RIM: only 20% use modern BlackBerrys, LTE PlayBook in spring...
RIM's new leader Thorsten Heins in further interviews has outlined how he plans to take on competition in the short term. He revealed to Reuters that just 20 percent of BlackBerry owners are using a modern version of the OS, in some cases using BlackBerry 5 or even older. Much of the company's focus would be on getting them to upgrade to new phones, including special carrier deals that could bundle devices together or give carriers phones with bundled apps.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Hands on: Schneider iPro 2x lens for the iPhone 4... Schneider Optics was one of many companies at the Macworld iWorld expo showing off its latest accessories. Electronista stopped by the lens maker's booth to check out their latest addition to the iPro interchangeable lens system for the iPhone 4 and 4S. A 2X telephoto lens now complements the company's wide angle and fisheye lenses.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Hands on: LandingZone dock for MacBook Air...
Several successful Kickstarter projects are currently on hand at the Macworld iWorld expo for potential customers to try out, including LandingZone's docking station for the MacBook Air. Electronista initially wrote about the device before it had gathered enough funding to pass through the Kickstarter program, so we were excited to get a chance to see it in person.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Feral ports Tropico 3: Gold Edition to Mac...
For those who have always yearned to "get in touch with their inner dictator," Feral Interactive has ported over the third instalment in the Tropico city-simulator game series, Tropico 3: Gold Edition for the Mac. Originally developed by PopTop Games, the series is now handled by Haemimont Games and Kalypso Media for Windows and Xbox. The third entry is a "re-imagining" on a grander scale of the economic, political, construction and management simulator.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Hands on: Pocket Informant 2 for iPad...
Of the numerous app developers that brought their latest offerings to the Macworld iWorld expo, WebIS' updated Pocket Informant utilities captured the attention of many attendees. MacNN checked out Pocket Informant 2 for the iPad, along with the company's cloud services that will eventually enhance the iOS apps.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
iPad marks 2nd birthday with new rivals, quiet naysayers...
Friday signaled the second anniversary of the iPad's introduction and what has since been interpreted as the start of a shift in the entire computing space. Apple's tablet was unveiled this day in 2010 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco by its late co-creator, Steve Jobs. It would only go on sale April 2, but it proved to be polarizing from its unveiling, even for Apple loyalists.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Macworld iWorld expo: in pictures...
IDG World Expo rebranded the Macworld expo using the 'iWorld' label for 2012, an appropriate change as the event continues to evolve. MacNN attended the event to check out the latest products in the Mac and iOS ecosystems, and to see how the event organizers and exhibitors have adapted to Apple's absence.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Jobs caught Google recruiting Apple engineer, letter alleges...
An unredacted letter from Steve Jobs to Google head Eric Schmidt in March of 2007 reveals that Google was attempting to recruit an Apple engineer, which resulted in swift repercussions after Schmidt was notified. The letter is part of a court case that alleges that informal "no poaching" agreements between Apple, Google and five other tech companies amounted to a conspiracy to limit opportunities and keep compensation low.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
USPTO invalidates key Rambus patent, may lower tech costs...
Rambus' litigation campaign suffered a possibly fatal setback Friday after the USPTO pushed word that it had invalidated the final patent out of three the company has been using to sue a large part of the technology industry. Having quietly made the decision on Tuesday, the patent office's appeals board left Rambus without any of the patents it has been using to sue NVIDIA, Hynix, HP, and others. The first two had been scrapped in September.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
French regulator to look into Free's cheap phone service...
ARCEP, the French telecom regulator, has said it is going to inspect low-cost wireless provider Iliad's backbone network to make sure it is compliant with its bandwidth licensing requirements. The action takes place after Iliad's competitors raised complaints about Iliad's network performance and customer service. Iliad, which operates its wireless service under the Free name brand, denied the claims, discounting them as false rumors.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Amazon Kindle Fire cuts Galaxy Tab Android use share in half...
Amazon's Kindle Fire is squeezing out other Android tablets for actual use online. New Flurry data shows that the Kindle Fire virtually cut the Samsung Galaxy Tab line's usage share in half, from 63 percent in November to 36 percent in January. Other devices saw a similar squeeze, which mostly came from the Kindle Fire's rampant sales rather than a drop in Android use.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Afternoon Edition
T-Mobile to give extra help to unlocked iPhones...
A leaked memo shared online by TmoNews reveals T-Mobile will change its attitude toward its subscribers who use unlocked iPhones on their network. When the iPhone owners call in, T-Mobile staffers are being instructed to handle common procedures. These include information about features and specifications and other basic device questions.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
RIM CEO: we're looking into BBM on other platforms...
RIM's new CEO Thorsten Heins has continued his interviewing with hints the company might not be as closed to the possibility of BlackBerry Messenger on other mobile platforms as once thought. He told CrackBerry that he was still committed to the core BlackBerry platform and there weren't immediate plans, but that the company "should never rule this [possibility] out." The company did have staff exploring the possibility, but it would only go ahead if it was logical.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Briefly: Instant PDF 10 launched, reVOLT c2 now shipping...
Enfocus has released Instant PDF 10, an update to its PDF creation tool. Version 10 includes one of the most frequently requested features, annotated error reporting, as well as support for OS X Lion and Adobe CS 5.5. In addition, the update uses Enfocus PitStop Library 10, which provides users with the same level of error identification and correction as the highest-end Enfocus application suites. A fully-functional trial version can be downloaded online, while single user licenses start at $300.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express ups MacBook Air to 480GB drive...
Other World Computing has answered one of the more common calls among MacBook Air owners and has put out a 480GB version of its Mercury Aura Pro Express. The new solid-state drive doubles the storage of its SATA3-based, 6Gbps model line. As with other SSDs, more capacity doesn't mean a sacrifice in speed, and it can deliver as much as 500MB per second in peak transfer speeds.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Jobs kept letter from Bill Gates by bedside, report reveals...
Former Microsoft head Bill Gates wrote Apple CEO Steve Jobs a letter shortly before the latter's death, according to a report from UK newspaper The Telegraph. "I told Steve about how he should feel great about what he had done and the company he had built. I wrote about his kids, whom I had got to know," says Gates.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Former Apple exec Jon Rubinstein leaves HP...
HP has confirmed that former Palm CEO and one-time Apple executive Jon Rubinstein was leaving the company. Representative Mylene Mangalindan explained to AllThingsD that Rubinstein had "fulfilled his commitment" to stay for one to two years after HP's acquisition of Palm. He wasn't leaving for another company and isn't believed to have some other specific goal.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Apple leads 2011 Japanese tablet share by dominant margin...
The iPad was the overwhelming leader in the Japanese tablet market during 2011, data from tracking firm BCN indicates. Apple held a 63.6 percent share of the Japanese market, easily eclipsing its closest rivals. Acer ranked second with just 9.8 percent, for instance, while Samsung came in third at 5.3 percent. Apple claimed second place in terms of tablet accessories with 13.3 percent; the company was flanked by Elecom at 21.6 percent, and Trinity at 12.8 percent.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Morning Edition
Apple, Google denied dismissal of anti-poaching lawsuit...
Northern California district court judge Lucy Koh ruled late Thursday that multiple technologies can't dismiss a lawsuit over anti-poaching deals. Adobe, Apple, Google, Intel, Intuit, Lucasfilm, and Pixar will have to face the allegations that they unfairly hurt compensation and job chances by making informal pacts to avoid recruiting each other's staff. Judge Koh's view echoed those of the raw evidence, which confirmed individual deals but didn't show that the industry at large was colluding against recruiting attempts.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
ABI: Android has lost market share for first time...
Apple's record iPhone sales have led to Android shrinking for the first time in its over three-year history, ABI Research estimated Friday. Operating on the belief that next-closest Samsung shipped 33 million smartphones, it had Android's collective share drop from 52.5 percent in the summer to 47 percent this fall. Apart from the iPhone 4S' launch effect, Android had 'sagging midsection' where LG, Motorola, and Sony had been fighting just to become profitable.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Apple acknolwedges AppleCare dispute on Italian web store...
Apple has posted a link on its Italian web store, acknowledging its legal dispute with the local government over AppleCare warranties. The link -- simply titled "Communication to protect consumers" -- takes visitors to a PDF file, detailing the government's decision, which resulted in a €900,000 fine. Apple normally only provides a one-year AppleCare warranty for free, but Italian law grants shoppers a minimum of two years of coverage, which Apple is being asked to guarantee by March.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | 1 comment]
DealNN roundup: 2.2GHz MacBook Pro, now $1749...
Today's deals from DealNN include price breaks on MacBook Pros, HDTVs, and more. Macmall.com this week is featuring the 15.4-inch, 2.2GHz MacBook Pro, complete with quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 4GB of RAM, 750GB hard drive, and Mac OS X Lion operating system. Currently featured at DealNN, this MacBook Pro has now dropped to $1,749.99 and offers savings of up to $449.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Microsoft said testing Kinect built into notebooks...
Microsoft is not only planning to release Kinect for Windows but is aiming to make motion control a built-in feature for PCs, according to fresh leaks. Those at The Daily claim to have used two prototype Windows 8 notebooks where the Kinect sensor system replaces the normal webcam. A Microsoft insider claimed that the ASUS-branded systems are testbeds with the hint they may become real products.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Cook: Apple 'attacking' human rights problems in factories...
Apple CEO Tim Cook has sent out a long letter to workers in an attempt to respond to complaints about poor conditions at supplier factories, according to 9to5Mac. "As a company and as individuals, we are defined by our values," the letter begins. "Unfortunately some people are questioning Apple’s values today, and I’d like to address this with you directly. We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain. Any accident is deeply troubling, and any issue with working conditions is cause for concern. Any suggestion that we don’t care is patently false and offensive to us. As you know better than anyone, accusations like these are contrary to our values. It’s not who we are. [C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Early Morning Edition
