Year: 2012

Review: the MobileMount universal kickstand

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated February 27, 2017

Holding iPhones and iPads just where you want them is something of a dark art. There are more than enough docks, stands and foldable cases out there that claim to do the job and while most do just that, we've always hankered after something a little different.

When we saw the MobileMount on Kickstarter quite a while ago, we had a sneaky suspicion that we had found it. At first glance it was a car holder for a phone. Looking a little harder though suggested it could be much more than that. We were intrigued.

Since then, the Kickstarter project has come to fruition, and you can now pick up your very own MobileMount for just under $40. But should you? Let's find out...

AT&T seeing record smartphone sales in Q4 of 2012

Cody Lee ∙ December 5, 2012

AT&T Mobility chief Ralph de la Vega told investors today that the carrier is selling smartphones at a record pace in this last quarter of 2012. Because of this, the CEO says that the carrier now expects to sell 26 million smartphones this year, 1 million more than previously expected. And as you can imagine, this news bodes extremely well for Apple and its handset...

Casio announces new iPhone-friendly G-Shock smart watch

Cody Lee ∙ December 5, 2012

There's been a lot of talk lately about a rising accessory category called "smart watches." They're essentially wristwatches with the ability to connect and share data with smartphones — think the Pebble, or the Strata.

Today, Casio has officially announced that it's throwing its hat into the smart watch ring with a new line of iPhone-friendly G-Shock wristwatches. They actually look like regular watches, until you see what they can do...

LeWeb: former employees Tony Fadell and Pascal Cagni talk Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMmme6wvJCw

LeWeb conference is underway in Paris and former Apple engineers Tony Fadell and Pascal Cagni shared interesting tidbits concerning their former employer. The iPod Godfather Tony Fadell last week painted Apple's ousted iOS boss Scott Forstall in unfavorable light, telling BBC that Forstall "got what he deserved".

Nedless to say, Fadell, the 43-year-old computer science engineer of Lebanese origin, spent quite a portion of air time at LeWeb promoting his Nest gadget. The whiz engineer also talked about his pre-Apple career and briefly touched on the subjects of Apple, his business relationship with Steve Jobs, what he learned from Apple's late co-founder and more.

Fadell has big plans for his Nest thermostat, including making the device available across five hundred retail stores. One more video featuring Pascal Cagni is right after the break...

Is Samsung now king of cool? Galaxy S III ad tops iPhone 5 promo

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 5, 2012

Another arena has opened for Apple and Samsung to compete for the crown of 'most cool': advertising. For some time, the iPhone maker has had the ad market sewn up, producing luscious videos of products while creating family-friendly spots so sweet they make your teeth hurt. However, it appears the South Korea-based Samsung is giving Apple a run for the money, its Galaxy S III spot being named the most popular tech ad in 2012.

Apple's promo video of the iPhone 5 starring Jony Ive & Co. didn't even break into the Top 5, the seven-minute ad reaching #6 with 18.4 million views on YouTube and elsewhere. The #1 Galaxy S III ad takes Apple to task as a brand past its prime, drew 71.8 million views...

Philips launches four new eye-candy speaker docks with Lightning I/O

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Consumer electronics maker Philips unveiled four interesting speaker docks designed for Apple's latest iOS devices that incorporate Lightning I/O (the iPad mini, fourth-generation iPad with Retina display, fifth-generation iPod touch and the seventh-generation iPod nano). Of course, built-in Lightning I/O means music lovers can dock/charge Lightning enabled iOS devices and play their music at the same time. One portable speaker and three units for indoor use all feature eye-catching modern design and those who had a chance to personally test these boom boxes claim they sound every bit as good as they look...

IDC sees Android tablets gaining traction, iPad maintaining dominance through 2016

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 27, 2017

More end-of-the-year forecasts are out, again predicting Apple will shed some of its tablet market share as Android alternatives increase in popularity. This time, the full-size iPad and iPad mini would end 2012 with just under 54 percent, while Android tablets are expected to increase market share to almost 42 percent.

All told, Apple is estimated to hold half the tablet shipments through the year 2016. The figures are interesting, as far as they go, and would appear to be dire news for Apple - until you actually look at the numbers and measure sales versus usage. More about that after the break...

The OCDock, when iMac and iPhone become one [sponsored]

Sébastien Page ∙ December 5, 2012

Even though Apple has no plan to release its own dock for the iPhone 5, we've seen plenty of third party alternatives that all look as creative as they are original. The OCDock by OCDesk is one of these docks that not only looks gorgeous, but seamlessly integrates with your iMac or Thunderbolt display. It's simple, it's beautiful. In short, it's something that Apple itself could have designed.

Today we sit down with Mart Jaetma, an OCDesk team member who is actively contributing to the development of the OCDock and its Kickstarter campaign. Mart tells us more about the OCDock, how it came to life, and why you should help fund his project...

Purported backplate of the rumored iPhone 5S leaks online

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 5, 2012

Apple's holiday lineup is looking better than ever, but that doesn't mean the company is standing still. Of course club Cupertino is already developing the next iPhone and researching its successor.

If history is an indication, the next iPhone will retain the iPhone 5's form factor and industrial design while boosting hardware specs with a faster CPU/GPU, better cameras, updated wireless and cellular technologies and so forth. And as we head into the holidays, parts firm ETrade Supply conveniently posts an image said to depict a backplate on the iPhone 5S...

AT&T video explains your cell phone bill

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 5, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3Mbkyo_Hz0k

Did you last monthly cell phone bill from AT&T give you a heart attack? Do you have that sinking feeling that no matter what service you opted for and how you use your smartphone, the nation's worst carrier always finds a way to jack up your monthly bill north of $100. AT&T, which says it wants "to simplify your wireless life", has put together a video which strives to educate its subscribers on the intricacies of wireless bills.

As you can see for yourself, the itemized statements help explain your individual charges and the whole thing is complimentary to you. AT&T plans to make it available through email and via your myAT&T account online. The company confirmed plans to launch the video billing service nationwide by early 2013 and it's available now for their U-verse Voice, TV and Internet subscribers...

Upcoming iTunes 11 update will restore duplicate song detection

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 5, 2012

I hope you've grown accustomed to the new, highly visual library views focused on media artwork in iTunes 11 and don't mind Apple dropping Cover Flow because that feature ain't coming back. What Apple will add to the redesigned jukebox software is the ability to detect duplicate song, which mysteriously disappeared with the latest iTunes update. That's what the Wall Street Journal tech columnist Walt Mossberg heard from his own sources within Apple. The company reportedly told him it will restore the duplicate song detection feature "in a minor update of the program"...