Tuesday, October 2, 2012
iOS 6 adoption rate on 60 percent of iPhones in North America.
iOS 6 already on 60 percent of iPhones in North America
October 2, 2012 | Josh Lowensohn
More than half of iPhone users, and close to that on iPads and iPods, are running Apple's latest iOS, an advertising company says.
More than half of iPhones in the U.S. and Canada are already on Apple's latest operating system, a new report says.
Advertising and analytics company Chitika today released updated metrics on ad impressions dating back to when iOS 6 came out last month. The company found that 60 percent of iPhone users are now on iOS 6. Meanwhile iPad users trail at 45 percent, and iPod users at 39 percent.
"Overall, this data points to Apple doing an outstanding job of keeping their user base up-to-date with the latest OS," Chitika said in a blog post. "By comparison, Google's latest data shows only 22 percent of its users being on its two most recent versions of Android."
Chitika
The numbers follow a report from Chitika 24 hours after iOS 6 was released, which said that 15 percent of iOS users were already on the newest OS.
The software was released September 19, and according to Apple, adds "over 200 new features." Chief among them is an entirely new maps application that uses Apple's own data; changes to Siri that add more information about movies, restaurants, and sports scores; as well as deep integration with Facebook.
Samsung warms up the fires, again.
Samsung Sues Apple Over iPhone 5
Posted 10 hours ago - 12879 views - 53 comments
As expected Samsung has filed a lawsuit against Apple over the iPhone 5, reports Reuters.
Samsung Electronics said on Tuesday that it filed a new lawsuit against Apple Inc in a U.S. court, contending the iPhone 5 infringed on Samsung's patents.
In a statement, Samsung said: "...we have little choice but to take the steps necessary to protect our innovations and intellectual property rights."
App.net. Drops their annual fee, adds monthly membership.
The upstart social network that aims to give people a paid alternative to Twitter and Facebook's overly commercialized services is becoming cheaper today. App.net founder Dalton Caldwell has announced a drop in the annual member fee from $50 to $36 — which current users will benefit from in the form of extended subscriptions — alongside the introduction of a $5 monthly membership.
Both moves are designed to lower the barrier to entry for people curious to try out App.net, which is available via third-party apps on Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and OS X, plus extensions for the Chrome and Firefox browsers. In announcing the changes, Caldwell notes that App.net is nearing 20,000 registered members, whose contributions have allowed the new pricing model — the original $50 price was determined on the expectation of 10,000 paying users.
While this all sounds encouraging, we shouldn't forget last month's data showing that most of these accounts are sitting docile while the majority of App.net activity is happening within a very small circle of highly active members. If this bold new platform wishes to move beyond the fledging stage of development, it'll need to stimulate people to not just pay for it but actually use it too.
Source app.net
HTC intro's new One X+. New Jelly Bean 4.1 included.
HTC One X+ with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is now official
02 OCTOBER, 2012
The rumor mill has finally come to a stop for this one, folks. HTC One X+ just got announced. The new Taiwanese flagship brings a number of hardware improvements to the original, as well as a new color scheme and updated version of HTC Sense.
HTC One X+ official photos
The HTC One+ Plus features quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 AP37 chipset, whose CPU cores tick at 1.7GHz. There is a gig of RAM on board and 32 or 64GB of built-in memory. The display is a 4.7" Super LCD2 unit with 720p resolution, covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 2 with optical lamination for reduced light reflection.
The camera is an 8MP autofocus unit with F2.0 aperture and 28mm lens. It is capable of capturing 1080p videos. The front unit is 1.6MP one, capable of capturing 720p clips.
Full connectivity suite including Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC is present in the HTC One X+. The device's measures are 134.36 x 69.9 x 8.9mm, while its weight tips the scale at 135 grams. It is powered by a 2100mAh battery.
Software-wise, you get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and HTC's latest Sense 4+ out of the box. The smartphone will also feature HTC Get Started - a web service which will allow you to easily personalize and setup your smartphone from your computer. Beats audio is available too with the speaker having its own built-in amplifier.
HTC One X+ will hit the shelves in Europe and North Asia this month. South Asia will follow in November, while the North American version will be the subject of a separate announcement. HTC will also begin seeding Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Sense 4+ to the One X and One S devices this month.
02 OCTOBER, 2012
The rumor mill has finally come to a stop for this one, folks. HTC One X+ just got announced. The new Taiwanese flagship brings a number of hardware improvements to the original, as well as a new color scheme and updated version of HTC Sense.
HTC One X+ official photos
The HTC One+ Plus features quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 AP37 chipset, whose CPU cores tick at 1.7GHz. There is a gig of RAM on board and 32 or 64GB of built-in memory. The display is a 4.7" Super LCD2 unit with 720p resolution, covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 2 with optical lamination for reduced light reflection.
The camera is an 8MP autofocus unit with F2.0 aperture and 28mm lens. It is capable of capturing 1080p videos. The front unit is 1.6MP one, capable of capturing 720p clips.
Full connectivity suite including Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC is present in the HTC One X+. The device's measures are 134.36 x 69.9 x 8.9mm, while its weight tips the scale at 135 grams. It is powered by a 2100mAh battery.
Software-wise, you get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and HTC's latest Sense 4+ out of the box. The smartphone will also feature HTC Get Started - a web service which will allow you to easily personalize and setup your smartphone from your computer. Beats audio is available too with the speaker having its own built-in amplifier.
HTC One X+ will hit the shelves in Europe and North Asia this month. South Asia will follow in November, while the North American version will be the subject of a separate announcement. HTC will also begin seeding Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Sense 4+ to the One X and One S devices this month.
Monday, October 1, 2012
What's the real truth behind Nokia's and RIM's decline
Nokia, RIM break-ups would face big hurdles
October 1, 2012, 12:32 PM
Investors banking on a break-up/sales transaction to unlock value at Nokia Corp. and Research In Motion Ltd. might want to cool their heels a bit, according to a note Monday from Credit Suisse.
“Any deal for either company is highly complex in our view, requiring simultaneous management of a declining business, as well significant restructuring, and as such an acquirer maybe be best advised to wait for both businesses to shrink meaningfully before making any potential move,” analyst Kulbinder Garcha wrote in a report in which he examines the “underlying asset value” at each firm to assess its potential upside from the stocks’ current market values.
For Nokia NOK 0.00% , Garcha finds many hurdles, along with the potential for the stock to go even lower from its current sub-$3 level. Nokia shares got a 5% boost on Monday after the company revealed a deal to supply its mapping data to Oracle ORCL +0.44% for use in applications geared towards the software giant’s large base of corporate customers.
Garcha downgraded Nokia to an underperform rating, writing that a break-up of the company “needs to be considered,” with further cash burn expected, along with the longshot bet of hinging its smartphone business on the Windows Phone operating system from Microsoft MSFT +0.17% . And while he believes companies like Apple AAPL -.00% Ericsson or ZTE would an interest in parts of Nokia, like its patent portfolio or portions of its handset business, “no single party may be sufficiently motivated to buy a company with 114K employees,” he wrote.
At RIM RIMM -0.64% , Garcha that a transaction is “not as desirable but maybe more manageable,” given that it has already appointed bankers and the transaction would be smaller than Nokia, relatively speaking. “A break up is possible, however, we question the quality of the underlying IPR (patent portfolio) and also believe that converting its existing NOC (network operations center) for other OS platforms may require a high level of effort for minimal functionality improvement,” he wrote. RIM shares were trading up 2.5% at $7.70 in recent action.
-Dan Gallagher
Japan out of the loop?
Or is it a case of too comfortable, too much knowledge?
Why Japan blew its hardware and mobile edge
By Om Malik
Oct. 1, 2012, 12:55pm PT
“The companies still have famous brand names, and tech analysts say they still produce some of the world’s highest-quality hardware devices. But they face a fundamental problem: It’s been years since they’ve turned out products that people feel they need to have…..Those who study the consumer electronics industry describe a decade of missteps and miscalculations. Japan’s giants concentrated on stand-alone devices like televisions and phones and computers, but devoted little thought to software and the ways their devices synced with one another.”
Over the weekend, The Washington Post in an excellent article highlighted the diverging fortunes of Apple and Samsung and Japanese consumer electronics companies. While Apple and Samsung have been ascendant, the land of the rising sun is becoming increasingly marginalized in the modern device business. In addition to Post’s reasons, here are some changes in the technological landscape that have played a big role in Japan’s challenges in the post-Internet world.
Too big to fail: Japanese companies have always believed in mass-scale diversification, an antiquated way of thinking in the increasingly specialized world. This is and will always remain a challenge to the large Japanese giants. Samsung, which is also a massive-scale conglomerate, has managed to grow because it has bet on future growth markets, global standards and at the same time has become a vertically integrated producer and supplier of electronic components. (Of course, Samsung has friends in high places in South Korea, which helps the company and its fortunes.)
Wrong bets: Japan did well in the games-console business, but never realized that software would essentially commoditize that business. Not a surprise, since Japan has historically done well in standalone devices like televisions. The Japanese never really mastered the personal computer business, which in a sense was a good jumping-off platform for the current generation of devices and phones. They are essentially using PC-principles.
Lack of connectedness: It is my belief that in addition to software platforms that can play host to apps and services, it is connectivity that actually helps make devices more intelligent. The more services on a device, the more you come back and use them. It is a lesson Sony learned the hard way from Microsoft, which launched the XBox online service for its gaming platform. It is also one of the reasons why niche devices such as Sonos are doing well in the market place.
Closed & Internet don’t mix: To illustrate this argument, let me take you back to 1999 when NTT DoCoMo and its mobile platform was the envy of the world. Its i-mode data service, an app store concept where revenue was shared with the app developers and that also included a mobile payment system. The company was not only ahead of its time, it also inspired others around the world. Japan was the mobile leader. Of course, that was a long time ago. I-mode is now fading fast.
Unfortunately, NTT DoCoMo failed to export this model overseas for the following reasons:
Its platform model was specific to Japan and wasn’t portable to rest of the world because it didn’t embrace the open Internet. NTT used proprietary protocols and proprietary handsets and that didn’t scale.
It failed to embrace the iPhone and Android.
Even though Japan has some of the finest broadband and mobile broadband infrastructure, the country hasn’t been able to translate the early lead into Internet products and services, mostly because of the same closed thinking that negated the early lead i-mode provided.
We’ll be discussing connected gadgets, mobile interfaces and good design at our RoadMap conference on November 5th in San Francisco. Speakers include MINIMAL’s Scott Wilson, fuseproject founder Yves Behar, Nest CEO Tony Fadell, the CEO’s of Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram, and many more.
Why Japan blew its hardware and mobile edge
By Om Malik
Oct. 1, 2012, 12:55pm PT
“The companies still have famous brand names, and tech analysts say they still produce some of the world’s highest-quality hardware devices. But they face a fundamental problem: It’s been years since they’ve turned out products that people feel they need to have…..Those who study the consumer electronics industry describe a decade of missteps and miscalculations. Japan’s giants concentrated on stand-alone devices like televisions and phones and computers, but devoted little thought to software and the ways their devices synced with one another.”
Over the weekend, The Washington Post in an excellent article highlighted the diverging fortunes of Apple and Samsung and Japanese consumer electronics companies. While Apple and Samsung have been ascendant, the land of the rising sun is becoming increasingly marginalized in the modern device business. In addition to Post’s reasons, here are some changes in the technological landscape that have played a big role in Japan’s challenges in the post-Internet world.
Too big to fail: Japanese companies have always believed in mass-scale diversification, an antiquated way of thinking in the increasingly specialized world. This is and will always remain a challenge to the large Japanese giants. Samsung, which is also a massive-scale conglomerate, has managed to grow because it has bet on future growth markets, global standards and at the same time has become a vertically integrated producer and supplier of electronic components. (Of course, Samsung has friends in high places in South Korea, which helps the company and its fortunes.)
Wrong bets: Japan did well in the games-console business, but never realized that software would essentially commoditize that business. Not a surprise, since Japan has historically done well in standalone devices like televisions. The Japanese never really mastered the personal computer business, which in a sense was a good jumping-off platform for the current generation of devices and phones. They are essentially using PC-principles.
Lack of connectedness: It is my belief that in addition to software platforms that can play host to apps and services, it is connectivity that actually helps make devices more intelligent. The more services on a device, the more you come back and use them. It is a lesson Sony learned the hard way from Microsoft, which launched the XBox online service for its gaming platform. It is also one of the reasons why niche devices such as Sonos are doing well in the market place.
Closed & Internet don’t mix: To illustrate this argument, let me take you back to 1999 when NTT DoCoMo and its mobile platform was the envy of the world. Its i-mode data service, an app store concept where revenue was shared with the app developers and that also included a mobile payment system. The company was not only ahead of its time, it also inspired others around the world. Japan was the mobile leader. Of course, that was a long time ago. I-mode is now fading fast.
Unfortunately, NTT DoCoMo failed to export this model overseas for the following reasons:
Its platform model was specific to Japan and wasn’t portable to rest of the world because it didn’t embrace the open Internet. NTT used proprietary protocols and proprietary handsets and that didn’t scale.
It failed to embrace the iPhone and Android.
Even though Japan has some of the finest broadband and mobile broadband infrastructure, the country hasn’t been able to translate the early lead into Internet products and services, mostly because of the same closed thinking that negated the early lead i-mode provided.
We’ll be discussing connected gadgets, mobile interfaces and good design at our RoadMap conference on November 5th in San Francisco. Speakers include MINIMAL’s Scott Wilson, fuseproject founder Yves Behar, Nest CEO Tony Fadell, the CEO’s of Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram, and many more.
Purple Flare? What? Not the Iphone 5? Come on.
APPLE
Apple Acknowledges iPhone 5 Camera Problem, Says You're Holding It Wrong
By Jesus Diaz, Oct 1, 2012 3:11 PM
SHARE
After initially denying it, Apple has acknowledged the iPhone 5's purple flare camera problem in an email to a Gizmodo reader. Their solution: "Angle the camera away from the bright light source when taking pictures."
Here's their complete answer:
Dear Matt,
Our engineering team just gave me this information and we recommend that you angle the camera away from the bright light source when taking pictures. The purple flare in the image provided is considered normal behavior for iPhone 5's camera. If you wish to reach me regarding this case number *********, please contact me at 1-877-***-**** ext. *******. I currently work Thursday-Monday: 7:00am - 3:30pm Mountain Time. If you reach my voicemail, please leave your name, phone number, case number and the best time to reach you. Email is ***********@apple.com.
Sincerely,
Debby
AppleCare Support
Long time Gizmodo reader Matt Van Gastel received this email after a long call with Apple support regarding the Purple Flare problem in his phone, which apparently is a feature common to every iPhone 5:
Initially I was told that it shouldn't happen and that it is strange. My call was escalated to a senior support individual who again said it was odd and shouldn't happen. I sent her some pics of the issue and she in turn sent them to the engineering team.
Her final response is what you can see at the top of this article. Some photography experts have speculated that the purple flare is a product of the sapphire glass covering the iPhone 5's camera.
Lamp and truck photos by @weaksauce12
So it is final, folks: Apple says that, if your photos have a purple flare, this is totally normal behavior of the iPhone 5's camera. You are just holding it wrong.
Also, it's not Apple's fault that the Sun is purple. [Thanks Matt!]
Apple Acknowledges iPhone 5 Camera Problem, Says You're Holding It Wrong
By Jesus Diaz, Oct 1, 2012 3:11 PM
SHARE
After initially denying it, Apple has acknowledged the iPhone 5's purple flare camera problem in an email to a Gizmodo reader. Their solution: "Angle the camera away from the bright light source when taking pictures."
Here's their complete answer:
Dear Matt,
Our engineering team just gave me this information and we recommend that you angle the camera away from the bright light source when taking pictures. The purple flare in the image provided is considered normal behavior for iPhone 5's camera. If you wish to reach me regarding this case number *********, please contact me at 1-877-***-**** ext. *******. I currently work Thursday-Monday: 7:00am - 3:30pm Mountain Time. If you reach my voicemail, please leave your name, phone number, case number and the best time to reach you. Email is ***********@apple.com.
Sincerely,
Debby
AppleCare Support
Long time Gizmodo reader Matt Van Gastel received this email after a long call with Apple support regarding the Purple Flare problem in his phone, which apparently is a feature common to every iPhone 5:
Initially I was told that it shouldn't happen and that it is strange. My call was escalated to a senior support individual who again said it was odd and shouldn't happen. I sent her some pics of the issue and she in turn sent them to the engineering team.
Her final response is what you can see at the top of this article. Some photography experts have speculated that the purple flare is a product of the sapphire glass covering the iPhone 5's camera.
Lamp and truck photos by @weaksauce12
So it is final, folks: Apple says that, if your photos have a purple flare, this is totally normal behavior of the iPhone 5's camera. You are just holding it wrong.
Also, it's not Apple's fault that the Sun is purple. [Thanks Matt!]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)