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Pebble smartwatches shipping to Kickstarters as iOS app lingers in approval limbo

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 23, 2013

As promised, the Pebble E-Paper smartwatch (actually, it has a memory LCD screen) is now shipping to Kickstarter backers around the world, albeit initial volume is limited over some paperwork complications. As you know, the smartwatch device works in conjunction with a free iOS or Android app.

Pebble Technology today updated its Kickstarter page with a note acknowledging that Apple unfortunately has not yet approved the software even though Pebble submitted it two weeks ago. A version for Android devices is scheduled to go live on Google's Play Store tomorrow, January 24...

Netflix and YouTube working on an open AirPlay alternative

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 23, 2013

AirPlay, a wireless media technology from Apple featured on the Apple TV, iPhones, iPads, iPods and newer Macs running OS X Mountain Lion, is a major selling point because it allows users to seamlessly beam their photos, music and video from their computer or iDevice to a TV set via an Apple TV set-top box. However, Netflix teamed up with Google's YouTube on an AirPlay alternative and today the two have released official details.

DIAL, as it's called (an acronym for DIscovery And Launch), is an open second screen protocol which automatically discovers compliant devices to stream media. The new standard has impressive support from key content owners and consumer electronics makers, including the likes of BBC, Sony, Hulu and of course Samsung...

How Verizon almost made Siri an Android exclusive

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 23, 2013

Apple's digital secretary, Siri, arrived as an iPhone 4S exclusive in October 2011, but the feature almost ended up being exclusive to Android devices on the Verizon network. According to a new report, Verizon in the fall of 2009 managed to sign a deal with the startup to make Siri a default app on all Android phones set to launch in the new year. It's interesting that the agreement was signed several months before Apple approached Siri and that the carrier even created unreleased ads highlighting Siri on Android.

Several months later, Apple came into full view to acquire the startup outright, effectively making the feature exclusive to its devices and narrowly escape seeing Siri falling into hands of the Android camp...

Google posts Q4 results, comments on iOS apps, better batteries, impact-resistant phones

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 26, 2017

Google has just posted its fourth quarter earnings for the calendar year 2012. The Internet giant raked in $14.42 billion in consolidated revenue (versus estimates of $12.3 billion), up 36 percent annually and eight percent sequentially. Excluding traffic acquisition costs and Motorola Home, quarterly revenue was $11.34 billion, up from $8.13 billion. The firm earned 54 percent of the revenue outside of the United States, or $6.9 billion.

Quarterly net income came in at $2.9 billion, a 6.7 percent increase (non-GAAP profit was $3.57 billion, up from $3.13 billion a year before). The company surpassed analysts' expectations on EPS, which was $10.65 on a non-GAAP basis versus the $10.54 consensus. So, even though revenue climbed substantially, profit was only up slightly.

Of note, Google's Motorola subsidiary (excluding the home biz) lost "only" 353 million, or 23 percent of the unit's quarterly revenue. Better batteries and impact-resistant design could be in the works for Motorola handsets. A live stream of the earnings call is included right after the break alongside other tidbits related to Apple, Maps, Nexus devices and more...

More research shows Apple leads in US with 51% of smartphone market

Ed Sutherland ∙ January 22, 2013

Apple's iOS has more than 51 percent of the US smartphone market, leading Google's Android, which claims just over 42 percent of the American market share, according to new figures released Tuesday. The numbers are just the latest prior to Apple's quarterly sales report expected later this week. Handset sales research firm Kantar announced Apple gained 6.3 percent of the domestic smartphone market, fueled largely by demand for the iPhone 5. Meanwhile, Android sales in the US slowed lightly, shedding 0.6 percent from the same 12-week period in 2011...

Poll: my next cell phone will be…

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

These days, it's all but impossible to escape Apple hate speech. You know who to blame: big media. I mean, stock manipulators played even the credulous Wall Street Journal. It's not just WSJ - or NYT or Reuters, for that matter.

Anti-Apple Forbes hit new lows with clickbait headlines like this one or this one. And as crazypants analysts voice their concern regarding "Apple’s lack of a strategy in the lower-end phone”, they at the same time continue to hallucinate about a happiness or time travel machine from Apple.

And all of them get an assistance from traffic-hungry journalists like Dan Lyons whose write-ups sound bitter and idiotic. But in spite of all that FUD talk, Apple is demolishing Android in every metric that matters. None of this frenzy should matter when considering your next cell phone.

But real life can be a bitch and with so much negative publicity mounting ahead of Apple's earnings report, no wonder some of the faint-hearted fans are beginning to question their faith in the California firm. I know where my heart stands, but I want to know one thing: do you know where your heart stands? So, what's your next phone gonna be?

Google+ iOS apps land in 48 new countries and territories

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 26, 2017

Google's social network may have gotten off to a rocky start, but through perseverance and a string of handsome mobile app updates, it's managed to turn the service into a hit. As of last month, it had more than 500 million users, with 235 million being active.

And that number could see a small bump this weekend, as the search giant just announced that it has launched its two iOS Google+ apps in 48 new countries and territories this week, including Barbados and the Ukraine. We've got the full list after the fold...

Google CEO: our work on Maps is ‘clearly more appreciated now’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

When Larry Page became the CEO of Google, taking over from Eric Schmidt who is now the company's chairman, he immediately began the Jobs-ification of the Internet giant. He axed a bunch of projects and put more wood behind fewer arrows in order to make the company more agile.

Page then set his sights on so-called moon shots, ambitious projects which could become the pillars of Google’s future growth. The decision gave birth to such projects as self-driving cars and Minority Report style Project Glass, for example. Page sat down with journalist Steven Levy who wrote a book on Google called "In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives" (a $15 download from the iBookstore), here's what came out of him...

Nexus 7 believed to have outsold iPad in Japan over the holidays

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple unveiled two new iPads just before the holidays, and is expected, by many analysts, to report strong tablet sales for the quarter next week. But according to a new report out of Japan, that may not be the case.

Market research firm BCN surveyed some 2,400 consumer electronics stores in Japan throughout the month of December. And their results showed that the iPad was outsold during the period, for the first time since 2010...

Microsoft launches free natural disaster helper app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPYVHmW5GX8

Available now as a free download on Windows Phone, Android and iPhone, HelpBridge is Microsoft's new mobile app that everybody should have on their handset, just in case. Should you, God forbid, ever find yourself at the epicenter of a large scale natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy, the software will help you connect with those that matter to you most.

As a bonus, you can also use HelpBridge to rally everyone around one cause - that is, donate your money, time and resources to support relief and rebuilding efforts. The above clip shows off the Windows Phone version of HelpBridge, but you get the idea...

Poll: will impending jailbreak renew your interest in the iPhone?

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 15, 2013

It's open season for Apple doomsayers: the swirling supply cuts rumor has given stock manipulators ammunition to punish AAPL ahead of the earnings calls. But regardless of whether this nonsensical talk stems from a new iPhone model entering production, IGZO display technology being adopted or crazypants analysts having a field day, if you turn to consumers and ask them about their spending plans, you get a different story. None of this brouhaha matters to jailbreak fans eager to explore a bunch of innovative tweaks to personalize their iThings with whatever their heart desires.

There's no way telling when an untethered jailbreak might arrive, but rest assured that the best iOS hackers are working on it. That's bad news for owners of newer devices like the iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S who must be patient and endure Apple's static experience, until the jailbreak finally arrives. But let's pretend for a second that it's here.

Would that reinvigorate your interest in Apple's handset?

ChangeWave destroys all blabbering of supposedly weak iPhone 5 demand

Ed Sutherland ∙ January 15, 2013

If you've been watching Apple's stock price rise and fall as analysts debate whether it's the end of the world or simply a bad day for the iPhone 5, you're forgiven for feeling like a a yo-yo. However, to add to your confusion comes another set of charts illustrating everything's fine with iPhone 5 demand.

Indeed, according to a new ChangeWave survey based on a poll of 4,061 consumers in North America, demand for Apple's handset is as strong as ever. Specifically, 50 percent of respondents said they are planning to buy the iPhone 5 in the next 90 days, which jives well with Apple's previous iPhone launches. In fact, the iPhone 5 interest was higher than the iPhone 4S peak.

A series of charts also prove that iPhone interest, though flattening six months following the launch, remains high and even above rival Samsung. It all comes down to whether your cup is half-empty or half full...