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Apple buying iPhone 4Ses ahead of expected iPhone 5 launch

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 05:55:00 +0000

As if we needed any more proof that we are mere weeks from seeing a new iPhone, Apple appears to be making room for the new device by taking the old one off consumers' hands.

Depending on the iPhone's condition, Apple will pay up to $345 for the year-old device. Owners can use Apple's Recycling Program to determine how much their device is worth by inputting its model, color, and condition. The big-money goes to the 64GB iPhone 4S in excellent condition, black or white, apparently.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57503070-37/apple-buying-iphone-4ses-ahead-of-expected-iphone-5-launch/

Apple, Samsung and why gadgets all look the same

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 05:54:00 +0000

Apple’s recent victory over Samsung in its patent dispute has been fascinating for a number of reasons - not least for those who enjoy guessing just how much victory could be worth to a company that’s already more valuable than Google, Microsoft and Intel combined.

But one other idea it’s brought to the fore is a notion that seems delightfully fuzzy for such a high-stakes legal arena: “obviousness”. As attorney Leonid Kravets points out on TechCrunch, this is one of the most important ideas in enforcing technology patents: just how obvious was the idea embodied in a particular patent at the time that an invention was created?

Back in the prehistoric era of 2007, for example, Apple’s decision not to place a physical keyboard on a smartphone was seen by many as a radical - even a ridiculous - move. Today, the five-year-old designs of almost any device from that era seem clunky to the point of ludicrousness. Apart, of course, from the design that was poised to shift the paradigm for everybody else: Apple’s.

What this highlights is not so much the genius of one company as the staggeringly accelerated rate at which successful digital innovations become “obvious” - before slipping inexorably into the realms of quaint, retro and obsolescence.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120829-why-all-gadgets-look-the-same

Apple-Samsung patent fight: Fuzzy math

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 05:53:00 +0000

Late last week, a San Jose jury awarded Apple Inc. $1.05 billion in damages for patent infringement, a huge win for Apple in its worldwide patent fight with smartphone manufacturers that, like Samsung, sell devices equipped with Google's Android operating system.

The award, the third largest in the history of U.S. patent litigation, will likely cruise into first place next month when U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh decides what additional amount Apple should receive from Samsung based on the jury's finding that much of the infringement was "willful."

But even without that enhancement, which could add another $2 billion to Samsung's tab, the jury's $1 billion-plus verdict breaks down to just under $48 for each of the roughly 22 million infringing phones sold by Samsung. To the jury, 50 bucks per phone must have sounded like a reasonable figure, and it may well to you too.

But it's not — it's way too high — and here's why: The average smartphone may arguably infringe as many as 250,000 patents, not to mention myriad copyrights and other design-related intellectual property. (Companies don't sift through every patent coming out of Washington before engineering and releasing a product; they create devices and battle claims as necessary.)

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-oe-love-apple-patent-damages-20120830,0,3981673.story

Facebook shares hit new low

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:50:00 +0000

NEW YORK: Facebook shares on Thursday sank to a new low after the world's leading social network reported a loss of $157 million in its first earnings after its public offering.

The financial results were largely in line with expectations and were dragged down by reserves set aside for stock grants but investors were evidently spooked by signs that the social network's blistering growth rate is cooling.

Facebook shares plunged more than 11 percent to $23.80 in after-hours trade after the news, which came a day after key Facebook partner Zynga reported disappointing earnings, dampening enthusiasm about social media.

Facebook, which made a market splash in May, said that excluding special items, its results for the second quarter showed a profit of 12 cents a share, in line with most forecasts, as revenue rose to $1.18 billion, a bit above market estimates.

The loss stemmed from accounting rules requiring Facebook to set aside reserves from restricted stock units before 2011, a fact disclosed when the company went public.

According to the rules, Facebook should take a charge against earnings of some $1.3 billion for stock awarded and related expenses.

The results showed growth for Facebook in overall revenue, operating profits and the number of users -- which grew to 955 million by the end of the quarter.

Facebook views mixed on Zynga effect

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:49:00 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Shares of Facebook Inc. slumped more than 6% Thursday morning ahead of the social network’s first earnings report as a public company, mostly on worries stemming from disappointing results at Zynga Inc.

Analysts were mixed on the read-through from Zynga’s report, issued late Wednesday. The maker of social games such as “FarmVille” and “CityVille” reported lower-than-expected bookings for the second quarter and slashed its forecast for the full year, citing recent changes made by Facebook as one of the reasons for the miss.

Facebook (US:FB) shares were trading down nearly 6% to $27.61 by mid-morning. The stock has been on a mostly downward slope since its controversial IPO in May, though the stock had picked up about 11% from its low-point in early June prior to Thursday.

Zynga (US:ZNGA) shares crashed nearly 40% to near the $3 mark. At least eight brokers downgraded the stock following the disappointing results. Read Ratings Game on Zynga downgrades.

iPhone 5 Rumors Could Hurt Apple, but Benefit Verizon, ATandT

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:42:00 +0000

NEWS ANALYSIS: Verizon Wireless and AT&T posted surprisingly strong second-quarter earnings, given that rumors of an upcoming iPhone 5 likely delayed some iPhone sales. While those missed sales hurt Apple, they seem to have benefited the carriers.

Smartphone and tablet usage is up, Americans are burning through more data than ever and the wireless carriers, which have invested billions of dollars to get to this point, are beginning to enjoy the results.

They’re also enjoying what the Apple iPhone has helped to create, even in absentia.

AT&T this quarter announced its “best-ever wireless margins,” a $1 billion wireless data revenue increase from a year ago, and sales of 5.1 million smartphones. Wireless service revenues increased 4.3 percent, to $14.8 billion, and its postpaid ARPU—or, average revenue per user—grew to $64.93.

Verizon Wireless’ wireless service revenues increased 7.3 percent year-over-year, to $15.8 billion. It sold 5.9 million smartphones during the quarter, 3.2 million LTE devices, and raised its ARPU to a three-year high of $56.13.

How all your iPhone apps could be hacked at once

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:41:00 +0000

LAS VEGAS (CNNMoney) -- The iPhone's baked-in security has improved dramatically over the past few years, which is great for Apple fans.

In a weird way, it's good for hackers too.

With the "bring your own device" phenomenon in full-swing, Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) has been successful at getting its iPhones and iPads into the hands of Fortune 500 companies and even many government agencies, including the White House and the U.S. military. To make those sales, Apple had to update its iOS mobile operating system with some of the industry's most robust security features.

That had a nasty unintended consequence: Many app developers no longer put their own safeguards in place, relying instead almost exclusively on Apple to ensure the security of their applications.

With thousands of apps in the iTunes App store all featuring the same exact security features, one single vulnerability could have a domino effect.

Earliest iPhone 4 and iPad Prototypes Look Pretty Ridiculous Today

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:40:00 +0000

The iPhone 4 and iPad we know today are gadgetry in the extreme—digital pieces of paper, if you will. Nothing garish, nothing in excess. And that's mostly true in their prototypes! But some of these leaked early iPhone and iPad prototypes? They're bonkers.

One early iPhone 4 prototype shows edges and angles galore, with diagonal corners, and one of the iPad prototypes even has a kickstand. Yes. A kickstand. You've got to see these.

The pictures of these iPhone and iPad prototypes were found in court documents by BuzzFeed and the Verge. Not all the prototypes were strange though. Some prototypes actually look like they'd be real products.

Above, there's an iPod Nano-inspired iPhone 4 prototype made with brushed aluminum and complete with rounded corners. Another iPhone prototype labeled n90 actually looks amazing—impossibly thin (though thicker in the middle) and skinny, it looks very much like a delightful candybar. Other prototypes look like knockoffs of Apple products you'd see other companies make—inelegant designs that feel forced to be quasi-futuristic.

iPhone 5 Speculation Drives Apple Earnings Down

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:39:00 +0000

Apple's third quarter earnings, released this afternoon, were below analysts' predictions.

While the quarter is usually one of the slower ones for the tech giant, Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer admitted that speculation surrounding the next iPhone -- what many are calling theiPhone 5 -- has affected sales of current iPhones.

Apple said it sold 26 million iPhones, down from 35.1 million in the previous quarter. Presumably, people put off purchases of phones, waiting for a newer model.

"We're reading the same speculation about a new iPhone as you are, and we think this has caused some delay in purchasing," Oppenheimer said.

Of course he was referring to the flood of rumors about the next iPhone, including the ones that say the next version will have a larger and thinner display, a new dock connector, and a faster processor and graphics.

The topic of the rumors came up numerous times on the earnings call with analysts. But no matter how hard analysts pushed, Cook and Oppenheimer would not talk about their product plans for the remainder of the year.

Is the Shift in iPhone's Cycle Handing Samsung an Edge?

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:38:00 +0000

Can Apple's shift in schedule for iPhone releases hand an advantage to Samsung in the battle for smartphone domination?

Some analysts think it might. The iPhone continues to be the world's single most popular smartphone, but Apple's South Korean rival has snagged the top spot in global handset sales of its array of devices.

The Waiting Game

One advantage Apple has enjoyed since 2007 is anticipation: Fans expect an updated iPhone every summer and a complete refresh every other year. But that cycle was thrown off last year when the hardware giant released first a CDMA version of the 2010 iPhone 4, followed by the upgraded iPhone 4S in the fall.

This year, we're still waiting for a new iPhone and recent comments by a Verizon Wireless exec suggest it may not arrive until the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, Samsung has shipped more than 10 million of its flagship Galaxy S III smartphone into the sales channel in less than three months. That's far less than Apple's 35.1 million iPhones in its fiscal second quarter, but it shows a growing fan base for Samsung devices since the previous Galaxy S devices took longer to get to 10 million.

And Samsung's overall device sales in the quarter just concluded were estimated by Juniper Research at 52.1 million, more than Apple's 26 million for the same quarter.

Samsung regains smartphone leadership, IHS says

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:36:00 +0000

Six months after losing the top position in the smartphone market to Apple, Samsung Electronics in the second quarter regained leadership as its sales rose 5% to 36 million units, up from 34 million in the first quarter, according to IHS iSuppli. The modest increase was propelled by strong growth in high-end smartphone shipments.

Meanwhile, Apple suffered a 26% decline in shipments to 26 million units in the second quarter, down from 35 million in the first, said IHS.

Apple's shipments in the second quarter were impacted by a combination of factors, including macroeconomic variables, increased competition from newer smartphone offerings and delayed purchasing among consumers who are waiting for the availability of the next iPhone model. All this led to a buildup of channel inventory, resulting in lower-than-expected iPhone volumes, IHS noted.

"At the end of the first calendar quarter, the supply-and-demand equation for iPhones was in balance," said Wayne Lam, senior analyst, wireless communications, for IHS. "However, by the end of the second quarter, about 3 million iPhones built up in the sales channel that weren't sold to consumers. This contributed to the slowdown in Apple's shipments during the quarter, reminiscent of the deceleration Apple experienced in the third quarter of last year as consumers waited for the release of the iPhone 4S. Apple should see a rebound in shipments with the introduction of the next-generation iPhone model."

Samsung and Apple are vying for the top spot in the smartphone segment, with leadership sometimes switching from quarter to quarter. However, the reality is that the market increasingly is becoming a two-horse race, with Apple and Samsung enjoying a shared domination of the industry because of their respective strategies, according to IHS.

Samsung UA40ES6200 (40-inch LED)

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:35:00 +0000

The Samsung ES6200-series LED TVs are the company's most competitively priced 3D smart TVs this year. Available in screen sizes from 32 to 55 inches, these panels are also attractively styled and feature many value-added extras. These include an onboard digital TV tuner, personal video recorder (PVR) and Skype support. Here are the noteworthy features on the 40-inch model, the UA40ES6200.

Upside:With its slim bezel and a unique quad-legged stand, the UA40ES6200 is probably one of the prettier entry-level 3D TVs in the market. Two pairs of active shutter 3D glasses are bundled, too. They weigh only 23g and utilize Bluetooth technology instead of standard infrared connectivity. According to the chaebol, Bluetooth can not only transmits better through obstacles, but is supposedly more resistant to interference, too.

Another highlight is the Samsung Smart Hub, which is a company's smart TV platform with a Flash-enabled Internet browser and an app store. There are currently hundreds of apps lined up for Asia with notable examples such as Viki Premium video-on-demand app and Social TV app. The latter provides centralized access for Facebook, Twitter and Google Talk. Free remote apps for iOS and Android devices are available as well.

By connecting a USB hard drive to the panel, you can also record digital broadcasts and enable the time-shift function. Lastly, the Samsung TV comes with integrated Wi-Fi which minimizes cable clutter for Internet access, as well as DLNA media streaming.

Downside:Samsung could have offered better connectivity options with the UA40ES6200. There are only three HDMI ports and no analog PC input which is commonly used by older computers. Moreover, the 3D glasses are powered by a standard coin battery that will require regular replacement unlike the rechargeable ones provided by its competitors. Judging by the UA46ES6800's performance, film judder is like to be an issue when it comes to 3D playback for the UA40ES6200.
Outlook:

At only S$1,799, this Samsung 3D smart TV should appeal to bargain hunters with its attractive design and rich features. For the same price, you can also consider the Philips 40PFL5507 with four HDMI inputs, but that panel comes with a less polished smart TV platform. Other more costly alternatives are the S$1,999Sony KDL-40HX750 and S$2,099 Panasonic TH-L42ET50S.

Source:http://asia.cnet.com/product/samsung-ua40es6200-40-inch-led-46728102.htm

Smartphones power Samsung to record $4.5 bn net profit

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:34:00 +0000

SEOUL - South Korea's Samsung Electronics Friday posted a record net profit of 5.19 trillion won ($4.53 billion) in the second quarter, powered by strong smartphone sales despite the global downturn.

The company, the world's biggest technology firm in revenue terms, also reported a record operating profit in April-June of 6.72 trillion won.

The net profit represented a 48 percent gain from a year earlier while operating profit jumped 79 percent year-on-year.

Samsung cited robust demand for its mobile devices including high-margin smartphones, along with strong sales of ultra-thin displays.

Total revenue rose 21 percent to 47.59 trillion won, in a quarter that is usually quieter for technology companies.

Market researcher Strategy Analytics said Friday the Korean firm increased its share of the global smartphone market in the second quarter to 34.6 percent, compared to 17.8 percent for arch-rival Apple.

Samsung shipped 50.5 million smartphones, the largest number ever by any vendor in a single quarter, it said in a report.

"Samsung has been able to deliver hit models in most major price segments," Strategy Analytics noted, while Apple fans may be awaiting the launch of the next generation iPhone around September or October.

Samsung Accuses Apple of 'ambush Litigation' in 3G Patent Trial

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:32:00 +0000

Samsung accused Apple of "ambush litigation" on Friday in Federal Court in Sydney by suddenly raising new defenses against the South Korean company's 3G patent infringement allegations.

The two companies' Australian court battle started Monday with opening statements and preliminary arguments. Apple accuses Samsung of infringing touchscreen patents it holds, while Samsung alleges Apple infringes three 3G patents.

Samsung attorney Neil Young accused Apple of violating court rules by bringing up new points regarding how the baseband chipsets in its iPhone 4 and 4S models and second iPad function.

The issues, which arose as the parties delved into highly technical issues regarding how the chipsets work, threatened to cause a major problem, but Justice Annabelle Claire Bennett said she was reluctant to delay the case.

Friday's discussions mainly revolved around Samsung's Australian patents No. 2005202512 and No. 2006241621, which deal with power control and the format of packet headers used for 3G data transmissions.

Apple's lawyers argued this week that it implements UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) standards in its products. Samsung's patents are incorporated into international 3G standards, but Apple contends there are variations in which the standards can be implemented which do not infringe on Samsung's patents.

Apple's new defenses should have been brought up earlier to allow Samsung to gather evidence for its allegations, including examining source code for the relevant chipsets from Qualcomm and Intel, Young said.

Galaxy S3 fix coming for 'inadvertent' search removal, Samsung promises

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:31:00 +0000

Samsung's removal of the universal search feature from its flagship Galaxy S III handset in the UK was accidental, Samsung has said.

The Android smartphone lost the feature a couple of weeks ago in a security update that came shortly after Apple won a US injunctionagainst a different Samsung phone, the Galaxy Nexus. Universal search — the ability for one search to pull results from the web and on-device data — was central to that case, and Samsung said it was trying to work around the feature.

Samsung removed the universal search capability from Sprint versions of the Galaxy S III in the US, but there was no reason to remove the feature in the UK as well, which is why it came as a surprise when that happened. Now, Samsung has confessed to removing it in error.

"The most recent software upgrade for the Galaxy S III in the UK included the inadvertent removal of the universal search function. Samsung will provide the correct software upgrade within the next few days," the company said in a statement on Thursday.

Although the patent war between Apple and Samsung is global in nature, different territories have different approaches to the patenting of ideas. The US allows software patents, which sometimes amount to having exclusive rights over concepts rather than technical implementations, but the EU is far more restrictive in allowing such rights to be granted.

ZDNet UK has asked Samsung to confirm whether UK Galaxy S III users became accidental casualties of the US patent tussle, but had not received a response at the time of writing.

Source:

Google celebrates opening ceremony of London 2012

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:30:00 +0000

NEW DELHI: As the world focuses on the opening ceremony of London 2012, Google on Friday also extended its support by dedicating a fascinating doodle. The world's biggest sporting event will kick off officially in London on July 27 at 9:00pm GMT.

The doodle displays five athletes on track holding the letters of Google which also symbolises the logo of Olympics.

The doodle features the sports football, basketball, swimming, fencing, running, and javelin throw.

The London Olympics 2012, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiadis, is scheduled to start from 27 July, 2012 and will end on August 12, 2012. It has taken London seven years and £9.3 billion to get the stage ready.

In this sporting extravaganza, 10,000 athletes are expected to participate from 204 countries.

Google Fiber trumps NBN speeds, pricing

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:29:00 +0000

Google has announced that Kansas City, Missouri, will be the first to get its new 1-gigabit-per-second fibre broadband service, at a cheaper rate and of a faster service than what will be offered by Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN).

The internet giant announced the plans overnight, calling for Kansas City residents to register their interest in the service and pay a US$10 deposit.

Residents are being asked to band together with their neighbours, and if between 40 and 80 people in one area have registered in the next six weeks, Google will begin rolling out fibre to their area. Customers will need to pay US$300 to have the fibre installed, but for the introductory period, Google is waiving this fee for two of the plans.

There are three plans on offer for residents:

For US$120 per month, customers get unlimited data, up to 1-gigabit-per-second (Gbps) upload and download speeds, Google Fiber TV — Google's IPTV service — a Nexus 7 tablet, TV Box, Storage Box, Network Box and 1TB of storage on Google Drive on a two-year contract.
For US$70 per month, customers get unlimited data on up to 1Gbps upload and download, the Network Box and 1TB of Google Drive storage.
For US$0 per month (but including the US$300 construction fee), customers will get up to 5-megabits-per-second (Mbps) download and up to 1Mbps upload, with unlimited data and the Network Box included. Google has promised to keep this connection free for at least seven years.

The latter package is aimed towards Kansas City residents who may not have broadband services already.

The announcement comes as the Australian Government continues to roll-out its own, much larger, fibre-to-the-home network to 93 per cent of premises. Currently, the top-tier plan available on the NBN is 100Mbps down and 40Mbps up, with prices ranging from AU$40 per month up to AU$164.95 per month, with data limits on all plans. The government has indicated that as more customers get onto the NBN over time, prices should come down. The initial objective of the pricing for the NBN is to pay off the network and to gain a 7 per cent return for the government. Pricing has been factored so that wholesale prices in regional and metropolitan Australia are exactly the same.

When Google initially announced its plans to launch 1Gbps fibre services, NBN Co CEO Mike Quigley said the NBN would eventually launch 1Gbps services in the future.

"We will have one consistent set of products across the whole national footprint. And that means consistent ubiquitous service up to one gigabit per second," Quigley said in March 2010.

"Everyone keeps talking about 100Mbps. But that's obviously when we're talking about residents. For business, we are allowing for a certain percentage in our dimensioning to structure point-to-point services up to 1Gbps."

Source:

DeskNotifier for Android 1.1.0

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:27:00 +0000

When you are sitting at your computer, it can be annoying to have to keep picking up your phone every time it vibrates or sounds an alert. You are already using another machine, so it would make sense if you could use it to keep track of all of the notifications you receive. This is exactly what DeskNotifier enables you to do, freeing you from the restraints of your cell phone or tablet.

This free program is available as a Windows and Android app and enables you to receive Android notification on your desktop computer provided both devices are connected to the same wireless network. The setup process is not quite as simple as it could be. Once you have installed the desktop and Android versions of the app you will need to start by activating the app in the accessibility settings of your Android device. You will then need to use the app’s configuration screen to determine your device’s IP address and enter this into the desktop version of the program.

If you are choosing to charge up your phone or tablet whilst you are at your computer, the connection can also be established with a USB cable, but the wireless option is far more useful. Whenever you receive a message, email, or some other form of notification is generated on your Android device, a pop up will appear from the taskbar of Windows. There is a fairly impressive range of support apps, including Facebook, Viber, Astrid Tasks and all of the standard built in features of Android.

This in itself is useful enough, but the app goes further than this, enabling you to send SMS messages from your desktop. To do this, you just need to right click the app icons in the notification area and select the SMS option to be presented with a list of your contacts. Select whoever you would like to message, enter your text and hit Send. The ability to use your computer keyboard is a much faster way to type messages than most Android keyboards – a great time saver.

Source:

First-time smartphone owners choosing Android

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:25:00 +0000

The majority of new smartphone owners have chosen a device running Android as their first smartphone. According to a new study by market researcher comScore, 61.5 percent of feature phone owners who purchased a smartphone in the three months ending in April chose a device on Google’s

Android platform. A further 25.2 percent opted for an iPhone.

Smartphones running Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry accounted for 7.1 percent and 4.8 percent of Americans swapping from a feature phone to a smartphone respectively.

Close to half (47.5 percent) of all feature phone owners in the US who purchased a new device in April made the jump to a smartphone, up from 38.0 percent from the year before.

“The growing number of smartphones available to consumers, accompanied by the decrease in price points and surge in mobile media content, have made smartphone ownership possible and desirable for many more Americans,” said Mark Donovan, comScore SVP of Mobile. “Within the year, we expect to see smartphone owners become the mobile majority, a milestone that represents not only the evolution of the mobile landscape but highlights the enormous potential for marketers as these powerful, ubiquitous devices open new opportunities to reach a growing audience of consumers.”

Is Google headed toward an Android Nexus PC?

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:02:00 +0000

Google's Android operating system for mobile devices has gained significant traction in the market. Will Google follow this success up by pushing the OS into more sophisticated computing devices? Or will it use its browser based-OS Chrome to take on Apple and Microsoft in the PC software market?

These are the questions I tackle in this edition of Ask Maggie. I also offer some perspective on why it's still important to choose a wireless based on network performance and reliability.

Android news and rumor round-up for week ending July 27

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:01:00 +0000

People just love the Nexus 7. Love it down to its grippy white back panel. And that's actually causing problems.

According to the Guardian, Google "seriously underestimated" demand for the tablet, particularly the variant with 16GB of storage. You can still order the 8GB version from Google Play, but retail stocks have been disappearing quickly and the 16GB device isn't being sold via the Play store.

Among the new Nexus 7 users apparently happy with their purchase is Linus Torvalds, who seems to really like the Google tablet. You can tell, because when Linus doesn't like something, he lets you know.

Jelly Bean version news: There's a rumor that 4.1 updates for the Samsung Galaxy S II and S III are in the final stages of testing and will be deployed by early September. That sounds plausible, though it's not confirmed.

In related Galaxy S III news, Samsung decided to preemptively ditch the local search feature that was at the heart of a recent patent case for international models of the device. Better safe than sorry, apparently.

Read more: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/mobile-phone/3372528/android-news-rumor-round-up-for-week-ending-july-27/#ixzz21nzhfdDS

The 'toxic' hyperlink - Google's brilliant business strategy

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 18:16:00 +0000

There is something extraordinary taking place. Google's war on spam sites is tipping the online world upside down and now threatens that most fundamental element of the world wide web: the hyperlink.

The communications lines are the spider's silk but it's the links that make the structure of the web. But because of Google's battle with spammers, the hyperlink could disappear in its current form, and become a commercial product that's bought and sold, instead of earned fair and square.

Let me explain:

When I ran into Matt Cutts, head of Google's web spam team, at the company's most recent Christmas party, he said that Google would start paying more attention to sites that had lots of links from low quality content sites. Because that would be a signal that there was search engine optimization (SEO) at work, which means those links were likely paid for, in a bid to deceive Google.

Google Acquires Sparrow, Team To Focus on ‘New Projects’

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 18:15:00 +0000

Google has acquired iOS and Mac email client Sparrow, with the team behind the popular app heading to Google to work with the Gmail team.

"We care a lot about how people communicate, and we did our best to provide you with the most intuitive and pleasurable mailing experience," Dom Leca, CEO of Sparrow, said in a statement on the company's website. "Now we're joining the Gmail team to accomplish a bigger vision — one that we think we can better achieve with Google."

In the note on Sparrow's site, Leca also thanked the app's users who have provided support and feedback and said, "While we'll be working on new things at Google, we will continue to make Sparrow available and provide support for our users."

Europe Says It May Seek Global Rules for Google

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 18:14:00 +0000

BRUSSELS — The European antitrust chief said Wednesday that any changes Google offered to settle concerns that it might be tilting Internet search results in its favor should be applied worldwide.

Joaquín Almunia, the European Union competition commissioner, made the remark as he was confirming that his case against Google for allegedly abusing its dominance in search and advertising was moving toward a settlement.

Mr. Almunia also said that a settlement in the case did not mean he would not undertake inquiries in other areas that raised competition concerns.

“Some other aspects of Google activity can be investigated also,” Mr. Almunia said, mentioning applications for smartphones as an example.

Google adds a 34-button virtual scientific calculator to search

noreply@blogger.com (googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 18:13:00 +0000

New Delhi: Many of us use the Google search bar for uses far beyond the usual search for Web pages - for weather information, stock quotes, time in a particular city, sports scores, unit conversion, quick calculations and more. Google has now added a 34-button visual tool to simplify our use of the search engine as a handy calculation tool.

To fire up Google's new 34-button virtual calculator with scientific functions, type 'calculator' into the search box. This new Google feature is available across most browsers (both web and mobile).

The virtual Google calculator will also appear if we type in a calculation - say '13*6' - into the search box and can also be used for more complex calculation needs such as '25*39+(sqrt 10)^3'.