Mobile device management tools are transforming into enterprise mobility management (EMM), which includes app and data security, among many other things. And while all the major offerings in this arena cover the basics when it comes to hardware management, there are differences when it comes to some of the extended features you may require.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
PlayStation Mobile, Sony’s attempt to recreate PlayStation experiences on Android smartphones, tablets and the PS Vita, will close in July.The platform will stop distributing content on July 15 and in-app purchases and downloads of previously purchased software will stop on Sept. 10, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) said Wednesday. An associated application, PlayStation Mobile for Android, will be unavailable after Sept. 10.The development is another blow to Sony’s struggling mobile business, which hasn’t been able to outperform like the company’s hit PlayStation 4 gaming console. The PS4 had sold over 20.2 million units worldwide through the end of February and is slated to begin sales in China on March 20, following a delay of more than two months.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Apple fans expected to learn more about the Apple Watch during yesterday's announcement, but to the surprise of the audience, Apple had more to talk about at its Spring Forward event on Monday.Apple bets on its retail stores to sell the Apple WatchApple's 453 retail stores give it an advantage in the smartwatch market. Apple has made its watch stand out with so many options and price points, starting at $349 with different styles, sizes, straps, finishes, and materials – even an 18-karat gold version starting at $10,000. But such a diverse product line doesn't lend itself to ecommerce sales. Given the complexity of choices, Apple's stores will be the consumers' starting point.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Yesterday I was subjected to all 95 minutes, 14 seconds of the Apple Watch announcement "keynote" video stream, and I am left with one clear notion:The Apple Watch is the stupidest piece of gadgetry I have seen in a long, long time.(I should note that I am not entirely unbiased here. I am a Linux user and an Open Source advocate. And, perhaps most importantly, I like freedom. Apple and I don't tend to see eye-to-eye on that front. But that doesn't make the Apple Watch any less pointless.)Let's start with the elephant in the room – the price.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
More than just a smartwatch...Image by REUTERS/Robert GalbraithApple used today's high-profile event to launch its much-anticipated Apple Watch, but also to make announcements about several other products and new partnerships. Here are the most important announcements from Apple's big day.Brand new 12-inch MacBookImage by REUTERS/Robert GalbraithTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The much-heralded Apple Watch will ship on April 24 with price tags ranging from about $350 for the Sports edition all the way up to $12,000 or more for a limited-edition model in 18kt gold, Apple said Monday.
CEO Tim Cook pitched the pricey timepieces at an event in San Francisco, where he aimed to convey that there will be a style of Apple Watch to suit everyone's taste.
"Apple Watch is the most personal device we've ever created. It's not just with you, it's on you," he told the crowd.
There are three basic editions -- the sports model, in silver or "space-grey" aluminium; a standard model, in silver or black stainless steel; and the high-end gold edition. Each comes in two sizes, with a 38mm or 42mm display.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Rich people regularly spend thousands of dollars—sometimes tens of thousands of dollars, or more—on fancy watches. For their "investment" they get classic timepieces expected to function as well as the day they there were made for generations. In some cases, these luxury devices become family heirlooms and collectors items, worth even more than they were when they were brand new. New versions of these watches come along fairly rarely, and may sport design changes, but are unlikely to perform significantly better than the ones they replace. Watches—the regular kind, anyway—are a very mature market.
Smartwatches, not so much.
Apple today announced that prices for its new Apple Watch Edition in 18K gold will top out at a whopping $10,000, putting it in a league with legendary timepieces from companies like Tag Heuer, Rolex, and Breitling.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
I didn't attend Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last week, and I don't know what I missed more, the yummy Spanish ham or all the cool new smartphones that were introduced.But the thing that many attendees and press reports, even from those who did attend, also seemed to miss was the increasing importance of a big change in who pays for mobile bandwidth.See also: Five takeaways for CIOs from this year's MWC
Whether you call it – "zero rating," "toll-free data," or simply associating it with Facebook's Internet.org initiative – the idea is that carriers make a certain amount of bandwidth available free for specific apps or use cases. The idea, according to Mark Zuckerberg's keynote presentation at MWC, is that by making a baseline amount of mobile net access free, more and more users will be enticed online, see the value of the internet, and over time become inspired to pay real money for additional access to mobile data.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Microsoft has asked a court in Seattle to ban Kyocera's DuraForce, Hydro and Brigadier lines of cellular phones in the U.S., alleging that they infringed seven Microsoft patents.The software giant has in its complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington charged that some Kyocera phone features that come from its use of the Android operating system infringe its patents.Microsoft has previously claimed that Android infringes some of its patents, and offered a licensing program to vendors of handsets running the operating system. A number of vendors including Samsung Electronics, HTC, ZTE, LG Electronics and Hon Hai have signed such licensing deals with Microsoft.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
SugarCRM has acquired software and programmers from Stitch, the developer of an iPhone app that acts as a personal assistant for sales staff, in order to boost its customer relationship management offering.Future releases of the Sugar CRM platform will be enhanced with Stitch capabilities, SugarCRM said Monday without offering any details. Following the deal, however, the Stitch app is no longer available.The growing popularity of smartphones is having an effect on all types of software, including CRM. Stitch’s technology analyzes email, calendar and customer relationship management (CRM) data and makes personalized recommendations to sales staff on how to make the most effective use of their time. The recommendations are aggregated in the mobile app or in Google’s Chrome browser with the help of a plug-in.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Apple event Monday holds promise of more news on WatchApple enthusiasts will be tuning into the live-stream of the company’s “Spring forward” event on Monday. It’s expected to reveal more details about the Apple Watch, as well as information about pricing and sales plans. The event is a long-awaited dropping of a second shoe into the wearables market: last week’s Mobile World Congress provided a venue for competitive launches, but the landscape wasn’t complete without a clear picture of Apple’s offering.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
New products of the weekOur roundup of intriguing new products. Read how to submit an entry to Network World's products of the week slideshow.Aruba 7000 Series Cloud Services ControllersKey features: Aruba’s new Cloud Services Controllers integrate WAN acceleration, firewall, web content filtering, policy-based routing and zero-touch provisioning into a single cohesive system, allowing branch offices to rightsize their networks. More info.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
You’re probably aware that hackers can try to crack your Wi-Fi passwords in order to gain access to your network. So, you’re already using strong passwords.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
Ahead of Apple's upcoming special media event this coming Monday, we've seen a flurry of new reports detailing a number previously unknown tidbits about the highly anticipated Apple Watch.
When Apple first unveiled the Apple Watch this past September, it remained unusually coy about many of the device's more significant features. With the benefit of hindsight, it's become apparent that Apple was reluctant to disclose certain details because various aspects of the device – from pricing to battery life – remained in flux.
With a release date set for April (early April, according to the rumor mill), the Apple Watch rumors have been coming in at a rapid clip lately. That being the case, below is a collection of some of the more recent Apple Watch rumors that shed new light on Apple's brazen jump into the world of wearable technology.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Ahead of Apple's upcoming special media event this coming Monday, we've seen a flurry of new reports detailing a number previously unknown tidbits about the highly anticipated Apple Watch.When Apple first unveiled the Apple Watch this past September, it remained unusually coy about many of the device's more significant features. With the benefit of hindsight, it's become apparent that Apple was reluctant to disclose certain details because various aspects of the device -- from pricing to battery life -- remained in flux.With a release date set for April (early April according to the rumor mill), the Apple Watch rumors have been coming in at a rapid clip lately. That being the case, below is a collection of some of the more recent Apple Watch rumors that shed new light on Apple's brazen jump into the world of wearable technology.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Google is reportedly developing a virtual reality version of Android that will compete with software being built by Facebook, Samsung, Microsoft and others.Virtual reality is being eyed as the next big thing, and not just for gaming. Facebook has talked about how VR headsets will let friends communicate as if they’re together in the same room.A team of engineers at Google is building a version of Android for virtual reality applications, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing two people familiar with the project. “Tens of engineers” and other staff are said to be working on the project.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
If there’s one thing almost every smartphone user wants, it’s longer battery life.While processors, memory and other components have advanced in leaps and bounds, progress in battery technology has been much slower over the last couple of decades.All those people you see charging their phones at airports, coffee shops and other public places are a testament to how often batteries die out during the day. So while engineers are fighting against basic chemistry and physics to improve current Lithium Ion cells, is there a better way to recharge?One answer might be fuel cells, which generate electricity through a chemical reaction and provide instant power anywhere. Unlike portable battery packs, they don’t need to be charged in advance. You just need a fuel cell cartridge.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Rolex, Louis Vuitton, and other heritage luxury brands had better be quaking in their boots at the news that Apple will likely be launching a smartwatch next week.
Apple has become their competitor, according to luxury marketing experts.
Young millennials are no longer eyeing brands for their superficial status. The affluent buyers out there are now beginning to look at products for what they do instead.
This is good for us in the tech industry, but not so fine if you're sitting in the Louis Vuitton boardroom right now.
Status
Creative-class consumers want symbols that "proclaim a new style of status." Status is now based on who the individual is and what they value, not how much money they have to spend, says affluent consumer analyst Pam Danziger of Unity Marketing, in her blog.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Wikipedia
Apple, whose stock market value recently ballooned to more than $700 billion, later this month will take AT&T's place on the Dow Jones Industrial Average.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Uber Technologies suspended its ride-sharing service in Seoul on Friday, bowing to local authorities after more than a year of struggle over its ride-hailing services.The decision comes only nine days after Uber made uberX free for riders there in response to a crackdown by city authorities, who offered a reward of up to 1 million won (US$910) to residents who reported drivers accepting payments for rides without a permit.“This is the strongest show of our willingness to change the Uber business model in order to create a regulated solution, as we believe that changing our business model is the right thing to do,” Uber said in a statement. The suspension takes effect Friday, it said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here