Year: 2012

Online iPhone 5 orders now available within two weeks

With the holidays upon us and Chinese plants working around the clock churning out Apple handsets (Foxbots should help automate assembly in the near future), no wonder analysts recently started seeing iPhone 5 inventory at Apple’s brick-and-mortar stores improving and at their highest level yet for AT&T, Verizon and Sprint customers. This week, availability of online orders on Apple's web store also has improved as a result...

Apple embedding the exploding iPod ad online

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgfJn8FsSKg

This reminds us of Apple's famously interactive version of the Mac vs. PC campaign spotted at the top of NYTimes.com and other big media web properties. This time around, Apple has taken its nicely done dancing commercial for the new iPods and embedded it on various places online, like the indie music review site Pitchfork that in the past ran Apple's custom iPod touch page-topper ad.

It's interesting because the publication draws hipster audience so it's clear who Apple's target is. By the way, turn down the volume before hitting the Play button. Don't you just live how the little things 'explode' out of the box?

CEO says HTC is happy with Apple settlement, but denies details

On Saturday, November 10, Apple and HTC announced that they had reached an unprecedented settlement that would effectively end their nearly 3 year-long patent war. The deal also included a 10-year cross-licensing agreement.

Other than that though, details surrounding the treaty have been fairly scarce. Analysts have opined that HTC agreed to pay Apple between $6-$8 per Android handset sold. But according to the company's CEO, that's not the case...

Nokia’s Here Maps app hits the App Store

Last week, Nokia's CEO Stephen Elop told reporters at a San Francisco press conference that Nokia was rebranding their mapping service to Here Maps, and would be releasing a native iOS app for the service within a few weeks.

Today, Nokia has made good on that promise, as its Here Maps app has just been spotted in the App Store. The HTML5-based software includes walking and public transportation directions, and many other features...

Google looking to take on Apple with AirPlay alternative

Despite the fact that Tim Cook continues to refer to it as a hobby, the Apple TV continues to sell fairly well thanks to its low price tag, access to services like Netflix and Hulu+, and most of all, its wireless AirPlay technology.

And it sounds like Google wants to replicate that success with Google TV. According to a new report, the tech giant is working on rolling out a new AirPlay-like open wireless technology for its TV and Android devices...

Apple’s purchase of Color Labs confirmed in lawsuit

Last month, it was reported that Apple was looking to purchase Color Labs, a struggling Palo Alto-based social startup that allows users to share photos and videos. The story was initially filed away as a rumor, as Apple never commented on it. But the acquisition was confirmed today in a lawsuit filing...

Facebook rolls out Photo Syncing

The social networking giant Facebook has begun rolling out a new feature aimed at automatically uploading each photo a user takes on his or her device. This capability exists in some other third-party iOS apps, like the Dropbox app and the Google+ client. Facebook has figured out how to implement the feature without breaking Apple's rules, by using standard API calls for background uploads and not relying on location APIs or its deep integration with iOS 6...

AAPL rebounds from the ‘insanely insane’ sell-off

After seeing a quarter of its market cap wiped off as shares hit a half-year low, Apple has finally rebounded as investors return to senses with a big rally on Monday. The unexpected sell-off has been "insanely insane", according to Topeka's Brian White. AAPL hit $565.35 a share in after-hours trading.

It closed at $565.73 a share. All told, AAPL soared today $38.05, or 7.21 percent, its second highest one-day dollar gain since 1984. It also pulled Nasdaq and S&P 500 with it. Though still a far cry from the mid-September high of $705.07, it's a good sign that investors haven't lost confidence in Apple's longer-term prospect, especially after eight straight weeks of losses...

iPad mini mod unveils new aluminum Keyboard Case

Black Friday is this week, meaning that the holidays are once again almost upon us. And for those still trying to figure out what to get that special someone, the new iPad mini seems to be a popular choice.

But what do you do if that person already has the tablet? Fortunately, accessories for the device are finally starting to surface. In fact, the folks over at iPad mini mod just unveiled a new keyboard case...

Apple drops to sixth in Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics

Apple's environmental credentials lost some of their luster in the eyes of watchdog group Greenpeace. The company ranked #6 among consumer electronics firms, a slip in stature largely blamed on lack of transparency. While ranking high in product's energy efficiency, the gadget maker from California lost points for not providing information on its greenhouse gas emissions that could be externally verified. Apple also received poor marks for not setting a target for lower emissions, the group announced Monday...

Social gaming platform OpenFeint shutting down

It appears that OpenFeint, one of the first multiplayer gaming platforms for iOS, will be shutting down next month. The service was acquired by Japanese internet media company Gree in 2011 for $104 million. And last week, Gree announced that it would be shutting it down.

Even worse, the firm has only given developers a month's notice to migrate away from OpenFeint. As of December 14th, the service will go offline, and any game or application still using it will either need to be updated, or will suffer from severely crippled online components...