iPhone
Has the iPhone lost its cool?
Martin Fitcher, head of HTC’s U.S. operations recently indicated that he thinks the iPhone is losing its cachet among the younger generation. He went on to say that while other Apple products like the MacBook Air were popular on campus, student phones tended to be made by Samsung, HTC or other manufacturers. Full article.
IPhones, iPads to Gain NFC Payment Features
The director of consulting firm Envisioneering Group recently said that Apple Inc. plans to introduce services on the iPhone and iPad computer that would allow it to get a piece of the market for goods and services and allow Apple to cut its own costs and those of retailers selling Apple products. Full article.
Verizon to get iPhone
AT&T will lose its exclusive marketing on an iconic smartphone next year when Apple releases a type of iPhone that Verizon wireless is reported to begin selling early next year. Meanwhile, AT&T is diversifying its phone offerings to make a loss of exclusivity less damaging. Full article.
Android tops IPhone, BlackBerry in U.S.
Nielsen Co reports that Google Inc.’s Android software is the most popular operating system in the U.S. among new smartphone buyers, passing the iPhone and BlackBerry platforms. Android was the top choice for U.S. consumers who bought a smartphone in the past six months with BlackBerry and iPhone tied for second place. Full article.
AT&T iPhone users not satisfied
About a fourth of AT&T iPhone users would rather switch than stay, if given the chance. Investment Bank Credit Suisse says 23 percent of iPhone users want to sign with Verizon, but most would wait until their present contract expired. Right now, AT&T is the only iPhone cell phone service provider. Full article.
Review: Apple's iPod Updates
Apple has sold 275 million iPods in various forms over the years, and you might reasonably think the product line's best days are behind it. You'd be wrong. At the end of a busy year in which Apple has significantly redesigned the iPhone, and launched the entirely new iPad, the iPod has been thoroughly redesigned, improved, and, in at least one case, stripped down for the better. Full Article.
Congress gives OK to jailbreak iPhones
iPhone owners can now get their phones out of prison, so to speak. That's because of new rules from the Library of Congress' copyright office. It ruled that iPhone owners can break electronic locks on the phones so they can download software apps that aren't okayed by Apple. The process is known as "jailbreaking." In addition, the ruling includes owners of used cell phones to break access controls, and switch them to another carrier. The Library is allowing other copyright exemptions as well. Full Article.
iTriage Smartphone Application
There's a new phone application for illness or injury that's called iTriage. The smartphone application, which runs on iPhone, iPod Touch, Palm and Android-based phones, contains information on more than 300 symptoms, 1,000 diseases and 350 medical procedures to help users figure out what's wrong and where they can go to get treatment. Based on the symptom and possible cause information, the app can then recommend an appropriate level of care. Full Article.
Apple’s Killer iPhone
Apple’s new iPhone is built not just to compete with other phones, but to keep pushing the boundaries of the Apple universe. It attempts to divert revenue from advertisers, book publishers and content providers. Apple is going for the last word on display quality and features an iOS4 operating system that has the ability to organize apps into folders by category. Full Article.
A Wave of Android Smartphones Outsells Apple
Aggressive promotions, plus a blitz of direct mail, newspaper, and TV ads, and two-for-one deals on Android-powered handsets, lifted first-quarter sales of smart phones based on Google's Android operating system above sales of Apple's iPhone for the first time. Full Article.
