Year: 2012

Asus says Nexus 7 sales are approaching 1 million per month

Cody Lee ∙ October 31, 2012

As Apple launches the iPad mini on Friday, the company will, for the first time in recent memory, be entering a crowded, well-established marketplace. Both Google and Amazon have been successfully selling 7-8-inch tablets for quite some time now.

We'll never know just how well Amazon's Kindle Fire HD is selling, as they don't release sales figures, but we do get a glimpse of Google's Nexus 7 numbers this morning. And they're pretty good. Asus' CFO says they're moving almost 1 million per month...

Apple posts new iPhone 5 launch day video

Cody Lee ∙ October 31, 2012

As noted by some of our readers, Apple has quietly posted a new video to its iPhone 5 page entitled "The Launch Day video." The two-minute compilation clip, as you might have guessed, shows scenes from Apple Stores around the globe during last month's iPhone 5 launch day events...

Media mogul Mark Cuban talks future of Apple TV

Cody Lee ∙ October 31, 2012

Mark Cuban, for those who haven't heard of him, is a self-made billionaire. He owns the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theaters and Magnolia Pictures. Needless to say when he talks, people listen.

And recently, the media mogul had some things to say about what Apple's next play in the TV industry should be. In short, he believes the Cupertino company would do well to make an integrated set-top box...

iPhone 5 gets regulatory approval in China

Cody Lee ∙ October 31, 2012

According to a new report, the China State Radio Management agency, one of China's regulatory agencies, has just given Apple's iPhone 5 the go-ahead for sale in the country.

The news comes about a month after the handset received approval from the China Compulsory Certificate, and about a month ahead of its scheduled December launch...

The first iPad mini and 4th gen iPad reviews hit the web

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

While most of us have to wait until Friday to get our hands on the new iPad mini, a select group of journalists have been using the tablet since Apple unveiled it last Tuesday.

These writers were given early access to the device so they could post full-length reviews before it launches later this week. And a lot of those reviews just went live…

Philips Hue Personal Wireless Lighting Unboxing

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated March 12, 2018

I know, I'm crazy like that, but I just couldn't pass up the chance to try something this cool. I bought a Philips Hue Starter Kit for $199.95. That's more than half the price of an iPad mini for a few lightbulbs. But these aren't any ordinary lightbulbs, as you read in our post yesterday.

The Philips Hue starter kit allows you to dynamically change the colors and lighting of a room using a handy iOS app. You can even turn on your lights while away from home all from your iPhone. Needless to say, my curiosity got the best of me, and I simply couldn't resist the chance to try something like that out. Check out my unboxing inside, and stay tuned for the full review...

Unofficial Lightning docks arrive

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

As Apple prepares to convene with accessory makers next month in order to lay out new rules pertaining to third-party Lightning gear, companies like iPhone5mod continue to exploit the supply-demand imbalance in order to produce unofficial accessories like cables and adapters that all use cracked Lightning chips.

iPhone5mod already has a few of these in its offering and they've just announced another accessory which could easily strike a chord with long-time Apple fans: a Lightning dock. Just like it removed the optical drive from the new iMac, Apple with the iPhone 5 stopped making docks for Lightning devices. Therefore, this opportunity has basically presented itself...

The iCade 8-Bitty Unboxing

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 30, 2012

I recently got my hands on an iCade 8-Bitty Bluetooth controller from Think Geek. The controller harkens back to the 8-Bit days with its boxy design, hence its name.

The 8-Bitty plays nice with all iOS devices, and even works with Android phones and tablets as well. Take a look inside as I unbox the controller, and check back soon for a more in-depth review...

Apple delays iTunes 11 for a month to ‘get it right’

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 30, 2012

That's right, no new iTunes on Halloween for you! As you know, Apple promised to release iTunes 11, a major overhaul, by the end of October. Now it seems yesterday's management re-shuffling has affected the release schedule a bit as the company said today that iTunes is "is taking longer than expected".

The new release date is now being pegged at the end of November, a month from now, as Apple needs some more time to get the new iTunes right. That's a repeat of last fall, when Apple similarly postponed the launch of iTunes Match.

And perhaps inadvertently, Apple may have silenced the critics, just like that: instead of shipping prematurely, which reportedly was one of Scott Forstall's deadly sins (Maps, Siri), Apple is now taking its time to have such a critical piece of software in the perfectly solid shape before getting it out of the door...

Bluegrass Cellular to sell the iPhone 5 with a $50 discount starting Friday

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 30, 2012

It's been originally reported that regional carrier Bluegrass Cellular would start selling the iPhone 5 on September 28 alongside Alaska’s GCI and Appalachian Wireless, but something delayed those plans. Be that as it may, today the Kentucky-based carrier announced it will start selling Apple's latest phone on Friday, November 2.

The company has plans to undercut AT&T, Verizon and Sprint with an aggressive pricing policy. Bluegrass Cellular will also offer the iPhone 4S for just $49 and the iPhone 4 will be available starting at 99 cents, it's been confirmed. These prices, of course, are valid only with a two-year service contract...

Apple’s green ranking drops to 118 in US

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Despite recently obtaining a green apple logo, the iPhone maker's ranking when it comes to green issues took a beating. The consumer tech giant ranks 118 among U.S. companies, a 68-point drop from a year ago. According to one report, Apple failing to answer a survey on greenhouse gas emissions from its American facilities via the Carbon Disclosure Project in both 2012 and 2011 was the chief reason for the poor showing...

Samsung bets on Windows

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 30, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC9ZJf_CUTA

Say what you will about Samsung, but it's always been a multi-platform player. True, the company's bet on Android has paid off big time, but Samsung also maintains another smartphone operating system, its own Bada software, and pledges to build a plethora of desktop and mobile products driven by Microsoft's new Windows 8 desktop operating system and its Windows Phone 8 counterpart.

The South Korean conglomerate currently makes Windows-based Smart PC and Smart PC Pro, in addition to a Windows Phone 8 tablet and smartphone. All are marketed under the new ATIV moniker (whoever thought of that one?). I kinda like how the commercial above highlights different usage scenarios for these devices. By the way, what's up with the evident James Bond theme to advertising recently?