News Archive for 09/10/19

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Microsoft to open Mission Viejo store Oct. 29

10/19, 11:30pm

Second Microsoft Store one week later

Microsoft today confirmed more of its retail opening plans with sites for its first two stores. In addition to confirming the Scottsdale opening this Thursday, the Windows creator now says the Mission Viejo, California store is due to open a week later, on October 29th. It should partly mirror the Arizona opening with Justin Bieber performing a concert at the second location for the first 1,000 to ask for free tickets.

Rumor: Apple to intro new Macs, Magic Mouse on Tuesday

10/19, 11:15pm

Slew of products said to be launched Tuesday

Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber and "Fake Steve Jobs" blogger Dan Lyons both suggest Apple is ready to launch new products tomorrow. Lyons claims there is "something brewing" for a news announcement tomorrow, although he declined to provide specific details on the products.

ii-View intros A2 netbook with 12-inch LCD

10/19, 10:00pm

Atom-based device runs Windows 7

The Hong Kong-based computer maker ii-View has introduced its latest device, the A2 netbook. Like many similar devices, the A2 is based on Intel's 945 chipset and 1.6GHz Atom CPU. The basic configuration integrates a 320GB hard drive and 2GB of RAM, along with components for 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi.

Apple confirms new Paris, NYC store openings in November

10/19, 8:50pm

Projects appear to be continuing after delays

Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer confirmed plans to open several new retail locations in France and New York City. The executive, speaking at an investor conference call, mentioned that the company is finally ready to reveal the store at Carrousel du Louvre in Paris. Although the project was initially acknowledged by Apple in June of last year, reports early this year suggested construction had begun to stagnate.

Barnes & Noble reader to match Kindle price?

10/19, 8:15pm

Barnes reader named Nook

Barnes and Noble's rumored dual-screen e-book reader gained credibility Monday night with the leak of a paper ad in advance (subscription required). A full-page placement due for the New York Times' Book Review next Sunday labels the reader as the Nook and says it will ship for $259, reaching the same price as the US Kindle. It also makes a direct reference to the previously leaked e-book lending feature, which would let users temporarily give rights to a book to someone else.

Apple COO hints at iPhone pricing on multiple carriers

10/19, 7:15pm

Executives highlight strong performance for Q4

Apple executives fielded a variety of iPhone- and Mac-related questions during a conference call for investors, following the announcement of yet another forecast-beating fiscal quarter. COO Tim Cook provided insight into the company's iPhone pricing while transitioning away from exclusive carrier agreements. Although he did not speak specifically about US plans, Cook expects wholesale prices to remain steady even as the device is sold through additional carriers.

Apple teases lower-priced products for fall

10/19, 6:00pm

Apple call alludes to less expensive devices

Apple during the conference call discussing its record quarterly results this summer provided multiple hints of price drops on its products in the near future. When asked during a Q&A session about its prediction of lower gross margins for the fall, the company warned that products in the future will have lower margins and repeatedly emphasized cost as an issue. It stressed that it would provide "ever-increasing value" in its products and reiterated its beliefs that it will continue to make products at prices others "can't match."

Detailed Q4 results show desktop declines, iPhone leaps

10/19, 5:45pm

Notebooks buoy Apple computer sales

As a part of its fourth-quarter financial results, Apple has also produced detailed segment information. Revenue in the Americas is up 20 percent year-over-year, and now sits at $4.297 billion. European revenue has jumped a substantial 45 percent to $2.491 billion, while Japan has grown 36 percent to reach $434 million. Worldwide retail revenues are up 9 percent to $1.867 billion.

Dell speeds up Adamo to match MacBook Air

10/19, 5:20pm

Dell Adamo finally gets Core 2 Duo S

Dell has quietly upgraded the Adamo 13 to better compete against other ultra-thin notebooks like the MacBook Air. The high-end Desire model reviewed here has had its ultra-low voltage 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo replaced with a much faster 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo S like that found in Apple's faster notebook. It has also had its solid-state drive double in capacity to 256GB and Windows 7 replace Vista as the stock OS.

Apple beats forecasts in Q4 financial results

10/19, 5:00pm

Macs, iPhones above expectations

Apple has posted the results of its fiscal fourth quarter for 2009, beating analyst expectations. The company is claiming $9.87 billion in revenue, for a net profit of $1.67 billion, or $1.82 per diluted share. In Q4 2008 quarterly revenue was $7.9 billion, with $1.14 billion in profit and $1.26 per diluted share.

Original BlackBerry Storm to get some Storm2 features?

10/19, 4:55pm

Storm to get Storm2 features via firmware update?

BlackBerry Storm 9530 users can get some of the functionality of the handset that replaced it, the Storm2 9550, via a software update from provider Verizon, an unnamed Verizon representative tells PhoneArena. Users will be able to perform the same flick scrolling, tabbed browsing and threaded texting on the Storms, however. The 9550 also has an improved SurePress typing system with four sensors and a freeze-out feature when the device is off.

Samsung Code becomes MetroPCS' first Win Mobile 6.1 phone

10/19, 4:35pm

Samsung Code comes to MetroPCS

Pre-paid wireless provider MetroPCS on Monday announced it has added the Samsung Code to its lineup. The handset is the carrier's first with the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system. With the OS, users can access contacts, a calendar, tasks, notes, a voice recorder and Windows Live. The WizPro interface is optional and lets users customize home screens by making shortcuts to the most frequently accessed features.

KnowledgeMiner (yX) 2.0 for Excel adds 64-bit support

10/19, 4:25pm

Improves computation speeds

KnowledgeMiner has released v2.0 of KnowledgeMiner (yX) for Excel, a data mining tool. The software scrutinizes Excel spreadsheets for patterns, highlighting trends in a more explicit fashion. It can also use data to generate predictions based on algorithms. Among the new features in v2.0 is support for 64-bit processing, which accelerates computations by scaling to the number of cores present on a Mac.

ViconRevue wearable camera meant for "life logging"

10/19, 4:25pm

ViconRevue meant to record a user's life

UK-based digital camera maker Vicon said it will soon release a digital camera that hangs from a user's neck and is meant to document the wearer's life. The ViconRevue can be set to capture an image every 30 seconds, and the included 1GB memory card can store up to 30,000 still images. There is also a built-in accelerometer and light sensors that will trigger the shutter when the wearer changes locations, while an infrared sensor will also capture an image when the body heat of another person is detected.

Roku XR to add 802.11n Wi-Fi, USB

10/19, 4:20pm

Roku XR brings with it Wi-Fi, USB port

Roku will soon update its multimedia box that can stream and download Netflix content with a new product, the Roku XR, according to a Monday Engadget report. The new model will replace the aging original, which debuted about 18 months ago. The Roku XR will look identical to the original, but add 802.11n Wi-Fi support, a USB socket for local media playback from thumb drives and a 2.5A power input, in comparison to the current model's 1.5A power connection.

Sprint buys out push-to-talk carrier iPCS

10/19, 4:10pm

Sprint buys out iPCS for $831m

Sprint on Monday said it would buy out one of its affiliate carriers, iPCS, for $831 million. The deal puts the smaller company's push-to-talk iDEN phone service directly under Sprint's control and settles a legal battle between the two that had blocked Sprint from advertising its network and might have prevented Sprint from selling service in those areas. Under the new agreement, Sprint would no longer need to sell off parts of its network in iPCS areas.

Apple sued over Ethernet patent infringement

10/19, 4:00pm

Other computer makers also targeted

Apple and several other computer makers have been targeted in a patent infringement lawsuit involving Ethernet technology. The plaintiff, US Ethernet Innovations, claims the companies have been using intellectual property contained in at least one four patents originally issued to 3Com between 1994 and 1998.

Review: Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone

10/19, 3:30pm

Useful app still limited

MacNN has reviewed Photoshop.com Mobile, a free Adobe application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The app ties into the company's Photoshop.com website, but lets users make a variety of offline edits. These include the addition of filters, and adjustments to elements like hue, exposure and saturation.

TI promises very low-power Bluetooth chip

10/19, 3:30pm

Tiny TI Bluetooth chip with low power usage

Texas Instruments will showcase an ultra low-power coin cell demo using the upcoming Bluetooth low energy open standard on Tuesday at a Bluetooth conference in Munich. The device will use TI's future CC2540 single-mode system-on-chip, which TI says will consume so little power that it will allow wireless to run on devices for very long periods of time. Among other examples, it would allow for a small button cell battery to power such a device without recharging for more than a year.

Behold II, Tap dated for T-Mobile

10/19, 3:00pm

First Samsung Android phone for T-Mobile dated

The Samsung Behold II and T-Mobile Tap have been dated for a release at T-Mobile on Monday thanks to leaved images from the carrier's brochures. The former, and the first with Google's Android operating system at T-Mobile and from Samsung, is due for a November 18th debut, while the Tap will be out a week earlier, on the 11th of November.

Canon EOS 1D Mark V due tomorrow?

10/19, 2:50pm

Canon 1D MkV may use crop frame, 1080p60

Canon's long rumored replacement for its EOS 1D Mark III pro DSLR could show as early as tomorrow but with multiple surprises in store, more than one source said today. A post from pro photographer Philip Bloom as well as an unnamed source for Canon Rumors both say Canon will use events celebrating the 50th anniversary of its DSLRs to unveil the EOS 1D Mark V, skipping IV due to Japanese viewing it as an unlucky number. Controversially, it would also opt for a crop-frame sensor instead of full-frame, opting for a 16-megapixel image so it can reach a maximum shooting rate of 11 or possibly 12 frames per second.

Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 10 packs 240Hz, more

10/19, 2:20pm

Bang and Olufsen upgrades BeoVision set

Luxury home theater firm Bang & Olufsen today updated its BeoVision TVs with a new flagship, the BeoVision 10. The 40-inch set echoes the same 'seamless' TV and speaker combo of earlier sets but now adds a 240Hz panel to eliminate motion artifacts and measures about 2.1 inches deep with a thinner bezel than the BeoVision 9. The 10's creator sees it as being subtle and thin enough to sit alongside paintings without commanding too much attention until it's switched on.

Apple discriminating against non-YouTube video services?

10/19, 1:45pm

Controversy surrounds H.264 on iPhone

Apple is not playing fair in terms of supporting video hosting services beyond YouTube, claims the chief technical officer of Dailymotion. Olivier Poitrey comments that the iPhone edition of Safari relies on a special plug-in for YouTube videos, allowing it to jump straight to H.264-encoded copies. Because of Apple's battery and processor worries, Flash is not supported in any form on iPhones or iPod touches.

RIM's BlackBerry watch companion leaked

10/19, 1:45pm

RIM inPulse shows BlackBerry messages

Talk of a watch peripheral for the BlackBerry gained credibility on Monday through a slip of new information. Probably to be called the inPulse, the RIM add-on would resemble some Bluetooth watches but have an OLED display that shows much more detailed information. Shots and a description from CrackBerry indicate the watch would show previews of calls, e-mail and RSS feeds from a paired BlackBerry and give owners an easy way of deciding whether or not to reply without having to take the phone out of a pocket.

Sony shows 360-degree 3D display prototype

10/19, 1:15pm

Sony prototype shows 360-degree 3D images

At the upcoming Digital Content Expo in Japan scheduled for October 22-25, Sony will demonstrate a prototype 3D display that will project images viewable from all around the device without requiring that viewers wear 3D glasses. The 360-degree display uses an LED light source to emit the images, which have a 96x128 pixel resolution and can show in a full 24-bit color range.

3 UK to carry HTC Hero with free Spotify music

10/19, 12:55pm

HTC Hero comes to 3 with free Spotify, Skype

UK wireless provider 3 said it will soon offer its first Android-powered phone, the HTC Hero with the unique addition of unlimited music. The Android smartphone will include a free Spotify Premium account, allowing users to access the online music service both on the phone and on a computer. While Spotify is available for iPhones and Android devices thanks to an app, and a monthly subscription, this is the first time it is bundled into an existing device, with the equivalent $16 monthly subscription fee waived as well. Also included with the 3 Hero is Skype access to VoIP calls.

Kaufman holds on AAPL estimates ahead of Q4 results

10/19, 12:45pm

Expectations too high, says firm

Kaufman Bros. is sticking with its current predictions on Apple performance ahead of the company's fourth-quarter results call, says an analyst for the firm. Shaw Wu notes that although the firm raised its estimates above consensus about two weeks ago, consensus has since raced ahead again -- perhaps too far -- and now sits at $9.2 billion in revenue with EPS of $1.42. Kaufman figures are $9.1 billion and $1.41.

Gateway brings CULV-based EC notebooks to US

10/19, 12:10pm

Gateway EC notebooks reach US with Win 7

Gateway today entered the market for Intel CULV portables in earnest by launching its EC series in the US. Previously seen in Canada, the line is a rebadge and re-spec of Acer's Timeline and is highlighted by the EC14. The 11.6-inch system weighs just under 3.8 pounds and uses either single-core Celeron, dual-core Celeron or dual-core Pentium CULV chips to outrun netbooks while still getting as much as eight hours of battery life.

Verizon to carry HP Mini 311, 110

10/19, 11:40am

Verizon to get Ion-based netbook

Verizon is poised to kick off the launch of Windows 7 this week with two netbooks as a leaked document has shown its plans. Both the HP Mini 311 and the Mini 110 are due to reach the provider along with Windows 7 on Thursday and will be partly subsidized, with Engadget showing the higher-end Mini 311 dropping to $250 after agreeing to a contract and a $100 mail-in rebate while the Mini 110 will cost $200 on similar terms.

Grand Central Dispatch coming to FreeBSD

10/19, 11:30am

Tech migrates to first non-Apple OS

Grand Central Dispatch, originally introduced with Mac OS X Snow Leopard, has been ported to its first third-party operating system, says the team behind FreeBSD. When it is released, FreeBSD 8.1 is expected to support Grand Central by default. The technology is said to have been harder to adapt than some other Unix-compatible frameworks, due to the need to make kernel modifications. Mac OS X blends elements of BSD and Mach.

O2 touts Palm Pre launch day success

10/19, 11:20am

O2 says Pre strong, gives no iPhone look

O2's British division today said that the UK launch of the Palm Pre was successful. A spokesperson declined to say how many had been sold but told TechRadar that the carrier sold more Pres on Friday than it normally does all other phones. Many of these were also often buying one or sometimes two of Palm's Touchstone inductive charging dock.

Google sponsors free Wi-Fi on Virgin's US flights

10/19, 10:40am

Free Virgin Air Wi-Fi from Nov to Jan

Google on Monday pushed its belief in widespread Internet access with a free Wi-Fi deal with Virgin America. The team-up will give no-cost Internet access to passengers on any of the airline's current flights between November 15th and January 15th. The search engine creator sees it as a way of easing stress during the holidays by keeping up on news from the ground, though it also encourages use of Google's services in the air.

Analysts generally optimistic on Apple Q4 results

10/19, 10:25am

Worries revolve around iPhone 3GS

Analysts are thought to be generally enthusiastic about Apple's fourth-quarter results, set to be announced at 2PM Pacific time on Monday, 5PM Eastern. Thomson Reuters suggests that the company is on average anticipated to record a 17 percent year-over-year rise in revenue to $9.2 billion, producing a 13 percent boost in earnings per share, amounting to $1.42. Apple's own EPS estimates are typically conservative, between $1.18 and $1.23.

ASUS Android phone due by end of year

10/19, 10:20am

ASUS to release Android phone before 2010

At a small press conference held in Taiwan renectly, ASUS chairman and president revealed an Android-powered smarpthone from the company is due later in 2009. A Monday Digitimes article maintains chairman Jonney Shih and ASUS president and CEO Jerry Shen had a discussion with the local media and revealed this information, along with a positive outlook on the notebook market and some plans for environmentally-friendly products in the future.

Plastic Logic teases QUE e-reader for CES

10/19, 10:00am

QUE proReader to have thin touchscreen

Plastic Logic today took the wraps off of its long in development e-book reader. Now known as the QUE proReader, the e-ink device is under a third of an inch thick but has a full 8.5-by-11-inch display that can show many documents at their full size. It also has a unique plastic touchscreen that the company claims is shatterproof and uses both Wi-Fi as well as AT&T-based 3G for downloading content from Barnes & Noble.

Livescribe ups capacities of its Pulse smartpen

10/19, 9:30am

Livescribe Pulse gets 2GB, 4GB models

Livescribe on Monday added two new capacities to its Pulse smartpen lineup. Customers can now opt for a 2GB or 4GB model, in addition to the original 1GB smartpen. The devices can also now be had in titanium and sport an ARM9 processor and the ability to save audio and handwritten notes through sync. The 4GB model can hold 400 hours of recorded audio or a combination of audio recording or even applications that will soon be available through a Livescribe Application Store.

Moto Droid hand-designed by Google?

10/19, 9:20am

Droid "most impressive" since iPhone

The Motorola Droid may have been designed by Google itself in what could be its best attempt to rival the iPhone, an early hands-on with the phone reveals. While Google has been known to provide input on Android devices like the T-Mobile G1, BGR now says the company had a "direct hand" in the Droid and virtually told Motorola what to build. The move suggests Google now wants a "halo" Android phone and is interested in competing more closely with Apple rather than relying on the platform alone.

Facebook 3.1 app to add push notifications

10/19, 8:50am

Minor update to precede

The next major version of the official Facebook iPhone app, v3.1, will add push notifications, says developer Joe Hewitt. The title lets users view and update news feeds, as well manage photos, and browse profiles and other content. It is not known when v3.1 will become available; coming "soon" however should be v3.03, a minor update providing only bugfixes.

Microsoft store to open Thursday with concert

10/19, 8:20am

Microsoft ad shows store launch details

Microsoft has confirmed plans to open its first Microsoft store on Windows 7's launch for Thursday. The Arizona Republic ad promises the Scottsdale store will open at 10AM and is providing multiple incentives to spur early traffic: the first 1,000 visitors get gift bags and tickets to an Ashley Tisdale concert at 5PM. Every PC buyer on launch day gets a free HP printer and a copy of Office 2007 Home & Student.

Spring Design shows 2-screen e-reader with Android

10/19, 7:30am

Alex reader has e-paper, color touch

Spring Design today unveiled Alex, its own take on e-book reading. Beating Barnes & Noble to a dual-screen reader, the design has both a 6-inch e-paper screen for reading as well as a 3.5-inch color touchscreen for navigation and viewing related content. The entire platform is based on Android and is customized to integrate both displays, such as caching a web article to read it on the e-paper screen.