Tech News and Review

Video Leaks Showing Alleged iPhone 5 Booting Up

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:58:25 PDT

MIC Gadget originally reported on the photos and video that showed up on Vgooo.com, claiming to show an iPhone boot up to a screen warning the device is not associated with a registered developer account. The video compares the white iPhone 4S and the new white iPhone 5, which features the same design indicated by numerous leaks. The only really questionable element is a fourth hole at the top of the device next to the camera. Also, the proximity sensor and camera have swapped positions as well, with the front facing camera now centered on the device.
The only other piece of the leaked device that looks suspect is the home button which appears to be a poor match quality wise for the rest of the device. The other indicators and markings appear to match up This could mean the device pictured about is some sort of working prototype or debugging unit that leaked out of Foxconn’s hands.

Source: Vgoo, [via MacRumors, MIC Gadget]

New iPods may be announced on September 12th

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:54:09 PDT

Although Apple’s (AAPL) September 12th invite graphic suggests the event will be all about the iPhone 5, 9to5Mac reports that new iPods could debut as well. According to the site, Apple might give two of its iPod lineups a refresh — specifically the iPod nano and iPod shuffle. 9to5Mac also speculates that it’s possible a refreshed iPod touch might make an appearance next Wednesday, too.

New iPods aren’t a stretch considering how Apple traditionally launches them towards the end of summer. Japanese blog Macotara.jp, which has been a reliable source for Apple leaks in the past, believes the new iPod nano will sport an elongated design similar to the fifth-generation iPod nano and will come with a touchscreen, Wi-Fi and a iOS home button.
As far as an updated iPod touch goes, it could get a slight tweak if case leaks from GizChina are legitimate.

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Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE will be offered for $499 with $50 yearly data plan

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:49:41 PDT

During its press conference in Santa Monica, California on Thursday, Amazon (AMZN) announced its first tablet with 4G LTE connectivity, the Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE. The 8.9-inch tablet will be offered for $499 and includes 250MB of data per month, 20GB of cloud storage and a $10 Amazon credit for just $49.99 a year. Amazon’s latest tablet will operate on AT&T’s 4G LTE network and includes an upgraded 32GB of internal storage. The Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE will be available for preorder today and begin shipping on November 20th. Amazon also announced a new front-lit Kindle Paperwhite eReader and three other Kindle Fire tablets during its press conference on Thursday.
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Amazon announces Kindle Fire HD starting at $199

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:45:05 PDT

Amazon on Wednesday announced sequels to its popular Kindle Fire tablet, dubbed the Kindle Fire HD. The new tablet line will feature a 7-inch or an 8.9-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. The 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD will sell for $299 and start shipping on November 20th. The smaller version of the Kindle Fire HD with a 7-inch screen will start at $199 and will ship on September 14th.

The 8.9-inch version of the tablet measures in at just 8.8 millimeters thin and weighs 20 ounces, and it features a TI OMAP 4470 processor. The device will also feature two separate Wi-Fi antennas that run on both the less-used 5GHz band and on the standard 2.4GHz band to maximize data efficiency. Most importantly, the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD will be the first version of the tablet to feature a front-facing HD camera that can be used to make video calls on a customized Skype app.

Both versions of the Kindle Fire HD will start with 16GB of storage, as Amazon has decided that its previous 8GB models didn’t provide enough space for users to store their content.

Amazon also announced that it has produced an upgraded version of its original 7-inch Kindle Fire that will sell for just $159 and will come with double its original RAM, a faster processor and a longer battery life. Finally, the company added a 4G LTE-enabled version of the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD that will sell for $499.

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Marissa Mayer named Yahoo CEO and President

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 20:40:36 PDT

($YHOO) Yahoo on Monday named Marissa Mayer the company’s new president and CEO. Mayer was one of the earliest employees with Google, joining the Internet giant in 1999 and becoming the company’s first woman engineer. “I am honored and delighted to lead Yahoo!, one of the internet’s premier destinations for more than 700 million users,” Mayer said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the Company’s dedicated employees to bring innovative products, content, and personalized experiences to users and advertisers all around the world.” Yahoo’s co-founder David Filo said, “Marissa is a well-known, visionary leader in user experience and product design and one of Silicon Valley’s most exciting strategists in technology development.” Mayer will begin her new job on July 17th.
Yahoo’s press release follows below.

Yahoo! Appoints Marissa Mayer Chief Executive Officer

SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 16, 2012

Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) today announced that it has appointed Marissa Mayer as President, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors effective July 17, 2012. The appointment of Ms. Mayer, a leading consumer internet executive, signals a renewed focus on product innovation to drive user experience and advertising revenue for one of the world’s largest consumer internet brands, whose leading properties include Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! Mobile, Yahoo! Mail, and Yahoo! Search.

Mayer said, “I am honored and delighted to lead Yahoo!, one of the internet’s premier destinations for more than 700 million users. I look forward to working with the Company’s dedicated employees to bring innovative products, content, and personalized experiences to users and advertisers all around the world.”

Most recently, Mayer was responsible for Local, Maps, and Location Services for Google, the company’s suite of local and geographical products including Google Maps, Google Earth, Zagat, Street View, and local search, for desktop and mobile. Mayer joined Google in 1999 as its 20th employee and led efforts for many of Google’s most recognizable products, including the development of its flagship search product and iconic homepage for over 10 years. Mayer managed some of Google’s most successful innovations, launching more than 100 features and products including image, book and product search, toolbar, iGoogle, Google News, and Gmail – creating much of the “look and feel” of the Google user experience.

Yahoo! Co-Founder David Filo said, “Marissa is a well-known, visionary leader in user experience and product design and one of Silicon Valley’s most exciting strategists in technology development. I look forward to working with her to enhance Yahoo’s product offerings for our over 700 million unique monthly visitors.”
“The Board of Directors unanimously agreed that Marissa’s unparalleled track record in technology, design, and product execution makes her the right leader for Yahoo! at this time of enormous opportunity,” said Fred Amoroso, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

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Microsoft announced the Surface tablet run Windows RT

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:57:35 PDT

Microsoft on Monday announced the Surface tablet during a press conference in Los Angeles, California. Rumors leading up to the event suggested that the Redmond-based company had an own-brand tablet in store, and a leaked spec sheet that emerged on Monday pointed to an Xbox-focused slate that would merge entertainment, gaming and high-definition output into a 7-inch tablet that would mark Microsoft’s premiere entry into the market. Bits and pieces of various rumors ended up panning out, and Microsoft unveiled its first own-brand Windows tablet line.

“Surface fulfills the dream of working anywhere,” Microsoft said of the 9.3-millimeter thick tablet, which includes a magnesium case that weighs less than 1.5 pounds and features an integrated stand to prop the device up while watching videos or typing on a Bluetooth keyboard. The 10.6-inch high-definition display on the Surface is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 2, and it includes a magnetic connector to hold a case in place.

The new Surface tablet ships with a number of popular Microsoft apps, including Xbox live, and it includes a native Netflix app as well. USB 2.0 and HDMI-out ports are both on board, as are rear and front-facing cameras. An Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5 processor powers the Surface along with a unique vented active cooling system.

Microsoft’s Surface tablet supports both finger and stylus input, as well as 600 dpi “Digital Ink” for drawing, writing and marking up documents. The device also supports a “Touchcover” with an integrated keyboard.

“This was built as a stage for Windows 8,” Microsoft’s Panos Panay said while on stage at the press conference. “It was important that we have hardware fade to the background so Windows 8 can come to the surface.”

Two Surface tablets will be available at launch, one running Windows 8 Pro and one running Windows RT, and pricing will be “like comparable tablets based on ARM” for the RT model, and in line with Ultrabooks for the Windows 8 Pro version. The Windows RT model will be available with either 32GB or 64GB of storage, and the Windows 8 Pro model will come with either 64GB or 128GB of storage.

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Apple announces WWDC keynote for June 11th at 10AM

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Tue, 29 May 2012 22:20:36 PDT

Apple has officially confirmed that the Worldwide Developers Conference 2012 (WDC 2012) keynote will be held at 10:00am on June 11th at Moscone West. Surprisingly, Apple has not confirmed who will in fact be delivering the keynote. Traditionally Apple’s CEO has participated, with Steve Jobs famously speaking for many years, and Tim Cook filling in for him among other executives.
Via: Apple

iPhone 5 back plate images leak with large screen, new dock connector, headphone jack at bottom

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Tue, 29 May 2012 22:17:27 PDT

These photos also clearly show some of the features of the next-generation iPhone. The long rumored smaller dock connector is present, the earphone jack has been moved to the bottom corner of the device (the first time Apple has done this on one of their smartphones) and it looks like the iPod touch., the speaker grills have been redesigned, and there is a new opening between the camera lens and the LED flash.

Via
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Google and Samsung announced a new Chromebook and Chromebox computer

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:53:03 PDT

Google and Samsung on Tuesday announced a new Chromebook and Chromebox computer. Both machines are powered by Google’s cloud-based Chrome OS and are built for speed. Samsung’s newest Chromebook, the Series 5 550, features a 12.1-inch display, an Intel Core processor, 4GB of RAM, an HD Camera, two USB 2.0 ports and six hours of continuous battery life. The Chromebox resembles Apple’s Mac mini, and adds four additional USB 2.0 ports. Both come equipped with built-in dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Gigbit ethernet, however the Chromebook also has a 3G connectivity option. The Chromebook Series 5 550 starts at $449 and the Chromebox can be purchased for $329 — the two devices are available now.
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Dell will launch a 10.8-inch tablet with Windows 8, removable battery support

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Mon, 28 May 2012 22:39:31 PDT

After a number of failed attempts in the Android tablet market, Dell is looking to readdress the tablet space with Windows 8. According to a leaked document obtained by Neowin, Dell will launch a 10.8-inch tablet with 1,366 x 768-pixel resolution and a dual-core Atom processor later this year. The slate will also be equipped with a fingerprint reader, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, Intel graphics, 2GB of RAM and a massive 128GB solid-state drive. Unlike many other tablets, Dell has included a removable battery that will come in two sizes. A smaller battery will get between six and eight hours of battery life, while a larger one will offer between 10 and 12 hours of usage per charge. The tablet is rumored for a late fall launch, and no pricing details were reported.

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Next generation iPod Touch measure in at 4.1 inches diagonally

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Wed, 23 May 2012 07:52:34 PDT

MacRumors has just posted photos, which they claim are of the front panel of the next generation iPod touch.According to the supplier who sent MacRumors these photos, the front panel part suggests that the next generation iPod touch will sport a taller 4.1 inch display.

Apple's next generation iPhone is widely expected to sport a taller 4-inch display, so it is quite likely that the next generation iPod touch will sport the taller display.
MacRumors reports:

one of our sources has provided us with images of what are claimed to be new next-generation iOS device parts being carried by a supplier. The most significant of these parts is a claimed front panel from the next-generation iPod touch, with the supplier claiming that the display would be taller than the current model and measure in at 4.1 inches diagonally.

MacRumors has also received photos on the next generation iPhone such as the Home button and front and rear cameras.

The photos are extremely small, but at a minimum the home button flex cable and front camera assembly show distinct differences from their iPhone 4S counterparts, although they may end up being functionally indistinguishable from the user's perspective. The rear camera appears very similar to modules used in the last several generations of the iPhone, although it is lacking an associated LED flash.

Apple is expected to launch the sixth generation iPhone in October, so there is still quite sometime left, but the rumor mill is already working overtime.

9to5Mac reported earlier today that Apple is currently testing multiple iPhone prototypes and at least one of them has a taller 3.95-inch screen with 1136x640 resolution.

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Privacy Lawsuit Seeks $15B In Damages From Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:35:39 PDT

Facebook is officially a public company as of Friday morning shortly after 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and what better way to celebrate the milestone than with a fresh privacy lawsuit? Led by Stewarts Law and Bartimus, Frickleton, Robertson & Gorny, a class action lawsuit has been filed in San Jose, California alleging that Facebook unlawfully continued to track users’ Web browsing after they logged out of the service. The suit seeks more than $15 billion in damages. “This is not just a damages action, but a groundbreaking digital privacy rights case that could have wide and significant legal and business implications,” said Stewarts Law partner David Straite.
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Nokia sells New York headquarters to Histogenetics for $12 million

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:23:07 PDT

Nokia has sold its New York headquarters, located north of Manhattan in the industrial town of White Plains. Purchased six years ago for $30 million, the struggling Finnish vendor sold the building to biotechnology firm Histogenetics for $12 million. ”It’s a great deal for 12 million bucks,” Michael Rao, president of the realtor representing Histogenetics, told LoHud.com. “The building is gorgeous. It’s so spectacular.” Nokia’s move comes as its struggles in the global mobile market continue; the company posted a huge $1.7 billion loss in the second quarter after losing $1.2 billion in the first quarter. Excluding the White Plains office, Nokia currently has 27 U.S. office locations listed on its website in addition to its North American headquarters in Sunnyvale, California.
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Steve Jobs Worked Closely On Redesigned Next Generation iPhone With 4-inch Display

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:15:04 PDT

Bloomberg is the third publication after Wall Street Journal and Reuters to confirm that Apple's next generation iPhone will feature a larger screen. Bloomberg also reports that according to their source, Steve Jobs had worked closely on the redesigned next generation iPhone with a larger screen.

Bloomberg reports:

Apple Inc. (AAPL) is preparing to overhaul the look of its iPhone, three people with knowledge of the plans said, refreshing the company’s top-selling product amid competition from rivals such as Samsung Electronics Co. (005930)

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, has placed orders from suppliers in Asia for screens that are bigger than the 3.5- inch size now on the smartphone, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had worked closely on the redesigned phone before his death in October, one person said.

Bloomberg also reports that Apple is trying to make the iPhone more appealing to users who are opting for Android-based smartphones with a larger screen. Samsung has recently launched the next generation of their flagship smartphone - Samsung Galaxy S III with a 4.8-inch screen.

Last year, it was widely speculated that Apple will launch a redesigned iPhone with a larger screen, but Apple ended up launching iPhone 4S, which disappointed quite a few users. Let's hope that this time round the rumors of the next generation iPhone with a larger screen turn out to be accurate.

Apple is expected to launch the next generation iPhone in October, which is rumored to feature an all-new design, come with 1GB RAM, powered by a variant of A5X chip, support 4G LTE network and sport a smaller dock connector.

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General Motors plans to stop advertising on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:42:34 PDT

General Motors, the world’s largest automaker and third biggest advertiser in the U.S., plans to stop advertising on Facebook, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. After meeting with Facebook managers to address concerns, the company’s marketing executives were left unconvinced of the effectiveness of the site’s advertising methods, claiming its paid ads had little impact on consumers. GM will thus pull its $10 million ad spend, although the automaker will continue to use the social networking site to display free content on its own Facebook page. GM is only skeptical about Facebook, and not about digital advertising as a whole; the company spends almost $300 million each year on digital brand advertising. The news comes at a bad time for Mark Zuckerberg and company, who are on the verge of their initial public offering.
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Apple upgrade iCloud to Add Photo-Sharing And Video Syncing to iCloud With iOS 6

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:17:53 PDT

Wall Street Journal briefly reports that Apple planning to add photo-sharing feature and video syncing capabilities to its iCloud service, which will be available in iOS 6.

The new features, expected to be announced at Apple's world-wide developer conference beginning June 11, will allow iCloud users to share sets of photos with other iCloud users and to comment on them, these people said. Currently, users can only store one set of photos in iCloud through a feature called Photo Stream, which is designed to sync those photos to other Apple devices, not share them.

Apple is also working on a new feature that will allow iCloud users to sync their personal videos via iCloud, these people said, as well as allow users to access "Notes" and "Reminders"—two of its apps for jotting down quick thoughts—through iCloud.com. Currently, those items have to be accessed via apps for those features.

iCloud's beta site had already revealed Apple's plan to add Notes and Reminder web app to iCloud.com with iOS 6 last week.

Apple Renames New iPad WiFi + 4G To New iPad WiFi + Cellular

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:57:57 PDT

9to5Mac made the discovery just a few moments ago, pointing out that the one time named ‘iPad Wi-FI + 4G’ tablet model has been renamed to ‘iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular’ in Apple’s online store…

The move should appease the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) and some of the other folks who believed that the “iPad Wi-Fi + 4G” was misleading to customers.

As you know, while the iPad is certainly capable of 4G data speeds on LTE networks here in the US and Canada, the tablet’s wireless data speeds are generally restricted to 3G in other countries.

The name change hasn’t happened everywhere yet, but it can be seen in several countries such as the UK, Australia, the U.S., Canada, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand and Hong Kong.

It’ll be interesting to see how this affects Apple’s product naming and branding in the future. For example, if its next iPhone has LTE technology, how will it advertise that feature outside of North America?

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Via: 9to5MAC

7-Inch iPad With Retina Display Priced At $200-$250?

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:47:54 PDT

For those anxious to own an iPad but put off somewhat by it’s sky-high price tag, your luck might well be in, because the rumor mill is currently in overdrive with the news that Apple is to release a smaller iPad in October starting at as little as $200.

There are only a few things you can purchase for less than that in an Apple Store, and besides an Apple TV box and some of the lower-end iPods, most of them are simply peripherals. Sources of iMore, however, have tipped the Apple-centric blog off about the upcoming release, which will drop alongside the next iPhone for a fraction of the price of both the smartphone and the fully-fledged Retina iPad, which released in mid-March.

Although, since the iPad is so dominant, one might wonder why Tim Cook’s company would bother releasing a cheaper, less-featured model to the consumer. The answer is simple – by dropping a device at such a minuscule price, it’s a dagger to the jugular of any other vendor brave enough to compete. The Nook, Kindle Fire, and Galaxy Tab have all tried and failed to to make much of an impact, but have still still sold reasonable numbers. By releasing a 7-inch, 200-250 buck tablet, Apple would, without a shadow of a doubt, rule the tablet market with a Stalin-esque iron fist.

In terms of form factor, the report suggests the smaller iPad will be a scaled down version of the main, 9.7-inch iPad, and if it maintains the 2048×1536 resolution the pixel density would weigh in at a pin-sharp 326 dpi, equaling the quality of the iPhone 4S.

The low price points means we’re not to expect more than 8GB in capacity, which is comparable to the 8GB iPod touch, which also weighs in at $200. Apparently, the iPod touch will not be replaced by this smaller iPad – at least, not by Apple, although one suspects that after the consumer has spoken, the iPod touch will be a forgotten memory. The report suggests both will retail alongside each other, but I just cannot see a situation where a consumer will weigh up a 7-inch iPad versus an iPod touch and end up selecting the latter.

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Google ready to spend billions to make Google Play Music a success

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:38:20 PDT

Google is reportedly breaking out its massive checkbook in an effort to gain blanket rights to major labels’ music catalogs. Following unconfirmed reports that Google’s music offering was floundering and losing users each week, music industry insider Wayne Rosso says that the Internet giant is now holding negotiations with at least one major label in an effort to gain access to its entire catalog. According to Rosso, Google is willing to spend more than $1 billion for such access.

“Google has offered at least one label over a billion dollars for all the rights in every country for every piece of music and for every platform,” Rosso’s source claimed. $1 billion represents more than 6% of the entire music industry’s global revenue in 2011 according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

While such a substantial offer would seemingly be appealing to labels, Rosso’s source indicates that the company in question is hesitant for reasons that go beyond money.

“They’re just shrugging and stringing Google along, trying to keep milking cash out of them,” the source reportedly said. “They want the money but on the other hand they hate Google. It really sticks in their craw that Google continues to present links to pirated content at the top of their search results.”

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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MasterCard introduces PayPass Wallet Services, Online and API at CTIA 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:31:37 PDT

MasterCard's PayPass is certainly one of the bigger players in the contactless payment scene. But, simply putting a few thousand branded payment terminals in stores across the nation isn't enough. The next step is expanding that empire, not only in terms of locations and handsets, but by turning the phone into just an accessory in a larger ecosystem. PayPass Wallet Services is a new umbrella product that includes an online payment system, a branded service and an API that allows developers to integrate PayPass into their own proprietary offerings. Simply put, PayPass is no longer a product, but a platform. The service remembers not only credit cards, but shipping addresses and other identifying info that streamlines the shopping process, while the API means that others can build value added offerings around PayPass. There's even a dedicated Android app.

The company is hoping to have the system ready for a broad roll out by the third quarter of the year. When that time comes, a pile of partners have pledged to support it in various ways. The names on that list should ring at least a few bells: Intel, Barnes & Noble, Newegg, MLB and American Airlines. It all seems pretty impressive (though, we'll reserve judgement till we get to try it out).
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Samsung prices 55-inch Super OLED TV at over $9,000

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:28:46 PDT

The Associated Press has the first word on pricing for Samsung's 55-inch OLED HDTV and it's going to be a steep hill for most of us to climb: $9,000. A Samsung spokesperson has informed the news agency that the company's Super OLED TV will cost "over 10 million won," which roughly converts to the $9,000 mark, when it launches in its home market of South Korea later this year. The release window of the second half of 2012 for Korea was already announced alongside the launch of this newfangled TV at CES 2012, so developments behind the scenes seem to be keeping to the established roadmap.

Still, Samsung must be disappointed not to have been able to match its most direct competitor, LG, whose similar 55-inch OLED TV is expected to retail at around $8,000 and launch some time very soon indeed. The AP cites the head of Samsung's TV division as forecasting it will take at least two to three years until these HDTV-sized OLED displays break into the mainstream, both in terms of adoption and pricing.

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Apple bid $16m for Chinese iPad trademark but Proview holds out for at least $400m

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:20:48 PDT

A report shared by Sina (via the Beijing Times) states that Apple offered 100 million yuan ($16 million) for rights to the mark in China but cash-strapped Proview would not agree terms. Proview is thought to be looking for at least $400 million in order to appease its creditors, eight of which are Chinese banks.

Proview creditor Fubon Insurance has already moved to reclaim debts totalling $8.68 million, requesting that the company be put into liquidation. Compensation totalling $400 million would be a long way off the $2 billion lawsuit the company filed in the US earlier this year (originally it asked for ‘millions’), although this was dismissed by US courts in the past week. Proview indicated its interest in settling with Apple as early as February 2012, the same month that company chairman Yang Rongshan warned Apple that it must “properly” compensate the company if it wished to gain legal ownership of the trademark. Apple launched its latest iPad tablet in March, expanding into other markets in the following month. However, the company has not yet launched the device in China, with it believed that Apple is waiting to end the trademark fight before it does.
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MobileMe subscribers will be offered 20GB of free iCloud storage until September 30th

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:32:07 PDT

Apple’s MobileMe service will shut its doors forever on June 30th, 2012, and the Cupertino-based company is encouraging existing users to migrate to its iCloud service instead. To make the transition easier, MobileMe subscribers will be offered 20GB of free iCloud storage until September 30th. Apple plans to also offer MobileMe customers who purchased additional storage 50GB of extra iCloud space until September as well. “MobileMe members with 20GB of purchased storage receive a complimentary iCloud storage upgrade of 20GB, and accounts with additional purchased storage (40GB to 60GB) receive a complimentary upgrade of 50GB after moving to iCloud,” Apple posted on its website. “These free upgrades are good through September 30th, 2012. After that date, you can continue the upgrade at the regular price or let it expire and use the free 5GB plan.”
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Apple Blocks iOS Apps with Dropbox integration

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Wed, 02 May 2012 22:16:50 PDT

The Next Web reports that Apple has rejected a number of apps with Dropbox integration. Apps with Dropbox integration can either authenticate through the installed Dropbox app or opens a webpage to let users log in to their Dropbox account.

The problem with the web-based login is that it includes a link that allows users to signup for the service and purchase storage, thus bypassing Apple's App Store, which violates App Store review guidelines.

According to Apple's App Store review guidelines, if developers like Dropbox offer paid subscriptions outside the App Store, they either have to offer the subscription via the in-app subscription option in the App Store or need to ensure that there is no link that points users to external purchasing mechanisms.

The Next Web reports that Apple is sending developers the following notice:

11.13

We found that your app provides access to external mechanisms for purchases or subscriptions to be used in the app, which is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines.

Specifically, your app enables to user to create accounts with Dropbox and Google.

As a short term solution, Dropbox has released a new SDK (v1.2.2) for developers, which eliminates access to both account signups and paid subscription packages directly from apps with Dropbox integration. The Verge reports that Dropbox is working with Apple to come with a solution that offers an elegant user experience as a long-term solution.

It remains to be seen if Apple has changed its stance about apps that offer Dropbox integration or has simply started to enforce the App Store review guidelines.

Nokia releases Browser 2.0 update for Series 40 handsets

noreply@blogger.com (Mr Kheu) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:52:44 PDT

Nokia announced earlier today the release of Browser 2.0 for its Series 40 devices, which of course includes the colorful Asha lineup. The update promises an overall speedier and easier browsing experience, this in large part due to the application condensing data by up to 90 percent. In addition to these enhancements, there's also a novel Download Manager in the refresh, giving users the ability to choose where they'd like to save content without leaving the app. Also included in the update is a new multitasking-while-browsing feature (finally!), as well as a social-sharing bit that lets you push out page URLs to sites like Twitter, Facebook, Sina Weibo and RenRen. Browser 2.0 will be native on future Series 40s, but for now those whom already own a small chunk of the 1.5 billion can grab the goods from the Nokia Store or wait for the OTA package to hit your device.

You can download this apps here.
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