Samsung Monday unveiled five new ultra-slim point-and-shoot cameras with improved graphics, HD video support and greater image control.
The TL110 (pictured above) features a 14.2-megapixel image, a 5x optical zoom, a 27mm wide-angle lends, 2.7-inch LCD screen and records 720p HD video at 30 fps. Available in February for an unknown price, the camera measures 0.65-inches wide. “Consumers want portability in a point and shoot,” said Samsung CEO SJ Park.
Apple may fully convert iTunes from a software-based application to a cloud service in 2010, thus stalling rivals and solving the problem of pesky license tug-of-war fights with music publishers, an online music veteran suggested Tuesday.
Citing “a wide variety of insider sources,” Michael Robertson, founder of MP3.com and CEO of MP3tunes, said Apple this year will leverage its recent purchase of music streaming service Lala to convert iTunes to a fully cloud-based operation. “The Lala upload technology will be bundled into a future iTunes upgrade which will automatically be installed for the 100+ million iTunes users with a simple ‘An upgrade is available…’ notification box,” wrote Robertson on TechCrunch.
Rather than building the technology in-house, the Lala acquisition permits Apple to quickly transition from a software business to a cloud service, the online music expert reasons. However, although the service will be cloud-based, iTunes consumers will still be able to buy music and videos as they are now. Once purchased, though, the material will be automatically uploaded to the mobile iTunes where it can be accessed from anywhere and from any device.
The new approach will “sidestep new licenses from the major labels,” which Robertson said are wary of Apple. Because the music is owned by the users, Apple won’t need to negotiate new license deals with record publishers.
Already, signs are evident that Apple is moving in Robertson’s direction. Earlier this month, we reported Apple had begun offering 30-second sound clips on its browser-based iTunes Preview site. That site, quietly introduced in November of 2009, allowed people to browse song titles without requiring they install the iTunes software.
[Via TechCrunch]
It may be difficult with reports and rumors of a tablet whizzing by your eyes every day, but one analyst is bullish on Apple’s original product: the Mac. With 3.1 million Macs expected to be sold during the December quarter, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster told investors Tuesday morning, 2010 is “The Year of the Mac.”
Munster said sales of Macs during the December period tracked by retail research firm NPD Group rose 26 percent compared to the previous year, topping the Wall Street consensus of 19 percent. The jump in expected annual growth prompted the analyst to estimate 3.1 million Macs were sold during the previous quarter, an increase from his previously-predicted 2.9 million Mac sales. If that figure holds up, it would beat the 3.05 million in Mac sales, Apple’s previous high water mark.
If Apple unveils a tablet Jan. 27, publisher HarperCollins may also be in the spotlight, according to a Tuesday report. Apple is talking with HarperCollins and other publishers about making ‘enhanced ebooks’ available on its much-expected and long-rumored tablet device.
Citing anonymous “people familiar with the situation,” the Wall Street Journal reports enhanced ebooks with video, interviews and social-networking connections, could command up to $19.99 per title – far from the $9.99 price for Amazon’s Kindle.
We start off the week with new deals on MacBook Pro computers, more juice for your iPhone or iPod touch, and your own collection of classic reading material for free. The Apple Store has nearly two dozen MacBook Pro laptops, starting at $999 for a 2.26GHz 13″ unibody MacBook Pro. Are you looking for a convenient way to boost your iPhone’s talk or music time? The Morphie JuicePack lets you have 250 hours of standby or 24 hours of music for just $66. Finally, have you wanted to build your library of classic literature but don’t have the bucks, or the space? We have a deal you can’t beat: 112 titles, including Wizard of Oz, Little Women and Frankenstein, for free from the iTunes Store.
Along the way, we look at ways to conserve your computing energy, connect faster, hear better and become a comfier couch potato. As always, details on these and many more bargains can be found after the jump.
Like a modern-day Hatfield and McCoys, Apple and Nokia are at it again, the latest shot fired by the Cupertino, Calif. firm, asking the International Trade Commission to block imports of the cell phone giant. The legal action comes after Nokia asked the same commission to ban imports of iPods, iPhones and Macs.
The action was posted on the ITC Web site without any comment from Apple. Nokia, however, said it will “study the complaint when it is received and continue to defend itself vigorously,” Nokia spokesman Mark Durrant told Bloomberg by text message over the weekend.
Could Apple unveil a touch-enabled iMac this year? While many have viewed the touch-based iPhone and highly-expected tablet as two discrete products, the Cupertino, Calif. company may produce a “22-inch touch-enabled all-in-one PC” in 2010, according to a Chinese report.
Digitimes, citing the Commercial Times, report, suggests the 22-inch desktop computer would fill a gap between Apple’s current 21.5-inch and 27-inch non-touch iMacs. HP and others already produce touch-based PCs.
According to the report, Apple has already outsourced the touch-screen panels to a Taiwan-based company, Sintek Photronic. The reported move by Apple is seen as part of the company’s evolving line of devices, embedding touchscreen technology in all of its products.
Apple is expected to announce a new product next week, possibly its highly-rumored tablet. For weeks, speculation has surrounded Jan. 27 as a date when the company will roll-out a tablet, new iPhone or iPhone OS 4.0 software. Two days prior, on Jan. 25, Apple is expected to release its financial performance for the first quarter of 2010.
[Via Business Insider, Digitimes]
Nowadays, you can’t launch a mobile device without an accompanying app store. Right after the iPhone, Apple launched its App Store – the same for Nokia, RIM, Android and others. In a sort of Marshall McLuhanesqe moment, the app – not the device – will soon become all important.
“Application stores will be a core focus throughout 2010 for the mobile industry and applications themselves will help determine the winner among device platforms,” said Carolina Milanesi, research director for Gartner. Indeed, consumers will spend $6.2 billion in mobile application stores this year, racking up 4.5 billion downloads in 2010.
We wrap up the week with more deals on iMacs, including $999 for a 22-inch 3.06GHz desktop computer from the Apple Store. Apple is offering four iMacs in all. PC Connection is selling another 21.5-inch 3.06GHz iMac for $1,099. Lastly, if you received a video camera over the holidays, you may be burning to share your masterpieces. A deal on Apple’s Final Cut Express HD could be just the ticket.
We’ll also take a look at storage options, video devices and wireless routers. As always, details on these and many more items can be found on CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.
Aside from “where’s the tablet?” the most-often heard question in Apple circles is “what’s happening with iPhone 4.0?” Now a developer weighs in, claiming programmers already have a version of the new OS.
“We’ve submitted an updated app for the new iPhone 4.0 software,” according to an e-mail CNET received from what they term a “prominent app developer.” The note seems to contradict yesterday’s report that Apple was delaying releasing OS 4.0 due to concern it could provide clues to its long-awaited tablet device. The tablet is said to share much iPhone technology.
With $23 billion in the bank, Apple is on a spending spree, a habit some expect will only increase in 2010. The Cupertino, Calif. company has acquired three companies within the past five months, a tactic many tech giants are using to stay abreast of rivals.
Apple, once known only for its Macs, must now compete with Google and Nokia for cell phone market share. “As mobile computing takes shape, Apple, Google, Nokia and other traditional tech titans have become more active in searching for startups that can help them with the new terrain,” BusinessWeek writes.
Mac fans searching for the latest tidbit about Apple’s highly-expected tablet may have gained an unlikely (and probably inadvertent) ally: the Cupertino, Calif. company’s own lawyers. Thursday Apple’s legal team tried to shut down a public ‘bounty’ for clues to a tablet, but opened a whole new avenue for tablet trivia.
In a cease & desist letter to Valleywag, a silicon valley gossip site, Apple’s law firm made mention of “an unannounced and highly confidential Apple product.” The site, which was offering $10,000 for a photo, $20,000 for a video, $50,000 for pictures of Steve Jobs holding the tablet – even $100,000 to play with the rumored device for an hour, seemed non-plussed by the threats.
We start off with several MacBook Air laptops from the Apple Store, including a 1.6GHz 13-inch model for $1,099. Also on the price-chopping block: a $30 saving on a 64GB solid-state drive from Super Talent, plus BlueAction’s BAE Bluetooth headsets.
Along the way, we also look at DVDRemaster Pro 6 for the Mac, the Genius EasyPen tablet and assorted other gadgets. As always, for details on these and many other bargains, check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.
Eastman Kodak sued Apple Thursday, claiming the Cupertino, Calif. company infringed patents used to preview images on the iPhone. The lawsuit, before the U.S. International Trade Commission, seeks a stop to the alleged infringement and unspecified damages.
RIM’s BlackBerry is also named in the lawsuit.
As everyone prepares to hear how Apple did financially during the first fiscal quarter of 2010, analysts are releasing numbers on the Cupertino, Calif. company’s success during the fourth quarter of 2009. IDC said Apple’s U.S. sales rose 31 percent for the quarter, a day after Gartner researchers announced a 24 percent jump.
Apple’s 31 percent growth rate was higher the most computer makers, who saw a 24 percent jump during that three-month period, according to IDC. The Mac maker is in fifth plan, selling 5.6 million Macs for 8 percent of the market, according to IDC.
Apple has lost more than $450 million from App Store piracy, according to a published report Wednesday. “A conservative estimate of the average piracy rate is that for every paid application developed and sold at the App Store, three more are pirated,” a financial blog claims.
The $7 game Rally Master Pro 3D has a 95 percent piracy rate, according to publishers Fish Labs. The $1.99 game Tap-Fu has a 90 percent piracy rate, says publisher’s Neptune Interactive and Smells Like Donkey. Even developers of applications costing less than $1 suffer piracy. The 99 cent iCombat has a 75 percent piracy rate, publisher Web Scout said.
It’s midweek, a thaw seems to be sweeping the frozen U.S., and hardware and software are our highlighted deals of the day. Let’s start with a deal on MacBook Pro laptops from ExperComm. The computers feature a 17-inch screen and powered by a 3.06GHz processor. The laptops also include three years of AppleCare, all for $2,949. The same company is selling 27-inch iMacs powered by a 2.66GHz i5 with 8GB of memory. Like the MacBook Pros, the iMacs come with three years of AppleCare, for $2,198. Lastly, we all like free stuff, and a new batch of App Store freebies is available, including Pro Camera Basic.
Along the way, we check out the miniStack storage from NewerTech, giving your Mac mini the perfect storage companion.
As always, details on these and many more bargains can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.
Maybe a Jan. 27 date where many expected Apple to announce a tablet, could center on a more powerful MacBook Pro laptops, using Intel’s latest Core i5 processor. That’s the suggestion following a promotion for retail workers offering 2 MacBook Pros powered by the i5.
The promotional January contest offers retail employees “2 chances to win one of 2 MacBook Pro laptops with the accelerated response of an Intel Core i5.” The ad was part of an e-mail sent to members of the Intel Retail Edge Program.
You can add one more Apple tablet rumor to your list. The device, which some believe could be unveiled later this month, bears a striking resemblance to an “iPhone on steroids.” The tablet and the handset are so close internally, the Cupertino, Calif. company has delayed updating the iPhone OS to prevent technical details from leaking, according to a new report.
“There hasn’t been an updated iPhone OS build because there’s too much tablet-code/references in the OS,” according to the Boy Genuis Report, citing “close Apple connects who haven’t steered us wrong.”
How do you help a company without officially going to work for the firm? Answer: join a private investment firm that owns a portion of it. That’s how former Apple executive Dr. Avadis ‘Avie’ Tevanian explains his move to Elevation Partners, which owns 25 percent of Apple-rival Palm.
Former Apple senior vice president Jon Rubinstein is now Palm’s CEO. Remember Rubinstein, he recently denied ever using an iPhone.
Hoping to blunt the headlines of yet another former Apple executive joining Palm, Tevanian Wednesday says he’ll spend “almost no time” dealing with Palm. Instead, he’ll help Elevation assess new investments and technology.
Apple announced it will hold its annual shareholders meeting on February 25. It will be the first since 2009, when CEO Steve Jobs didn’t appear due to health reasons. The company Tuesday urged shareholders reject several environmental-centered proposals and will amend its policy to allow greater executive compensation.
Although Jobs will take his usual $1 annual salary, he has 5.5 million Apple shares, outdistancing other executives. The Apple co-founder will receive $4,000 in compensation for using his private jet in 2009 for business. The amount is a far cry from previous years. In 2008, Jobs received $871,000 in compensation for using his Gulfstream. In 2007, the Apple leader received $776,000 for business-related private flights.
Apple is back with two hardware deals, including its 27-inch iMac and the iPod shuffle. For iMac fans, the desktop computer is rated 3.06GHz, using a Core 2 Duo processor. If you’re tired of hearing about the iPod touch, you may welcome a change of pace with the tiny shuffle – either the 1GB or 2GB version. Lastly, we highlight Kensington’s LiquidAUX Deluxe car kit for the iPhone or iPod.
We also take a look at more iPhone cases, software and assorted gadgets. As always, for details on these or many other bargains, check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.
Apple’s next iPhone could be more powerful and arrive in limited numbers as soon as April, according to Tuesday reports. Although no name was leaked, the new handset would include a dual-core processor, an OLED display, improved graphics and a better camera.
Korean carrier KT will begin offering the fourth-generation iPhone in April to corporate customers as part of a “litmus test,” The Korean Times reports. The newspaper, quoting a “high-ranking KT executive”, said the handset would be distributed locally in June. Apple traditionally has unveiled new iPhones in late June or early July.
Has Apple become a vacuum for components, first cornering the market on flash memory for its iPod and iPhone, and now emptying the shelves of OLED displays for its rumored tablet? That appears to be the implication from a report that the displays have nearly vanished. Apple “pre-ordered them all,” an anonymous designer recently complained.
OLED displays are popular with manufacturers because they eliminate the need for backlighting a display. They also consume less energy, which equals longer battery life and offer owners a better picture, a feature needed for video or reading. Although Google’s Nexus One and Microsoft’s Zune HD also use OLED displays, a report points the finger at Apple because the shortage is in 10.1-inch OLED displays. Apple’s tablet device reportedly uses a 10.1-inch display.
Apple announced it will release its earnings for the fiscal first quarter of 2010 on Jan. 25, two days prior to when many expect the Cupertino, Calif. company could introduce a long-rumored tablet device. The earnings report could be $11.98 billion, nearly 18 percent above last year’s.
Apple had suggested revenue for the three-month period ended Dec. 27, 2009 could range between $11.3 billion and $11.6 billion. The company often announces a conservative guidance figure ahead of actual earnings.
