News Archive for 12/09/27
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With just two days to go until the end of it's fiscal year, Apple is launching the iPhone 5 in 22 additional countries as well as on a number of US regional and smaller carriers beginning Friday as early as midnight (local time zones). The Wall Street Journal reports that some foreign carriers have opted to cancel pre-orders of the iPhone 5 due to low delivery volumes. The major carriers and Apple itself in the US continue to experience severe shortages, with ordering times on Apple's site now 3-4 weeks. Friday will see a total of 31 countries selling the iPhone.
Amazon has started offering funding to businesses selling on its marketplace, a move that could increase sales for both Amazon and the partners, while at the same time exposing it to possible credit default risks. The new program titled "Amazon Lending" has sent emails to sellers offering loans from Amazon Capital Services, offering up to $800,000 to some sellers, and charging interest rates between one and 13 percent.
Adobe warned today that an internal digital code signing server was hacked by "sophisticated threat actors" focusing on Adobe. The early-July hack led to the compilation of a minimum of two malicious files that were digitally signed and authenticated as Adobe genuine software. The hack gave the attackers the means to build malware that the operating system views as legitimate Adobe-created software, making it that much harder for security packages to detect and eliminate the threat.
Intel has disclosed specific details of the renamed Clover Trail processor, now called the Intel Atom Z2760 processor. The processor is a highly integrated dual-core system on a chip specially designed and targeted for Windows 8 tablets and tablet convertibles, including both the new Windows 8 user interface and familiar Windows desktop modes.
Google's Brazilian unit announced today that the company would be complying with a court order calling for Google to take down a YouTube video critical of a Brazilian mayoral candidate. The video had been the source of some conflict between the Brazilian court and the world's largest search engine, with the court ordering the arrest of a Google executive yesterday. Now, though, Reuters reports that Google will remove the video, though the company lamented it would not be afforded the opportunity to debate the free speech and expression implications of the controversy surrounding the order.
An advertisement for a Motorola smartphone showing Google Maps as better than Apple's Maps app came under criticism itself today. The ad, promoting the Droid Razr M compared both versions of the Maps app, with the Razr M appearing to have found a fictitious location correctly while the iPhone 5 seemed to complete the same task with the wrong result -- with the only problem being that the address doesn't actually exist.
According to a Government Accountability Office report, wireless medical devices vulnerable to remote control by hackers are proliferating, and should come under greater government oversight. Devices with wireless connections potentially vulnerable to attack include insulin pumps, pacemakers, defibrillators, and neurosurgical implants.
Earlier this week, Texas Instruments announced that it was getting out of the consumer-product chip business and focusing on embedded industrial chip uses, a blow to rivals who had been looking at the company's forthcoming OMAP5 chip as a rival to Apple's speedy A6. TI had been supplying Open Multimedia Applications Platform (OMAP) chips based on ARM designs to phone and tablet makers such as Amazon, Motorola, Nokia, LG, RIM and other companies, but was feeling the heat of increased competition and pressure to keep pace.
Samsung expects its Galaxy Note II smartphone will debut to even swifter sales than did its predecessor. As Bloomberg details, Samsung executives gave their optimistic projections for the new phablet yesterday at a press briefing, though they stopped short of any precise figure. The South Korean manufacturer expects that the new Note could sell three times as quickly as the first version did.
Polaroid has introduced its new line of hi-definition sports video cameras. The Polaroid XS7, XS20, and XS100 are the newest additions to Polaroid’s robust instant camera and camcorder offerings, the Polaroid XS sports video cameras provide users with the ability to take videos and still images in a variety of sport settings.
A bug in the official Twitter iOS app is causing some mentions to be replaced by older, retweeted ones, reports say. Favstar.fm remarks that the issue occurs when an older mention has been retweeted by someone else. The problem doesn't seem to be replicable in third-party apps, such as Tweetbot.
Research in Motion posted a $235 million operating loss for the second quarter of this year, but shares in the company rose as the BlackBerry maker reported figures that beat analysts expectations. The Wall Street Journal reports that RIM stocks were up 14 percent today on news that RIM's subscriber base has grown even as it struggles to maintain a prominent position in light of increased competition from Apple, Samsung, and other smartphone manufacturers.
Samsung has sent out invites to a special event later next month. Invites asking to “Save the Date” of October 24th have been sent to media outlets, with the event being located somewhere in New York City. Despite the lack of a named product, the invite does still provide a few clues for what is to be revealed to the press.
Sony will be bringing its Xperia tipo and tipo dual handsets to US shores as unlocked models. The two Android 4.0 handsets will connect to AT&T and T-Mobile's networks, and they will work with 2100MHz carriers internationally.
Instagram has surpassed Twitter in terms of daily active mobile users, according to new figures out today. The new figures come from comScore, which says in its new mobile measurement report that Instagram, recently purchased by Facebook, averaged 7.3 million daily active users in the month of August, while Twitter averaged 6.9 million over the same period. The research firm's figures also showed that Instagram users are spending more time interacting with the service than are Twitter users.
Google has announced that Gmail and Google Calendar are now capable of contact sync via CardDAV. CardDAV is an open format, and should make it easier to sync Google contacts to third-party clients, such as the native Contacts app in iOS. Previously people sometimes had to go through harder workarounds, such as Exchange.
Owners of Asus' Transformer Prime TF201 will now be able to receive an update to the latest version of Google's Android operating system, version 4.1.1 Jelly Bean. The roll out is part of a larger string of upgrades on the part of the Taiwanese manufacturer, one that will see the TF700 upgraded to version 4.1.1 as well. Users looking to upgrade can initiate the process by going to the About tablet section section under settings and selecting System updates.
Bank of America has begun testing a new mobile payment system using iPhones and Android phones, Reuters reports. The technology was developed by a company called Paydiant, and unlike a previous trial, doesn't depend on phones and stores being equipped with NFC technology. Instead payment card data is stored on a server, and when a person goes to pay, they load an app that scans a QR code displayed at a register. Five merchants in Charlotte, North Carolina are known to be participating, but Paydiant has refused to name any other parties involved in the trial. Only BoA workers are able to use the system at the moment.
Televisions are the primary screen for viewing free and paid video streamed from the Internet, according to the NPD. A recent survey suggests that 45-percent of Americans primarily use their TVs for online streaming, while 31-percent used personal computers instead. This is the first time that the TV has overtaken computers for web-based video.
Samsung appears to be readying to release another entry in its Galaxy line of devices, this time a music-oriented handheld with forward-facing speakers. Images of the Galaxy Music leaked to Telekom-Presse, showing off the forthcoming device as well as its likely specifications. The images show off a device with middling specs, but one that may be well positioned to address the music lover market.
AT&T announced today that it would be the exclusive carrier of the MiFi Liberate, the first mobile hotspot with a touchscreen display. The MiFi Liberate, from Novatel Wireless, will connect to AT&T's 4G LTE network, and it will support up to 10 Wi-Fi devices. AT&T has yet to reveal when the device will become available, but it is currently listed as "coming soon."
Dish Network is set to launch its nationwide satellite broadband service in the US. Called dishNET, the service is a collaboration between Dish, ViaSat and Hughes, and hopes to offer the 14.5 million rural residents under-served by DSL and cable internet providers a satellite broadband connection, claimed to be as high as 10Mbps.
European Union regulators are preparing to formally charge Microsoft for violating a 2009 commitment, according to EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia. Comments from the antitrust head suggest Microsoft is nearing punishment, potentially a sizable a fine, for failing to provide a browser-choice screen in its first Windows 7 service pack.
A newly-published Apple patent application seeks the US rights to Siri, notes AppleInsider. The 51-page filing is simply titled Intelligent Automated Assistant, but illustrates software that "engages with the user in an integrated, conversational manner using natural dialog, and invokes external services when appropriate to obtain information or perform various actions." In explaining the purpose of the technology, Apple states that smartphones have numerous apps each with their own interface, which can allegedly be "burdensome to learn or overwhelming for users." A conversational voice command system is said to alleviate the problem.
Rumors suggest Google is going to launch a $99 Nexus 7 by the end of this year. According to industry sources of DigiTimes, both Google and Asus will make two new versions of the tablet, both of which will be thinner and use TN panels from HannStar Display in Taiwan. The rumor also suggest HannStar has entered the supply chain for the iPad, although this has yet to be confirmed.
Nokia’s anticipated Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 Windows Phone 8 smartphones have been given official pricing and release dates in Russia, Germany and Italy so far. When the devices were launched in early September, Nokia made the surprising decision to omit details on pricing and availability. Although U.S. pricing or availability is still to come, indicative pricing and launch availability for the key North American market can be expected soon.
Dutch boutique accessory maker Mujjo has revealed its latest wallet and sleeve designs for the iPhone 5. While many iPhone cases are made of plastic, Mujjo prefers to utilize materials like leather and wool, matching the quality of its designs with high quality materials. MacNN has had the opportunity to chat with Remy Nagelmaeker, the Founder of Mujjo about its new iPhone 5 wallet and iPhone 5 sleeve.
Amazon is requesting a federal judge in Oakland, California to dismiss Apple's false advertising claim against the retailer challenging the use of the "app store" name. The claim followed the launch of the Kindle Fire tablet and associated store called the "Amazon Appstore" instead of a similar term such as "Amazon Appstore for Android." Apple claims that the change could contribute to consumer confusion.
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