Although Nokia did not detail release dates when it unveiled new Windows Phones this week, reports suggest a November timeframe. Coming after the expected next iPhone, that makes Nokia’s sales challenge that much tougher, regardless of how nice the new Lumias look. Read more »
As unlimited data plans disappear, consumers need new data-savings solutions. Snappli is the latest to out a mobile service that cuts down on data use through compression techniques; the free software, available today, works on iOS and saves data for the web, apps and even videos. Read more »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: The significance of iPhone naming, nano SIM cards on delivery, Steve Jobs’ effect on tech company slogans, and the world’s largest retailer looks to incorporate the iPhone. Read more »
Samsung hit a billion dollar setback in the courts against Apple in August, but that same month it sold the top smartphone on 3 of the 4 big U.S. carrier networks. The Galaxy S III beat out the iPhone 4S, making for a good sales battle. Read more »
With shipments of the Galaxy S III beginning this week, mobile virtual network operator Ting has broken the curse of the budget operator: It not only has the latest iconic handset, it has the access to the latest network technology, LTE. One hurdle remains: the iPhone. Read more »
While cloud, mobility, social, and analytics have been driving demand for IT products and services in 2012, the worldwide IT spending picture has become dimmer as the year has progressed: We’re looking at 5.1 percent worldwide IT spending growth in 2012. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Already, workplaces are changing because of trends like BYOD and gamification. But other emerging technologies are also altering what our workspace looks like and how we collaborate. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
NFC in the iPhone may have to wait another year. Anandtech is concluding that the next iPhone, if it comes with a metal backing, will not be able to support an NFC antenna. Read more »
The implications of Apple’s recent billion-dollar victory over Samsung in a patent-infringement case go beyond the specifics of this particular battle — the reality is the war over software and design patents is bad not just for individual companies but arguably for society as a whole. Read more »
A new report says Apple will give the iPhone and iPad Mini their own press events, with the iPhone going first in September followed by the iPad Mini a month later. The move would give Apple plenty of press attention without diluting coverage. Read more »
Facebook says the app has been rewritten so it’ll not only open and scroll faster, but news feeds and notifications will load right away. To do that, Facebook rewrote it as a native iOS app, doing away with HTML5. Read more »
Prismatic, a news-filtering service, has launched an iPhone app that founder Bradford Cross says makes the experience of reading news on a mobile device appealing for the first time, because it strips away all of the clutter that tends to slow down mobile news sites. Read more »
With a reported 50 percent of all smartphone owners not knowing how much mobile broadband their handsets use each month, data usage tracking tools are becoming valuable utilities. Boingo just added one to its Wi-Finder for iOS app, which can help save you money. Read more »
AT&T says it’s not blocking any apps and that users can still use FaceTime over Wi-Fi as before. The carrier also says there’s a place for “reasonable restrictions” on preloaded apps on the iPhone — but the definition of “preloaded” can be a bit tricky. Read more »
UBS analyst Steven Milunovich argues that the biggest threat to Apple’s dominance in the long run is not a plethora of copycat smartphone and tablet makers — but a competitor out-innovating Apple, which could be ushered in by Samsung losing and Apple winning. Read more »
Standalone GPS navigation makers continue to face the battle against smartphones and location based service apps. At least one of them is embracing the change: TomTom first added support for Facebook Places and now it includes Foursquare, making it easier to get directions and check-in. Read more »
AT&T won’t make users pay to use Apple’s video call service over a cellular connection once that capability goes live this fall. But the carrier says this option is only available to customers who sign up for its new shared voice and data plans. Read more »
Global positioning systems provide better location accuracy over solutions that use Wi-Fi networks, but just how much better is GPS? Yelp sifted through its check-in data to see and not only found out the accuracy variance, but also an interesting location tidbit on iPhones vs Androids. Read more »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: why Apple can’t disrupt cable today the way it did the music industry, where the Apple-Google spat is heading, an SMS security concern, plans for Oregon data center. Read more »
A number of connected watches have hit — and been funded on — Kickstarter lately, but the newest doesn’t just show information from a smartphone; it works as a hands-free speaker phone. The watch also supports voice commands so you can use it directly with Siri. Read more »
From iOS developer Kudit, the service will let anyone easily participate in iOS Passbook, a feature coming in the next version of the software. In the future, PassSource will also offer an analytics dashboard for pass creators to track how their passes are being used. Read more »
Two Korean iPhone carriers are reportedly in talks with Apple to include LTE radios in the next iPhone. LTE is booming in Korea and the carriers want to be able to add to those subscriber numbers instead of investing in older networks. Read more »
The iPad “Flipboard for video” app Vodio is shrinking down to iPhone size starting Tuesday. We talked to the Tel Aviv-based Vodio about why the iPhone came next for the app instead of Android tablets. Read more »
Overall handset sales slumped last quarter as consumers face economic challenges or are waiting for newer phone models. But Android keeps outpacing iOS devices while handsets from Research In Motion and Nokia continue to drop, although Windows Phone is showing signs of sales life. Read more »
A Nokia Conversations survey suggests the U.S. alone prefers touchscreen devices for input while the rest of the world still wants a QWERTY keyboard. That’s ironic as touchscreens dominate the market and Nokia opted for numeric keypads in lieu of QWERTY for so long. Read more »
Target and Best Buy are joining Sprint in offering $20 to $50 discounts on iPhones with two-year contracts. Sales on current and older devices is yet another sign pointing to new models being around the corner. Apple is reportedly matching some of these discounts. Read more »
Campaign 2012 is gonna be brutal if you’re a TV watcher (or a web surfer). If you want to check out the veracity of claims made in the Romney and Obama ads flooding your device of choice, check out SuperPACApp and Reactvid. Read more »
A new “Wi-Fi Plus Cellular” feature appears in the latest beta build of iOS 6. This should allow background synchronization for certain native applications but appears to include FaceTime as well, indicating that iOS 6 will support seamless FaceTime calls moving from Wi-Fi to mobile broadband. Read more »
Already thought your iPhone camera was pretty powerful? Just wait until you see it measure your resting heart rate by analyzing light reflected off your face through a new app from the Rock Health accelerator that turns the camera into a biosensor. Read more »
Historically, U.S. consumers are addicted to subsidized smartphones that carry lengthy contracts, but sales growth of pre-paid, no contract phones has nearly doubled in the past year. Apple’s iPhone may eventually help this market too, but improved Android handsets sold by pre-paid providers are boosting sales. Read more »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: Mat Honan’s iCloud hack wasn’t preventable with a strong password, hints about a larger iPhone in iOS 6, the Apple TV moves beyond hobby stage, and more. Read more »
So long YouTube; Apple has pulled the app from the latest iOS 6 beta. Of course, you can still watch YouTube in Safari and Google is reportedly writing a YouTube app for the iTunes App Store. Maybe we see a better YouTube experience as a result. Read more »
Thanks to the testimony of top Apple executives this week, we know more about how the iPhone came to be. However, the revelation of these details means that even if Apple ends up winning this case, it’s still lost something: a little bit of mystery. Read more »
Is your iPhone speaker not loud enough for music or calls? A Kickstarter project for AudioGloves uses accoustics, not digital technology to solve the problem by boosting sound up to 20 percent. According to a Dolby Labratory test, it works as advertised for richer, louder sounds. Read more »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss: a look at early iPhone and iPad prototypes, an Apple chip designer checks out, details on the AuthenTec deal, what a stock split would mean, and more Apple-Samsung legal squabbling. Read more »
Despite its current decline, RIM is a different firm today than it was in 2007, with new management, a full awareness of its shaky position, an upcoming OS release and a number of lingering advantages that can still be leveraged. Here’s how it just might survive. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
In a move aimed primarily at users of its textbooks, iPad publisher Inkling is making all of its titles available for the iPhone. The company’s interactive ebook publishing platform, Habitat, now works for iPhone as well. Read more at paidContent »
With the growth of sensors and microelectronics, the potential uses of wearable-computing technologies now reach to health and fitness, gaming, fashion, disabilities and augmented reality. Most importantly, the widespread adoption of wearables will drive the form function and market for mobiles in vital ways. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Revealed in court documents related to next week’s Samsung trial: the gross margins Apple Turns out Apple makes at least twice as much from each iPhone as it does from the iPad. Read more »
Apple has purchased a mobile security firm that counts many of its mobile competitors as partners. Why? Apple may be eyeing fingerprint-based authentication for iPhones, or perhaps it wants AuthenTec’s NFC-payment security technology for a future iPhone with mobile payment capabilities. Read more »
