iphone blog

March 6, 2010

Skype pulled from Nokia’s Ovi store in the US, Verizon Wireless to blame?

Filed under: bgr — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — @ 4:44 pm

verizon_is_evil

Skype users that own a Symbian-powered Nokia handset will have to go the extra mile to install Skype on their handset. As noticed following Wednesday’s debut of Skype in the Ovi store, Skype is reportedly not available for Nokia owners in the US. In response to an email from Venture Beat, Sravanthi Agrawal, a member of Skpye’s corporate communications team, said the following:

“Skype has made a decision in the United States to not promote the Skype for Symbian app through the Ovi Store. We did this so that we could drive more attention to the recently announced Skype and Verizon Wireless agreement. This was a marketing decision — plain and simple.

“Skype users in the U.S can still download Symbian by going directly to Skype.com.”

The supposed reason behind this removal is not surprising considering the controversy over the removal of the Windows Mobile version of Skype from Skype’s website, the removal of Skype from the Android Market, and the rumored delay of the 3G-enabled version of Skype for the iPhone. Unless this policy changes or is revealed to be incorrect, anyone unduly affected will have to search a little harder to find a version of Skype to install on their handset or sign up with Verizon Wireless.

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Skype pulled from Nokia’s Ovi store in the US, Verizon Wireless to blame?

February 25, 2010

iPod touch users spend more time using apps than those with iPhones

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 3:10 pm

By Sam Oliver

Published: 10:10 AM EST

A new survey of mobile device consumers has discovered that iPhone and iPod touch owners are mostly male, though iPhone users are older and have less time to use downloaded applications than those who have an iPod touch.

AdMob’s Mobile Metrics report for January 2010 found that iPod touch users download an average of 12 applications per month, which is 37 percent more than iPhone and Android users. Those with an iPod touch also spend 100 minutes per day using applications, which is 25 percent more than both Android and the iPhone.

iPod touch users are also considerably younger, with 78 percent of them below the age of 25. Compare that with the iPhone, where 25 percent of users are under 25, and 24 percent for those on Android and WebOS.

But iPhone users are by far the most likely to purchase software for their handset, with half of them spending money on at least one application every month. Of those with an iPod touch, 35 percent bought at least one application each month, followed by 24 percent of WebOS users and 21 percent of Android users.

And satisfaction among iPhone users ranked highest, with 91 percent saying they would recommend their device. That was followed closely by the iPod touch, which had an 88 percent recommendation rate. Android users are relatively happy too, with 84 percent saying they would recommend their handset. Palm’s WebOS came in last with 69 percent.

Admob 1

It’s yet another in a number of surveys that show users are overwhelmingly satisfied with the iPhone hardware. Other surveys have found Android just behind Apple in terms of happiness with their device.

Customer satisfaction with the iPhone OS carries over to anticipation for the forthcoming iPad. Among iPhone owners surveyed, 16 percent said they intend to purchase an iPad. Comparatively, 11 percent of WebOS users and 6 percent of Android customers said they would purchase the first-generation Apple device.

Admob 2

Those numbers generally correspond with a separate survey released earlier this week, which found that 13 percent of respondents are likely to buy an iPad. That number was larger than the 9 percent who said they intended to purchase an iPhone before its debut in 2007.

In the battle of the sexes, AdMob’s survey found Android users are overwhelmingly male, at 73 percent of the user base. Comparatively, 58 percent of WebOS users, 57 percent of iPhone users and 54 percent of iPod touch users are male.

Admob 3

The opt-in survey was taken by users on their respective mobile devices by responding to mobile advertisements. The findings were based on 963 total respondents, with 318 Android users, 244 iPhone, 356 iPod touch and 45 WebOS responding between Feb. 5 and Feb. 16.

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iPod touch users spend more time using apps than those with iPhones

February 9, 2010

Foursquare Teams With Zagat to Make Yelp Squeal

Filed under: gigaom — Tags: , , , , , , , , — @ 2:34 pm

Foursquare is looking beyond virtual badges to high-profile content brands to give it a leg up on competitors such as Gowalla and Yelp. The company said today it’s inked a deal with Zagat to enable users to access restaurant reviews and recommendations, according to the New York Times. And AdAge reports it’s in the process of deploying promotional campaigns for HBO and Warner Brothers. The moves follow its recent tie-up with Bravo Media as well as a deal with the Canadian version of Metro that will provide users with local news content as they check in. The strategy appears to be about making Foursquare fun AND functional.

The Zagat agreement is a counterpunch to Yelp, which last month continued to take its offering to mobile by launching check-ins for iPhone users. (The friend-finding app Loopt has joined the bandagon, too, adding local reviews two months ago.) And the flurry of new partnerships continues a roll that has seen Foursquare close in on 300,000 users — roughly tripling the base of its rival Gowalla — as it expands to 50 new cities.

February 8, 2010

Stat Shot: How the iPhone Changed the Handset Market

Filed under: gigaom — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 3:43 pm

The change in the mobile phone market caused by the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 has slightly cut the profits for the handset industry overall, but has most severely affected Nokia and Sony Ericsson, according to data released today from Deutsche Bank. The investment bank issued a note showing how Apple and Research in Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, garner most of the profits in the handset industry despite their relatively small market share.

The report also shows an incredible loss for Nokia, which saw its share of handset profits cut in half by the shift in the handset market that occurred after the iPhone was released. In 2007 Nokia made about 60 percent of the profits in the industry, and in 2009 it had about 31 percent. Meanwhile the adoption of mobile broadband (and likely the fact that the iPhone is a consumer-focused device only available from one carrier) has helped RIM take about a fifth of the overall industry profits in 2009 as more corporations and people tried to access email and the web on their phones.

January 21, 2010

Sources detail physical design of Apple’s upcoming tablet device

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 11:00 am

By Kasper Jade

Published: 12:00 PM EST

When Apple finally takes the wraps off its long-anticipated tablet next Wednesday, the device will strike a familiar chord with owners of the original iPhone, with similarities in industrial design trickling all the way down to the handset’s button and connectivity components, AppleInsider has learned.

Nearly two and a half years have passed since AppleInsider exclusively reported in September of 2007 that the Cupertino-based gadget maker planned to follow the blockbuster success of the iPhone with a broader entry into consumer electronics, spearheaded by a completely new category of device akin to a “slate” and reminiscent of a modern-day reincarnation of the company’s now defunct Newton tablet.

Since then, Apple has surprised in its capacity to work alongside dozens of partners and still maintain a relatively tight lid of the product’s design, feature set, and software-driven functionality. Though recent weeks have been met by a flurry of reports on Apple’s likely intentions for the device, a 28-month trail of rumors and speculation have left onlookers with exponentially more questions than answers.

One lingering uncertainty has surrounded the device’s aesthetic or, more precisely, what it may look and feel like in a user’s hands. According to people familiar with the device, it’s largely redolent of a first-generation iPhone that’s met its match with a rolling pin.

Of all the mockups and renderings that have surfaced on the Web attempting to depict what the final product will look like, the rendition below created by Flickr user Fotoboer.nl last August is strikingly close to the real deal, those same people say. It would be more precise, they add, if it weren’t missing a handful of design elements of the iPhone.

Nestled in an aluminum shell that leverages the Apple’s expertise in unibody construction but thinner proportionality than the original iPhone, the tablet reportedly sports all of the same buttons found on the handset, right down to its iconic home button — which, like the volume toggle, is missing from the rendering. 

Apple Tablet Rendition

 

Similarly, the tablet is said to sport all the same in/out connectivity as the current iPhone 3GS, including a 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack, built-in speaker grills, a  microphone, GPS, 3G connectivity and a 30-pin dock connector. Like the rendering, its 10-inch display is framed by a black border that bleeds into its wrap-around aluminum enclosure. 

Meanwhile, other people with proven track records in predicting Apple’s future product designs have recently commented on prototypes of the Apple tablet making the rounds with a baseband chip compatible with CDMA networks like those operated by U.S.-based Verzion Wireless. However, AppleInsider cannot confirm with any degree of certainty that this technology is planned for the shipping version of the product.

For a comprehensive archive of all rumors surrounding Apple’s tablet device, readers can check out AppleInsider’s Newton and tablet topics pages, or review its exclusive reports on the product (below) dating back to the fall of 2007. Also of potential interest may be a recent feature article: The inside track on Apple’s tablet: a history of tablet computing.

Up next for Apple: the return of the Newton – September 2007
Mega Apple filing details next-gen ‘multi-touch input surface’ – February 2008
Apple details next-gen multi-touch techniques for tablet Macs – August 2008
Apple pushing for patent on versatile tablet docking station – November 2008
Apple orders 10-inch touchscreens for mystery product- March 2009
Apple’s much-anticipated tablet device coming early next year – July 2009
Poor bets placed on Apple taking dual tablet route – August 2009
Evidence of Apple’s tablet-like input interface reappears – October 2009
Apple confirms Jan. 27 media event to show off ‘latest creation’ – January 2010

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Sources detail physical design of Apple’s upcoming tablet device

January 15, 2010

First week Google Nexus One sales a disappointing 20,000 – estimate

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , — @ 6:30 am

By Slash Lane

Published: 07:30 AM EST

After much hype, the launch of Google’s self-sold Nexus One smartphone managed an estimated 20,000 sales in its first week, well behind not only Apple’s iPhone, but also competing Android-based handsets.

Mobile research firm Flurry this week estimated that the Nexus One, despite a great deal of buzz surrounding its announcement, failed to have a strong debut. The 20,000 week one sales are well behind the 1.6 million iPhone 3GS handsets sold in June. However, Apple’s device was a third-generation product debuting in eight countries, while the Nexus One was a first-generation device on sale in just the U.S.

But the Android-powered myTouch 3G and Motorola Droid were also first-generation devices with U.S.-only launches, and both had sales much stronger than the Nexus One. The myTouch 3G sold an estimated 60,000 in its first week, while the Motorola Droid sold 250,000 units.

Despite the fact that the Nexus One was outsold three times by the myTouch 3G, 12 times by the Droid, and 80 times by the iPhone 3GS, Flurry noted there are key differences. The Motorola Droid debuted with a $100 million marketing campaign, and even the myTouch 3G was heavily promoted on television by carrier T-Mobile. By comparison, Google’s handset launched after the holiday season and is marketing and selling the device through its own Web site.

“While Google, in an effort to avoid channel conflict with T-Mobile, appears to have set the direct-to-consumer price for the handset at over $500 dollars, the high price point combined with the fact that the handset is only considered an ‘evolutionary’ improvement over previous Android devices, indicates that Google did not take the steps to maximize first week sales,” the analysis noted.

“This is especially evident when one considers that among the most expensive costs associated with the launch – marketing – has not been incurred, and could have been applied to lowering the direct-to-consumer price point.”

Nexus One Flurry sales

Following the buzz leading up to the announcement of the Nexus One, Google has faced some issues and corresponding criticism from customers who have found that the company’s customer support is limited to e-mail. Attempts to reach manufacturer HTC and carrier T-Mobile were reportedly no better for customers.

The Nexus One is available direct from Google for $529 without a contract, or $179 with a two-year agreement for new T-Mobile U.S. customers. The handset is due to be released on Verizon Wireless in the U.S. and Vodafone in Europe this spring.

Google worked closely with hardware maker HTC to design the Nexus One, which features a 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen. Though the phone can be purchased unsubsidized and unlocked through Google, the current GSM handset is only compatible with T-Mobile and AT&T in the U.S., and its 3G chip is not compatible with AT&T’s high-speed wireless data network.

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First week Google Nexus One sales a disappointing 20,000 – estimate

January 13, 2010

In First Week, Google May Have Sold 20,000 Nexus One Phones

Filed under: gigaom — Tags: , , , , , , , — @ 3:13 am

When I spoke with Google’s mobile boss, Andy Rubin, he said that Google would be happy to sell about 150,000 Nexus One devices. That number, he said would be enough for the Google Phone to get in-front of a majority of American phone buyers who might want to take a look at it. Well, let’s just say a fraction of the job might be done. According to Flurry, a San Francisco-based mobile application analytics company, the company may have sold about 20,500 units of the Nexus One, which if you read my review is the best Android phone on the market.

In the past, Flurry has been fairly accurate in giving guesstimates on first week sales, thanks to its relationships with 10,000 app developers. They estimate that the “Nexus One was outsold by Droid by more than 12 times, myTouch 3G by 3 times and iPhone 3GS by a staggering 80 times.” Of course, Google didn’t spend a lot of money on marketing — that isn’t part of the plan — as Rubin explained to me.

Cannibalization may also be playing a role as the Nexus One competes against the myTouch 3G for any new T-Mobile customer. In effect, sales are now split between the two handsets. And while Google, in an effort to avoid channel conflict with T-Mobile, appears to have set the direct-to-consumer price for the handset at over $500 dollars, the high price point combined with the fact that the handset is only considered an “evolutionary” improvement over previous Android devices, indicates that Google did not take the steps to maximize first week sales. (Flurry Press Release)

firstweeklaunch.png I think 20,500 Nexus Ones sold might be a tad on the high side, considering Google has been giving away the phone to its employees and has seeded the market with giveaways. Regardless, it would be interesting to see how Google carries on pushing this device in the coming months. The company is experiencing a backlash over customer service issues and more recently about confusion about service cancellation charges.

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In First Week, Google May Have Sold 20,000 Nexus One Phones

January 8, 2010

Source: Apple shopping for LED camera flash components

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 10:00 am

By Kasper Jade

Published: 11:00 AM EST

Apple in recent months has moved to procure significant quantities of LED camera flash components that could help the iPhone maker’s next-generation mobile handsets produce superior image and video captures in low-light situations, AppleInsider has learned.

The lack of camera flash technology has long stood as one of the iPhone’s glaring omissions. Although the handset’s existing 3.2 megapixel camera produces surprisingly sharp and vibrant images when employed in sun-drenched scenes and aptly lit venues, its lack of flash often leads to disappointing, dark and grainy photographs in more dimly-lit scenarios.

In making the jump to the iPhone 3GS last spring, the Cupertino-based company was content in focusing on enhancements to the overall user experience of its mobile phone to maintain its high level of satisfaction amongst consumers. Improvements to the device’s camera technology were limited to an updated image sensor capable of capturing 1.1 more megapixels, and software technology to improve the quality of motion photos and those taken in poor lighting.

Despite these changes, clarity in photos taken indoors and at nighttime continue to elude users, often leading to frustrating results or images that are completely blacked out. A move by Apple to build flash technology into future versions of the iPhone makes more sense now than ever, especially given the increasing popularity of the device as an impulse point-and-shoot camera, as well as rising competition from rival handset makers who count camera flash technology on their handsets as an advantage over the iPhone.

For example, Palm’s Pre, Motorola’s Droid and Google’s new Nexus One — seen by some industry watchers as contenders that could combine to potentially disrupt the iPhone’s staggering growth — each ship with LED flash technology. And in the case of the the latter two, both include image sensors suited for capturing 5-megapixels compared to the 3.2-megapixel sensor on the iPhone 3GS.

People familiar with Apple’s initiative claim the electronics maker is seeking allotments of LED camera flash components in the tens of millions for delivery during the 2010 calendar year, meaning future iPhones — and possibly the iPod touch — are the most likely recipients of those parts, due to their sales volume. Those same people say that Philips’ Lumileds Lighting sector is believed to be the front-runner for Apple’s business and may have already secured the design win.

The Amsterdam-based firm is well-regarded for its LUXEON LED camera flash technology, which was the first to combine the brightness of regular lighting with the long life and small footprint of LEDs. The technology is commonly coupled with 5+ megapixel cameras and has seen shipments of over 200 million units worldwide.

Flash Compare

A move by Apple towards the LUXEON components would also appear to jibe with rumors that the iPhone maker has placed orders with OmniVision, its current supplier of CMOS image sensors, for as many as 45 million 5-megapixel parts for the next-generation of the handset due by late spring . The company is also likely to leverage the iPhone’s ambient light sensor, in addition to providing a software switch, to ensure that the LED flash won’t interfere in photos where it isn’t needed.

Low power consumption, drive circuitry that demands little real estate, and a lack of significant electromagnetic interference (EMI) generation are a few of the advantages that have helped push the use of an LED flash in camera phones. And since the same LED flash can also be operated as a continuous light source, it would be suitable for proving light to enhance iPhone video recordings  as well — not to mention closing the book on the numerous, dinky iPhone flashlight apps proliferating the App Store.

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January 5, 2010

Google reveals Nexus One for T-Mobile, Verizon: $529 contract-free

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , — @ 12:50 pm

By AppleInsider Staff

Published: 01:50 PM EST

As expected, customers can purchase a contract-free, unlocked Nexus One smartphone direct from Google for $529, or buy a subsidized handset through carrier T-Mobile for $179, the search giant announced Tuesday.

Through the Google Web store, customers will be able to buy a phone without service, or with service through a partner. Phones with a service contract will be offered at a subsidized, less expensive price. As of Tuesday, customers can purchase a phone only with T-Mobile, though that will soon change.

Google also plans to offer more Android-based devices to its online store in the future, for other carriers like Verizon Wireless (in the U.S.) and Vodafone (in Europe). The Nexus One will be available on both carriers in Spring 2010.

The Web site google.com/phone went live immediately following Tuesday’s press conference. There, users can now purchase the Nexus One for T-Mobile U.S., or unlocked. Options for Verizon and Vodafone are grayed out, though those who “can’t wait” for the Nexus One on Verizon are directed to a promotional Web site for the Motorola Droid.

Beyond that, more operators, countries and Android-based devices are planned to be sold from Google’s online store. But Tuesday, most of the focus was on the company’s custom-built handset.

Google worked closely with hardware maker HTC to design the Nexus One, which features a 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen. Though the phone can be purchased unsubsidized and unlocked through Google, the current GSM handset is only compatible with T-Mobile and AT&T in the U.S., and its 3G chip is not compatible with AT&T’s high-speed wireless data network. A CDMA Verizon phone is due for a Spring 2010 release.

Nexus One 1

With the tagline “Web meets phone,” the official unveiling of the Nexus One Tuesday brought to an end months of rumors that Google would release its own custom-built Android phone in early 2010. Those reports gained steam in December when the company issued unlocked GSM Nexus One phones to its employees.

The HTC-built device has a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU and 512MB of ROM and 512MB of RAM. It has a compass, GPS, light and proximity sensors, an accelerometer, and a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash. It also features an additional microphone on the back for noise cancellation. Google boasted that the handset is no thicker than a number two pencil, and no heavier than a Swiss Army knife.

Much like Apple users have been able to do with iPods for years, the Nexus One can also be custom engraved on the back for personalization.

The touchscreen device has no physical keyboard, only virtual, but offers a voice-to-text feature that allows users to dictate aloud for any text field on the device. The handset runs the unreleased Android 2.1 operating system, which has new home screen visual enhancements like animated and interactive desktop wallpaper. One early review noted that while the handset is a decent smartphone, it is not an “iPhone killer.” Unlike the iPhone, it does not have multi-touch.

Nexus One 2

At its event Tuesday, Google highlighted the news and location-aware weather widgets from Android 2.1. It also demonstrated an animated wallpaper that allowed users to make ripples on water with their finger.

In an effort to calm some concerns that Google would be competing with its partners in the Android Open Handset Alliance, the Mountain View, Calif., company highlighted 13 new members that have joined the alliance Tuesday. The total number of OHA members is currently 52. In all, there are more than 20 Android devices on 59 carriers in 48 countries.

Google officials said they will focus on specific projects with partners, such as the Motorola Droid, to encourage innovation in the marketplace.

The availability of the Nexus One first on T-Mobile signifies the ongoing partnership between the nation’s fourth-largest wireless carrier and Google. The first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, debuted in Oct. 2008 with a $179 price tag.

Since the G1 debuted the Android platform, it has expanded to numerous devices, most notably the Motorola Droid. The Verizon-only handset launched in November to favorable reviews.

Nexus One 3

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Google reveals Nexus One for T-Mobile, Verizon: $529 contract-free

December 30, 2009

Return of the 8GB iPhone 3GS Rumors

Filed under: tipb — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 8:44 am

500x_8gb-3gs

Could an 8GB iPhone 3GS replace the 8GB iPhone 3G Apple currently offers as it’s ahem bargain-basement smartphone? The $99 iPhone 3G was one of the big stories of 2009, set against otherwise anemic competition at that price point. An 8GB 3GS at $99 (or lower?) has been rumored before. Now Gizmodo says it could be immanent:

A user on the German apfeltalk forums ordered an 8GB iPhone 3G, and while the handset was what he was expecting, the packaging suggested it contained an 8GB version of the latest model, the 3GS. As you know, it’s only available in 16GB and 32GB options, so either the box info contained a typo, or Apple accidentally got its new packaging mixed up with the old.

Sure, $99, $199, $299 makes little real difference when you factor in the thousands of voice and data dollars spent over a 2 or 3 year contract. Psychologically, however, walking in with almost no money in your pocket and walking out with an iPhone is huge to a mainstream customer base, and Apple could be planning to keep up the low price-point pressure in 2010.

Would you want?

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