It was just two years ago that Microsoft pressed reboot on their mobile strategy. Windows Phone 7 was released in 2010, followed up by Windows Phone 7.5 in 2… Video Rating: 4 / 5
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Sony Mobile’s sales chief, Dennis van Schie, has gone on the record with a pledge that just about crosses the line from marketing to manifesto. Speaking to the Financial Times Deutschland, he said Sony “will create, in the near future, a flagship model that can compete with Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy S III.” Such a claim doesn’t sound like a ringing endorsement of the manufacturer’s existing top-end offering, the fast yet flawed Xperia TL, but it does raise our hopes for CES, since FTD reports that the superphone in question will be presented in early 2013 at both the Las Vegas show and Mobile World Congress. On a related note, van Schie also promised that Sony’s chaotic array of online storefronts would become better integrated by the end of 2013, with every user being able to use a single ID across all their devices to access content — something that sounds simple, but evidently isn’t.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony
Sony promises top-end handset to compete with GS III and iPhone, implies its existing flagship doesn’t originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 06:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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T-Mobile might have just gone with the nuclear option when it comes to ridiculous smartphone names. Apparently not content to let Sprint’s Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch hold on to the crown for unnecessarily wordy titles, Magenta is reportedly launching Samsung’s T699 as the Galaxy S Blaze Q. Yep. If you’ve stopped giggling, you’ll be glad to know TmoNews‘ leaked photos and details at least hint at a serious QWERTY slider attached to the silly name. The Android 4.0 hardware should be a slightly detuned Galaxy S III, with the familiar 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 and 720p display being tempered by a more restrained 1GB of RAM and a 5-megapixel back camera. As long as a store layout document proves accurate, we’ll have the choice of snagging a Blaze Q at T-Mobile on August 15th… assuming the store clerk doesn’t get tongue-tied first.
Samsung T699 may become Galaxy S Blaze Q, compete for silliest phone name ever on August 15th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jul 2012 02:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Kindle Fire is shipping next week, and Amazon wants to ship it with as many mainstream apps as possible. There will be thousands of apps which will work on the customized Android tablet, including Facebook, Pandora, Netflix, Angry Birds, and Zynga games. You can now add Hulu Plus and ESPN ScoreCenter to that group.
Fire owners will be able to watch thousands of TV shows on Hulu Plus for $ 7.99 a month. Or, they can watch shows from Amazon’s own Instant Video streaming video service, which is built right into the tablet. After all, the Kindle Fire was designed as a media tablet. Everyone who buys one will get a one-month free trial of Instant Video, which is bundled with Amazon Prime (the $ 79/year all-you-can-ship service from the e-tailer).
So you can pay $ 79 a year and get all of Amazon’s Instant videos along with free shipping, or $ 96 a year for Hulu Plus for just the videos. Hulu Plus has a better selection of TV shows, and many people are already members. But for people considering paying for a video subscription on the Fire, Amazon’s bundled offering is going to be hard to beat, assuming Amazon can license a competitive library of TV shows and movies over time.
After announcing that it would completely revamp its struggling TV business after yet another quarter of financial setbacks, what’s next for Sony? CEO Howard Stringer tells the Wall Street Journal that R&D is focusing on a “different kind of TV set.” He didn’t specify whether he was talking about the company’s efforts with Google TV or any other technology, however he did note the “really well organized” beauty of the iPhone and said that after a five year quest to build a platform that would compete with Steve Jobs, it’s finally ready to launch. This all hinges on Sony’s ability to pull its four screens (phones, tablets, PCs, TVs) together with network services like Video Unlimited and Music Unlimited (and hopefully make those Qriocity-birthed offerings famous for something other than being a footnote in its hacking scandal). Sony has finally begun to acknowledge its weaknesses in software and providing a uniform user experience, we’ll probably find out more about how it plans to turn that around at CES 2012 in January.
Sony’s CEO is ready to launch a four-screen platform ‘that can compete with Steve Jobs’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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NookColor: Can it compete with the Kindle, iPad? Bookseller Barnes & Noble shook up the reading market again Tuesday with the announcement of the NookColor – a full-color touchscreen sibling to its Nook e-reader. Read more on Detroit Free Press
The iPad2 Will Appeal to Lawyers The following guest post is from Lior Levin, a marketing consultant who works for an E2 visa lawyer from New York. The impending launch of the Apple iPad 2 was announced early this month, on March 2, 2011. Many lawyers, attorneys, and paralegals have found the original iPad to be a great asset in almost every area. Yet it remains to be seen whether the upgraded iPad 2 will have the same impact … Read more on Injury Board
Apple approves prostitution-friendly app Thanks to what appears to be an oversight in Apple’s App Store approval process, it’ll be possible to hire a prostitute using an iPhone app after June 1. Read more on MSNBC
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Earlier this week we saw that McLaren got together with Specialized to make their exquisite Venge road bike. Apparently Audi felt left out of the party, and has announced the fruits of its collaboration with Portland bike-maker Renovo: the “duo” series.
The bikes’ primary differentiating feature is, of course, the wood frames. Audi has built them out of “woods selected to match the look of Audi vehicle interiors.” One assumes they also picked the wood based on its strength and weight, but they don’t really mention that.
It comes in three flavors: City, Sport, and Road. The duo City has a belt drive mechanism and internal 8-speed Shimano gearing, and the Road is a more traditional 20-speed. The Sport is… wait, there’s no information on the Sport at all. I’m guessing it’s a more downhill-oriented bike with fat tires and perhaps some shocks
At around $ 6500 for the City and $ 7500 for the Road, I’d say these are definitely “message” bikes. If I felt like spending that much on a bike, I’d go with the Venge, personally. I’ll still go with Audi for those skis, though.
[via CNET]
Amazon opens Android app store, bets shopping recommendation experience will help it compete SAN FRANCISCO – Amazon.com Inc. is getting into the app-selling arena by opening an online store to distribute software for smartphones and tablet computers running Google Inc.’s Android operating system. Read more on Brandon Sun
Microsoft fires lawsuit at Google over Android Microsoft broadened its attack on Google’s Android software, filing patent infringement lawsuits against Barnes & Noble and two manufacturers over the Android-based Nook e-reader.In the complaint filed in the US District Court… Read more on The New Zealand Herald
Microsoft aims at Android with e-reader lawsuit Microsoft Corp. broadened its attack on Google Inc.’s Android software, filing patent infringement lawsuits Monday against Barnes & Noble Inc. and two manufacturers over the Android-based Nook e-reader. Read more on AP via Yahoo! Finance
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