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BlackBerry death watch begins ticking after touch screen fiasco

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 1, 2013

I'm not sure which is worse, BlackBerry described as the smartphone equivalent of MySpace or the Canadian company being verbally parted-out like a 1991 Yugo. Both followed Friday's 28 percent slide in BlackBerry stock prices after the company missed Wall Street expectations for sales of the Z10 handset.

Introduced in January, the touch-screen device was supposed to get BlackBerry into a game so far dominated by the iPhone and Android. Instead, the BlackBerry deathwatch began ticking as Wall Street investors slash expectations, the company itself stops talking about declining subscribers, and former Apple CEO John Scully suggests the smartphone maker stop making phones...

Microsoft enhances OneNote, revamps for consistent cross-platform look

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Microsoft's otherwise fine OneNote app has seen little updates on mobile devices, with Evernote and other offerings beating the Windows giant handily to the note-taking punch.

Figuring it better do something about it, the Redmond firm on Monday issued a pretty major 2.0 update to iOS and Android builds which brings consistent look and feel across Windows, Windows Phone, Android and iOS.

And in addition to rendering ink on your iDevices, version 2 of OneNote enables full support for Office 365 notebooks in SkyDrive Pro, rich formatting toolbars on iPads to style your notes, search across notes and more. If you can't live without Microsoft's Office suite and prefer to run productivity apps from a single vendor for seamless sync, you should give OneNote a try...

Apple enforcing iOS 7 beta gag-order on retail employees

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 1, 2013

As we told you last week, Apple is now seeking feedback on iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks from its retail employees. The program apparently has gotten off to a great start, but now the firm seems to be tightening access to iOS 7 betas and warning store employees they could get fired if a customer is shown the updated mobile operating system before its official unveiling this Fall.

Employees at Apple's retail locations using the beta are being contacted by Human Resources to ensure the test version was obtained through the iPhone maker's official developer's program, not from a third-party, according to a Monday report...

Yahoo News iOS app gets cleaner UI, frictionless sharing and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 1, 2013

Yahoo has been busy updating its key iOS apps around a delightful new look. In weeks past, for example, the company has re-launched Mail and Search apps while releasing a brand new Weather app that has to be seen to be believed.

Each of these program has been meticulously rethought with a cleaner, flatter and more fluid user interface that's consistent with Yahoo's modernized design language.

Today, the Internet giant has issued a refreshed version of its News iOS app that brings visual tweaks while adding improved sharing and navigation, sponsored stories and other treats...

Best Buy and Walmart now offer prepaid iPhone 5 on T-Mobile

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 3, 2017

In an apparent move to clear stock ahead of a next-generation model introduction, U.S. retailers Best Buy and Walmart have been running interesting promotions for some time now, offering deep discounts on iPhone sales and attractive device trade-ins.

As for the iPhone 5, both companies have long offered Apple's flagship handset with a two-year contract with U.S. carriers AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. And this past weekend, each has added a prepaid iPhone 5 option on T-Mobile to its roster...

Almost half of European smartphones bear Samsung label

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 1, 2013

We've known Samsung is the leading Android brand, but now comes word handsets from the South Korean firm account for almost half of the smartphones sold in Europe, where handsets are typically sold separate of wireless contracts. Even more striking, Samsung boosted Google's mobile operating system to the point it where seven out of each ten smartphones are Android-based in Europe, according to new research.

Of course, this isn't surprising knowing Android serves a multitude of price points and form factors whereas Apple is content (for now) milking the high-end. So, where's Apple? Although European market share for the iPhone maker's iOS is a distant second-place to Android, loyalty to the Apple brand outshines Samsung, the Monday report found...

Renewing and non-renewing subscriptions for Mac App Store apps coming this Fall

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 1, 2013

Apple with the iOS 5 release on September 19, 2012 brought in-app subscriptions to its mobile operating system. The feature was originally conceived to allow for the creation of subscription-based digital magazines and newspapers sold on the iOS Newsstand, along with enabling app-managed content offered on a subscription-basis. And now, subscriptions will be definitely coming to Mac apps carried on the Mac App Store when OS X Mavericks is released this Fall...

EarSkinz add a pop of color to your white EarPods [review and giveaway]

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated July 8, 2013

Yes, white headphones are a style of their own. Apple made lack of color famous with white headphones, starting with the iPod. Seeing someone parade down the street with a pair of slick white headphones indicated individuality and a seriousness for refined taste and class. White headphones previously noted a way to be different. Some may still try to make that argument, but with millions of iPhones sold every quarter, seeing a white pair of headphones is hardly unique.

EarSkinz is adding a flash of color to everyone's otherwise plain EarPods. The ES2's are designed to specifically hug the new Apple EarPod with form fitting fashion. Arguing the covers provide better comfort, fit, and sound, EarSkinz successfully received KickStarter funding to produce a full production line of their new pod covers.

I enjoyed using a pre-release pair for the past couple weeks and, inside, I take a closer look at a fairly simple accessory. As an added bonus, we are giving a pair of ES2's to 5 lucky readers...

Apple apparently paid no UK corporate taxes on $103 million profit in 2012

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 1, 2013

Apple's clever accounting practices are again under scrutiny after the iPhone maker paid no UK corporate taxes in 2012, despite three units of the California firm making more than $100 million, according to a British financial newspaper Monday. According to the Financial Times, Apple used tax-deductible employee share awards (essentially stock dividends) to "wipe out the corporate tax liabilities of the UK subsidiaries" during 2012 up to September...

Apple allegedly in talks to launch iPhone 5S with LTE Advanced in South Korea

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 1, 2013

T-Mobile USA may be planning to leapfrog its rivals by becoming the first U.S. wireless carrier to offer up to three times faster LTE Advanced cellular radio technology, but over in South Korea the SK Telecom carrier already announced last Wednesday it's become the world's first telco to launch LTE Advanced network.

As you could imagine, Samsung Electronics CEO J.K. Shin wasted no time confirming his company will launch an LTE Advanced version of its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone, thanks to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 chip. And now, SK Telecom is understood to be in talks with Tim Cook & Co. over offering an LTE Advanced variant of Apple's upcoming iPhone 5S handset...

Investigators raid Apple France offices over unfair business practice

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 1, 2013

Apple's woes with French authorities persist with news that the country's watchdog has conducted a thorough raid of the company's offices over accusations of unfair business practices. According to local news reports, French watchdog is investigating claims that Apple has screwed the country's major wholesalers and distributors by offering better deals with its own retail stores.

This isn't actually terribly surprising given some third-party retailers have been complaining for years that Apple has been discriminating them. However, this is the first time a major antitrust organization is investigating the company over the assumed business practice...

Alleged iPad 5 schematics picture iPad mini-like design

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 1, 2013

A French blog which earned a reputation of posting images of geniunie-looking Apple product parts is back at it again, posting this morning a set of purported design schematics claimed to be for Apple's fifth-generation iPad.

Matching up a number of past reports, these alleged photographs suggest the iPad 5 indeed has adopted a form factor very similar to the current iPad mini model...