless market.
Source: Allthingsd.com
Bombshell! AT&T announced today that it has agreed to buy T-Mobile’s US arm from Deutsche Telekom for a cold $39 Billion in cash and Stock. Chump change – we know. Details are still few and far between but the deal isn’t done yet and AT&T has stated that they’ll need about 12 months to convince all governmental agencies, that the resulting deal will “Better” the US wireless market.
So what do we get with the resulting AT&T-Mobile company? Well, how about 130 million GSM customers, creating a massive national GSM monopoly – as Verizon & Sprint use CDMA. With AT&T expanding into LTE or its next gen cell technology, the combined company will essentiall be able to offer high speed wireless data/voice to 95% of America.
Regardless of the benefits of reaching such a large audience, the buyout essentially leaves only 3 carries for 300 million customers – this can hardly be good for competition. Still want more, click here for the press release.
Source: Engaget.com
The boys/girls over at 9To5 Mac are running a very interesting story concerning the iPhone 5 and it seems the rumor mill is starting to heat up, ahead of the upcoming release of Apple’s next gen handset. We have heard chatter about Apple moving away from the gorilla glass back panel for the iphone 5 and instead, using an aluminum backing – somewhat like the 1st gen iphone. The mockup picture above is a possible example at that metal rear piece. Moving back to the aluminum backing would solve the shatter issues some people were experiencing and strengthening the overall body of the phone but would reception suffer? I would think that with all the fuss over the iphone and antena reception issues, Apple would be sure to test the hell out of the phone, before bringing it to market.
Secondly, there is talk of a bigger screen, so a move away from the current 3.5in display and maybe closer to a 4 or 4.3 inch display. From the reports and rumors we’ve heard, the magic number seems to be 4inches – with the overall body style staying the same except for the display being edge to edge glass. I wouldn’t think Apple would change the resolution, as the current iPhone’s 960 x 640 display is the market leader is quality.
Thirdly, we expect Jobs & Co to drop that beautiful A5 chip, used in the iPad 2, inside the iPhone 5 – dual core (900Mhz) and 9x better graphics than the current generation iPhone. Of course, we will need a new OS as well and I’m guessing we’ll have chance to feast on iOS 5.0 during the June launch of the iPhone 5 – next stop, neural interface!
Source: 9To5Mac.com
Not impressed by Intel/Apple’s thunderbolt port on the new MacBook Pros, Verizon can fix that! The HTC Thunderbolt 4G is now available through Big Red and brings all that good 4G goodness along for the ride. What makes the Thunderbolt so sexy, how about: LTE connectivity, a 4.3-inch touch screen (480×800 WVGA display) packed in aluminum body and features a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 8MP camera with dual-LED flash and 720p video recording and 802.11n WiFi also is also included.
Verizon is offering the Thunderbolt for $249.99 with a two year contract but looking around the net, Amazon or Costco will have a much better deal – as always. HTC’s next gen hardware looks solid but I have one major sticking point with the display, 480×800 WVGA is kind of a slap in the face for a piece of hardware like the Thunderbolt.
Source: Verizon.com
Bloomberg is reporting that microsoft is stopping production on the Zune HD and all future Zune music players, placing its efforts on more profitable sectors of the company. While Microsoft will continue developing Zune software, especially targeting it for its WM7 phones, it looks like the battle against Apple’s ipod empire is over.
The Zune’s faults were not many and mostly dealt with entering the market late, (2006) and suffering from classic poor Microsoft marketing. In terms of hardware, the Zune excelled and the later HD versions showed off Microsofts ability, to sometimes create stunning form factors. Additionally, few could say anything bad about Zune pass – allowing a monthly subscription service for your music needs but this was a war of attrition and Apple’s towering shadow was too much to over come.
In many ways, Microsoft’s failure with the Zune could be a precursor for its Windows Phone 7 experiment. Zune failed Because of: Late entry into the market – Poor Marketing – Few Partners and now we are seeing the same thing happening with WM7. Microsoft, killing the Zune may be a good idea, as you need to stop the bleeding but please, get your act together – we need another player in the mobile market!
Update: Dave McLauchlan, senior business development manager for Zune, stated on AnythingButiPod.com: “This year’s Zune hardware is Windows Phone 7.”
Source: Bloomberg.com / 9to5mac.com