The Apple Watch will finally hit store shelves in April and we're finally starting to get more information regarding a) Apple's expectations for the device and b) just how expensive some of the models might be.Earlier today, The Wall Street Journal published an article relaying that Apple has ordered upwards of 6 million Apple Watch units from suppliers for the device's initial run.
Apple has asked its suppliers in Asia to make a combined five to six million units of its three Apple Watch models during the first quarter ahead of the product’s release in April, according to people familiar with the matter.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A pair of fascinating yet utterly predictable news items crossed my desk last week. Both concerned how Apple's product decisions affected the behavior of millions of mobile users—and others—around the world.I'll explain why they're fascinating in a moment, but it's easy to show how predictable they were. I pretty much predicted both them myself!The two items I'm talking about are:
iPhone thefts drop after "kill switches" installed
iPhone 6 Plus owners use twice as much data as iPhone 6 users
Kill switches change potential thieves' behaviorTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
While Google is pulling back from a consumer release of Glass, Sony is moving forward with sales to developers of its augmented reality SmartEyeglass.The struggling Japanese manufacturer said Tuesday it will release its Android-compatible smart glasses for US$840 in early March, targeting developers and industrial applications ahead of a commercial release in 2016.That's just over half of the $1,500 that Google was asking from early adopters of Glass before it shut down commercial sales of the wearable display last month."As a hands-free device, SmartEyeglass can be a promising product with many practical uses," a Sony spokeswoman said via email when asked about the release in the wake of Google's move. "But since we recognize the need to explore applications at this stage, we're releasing this developer edition."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
With a free Chip & PIN card reader, Swedish mobile payments company iZettle is lowering the threshold for small companies to start accepting card payments.The Card Reader Lite, released Tuesday, connects to tablets or smartphones via an audio cable and it is meant to lower the cost barriers small merchants face when setting up their businesses, iZettle said.Startup costs weren’t that high to begin with though. Businesses only pay €49 (about US$55) for iZettle’s wireless Bluetooth card reader, which it will continue to offer, and similar readers from competing services such as Payleven and SumUp cost only a little more at €79.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Even as China continues to block its services, Google has started a localized YouTube channel for developers in the country, aiming to bring more Chinese-made apps to its platforms.The new YouTube channel, announced on Monday, will serve up videos discussing Google technologies such as Android, either translated with subtitles, or spoken in Mandarin Chinese.The company announced the channel about four months after it opened Google Play to developers based in mainland China.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Huawei Technologies has conducted a real-world trial of LTE-Advanced that shows that much faster indoor cellular speeds may be around the corner.The telecommunications equipment vendor conducted the trial with Singaporean network operator StarHub, using products capable of download speeds of up to 300Mbps. Early test results were promising, with users getting much faster downloads and better video quality than before, Huawei said without offering any details of the data rates achieved.The speed increase is fueled by a technique called carrier aggregation, an LTE-Advanced technology that allows mobile operators to treat up to three radio channels in different frequency bands as if they were one.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Kaspersky exposes huge, ongoing bank-robbery-by-hackRussian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab is releasing a report Monday with some details on a wide-ranging series of hacks into at least 100 banks in 30 counties—some of which are apparently still ongoing. Kaspersky gave the New York Times an advance look at the material, and says that losses total at least $300 million, mostly suffered by banks in Russia but also affecting institutions in Japan, Europe and the U.S.Xiaomi still tops Apple in China, says IDCTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
This week, a startup named Tactus Technology got a lot of attention for its Phorm iPad Mini case, which includes a transparent screen cover that creates bubbles over each letter in the iOS keyboard. It's basically a tactile keyboard that appears on a touchscreen only when the user needs it.
Tactus has been working on its on-demand keyboard technology for more than five years, according to Wired. The screen cover is based on microfluidic technology, which has its roots in ink jet printers, and it has small grooves carved into the spot where each letter appears on the iPad screen. When the user slides a switch on the back of the case – which appears to be almost a third of the size of the rear of the case, so it won't require you to flip your iPad around and hunt for a button – the case applies a small amount of pressure that forces a tiny amount fluid to rush across the screen. That fluid gets caught fills up each of the grooves, creating bubbles that act as tactile buttons on the touchscreen keyboard. Here's a video showing the technology in use.To read this article in full or Continue reading
Early last week, a somewhat bizarre Apple rumor emerged from out of nowhere. Specifically, rumor has it that Apple is seriously investigating the prospect of developing its own branded automobile. The wave of rumors began a few days ago when Business Insider posted a report claiming that Apple was working on an exciting project that was luring back former employees from Tesla.... We got an unsolicited email from an employee at Apple about "vehicle development" at the company. This person said Tesla employees were "jumping ship" to work at Apple. "Apple's latest project is too exciting to pass up," the person said. "I think it will change the landscape and give Tesla a run for its money."
Initially, it was easy to scoff at the report. Not only does the notion of Apple getting into the car business seem absurd on its face, but it's not as if Apple employees are exactly known for sending unsolicited emails about top secret research initiatives to tech publications. At most, the prevailing attitude was that Apple was simply keen on deepening their exploration into automotive-based software such as CarPlay. The very next day, Bryan Chaffin of Mac Observer chimed in with a Continue reading
Apple’s iPhone 6 has been a hit in China, but according to one account, rival Xiaomi still reigns as the country’s largest smartphone vendor.In last year’s fourth quarter, Android handset maker Xiaomi had a 13.7 percent share, while second place Apple only had a 12.3 percent share, research firm IDC said Monday.The rankings are, however, different from those of another research firm Canalys, which put Apple as the top vendor, and Xiaomi second.Apple achieved in the fourth quarter its highest quarterly market share in China over the past two years, and it came from strong demand for its newest iPhone, said Xiaohan Tay, an IDC analyst.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Yelp has filed a lawsuit against Revleap, a company that says it can help businesses improve their ratings, though Yelp says it actually spams them and cons them out of money.Revleap, based in Los Angeles, operates a paid service that it says can “create a large constant flow of positive reviews that stay on top of your profile, and remove fake reviews,” according to its website.These sorts of messages are knowingly false, Yelp contends in a lawsuit filed Friday, because Revleap has no way of removing bad reviews or getting good ones to appear more prominently.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
People looking for richer mobile apps may cheer Apple’s decision to double the size limit of those approved for sale. But those whose iPhones and iPads have smaller amounts of memory will need to download carefully.On Thursday, Apple said it is bumping the maximum size of apps to 4GB from 2GB, marking the first time Apple has expanded the size limit since the App Store’s 2008 debut.Larger apps will be able to take advantage of the faster processors and improved screen resolutions found in iPhones and iPads. These hardware updates allow for apps with richer media experiences like high-resolution graphics—additional features that also mean bigger downloads.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Fairphone’s second smartphone will not only be built using conflict-free or fair trade minerals, but also offer better performance and be really easy to repair.After selling 60,000 units of its first phone, the Dutch company is now turning its attention to a new model that will go on sale in the latter half of the year. With the second phone, the goal is still to manufacture a smartphone that doesn’t use minerals from conflict zones, is recyclable and is made by workers who are treated well.Fairphone is also aiming to make product longevity a development goal. The longer a device lasts, the less waste it creates and the fewer resources it requires, founder and CEO Bas Van Abel said in a blog post.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Unlocking a mobile phone from a single U.S. carrier has caused consumers headaches in recent years, but seven major carriers on Wednesday met a voluntary, industry-created deadline to set conditions for unlocking to occur.Software locks on smartphones and other mobile phones prohibit users from using a device on another operator’s network, which makes it hard for someone to take a device loaded with apps to another carrier or to use the device when traveling abroad.Even though carriers have adhered to ways for consumers to get phones unlocked, the CTIA wireless industry group said that an unlocked phone isn’t necessarily an interoperable phone, since different carriers use different technologies and wireless spectrum bands.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
If you had followed along on Twitter or gone straight to the source and listened to the live streaming version of the big Microsoft Windows 10 event on Jan. 21, you probably felt the excitement. That energy was not just about Windows 10: Yeah, that operating system seems nice, and the fit and finish will probably make it the next Windows 7 — you know, the version of the product that corporations land on and run for a decade or more because it is just solid, reliable, and compatible. Everyone who skipped Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 will certainly gravitate toward a major migration toward Windows 10, and Microsoft understands this. It looks like a solid release.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Asustek Computer isn’t exactly known for smartphones, but the Taiwanese PC maker is aiming to bring more Android phones to U.S. and European markets this year.A year ago, Asus introduced its ZenFone line, a range of Android handsets, and demand for the phones is growing.In the fourth quarter, Asus shipped 4.5 million smartphones, up from a mere 200,000 units in the first quarter of 2014.The shipments are still small compared to those of leading vendors such as Apple and Samsung Electronics, but Asus is among the PC makers hoping to break out from the notebook market by releasing more mobile devices. In 2017, Asus expects revenue from its mobile business to surpass that of its PCs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
U.S.-based GeoPoll is partnering with Control Union, an international provider of agricultural inspection and safety services, to reach out to African farmers and bring them into global supply chain networks while ensuring compliance with standard business practices.GeoPoll provides technology for data collection, using mobile platforms for surveys. Control Union will be able to use GeoPoll technology to reach small-holding farmers to gain more information about their practices. The idea is to bring increased transparency to food supply chains globally, with a focus on key products such as cocoa, coffee, cotton, fruits and vegetables, palm oil, rice, and tobacco. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Microsoft opened its Windows 10 Technical Preview for Phones on Thursday by supporting just midrange to lower-end devices, disappointing some early adopters who were hoping to try out Microsoft’s new preview.Currently, just six phones can download the Windows 10 Technical Preview: the Lumia 630, 635, 636, 638, 730, and Lumia 830. Aside from the Lumia 830, Microsoft’s “affordable flagship,” the remainder are midrange Windows Phones that were released according to Microsoft’s principle of driving Windows Phone market share by expanding its user base.10 mobile startups to watch
“We are starting with a limited set of devices supported for this first preview,” Gabe Aul, the engineering general manager at Microsoft who has been the point man for Windows 10, said in a blog post. “Windows 10 will drive innovation across screens of all sizes and we will have new hardware from Microsoft and our partners, including new flagship phones.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
UK mobile network operator (MNO) EE said this week that it is exploring the use of small aerial cells positioned in the sky over hard-to-reach, patchy signal areas.It calls the technology "air masts," and says the system uses either "tethered balloons or unmanned craft." Unmanned craft are more commonly called drones.Air mastsThe phone company reckons it's going to be able to implement the masts in the sky in part because it's been banking on what it calls a "unique" micro-network technology. The base stations that it has been using consist of smaller elements than are commonly utilized in an MNO installation.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The Apple Watch is set to hit the market in April, at a time when the smartwatch market appears to be largely up for grabs.Canalys released a report today that claimed manufacturers shipped just 720,000 devices featuring Google's smartwatch OS Android Wear in 2014. For context, 4.6 million total smartwatches and bands shipped last year, and mobile market newcomer Pebble shipped more than 1 million units from its 2013 launch through 2014, according to Canalys.Meanwhile, J.P. Morgan Chase wireless analyst Rod Hall recently upped his target for Apple stock price to $145 from $140 based on optimism for the Apple Watch, according to this Barron's blog post. That excitement is based on the expectation that 5% of 525 million projected iPhone users will buy the Apple Watch this year, resulting in more than 26 million shipments. Hall was even bold enough to extend this prediction into 2016, when he sees 13% of iPhone customers buying the Apple Watch, good for more than 55 million units.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here