Ed Sutherland

Apple offers iPhone discount to India’s students

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 20, 2013

In yet another attempt to capture the nascent smartphone market in India, Apple is now promoting discounts for students. Students can receive $144 on an iPhone when they trade in their old smartphones. Apple and Samsung have engaged in a marketing struggle, both rolling out installment plans to encourage Indian buyers of rival smartphones.

The iPhone maker also announced a cash-back deal when Indian consumers use American Express to purchase an iPhone 4, 4S or 5 before June 10, according to a Monday report...

Samsung’s $800,000 competition lures devs to write exclusive Galaxy apps

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

Samsung wants more developers writing apps that require features exclusively found on its own devices, such as the Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone - and is willing to pay. In an $800,000 competition, the South Korean conglomerate is seeking entries which highlight its own sharing service and proprietary software development kit.

The first-prize winner takes home $200,000, three second-place finalists receive $100,000 each, while six third-place finishers get $50,000 each, according to the Wall Street Journal. The competition's goal is to improve Samsung's standing against Apple's iPhone...

U.S. Air Force could save $50M using 18,000 iPads

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 17, 2013

Taking a lesson learned by civilian airlines, the U.S. Air Force has purchased 18,000 iPads expected to save more than $50 million over the next decade. The move from bulky paper flight manuals to tablets should save nearly $6 million each year in fuel and printing costs.

In an interview, the airlift arm of the U.S. military said the switch to 32GB Wi-Fi Retina iPads as electronic flight bags would reduce aircraft weight by 90 pounds per aircraft - up to 490 pounds for huge C-5 transports. In 2012, American Airlines received FAA go-ahead to use iPads in the cockpit...

IDC: Apple, Android own 92% smartphone volume, Windows Phone beats BlackBerry

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 16, 2013

Just days after rival research firm Gartner released quarterly sales for iOS and Android, rival IDC today announced similar numbers for shipments of smartphones. Combined, iOS and Android maintained their stranglehold on the smartphone market, accounting for more than an astounding 92 percent of shipments during the first quarter of 2013.

In a surprising move, shipments of the Windows Phone smartphone operating system surpassed the BlackBerry OS, putting Microsoft in third place behind Android and iOS. I bet you didn't see that one coming...

Apple patent links iDevice cameras for ‘social flash’

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 16, 2013

The iPhone is quickly becoming (or already has) the hottest digital camera on the planet. Not only does it have terrific imaging power, but with its screen is able to easily compose attractive shots. Knowing the power of the iPhone and other iDevices, Apple continually tweaks its photo-imaging capabilities.

The latest evidence being a new patent application describing a way to combine the resources of multiple devices to provide what's being called a 'social camera flash.' The idea isn't new. So-called slave flashes that act on the command of a main camera have been in professional photo studios for years. However, Apple's patent application envisions iPhones, iPads and iPods linked wirelessly to illuminate a scene...

Airlines split on whether iPhones pose in-flight danger

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 15, 2013

If you thought the question over in-flight electronics was settled, think again. Although the Federal Aviation Administration is expected to announce in July whether to relax current rules governing in-flight use of iPhones, iPads and other devices, questions remain about their safety.

Wednesday, Bloomberg recounted testimony from pilots and others calling into question whether some devices - particularly those using cellular connections - may interfere with newer GPS-based navigation. In one instance, pilots believe an iPhone caused their airliner to fly miles off course...

Apple’s China sales neared 7M as iPhone 4 fuels demand

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 15, 2013

When seeking increased sales of mobile phones, observers need to look east. That's the word from one large analyst firm, noting more than half of all mobile phones sold during the first quarter of 2013 were in the Asia/Pacific market. For Apple, its sales in mainland China alone neared seven million units during the period, largely credited to the lower-priced iPhone 4. Worldwide, the California-based smartphone maker saw its share of mobile phone sales rise...

Apple patents ways to waterproof iDevices

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 14, 2013

Into each iPhone, iPod or iPad a little moisture must fall - and when it does, Apple's got you covered. Or, at least that's what a pair of patent filings indicate. The two patent grants detail how to build consumer electronics in ways to prevent moisture entry and then alert users. Both were granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and appear to be part of the iPhone 5, which has scored well in moisture-handling tests...

Apple and Google asked to help NYC solve mobile device thefts

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 13, 2013

Is Apple doing enough to prevent an upsurge in thefts targeting the iPhone? That's the question New York State's Attorney General is asking the smartphone maker, citing several violent incidents involving thefts of mobile phones. In a letter to Apple, Android-maker Google, Galaxy manufacturer Samsung and others, Eric Schneiderman wants details on what the companies are doing to prevent thefts of handsets.

The state's top law enforcement official noted thefts of Apple products in New York City between January 1 and September 23 rose forty percent while major crimes in the Big Apple increased by just four percent...

Samsung unveils 5G mmWave tech for ‘tens of gigabits per second’ wireless downloads

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 13, 2013

When you just can't wait a minute to download that huge video, Samsung comes to the rescue. Sort of. Eventually. Reports Monday indicate Apple's rival has found the key to delivering gigabit download speeds through a new fifth-generation cellular radio technology, dubbed 5G mmWave. It's unclear whether the new tech can gain acceptance to eventually overtake 4G networks still rolling out.

For the iPhone maker, however, Samsung breaking today's wireless speed barrier may mean more court wrangling as the two companies seek any advantage in the lucrative smartphone market...

Microsoft can’t convince Apple to update iTunes for Windows 8 Metro devices

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 28, 2017

Remember all the back-and-forth between Apple and Microsoft before tablets? We heard echoes of that earlier this week when the software giant announced Apple's iTunes app won't be available for Windows 8 Metro tablet users any time soon. Although iTunes continues to be available as a Windows 8 Desktop mode app, the lack of a Metro edition leaves owners of Windows tablets in the cold. Even worse is that owners of the Surface RT tablet - which by the way runs only Microsoft apps - will be stuck with just Redmond's Music app...

iPhone passcode security prompts law enforcement requests

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Apparently, the law enforcement community needs to hire a few 13-year-olds able to crack the passcode on Apple's iPhone. There is such demand to help unlocking iPhones that one federal agency had to wait nearly two months for Apple, which even manages a waiting list, to unlock the smartphone. One "flaw" in Apple's otherwise tight mobile security could worry privacy advocates: the company reportedly does not inform iPhone owners when it bypasses the device's security measures...