Month: March 2013

Nokia boss throws interviewer’s iPhone on the floor

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 22, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owvtKGlYFVA#!

Wow, this has got to be a new low for the ailing Nokia and its boss, former Microsoft exec Stephen Elop. With everyone trashing Apple these days, from investors to big media to analysts, the Nokia CEO apparently thinks piggy-backing on the trend is the way to go to score a few coolness points.

After an interviewer on a Finnish television said he had an iPhone in his pocket, a petulant Elop - unable to control his manners - nervously quipped "how embarrassing, I'll take care of that" before throwing the device on the floor as if it were a piece of useless junk. That's the first time a big name CEO has exercised such an utmost disrespect for a rival, at least to my knowledge...

Alleged iPhone 5S Home button and vibrator parts surface

Cody Lee ∙ March 22, 2013

Part leaks for Apple's next-generation smartphone, rumored to be the iPhone 5S, have thus far been hard to come by. Back in January a purported speaker assembly for future iPhones popped up, but that's been pretty much the gist of it.

Until today, that is. A Japanese electronics parts vendor claims to have gotten its hands on a couple of 5S components. The first is a Home button, which looks a bit different from its predecessor. And the second appears to be a vibrator...

iPhone and Galaxy owners are not that different

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 22, 2013

While iPhone and Galaxy S3 owners are often viewed as fans of rival teams, the two groups have more in common than Apple or Samsung would care to admit.

A new report finds owners of the two smartphones follow the same usage patterns, while maintaining some distance on hardware and carrier choices.

Based on surveys conducted in January and February, both iPhone and G3 owners follow a trend away from voice calls and emails to texting. Before anyone thinks the two will for a mutual admiration society anytime soon, there are some striking differences, as well...

Google said to be working on its own smartwatch

Cody Lee ∙ March 22, 2013

A year ago, the smartwatch space didn't really exist. I mean it did, but it consisted of just a handful of lackluster products from the likes of Sony and Motorola. But if rumors are true, it'll serve as the next battlefield for the 3 biggest names in tech.

Hot on the heels of reports that both Apple and Samsung are hard at work developing smartphone-connected wristwatches comes a new one from The Financial Times claiming that Google's Android unit is working on a smartwatch of its own...

Cable-free access to HBO Go app is ostensibly under consideration

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 22, 2013

Not sure about you, but cable operators sure bother the hell out of me by not letting me watch shows on iDevices unless I subscribe to their terrestrial television offering. Why do these companies presume everyone owns a TV? While the App Store hosts a bunch of apps from the likes of ABC, HBO or CBS, you must be a paying TV subscriber to stream shows (you already paid for) to your devices.

I like Time Warner-owned HBO's shows and am subscribed to them through my cable TV provider and now we're hearing that the company is considering reversing its stance and reportedly offer online subscriptions to cable-cutters in the not-so-distant future...

Apple blames high Aussie iTunes prices on content owners stuck in the old ways

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Why does digital content in Australia cost more than elsewhere? It's not our fault, one Apple executive told a government panel investigating the pricing disparity.

The company (rightfully) blamed "old-fashioned notions" held by content owners for markups as high as 61 percent on music and other digital media sold in the region.

Apple's Australian Vice President Tony King told the panel the company would prefer to offer music, movies, TV shows, along with hardware at lower prices, hinting that movie studios, record labels and other content owners are forcing the company's hand...

LG developing own iWatch and Google Glass-like wearable gizmo

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 22, 2013

Apple's unreleased iWatch is already inspiring a bunch of me-too products from big name tech giants (nothing wrong with that, mind you). Bloomberg recently quoted a Samsung executive who went on the record to confirm that his company has been "preparing the watch product for so long.”

Then, the Financial Times newspaper shared knowledge of Google’s Android team working on a smartwatch product to act as an extension to the smartphones using Android.

And now we're hearing that the South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation better known as LG is also developing its own iWatch contender, in addition to a wearable gadget akin to Google's Glass eyewear...

Analyst: budget iPhone won’t have Retina display

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 22, 2013

Apple's rumored less-expensive iPhone aimed at emerging markets won't just shave costs by having a polycarbonate body instead of Unibody aluminum design, it is bound to have a standard-resolution screen rather than Apple's Retina display, like other iDevices. That's at least what one analyst wrote in a note to clients Friday, based on the often unreliable supply chain checks.

He's also calling for a June or July launch for both the budget iPhone and the iPhone 5S (a specs upgrade to the iPhone 5), which is the time frame that was mentioned previously in a few other recent reports...

EU scrutinizing Apple’s ‘unusually strict’ iPhone contracts with carrier

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 22, 2013

The cost of selling the iPhone is anything but cheap - just ask Sprint. Because Apple makes the iconic smartphone which helps sell pricey wireless contracts, carriers typically agree to Apple's way of doing biz that entail committing to large-volume iPhone purchases costing billions of dollars in upfront payments.

Sprint, America's third-largest carrier, for example, bought an astounding $15.5 billion worth of iPhones to be sold over the course of four years. The New York Times reported Thursday that European Union regulators are taking a closer look at Apple's iPhone distribution agreements with European carriers, who remark that these contracts are "unusually strict" and assert that Apple's behavior could be viewed as anticompetitive...

Mailbox fills 1 million reservations, releases ‘shake to undo’ update

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 12, 2018

The folks at Mailbox have had a pretty good week. Not only were they acquired by Dropbox—to the tune of what some are reporting to be $100 million in cash and stock—last Friday, but they just filled their 1 millionth reservation.

To celebrate, the team has released the first update for the popular email client since it was released to the public back in February. The update brings the app to version 1.1, and includes a new 'shake to undo' feature, and more...

Apple to stop approving apps that use UDIDs or don’t support iPhone 5

Cody Lee ∙ March 21, 2013

After more than a year of warnings, it looks like Apple's finally putting the kibosh on the use of Unique Device Identifiers. An announcement was posted to the iOS developer portal this afternoon that starting May 1, apps using UDIDs will not be approved.

But that's not all. In addition to the UDID deadline, Apple has also informed developers that after May 1, all new apps and app updates must be built for iOS devices with Retina displays and iPhone apps must support the 4-inch display on iPhone 5...