The latest version of iTunes gets a bit of a makeover on its surface and under the covers to make it look more like the mobile version of iTunes that sits on your iPhone and allow tighter integration with iCloud. Read more »
China’s Telecommunications Equipment Certification Center says licenses to carry the device have now been approved for two carriers, China Telecom and China Unicom. That’s a good indication that Apple’s most important product is about to go on sale in one of its most critical markets. Read more »
Looking to add a second screen experience to a single device? Check out popSLATE, a new iPhone 5 case with a 4-inch e-ink display on the back. The Indiegogo project is looking for $150,000 in funding and pledges start at $79 for the innovative case. Read more »
The SDK makes it relatively simple for Android apps to stream content to any DLNA-enabled device, from TV sets to stereos. Next up? Similar SDKs for Windows Phone 8 and iOS. Read more »
Eddy Cue took over responsibility for Maps last month when Apple announced SVP of iOS Software Scott Forstall would be leaving the company. Cue has been known as Apple’s “fixer” and has been charged with getting the Maps program into working shape after a disastrous debut. Read more »
Cumulative Android sales started surpassing that of iPhones in 2010, but as Apple improves its handset, it often gets a sales boost following each model launch. Thanks to iPhone 5, that boost was enough to beat out Android sales in the U.S., but not overseas. Read more »
The automaker isn’t adding Apple’s service to any high-end models just yet, but two smaller cars aimed at buyers on a budget. To use it, owners will need an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 running iOS 6 that can connect to the car’s infotainment system. Read more »
Looking to give your friend the perfect birthday gift, or want an easy way to give your kids a gift card for the holidays? Facebook announces Monday that it will be integrating iTunes gift cards and content into its digital gifts platform. Read more »
In the last few days, both companies have added more products to their dispute, which they each claim violate mobile patents they own. Apple has included the flagship Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II, while Samsung has named the iPad mini as an infringer. Read more »
Apple’s Passbook joins the mobile payments gold rush. But Jeff Fagel, of edo Interactive, has doubts about its viability and says until we see a system that’s easier for everyone, plastic will remain king. Read more »
Critics of Apple’s social features have argued that it should buy Twitter, but former Apple engineer Patrick Gibson says the real value in such a deal would be that Twitter might be able to help Apple build web services that actually work. Read more »
Despite the difficult year in cleantech, there’s quite a few things that excited me this year. Here’s 10 things to be thankful for in cleantech. Read more »
More details on the sale leak out via a lawsuit filed against Color on Monday. Most attention in the document is going to be rightly focused on the jarring accusations being leveled against CEO and founder Bill Nguyen by the petitioner, Adam Witherspoon, a cofounder of Color Read more »
AC/DC had famously resisted Apple’s siren call for a long time, but is now selling all of its albums on iTunes. The band joins a list of other acts who only recently started selling digital tracks on iTunes, including Metallica, Kid Rock and the Beatles. Read more »
One of the hallmarks of 2011′s OS X upgrade was how many iOS features showed up: iMessage, Notes, Reminders, Notifications, Game Center, Twitter integration, AirPlay mirroring. In that light, why wouldn’t Siri and Maps be next on the list? Read more »
The original version of iTunes Match was a huge hassle when it came to uploading and matching my iTunes library to Apple’s iTunes in the cloud. I tried again this year to see what, if anything, about the experience had improved. Read more »
Indian tech firm Wipro takes the lead for the first time — beating out U.S. companies like Apple, HP and Dell — to become the highest ranking gadget maker in Greenpeace’s latest green guide to electronics. Read more »
Two things are true: Consumers love cloud-based file share and storage systems and consumers have concerns about cloud-based file share and storage systems. Dell makes another acquisition in hopes of bolstering its cloud storage after a rough earnings call. Read more »
Less than a week after Apple settled out of court with HTC, a court filing unearthed on Friday shows that Apple wants to resolve its ongoing dispute over standards-essential patents with Google-owned Motorola. It’s not clear if Motorola agrees. Read more »
We have a few televisions, but there never seems to be a screen available. Or is there? Why not add a low-cost digital tuner or two to a home network
‘ I did and now I’m watching live HDTV on my iPad mini and Galaxy Note 2. Read more »
The tax bill is notable because of how profitable Apple is and how at the same time it has managed to out-maneuver many tax laws in the U.S. and Europe by building a complex web of subsidiaries in lower-tax countries. Read more »
After his abrupt departure from Microsoft last week, inquiring minds want to know just where Steven Sinofsky will land next. Here are a couple intriguing possibilities. What do you think? Read more »
Apple has said it’s working on improving its own Maps app, but there are many longtime iPhone users who’ve been anxiously awaiting the return of Google Maps to the platform. A new report indicates Google is testing a new Maps for iOS app now. Read more »
China may be Apple’s next frontier for smartphone growth, but the company has some catching up to do. Android handsets that cost one-third of the iPhone have taken the market by storm: Android now accounts for 90.1 percent of the smartphone market in China. Read more »
Samsung has already experienced the worst case scenario in going head-to-head with Apple and has been tagged with a billion-dollar verdict. The company has so little to lose now that it’s not at all surprising Samsung says it has no plans to settle like HTC. Read more »
Apple and Samsung’s businesses are deeply intertwined, and since the epic patent trial win by Apple this summer, things have gotten more tense and negotiations between the two partner competitors continue to play out in public. Read more »
TV broadcasters and programmers must embrace a new set of video-delivery techniques to reach consumers today. Online delivery to so many types of consumer devices means that video programmers must produce multiple internet-streaming formats that use different types of security and different ways of inserting ads. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The company has been fined almost a million euros for selling paid warranties to Italian customers who should have had free coverage. Apple seemed to get away with ignoring the law for a while, even as Italy got more aggressive in its enforcement. Read more »
CEO Tim Cook is adding more employee perks, including personal time for projects. If these “perks” sounds rather run-of-the-mill to you, it’s because they are — for many modern companies. It’s yet another move by Cook to turn Apple into a more “normal” company. Read more »
Price changes on components in and of themselves aren’t necessarily controversial. There could be plenty of reasons Samsung had to charge Apple more. But in the context of the last few months which saw Apple win a verdict of $1 billion against Samsung, it naturally raises eyebrows. Read more »
Jobs wanted to “destroy” Android for copying his mobile operating system; HTC was the first company he targeted. But as Tim Cook has been molding Apple into a company he would run, it appears he decided keeping up Jobs’ total war wasn’t a sound, long-term investment. Read more »
Apple and HTC have agreed to settle all outstanding patent litigation between the two companies, signing a ten-year licensing deal but not disclosing financial terms. The settlement ends one of the most prominent battles over Google’s Android smartphone operating system. Read more »
Sometimes design is just another word for prettiness. But truly good design implies so much more. After launching a startup, Elle Luna, lead designer at Mailbox, believes design is “a way of thinking about everything” and offers three key insights. Read more »
I’m looking to self-publish my writing, so I took a look at a bunch of different Mac apps that can create ebooks. The best I found were Apple’s Pages, Adobe InDesign, and Scrivener. Here’s a look the pros and cons of each program. Read more »
China Telecom Chairman Wang Xiaochu said “the phone should be by early December if not sooner,” according to the Wall Street Journal. The uncertainty is due to the device winning regulatory approval in China. Read more »
Google is said to be working on a new Maps app for iOS. But even if they do make one, and Apple approves it, having a Google Maps app on your device will not bring back the same Maps experience the you had in the past. Read more »
Isn’t it time for Apple to make good on its promise to make FaceTime an open standard? After all, the video service arrived in June of 2010 and we haven’t heard a peep on any effort to open up FaceTime for use on other platforms. Read more »
Apple and British judges have been in a long-running fight over an order that requires Apple to say that Samsung didn’t copy the iPad. Today, the frustrated judges got the last word in a decision scolding Apple. Read more »
Apple has integrated its assistant with the Apple Store app. Users can ask for details about Apple products and the results will be brought up on screen via the app. It shows us Apple is thinking about using Siri to better connect users with its products. Read more »
Samsung’s Galaxy S III was the best-selling smartphone model last quarter, says research firm Strategy Analytics. That may or may not be true due to the “shipped vs sold” argument. Truth be told, it doesn’t matter because only Samsung could possibly rival Apple’s iPhone. Here’s why. Read more »
