If you though the iPad mini was overpriced at $329, wait until you see the tablet dipped in gold. As it does with all new Apple products, the folks over at Gold & Co. have given the new mini the 24kt gold treatment. And although it's the definition of ostentatious, we have to say that it looks magnificent...
Hot on the heels of last week's screen rotation lawsuit comes another infringement claim aimed at Apple. NovelPoint Tracking, which fits the usual patent troll description, filed a lawsuit against the Cupertino company yesterday in the troll-friendly Texas Eastern District Court regarding its location-based patent...
More evidence that our hunch was right: most mobile video traffic comes from iOS devices. Indeed, a new study finds that 60 percent of video not shown on PCs appear on iPad or iPhone screens. This despite a growing number of Android devices becoming a third screen for video consumers.
The news follows an earlier study in May by the same video monetization firm Freewheel. That research found iOS devices displayed 80 percent of mobile videos, hinting at inroads made by Android players...
Nokia just announced Here, an upcoming iOS app with voice-guided walking navigation, public transportation directions and offline capability, the latter two glaringly lacking in Apple's in-house built iOS 6 mapping solution. In comparison, Microsoft's Bing app only supports basic maps.
Google has problems of its own, rooted in belief that Apple won't approve a native Google Maps app so it hasn't even submitted it yet. Regardless of the scarcity of details, we'd love to hear your initial thoughts on Here so cast your vote now...
Apple may not always sell more phones than the competition, but between its trend-setting handset designs and gargantuan fan base, it's easy to see why it's considered one of the most powerful companies in the wireless industry.
In fact, the folks over at FierceWireless just posted their annual list of the top 25 most powerful people in US wireless. And out of all of the carrier CEOs and heads of government agencies, they ranked Tim Cook number one...
The embattled handset maker Nokia introduced at today's press conference in San Francisco today some interesting news related to maps. In an attempt to beat Google and Apple to the mapping punch, Nokia tapped 20 years of location expertise and its data sets spanning 200 countries to map out a new strategy which involves a re-branding effort, cool new features and a good ol' acquisition. Nokia Maps is no more. Henceforth, the new mapping service shall be known as Here.
The new cloud-based map service works across multiple devices and operating systems, it does directions and location, lets people save favorite locations and supports crowd-sourcing by allowing users to report errors and make changes themselves.
The service is based on HTML5 and an iOS app is in the works, pending Apple's approval. The iOS app will have voice-guided walk navigation, public transport directions and will cache data for offline use. And taking page from Apple's book, Nokia spent an undisclosed sum to snap up California-based 3D mapping company Earthmine, with aim to use its technology to help index the world in 3D...
Next time you are in an Apple Store, look down. You are standing in the most profitable real estate of all retail. For the second year in a row, Apple Stores rank #1 with the highest sales per square feet, once again beating Tiffany for the top spot.
According to Retail Sales' ranking of U.S. chain stores, Apple Stores pull in $6,050 per square foot compared to Tiffany's $3,017. Apple's brick-and-mortar locations see 100 million visitors every three months, with each Apple Store visitor leaving $45...
Dial is a brand new tweak that allows you to use a dialer to text or call your friends and family from the App Switcher, Siri interface, or from Spotlight. The tweak has options to outright replace both Siri and the App Switcher, or to be invoked in tandem with the two.
In principal this might sound like a good idea. Wait a minute...let's not kid ourselves, it sounds like a terrible idea, but I was hoping that the execution would surprise me and change my mind. It didn't. Even still, there may be some of you out there who will appreciate Dial for what it is. With that in mind, we've created a video walkthrough showing how the tweak works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98p_epP0TRQ
iHelicopters, the makers of iPhone-controlled vehicles are on a roll again. After creating a lineup of iPhone-controlled helicopters, RC cars and the rocket-launching Cobra copter, their latest offering is the iUFO. As the name suggests, it's a flying device that resembles an unidentified flying object. Its rotor system is maneuverable via your iPhone, iPad or iPod using a free app that talks to the unit via the transmitter which plugs in the headphone jack .
Its spherical design is aimed at protecting the rotors from hitting nearby objects and breaking. The manufacturer says the system even allows iUFOs to roll over the ground without crashing the rotors and says you don't have to worry about crashing the unit against the walls or ceiling...
Memo to PC makers: Your best days are over. That's the word from one Wall Street observer who says tablets such as Apple's iPad are reducing the need to regularly replace laptops and other computers. Indeed, the PC replacement cycle relied upon by computer makers will be one to two years longer, resulting in a loss of 50 million to 100 million PCs shipped annually, by 2015. By contrast, tablet sales are expected to skyrocket from 182 million in 2013 to 300 million by 2016 - with Apple the major beneficiary...
During the September 12 iPad mini unveiling Apple vaguely indicated that the Wi-Fi + Cellular model would start shipping “a couple of weeks after the Wi-Fi models”. Then, when it started accepting pre-orders and announced opening weekend sales of three million iPads, the company reiterated that the cellular version of both the fourth-gen iPad and the smaller one will be available in the US on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon “in a few weeks”.
We’re now receiving reports that some customers who pre-ordered a Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad mini are receiving shipping notices from their courier service. Many are seeing delivery dates of this Friday, November 16, or the following Monday, with some deliveries reportedly set for as early as tomorrow, November 15...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3xk48GsPIg
Accessory maker Jawbone debuted its iPhone health bracelet called the Jawbone Up in September of last year. Despite strong initial sales, the promising gadget quickly proved a PR disaster amid a flood of complaints about poor build quality, imperfect water resistance and a number of other issues.
A year later, and just in time for the holidays, Jawbone is back at it with an improved version of the fitness band that the company says is free of teething problems which plagued early adopters. In fact, Jawbone is so confident in nailing quality control that it dedicated a significant portion of the above promo clip to highlighting detailed testing, design and manufacturing that went into creating the band...