Year: 2012

Apple adds Galaxy Note 10.1 and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to Samsung suit

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 2, 2016

Apple's just expanded its second lawsuit against Samsung, seeking to include the South Korean company's 10.1-inch Galaxy Note tablet on a list of allegedly infringing products. In addition, the iPhone maker has alleged that Google's Android version 4.1 software, also known as Jelly Bean, infringes upon its patents. This could be the first time Apple directly sued Android over alleged patent infringement, though it wasn't immediately clear whether Apple's complaint involved the entire Android OS or just Samsung's TouchWiz overlay. The case is scheduled for trial in 2014. And so it continues...

Why Google retires some products

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 6, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8ss6NVp8wo

You've probably witnessed one of Google's spring cleanings when it retires a dozen or so popular services. Ever since co-founder Sergey Brin took the CEO role from Eric Schmidt, who is now Google's chairman, the company has been dropping less popular services at a rapid clip. iGoogle? Gone. The ill-fated Wave? Killed off. Wonder Wheel? That too.

Newsflash: even Google has a finite amount of resources so some features inevitably get thrown under the bus along the way. Google's Matt Cutts in the above clip lays out his company's approach to managing products and explains the decision making process which leads Google to retire some service whilst continuing to invest in others...

Spotify app finally receives update for iPhone 5

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

Spotify users rejoice, the cloud-based music service has finally pushed out an update to its iOS app that makes it compatible with the iPhone 5's new 4-inch display. The company has taken a lot of heat from its subscribers over the past several weeks, as it was the last out of the big three music-streamers (Pandora and Rdio) to optimize its app for Apple's new handset...

Apple’s mobile graphics provider Imagination is buying MIPS

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 6, 2012

Imagination Technologies, a British-based mobile graphics provider, will buy MIPS, a Sunnyvale, California-headquartered semiconductor design company. The transaction, apparently worth a cool $60 million in cash, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2013. It reportedly includes 82 patents related to the MIPS processor architecture.

This development is interesting knowing that both Apple and Intel have ownership stakes in Imagination, whose PowerVR graphics technology powers Apple's mobile chips used inside iPhones, iPads and iPods...

Verizon and HTC announce November 13 media event

Cody Lee ∙ November 6, 2012

Apple continues to struggle to keep up with iPhone 5 demand, and Samsung just announced that it's sold more than 30 million units of its flagship handset, the Galaxy S III. Is there room for another big player?

HTC is hoping so, as the Taiwanese company has just sent out press invitations for a jointed Verizon media event to take place on November 13th. And word has it that it's going to unveil a new 5-inch superphone...

Physical Google Wallet Card for in-store payments is coming

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Google Wallet, a mobile payment system from the search giant, has gained little traction over the past 18 months since its inception, mostly due to limited merchant and carrier support in the U.S. To solve this, Google is rumored to be on the verge of launching a physical card that will work in conjunction with the Wallet service to replace all plastic in your pocket.

The move should help the Wallet service pick up steam and might even establish the search monster as one of the biggest players in the mobile payment industry. Indeed, one card to rule them all with the elite Google Wallet physical card...

PanoPerfect is a new app that brings a social touch to your panoramas

Jim Gresham ∙ November 6, 2012

If you love snapping, I guess I should say "panning," panoramic pictures with your new iOS 6 -enabled device, there is now a dedicated social environment solely for sharing your favorite wide shot pics. PanoPerfect, launching today, is a free and simple way to post and share your photos via iPhone, without them getting lost in another long list of other comments. Overall, the app is simple and easy to use, possibly making it one of the more popular ways users will choose to curate their favorite panos...

Apple sells out of iPhone 5 stock during first 24 hours of India launch

Cody Lee ∙ November 6, 2012

As we previously reported, the iPhone 5 went on sale in India over the weekend. And apparently it was quite the success. According to a new report, the handset sold out in the country in just 24 hours.

This is a pretty big deal for Apple, as India buys over 200 million handsets per year, but they're typically of the low-end, low-cost Android variety due to the country's larger prepaid wireless market...

Urbanears bring the party straight to your ears [review and giveaway]

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Having admired Urbanears from afar, on the shelves of local retailers, I was blown away when I finally got my hands on a pair of the new Zinken over-the-ear headphones. Urbanears is clearly a company priding itself by paying attention to the little things and even places a 63 page booklet in their headphones' box to prove it.

As a reviewer, I come across a lot of products for iOS devices on a regular basis and I can count, on one hand, how many times I have been impressed with product packaging (excluding actual Apple products). I must say, when it comes to accessories, often, a book should be judged by its cover and Urbanears spares no expense. Let's open the box on this pair of Zinkens my friends at Urbanears sent over and you too have a chance to grab a pair of your own...

Apple has caught up with fourth-gen iPad demand

Ed Sutherland ∙ November 6, 2012

It appears Apple's supply of fourth-generation iPads has caught up with demand. After listing the new full-size tablet with a one-week waiting period, then 3-5 days, the iPad now is listed "in stock" at Apple's online stores. Perhaps this is because 90 percent of the iPads the Cupertino, California company sold over the past weekend were iPad mini units. Monday, analysts released reports on initial sales of the smaller iPad. A common thread: worries that Apple cannot meet consumer demand, a particularly unwanted situation given the fast-approaching all-important holiday buying period...

Microsoft working on a 7-inch Xbox Surface tablet focused on gaming

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 6, 2012

This is really interesting. Hot on the heels of launching its full-sized Surface tablet to a mixed market response, Microsoft is thought to now have their sights set on the smaller form-factor tablet space, currently dominated by seven-inchers from Google and Amazon, in addition to Apple's iPad mini that launched last month. Microsoft's secret project for a mini Xbox, it's been said, involves a custom-built ARM processor and high-bandwidth RAM designed specifically for gaming tasks...