mangyantech

Apple's iTunes Sells 25 Billion Songs

2013-02-11T07:00:00.000+08:00

Cisco recently unveiled its Visual Networking Index Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, a rather long-winded title for a white paper. But don’t let its wordy head mislead you. Within its pages are some giddying data, forecasts, and conclusions that can send any geek’s heart to Nirvana, or something that resembles it in the geek world.

Anyway, according to Cisco, there were 36 million tablets connected to the mobile network in 2012. This figure was 2.5 times larger than that of the previous year. Data also revealed that each tablet generated 2.4 times more traffic than your average smartphone.

Along with this increase in number of connected mobile devices, mobile Internet traffic worldwide also increased 70 percent in 2012, almost double that of the previous year. Currently, mobile Internet traffic is 12 times bigger than the whole Internet worldwide way back in 2000.

Another noteworthy thing, mobile video grew 50 percent, accounting for almost 51 percent of mobile traffic, in 2012. In fact, Cisco thinks video will account for two-thirds of global mobile data traffic by 2017.

HTC Lives

Contrary to the pronouncements made by some prophets of doom who were apparently gleefully predicting HTC’s imminent demise, the handset vendor appears to have lots of energy yet. One day, the tech company might even have the last laugh too.

HTC's strong lineup of smartphones helped the company grabbed 3rd place in the US smartphone market.

Data from comScore revealed HTC came in third behind Apple and Samsung on the market research firm’s list of top smartphone original equipment manufacturers in the United States for the quarter ending December 2012. Apple grabbed the largest share of the market at 36.3 percent. Samsung was next with 21 percent.

HTC accounted for more than one out of every 10 smartphones, which was good enough for third place.

This piece of information and other fact-based reports should help IT writers and columnists from letting their biases color their comments or cloud their perceptions of the market.

iTunes Reaches 25B Downloads

Apple’s iTunes said it has sold more than 25 billion songs sometime last week.

That would mean the Cupertino company’s online music store has sold the equivalent of more or less three songs for every human inhabitants of the planet. So, where are my digital copies of my three favorite novelty songs?

Apple says its iTunes online store has sold 25 billion songs.

Kidding aside, this is one serious milepost for the digital music industry. It also shows everybody who’s the real boss in the music industry.

Going Ape Over the iPad. Firefox Phones Are Coming

2013-01-28T09:55:00.000+08:00

Isn't it tragically funny or funnily tragic that some people in China, and most likely in a lot of other countries as well, are willing to give up a kidney or two, or some other internal organs, just to own an iPad?

But even more tragic or funnier is the news that the Smithsonian's National Zoo has gifted the orangutans under its care with an iPad each.

Such a piece of news could either give you some laughing fits or make you really angry, especially if you are among us who cannot just afford an iPad yet.

I wonder what the humane societies would have to say about this. What if those apes wanted a Google Nexus 7 instead or perhaps a Microsoft Surface RT?

Should somebody be suing the Smithsonian's zoo for committing acts of cruelty against helpless animals?

Firefox Phones

Mozilla announced the Keon and Peak, the first handsets that run the organization's HTML5-based Firefox mobile operating system.

The first handsets running Mozilla's HTML5-based Firefox mobile OS are coming.

Developed in partnership with Geekphone and Telefonica, Keon and Peak are not full-retail models. Instead, the units are designed for developers interested in building and testing apps for the Firefox mobile OS.

According to Mozilla, the Keon comes with a Qualcoom Snapdragon S1 1GHz processor, a 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen display, a 3-megapixel camera, and 4GB of built-in storage. It also includes the usual smartphone features, such as microSD support, WiFi, and GPS.

It does not do videocalls, however, as it lacks a forward-facing camera.

Meanwhile, the Peak comes with a slightly more impressive specs list, which includes a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, a 4.3-inch qHD display, an 8-megapixel camera, and 4GB of built-in storage.

Also, it is videocall-friendly, as it comes with a forward-facing 2-megapixel camera. It also comes with a higher-capacity battery.

The smartphone market has not been exactly competition-free for the past several years. The coming of the Firefox handsets certainly makes the market a lot more interesting.

Apple's Stock Sinks

The stock market is one of the most confusing things for most humans. It baffles most people, especially those who are not engaged in trading of shares of stocks. It certainly is quite arcane to me.

That is why I cannot even pretend to comprehend how the market could treat Apple "unfairly" following the Cupertino's announcement of its financial results for the latest quarter.

The company just announced a quarterly profit of $13.1 billion, which is a lot more than the GDP of many members of the United Nations. The company sold 28 percent more iPhones and 48 percent more iPads, for crying out loud.

And how did the market react? The company's stock fell 11 percent.

I have never been an Apple fanatic, but I still think this is nuts.

Nokia Wakes Up

Well, the company has not actually died. But the way things have been for quite some time, everybody knows Nokia has been having a near-death experience for the longest time.

For the past several quarters, Nokia was losing billions of dollars.

But the fourth quarter of 2012 is quite something else.

From the 1 billion euros the company lost in the same quarter of 2011, the company reported a profit of 202 million euros or 5 cents a share. Compared with the previous year, the company reported a net loss of 29 cents per share.

Of course, it is a pittance compared with Apple's $13.1-billion quarter. Some market analysts, however, believe Nokia's latest quarterly results bode well for the company's future.

Microsoft Needs To Do Better

2012-11-21T09:38:00.001+08:00

Striving to become relevant in the so-called post-PC age, Microsoft has embraced the idea of making its own hardware. Torpedoes, or unhappy and crappy OEM partners, be damned, the software giant seems to be all gung ho this time.

Forget what used to be an on-again, off-again hardware adventure, this time, Ballmer and company seem serious enough to take their biggest stab yet at the hardware market.


	Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unveils the Surface family of PCs for		Windows during an event in Hollywood, California.

Of course, Microsoft isn’t exactly a complete newbie in the hardware segment. It has had its share of wins and losses. While the Kin smartphone and the Zune media player bring too many cringe-worthy moments even for the most die-hard Microsoft fans, the Xbox gaming platform demonstrates how a determined and focused Microsoft can eventually rule even the most unwelcoming market.

There are, however, some obstacles that lie ahead of Microsoft's path to the hardware promised land. Chief among these issues is something that borders hatred, a deep-seated one, too many consumers and IT media people and commentators seem to harbor against the software company.

Consumers who are old enough to have experienced the Wintel homogeny or been using Windows operating systems for far too long, perhaps, may be forgiven for the apathy or distrust they have for the software maker. After having to spend too much of their computing time on Windows-flavored systems, they deserve the various opportunities to try other platforms and formats.

Sales of computers running Windows 8 are not as strong as Microsoft had hoped for.

Meanwhile, even a cursory look at the recent headlines of both the tech and mainstream media's coverage of anything related to Microsoft and its products would easily convince anyone, even those who never have the slightest conspiracy theory tendencies, of the existence of a universal prejudice among media commentators against the software company.

What then should Microsoft do in the face of seemingly impossible to overcome apathy, distrust, even hatred? How should the company proceed from here?

Xbox Lessons

Perhaps, the quickest lesson would be gleaned from the company's experience with the Xbox gaming platform.

Microsoft had more than its fair share of ridicule when it announced the original Xbox console. Several software and hardware issues, of which the Red Ring of Death was the most notorious, did not help the company win new friends in the very competitive market.

Microsoft, however, persisted. The company pushed itself and its engineers and designers to come up with a better product.

Today, the Xbox 360 is one of the world's bestselling gaming systems ever, with compatible game titles outselling even Hollywood's heaviest-hitting releases at the box office.

Problems Surface

In the long term, however, Microsoft just needs to accept the market reputation it currently has.

One sure way the company can convince consumers and everybody else that it deserves to be in the market, and be among its significant participants, is coming up with products that are well built and well designed. Everything else follows.

There are reports of consumer complaints about the Surface's keyboard/cover and Wi-Fi connectivity.

A consistently enjoyable user experience, one that puts equal emphasis on ease of use and productivity, would certainly bring the company much closer to hardware success.

Hence, for example, Microsoft needs to deal as soon as possible and the best way it can with some quality issues that its Windows RT-running Surface tablets reportedly come with. The more infamous of which has to do with its keyboard cover tearing up and spitting out its wires.

The company should be commended for the prompt upgrade that resolved some software-related issues, such as the lag in launching apps. Then again, better manufacturing processes, even product design, should have ensured none of such issues and problems emerged in the first place.

Clearly, Microsoft needs to do better next time. After all, Microsoft has to deal with hurdles much higher than other tech companies have to.

Arnova 7 G2: Humbler Tablets As Good As Their More Pretentiously Priced Rivals

2012-10-28T18:45:00.000+08:00

For the past couple of weeks, I have been using a low-caste tablet computer. It does not have the genes or a pedigree that its higher-priced counterparts from Apple and Samsung can lay claim to, no sirs.

Despite its low-end bearing, the Arnova 7 G2 tablet performs as capably as most other tablets.

Nor does it come with any pretentions at all. Unlike those quite popular tablets whose marketers have claimed are made in the land of milk and honey but are actually made in Taiwanese-owned factories in China, the Arnova 7 G2 makes no effort to hide its low-market intentions.

Features and Specs

This lowly tablet, however, comes with adequate muscle power to perform tasks as capably as the other tablets do. It has a 1GHz processor for its heart and a multi-touch screen. Although some might say it comes hobbled with a Jurassic version of the Android mobile operating system, the Arnova 7 G2 seems cool and dandy enough with the Gingerbread OS.

It has 8GB of built-in storage space, which is as large as those of the "more pricey" Android tablets, such as the entry-level versions of the Google Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD. The Arnova 7 G2 offers expandability via a micro SDHC slot.

But what grabs most users' attention is the tablet's 7-inch capacitive multi-touch screen, a TFT LCD capable of displaying up to 16 million colors. And while its 800 x 480 screen resolution is not the richest in its class, it can display photos, videos, and texts with more than enough clarity.

For connectivity interfaces, this Arnova tablet comes with a micro USB 2.0 and micro SD slots and connects to a network or the Internet via WiFi.

It plays back video files with various extensions including .avi, .mp4, .mkv, .mov, and .flv, using the H.264, MPEG-4, and Realvideo codecs. It also plays back audio files in the MP3, WAV, OGG, and FLAC formats, which makes the Arnova 7 G2 a virtual jack of all media.

This 12mm, 370gm tablet comes with an integrated kickstand, which lets users watch videos comfortably, and built-in speakers, microphone, and G-sensor.

Performance

Overall, my experience with the Arnova 7 G2 told me that it can perform tasks capably enough. Also, watching movies, listening to MP3 files, and playing Android games were pleasant enough most of the time. However, its being a budget-friendly tablet would sometimes get too obvious with how reluctant it seemed to launch apps, especially those graphics-heavy ones.

Worse, its screen is supposedly of the capacitive variety. Its performance, however, sometimes threw some doubts in the user's mind regarding the veracity of this assertion. There were instances when the screen seemed to ignore my forefinger's intention and "calls" for action and reaction.

There were occasions when I would think that the screen had failed to sense my finger's input, perhaps, I did not push or swipe hard enough. This would make me press or swipe again. Usually, such incidents would cause the tablet to "hang" or pause for a while, as if it was somebody gathering his wits after taking a bad fall.

Taking a fall the Arnova 7 G2 is not afraid, apparently. My unit emerged none the worse for taking a couple of unplanned plunges.

Overall, this Arnova tablet offers a low-cost tablet computing experience. It does most tasks as capably as the other tablets do most of the time. It might not be the sexiest and coolest tablet around, and it might not have that swagger that the pricier and higher-end tablets (and their owners) have, but it sure won't hurt your wallet.

Microsoft's Surface Tablet Finally (Officially) Arrives

2012-10-24T10:14:00.000+08:00

After months of sketchy details, which prompted some analysts and critics to dub the tablet as another case of vaporware, Microsoft unveiled some more details about its Surface tablets.

A screengrab from Microsoft's TV ad for the Surface tablet

Complete with a music-and-dance TV ad, which showed off some of the tablet's eye-candy features, the "great unveiling" of Microsoft's pricing strategy for the Surface tablet, specifically for the Windows RT version, had most of the media in frenzy although not as rabid as those generated by an Apple product launch.

Nevertheless, the Surface announcements grabbed some serious media and analyst attention.

Prices Surfaced

So, finally, four months after announcing the Surface tablets, Microsoft released its pricing scheme for the Windows RT (ARM chip-friendly) edition of the erstwhile software company's first hardware product designed and manufactured "in-house."

And what promptly came to industry analysts' minds after Microsoft's Surface announcements: Why did it take so long to announce the prices?

The Windows RT version of Microsoft's Surface tablet, finally and officially revealed

Now, this makes some people wonder what these analysts are imbibing. Weren't they listening when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said, "If you look at the bulk of the PC market, it would run between probably between $300 and $700 or $800"? He claimed that that price range would be the sweet spot.

While my wallet would have been much happier if the rumors about the Surface selling for $199 had turned out to be correct, the $499 starting price Microsoft announced is spot on. A $199 Surface would have made most consumers wonder about its quality, features, and capabilities.

Sold Out

The Surface's base model, the $499 32GB version, sold out on the first day of Microsoft's pre-order period. Microsoft's Web site now says it is scheduled to ship "within three weeks." Consumers who have pre-ordered the other two versions — the $599 32GB and $699 64GB models, both of which come with the black Touch Cover — can still expect to receive their Surface tablets by October 26.

While this could be a sign that Microsoft has got a potential bestseller in hand, critics (which the company seems to have plenty of lately) were also quick to point out that it could be a case of too little initial production volume.

Consumers' Pocket Shows Way

That is one of the worst clichés ever; nevertheless, it does ring true. Consumers will now decide the Surface's fate, and consequently, Microsoft's in the tablet computer market.

Would the Surface sell well enough and turn Microsoft into a serious contender in the market? Or would it tank and join Microsoft's list of failed products, which include Vista, the Kin smartphones, and the Zune?

While the Surface's pre-order numbers would tend to indicate a potential bestseller, the next few days after its October 6 coming will give us a more definite answer. The device carries much weight on its shoulders. That is certain.

Strong sales would mean Microsoft is indeed ready to rumble in the tablet market. It would also mean that Windows 8 is ready for prime time.

Finally, a Real Windows Tablet

2012-06-19T12:24:00.000+08:00

Finally, Windows fans can have their tablet fantasies come to life without betraying their favorite operating system.

An added pleasure would be knowing that the tablet comes from Microsoft itself.

Microsoft's Surface tablet comes with a cover-cum-keyboard.

After causing the most media buzz the software company has ever had for almost four decades of existence, Microsoft finally unveiled the Surface tablet computer.

Seems like Microsoft has got a beauty, from whichever angle.

Microsoft actually introduced two models of the Surface tablet. The Windows RT version comes with a USB 2.0 port, while the Windows 8 Professional version includes a USB 3.0.

Windows fans just have their tablet wish granted.

These tablets are expected to be available later this year.

I wonder, if I would be good and nice for the rest of the year, would Santa give me one of these?

So slender, this beauty-and-brain tablet.

Microsoft to Turn Windows Phone Into Another Xbox

2012-06-18T13:13:00.000+08:00

Microsoft, Nokia, and wireless operator AT&T threw a lot of their respective marketing muscles behind the Lumia 900 Windows Phone smartphone. Despite this, however, the phone, which has received much critical acclaim for its innovative design and refreshingly different mobile OS, posted so-so sales numbers.

It was not a flop. It was not a blockbuster, which Microsoft and Nokia badly need, either.

Nokia's Lumia 900 sold more units than expected; however, it was not big enough to give Windows Phone a significant market presence.

Things are looking bad for the smartphone partners. Things, however, are not desperate.

Things could improve a lot later this year, when Microsoft launches its next mobile OS, Windows Phone 8. And if we're to believe the rumors and leaks, the next-generation Windows Phone OS will come with some serious firepower.

Heavyweight OS

Microsoft-friendly blog, WPCentral, says that Windows Phone 8 will integrate Skype, making the most of the IP telephony services company the software giant acquired recently. Skype for Windows Phone 8 will provide WP smartphone owners with seamless, regular-phone-like services.

Windows 8 will integrate Skype.

Microsoft, however, will never be accused of playing favorites with its in-house voice-over-IP unit. Other VoIP service providers can connect with the Windows Phone 8, like Skype does.

Why WP Will Succeed, Eventually

Remember the Xbox's early days? Back then, Microsoft's foray into the gaming consoles market was every comic's favorite punch line.

And who could blame them? After all, the Xbox was a really funny, comedic idea.

Microsoft's tenacity helped the Xbox succeed in the gaming segment; the software giant is expected to be no less committed to Windows Phone.

Microsoft, however, never gave up, and kept pushing its Xbox gaming platform. Today, the much ridiculed Xbox is at the top of the gaming console heap, and nobody's laughing.

The Xbox's story seems similar to what the Windows Phone OS is currently going through. Microsoft's rebooted smartphone platform, most critics and naysayers find, is just as funny as its gaming console was during its early days.

There are things, however, that I believe will help ensure that Microsoft makes an Xbox of the Windows Phone.

First, all signs point to Microsoft's willingness to spend some serious money in pushing Windows Phone 7.5 and its successor operating systems. The software giant has invested considerable chunks of its war chest to help prop up Nokia's efforts to create and market Windows Phone smartphones.

Microsoft, recognizing how essential a robust collection of apps to a feasible ecosystem, has proved itself ready to spend in order to convince developers to create versions of their applications for Windows Phone. The software giant's efforts seem to be working, with the Marketplace reaching the 100,000-application point by end of May 2012.

Emerging Markets as Last Frontier

Windows Phone might be finding it near impossible to create a significant presence in the world's developed countries where Android and iOS smartphones rule. Microsoft's mobile OS is saddled with laughably tiny market share in the United States, for example.

Nokia's Lumia smartphones, however, have bigger shares of the market in China (7%) and Russia (8.2%).

Indeed, emerging markets appear to be where Windows Phone may be able to compete with market leaders Android and iOS on a more equal footing.

A Microsoft-Branded Tablet Makes Sense, as Well as Enemies

2012-06-17T21:07:00.000+08:00

Much has been said about why Microsoft should come up with its own tablet.

The reason most cited by IT columnists, bloggers, and all the other usual suspects is that by offering its own tablet computer, Microsoft can have control over the tablet's design and features, and most importantly, all aspects of the user experience.

Microsoft will launch its own tablet on Monday, some analysts claim.

Think of what Apple has done with the iPad — despotic control over everything about the world's most popular tablet computer. And consumers, millions of them, seem to love being told what to do. They love having no choice, apparently.

Download apps only from Apple's online market and from nowhere else. Yes, sir. Do you want that with mayonnaise or ketchup?

A Microsoft-branded tablet will help the software giant grow its app ecosystem faster, market observers say.

Proponents of Microsoft-should-build-its-own-tablet assert that having control over the hardware would make the process simpler, and make it easier for the software giant to design Windows specifically for the tablet platform.

Microsoft, they say, needs to realize that it needs to have its own tablet, with the software company having the final say on both hardware and software specs, if it wants to really compete with Apple's iPad-based onslaught in the tablet market.

Microsoft can also greatly enhance Windows Phone smartphones' fighting chance by releasing its own tablet, pundits are saying.

A Microsoft-branded tablet will also enable the Redmond-based software vendor to speed up the development of its app ecosystem, which most observers think is one of the factors limiting its Windows Phone platform from gaining a meaningful foothold on the mobile market. So, in a way, a Microsoft tablet will also help push the company's smartphone efforts.

Should Microsoft indeed decide to come up with its own tablet, how would it avoid displeasing its hardware vendors? Most of these companies, such as HP and Dell, have been developing and selling computers loaded with Microsoft's Windows operating system. Should Microsoft risk antagonizing them?

Some analysts claim Microsoft can significantly reduce the risk of alienating partner PC vendors by releasing only tablets that run Windows 8 for ARM processors, also known as Windows RT. This would help Microsoft avoid competing directly with hardware vendors that it had convinced to develop tablets powered by x86 processors and are designed to run the desktop-friendly version of Windows 8.

Would Microsoft's desire to strike at Apple's tablet market reign blind the company to the risks that come with potentially antagonizing Windows PC vendors?

Is Facebook releasing its own smartphone?

2012-06-06T09:35:00.000+08:00

Doomed IPO or not, Facebook doesn't seem too happy being an app on everybody else's smartphone. No, sires, the social networking behemoth wants to have its own smartphone, most market analysts believe.

There's no shortage of Facebook-friendly smartphones today; however, Facebook wants to launch its own smartphone, reports say. (Photo from HTC)

Not that we should accept everything that analysts say at face value. God knows we would all be millionaires by now if we were to receive a peso for every analyst forecast that didn't turn out quite near what actually occurred later.

Facebook wants something like this, its own smartphone. (Photo from ubergizmo.com)

But putting our aspirations to be millionaire aside for a while, we might see some semblance of future reality in what these rumors, I mean analysis and forecasts, say.

Facebook has been quite vocal about its lack of mobile muscle, about how mobile Internet could be detrimental to its advertising-based revenue model. Also, this is not the first time Facebook and smartphone have been used in one sentence by media and market commentators.

Some observers claim to know better than Facebook's top honchos and have said in no ambivalent way that making its own smartphone would be like committing suicide for the social networking site. Of course, an equal number of analysts say it would be a good idea, almost as great as eradicating world hunger.

Either way, it would be something exciting to see. Don't you agree?

Google Chrome Overtakes Internet Explorer Worldwide in May

2012-06-03T22:55:00.004+08:00

Microsoft seems to have given up the fight in the browser wars. Or is the software giant holding its fire, finally unleashing its own barrage, until it launches Windows 8?

Whatever the case might be, Microsoft needs to act fast.

Chrome is fast outgrowing Internet Explorer (and is pushing it out of the browser picture?).

Recently, Google's Chrome browser overtook Microsoft's Internet Explorer for the first time, Web site analytics firm StatCounter said.

Data released by the company showed that, in May 2012, Chrome accounted for 32.43 percent of the global browser market, slightly ahead of the Internet Explorer's 32.12 percent, and was trailed by Firefox with 25.55 percent.

So, what factors helped Chrome in catching up and finally overtaking Internet Explorer?

Most Chrome users credit the speed of Google's browser for their decision to dump Microsoft's IE. Compared with the former market leader, Chrome loads Web pages lightning fast.

My personal experience so far supports these users' claims. Indeed, Chrome outruns the Internet Explorer like the proverbial hare outrunning the turtle.

Another thing, and this could be a major reason for Chrome's surge to the front, is Microsoft's decision to bar consumers from installing Internet Explorer 9, a faster and more capable browser, on their Windows XP computers.

Maybe Microsoft should have kept in mind there are still millions of consumers accessing the Internet using their Windows XP computers. Had Microsoft put in place an easy upgrade or installation option for IE9 for XP users, things might have turned out differently.

Anyway, let us wait for the Windows 8's coming. The browser wars could only get hotter.

(via eweek.com)

AMD launches Trinity APU microprocessors: Ultrabooks don't have to be as costly as the Mac

2012-05-16T10:06:00.001+08:00

Purists and most Mac fans have been saying that Intel-sponsored ultrabooks are poor copies of the MacBook Air.

While these significantly thin laptops, which are PC makers' varied attempts at creating laptops as anorexic as Steve Jobs' ultraportable computer, may look like the MacBook Air, they are not MacBook Airs. In terms of performance and wow factor, ultrabooks are just light years short of the MacBook Air.

AMD's Trinity processor offers hardware manufacturers the ability to make ultrathin laptops that cost less but are just as powerful as the Intel-powered ultrabooks.

And to add insult to injury, most of the ultrabooks come just as expensive as Apple's bestselling thin computer, or at least hideously more expensive than conventional, thicker-girded laptops.

But things are likely to change with AMD's launch of its second-generation AMD A-Series Accelerated Processing Units or microprocessors for conventional and ultrathin notebooks. These APUs can also be used for All-in-One and traditional desktop computers, home theater PCs, and embedded systems.

Asus' ZenBook, just one of the many ultrabooks currently in the market

Codenamed "Trinity," the latest AMD chips come with features and enhancements including double the processing power per watt compared with the first-generation processor; AMD HD Media Accelerator designed to optimize video quality; 29 percent improvement in CPU performance; and AMD Radeon HD 7000 Series graphics that offers up to 56 percent improvement in graphics performance.

AMD also promises up to 9–12 hours of battery life, which it claims is made possible by improving CPU and GPU power management features.

AMD claims its Trinity chips offer various features and enhancements over their predecessor, the Llano.

At the end, AMD needs to convince OEM vendors that the A-series chips will enable them to manufacture thin and light laptops, similar to the MacBook Air and the growing line of ultrabooks, that are much more affordable or priced similarly as the conventional laptops. These AMD-powered "ultrabooks" should also come with features that equal or even outshine those of the older thin-and-light platforms.

One thing likely to excite both manufacturers and consumers will be AMD's plan to provide quad-core Trinity chips for these ultrathin notebooks. In contrast, Intel's ultrabook chips are limited to dual-core processors.

Nokia launches 1 Series of mobile phones: Nokia 110 and Nokia 112

2012-05-15T19:29:00.000+08:00

Seeking to regain its long-held and recently lost crown as the world's largest vendor of mobile phones, Nokia today launched its 1 Series of affordable handsets. But in a twist of some sort, instead of the usual low-cost mobile phones, the Finnish company came up with the Nokia 110 and Nokia 112.

Nokia 110 offers users an inexpensive yet fast means of connecting to the Internet, its vendor says.

Now, these phones may be inexpensive, but they offer young and urban consumers a fast and affordable means of connecting via social networks. They come with the Nokia Browser, an Internet browser Nokia claims reduces data consumption by up to 90 percent. This means the phones offer online access, while saving their users in terms of time and data costs.

The Nokia 110 and Nokia 112 offer their users direct access to Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks from the home page. Support for email and instant messaging means users can stay connected to their families and friends.

Nokia 112: Nokia's 1 Series highlights the company's efforts to regain its overall mobile phone market's leader.

Also, users can download EA games from the Nokia Store using an icon that comes pre-installed on the phones. A promo will let users download games for 60 days, starting from the first time they access the store using the offer. Game titles include Tetris, Bejeweled, Need for Speed: The Run, and Monopoly Here & Now. Games can be stored on the phone for life.

The dual-SIM phones also come with a VGA camera, an FM radio, and a media player capable of video and music playback. Support for MicroSD cards (up to 32GB capacity) means users can expand the phones' storage capacity. (Interesting, this feature is not found on several models and brands of pricier smartphones.)

Apple Insider's take on Siri's choice for the best smartphone ever

2012-05-13T13:56:00.001+08:00

Much have been written about Siri reportedly choosing the Lumia 900 over the iPhone as the best smartphone ever. I guess, it's about time we look at how the quintessential fanboi source, Apple Insider, views the whole thing.

Siri said Nokia's Lumia 900 is the best smartphone ever. Maybe she needs to drink more kool aid.

The story itself is fair and level headed. Comments posted by fan, er, readers are something else, however. A couple or so even threatened to stop visiting the site for Apple Insider having the "gall" to publish such a blasphemous story.

I guess, owning an iPhone doesn't really add that much to one's IQ or reading comprehension. To be fair, however, owning a smartphone, in general, doesn't have that effect on most users.

'via Blog this'

HP ready for another tablet love affair, with Windows 8

2012-05-13T12:35:00.001+08:00

Bangkong Post, in one of its recent stories, said that HP is preparing to get back into the tablet ring. But this time, HP, one of the largest hardware companies in the world, will come armed with Microsoft's next-generation operating system, Windows 8.

The TouchPad, HP's WebOS-based tablet, failed to ignite sales.

In 2011, the company had to make a hasty and embarrassing exit from the tablet computer market after the dismal showing of its WebOS-based TouchPad tablet. After this, few analysts and observers believed the company would ever try coming up with a consumer-oriented tablet computer again.

HP is hoping its Windows 8-running tablets would do better than the TouchPad did.

The company, however, has been selling Windows 7-powered tablets to corporate clients in several industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality markets. Also, HP, even before the TouchPad fiasco, had been in talks with Microsoft regarding future Windows 8-based tablet computers.

Will the market be more favorable for the Windows 8 tablets from HP than it has ever been for the TouchPad? I guess, we'll find out by the time the holidays shopping season gets here.
'via Blog this'

Much ado over a hoodie

2012-05-10T18:25:00.001+08:00

Recently, Bloomberg ran a story about an investment analyst not cool with Zuckerberg's hoodie.

“Mark and his signature hoodie: He’s actually showing investors he doesn’t care that much; he’s going to be him,” Pachter said in an interview on Bloomberg TV. “I think that’s a mark of immaturity. I think that he has to realize he’s bringing investors in as a new constituency right now, and I think he’s got to show them the respect that they deserve because he’s asking them for their money," said Michael Pachter, an analyst for Wedbush Securities.

Pachter is clearly not a fan of hoodie-wearing tech entrepreneurs, or perhaps, of all company founders who never wear a suit and a tie when meeting with potential investors.

His sartorial tastes notwithstanding, Pachter seems mistaken about one thing, most of all: Zuckerberg is not asking for the investors' money. It is the other way around. The investors are asking, in fact, begging, to be allowed to put their money where they believe more than 100 percent they are going to earn plenty more.

This corner says: Keep the hoodie, Mr. Z!

'via Blog this'

$99 Xbox 360 with Kinect now official, The Verge reports

2012-05-08T15:49:00.001+08:00

Tech blog The Verge recently posted an online story confirming that, indeed, Microsoft is offering a $99 Xbox 360 bundled with Kinect and a two-year subscription to Xbox Live Gold service.

While some analysts promptly pointed out that the deal would ultimately cost the consumer more, most observers, however, believe that with such a low initial investment, more gamers can afford Microsoft's gaming console.

Also, while we would be understandably reluctant to dub Microsoft as being a model of charity here, its low-cost move for the Xbox 360 will certainly prolong the gaming platform's hold on the gaming market's number 1 position.

Great marketing move, and a nice attempt to adopt the "mobile phone model" for the console market, we'd say.

'via Blog this'

Samsung's Galaxy S III Runs Windows Phone: Best of Possible Worlds

2012-05-05T12:07:00.000+08:00

Samsung continues pushing the envelope with the latest version of its Galaxy S smartphone, the Galaxy S III (or S3, whichever you prefer).

Powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos processor, 1GB RAM, and a GPU that the company claims runs 65 percent faster than the Mali 400 that comes with the Galaxy S II, the latest Galaxy phone comes with a removable 2100mAh battery.

Windows Phone-powered Samsung Galaxy S III: Best of possible worlds

But the most striking feature of this Samsung smartphone is its 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED screen. It is so huge, only that of the Galaxy Note's 5.3-inch display can make it feel insecure. And unlike some other famous smartphone, the S3's display comes protected by a Gorilla Glass 2 armor.

Galaxy S III's features list makes it ready to rumble with the upcoming iPhone 5.

This piece of mobile beauty will certainly make plenty of consumers' hearts go a-flutter. It may even steal a few fanbois away from their Kool-Aid-drinking ways.

Samsung's Galaxy S III: Android world's latest champion against the iPhone

My only wish and prayer — Might Samsung find the wisdom to put Windows Phone on this wonder of a smartphone.

Nokia is running out of time. Fast

2012-05-01T09:36:00.001+08:00

A story published recently by the Wall Street Journal presents a diagnosis of what's ailing Nokia, the world's erstwhile largest mobile phone maker. What is striking about the analysis, apart from its accuracy, of course, is how balanced the author's take on Nokia's predicament is.

Unlike most other stories about Nokia's (and Microsoft's) smartphone misfortunes, this piece by WSJ does not have that "wicked" and "glee-filled, gloating" tone. While the author did not in anyway sugar-coated his analysis of Nokia's problems, he presented a reality-based look at the options that the company may take to get out of the dismal situation.

Indeed, time is running out fast for Nokia. It definitely needs to come up with a "game-changing" device or two in order to reverse its painful decline into oblivion.

Nokia's road ahead is without a doubt going to be increasingly difficult, and getting out alive and well is never guaranteed, after all.

But there is hope. After all, Nokia has got what it needs to survive and prosper.

Nokia needs to arrest decline in emerging markets

2012-04-29T21:25:00.000+08:00

Nokia is having a hard time catching traction in the smartphone market.

While most reviewers have only good things to say about its Lumia series of Windows Phone-powered smartphones, consumers are somehow not buying.

Nokia's Lumia 900 and other Windows Phone smartphones get all the media attention.

And although most of the more than 2 million who actually bought the phones as of the first quarter of 2012 are very much satisfied about their Nokia smartphones, there are just not enough of them to counterbalance all the bad news hitting the Finnish mobile vendor.

A more alarming development for Nokia, however, is the loss of its crown as the world's largest seller of mobile phones. The company held that distinction for 14 years, but finally lost it to Samsung in the first quarter of 2012.

Nokia's features phones, such as the Asha series, must do better in the market.

This means the company is losing its luster in the features phone market as well, a segment that provided Nokia with reliable profits and stable growth in the emerging markets.

Nokia's sales in the basic-phone segment dropped 16 percent in the quarter, as well as in four of the previous five. In contrast, sales of competitors, such as ZTE and Huawei from China, are growing fast.

To give their higher-end brethren a bigger fighting chance.

Meanwhile, Nokia lost half of its market share in India in the three years until 2011, accounting only for 31 percent of the 183 million handsets sold, according to market research firm CyberMedia.

Nokia hopes the Asha 302 helps the company improve its fortune in emerging markets.

While most media attention has been focused on Nokia's struggles in the higher-end smartphone market, the company clearly needs to take care as well of its lower-end handset business. After all, its lowly features phones might give it the leg it needs to go mano-a-mano with dominant players Apple and Samsung.

Saying Goodbye to Windows XP

2012-04-29T18:20:00.001+08:00

In two years time, Microsoft will end all support for Windows XP, one of the world's most popular computer operating systems ever.

When April 8, 2014, comes upon us, the software giant will stop issuing fixes, security patches, or any other form of support for the OS and its millions of users.

Microsoft said it will stop all support for one of the world's most popular operating systems ever.

This is no big deal. Things like this happen all the time, in almost all industries. Automobiles, watches, even cosmetics, they all go out of fashion and become obsolete, or unimportant enough to merit a trip to history's dustbin.

Obsolescence, however, happens faster and more often in the high-tech world.

Consumers find nothing wrong, in fact, with replacing their smartphones as often as their favorite manufacturers would want. There are enough millions of Apple faithful, for example, who are willing to fall in line in front of their favorite Apple stores in order to be one among the first to get their hands on the latest iPhone, iPod, or iPad.

This ritual happens almost every year, on the dot.

Other manufacturers of smartphones and other high-tech gadgets resort to similar schemes.

In a way, this makes Windows XP something of a rarity. The software's immense popularity (It accounted for 76.1 percent of the OS market at the height of its fame, and despite Microsoft's several warnings of ending support for the OS, it still had a 28.9 percent share of the market in March 2012.) left the company with no choice but support it two years longer than it previously said it would.

But all good things come to an end.

I may have to rethink my decade-long love affair with Windows XP. While Windows XP systems will still be running as they have for the past 12 years, end of support means I might have to upgrade to a computer running Microsoft's latest computer operating system, such as the Windows 7, or jump directly to Windows 8 this October.

Of course, I could stick with my Windows XP computer and brave the potential security risks and deal with the highly likely refusal of independent software vendors and hardware manufacturers to support my "obsolete" system.

There are times when I wonder why gadgets and tools, which still seem perfectly capable of doing the job, have to be disposed of just because something new and flashier has arrived.

Ultrabooks will rule 2012

2011-11-27T21:44:00.001+08:00

Some IT journalists and industry analysts are predicting that 2012 will be the year of the ultrabook. You know, those anorexic laptops that are less than 0.8-inch thick and weigh less than 1.4kg, come with no optical drive, have ditched the hard disk for a solid-state drive, powered by a Core i5 or i7 processor, have a battery life of about 5–8 hours, and are priced around $1,000 (about Php 43,000).

Apple, with its MacBook Air, created a new market segment. Again.

The ZenBook from Asus, one of the thin laptops, aka ultrabooks

At least, that is how Intel defines an ultrabook. By the way, if you want to use the term "ultrabook," you might save yourself some future, highly probable legal headache by getting in touch with Intel, which owns the copyright to that term.

Well, you might add "don't come with the Mac operating system" to that list of qualifications. Right now, that is the only thing that helps consumers distinguish those non-Apple thin laptops from the MacBook Air.

The Aspire S3 from Acer

So far, even in terms of price, these mostly Windows-based ultrabooks are almost as expensive as the thin-books from Cupertino. Some industry watchers, however, forecast these PC-based thin laptops to have lower prices in 2012, when more PC vendors are expected to launch their own ultrabooks.

HP offers its Folio ultrabook to corporate users who want an extremely thin laptop.

PC makers that have introduced their ultrabook products include Lenovo with its IdeaPad U300s; Acer with the Aspire S3; Asus and its ZenBook; and HP with the Folio.

Kindle Fire: Waiting for Amazon to "Friend" customers with non-U.S. IP addresses

2011-11-27T18:31:00.001+08:00

Since its U.S. launch on November 14, 2011, Amazon's Kindle Fire has certainly made the tablet computer market a much more interesting space. Finally, consumers (at least, those who reside in the states) now have choices that are not limited between the expensive iPad and high-end Android slates and the low-cost, jocular excuses for a tablet computer.

Amazon's Kindle Fire is one exciting tablet computer. Local consumers, however, better wait for Amazon to resolve its geographical limits.

The Kindle Fire makes no pretensions as far as its list of features and capabilities is concerned. This doesn't mean, however, that it is a stingy and underperforming, underwhelming piece of high-tech tool-cum-toy.

No, sirs, it is one highly capable, value-for-money gadget. But what makes it truly an exciting device, one that most consumers would find worth their time and money, is how much support it gets from Amazon's corporate muscle and online markets.

Kindle Fire owners can buy, download, borrow, and store books, movies, games, and music files from Amazon's online retail operations. They can also use their tablet computers to purchase Amazon merchandises online.

Local consumers need to wait for a little while before they get to enjoy the Kindle Fire in all its glory.

Now, here is what stinks, at least, for Kindle Fire fans who do not reside in the United States. Most of these Amazon-centric features, including online purchasing and book lending, do not work outside the American borders. Once Amazon's computers sense a Kindle Fire is using a non-U.S. IP address, that particular tablet is refused entry into most of the Amazon ecology.

Buying a Kindle Fire, even for non-U.S. residents, is easy. Enjoying all its features and capabilities from outside the country is something else.

Seems non-American consumers have no choice but to wait for Amazon to address and resolve this geographical limitation of its bestselling slate before they should dream of owning one.

Or they can opt for the Nook from Barnes & Noble instead.

Disk encryption keeps criminal data from police eyes

2011-11-22T10:13:00.001+08:00

A research paper published in the Digital Investigation journal asserts that criminals can keep their data from law enforcement agencies by simply using commonly available hard drive encryption software. The joint U.S.-UK team of researchers has found that local and federal agencies cannot access data on a hard-disk drive that can incriminate those using the computer to commit crimes.

Data encryption protects the innocent, as well as the criminals. (Photo courtesy of renjith krishnan: www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=721)

Hollywood movies have made us believe that cracking encryption-protected disk drives is as easy as ABC. The unglamorous truth, however, is government-sanctioned hackers are unable to break the encryption, in most cases.

Researchers say that encryption is virtually heaven sent for criminals, especially for the IT-enabled variety.

Looking at the bright side, if disk encryption can help protect criminals' data, we can all take comfort from the fact that it also keeps safe data owned by the more law-abiding people like us.

Huawei brings MediaPad tablet computer to the Philippines

2011-11-20T20:41:00.000+08:00

Months after Huawei introduced it at the 2011 CommunicAsia in Singapore, the MediaPad is finally available from your favorite local IT retailers.

Running on the Honeycomb 3.2 build of Google's Android mobile operating system, the MediaPad comes packing a 7-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, encased in a 10.5mm (or 0.4 inches) thin body frame.

The MediaPad is Huawei's take on what consumers want from their tablets.

This 390-gram tablet computer is powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor and includes a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera and a 5-megapixel auto-focus main camera that also shoots HD videos.

This dual-core Android Honeycomb tablet also moonlights as a gaming platform.

It's not as pretty as that tablet from a certain company named after a very popular fruit, and its battery life, at 6 hours, is not exactly groundbreaking. The MediaPad, however, comes with some features that are noteworthy, to say the least.

For example, it offers 1080P full HD playback. It also comes with support for Flash 10.3 (Hmm. What would Steve Jobs say about that?)

Finally, with Nokia's Lumia 800, Windows users need not be embarrassed by their phones

2011-10-29T10:50:00.002+08:00

Let's admit it, most fans of Windows have been afflicted with smartphone envy, for the longest time. While lovers of the iOS and Android platforms have been proudly and at times brashly displaying their iPhones and Android phones, users of Windows-badged smartphones are surreptitiously using their own.

The humiliation, both self-imposed and bestowed by popular culture and market realities, has continued for quite some time. That is, until now.

Nokia's Lumia 800 eases Windows users' smartphone envy.

Last week's launch of the Lumia 800 smartphone by Nokia finally ends most Windows users' wait for a real "Windows smartphone." Finally, Windows users need not feel inadequate each time an Android or iPhone fan whips out his or her smartphone.

The Lumia 800 comes in cyan, magenta, and black and is powered by a 1.4GHz processor equipped with hardware acceleration and a graphics processor. Its 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss technology-equipped camera allows users to instantly share photos with their friends and family.

Feature for feature, function for function, the Lumia 800 can go toe to toe with its iOS and Android rivals.

Or they can simply view it via the phone's 3.7-inch AMOLED Clearback display.

The Lumia 800 also features HD video playback and offers 16GB of built-in storage space and 25GB of SkyDrive storage for free.

Nokia's Lumia 800 adds a sense of direction to Windows Phone.