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  • Apple iPad Mini Finally Coming in 2012?

    Apple iPad Mini Finally Coming in 2012?

    Almost since the launch of the original iPad in 2010, rumors have been flying about that Apple would release a smaller version of the device – something that split the difference between the 10-inch screen of the iPad and the 3.5-inch screen of the iPhone.

    Of course, none of these rumors have ever panned out – Apple has stood by its current iOS lineup, and Steve Jobs even famously said that a 10-inch screen was the minimum, and that anything in between the iPad and iPhone would feel like a scaled-up smartphone instead of a smaller tablet.

    Now, however, two months after Jobs’ passing, DigiTimes is citing their sources in Apple’s supply chain and claiming that Apple is purchasing 7.85-inch tablet panels from manufacturers, including LG Display. A smaller iPad tablet would be a direct response to Amazon’s Kindle Fire, as well as other 7-inch Android devices.

    Jobs’ recent death may lend some weight to this latest round of iPad Mini rumors. Now that he is no longer calling the shots at Apple, his objections to a smaller tablet could conceivably be ignored, and Apple could be making plans to launch the device, which DigiTimes claims would launch late in the second quarter of 2012. Even so, these rumors should probably be taken with a huge grain of salt. So far the iPad Mini has proven to be like the end of the world: often predicted, never arriving.

    [Source: DigiTimes]

  • iPhones In Higher Demand Than Expected

    CNN Money reported this morning that demand for Apple’s iPhone has been higher than expected. According to proprietary survey data gathered by Alphawise and published by Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty in a note to clients.

    Various models for predicting iPhone sales predicted that Apple would sell anywhere from 28-30 million iPhones in the fourth quarter of 2011, while the Alphawise survey suggests that the number will actually be somewhere between 31 and 36 million. The same survey predicts sales of 190 million iPhones and 81 million iPads, significantly higher than predictions by Morgan Stanley (134 million iPhones and 52 million iPads) and Wall Street (127 million iPhones and 54 million iPads).

    Alphawise Survey Data

    Meanwhile, the survey also found that the demand for tablets would likely increase. While only 8% of respondents to the survey owned tablets, 27% said they were planning to buy them.

    [Source: CNN Money]

  • Grand Theft Auto III Comes to iOS and Android

    Ten years ago Grand Theft Auto III hit the video game world with a major splash. The controversial but critically acclaimed game allowed users to commit a wide array of petty crimes in an amazingly open environment. Users could travel all through the game’s Liberty City setting – every street, alley, and sidewalk was open to users. Though the game, which was available on the PlayStation 2, the Microsoft Xbox, and Windows PCs, had a story line with tasks for the player to complete, they could just as easily ignore the missions, wandering through the city and causing mayhem at will. Though wildly popular, the game caused quite a stir with some of the things it allowed players to do – including killing prostitutes and taking their money – and prompted Walmart and some other retailers to institute stricter rules governing to whom they sold M-rated games.

    The game’s maker, Rockstar Games, announced earlier this month that they would be bringing the controversial classic to Apple’s App Store and the Android App Market. The app, which launched around midnight, is $4.99. The iOS version is a universal app, playable on both the iPhone and the iPad [iTunes Link]. A gameplay video is embedded below.

    Twitter reactions to the release of the game display little of the controversy of a decade ago. Most users seem excited about the release, though one expresses doubts about the viability of a console port doing well on mobile devices.

    @jamesseddon
    James Seddon    Can’t wait to get GTA III for my iPad tonight. I lost a girlfriend to the PS2 version and regret nothing. 7 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    @crcxn
    Christian Carr    GTA 3 on iPhone is amazing. http://t.co/us60eejZ 19 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    @schillingc
    Chris Schilling    Console ports on smartphones have novelty value but tend to be wildly overpraised because of it. “Tee hee! GTA III on my iPhone! 10/10!” 5 hours ago via Silver Bird · powered by @socialditto

    In the ten years since GTA III released, the Grand Theft Auto franchise has gone on to spawn a further nine games, with a tenth (the fifteenth game in the series overall) in the works. Rockstar announced Grand Theft Auto V (not all the games in the series get numbers) via Twitter in October and debuted a trailer on their homepage in November. The game is scheduled for a 2012 release.

    What do you think of GTA III going mobile? Have you played it? Will you? Sound off in the comments.

  • Netflix iPad App Revamped With A New Look

    Netflix has announced the release of a new version of their iPad app today [iTunes link]. The latest version of the company’s free app is meant to be a significant improvement over the previous version, making it easier for users to find and watch content. The interface has been redesigned to fit a much larger number of titles on the screen, and to enable users to browse the Netflix catalog much more quickly and easily.

    The app is universal, which means that the same app will run on the iPad, the iPhone, and the iPod Touch. The interface redesign seems to be limited to the iPad, however, which makes sense in light of the fact that in the previous version the iPad interface was just a larger version of the iPhone interface. The design worked – and still works – well on the smaller device, but left a great deal of wasted screen real estate on the iPad.

    In the same blog post, Netflix also announced that their subscribers in Latin America would be able to stream Netflix’s content on their iOS devices as well. They also announced that the Netflix “Just for Kids” service would be coming to the Apple TV. Launched in August, the service is designed to make it easier for children to find the content in Netflix’s catalog geared specifically to them, while avoiding the content that is less suitable. No mention was made of when or if the service would be availabe on iOS devices.

    The new Netflix app is, as always, free, however it does require that users be running the newest version of the iOS software, iOS 5.

  • Apple Bringing Retina Display to MacBook Pro Next Year?

    The Apple rumor mill is rumbling to life again this morning on reports that the company may be bringing its vaunted retina display, first introduced with the iPhone 4 last year, to it’s MacBook Pro line of computers. Citing sources “in the upstream supply chain,” DigiTimes is reporting that Apple is planning to launch the new line of MacBook Pros sometime in the second quarter of 2012. The display will be 2880×1800, a huge jump over the current line of notebooks, which come with either 1680×1050 or 1280×800 displays.

    This rumor follows several other reports related to Apple products lately. Last week we covered rumors that the next generation of Apple’s iPad would be releasing next year with a retina display. Meanwhile DigiTimes reported last month – again citing supply-line sources – that the MacBook Pro would be getting a thinner MacBook Air-style chassis sometime in the second quarter of 2012.

    Though this report is still just a rumor, it is true that the MacBook Pro line will be coming due for a refresh soon. Though Apple quietly updated the line in October to include more storage and memory, the computers themselves have remained unchanged for a couple of years.

    The ultra-high resolution retina display is so named because it boasts a pixel density so high that from a distance of more than just a few inches, the user’s eyes are not physically capable of distinguishing individual pixels. It made waves when it was introduced with the iPhone 4 last summer, and almost immediately speculation began on which devices would be the next to get it. To everyone’s surprise, the next device turned out to be the iPhone 4S, released just a few months ago. It was widely believed that the iPad 2 would be getting a retina display, and rumors circulated that the company would be putting it in everything from MacBooks to iMacs soon. These recent rumors – about both the MacBook Pro and the iPad 3 – may signal the beginning of this long-awaited rollout.

    [Source: DigiTimes]

  • You Can Now Brew Coffee With Your iPhone, iPad

    In what can only be described as the apotheosis of living in the most industrialized and pampered era that has ever existed, now there is this: gourmet coffee shop-style beverages that you brew from a control panel on your iOS device. Like so:

    Yes. If grinding beans or measuring out coffee grounds or inserting a filter inside of your Mr. Coffee brewer has become far too arduous of a task within your morning routine, you can now invest your coffee enjoyment into a new machine called TopBrewer. Manufactured by Denmark-based company Scanomat, the suped-up coffee brewer can be easily controlled from your iPhone or iPad. All you have to do is put in your order using the app (yes, you must treat this coffee-making machine like it’s your personal barista and “put in an order”). The app gives you a pretty staggering array of control over what kind of drink you want, ranging from what temperature you want your drink to selecting which type of espresso drink you’d like to have.

    For a full scope of what the TopBrewer can do, engorge your eyes in the espresso-porn video provided by Scanomat:

    The app is alleged to be available already in Apple’s iTunes Store but I couldn’t find it. Luckily, an iOS device isn’t explicitly required since you can still control TopBrewer through the archaic method of pressing buttons on the actual device. Despite my previous ravings above about the TopBrewer, it is a very pretty piece of equipment and actually does you one better by cleaning itself (the world’s first house-broken coffee brewer!). Scanomatic also boasts that the TopBrewer contains “the smallest milk foamer in the world,” which they patented, and can be built to fit into any countertop.

    In addition to the sleek, IKEA showroom-ready design and completely silent brewing process, it also claims to filter brew a cup of coffee in ridiculously fast 15 seconds. In a mere 25 seconds, you can have a cup of “perfectly brewed” espresso. I don’t even get out of bed that quickly in the morning, but at least the coffee would be ready for me by the time I peeled myself out of grogginess.

    Scanomat’s website doesn’t even list a price for the TopBrewer, which only leads me to assume that the cost of this device would probably be enough to pay off my student loans (and my student loans are steep). Still. This is Future Coffee with brand new Future Taste; like something George Jetson would have designed except for the fact that TopBrewer actually functions correctly. So supposing that the money you’d put into this device wasn’t also enough to offset the national debt, would you ever consider getting one of these machines? Please comment below if you would (or why you wouldn’t). I’m really curious what people think about this.

  • Microsoft Releases Kinectimals for iOS

    Microsoft Releases Kinectimals for iOS

    Microsoft software on Apple devices is hardly anything new. Office for Mac is one of the best-selling Apple software packages available. Neither is Microsoft software in the Apple App Store anything particularly new. The company has a number of apps in its rival’s store, including the recently released My Xbox Live app. One thing, however, Microsoft has never done: put a game in the App Store. That changed today with the release of Kinectimals [iTunes link].

    The $2.99 app is a companion to the title of the same name on the company’s Xbox 360 console. In fact, those who already own Kinectimals for their Xbox can use the new app to unlock five new cubs to play with on the console version.

    The news was broken this morning by Larry Hryb (@majornelson) on Twitter:

    @majornelson
    Larry Hryb    Kinectimals is now available for your iOS device http://t.co/jSSMvg4U 6 hours ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    Reactions on Twitter tended toward the sardonic:

    @WickedGood
    Steve L    Seriously, Kinectimals for iOS today, Sonic CD for iOS tomorrow… What’s coming out on Thursday, New Super Mario Bros iPad? 43 minutes ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @inafried
    Ina Fried    Microsoft Cranks Out Two More iPhone Apps: Kinectimals and SkyDrive. Redmond is quite the iOS developer these days http://t.co/AAmgzhnx 1 hour ago via Tweet Button · powered by @socialditto

    Here are some screen shots from the app:

    Kinectimals

    Kinectimals

    What do you think of Microsoft developing games for the Apple App Store? Let us know in the comments.

  • Despite Complaints, Amazon May Sell 6 Million Kindle Fires in 2011

    Despite a strong start, you may have heard that the Kindle Fire, Amazon’s latest entry into the tablet market, isn’t all that great after all. People weren’t that impressed with several aspects of the Kindle Fire and didn’t take kindly to being made to feel that they were suffering from “fat-finger problem.” In fact, Amazon even acknowledged the tablet’s flaws and has promised to provide an update that will improve the performance of the Kindle Fire and, perhaps more importantly, hopefully turn those frowns upside down.

    Who knows if this update will satiate the expectations of Kindle Fire owners, and I’m sure we’ll all hear about it if it doesn’t. Still, has the dissatisfied present and uncertain future discouraged shoppers from buying the Kindle Fire.

    In a word: No!

    With seemingly no regard to the first impressions of Kindle Fire, consumers appear undeterred and the unit sales of the tablet, according to a report from Goldman Sachs today, are on course to reach 6 million by the end of the year. What’s more, Goldman Sachs went on to project that Amazon could sell 15.5-20.5 million units in Kindle Fire’s first full year of availability. Details can be found in the bar graph below.

    From the above data, John Paczkowski of All Things D points out that “if Amazon does manage to sell six million Fires before the end of the year, it will surpass the iPad’s domestic sales in its first December quarter in 2010.”

    Really? Topping sales of something Apple? That’s quite a feat, but what’s going on with this surge of Kindle Fires? Do people not really seem to care that initial reviews of the Kindle Fire were, at best, disappointed?

    One report claims that people are still drawn towards the Kindle Fire because of its considerably lower cost than an iPad. Furthermore, the Goldman Sachs report suggests that the Kindle Fire still has appeal to consumers because, in spite of the many flaws, the tablet still gets the bare minimum of functions correct, which just happen to be the functions that tablet users utilize the most (I guess people are satisfied enough that the Kindle Fire powers on and displays different words – easy enough to meet those needs, sure).

    Whatever fix Amazon’s update to the Kindle Fire brings to users, the tablet is still expected to stake a healthy claim in the tablet market. It’s already expected to outpace Samsung’s top tablet and analysts are curious to see how much of a bite the Kindle Fire will take out of Apple’s market dominance.

    So is the Kindle Fire really the maxim “You get what you pay for” in action? Maybe, and it’s certainly not the only device to be met with milquetoast reviews upon its initial release. Do you think Amazon can damage control itself out of its lackluster start and make the Kindle Fire a true competitor to Apple’s iPad? Comment below to let us know.

  • Tablet Owners Prefer Wifi to Cellular Data

    A new study published yesterday by the NPD Group’s Connected Intelligence shows a strong preference among tablet users to connect their devices to the internet via wifi instead of cellular data connections. The study shows that close to 65% of tablet users connect via wifi only, while a substantially lower number connect using a mixture of wifi and cellular data, or cellular data only

    This contrasts with the data gathered in the spring of 2011, which showed that while 60% of users used wifi only, 5% of those planned to add cellular data packages. Instead cellular data use has declined by 5% overall in the intervening six months, as the number of wifi-only users has increased, rather than decreased.

    NPD Tablet Use Survey

    While most tablet devices include the ability to connect to 3G data networks – at least as an optional feature, as with Apple’s iPad – using these cellular networks comes with an extra cost. First, devices capable of accessing cellular data networks are generally more expensive – the iPad 3G is a whopping $130 more expensive than the wifi only model. Second, 3G data plans carry a cost, ranging from $15 a month (on AT&T’s cheapest plan) to $80 per month (on Verizon’s most expensive plan). On the other hand, wifi-only devices tend to be cheaper, and accessing wifi networks – which are fast becoming more ubiquitous – is generally free, unless you’re in a fancy hotel or an airport. The simplest explanation for the popularity of wifi over cellular data, then, is cost. Many people are apparently finding that the convenience of being able to access the internet anywhere they have a 3G connection is not worth paying what tablet makers and carriers demand for it.

  • BBC iPlayer Comes to iPhone, But Not America

    The BBC has announced that their popular iPlayer app has come to the iPhone today. The free app allows access to live streaming of the BBC’s television and radio programming, as well as a significant archive of BBC’s older content, in some cases going back to the 1960s. Users can stream content to their phones whether they are on a wifi network or their carrier’s 3G data network, and the app is designed to adjust picture quality automatically depending on the user’s 3G signal strength.

    BBC iPlayer for iPhone

    Along with the release of the iPhone app, the iPad version receives an update today allowing it to stream over 3G data networks as well. An update for the Android app is also in the works, though the new version will continue to only stream over wifi.

    The original app debuted in Britain in February, followed in July by the launch of a global version of the app in eleven countries, including France, Germany, Italy, and Ireland, with promises that Australia, Canada, and the US would follow by the end of the year. The app became available in Australia in September and Canada last week, but has still not come to America.

    The iPlayer service launched several years ago and has become immensely popular in Britain, where iPlayer viewership has come to represent a significant percentage of total viewers, particularly of the network’s more popular shows like Doctor Who and Top Gear. The global app allows users access to all the same content as the British version, but for a fee. While British users’ viewing is covered by their country’s television license fee, users in other countries are required to pay a fee, either monthly or annually, to access the content.

  • Apple’s New iPad: Supply Chain Ramping Up Production

    Apple’s New iPad: Supply Chain Ramping Up Production

    Last Thursday we brought you news that rumors of a release date for Apple’s next generation iPad had hit the web. In an email to clients, Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner said that he saw no obstacles to a February launch of the iPad 3. Well, this morning reports have begun circulating that Apple’s supply chain may be ramping up production in order to meet Apple’s initial order of the device.

    DigiTimes, citing “sources in the supply chain,” is reporting this morning that the component manufacturers will maintain production levels of the iPad 2 until the end of 2011, but that in the first quarter of 2012 they will slowly stop making tablet in order to clear the way for the iPad 3. Meanwhile, Chinese newspaper Commercial Times is reporting that Foxconn will begin production of the device in January, ramping up to full-scale production in February.

    This last bit conflicts with speculation that Apple will release the device in February, since the unit will only be going into full production at that point. There had been speculation, based on Gardner’s analysis, that Apple might launch the iPad 3 in February, in order to upstage Samsung’s (also rumored, but much more likely) February launch of their own next-generation Galaxy Tab. Samsung’s device is rumored to have specs – including a retina display-like screen – that will put it into serious contention with the iPad, at least in terms of hardware. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is already regarded as Apple’s nearest competitor, although it remains in a distant second place.

    In all likelihood, Apple will maintain it’s release schedule and announce the device in March, for a release in either March or April. The first generation iPad was announced in January of 2010 and released in April, while the iPad 2 was announced in March of this year and released later in the same month.

    While there is no hard data iPad 3’s technical specs, rumors abound. Most agree that the device will finally be getting a retina display to match the iPhone 4 and 4S, a rumor supported by Apple’s announcement last month that it would be contracting with Sharp to make the LCD screens for the new device.

  • Samsung Galaxy Tab Injunction Overturned in Australia

    The Australian High Court has ruled that Samsung can finally sell its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets in that country. The tablet has been banned since a temporary injunction was instituted in July. Last Wednesday an appeals court overturned the injunction, clearing the way for the device to go on sale, but as Samsung was preparing to bring shipments of the device into the country, Apple filed an appeal and the court agreed to extend the injunction by one week in order to allow time for Apple’s appeal to be heard.

    The ruling represents a relatively rare setback for Apple in its ongoing dispute with Samsung. The iPad maker filed suit against the rival company in April in the US to block sales of Samsung’s Galaxy line of phones and tablets, which Apple accused of being ripoffs of its own iPhone and iPad. Samsung quickly countersued in the US and elsewhere in a legal battle that would eventually spread to 10 countries with 20 suits and counter-suits. The cases have generally gone in Apple’s favor as sales of the Galaxy Tab have been blocked in several countries.

    Today’s ruling in Australia, however, follows closely on the heels of a similar ruling in US district court, where judge Lucy Koh refused to grant an injunction barring the sale of the devices in the US. Cases in both the US and Australia are expected to go to trial sometime next year. By that time, however, the discussion may well be moot, as rumors surfaced yesterday that Samsung was preparing to unveil its next generation tablet – complete with retina display-like screen resolution and the latest version of the Android operating system – in February.

  • Apple vs. Samsung: Dueling Tablet Rumors Hit the Web

    A pair of rumors has hit the internet regarding the next generation of tablets. In one report, BGR cites a “trusted source” at Samsung saying that the company will be unveiling a new 11.6-inch tablet at the Mobile World Congress in February. The rumored device will have vastly improved screen resolution, a 2GHz dual-core processor, and thanks to a smaller bezel will be close to the same size as the Galaxy Tab 10.1 despite the increased screen size. It will also run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The announcement, BGR says, will be timed to beat Apple to the punch. The original iPad was announced in March 2010 and went on sale in April. The iPad 2 was announced in early March of this year and went on sale in mid-March. Applehas generally tended to be a creature of habit when it comes to product cycles..

    Samsung, however, may not be getting as much of a drop on Apple as they hope. Business Insider is reporting that Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner posted a note to clients saying that he expects Apple to unveil the iPad 3 in February of 2012, rather than in March. He cited a lack of “significant technical hurdles” preventing the release of the device earlier than usual. He also said that he expects the device to have a much higher resolution than the iPad 2, but apparently avoided using the term “retina display.” Debate has raged since the introduction of the iPhone 4 last year as to whether and when Apple would try to add a retina display to the iPad.

    At this stage neither of these reports amounts to more than rumor and speculation, however both rumors are at least plausible, especially in light of the ongoing legal battle over Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1. A new Samsung tablet would neatly circumvent the court case by allowing the company to start selling a non-disputed product. It also makes sense that the Samsung would want this new device to beat the iPad 3 to market, especially if it is sporting specs that will give Apple’s tablet a run for its money (currently the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is widely regarded as the iPad’s closest competitor).

    Conversely, while Apple does tend to follow fairly rigid patterns regarding its product launches, it is in the company’s interest to keep Samsung from gaining any ground in the tablet market. Therefore it is at least possible that the company would move up its launch of the iPad to undercut Samsung. However, Apple has also shown marked indifference to the launch of other companies’ products when unveiling its own products.

    Of the two reports, it seems much more likely that Samsung will be launching a tablet in February than that Apple will. However, everything is still just rumor at this point. Of course, we will post more when we know more.

    What do you think? Would Apple move a product launch to undercut a competitor? Sound off in the comments.

  • iPad Sales in China Could Be Affected By Trademark Suit

    Did you know there was a tablet computer called the I-Pad nearly a decade ago? It was marketed by a Taiwanese company called Proview Technology, though it wasn’t quite as successful as the “iPad” you may be more familiar with.

    Proview reportedly registered trademarks for the IPAD name in the EU, China, Mexico, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam in the early 2000’s.

    A few months ago, Proview sought to sue Apple for trademark infringement in China and the U.S. The Financial Times had a conversation with Proview Chairman Yang Rongshan back then, who said that the company agreed to sell “global trademark” for the name to a US-registered company called IP Application Development, but didn’t realize that the company was linked to Apple. According to that conversation, Yang indicated the trademarks for China weren’t included, as they were filed by a different Proview affiliate out of Hong Kong (in 2000).

    Now, the Financial Times is reporting that a Chinese court has rejected Apple’s claim of ownership of the iPad trademark, which could present some problems with selling in China, where it has a handful of retail stores and about a thousand resellers.

    Now consider that when Apple reported its Q4 earnings in October, CEO Tim Cook emphasized that China continues to be the company’s fastest-growing market. In the country, sales were up nearly four times year-over-year, accounting for a sixth of Apple’s overall sales.

    “It’s an area of enormous opportunity…The sky’s the limit in there,” Cook was quoted as saying on the earnings call.

    It looks like the legal system might be at least partially limiting at the moment.

  • Kindle Fire Off To A Hot Start: 2 Million Sold In 2 Weeks

    Amazon’s Kindle Fire: It’s so hot right now.

    According to one market researcher, the Amazon has already sold 850,000 Kindle Fires directly from Amazon.com. When you factor in sales from other retailers like Best Buy, he says that Amazon has likely sold 2 million or more units since its official launch on November 15th. Two million in two weeks is a pretty strong start for the new tablet.

    According to that analyst, Carter Nicholas of eDataSource, the swing in sales from the pre-sale period to the post-launch period has been substantial. “Trendwise, sales are picking up if you compare second half of November to second half of October, the rate of sales is up 63%.”

    Amazon has been unsurprisingly tight-lipped about the actual Kindle Fire sales figures. The only real information nugget that they’ve given us about the tablet is that it’s a top seller. Actually, the top seller across the whole site. As part of a press release concerning Black
    Friday sales, Amazon reported that all members of the Kindle family were off to a great start this holiday season – the Kindle Fire in particular.

    “Even before the busy holiday shopping weekend, we’d already sold millions of the new Kindle family and Kindle Fire was the bestselling product across all of Amazon.com,” they said. The Kindle Fire has been the top-selling item on the site since in was introduced way back in September.

    So it looks like the Kindle Fire, with its experimental Silk browser and super-affordable $199 price tag, is on its way to becoming a real holiday hit. And if these figures prove accurate, it’s well on its way to grabbing the number #2 tablet spot.

    Of course, it would still be behind the king – the iPad. Is it possible that the Kindle Fire could significantly cut into the iPad’s market this holiday season? That depends on your definition of the word significant.

    J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz is slightly reducing his iPad sales estimate this quarter. He is shaving them down to 13 million, from 13.3 million. This relatively small decrease is being attributed to not only production slowdowns – but the impact of the Kindle Fire. Apparently, the $199 price tag is the leading factor in people’s decision to go with the Amazon tablet.

    But price tag isn’t everything, and the Kindle Fire can’t fully compete with the the iPad on a lot of fronts – speed and features mainly. But there’s no doubt that the Kindle Fire is off to a hot start. Have you had the chance to try out Amazon’s new tablet? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

  • Apple Gets Samsung Galaxy Tab Ban Extended One More Week

    Just when it seemed Samsung was making headway in their legal battle with Apple over the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Apple managed to strike back at its rival. We reported on Wednesday that a federal judge in Australia had lifted the injunction on the sale of the device. Just as Samsung was bringing shipments of the device, which they planned to put on sale today, into the country, Apple filed an appeal to Australia’s supreme court. The high court agreed to extend the injunction on the tablet’s sale for another week – until December 9th – to give Apple time to have its appeal heard.

    This is just the latest in a lengthy battle between the two companies over the Galaxy Tab 10.1. In July 2010, Steve Jobs contacted Samsung over his concerns that their Galaxy phones bore too much of a resemblance to Apple’s iPhone. With the unveiling of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, though, Apple felt it had sufficient grounds for legal action. Before the tablet’s planned release in April, Apple filed suit in ten countries – including Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands – to block sales of the device. Courts in several countries have sided with Apple, agreeing that the Galaxy Tab mimics the look and feel of the iPad closely enough to constitute patent infringement. The Australian courts had continued the trend of siding with Apple until Wedneday’s ruling, which overturned the injunction and criticized the lower court’s decision.

    With the injunction re-instituted for another week, it remains to be seen whether Samsung will be able to get the Galaxy Tab into the Australian market in time for the holidays. Katrina Howard, attorney for Samsung, told reporters that if Samsung cannot get the Galaxy Tab into Australian stores by then, they may scrap plans to bring the device to that country altogether.

  • Amazon’s Santa App Launched for Kindle Fire, iPad (and maybe Android)

    When I was a kid, before I went to bed on Christmas Eve I would leave my wishlist of presents near the fireplace along with the awesome bribe of milk and cookies so that, hopefully, Santa Claus would leave me lots of loot. Although it always seemed to work for me, that holiday ritual probably sounds like a pastoral relic to kids today and the new Santa App that Amazon launched yesterday doesn’t really help me sound any less old.

    Kids and parents (or anybody in charge of kids, for that matter) can now compile Christmas wishlists with even greater ease thanks to Amazon’s new Santa App. The app is intended for children to be able to create a visual wishlist by browsing through thousands of products that have been deemed kid- and family-friendly. Amazon goes on to explain in their press release for the app:

    Sometimes Santa can use help sorting out what gifts to give everyone and this new app makes it easy and fun for kids to create their perfect Wish List,” said Sam Hall, director of Amazon Mobile. “We’ve selected more than five-hundred thousand of the hottest kid-friendly holiday gifts and made it fun, easy and intuitive for kids to find exactly what they want. The Amazon Santa app is also a great way for parents to spend some quality time with their kids and help make certain there’s a smile Christmas morning.

    As you’ll see below, the design of this app will probably not be as exciting for teenagers as it will be for younger children (but who knows given how fast kids grow up these days):

    The press release states that the app is designed for the new Kindle Fire and Apple’s iPad while it conspicuously omits any mention of Android devices. However, once you browse to Amazon’s Appstore to purchase the app – don’t worry, it’s free – you’ll immediately notice the bold text that claims, “Available instantly on your Android device.” It’s not really clear if the Android availability refers only to the Kindle Fire (since those are running their own version of the Android OS) or if it will work on all Android-running devices. Some comments in the reviews lament the lack of availability of the Santa App for “other devices” but no reviewer actually states which devices they’d like to see included.

    If you plan to or already have used this app, let us know what you think in the comments. Or, if you’ve tried to use the app on your Android device that isn’t a Kindle Fire, let us know what you found out.

  • Samsung Galaxy 10.1 To Be Available In Australia For Christmas

    Christmas may have come a little early for Samsung this year thanks to today’s ruling that will allow their Galaxy Tab 10.1 to be sold in Australia. In a blow to Apple’s campaign against the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, a federal court lifted the ban on sales of the Galaxy Tab and effectively overturned last month’s ruling that the tab was to be prohibited from being sold due to patent infringements filed by Apple.

    Samsung celebrated the court victory in an official statement:

    Samsung Electronics Australia is pleased with today’s unanimous decision by the Federal Court to lift the preliminary injunction on sales of the Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1. We believe the ruling clearly affirms that Apple’s legal claims lack merit. We will make an announcement regarding the market availability of the GALAXY Tab 10.1 in Australia shortly.

    It’s not exactly a clear-cut victory for Samsung (yet) as Apple won a stay on the sale of the Galaxy Tab until Friday at 4PM in Australia. Within that small window, Apple is expected to appeal the court’s decision. Apple has been waging a similar fight in Germany, citing that the Galaxy Tab was too similar in design to Apple’s iPad. It remains to be seen if Samsung can attain a second victory over Apple in that case, or if the case in Australia is even definitely closed.

    So is Apple really grinching out over the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, or is the patent claim actually legit? Share your opinions in the comments.

  • Office for iPad in 2012?

    Office for iPad in 2012?

    The rumor mill has been thrown into high gear today on reports from The Daily that Microsoft is at long last preparing a version of its flagship Office software for Apple’s iPad. The Daily, citing internal sources, reports that Microsoft has several major projects in the works, including a new version of Office for Mac (the current version is not supported in OS 10.7 Lion) and the next iteration of the Windows operating system, Windows 8.

    There have been no shortage of rumors in the past about Office coming to the iPad, and it is possible that the current crop of rumors will ultimately go nowhere. That being said, the timing makes sense. With new versions of Office and Windows in the works, an iOS version of Office would fit in nicely. Moreover, Apple’s own iWork productivity suite has been on the iPad for a long time, and sold well, while Office users have had to make do with third-party apps like Quickoffice [iTunes link], which are generally popular with users, but generate no revenue for Microsoft. Finally, Windows-based tablets have gained little ground in a tablet market so thoroughly dominated by the iPad that it can hardly be said to be a tablet market at all, but rather an iPad market.

    That being the case, Office for iPad makes sense. However, there is no data at present on when we might expect to see Office come to the iPad, nor on pricing (though a price comparable to Apple’s iWork suite – $10 per application – seems likely). Reactions to the rumor on Twitter seem to be a mix of excitement and skepticism, with one user taking a humorously pessimistic view:

    @Timbotown
    Tim Dreyer    Trust Microsoft to bring the end of fun to the iPad: Office for the iPad reportedly coming soon http://t.co/iYJOdhpv 23 minutes ago via HootSuite · powered by @socialditto

    @gustavoriffo
    Gustavo Riffo    Microsoft Office for the iPad: Should they? Could they? Will they? 24 minutes ago via dlvr.it · powered by @socialditto

    What do you think? Will Microsoft bring Office to the iPad? Will you be using it if they do? Let us know in the comments.

  • Black Friday Deals At Apple Stores: Macs, iPads, iPods, and Accessories

    Yesterday, announcements for a Black Friday sale began popping up on Apple’s sites in the U.S., UK, Australia and many more locations. It was pretty non-specific, simply saying that a one-day event was to take place on November 25th, and that it would include deals on Macs, iPods and iPads.

    According to some leaked details obtained by 9to5Mac, this year’s Black Friday sale at Apple Stores will resemble Black Friday sales of the past. The Mac line, including the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro and the iMac will receive the most significant discounts.

    Here are some of the top discounts on devices:

    • MacBook Air: $101 off, starting at $898
    • MacBoook Pro: $101 off, starting at $1098
    • iMac: $101 off, starting at $1098
    • iPad 2: $41 to $61 off (depending on capacity), the 16GB starting at $458
    • iPod Nano: $11 off, starting at $118
    • iPod Touch: $21 to $41 off (depending on capacity), starting at $178

    So the more GB you buy, the bigger the discount for the iPad 2 and the iPod Touch.

    The Black Friday sale will also discount accessories including a Phillips Dual Dock Clock Radio for $98 ($52 off), a Michael Kors Clutch for you iPhone for $58 ($22 off), and $11 off an Apple Wireless Keyboard.

    According to the leaks, iTunes gift cards will also receive a discount: $45 for a $50 card.

    Like events of the past, these discounts are far from monumental. But hey, it is Apple we’re talking about here. Still, if you were planning on getting your loved one an iMac for the holidays, it doesn’t hurt to get 100 bucks off.

    According to emails sent out by Apple on Tuesday, the sale will occur both online and in retail stores.

  • Google Search App for iPad Gets An Upgrade

    Google Search App for iPad Gets An Upgrade

    Google announced the launch of a new, redesigned version of its search app for the iPad.

    Google promises greater interactivity with the new app. “You’ll notice that searching is faster and more interactive from your first keystroke,” says software engineer Daniel Fish. “As soon as you begin to type, Google Instant starts to display results, so you don’t even need to press the search button. Once you pick a web page to visit, you’ll see the page load on a new, slide-in pane that will layer over the search results. You can slide the pane to the right to get back to your search results, and even keep scrolling through the results as your web page is loading. This allows you to go back and forth from results to web pages quickly to get the information you are looking for.”

    Image search has been altered, so that when you tap on an image result, you can use the new “image carousel”:

    iPad Image Carousel

    “Often you may be looking to find something you have seen before again or are continuing research on a topic,” says Fish. “But on a tablet, typing can be a challenge. That is why we have created a visual way to explore your search history. Swipe right to view snapshots of pages you’ve visited, stacked and organized by search term. You can also manage your search history from this new view.”

    The new app also comes with Google’s Instant Previews and a few other features.

    Once you’ve clicked through to a result, you can click a new magnifying glass tool to highlight the most relevant section of the page.

    The app is available for iPads using iOS 4.0 and higher.