Rumor: new iPhone to be announced on August 7

The next iPhone could be unveiled as early as August 7 if a tip fromKnow Your Mobile is true. A trusted industry source told the publication that Apple will host a media event that day where Cupertino will introduce the next iteration of the iPhone as well as make iOS 6 publically available.

Most believed that Apple would follow a similar reveal and launch timetable to the iPhone 4S which hit the market last October but more recent rumors have suggested that this date could be moved up to compete with Samsung’s new Galaxy S III handset. This reason seems plausible as Samsung is expected to sell nearly 10 million Galaxy S III smartphones by the end of this month and would also put Apple in line for back-to-school buying if they were able to launch at precisely the right time.

http://www.techspot.com/news/49405-rumor-new-iphone-to-be-announced-on-august-7.html

Weekly Changes in Facebook Stock Prices

On its first day of trading, Facebook Inc.'s stock closed barely above its public offering price. It gained 23 cents, or 0.6 percent, to close at $38.23. Since then, the stock price fell for five weeks and increased for three.

The stock began this week continuing to fall. It fell $1.19, or 3.9 percent, to $29.53, in late morning trading Monday.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/weekly-facebook-stock-prices-16786629

Facebook’s Zuckerberg refinances home at 1.05 percent

Feeling pretty good about snagging a refi rate in the 3s, aren’t you?

Think you got a deal, don’t you?

Then listen to this, from Bloomberg: Mark Zuckerberg (you know, the guy in that movie who founded something called Facebook … worth a few mill, er, billion) just landed a 30-year adjustable rate mortgage at the rate of … 1.05 percent.

1.05 percent!

Now this begs a question or two. The first of which may be why a guy with such a stash of cash doesn’t just pull out his wallet and start peeling off hundreds, or whatever, and pay the thing off right then and there.

All right, so his manse in Palo Alto, Calif. cost $5.95 million … still, the guy’s worth nearly $16 billion.

http://blogs.ajc.com/business-beat/2012/07/16/facebooks-zuckerberg-refinances-home-at-1-05-percent/?cxntfid=blogs_business_beat

Facebook’s Still Debating Whether or Not to Let in Your 12-Year-Old; Are You Still Concerned?

I’m 27 years old.

Actually, I’m not 27 years old. I’m 26 years old. I just lied on the internet! And trust me, it really is so easy that a preteen can do it.

And they do – all the time. Although Facebook’s current policy plainly prohibits anyone under the age of 13 from operating an account on the site, most reports put the number of preteen Facebook users in the millions. In fact, if a kid is on Facebook (under 18), there’s about a 2 in 5 chance that they are actually under the age of 13. Other reports, acknowledged by Facebook themselves, show that over half of parents with a 12-year-old child say that he/she has a Facebook account.

Facebook says that they do all they can to identify and remove underage accounts – but it’s obviously one of the largest games of whack-a-mole ever. Close one down, five 11-year-olds log on in their place. Facebook removes somewhere around 20,000 underage accounts a day, and there’s still over 7.5 million under-13 accounts active on the site.

http://www.webpronews.com/facebooks-still-debating-whether-or-not-to-let-in-your-12-year-old-are-you-still-concerned-2012-07

Citigroup Asks Facebook Users Whether They’d Like Social Banking

Citigroup Inc. (C) began asking Facebook Inc. (FB) users a provocative question over the weekend. The third- biggest U.S. bank wants to know whether Web surfers would be willing to use the social-networking service to do banking.

“If you could do your banking on Facebook -- would you?” Citigroup asked from its company page, which has more than 300,000 “likes.” The question went live on July 14 and has elicited more than 130 comments, many of them pointed.

Facebook, working to give users more reasons to stay logged on, lets other companies use its pages to offer an array of services, such as renting movies, playing games and tracking exercise sessions. ICICI Bank Ltd. (ICICIBC), an India-based financial institution, offers a “bank app” that lets customers check balances and get account statements. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) announced plans this month to release a Facebook application that lets customers view balances and make payments.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-16/citigroup-asks-facebook-users-whether-they-d-like-social-banking.html

Why Facebook Ad Haters Are Wrong – Here’s How Marketers Can Do Better

On the heels of a WSJ report Facebook and GM are in talks to rekindle their advertising relationship, after a very public break up in the days before what can be kindly described as a lackluster IPO, BBC has jumped on the bandwagon to throw stones.

In "Facebook ‘likes’ and adverts’ value doubted", BBC’s tech correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones warns companies are wasting large sums of money on Facebook ads that largely attract those with no real interest in their products.

The BBC launched an investigation into the issue after a marketing consultant approached them to warn clients to be leery of the value of Facebook ads. They base their warning to marketers on two things, which we’ll look at in turn:

http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2191957/Why-Facebook-Ad-Haters-Are-Wrong-Heres-How-Marketers-Can-Do-Better

Facebook Acquires Spool Team for Mobile

Facebook has acquired the team behind San Francisco start-up Spoolin its latest talent acquisition aimed at getting better performance from its mobile business.

Facebook will not acquire the company or its assets, a Facebook spokeswoman said. Spool makes free Google Android and Apple iOS apps for smartphones and tablets that let users save Internet articles and video that is viewable online or off, kind of like a DVR for the Internet. Spool said Saturday that those apps will be shut down. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In an emailed statement, Facebook said, “The Spool team has deep expertise in mobile software development and a passion for making content easy to consume. We’re excited for the team to join and accelerate their vision at Facebook.”

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2012/07/16/facebook-acquires-spool-team-for-mobile/

Fatal Beating Posted On Facebook: 3 Chicago Teens Charged In Murder Of Disabled Man

CHICAGO -- Authorities in Chicago say three teens are charged with first-degree murder in the fatal beating of a 62-year-old man after they posted a video of the attack on Facebook.

Police say Delfino Mora was attacked in an alley on the city's North Side early Tuesday. A passer-by found him hours later and he was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston in critical condition. The Cook County medical examiner's office says he died Wednesday afternoon from blunt head trauma.

The teens were arrested over the weekend and are slated to appear in court Monday.

Mora's family says the father of 12 was disabled because of a workplace injury and was in the alley collecting aluminum cans to earn money for his family.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/fatal-beating-posted-on-facebook_n_1675933.html

Samsung, LG still in battle over theft of AMOLED technology

Tech giants Samsung and LG Display have again clashed over Samsung’s claim that its rival stole its key technologies used in manufacturing large AMOLED screens.

While Samsung Display strongly requested that its competitor offer an official apology and warned it will proceed with all legal methods for counteraction, LG denied its allegations, stating that it is not responsible for any of the claims.

Both parties held press conferences Monday, a day after it was reported that 11 people, including a former Samsung Mobile Display executive, Samsung researchers, LG Display and its affiliate employees were charged by the Suwon Prosecutors’ Office without detention on Sunday.

The case was first raised by Samsung Display ― which was then Samsung Mobile Display ― in April with the company saying that LG stole its key technologies related to AMOLED by attempting to hire its former executive surnamed Cho.

Cho, who took home data involving Samsung’s small mask scanning technology and the details of AMOLED display production processes, was given a consulting position at an LG affiliate to fulfill his two-year job transfer period from Samsung to LG Display.

The executive is accused of delivering the technology information, taken from his former Samsung colleagues, to LG Display seven times through e-mails and text messages since May of last year.

“We will make firm counteractions regarding the issue with a civil suit, which includes damage compensation, being the action most likely to follow,” said Samsung Display executive Shim Jae-boo.

He also said that LG Display was responsible not only for stealing its key technology but also for improperly recruiting its workforce.

http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20120716001021&cpv=0

Poll: Samsung widens smartphone lead over Apple, Nokia in second quarter

HELSINKI - Samsung Electronics increased its lead over Apple (AAPL) and Nokia in the global cell-phone market in the second quarter, helped by strong demand and large marketing campaigns for its latest flagship model, the Galaxy S III, according to a Reuters poll.

Samsung and Apple have been neck-and-neck for several quarters in the battle to be the largest smartphone vendor, but the May launch of the new Samsung model created a clear gap between the two, the poll of 41 analysts showed. Samsung is expected to have sold 50 million smartphones in the quarter, compared with Apple's forecast sales of 30.5 million iPhones.

"Samsung is expected to be the smartphone hero in the second quarter," said IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo. "We are also expecting to see the biggest smartphone volumes ever shipped from one single vendor in one quarter, driven by strong demand of the Galaxy portfolio, particularly the Galaxy S II and S III," he said.

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_21085434/poll-samsung-widens-smartphone-lead-over-apple-nokia

Samsung Garners the Most 2012 International Design Excellence Awards

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., Jul 16, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, has won seven 2012 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), the most awards among participating corporations in one of the world's most prestigious design contests.

Samsung has been an industry leader in technology and product innovations with breakthrough advances in flat panel TVs and mobile communication devices for years. Samsung ranks second on the list of top U.S. patents holders with 4,894 patents in 2011 alone. Not only has Samsung been delivering significant technical advances at an unsurpassable pace, it has been doing so in a visually stunning way.

The company has been focused on user experience and design excellence with six design centers around the world to complement its technologically superior products. This investment has resulted in more than 600 design accolades since 2006 from such notable organizations as the iF International Forum Design and the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).

Samsung's latest design honors are the four golds, two silvers, one bronze, and 13 additional products chosen as finalists by the IDSA.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/samsung-garners-the-most-2012-international-design-excellence-awards-2012-07-16

Samsung widens lead over Apple, says survey

Samsung appears to be widening its lead over Apple in the titanic battle over smartphone sales, according to a recent survey.

Analysts forecast that thanks to its flagship Galaxy S III, Samsung sold about 50 million smartphones in the second quarter, according to asurvey by Reuters. Apple, meanwhile, is forecast to have sold 30.5 million iPhones in the same period, according to the same survey of more than three dozen analysts by Reuters.

Apple reports earnings July 24, and Samsung reports July 27.

The high-stakes smartphone rivalry between Samsung and Apple havespilled into courts over alleged patent violations. The two consumer electronics titans are suing each other in courts around the world, and all eyes are on the July 30 start of a trial in the U.S. District Court of the District of Northern California. District judge Lucy Koh last month sided with Apple and granted an injunction against Samsung’s sales of its Galaxy Tab.

Samsung’s sales are helping Google’s Android operating system push further ahead of Apple’s iOS operating system in overall smartphone sales.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-tech/post/samsung-widens-lead-over-apple-says-survey/2012/07/16/gJQAzASboW_blog.html

Samsung Kicks off "Summer of Play" to Share the Fun of Galaxy Player

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., July 16, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Road Trip Invites Consumers to Experience the Galaxy Player in New and Unexpected Ways

Samsung Electronics America Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, is embarking on a national road trip this summer with its not-to-be-missed "Summer of Play" FunCruiser, inviting consumers to experience its Galaxy Player devices that take content, video and music to a whole new level of fun.

Beginning today in Boston and over the next five weeks, "Summer of Play" will roll into each city for two days to high-traffic areas like Boston's City Hall Plaza and Chicago's Wrigley Field. Unsuspecting passersby will be greeted with pop-up comedy routines and improvisational skits that bring to life the Galaxy Player's myriad capabilities and features. Imagine Angry Birds set to an acrobatic dance or a live-action race around the FunCruiser to showcase the thrill of Need for Speed. Consumers will witness pop-up comedy routines and have the chance to win a variety of prizes including their very own Galaxy Player.

The Galaxy Player line, available in three screen sizes of 5.0, 4.2 or 3.6 inches, make gaming, videos and music more fun than ever. Easily connect to Wi-Fi hotspots anywhere to get instant access to the latest content, and play video and music in a variety of formats. Users can connect to other devices using USB 2.0 or Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, or simply load the device via a micro SD card. Plus, because the device runs on Android(TM) 2.3, Gingerbread, a world of apps is a touch away.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/samsung-kicks-off-summer-of-play-to-share-the-fun-of-galaxy-player-2012-07-16

Samsung picks AuthenTec for VPN security: One more BYOD excuse

Bringing your new Galaxy S III --- dubbed the "bring-your-own device" buddy --- to work just got that little bit easier. Despite its legal troubles, the Galaxy S III remains as one of the top contenders to to take on the likes of the iPhone in the enterprise.

But above all else, to make BYOD work, you cannot have a device that sacrifices security and productivity for consumer-focused features. At the same time, with the rise of teleworkers and employees working by train or plane, working away from the office requires a level of security that can be guaranteed and dependable.

By integrating AuthenTec's QuickSec VPN client technology in Samsung's range of Galaxy smartphones gives users secure access to corporate networks to internal documents, features and applications --- without sacrificing mobility.

At the same time, it comes with a customisable user interface that doesn't need messing around with, configuring or hassle from the end user: in most cases it requires a PIN or a password and that's it. You're in.

QuickSec is compatible with newer Android versions --- Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" and above --- and is compatible with all major VPN gateways, making the software choice a logical pick for Samsung's millions of mobile users.

http://www.zdnet.com/samsung-picks-authentec-for-vpn-security-one-more-byod-excuse-7000000965/

Samsung Selects AuthenTec's VPN Security to Enhance Enterprise Security in New Android Smartphones and Tablets

MELBOURNE, Fla., Jul 16, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- AuthenTec AUTH +9.17% , a leading provider of mobile and network, today announced that Samsung has chosen its QuickSec(TM) VPN security for use in new Android smartphone and tablet models. AuthenTec's QuickSec Mobile VPN Client for Android enhances secure communication through an Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) based VPN client which is integrated in Samsung smartphones and tablets. The integration of AuthenTec's VPN client means that Samsung Galaxy users now have built-in security and can more easily and safely connect to enterprise networks to access resources without sacrificing mobility.

AuthenTec's QuickSec Mobile VPN Client for Android continues to gain traction and broad acceptance in the market. QuickSec VPN enhances the security of multiple new Android smartphones and tablets, providing users peace of mind that they can quickly and securely connect to their networks and the cloud.

The need for VPN security that allows smartphone and tablet users to easily and securely connect to enterprise networks continues to grow. In fact, according to Cisco, by the end of 2012 the number of mobile-connected devices will exceed the number of people on Earth. Samsung smartphones and tablets equipped with AuthenTec's VPN Client for Android are ready to connect to enterprise networks the moment they are unboxed, eliminating the need for IT administrators to install a separate VPN application.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/samsung-selects-authentecs-vpn-security-to-enhance-enterprise-security-in-new-android-smartphones-and-tablets-2012-07-16

Android Tablets Give NOR Flash Storage a Boost: IHS

Although the growth of NOR flash memory sales may be slowing down in mobile handsets and smartphones, tablet computers and embedded applications in the automotive and industrial markets are giving NOR flash makers new opportunities for growth, according to the iSuppli Storage Service at information and analytics provider IHS. Despite the elimination of NOR in Apple’s new iPad, tablets are among the most prominent applications for NOR, the report found.

Based on the teardown results, NOR chips were found in several tablets running Google’s Android operating system, including the Asus Transformer Prime and Eee Slate tablets, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and HTC Flyer and Jetstream tablets. Samsung, also a maker of NOR chips, tends to include its own chips in its tablets, which are higher-density NOR flash components, as compared to discrete low-density serial peripheral interface (SPI) parts.

California-based Spansion led all NOR suppliers in terms of design wins, accounting for more than one-third of the NOR chips in the torn-down devices, based on a sample of 55 embedded products dissected by the IHS iSuppli Teardown Analysis Services over the course of three quarters. Along with Samsung Electronics of South Korea and Micron Technology from Idaho, the three companies accounted for 53.4 percent of NOR chips in the three subsegments during the period from the third quarter of 2011 to the second quarter this year.

“Used to store small amounts of executable code, NOR flash was traditionally employed in devices like cellphones for fast read operations and random access capabilities,” Ryan Chien, analyst for memory and storage at IHS, explained in a statement concerning the report. “However, newer implementations of NAND-based Embedded MultiMedia Card (eMMC) solutions that emulate NOR capabilities have resulted in NOR falling out of favor.”

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Data-Storage/Android-Tablets-Give-NOR-Flash-Storage-a-Boost-IHS-763686/

Android Apps Need Universal Encryption

At its developer conference last month, Google announced that apps created with Android 4.1 or greater and distributed for a fee through Google Play will be armored against piracy.

"From Jelly Bean and forward, paid apps in Google Play are encrypted with a device-specific key before they are delivered and stored on the device," the company said. "We know you work hard building your apps. We work hard to protect your investment."

Godfrey Nolan, author of the newly released bookDecompiling Android (Apress, 2012), argues that Google should work harder and extend encryption to both paid and free Android apps distributed through Google Play.

Unauthorized app copying is a problem for both iOS and Android developers, but it's particularly acute in the Android ecosystem due to the relative openness of Android devices and a customer base that appears to be more prone than iOS customers to see nothing wrong with unlawful copying.http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/mobile/240003733

New Yahoo app vulnerability explains Android spam

Earlier this month I wrote about how Microsoft engineer Terry Zink said he discovered spam was being sent from compromised Yahoo accounts via what looked like an international Android spam botnet. Sophos, as well as other security researchers, backed up his claim, saying everything pointed to such a development, though nobody had found clear-cut evidence for it. Google quickly got in touch with me and denied Microsoft's claim by saying spammers are probably using infected computers and a fake mobile signature to make it appear as if the e-mails were coming from Android devices. Now there is further proof that Microsoft may have been right, although the botnet in question has still yet to be found.

One way spammers could be sending such large quantities of e-mail that appears as if it's being sent from Yahoo accounts used on Android devices is to exploit a Yahoo Android app vulnerability. In fact, Trend Micro says it recently uncovered a vulnerability in the Yahoo Android mail client, which can let an attacker do just that by gaining access to a user's Yahoo Mail cookie.

The bug reportedly stems from the communication between the Yahoo mail server and the Yahoo Android mail client, according to the security firm. Once the attacker has the cookie, he or she can use the compromised Yahoo Mail account to send specially-crafted messages, not to mention access the user's inbox and messages.

Zink first deduced the spam e-mails were being sent from compromised Yahoo accounts on Android devices by looking at the e-mails' header information as well as noting the "Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android" signature. The Microsoft engineer speculated a cybercriminal had developed a new piece of malware that can access Yahoo Mail accounts on Android devices, send spam messages from them, and had linked them together to create a spam botnet.

The other option (this is what Google is pushing) is that compromised PCs connected to Yahoo Mail are inserting the message-ID and overriding Yahoo's own Message-IDs and adding the "Yahoo Mail for Android" tagline at the bottom of the message. The goal here would be to make it look like the spam was coming from Android devices.

Since Yahoo provides the originating IP address for its e-mails, it is possible to see where the spam is being sent from: Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and South America. The e-mails Zink got his hands on came from Chile, Indonesia, Lebanon, Oman, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Ukraine, and Venezuela. Samples analyzed by Sophos originated from Argentina, Ukraine, Pakistan, Jordan, and Russia. Trend Micro did not detail where it saw its spam e-mails coming from.

Even if you are not in any of these countries, please be careful. Android lets you download and install apps from anywhere. Please only install apps from Google Play unless you are absolutely certain you know who wrote the software you want to install.

I have contacted both Google and Yahoo about Trend Micro's findings and will update you if I hear back.

http://www.zdnet.com/new-yahoo-app-vulnerability-explains-android-spam-7000000964/

'Wearable' tech in spotlight at Google I/O

Computerworld - At its recent developers conference in San Francisco, Google touted the new prototype of its Google Glass computerized eyeglasses.

The Android-powered eyeglasses are equipped with a processor, memory, a camera, GPS sensors and a display screen.

Speaking at Google I/O, Google co-founder and CEO Sergey Brin said that someday computers will be worn -- whether incorporated into glasses or in a piece of jewelry. Some observers concur.

Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy, said that the U.S. military, especially the Special Forces units, already uses wearable computers for communications and GPS capabilities.

Rob Enderle, an analyst at Enderle Group, pointed out that Google Glass and other wearable computers could be useful in the workforce, "for tasks on factory floors or other places where folks need to use computers and their hands at the same time."

Research into wearable computers has been going on at MIT for over a decade, and Apple sells a wristband to turn an iPod Nano into a wristwatch. It remains to be seen whether Google's involvement will now help push the notion forward.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9229127/_Wearable_tech_in_spotlight_at_Google_I_O

The Morning Download: Microsoft, Feeling Google’s Heat, Launches Office 15

Good morning. Today’s the day that Microsoft is scheduled to unveil its 15th version of Office. CIO Journal seldom covers product upgrades, but Office 15 merits attention. Windows is one of the world’s largest computing platforms, and the Office applications–Word, PowerPoint, Excel, the Sharepoint collaboration tool, the Lync communications tool, and more–are used by a total of more than 1 billion people.

As CIO Journal’s Clint Boulton reported on Friday, Microsoft is using Office to propel new technology into the market. Its acquisition of Yammer will push social media deeper into the enterprise as a tool for collaboration, communication and data analytics. Its purchase of Perceptive Pixel–a pioneer of large multi-touch screens–can help bring the functionality of smartphones and tablets into desktop computing and beyond. And the launch of Windows 8, expected this fall, will provide a foundation for all those new services. Meanwhile, Microsoft faces very serious competition from rivals such asGoogle. (More on that below.)

For CIOs, many of whom are still using much older versions of Office and Windows, there will be complex decisions about when to upgrade, lest they fall too far behind the market and the technological curve of their own employees.

Apple rejoins green standard setting group. Apple announced the company has reintroduced its products to the government-supported green electronics registry it ditched two weeks ago. In a letter posted Friday to Apple’s site, Bob Mansfield, senior vice president of hardware engineering, said removing the products was a “mistake” that “disappointed” many of its “loyal customers.” The move came after CIO Journal reported Tuesday that the city of San Francisco was preparing to ban purchases of Apple desktops and laptops from its agencies, which are required to buy electronics carrying the green certification, called EPEAT.

http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2012/07/16/the-morning-download-microsoft-feeling-google-heat-launches-office-15/

Google Nexus 7 review

It seems like we've been waiting for ages, but Google's first own-brand tablet is finally here, and the Nexus 7 comes with Android 4.1 Jellybean, the next incarnation of the joined-up OS designed to work across both tablets and smartphones.

It's on sale in 8GB and 16GB flavours for £159 and £199.

http://www.wired.co.uk/reviews/tablets/2012-07/google-nexus-7

Google's Nexus 7 tablet already out of stock at key retailers

Those of you looking to buy Google's new Nexus 7 tablet may have a wait on your hands.

Unveiled late last month, the tablet has slowly trickled into the retail market. Google was naturally first in line, offering the Nexus 7 as a preorder in advance of its official mid-July launch. Other retailers, such as GameStop, Staples, and Sam's Club, soon followed suit.

But a lot of eager customers apparently scooped up those pre-sales, since the tablet is playing hard to get at most outlets.

GameStop, which is selling the 16GB edition, is showing the tablet as back-ordered. Further details reveal that the gaming outlet has ordered more stock from the vendor.

A spokeswoman for GameStop told CNET that the company expects to ship a new round of tablets to its stores on August 7. The retail outlets have been taking preorders based on this shipment. Until August 5, GameStop is offering a 30 percent increase on the value of any trade-in item for customers who purchase the Nexus 7.

Staples, Office Depot, and Sam's Club all show the Nexus 7 as currently out of stock with no further information as to its availability. Google's own site is promising that the tablet will "ship soon," meaning a one- to two-week delay.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57472763-93/googles-nexus-7-tablet-already-out-of-stock-at-key-retailers/

Apple: from iPhone 1 to iPhone 5 – Evolution, Features and Future Review

One of my friends brought his iPhone 4S in school and showed it to me. What a piece it was!!! My friend was also a sort of proud to have the newest Apple’s product in his hand.

He was showing the smart phone features to me, then only a classmate of us came into the classroom. The new comer was known for his philosophy. He came towards us, my friend showed him the phone with a feeling that our classmate will praise the phone but my friend’s shattered when the boy said,”Oh, yeah it is new iPhone, I have seen it. But what is the need of buying it. After some time Apple will be introducing its fifth generation smart phone.” The person was right. After a month or Two I hear that Apple will be bringing its iPhone 5.

People are guessing all-round the world are wondering, what Apple will be introducing now. The technology –related blogs are filled with rumors. Everybody is thinking what the features of updated version will be of iPhone. Well, this is a Question to be answered!!!

The level of people’s curiosity can be checked through this post on a BlogSpot. The blogger writes:

” When is that IPhone 5 is coming in the market I can’t wait to get it and to see how it looks”. This is the love of the Apple’s users that that they are standing in long lines, waiting outside Apple stores for their turn. In fact no company shares the same love as Apple. This is only the love of people that they still wants to buy Apple products, when there are products of Samsung and HTC are available at much lower cost and with better specifications.

http://www.thenewstribe.com/2012/07/16/apple-from-iphone-1-to-iphone-5-evolution-features-and-future-review/

Why Siri leaves iPhone users wanting for more

Late last summer, I was introduced to a new special someone. I wasn't looking to meet this new muse; it all just kind of happened.

We met at an Apple product announcement in Cupertino, Calif. She was helpful, smart and even funny, cracking sarcastic jokes and making me laugh. What more could a guy ask for?

Since then, we have had some major communication issues. She frequently misunderstands what I'm saying. Sometimes she is just unavailable. Often, she responds with the same, repetitive statement.

Her name is Siri.

At first, Siri, the voice-activated digital assistant on Apple iPhones, seemed a little too good to be true. Siri lured me into a relationship promising to help me set up appointments, to gently wake me in the morning for work, and to give me the ability to text someone while I was driving.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/personal-tech/computing/Why-Siri-leaves-iPhone-users-wanting-for-more/articleshow/15000031.cms

iPhone 5 front casing image leaked

NEW DELHI: In the recent flurry of image leaks of the upcoming next-generation iPhone, the latest shows the front casing of the hotly anticipated device. The image, posted by a Chinese blog called Apple.pro, shows there is not much difference between front-view of the existing iPhone 4S and the purported iPhone 5except for an evidently larger screen.

The picture showing the front casing of theupcoming iPhone 5 indicates that the video calling camera for FaceTime will be placed in the centre now, above the speaker grill. This image suggests that the larger screen will have aspect ratio of 16:9 in landscape mode. The previous iterations of the iconic phone from Apple have been bestowed with a relatively square aspect ratio. From the image, it can be said that the new phone will have a 4-inch screen (possibly measured corner-to-corner).

As the days to iPhone 5's speculated launch near, the internet media is buzzing with rumours and leaked images of the upcoming device.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/news/hardware/iPhone-5-front-casing-image-leaked/articleshow/14996835.cms

Facebook in Asia: Growth Deceleration Continues [Latest Stats]

As of end of Quarter 2 2012, Facebook exceeds 200 million users in Asia. There are now 204.9 million Facebook users in Asia, which is roughly 27% of Facebook’s non-US/Canada user base.

Facebook opened its door to everyone worldwide onSeptember 26 2006. In Asia, Facebook took 49 months to reach the 100 million users mark. With its unabating phenomenal popularity worldwide, the social networking giant took just 20 months to add another 100 million Asian users.

However, Facebook users growth in Asia has been slowing since the beginning of 2011, from its peak of 21% in Q4 2010. In second quarter of 2012, its Asian user base grew by 5.5%.

Asian Hot Spots for Facebook

India, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam are still Facebook’s growth hot spots in Asia.

In February 2012, India surpassed Indonesia to become the top Facebook nation in Asia. Since 2009, Facebook uptake in India has been growing at double-digit quarterly growth rates. But its growth of 8.6% in the last quarter marked the first time in more than 3 years that India registered a single-digit growth rate. With 121 million Internet users in India, Facebook penetration rate in the world’s most populated country is 41%.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/limyunghui/2012/07/16/facebook-in-asia-growth-deceleration-continues-latest-stats/ 

Facebook update adds wedding and celebrations feature

Given that people seem turn to Facebook for everything from exciting announcements to mundane briefings, it's almost impossible to miss photos of an engagement ring or updates about a big move. But the social network is making it even easier.

Facebook will add notifications about weddings, engagements, and other celebrations to the right-hand notification bar that normally houses alerts about birthdays.

The social network has become "a unique way people share and congratulate friends around exciting life events," like engagements and weddings and the arrival of a child, a Facebook spokeswoman said in a statement.

The update will begin with engagements and weddings and add more celebrations to the site's algorithm in the future. The new feature will allow users to "friend" the person your friend is marrying directly from the alert bar.

The addition comes as a piece of Facebook's Events Calendar, a standalone app that allows users to create, edit, and maintain a monthly calendar in the profile tab. Users can tag multi-day and recurring events by colour and add Google Maps, Facebook content, and more. Facebook's revamped Events page lets users view friends' birthdays, event invites, and suggested events on an actual calendar.



"A couple of us felt there should be a better way for people to see their friends' birthdays a few days in advance and make plans for the weekend," Facebook software engineer Bob Baldwin wrote in a Facebook Engineering post. "So we built it" during a recent hackathon, he said.

The update comes shortly after Facebook added a small update to Timeline with icons to illustrate same-sex marriages. "If a user indicates that he/she has gotten married to someone of the same sex as a major life event on his/her timeline, the icon will now show that," Facebook said in a statement. "It's a subtle change but it's part of our broader mission to authentically reflect our users' real relationships."

Read more: http://www.itproportal.com/2012/07/16/facebook-update-adds-wedding-and-celebrations-feature/#ixzz20lkaItCK

'Facebook may plunge to quarterly loss of $350.6m'

LONDON: Social networking site Facebook will, reportedly, plunge to a quarterly loss of 350.6 million dollars due to payouts associated with its much-hyped stock market flotation in May, figures have revealed.

According to Wall Street analysts, Facebook will post a net loss for the second quarter, compared with the 137 million dollar profit it made in the first three months of the year and will present its debut set of results as a listed company a week on Thursday.

In the prospectus to its Nasdaq initial public offering, which was hit by technical glitches, Facebook stated that it expects to record a second-quarter loss due to payouts it had to make to its early investors, staff and key stakeholders, including founder Mark Zuckerberg, as part of its flotation, the Daily Express reports.

Analysts claim that Facebook will post a net loss for the second quarter, compared with the 137 million dollars profit it made in the first three months of the year and expect the firm to post second-quarter revenues of 1.15 billion dollars, compared with the 1.06 billion dollars it registered for the preceding quarter.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/news/internet/Facebook-may-plunge-to-quarterly-loss-of-350-6m/articleshow/14991373.cms

Citi may be working on Facebook banking

NEW DELHI: Global banking giant Citi has turned to the social media to gauge the public mood on offering banking transactions through Facebook -- a service already being offered by Indian banking giant ICICI Bank.

US-based Citigroup attracted the attention of hundreds of people within minutes of it posting messages on social networking platforms Twitter and Facebook about banking services on Facebook.

"If you could do your banking on Facebook - Would you?," Citi asked on its official Twitter and Facebook pages, evoking mixed reactions from the public -- ranging from a straight 'no' to certain "yes" and also comprising of many guarded replies expressing concerns about safety issues.

While Citibank was non-committal on whether it was actually planning to offer banking services on Facebook, most of the replies to its message asked whether it would be secure to conduct banking transactions through a social networking platform like Facebook.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/news/internet/Citi-may-be-working-on-Facebook-banking/articleshow/14991554.cms

Sylvester Stallone’s son posted pics on Facebook 17 hours before dying

Washington: It has been revealed that Sylvester Stallone’s son Sage’s Facebook account had been updated with photos 17 hours before his body was found, dismissing earlier claims that he may have been dead for several days before his body was discovered in his Hollywood Hills home on Friday.


Lawyer and longtime friend George Braunstein made the revelation adding that the 36-year-old never exhibited any signs of drug use or addiction, although he smoked cigarettes and consumed candy and soda.

“Sage didn’t even drink. There was a report that his room was filled with liquor bottles. Actually, they were empty bottles of Dr. Brown’s Cream Soda,” a magazine has quoted Braunstein as saying.

“Sage was a really young, very sensitive, and very talented kid. There has been no indication that there was anything wrong in his life,” he said.

http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/celebrity/sylvester-stallones-son-posted-pics-on-facebook-17-hours-before-dying_115321.html

'Facebook turning teens into gambling addicts'

London: With a burst of casino-type games on Facebook, experts have warned that the social networking site is turning youngsters into gambling addicts.

According to addiction experts in the UK, these type of games encourage teenagers to think gambling is harmless fun.

Children are using 'virtual coins' to imitate the thrill of hitting the jackpot with slot machine and roulette games on their home computers and mobile phones, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

At present Facebook provides hundreds of virtual slot machine and poker games, including Jackpotjoy, Slotomania and DoubleDownCasino.

Zynga, which accounts for 12 per cent of all Facebook's revenues due to its popular games such as FarmVille, has also launched Zynga Slots in the UK last month.

Facebook has three million UK users aged between 13, which is the lower age limit for registration, and 17. But a further one million are estimated to be under 13 and pretending to be older.

http://zeenews.india.com/news/net-news/facebook-turning-teens-into-gambling-addicts_787833.html

Facebook Hires Spool's Team, Service Shuts Down

Facebook said the staff at Spool, the startup developer of a mobile bookmarking application, is joining the company, in what appears to be the latest acquisition by the social networking company to get technical staff on board.

"The Spool team has deep expertise in mobile software development and a passion for making content easy to consume," Facebook said in a statement over the weekend. "We're excited for the team to join and accelerate their vision at Facebook," it added.

Facebook did not comment on whether it was acquiring the company and its technology or only hiring its team.

Spool allowed users to create and share a read later list, save videos to watch later, or move content between devices. By Saturday, it had informed users that the service was closed down, and advised them to move their bookmarks to their computer or device browser or to another service.

"We started Spool to make content easy to consume on a mobile device. To accomplish this, we built some very sophisticated technology and developed a deep expertise in mobile software development," Spool said in a blog post on Saturday. "We are proud to announce that today we will be pursuing our vision as a part of Facebook," it added.

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/259277/facebook_hires_spools_team_service_shuts_down.html

After Facebook freeze, IPO market starts to thaw

NEW YORK - With new public stock offerings for guitar maker Fender and travel booking website Kayak on deck next week, there are signs demand is starting to grow for IPOs after a five-week freeze triggered by a steep decline in financial markets and exacerbated by Facebook's rocky May 18 debut.

Five companies are scheduled to go public next week alone, including Fender, Kayak and Palo Alto Networks, a maker of computer network security products. After Facebook, just four deals made it to market by the end of June, marking the longest stretch without an initial public offering of stock since August-October 2011. Stocks sank then in the wake of the U.S. debt limit showdown and a deepening European financial crisis.

The resurgence now is a welcome indication that dealmakers are regaining confidence about raising money through IPOs.

But the situation is far from rosy.

There are 68 companies expected to raise $14.4 billion through IPOs later this year, according to research firm Dealogic, Last year at this time there were almost double that amount of companies , 135, looking to raise $23.6 billion.

"If the market stays healthy , the overall market , I think we will see a lot of IPO activity in the second half," said Nick Einhorn, an analyst with Renaissance Capital. But another plunge in stock markets could make it difficult for companies to raise money by selling shares.

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/personal_finance/20120713_ap_afterfacebookfreezeipomarketstartstothaw.html

Android gaming console attracts Kickstarter backers

Wouldn't it be great if game consoles didn't cost several hundred dollars, and if the games were free to play, at least to try them out? Well, that's the central idea behind Ouya, a new game console for the TV and powered by Android, HotHardware writes.

Ouya's open-source foundation is the key cog in what the developers hope will be a game-changing machine, one that revolutionises the gaming landscape and turns the industry upside down.

In less than three days, Ouya has raised roughly $4 million on Kickstarter from more than 30 000 excited backers. A discounted reward tier of $95 in exchange for a finished console and controller was capped at 1 000 donations and sold out on day one. Over 25 000 backers so far have pledged $99, all of which will be rewarded with an Ouya console and controller sometime before it ships to stores. Five backers have pledged $10 000 or more, which underscores the excitement surrounding this project.

http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56735:android-gaming-console-attracts-kickstarter-backers&catid=203

MIPS focused on growing Android market, partnerships in Asia

With Google adding MIPS into its Android NDK, application developers are now able to bring their natively-developed Android applications to MIPS-based products, according to Mark Pittman, VP of Asia Pacific for the CPU IP provider rivaling ARM. Pittman noted that his company will remain committed to gaining market share in Asia.

MIPS is optimistic about the market for smart mobile devices in Asia, which the firm recognized as an important growth driver for it in 2012, Pittman said at a recent press event in Taipei. MIPS will continue working closely with its local partners, particularly those based in China, and is looking to expand its presence in other emerging markets through the partnerships.

While striving to gain traction in the mobile market, MIPS will continue to maintain its expertise and leadership in the digital home, Pittman noted. By leveraging its success in consumer electronics applications and multi-threaded technology, MIPS is confident about its future possibility in the mobile space, Pittman said.

MIPS recently revealed that the firm is now working with Marmalade to bring Marmalade SDK support to the MIPS architecture. Marmalade produces many of the world's top-selling 2D and 3D games. The statement came on the heels of its announcement that several leading app and game developers including Halfbrick, Opera Software and Rightware are using the latest version of the Android NDK to bring their applications to the MIPS architecture providing support for the growing number of MIPS-based Android products in the market.

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120713PD210.html

HTC Vertex Android Tablet Uncovered Online !

Last week we brought you news that HTC havn't given up on tablets and are still planning to launch more tablets in the future. No specific details were given by the company, but a new leak suggests that the launch a new HTC tablet might be closer than the company suggested.

New benchmarks, spotted by Phandroid, prove the existence of a new HTC Tablet called the HTC Vertex. The NenaMark 2 benchmarks also give us an idea of what to expect from the HTC Vertex.

The HTC Vertex will come with a touch-screen running at a resolution of 1280*752 pixels, which suggests to us that it'll be a 7 inch tablet. Powering the HTC Vertex is a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3processor, while its also listed as running on Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/July2012/htc-vertex-android-tablet-uncovered-online.html 

Telstra goes Android for T-Hub 2

Telstra has released a new, Android-based, version of its T-Hub combined tablet and cordless home phone.

The original T-Hub, launched in April 2010 ran a proprietary operating system and the range of apps available was limited. T-Hub 2 is based on Android 2.3 and can run the full range of apps available from Google Play (formerly Android Market). Telstra said it had sold 300,000 of the original T-Hubs.

The main difference between the T-Hub 2 tablet and standard Android devices is the inclusion of a DECT cordless phone interface that enables calls to made and received from the tablet via the T-Hub 2's base station.

The unit also ships with a standard DECT cordless handset. The system can be expanded to a total of five connected devices that can be either cordless handsets or tablets. The device is integrated into the Telstra network such that received voicemails are displayed as a list on the screen that can be scrolled through and tapped for instant playback.

The T-Hub-2 runs a Texas Instruments OMAP dual-core 1GHz processor, has 1GB of RAM and 2GB of flash memory, a 1.2 megapixel front and 1.9 megapixel rear-facing camera.

http://www.itwire.com/your-it-news/home-it/55726-telstra-goes-android-for-t-hub-2

Study: Android Takes Half Of US Smartphone Market

The US market for feature-rich smartphones is still expanding at a rapid clip, with two-thirds of new mobile phone buyers opting for devices that can do far more than their old-style flip phones, according to new research from Nielsen released on 12 July.

Google’s Android operating system is the beneficiary of this surge, although the iPhone still holds sway.

http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/android-smartphone-market-86031

Custom Jelly Bean ROMs for your Android smartphone

The great thing about Android is the openness of the mobile OS. Manufacturers are free to customize the OS before selling you the handset, while you're free to do your own tweaks, too, or even install a version you prefer.

The Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) custom ROMs found below are created by talented developers, who add functionality and tweak usability to make each device unique. The most creators of the widely used and supported ROM, CyanogenMod, has announced a new version called CM10 through a video posting on Google+. Expect devices that are currently supported on CyanogenMod to get Jelly Bean, even if your original device manufacturer hasn't announced an official update (or never will).

Here are three currently available Android 4.1 ROMs for your handset. Do take note that even though the ROMs are available, they are incomplete and buggy as some are ports from the Galaxy Nexus ROM. Google has made the Jelly Bean build open sourced, so expect more complete ROMs for other handsets to come very soon.

http://asia.cnet.com/custom-jelly-bean-roms-for-your-android-smartphone-62217927.htm

Samsung Galaxy Proclaim Smartphone

New Samsung Galaxy Android Smartphone released - Not only does the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim Smartphone look great, it also feels very natural in your hand and along your face. The glass has a slight curve and the corners are rounded. The back of the Samsung Galaxy Smartphone has a Textured Soft-Touch back cover so it's comfortable to hold and provides a secure grip that won't slip out of your hand. The Samsung Galaxy Proclaim features a 3 Megapixel digital camera and a 3.5" touchscreen display (320x480 pixels). The Samsung Galaxy Proclaim caries a retail price of $180 USD and is available via Net10 and Straight Talk.

http://www.letsgomobile.org/en/8617/samsung-galaxy-proclaim/

iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 2 in August?

BANGALORE, INDIA: One of the most awaited smartphones of the year, Apple's iPhone 5, is likely to be released on August 7, 2012 according to the website Know Your Mobile. Although this news cannot be confirmed right now, it does bring about anticipation and a lot of excitement among gadget enthusiasts.

http://www.ciol.com/News/News-Reports/iPhone-5-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-Note-2-in-August/164338/0/

Samsung to launch Galaxy Note 2 on August 30: Report

As reported earlier, Samsung is likely to launch the successor to its phablet Galaxy Note at the upcoming IFA trade fair in Berlin, reported Korean publication DDaily.

According to the report, Samsung is hosting Mobile Unpacked 2012 Episode 2 event on August 30, which is traditionally used to unveil new smartphones and tablets. The company has held seven Unpacked events till now and even the original Galaxy Note was announced at last year's IFA.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is expected to feature a 5.5-inch display with a very thin bezel and company's own quad core processor, 2GB RAM and Jelly Bean.

The original Galaxy Note model was an unexpected success for the Korean manufacturers despite being a niche product. Samsung has already sold over five million units of this phablet till now.

http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/samsung-to-launch-galaxy-note-2-on-august-30-report-243887

Samsung Galaxy S3 Developer Edition for Verizon arrives

It was just last week that Verizon would be offering the Samsung Galaxy S3 Developer Edition soon, and the day has finally arrived. The landing page of the Samsung Galaxy S3 Developer Edition is now available onSamsung’s website. Verizon is currently the only US carrier who sells the smartphone with a locked bootloader. Those who are big on the development of smartphone software as well as other tech enthusiasts will be pleased to know that this rather special version of the Galaxy S3 will be available alongside an unlocked bootloader for $599. No idea on its actual availability yet though, but you ought to be able to pick up the 32GB model which comes in blue sometime down the road. No idea on whether the 16GB or white colored version will be made available though, or even if the $599 price tag applies to the 32GB blue model.

http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/07/samsung-galaxy-s3-developer-edition-for-verizon-arrives/

Samsung DA-E750 review

Stunning looks, world’s first features and gorgeous sound quality combine inside Samsung’s revolutionary audio system, which provides a superb way of playing music from multiple devices, whether wired or wireless. It’s expensive and lacks FLAC support, but otherwise it’s a top dock

http://www.trustedreviews.com/samsung-da-e750_Portable-Audio_review#tr-reviews-content-title

POLL-Samsung seen increasing lead in cellphone market

HELSINKI, July 16 (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) increased its lead over Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Nokia Oyj (NOK1V.HE) in the global cellphone market in the second quarter, helped by strong demand and large marketing campaigns for its latest flagship model, the Galaxy S III, according to a Reuters poll.

Samsung and Apple have been neck-and-neck for several quarters in the battle to be the largest smartphone vendor, but the May launch of the new Samsung model created a clear gap between the two, the poll of 41 analysts showed.

Samsung is expected to have sold 50 million smartphones in the quarter, compared with Apple's forecast sales of 30.5 million iPhones.

"Samsung is expected to be the smartphone hero in the second quarter," said IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo.

"We are also expecting to see the biggest smartphone volumes ever shipped from one single vendor in one quarter, driven by strong demand of the Galaxy portfolio, particularly the Galaxy S II and S III," he said.

Samsung is benefiting from its wide smartphone portfolio when competing against Apple, whose sales are dependent on launch schedules for the next versions of the iPhone.

In the overall cellphone market, when also including basic cellphones, Samsung ended Nokia's 14-year reign as the world's largest in the first quarter and is expected to stretch that lead.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/16/idINL6E8IG0FK20120716

Google's Self Driving Car And What To Expect From Q2 Earnings

I was stunned to see a blind man in the driver's seat of Google's (GOOG) self-driving car in this video. He never had to touch the steering wheel. The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles approved the use of the self-driving car back in May 2012. The car relies on: radar sensors, GPS satellite navigation, cameras, lasers, and a collection of data taken from manually driven cars to navigate the roads.

Google's self-driving car is also known as an "autonomous car" and is actually a modified Toyota (TM) Prius. Google handles the software for these futuristic vehicles. Since all auto accidents are caused by human error, the self-driving cars were designed to prevent accidents as they have a view from all directions. The autonomous cars are also built to improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, and to be a super convenient method of traveling.

The cars can read traffic lights, stop signs, cars stopping suddenly, people walking in the road, etc. The vehicles have a virtual buffer zone which can sense obstacles all around it, even better than most humans.

So far, only a few test vehicles are being used on the roads. It is estimated that the autonomous vehicles will be ready for the market in three to five years. This should be a positive future catalyst for Google, Toyota, and any other automakers interested in partnering with Google.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/722181-google-s-self-driving-car-and-what-to-expect-from-q2-earnings

Ex-Google Books man hired to drive private MOON BUS

A man who was formerly in charge of scanning books for Google has transferred to a private space company and will be programming robots for trips into space.

Jimi Crawford used to work as engineering chief at Google Books at Mountain View but now he's going to be working with a team of engineers on sending a spacecraft to the Moon – which may eventually be used to bus kit to and from the satellite for paying customers.

Crawford has joined private space flight company Moon Express as its Chief Technology Officer and software architect. In his new role he'll be responsible for the mission-critical programmes that will guide the craft's trip to the Moon.

Moon Express - all about getting to the Moon

Moon Express is one of 25 businesses competing in Google's Lunar X Prize, which challenges private companies to make a successful Moon trip.

To win the Lunar X challenge, a craft has to make it to the Moon, travel up to 500m over the surface and send back data and images to Earth. The challenge runs until the end of 2015, and the first one to the Moon will scoop a $20m grand prize.

Moon Express has plans to take its Moon transport beyond the Google Prize by setting up a sort of Moon-ferry service that would take payloads to the Moon for government and commercial companies.

Pre-Google, Crawford worked on astro-robotics at the Autonomy and Robotics programme at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, for four years. He dropped that for enterprise software after four years, but has obviously felt the pull of the void again.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/16/google_to_the_moon/

Study: Viewers turning to YouTube as news source

NEW YORK (AP) — A new study has found that YouTube has become a major platform for news, one where viewers are turning for eyewitness videos in times of major events and natural disasters.

The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism on Monday released their examination of 15 months of the most popular news videos on the Google Inc.-owned site. It found that while viewership for TV news still easily outpaces those consuming news on YouTube, the video-sharing site is a growing digital environment where professional journalism mingles with citizen content.

"There's a new form of video journalism on this platform," said Amy Mitchell, deputy director of the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. "It's a form in which the relationship between news organizations and citizens is more dynamic and more multiverse than we've seen in most other platforms before."

More than a third of the most-watched videos came from citizens. Than more half came from news organizations, but footage in those videos sometimes incorporated footage shot by YouTube users.

The Japanese earthquake and tsunami was the most-viewed news event during the length of the study, which spanned January 2011 to March 2012. The top videos from Japan included footage from surveillance cameras, a news network and a Japanese Coast Guard vessel — a typical variety of sources.

Such dramatic events were often among the most watched videos. Other popular news events included the Russian elections, unrest in the Middle East, the collapse of a fair stage in Indiana and the crash of an Italian cruise ship.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jvTgAmMxajQsYndeCs6jDZD4yivQ?docId=4a3dad0829ef46a3a1de15cb7fdd5dd0

Why Google and Microsoft want to emulate Apple

It's clear as retina display. Microsoft and Googlewant to do an Apple. The time for bluster, arguments and experiments has passed. The situation has turned desperate in the iPad, er,tablet market. All the 'Transformers' 'Galaxies' and 'Playbooks' haven't humbled the iPad. Worse, research firm IDC forecasts that by 2016, iPad and iPad-Mini (moniker for rumoured 7-inch version) will still control over 60% of the market. If you can't beat Apple's game, what do you do?

Play by its rules and share the spoils. Don't just code, weld. Microsoft went all the way, Google found a Taiwanese partner, Asus, to chip in. Two companies which swore by "open systems" took the first step towards controlling the entire user experience.

Of course, neither admits to the strategy change. Carefully worded scripts say the same blah-blah: adapting to market and giving consumers something they hadn't seen before.

Like the two weren't going green in their gills with Apple envy. Or weren't worried that a whiz-bang for Apple was vending out pennies for them. What if the Cupertino guys thought of "one more thing" before they got a chance to understand the slate market?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/personal-tech/computing/Why-Google-and-Microsoft-want-to-emulate-Apple/articleshow/14988446.cms

How Google is becoming an extension of your mind

SAN FRANCISCO -- It's time to think of Google as much more than just a search engine, and that should both excite and spook you.

Search remains critical to the company's financial and technological future, but Google also is using the search business' cash to transform itself into something much broader than just a place to point your browser when asking for directions on the Internet.

What it's now becoming is an extension of your mind, an omnipresent digital assistant that figures out what you need and supplies it before you even realize you need it.

Think of Google diagnosing your daughter's illness early based on where she's been, how alert she is, and her skin's temperature, then driving your car to school to bring her home while you're at work. Or Google translating an incomprehensible emergency announcement while you're riding a train in foreign country. Or Google steering your investment portfolio away from a Ponzi scheme.

Google, in essence, becomes a part of you. Imagine Google playing a customized audio commentary based on what you look at while on a tourist trip and then sharing photo highlights with your friends as you go. Or Google taking over your car when it concludes based on your steering response time and blink rate that you're no longer fit to drive. Or your Google glasses automatically beaming audio and video to the police when you say a phrase that indicates you're being mugged.

Exciting? I think so. But it's also, potentially, a profoundly creepy change. For a Google-augmented life, you must grant the Googlebot unprecedented privileges to monitor your personal information and behavior. What medicine do you take? What ads did you just glance at while walking by the bus stop? What's your credit card number? And as Google works to integrate social data into its services, you'll have to decide how much you'll share with your contacts' Google accounts -- and the best way to ask them to share their data with your Google account.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-57470853-2/how-google-is-becoming-an-extension-of-your-mind/

How to Get Started With Music on Google Play

When Google launched Google Play (originally called Google Music) last year, a lot of hype surrounded the service, since it represented the search giant's entry into the world of music streaming. But now the hype has largely died down, and many Google users remain confused about what the service allows them to do, and how Google’s music locker works. We have the info you need to start uploading and streaming your music with Google Play as efficiently as possible.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/259221/how_to_get_started_with_music_on_google_play.html

APPLE IPHONE 5: BEANS POSSIBLY SPILLED ON RELEASE-DATE ANNOUNCEMENT, FOUR WEEKS AWAY

Is it solid intel or just another lame grasp at scooping everyone on Apple's biggest news since, well, the last iPhone announcement?

A new report says an announcement from Apple about its next-generation iPhone is just around the corner. This piece of news emanates from tech site Know Your Mobile, which cites a "reliable industry source who wishes to remain anonymous" – don't they all? – who says Aug. 7 is the day Apple fans and the service providers who offer the phones should mark on their calendars. It'll happen during a keynote speech that day, the site says.

But before you dismiss this as just another rumor, chatter about a release-date announcement has been slowly moving up over the past couple of weeks. For quite a while, consensus was an October release to line up with last year's launch of the iPhone 4S. But a couple of weeks ago, September became a popular prediction for some industry watchers, and just a few days ago we first got wind of a possible August debut.

http://www.vision2mobile.com/news/2012/07/apple-iphone-5-beans-possibly-spilled-on-release.aspx

iPhone 5 release date with iPad Mini in tow? HD TV with Retina up next?

JULY 16, 2012, 2:13 A.M. New York local time – Apple’s HD TV not dead yet, at least in the rumor mill. Meanwhile, New York Times joins the iPad Mini craze with its own version of the smaller tablet PC rumor. So apart from the iPhone 5, is Apple on the verge of announcing three new products for the December quarter?

Apple is going Retina — beyond its tablet computer, smartphone and laptops. According to a CNET article posted last week, Apple wants its TV to Retina because it wants consistency and the marketing ranging from the small smartphone, possibly including the iPhone 5, to the larger HD display flaunting the color and detail-rich display technology.

Quoting CEO of DisplayMate Technologies, Raymond Soneira, the report claims that Apple’s own HD TV is not dead, and it will include a Retina display because Apple’s consistency will lure customers, indirectly suggesting the so-called “Halo effect” that the company will enjoy. For starters, Halo effect is defined by analysts as the idea that customers who buy iPhones and iPads are also buying Apple’s Macintosh and eventually — including the long-rumored HD TV set.

Speaking of Halo effect, it looks like the “what goes around comes back around” is also applicable to the iPad Mini, the long-rumored smaller tablet computer of the PC giant. The iPad Mini rumors started 2 years ago, and now, it is officially back. The latest popular newspaper to join the iPad Mini craze is New York Times that claims to have knowledge of the new product.

http://www.popherald.com/2012-07-16-news-id-2-18860

iPhone app purchases hacked

A Russian developer has figured out a way to side-step Apple's in-app purchasing service.

The hack, by developer ZonD80, lets users upgrade to full versions of games, download digital items and purchase other content for free, ZDNetreported.

Furthermore, the hack does not require a jailbroken device, working on versions 3 to 6 of Apple's iOS platform.

To take advantage of the exploit (not recommended), users need to install two certificates, change their DNS settings and then enter their Apple ID.

ZDnet also suggested that the developer could simply be gathering Apple credentials in a cyber attack.

Apple has responded to the incident, saying they are investigating the claims.

iPhone 5 'already in production,' says Japan-based blog

Production of the next iPhone has already begun, a Japanese-language Apple blog claims.

And to back up its claim, the Macotakara blog cites listings for iPhone 5 cases on China's Alibaba.com.

The blog goes on to say that the back of the new iPhone has both glass and aluminum. "In the area where aluminum is not used, there is glass." (see image below).

This contrasts with previous reports that claim the next iPhone will have an all-aluminum back like the iPad.

By comparison, the iPhone 4Ssports glass coverings on the front and back.

The iPhone 5's most anticipated feature -- which has been widely reported -- is a larger 4-inch class Retina display with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Previous iPhones have had a 3.5-inch display with a 3:2 aspect ratio.

Oh, if you're interested in preordering an iPhone 5, Chinese resellers on Taobao (a unit of Alibaba) are already accepting orders, according to Reuters. Good luck with that.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57472587-37/iphone-5-already-in-production-says-japan-based-blog/ 

Switched On: Android's TV Triple Threat

Just two years ago, Google TV paved a way for Android to enter the television via integrated sets, Blu-ray players, dedicated TV add-ons and pay TV set-top devices. For now, the product may almost be as much of a hobby for the purveyor of questionable eyewear as Apple TV is for Apple, Google's mobile OS competitor. But it's clear that the platform isn't all things to all couch potatoes; the last several weeks have seen the launch of two new, contrasting approaches to getting Android on the big screen in the home.

And then, of course, there is the competition that all smart A/V products face from the growing influence of tablets and smartphones in the living room that can "throw" apps and video up to the TV. Still, a look at the (now) three key Android-on-TV initiatives shows an uneven landscape in the mad race to educate consumers that have traditionally been unaware of the OS' big-screen potential.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/15/switched-on-android-google-tv-television-feature/?a_dgi=aolshare_twitter

Android as a lawsuit magnet

FORTUNE -- FOSS Patents' Florian Mueller used the discovery Friday that Fujifilm has filed a patent infringement suit against Google (GOOG) subsidiary Motorola Mobility to ask why it is that Android attracts so many intellectual property lawsuits.

He's not talking about patent trolls. They sue everybody, including Apple (AAPL).

He's talking about publicly traded companies with multibillion dollar market caps. Fujifilm is the seventh to file a patent infringement suit against Android, joining Apple (market cap: $565.68 billion), Oracle (ORCL; $144.42 billion), Microsoft (MSFT; $246.9 billion), Gemalto ($6.52), British Telecom (BT; $27.02 billion) and Nokia (NOK; $6.89 billion).

With Fujifilm ($8.47 billion), that's a total combined market cap of $1.06 trillion. Google's market cap, by comparison, is $188 billion.

But the valuation of Google's enemies is not Mueller's point. It's the fact that it has made so many.

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/07/15/android-as-a-lawsuit-magnet/

Android smartphone share passes 50% - Nielsen

Android's share of the US smartphone market has passed the 50% mark, Nielsen says.

Handsets based on Android software (made by Google) account for 51.8% of all smartphone owners, and 54.6% of purchases in the past three months.

The finding is in line with an earlier survey byComScore, which also found Android had secured half the market.

Analysts credit strong sales of high-end Android phones like Samsung's Galaxy range and HTC'sOne X - but, more, a swarm of low-cost Androids.

Within the Android camp, Samsung has the greatest market share, followed by Taiwan's HTC(which also makes budget house-brands for phone companies) and recent Google acquisition Motorola.

The losers are RIM's BlackBerry, which continues to fall away, and the Nokia-backed, Microsoft Windows Phone platform, which has yet to gain serious traction. Yesterday, Nokia halved the price of its flagship Lumia 900 smartphone

http://www.nbr.co.nz/node/123569

Samsung Galaxy S3 sales touch 6.5 in Q2: set to sell 15m in Q3

Samsung has sold out a record-breaking number of Galaxy S3 models in the first month after its release. According to a JPMorgan analyst, the Korean firm could sell 6.5 million units of the handset in the second quarter. The device was launched on May 29 and it took only one month and two days to sell that number of handsets. As per the analyst, Samsung will ship around 15 million more units in Q3. Indeed, the S3 has already broken all records in sales of a Galaxy S phone. It is now the most popular handset of the famous Android phone series.

The analyst notes that Samsung has shipped around 5 million units of S3 in a month. It is about five times better than the Galaxy Note, one of Samsung’s recent successful handsets. The S3 has thrashed away its predecessor in sales. When Samsung took six months to sell 10 million units of S2, the company is going to sell 10 million units of S3 in only two months now, the analyst noted. During six months, the original Galaxy S was sold only in five million units. Maybe, if Samsung can keep the momentum, it can sell 40 million units of Galaxy S4 in six months next year.

http://nvonews.com/2012/07/16/samsung-galaxy-s3-sales-touch-6-5-in-q2-set-to-sell-15m-in-q3/