Four Million Windows 8 Upgrades Since Friday: The numbers are in and, according to Microsoft, the company has sold four million Windows 8 upgrades over the weekend. I guess Ballmer wasn't lying when he said Windows 8 is selling better than Windows 7 up to this point.
Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Tuesday the company has sold 4 million upgrades to Windows 8, signaling a strong start for its new operating system which launched on Friday. Ballmer, speaking at a meeting for software developers at Microsoft's headquarters near Seattle, said hundreds of millions of Windows systems would be sold over the next year, and the company was seeing strong interest from business users.
Comments
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
ASUS's Wild Growth Continues in Tablet, Notebook Markets Bump Earnings 40%
ASUS's Wild Growth Continues in Tablet, Notebook Markets Bump Earnings 40%: ASUSTek Computer is the biggest winner among the Asian OEMs
 |  |
Griping aside, Apple sells through initial iPad 4th generation units
Griping aside, Apple sells through initial iPad 4th generation units:
While there were plenty of people decrying injustices of Apple rolling out a new version of its 10-inch iPad less than a year after it debuted the last one, it hasn’t stopped people from buying iPads.
The company has sold through all of its launch day pre-order stock of fourth generation iPads in its online store. All six models of iPad Wi-Fi models will now ship after a week, with the 3G/4G wireless carrier models on hold until mid November. However, you can still try nabbing a fourth generation iPad this Friday when they go on sale at retail stores.
Early adopters were initially angry at the announcement because it meant that they have the latest and greatest iPad for five months shorter than they did between the iPad 2 and iPad 3. And to top it off, Apple will no longer sell the third-generation iPad, making the current batch of owners feel like they definitely should have waited before upgrading.
But clearly, Apple isn’t getting hurt by releasing a new version of a product that doesn’t fit into to its traditional one per year cycle.
As for Apple’s other debut product, the iPad mini, orders are scheduled to ship two weeks after pre-orders. However, that could change quickly after the product his retail shelves, as analysts are predicting iPad Mini shortages over the holiday season.
Via MacRumors
Photo by Dean Takahashi/VentureBeat
Filed under: Gadgets
While there were plenty of people decrying injustices of Apple rolling out a new version of its 10-inch iPad less than a year after it debuted the last one, it hasn’t stopped people from buying iPads.
The company has sold through all of its launch day pre-order stock of fourth generation iPads in its online store. All six models of iPad Wi-Fi models will now ship after a week, with the 3G/4G wireless carrier models on hold until mid November. However, you can still try nabbing a fourth generation iPad this Friday when they go on sale at retail stores.
Early adopters were initially angry at the announcement because it meant that they have the latest and greatest iPad for five months shorter than they did between the iPad 2 and iPad 3. And to top it off, Apple will no longer sell the third-generation iPad, making the current batch of owners feel like they definitely should have waited before upgrading.
But clearly, Apple isn’t getting hurt by releasing a new version of a product that doesn’t fit into to its traditional one per year cycle.
As for Apple’s other debut product, the iPad mini, orders are scheduled to ship two weeks after pre-orders. However, that could change quickly after the product his retail shelves, as analysts are predicting iPad Mini shortages over the holiday season.
Via MacRumors
Photo by Dean Takahashi/VentureBeat
Filed under: Gadgets
| |
Nexus 4 boasts SlimPort support for tethered display sharing
Nexus 4 boasts SlimPort support for tethered display sharing:
A lot of the hubbub yesterday was around the Nexus 4's support of Miracast, courtesy of Android 4.2. If you don't want to spring for a dedicated TV box or invest in a whole new set of gadgets to supersize your mobile experience, then you may be excited to hear that the handset also supports SlimPort. We haven't heard much from the DisplayPort-based standard since January, but we're happy to report it finally appears to be ready for primetime. Analogix, the company behind the tech, already has its first adapter up for sale on Amazon (at the more coverage link), which takes the Nexus 4's micro-USB port and allows you to connect an HDMI cable to it -- so long as that proposition is worth $30 to you. Eventually DVI, VGA and DisplayPort will also be added to list of output options, potentially making the this handset's charging port the most versatile micro-USB jack in the smartphone market. For more, check out the PR after the break.
Continue reading Nexus 4 boasts SlimPort support for tethered display sharing
Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, Mobile, Google, LG
Continue reading Nexus 4 boasts SlimPort support for tethered display sharing
Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, Mobile, Google, LG
Nexus 4 boasts SlimPort support for tethered display sharing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Acer delays Windows RT tablets as it gauges Surface acceptance
Acer delays Windows RT tablets as it gauges Surface acceptance:
Acer is no stranger to airing its skepticism of Microsoft Surface, but the company is now adopting caution as the name of the game for its own Windows RT tablets. In an interview with Reuters, company president Jim Wong told the outlet that Acer would deliver its own RT-based tablet no earlier than Q2, as it's now monitoring how Microsoft's own hardware fares in the marketplace. According to Wong, Acer had previously targeted a Q1 debut. As it lets Microsoft serve as the canary in the coal mine, Acer will continue to focus on its full-fledged Windows 8 hardware, as well as develop and refine its own RT offering. "I don't know what's next, what Microsoft will do," Wong said. "We are watching how Surface is doing ... How is RT accepted by customers... We don't know... We want to see."
Filed under: Tablets, Acer
Reuters | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Tablets, Acer
Acer delays Windows RT tablets as it gauges Surface acceptance originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 20:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Reuters | Email this | Comments
Has Microsoft Pulled Off Its Biggest Reinvention Ever?
Has Microsoft Pulled Off Its Biggest Reinvention Ever?: With the launch of Windows 8, followed closely by Surface RT and Windows Phone 8, I guess a case can be made that Microsoft has indeed pulled off its biggest reinvention ever. Now, whether you like what has come from that reinvention is a different story altogether.
It's been a (re)defining few days for Microsoft, with the unveiling of three key products in less than a week — all aiming to deliver one message: that Microsoft is not only relevant but central to the post-PC world. The near-simultaneous launches of Microsoft Surface, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 show Microsoft is mustering its armies for the battle of ecosystems with Apple and Google.
Comments
It's been a (re)defining few days for Microsoft, with the unveiling of three key products in less than a week — all aiming to deliver one message: that Microsoft is not only relevant but central to the post-PC world. The near-simultaneous launches of Microsoft Surface, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 show Microsoft is mustering its armies for the battle of ecosystems with Apple and Google.
Comments
American and European Apple iPhone owners show less loyalty to the phone than in prior years
American and European Apple iPhone owners show less loyalty to the phone than in prior years: 
For the first time since 2007, fewer Apple iPhone owners in the U.S. or Euroupe said that there next phone would definitely or possibly be another Apple; despite this slight drop in the states and a larger drop in Europe, the majority of Apple iPhone owners remain loyal to the device...
For the first time since 2007, fewer Apple iPhone owners in the U.S. or Euroupe said that there next phone would definitely or possibly be another Apple; despite this slight drop in the states and a larger drop in Europe, the majority of Apple iPhone owners remain loyal to the device...
iPhone 5 shipments to top 40 million units in 4Q12, say sources
iPhone 5 shipments to top 40 million units in 4Q12, say sources: Shipments of components for iPhone 5 from the supply chain will be ramped up to 13-14 million units in November and to 16-18 million units in December, bringing total shipments of iPhone 5 in the fourth quarter of 2012 to 40 million, according to sources in Apple's supply chain.
US Department of Defense plans to procure iPhones and Android devices
US Department of Defense plans to procure iPhones and Android devices: 
Research in Motion has been doing everything it can to keep a certain amount of mind-share with its clients...
Research in Motion has been doing everything it can to keep a certain amount of mind-share with its clients...
Samsung gets official with the Galaxy Premier: 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED, 8MP camera, GS III styling
Samsung gets official with the Galaxy Premier: 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED, 8MP camera, GS III styling:
If Samsung took a wrong turn with its brand-diluting Galaxy S III Mini, then the much-leaked Galaxy Premier is where it gets back on track. The phone keeps the outward visage of the Galaxy S III and makes only modest sacrifices in order to reach a wider audience. These include a slightly shrunken 4.65-inch screen, which still blazes away with a full 720 x 1,280 Super AMOLED panel, an acceptable dual-core 1.5 GHz TI OMAP 4470 processor, 1GB of RAM and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The cameras haven't been messed with -- we're still looking at an 8-megapixel rear and a 1.9-megapixel front-facer -- while connectivity includes Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. So far, the phone has only been made official in the Ukraine, where it's been pegged for a November release and priced at 5,555 Ukrainian hryvnias -- an exotic-sounding figure that very roughly translates to $680.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Onliner.by (Belarusian), Sammyhub | Samsung (Ukrainian) | Email this | Comments
If Samsung took a wrong turn with its brand-diluting Galaxy S III Mini, then the much-leaked Galaxy Premier is where it gets back on track. The phone keeps the outward visage of the Galaxy S III and makes only modest sacrifices in order to reach a wider audience. These include a slightly shrunken 4.65-inch screen, which still blazes away with a full 720 x 1,280 Super AMOLED panel, an acceptable dual-core 1.5 GHz TI OMAP 4470 processor, 1GB of RAM and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The cameras haven't been messed with -- we're still looking at an 8-megapixel rear and a 1.9-megapixel front-facer -- while connectivity includes Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. So far, the phone has only been made official in the Ukraine, where it's been pegged for a November release and priced at 5,555 Ukrainian hryvnias -- an exotic-sounding figure that very roughly translates to $680.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Samsung gets official with the Galaxy Premier: 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED, 8MP camera, GS III styling originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 03:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Onliner.by (Belarusian), Sammyhub | Samsung (Ukrainian) | Email this | Comments
Google sells nearly 1 million Nexus 7 tablets each month
Google sells nearly 1 million Nexus 7 tablets each month:
Weak demand for Windows Phone 8 devices expected
Weak demand for Windows Phone 8 devices expected:
Unnamed industry sources tell Digitimes that “market demand for [Windows Phone 8] smartphones is not expected to be considerably large.” The anonymous industry watchers cite strong competition from Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone and various Android models as one of the reasons sales will likely be slow, and they also state that the learning curve involved with a potential switch to Windows Phone will be a barrier.
Smartphones powered by Windows Phone 8 are expected to begin rolling out in early November, and BGR recently reviewed the HTC Windows Phone 8X, which will be among the first new flagship Windows Phones to launch.
Unnamed industry sources tell Digitimes that “market demand for [Windows Phone 8] smartphones is not expected to be considerably large.” The anonymous industry watchers cite strong competition from Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone and various Android models as one of the reasons sales will likely be slow, and they also state that the learning curve involved with a potential switch to Windows Phone will be a barrier.
Smartphones powered by Windows Phone 8 are expected to begin rolling out in early November, and BGR recently reviewed the HTC Windows Phone 8X, which will be among the first new flagship Windows Phones to launch.
Android reaches 700,000 apps, now matches Apple
Android reaches 700,000 apps, now matches Apple:
Google and Apple both like to update everyone from time to time on how many apps they have in their respective app stores. This has been a purely academic disclosure for years now — both platforms have more apps than you can really get a handle on with your squishy human brain. Google has just [...]
Google and Apple both like to update everyone from time to time on how many apps they have in their respective app stores. This has been a purely academic disclosure for years now — both platforms have more apps than you can really get a handle on with your squishy human brain. Google has just [...]
Apple’s iPad mini display is ‘terrible’
Apple’s iPad mini display is ‘terrible’:
“Ew, the screen is terrible,” was the initial reaction of John Gruber’s wife when he first handed her the iPad mini, and he writes that the response matched his exactly. The Daring Fireball owner went on to say that his opinion after a week remains unchanged: The hardware and software are fantastic but the screen is “terrible” compared to Apple’s Retina displays, but not that bad for those coming from an iPad 2 or the original model.
Because of the mini’s size and weight, Gruber plans to switch from the full-sized iPad to the iPad mini despite the new tablet’s poor display — though he notes it will be a “particularly bitter pill” to swallow. Apple’s iPad mini launches on Friday starting at $329.
“Ew, the screen is terrible,” was the initial reaction of John Gruber’s wife when he first handed her the iPad mini, and he writes that the response matched his exactly. The Daring Fireball owner went on to say that his opinion after a week remains unchanged: The hardware and software are fantastic but the screen is “terrible” compared to Apple’s Retina displays, but not that bad for those coming from an iPad 2 or the original model.
Because of the mini’s size and weight, Gruber plans to switch from the full-sized iPad to the iPad mini despite the new tablet’s poor display — though he notes it will be a “particularly bitter pill” to swallow. Apple’s iPad mini launches on Friday starting at $329.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Amazon says Kindle Fire HD sales surged after iPad mini announcement
Amazon says Kindle Fire HD sales surged after iPad mini announcement:
Digitimes Research: Surface tablet to mainly devour notebook demand in the short term
Digitimes Research: Surface tablet to mainly devour notebook demand in the short term: Microsoft's recently launched own-brand Surface tablets have raised the question of whether Surface will devour consumer demand for tablets or notebooks, or maybe even both. In terms of hardware, Surface is capable of satisfying consumer demand for notebooks, but to replace other tablets, it still requires a more complete app software ecosystem, according to Digitimes Research senior analyst James Wang.
Notebook brands plan limited shipments of Windows RT tablets
Notebook brands plan limited shipments of Windows RT tablets: Notebook brands that were originally aggressive about pushing Windows on Arm (WoA) tablets have mostly cooled down following the launch of Microsoft's Surface RT. While players such as Asustek Computer, Dell, Samsung Electronics and Lenovo still plan to release Windows RT-based tablets, estimated shipments are less than 50,000 units each, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.
6 billion datapoints from 500 million devices reveal differences between smartphones and tablets
6 billion datapoints from 500 million devices reveal differences between smartphones and tablets:
Apparently, people like to have fun, and they buy digital devices to assist them in that noble quest.
This is perhaps not a shock.
But they use those devices differently, according to Flurry, the app analytics company. To understand those differences between how we use our smartphones and smart tablets, Flurry analyzed six billion user sessions from 500 million devices in September.
Tablet owners are a little older than smartphone owners and have fewer Y chromosomes. And they spend a lot more time on games – 67 percent of time spent on a tablet is spent playing a game, versus 39 percent for smartphones.
Of course, this shows some overlap between devices and owners, with many owning both smartphones and tablets. But when Flurry analyzed the demographics of the 30 million people who have granted it the right to collection information on them, they found that, on average, tablet owners tend to be both more female and a little older.
Another key difference?
Tablets are for after dinner — the prime-time entertainment hours. While smartphones are in use all day, and do also show a small increase in the evening hours, tablets spike in the three hours between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. That jives with Forrester research that says that 85 percent of tablet owners in the U.S. use them while watching TV as a second screen: following tweets, sharing updates, and chatting about what they are watching.
But it can’t just all be second-screen: That 67 percent of time spent playing games means that there must be a significant theft of time from traditional prime-time entertainment as well.
In addition, Flurry found that while smartphones are used more often than tablets, tablets are used for longer periods of time than smartphones. App engagement — the number of times a person opens an app — was 12.9 times each week on smartphones, versus 9.5 on tablets. But minutes per session showed 8.2 minutes in each tablet app, exactly double the 4.1 minutes in an app on a smartphone.
That rings anecdotally true: You pull out your smartphone to check a message or your calendar and then put it away … while you pull out your tablet on the sofa to catch up on news, read a book, or play a game.
In short, despite work from Apple and others to position them as more than entertainment devices, the biggest use case for tablets is still the sofa, while the smartphone’s home is still your front pocket.
photo credit: Andrew Scott via photopin cc
Filed under: Gadgets, Lifestyle, Media, Mobile
Apparently, people like to have fun, and they buy digital devices to assist them in that noble quest.This is perhaps not a shock.
But they use those devices differently, according to Flurry, the app analytics company. To understand those differences between how we use our smartphones and smart tablets, Flurry analyzed six billion user sessions from 500 million devices in September.
Tablet owners are a little older than smartphone owners and have fewer Y chromosomes. And they spend a lot more time on games – 67 percent of time spent on a tablet is spent playing a game, versus 39 percent for smartphones.
Of course, this shows some overlap between devices and owners, with many owning both smartphones and tablets. But when Flurry analyzed the demographics of the 30 million people who have granted it the right to collection information on them, they found that, on average, tablet owners tend to be both more female and a little older.
Another key difference?
Tablets are for after dinner — the prime-time entertainment hours. While smartphones are in use all day, and do also show a small increase in the evening hours, tablets spike in the three hours between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. That jives with Forrester research that says that 85 percent of tablet owners in the U.S. use them while watching TV as a second screen: following tweets, sharing updates, and chatting about what they are watching.
But it can’t just all be second-screen: That 67 percent of time spent playing games means that there must be a significant theft of time from traditional prime-time entertainment as well.
That rings anecdotally true: You pull out your smartphone to check a message or your calendar and then put it away … while you pull out your tablet on the sofa to catch up on news, read a book, or play a game.
In short, despite work from Apple and others to position them as more than entertainment devices, the biggest use case for tablets is still the sofa, while the smartphone’s home is still your front pocket.
photo credit: Andrew Scott via photopin cc
Filed under: Gadgets, Lifestyle, Media, Mobile
| |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)