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Friday Grab Bag: Apple to Expand iPhone with Mid- and Low-Cost Models?

May 31, 2013 by 1 Comment

If you are wondering about Apple CEO Tim Cook’s opinions on a variety of topics from the future of mobile computing, an Apple-owned social network to the future of the Apple iOS tune into the video of his interview at All Things D.

He does not delve into any topic too deeply, but then that often seems to be his trademark, but does hint about the phones and discuss Google Glass a bit. Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference, due to start June 10, should be when most of the details for upcoming products emerge.

Apple to open additional APIs to developers
One interesting note from the All Things Digital talk was Cook commenting that Apple plans to open more APIs to third-party developers. On the face of it that does not sound too interesting but then you look at what is currently locked up.

It could give users the ability to select their home screen and lock screen as well as change their keyboard. In other words function more like an Android phone.

Google to embrace HTC One
The HTC One smartphone, ridiculed as the failed first attempt by Facebook to establish its own version of its app as the startup page on phones looks to be getting a new life from rival Google. It will be one of two new offerings from Google expected in the upcoming weeks. The difference here will be that it runs an unmodified version of Android.

Also expected from Google is the long awaited Motorola X phone, which will be called the Moto X, and should be available for the fall holiday gift giving season i.e. October.

HTC to deliver 7-inch Windows Tablet, yet killing 12-inch?
Speaking of HTC Bloomberg, via Engadget, is reporting that HTC will be killing off its planned 12-inch Windows RT tablet due to its belief that there will be little demand for that version of the Windows operating system and/or tablets that size.
Smaller form factor tablets have been selling at an increasingly fast rate and Bloomberg is reporting that HTC will be delivering a 7-inch Windows RT tablet, probably in September or October of this year.

E3 Just two weeks away
E3, one of the premier game and entertainment trade show is set to run from June 11-13 in Los Angeles. Once this might not have meant much to both sports fans and mobile users but increasingly apps are being developed and debuted that are designed for smartphones and tablets. Expect a wave of iOS and Android apps from the show and hopefully some that are top notch sports ones.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, Facebook, Google, HTC, iOS 6, iPhone, Microsoft, Surface, Tablets, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

MLB Comes to TiVo-Is there a Player it Does Not support?

May 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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One of the advantages of having MLB.TV Premium subscription has always been that you can use a variety of platforms to watch and listen to games, but until MLB added TiVo I never realized how many it actually did support.

TiVo users can now watch MLB games, subject to certain limitations, and the app is designed to take advantage of select features that come with TiVo. MLB integrated TiVo’s standard playback functions into the app, including the ability to pause, fast-forward and rewind or skip game action.

The MLB.TV is set up to deliver game viewing and video stream in a picture-in-graphic (PIG) or an “L bar” window to view the score while watching a game. There are a range of additional features from the relatively mundane ones such as stats and standings, favorite team selection, a choice of home or away broadcasters, and calendar view to one called “Jump to Inning” that permits users to jump back to the beginning of any inning in the game.

The addition of TiVo support is in line with MLB’s approach of delivering its programming and games to its audience in as wide a manner as possible. It has a number of mobile devices supported including Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Then there is the huge number of devices that support Google’s Android operating system and most recently added was support for the BlackBerry Z10.

Now I was aware of all of these but the other, more stationary platforms caught me by a bit of a surprise, although I have watched games on two of the platforms. There is the Sony Playstation 3, Samsung TV and Blu-ray Disc Player, Apple TV, Roku Player and Boxee. Then of course there is also Xbox 360, Sony TV and Blu-ray players and Western Digital TV Live.

It is too bad that other sports do not actively follow the lead of MLB, but I guess that the broadcasting contracts most likely prohibit them from doing so. Fans of many teams, say in football, are constantly subjected to a limited number of teams on national broadcasts, and if you live outside of your teams home base you may only see them once or twice on broadcast TV a season.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apple, Apps, Baseball, BlackBerry, Google, iOS, iPad, iPhone, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, Major League Baseball, Tablets Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Friday Grab Bag: ESPN Gets US Open, Qualcomm Adds Kaspersky

May 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The dangers of getting malware and viruses on Android devices could be lessened greatly due to a deal that has Qualcomm preloading security firm Kaspersky Lab’s mobile security products into Qualcomm’s silicon that is used to power over a 1,000 different smartphones.

According to Kaspersky the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor can be found in 770 commercially available or announced products as well as in another 550 products that are in some stage of the product design pipeline.


ESPN Gets US Open
ESPN has once again expanded its tennis coverage with the signing of an 11-year deal with the USTA, taking the coverage away from long time USTA broadcast partner CBS. The $770 million deal will start in 2015.

This deal will move the entire tournament to cable after an over the air broadcast run on CBS that started in 1968. CBS will be broadcasting the next two tournaments before its current contract expires.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone making market gains
Microsoft’s Windows Phone is slowly gaining a stronger position in the overall handset market and according to the latest numbers from market research firm International Data Corp. (as reported by Pocket-Lint) it has now passed the BlackBerry OS and moved into third place.

The leader, by a hefty margin, is the Android operating system, which has a 75% market share in the first quarter of 2013 followed by Apple’s iOS which has a 17.3% market share. Windows has 3.2% while BlackBerry has 2.9%.

Will Microsoft remake Windows RT
PC World has an interesting piece on the future of Windows RT, the alternative to Windows 8 for tablet users in the Microsoft world. Met with at best lackluster acceptance, analysts are saying the OEM pricing has to drop and the focus needs fine tuning.

Microsoft has said that it has no intention of killing the platform, which it is positioning as an alternative to the Android and Apple iOS platforms for users that do not want the Windows option either. However right now Apple still has a great deal of cache in the market while Android is offered for free so developers can easily undercut Windows RT devices.

Google announces streaming music service
In case you were out of touch this week Google held its annual Google I/O conference and there was a host of announcements that burst forth from the event. Probably the one that held the most interest is the unveiling of its streaming music service.

The Google Play All Music Access service is expected to rival an expected one from Apple as well as existing ones such as Spotify. It has many features similar to what Pandora offers including a thumb up or down on songs and the ability to load in your own music. It will have a $9.99 monthly fee.

Windows “Blue” due next month
The upgrade to Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system, version 8.1 and commonly called Windows Blue, will be previewed on June 26 and will be available for free to over 100 million registered users of Windows 8.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, ESPN, Google, iOS, Microsoft, Surface, Tablets, Tennis, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Friday Grab Bag: Unhappy iPad Users? Is Facebook Home Dead Already?

May 10, 2013 by 1 Comment

Will Microsoft buy Barnes & Noble’s Nook Business?
The rumor has once again emerged that Microsoft is looking at buying Barnes & Noble’s Nook business unit, a unit that Microsoft has already invested $300 million. TechCrunch is now reporting that it has internal documents that show that indeed the software giant is pondering such a move.

The cost is approximately $1 billion, which would also include Nook Media and related digital business operations. The documents show that Barnes & Noble is considering discontinuing its Android-based tablets next year.

Apple Patents invisible buttons
As smartphone users seemingly are demanding additional functionality with each new release of their favorite handset product designers are faced with the classic issue of form or functionality. Now Apple has patented a technology that seems to solve the issue by enabling fully functioning buttons and sliders that are not visible.

If you are wondering how you would use invisible items, they are not always hidden from the eye, but would appear when you motion towards them, according to a piece on them in Geek Newsletter.

Is Facebook’s Home burning down?
A few weeks ago amid a great deal of hype Facebook offered its latest and greatest mobile offering, Facebook Home. If you missed the announcement it was the debut of a smartphone, and a related app for owners of alternative Android devices, which made Facebook your smartphone start screen.

The HTC First was the first smartphone to come with the technology as standard and it was available from AT&T for $99. It has been apparently been met by a universal shrug of the shoulders by users, which had led AT&T to drop the price of the phone a bit, to 99 cents! Salon gives a good look at how far and fast this technology has dropped.

Amazon to offer smartphone with 3D display?
The Wall Street Journal is reporting (via C/Net) that Amazon is working on a pair of smartphones and that one of the two will have a 3D capability that will enable hologram like images. However the article made clear that the smartphones might never see the loght of day.

Amazon is increasingly delving into the hardware space starting with its popular Kindle tablet. While the rest is rumor, so far, it sounds like a set top box and the aforementioned smartphones are also in the works.

Google Glass takes another hit.
In case you missed the send up on Saturday Night Live you can look here but real world resistance to Google Glass technology is also continuing to rise. A nice piece in the New York Times outlines some of the major Pros and Cons of the technology.

We have always wondered how Las Vegas would deal with the glasses, and the NYT is of the opinion they will be banned, an opinion backed by Caesars Entertainment statement that they would be prohibited. However it is estimated that the glasses could generate upwards to $#500 billion for Google.

Bill Gates chimes in on iPad
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates recently spoke with CNBC and said that iPad users are frustrated with the lack of keyboard and because there is no Microsoft Office app for that platform that they will migrate to PC Tablets.

As can be noted in the Guardian’s coverage of his statements so Apple has sold an estimated 141 million iPads to unhappy users while the happy Microsoft Surface users have already swarmed the stores for an estimated 2 million units. Of course the Surface is still relatively new so we will see what the future brings.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apple, Apps, AT&T, Barnes & Noble, Facebook, Google, HTC, iPad, Microsoft, Nook, Smartphone, Surface, Tablets, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Friday Grab Bag- Major Apple iOS 7 Revamp on the Way?

May 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Google has started providing its developers with the Glass Explorer edition of the product and they have started to create some of the first generation apps for the eyewear. It already comes with voice recognition software to help users navigate and display data but one developer has taken it a step further.

According to a piece by CBS News an app has emerged that cuts out the need to inform the glasses verbally to take a photo or need to touch any sort of button, all you need to do is wink and the action has occurred. I wonder what happens on a windy day, possibly a flash card collection of your day?


Next Gen Samsung Galaxy Note specs leaked
Samsung, which appears to be in an escalating war of smartphone features with Apple, has had the details of its next generation offering released according to SamMobile. The Galaxy Note III is expected feature a 5.99” full Super HD display and a 13 megapixel camera.

The real wow might be the fact that it could be powered by an eight-core CPU and feature an eight-core GPU as well, which should make it one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful handheld device available. It is expected to ship in the August/September time frame.

Google I/O Schedule Released
If you are waiting breathlessly for mid-May when the Google I/O conference is being held, or even if you are just mildly interested, the kind people at Google have released the schedule so that you can plan your day around the events.

There is a three hour keynote so bring your pillow and over 120 sessions. It will be interesting to see how they top the Google Glass skydiving event from last year. Sail a blimp around San Francisco Bay?

Intel and Samsung the latest to invest in Expect Labs
I hope you like Suri and the related speech programs appearing on devices because it looks like more are coming soon. Intel Capital, Samsung Venture Investment and Telefonica Digital have all invested in Expect Labs, a company that develops technology that analyzes and understands conversations in real-time.

The latest investors join Google and IDG Ventures. The company already has an app available called MindMeld for Apple’s iPad tablets.

Will Apple’s expected iOS 7 cause upheaval
Jonathon Ive, the knighted Apple design guru recently took over Apple’s latest efforts to deliver a new version of the operating system and early reports are that it will appeal to new users but may appall experienced ones.

If this sounds familiar it is what has happened to Microsoft with its Windows 8 release. It is reported that Ive will be taking a minimalist approach to the redesign and is expected to remove a good many of the icons and symbols that adorn the OS today in search of a simpler look.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, Galaxy Note, Google, Intel, Intel Capital, iOS, Samsung, Smartphone Tagged With: , , ,

Friday Grab Bag: Apple Refutes Multiple Product Rumors

April 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Market research firm Strategy Analytics is reporting that Apple had a 48% market share of the estimated 40.6 million tablets that were shipped in the first quarter of 2013, followed by tablets that ran the Android operating system which own a 43% market share. Tablets that ran Windows had a 7.5% market share.

Overall the market has seen tremendous growth, surging 117% compared to the 18.7 million tablets that were sold in the same period a year ago.

Will Windows 8 Refresh Refresh Microsoft?
Microsoft has taken a beating in recent weeks as analysts and OEMs have pointed a finger at the company’s Windows 8 release as being a disaster and hurt both PC and tablet sales by Windows licensees.

The refresh of the operating system, called ‘Blue’ is reported to have changes to the UI and some subcomponent fixes. How it does will be very important, analysts told IT World, but it also needs to address a host of other issues including app shortage, pricing and enterprise adoption rates.

Apple’s Cook fries rumors
Apple has long been one of the companies that is always surrounded by a host of rumors. Will there be a new, cheap iPhone, is a new tablet coming out this month? You know the drill.

Now the company’s CEO Tim Cook refuted a few during his comments during Apple’s Q2 earnings call. So do not expect a new iPhone or iPad release soon, don’t look for a cheap iPhone and don’t expect a large format iPhone any time soon. For a fuller explanation of his comments head over here.

Speaking of Apple the company’s most recent earnings report showed that profits declined for the first time in almost 10 years. While that is bad the company did have $9.5 billion in profits from a total revenue of $43.6 billion. Last year’s first quarter saw the company report $11.6 billion profit on $39.2 billion in revenue.

LG becoming a factor in the smartphone world
While most of the talk in the smartphone market centers around a rare few, you can now add LG to the list as a player making an impact. The company reported that it sold 10.3 million smartphones in the first quarter of this year. It could see strong additional sales in the near future as it plans to ship its flagship Optimus G Pro in the U.S. next month.

Will 2013 be the year of the Android malware app?
An interesting piece in Forbes talks about how the slow rise of malware on smartphones is starting to gain momentum and all of that momentum appears pointed at the Android market. One security company reported that the Google Play Store had 35 apps that were infected with by a malware called BadNews.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apple, Apps, Google, iOS, iPad, iPhone, Microsoft, Smartphone, Surface, Tablets, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , ,
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