3G iPhone again rumored for summer US/Europe launch, AT&T preps

After an announcement of expanded iPhone rollouts, rumors peg a 3G iPhone introduction in Europe by August. And while an internal AT&T memo points to a June introduction stateside, an AT&T spokesperson will neither confirm nor deny the rumor.Read More...

After an announcement of expanded iPhone rollouts, rumors peg a 3G iPhone introduction in Europe by August. And while an internal AT&T memo points to a June introduction stateside, an AT&T spokesperson will neither confirm nor deny the rumor.Read More...

  • 15 Things We Might See at WWDC 2010

     After search giant Google hurled a barrage of not-so-subtle spears in Apple’s direction at the Google I/O developer conference, all eyes are now on the World Wide Developer Conference that Cupertino will be launching June 7 with a keynote from CEO Steve Jobs.While a fourth-generation iPhone is a given at this point after an absurd number of leaks in recent weeks, Apple CEO Steve Jobs himself promised an inquisitive e-mailer only a few days ago: “You won’t be disappointed.” So we put our thinking cap on and came up with this list of cool stuff we might see when WWDC 2010 kicks off June 7 and wraps up on June 11.Safari 5 (or maybe 4.5)We think Safari is still pretty great, even against more recent challengs from Google Chrome and Firefox 3.6. But with the Chrome browser finally out of beta this week, Apple may have to work harder to pound out Safari’s remaining limitations.Among them: No API for extensions, as noted this week by Daring Fireball’s own John Gruber after Google’s announcement that Chrome is now officially “stable.” That means that great third-party software like 1Password and Evernote has to resort to kludgy hacks to work intimately with Safari. Heck, even good ol’ Adobe Flash might work better with an API (stranger things have happened). Gruber also calls out Apple for not empowering Safari with a true ability to automatically reopen pages left open when the app was closed. Yes, please.New Mac Pros -- Finally!The poor Mac Pro has certainly gone neglected, with its last update more than a year ago. Worse yet, the desktop behemoth still carries a form factor borrowed from the Power Mac G5 before it -- and in computer years, that makes it a veritable dinosaur.Although we’ve heard plenty of rumors about Intel’s new six-core Core i7-980X processor landing in a refreshed Mac Pro as far back as January and February of this year, the summer has arrived and there’s still nothing official on the radar. Creative professionals are likely worried about Apple’s silence with regard to such new hardware, but that could all change with one presentation.Mac OS X 10.7Many developers are also rightfully worried that this year’s WWDC is too focused on iPhone OS, and many questions remain as to when Apple might shed some light on their intentions for Mac OS X 10.7. Granted, Snow Leopard 10.6 was released only last September, but that update was more about optimizing Leopard 10.5 than adding hot new features to the Mac (unless you count getting back a bunch of hard drive space as a “hot” new feature).Our prediction is that Mac OS X 10.7 will get at least a cursory mention at WWDC 2010, and we won’t get a real preview of a new desktop operating system until WWDC 2011. Thankfully, Snow Leopard 10.6 runs like smooth, creamy butter most of the time -- and Apple keeps the updates coming regular enough to squash anything that comes up, with a 10.6.4 patch already in beta testing.iPhone OS 4.0 for iPadWe’ve already seen all of the cool stuff that’s presumably coming next month with iPhone OS 4.0, such as Folders, multitasking and threaded e-mail. But we were bummed to hear that the fresh new iPad won’t get the 4.0 love until sometime this fall, by which time Apple will likely be on 4.1 or so.Here’s hoping that Apple will give us at least a peek at iPhone OS 4.x for the iPad at WWDC -- after all, developers will certainly appreciate a longer lead time to rework their apps for the tablet device after having to rush them together between late January and early April for the U.S. iPad launch. The rest of us will just have to wait
 and weep.The Real Apple TV Take 2Remember back in January, 2008 when Apple took the wraps off “Take 2” of its “still a hobby” Apple TV? Despite a price drop, closer ties with iTunes and the ability to purchase content directly from the box itself, the Apple TV has continued to bore most everyone who sees it, except for the die-hard hackers who continue to squeeze as much as possible out of the device’s anemic processor and (gasp!) Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger operating system by way of unsanctioned apps like nitoTV and Boxee.We figure the time has come for a truly revolutionary overhaul of Apple TV, especially now that arch-nemesis Google is breathing down Apple’s neck with Google TV, slated for release this fall. Rumors abound that Apple TV may get iPhone OS-ified and will adopt the tiny A4 architecture that will come standard in the next iPhone. Additionally, the new Apple TV will have 1080p HD and 16GB of storage, as well as be a part of Apple's rumored new cloud storage network. The best part about these rumors is that the device is slated to sell for only $99, which will make die hard Apple fans with a tight budget extremely happy. MobileMe: Now With More Free!Recent rumors have speculated that Apple may take a cue from Google and start offering their cloud-based MobileMe service absolutely free to all users. While that would no doubt raise the ire of longtime .Mac users who have paid good money each year to stay with the often-questionable service, it’s really the only recourse Apple may have to keep up with Google now.MobileMe itself isn’t spectacular as it exists now, save for its awesome push e-mail, Find My iPhone, contacts and calendars. The recent web-based Mail beta shows that Apple is taking baby steps toward improving the service, but they’ve got a long ways to go yet. Let’s see that acquisition of Lala start moving iTunes into the cloud, for instance, and speaking of that...iTunes in the CloudSince Apple purchased Lala.com, pundits have been short-circuiting their craniums trying to guess exactly what Cupertino plans to do with the technology -- and equally as important, when that fateful day might arrive. We’re not so sold on the idea of having iTunes “in the cloud” -- call us old fashioned, but it’s kind of nice to actually feel like you own your music, especially now that it’s finally DRM-free.Be that as it may, Apple now appears late to the cloud-based music game, with Google stepping up to the plate to make Android such a cloud-centric experience. We’re not sure that WWDC is the right forum to finally reveal what the company is doing with Lala’s brains, but surely Apple will have to play their hand soon enough.NEXT: iPhones, iTunes and the MacBook Air>>  A Fourth-Generation iPhone No One is ExpectingWhat if Steve Jobs got on stage for his keynote on June 7 and presented an iPhone that was totally different from what Gizmodo and others have leaked? A new report this week from Digitimes has posed just such a possibility, and proposes that the project, codenamed “N91” -- the leaked iPhone we’ve already seen is “N90” -- may exist as “a parallel product to back up the N90 in case there are major delays due to significant modifications in casing, display resolution, digital camera support and so forth.” The report goes on to describe the backup product as more similar in style and form to the existing iPhone 3GS. At this point, everyone is expecting the leaked iPhone (which has been dubbed “iPhone HD” by pundits) to allow some kind of video chatting thanks to the widely exposed leaks of the device with a front-facing camera. Would you be disappointed to see the equivalent of an “iPhone 3GS Plus” at this point? We would...Final Cut Studio 4Sure, we know that the third generation of Final Cut Studio was only released last year, but the update offered little in the way of new features and seemed to take away more than it gave (especially for PowerPC owners, who are now permanently relegated to Final Cut Studio 2, as the newest version requires an Intel processor). The biggest problem with Apple’s pro video suite is that, despite the big 64-bit push with Snow Leopard 10.6, none of Final Cut Studio is 64-bit native -- and those applications could use it.It might be out of character for Apple to unveil a new Final Cut Studio at WWDC, but given the recent hysteria among video professionals upon hearing rumors that the high-end software might be “dumbed down” to make it more consumer-centric, any news on its future would be good news.iTunes 10Speaking of apps that could use a 64-bit kick in the pants -- Apple, what’s going on with iTunes? Despite being the center of the known universe for all iDevices, iTunes continues to be upgraded on top of molasses-like legacy code. It’s like living in a parallel universe, knowing that the Windows version of iTunes is actually faster than it is on the Mac -- that speaks volumes.While cool new features would be welcome also, the reality is that iTunes hasn’t grown all that much over the last few major releases -- does anyone really use the Genius feature, for instance? Where is the built-in lyrics feature for music? (Apple added a section for such metadata several versions back, but you have to do the footwork yourself.) Or how about better media management capabilities, now that we’ve got ever-bigger video files to sync to our iPad but are running out of space on our internal hard drives?iTunes 9.x feels pretty kludgy by this point, so anything is welcome here -- but keep in mind that most big iTunes updates tend to come later in the year, often coupled with the release of new iPods.iLife ’11Maybe we’re starting to sound like a broken record here, but iLife ’09 is another Apple package that’s getting long in the tooth, and could also use a much-needed 64-bit transfusion. We can’t be the only ones who notice that iPhoto, for example, starts to bog down the more we throw pictures at it, so
 there’s that. And don’t get us started about iMovie, which for all of its simplicity is an absolute speed dog when you actually have to use it.Hey, perhaps we’re just impatient -- but it seems to us that for all the advancements in the processor and graphics speed of our Macs, it doesn’t take long before all this great software starts to bog down. iLife ’11 might be a few more months in the oven, but it’s never too early to request that Apple slow down on the new features and pull a Snow Leopard here: Let’s see some performance tweaks!iPhone OS + Jailbreak = LoveIf Apple really wanted to make heads spin at WWDC, they’d put down their swords and start playing nice with the jailbreak community. You know, those guys (and gals?) who tirelessly work to free iPhone OS from Apple’s shackles so we can install stuff that Cupertino wishes didn’t exist in the first place, including a GSM unlock for our iPhone (which also frees us from AT&T’s heavy ball and chain at the same time).Frankly, the “cat and mouse game” (as Steve Jobs himself has referred to it) has kind of landed in favor of the jailbreak community anyway of late, with even the latest iPhone OS 4.0 beta build being easy prey for the jailbreak geniuses. Maybe it’s time for Apple to stop worrying and love the jailbreak, officially opening up the device to other apps beyond their gated App Store walls. We can dream, can’t we
?MacBook Air, ReduxNow that the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines have gotten a souped-up refresh and the iPad is on the scene, the MacBook Air is beginning to look a little more overpriced and underpowered than usual. Even though the device is barely two and a half years old, it may be time for Apple to either put it out of its misery or rework it as a touchscreen-enabled, lust-worthy member of Cupertino’s notebook lineup.It’s not hard to imagine that one day soon, the MacBook Air might very well become the “iPad Extreme” -- think of an iPad with attached hardware keyboard, maybe even capable of dual-booting both Mac OS X and iPhone OS so you can get the best of both worlds. We might line up for that one!iPhone Goes CDMAWill they or won’t they? An iPhone compatible with the CDMA networks used by Verizon Wireless and Sprint here in the U.S. has been rumored and desired since the device took center stage at the Macworld 2007 keynote, and here we are more than three years later and AT&T continues to have an exclusive clamp on the GSM-only device.Of course, rumors have run rampant in recent months that AT&T’s exclusive contract is about to end, and that possibly both Verizon and Sprint will finally get in the iPhone game -- to the detriment of AT&T, who is reported to lose possibly as much as 40 percent of its customer base as they defect to one of the CDMA carriers. No better time to announce such a device than at WWDC, where an annual refresh of the iPhone hardware is expected to be a lock.All we ask is that Apple make it an “all in one” device -- meaning both GSM and CDMA, so we can sign in blood with Verizon, Sprint or AT&T here and then have the freedom to buy local GSM-based SIM cards for international travel. Is that asking too much?Presenting
 Something Totally New?Apple has had a busy year refreshing its Mac hardware, announcing and subsequently launching the iPad and prepping for the rumored fourth-generation iPhone expected in June, but what if we’ve all overlooked something totally new? Cupertino would seem to have all of the bases covered, from laptop and desktop computers, portable media devices, mobile phones and peripherals -- but that doesn’t mean they can’t still sneak in a curve ball to “shock and awe” us.The question is, what might that be? Only Steve Jobs and maybe a handful of others in Cupertino presumably know the answer to that question, but Apple has a way of dazzling us by reinventing something we’ve always taken for granted, such as the cell phone (with the original iPhone in 2007) or even our very definition of “portable” music (the original iPod in 2001).Whatever it might be, you’re almost certainly guaranteed to have never needed it before, but you’ll surely have to have it once Steve Jobs whips it out. That’s just how Apple rolls.*****Of course, WWDC isn’t simply about hot new Apple products -- it’s about the company intimately working with third-party developers to create the next generation of software that we’ll all swoon over. One thing that the iPhone OS-based devices have shown us: The future is less about hardware and more about the software that runs it.Viewed in that light, the developer conference isn’t simply a “gee-whiz” keynote with fancy new toys from Apple, but rather a plentiful seeding of developer talent that will grow over time and continue to harvest wonders for years to come. We can’t wait to see what Apple helps them create next!

  • Asian Tech Stock Weekly Summary (July 13 - 19)

    JapanHardwareKonica Minolta Holdings Inc. would start output at its new factory in Japan that makes high-tech film used in LCD panels by autumn 2010 due to a strong recovery in panel and TV demand. Konica Minolta had planned to begin production at the new plant in autumn 2009, but the company late last year decided to delay the start-up as the global downturn forced panel makers to cut output. Konica Minolta dominates the global market for triacetyl cellulose (TAC) film, which protects the polarisation plates used in LCD panels, with bigger rival Fujifilm Holdings Corp. Konica Minolta, which also competes with Canon and Ricoh in producing copiers and printers, plans to spend 18 billion yen (US$194 million) to build the new factory, which will be capable of making 50 million square metres of TAC film a year.TelecommunicationsNTT DoCoMo (DCM) president Ryuji Yamada said the Japanese operator is on track for launching its new Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile network in 2010, reports the Financial Times. The adoption of LTE will see DoCoMo's handsets become compatible with other operators' 3G networks for the first time since the 2001 launch of its FOMA service, which used a WCDMA standard that was slightly different to the one rolled out by the majority of the rest of the world. DoCoMo has learned a hard lesson from being the first operator in the world to launch 3G services. DoCoMo plans to launch LTE handsets in 2011 that are also compatible with its current 3G network, so customers can still access services if they're outside an LTE coverage area. DoCoMo will use its high-speed LTE network to offer mobile content services in a bid to drive new revenue in the saturated Japanese market.Softbank Corp. (SFTBF.PK), Japan's third biggest mobile telecommunications provider, raised 30 billion yen (US$320 million) from the first BBB rated bonds sold to institutions in Japan by a non-utility borrower since Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s collapse in September. The Tokyo-based company, priced three-year, 4.72 percent notes to yield 4 percentage points more than the yen swap rate, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Softbank, rated the second-lowest investment grade of BBB by Japan Credit Rating Agency, becomes the first non-utility company with that rating to sell bonds to institutional investors in Japan for 10 months. Softbank will use money raised from the securities to repay debt, it said in a filing with Japan's finance ministry today. The company sold 60 billion yen in 5.1 percent fixed-rate bonds to individual investors in May, Bloomberg data show.Softbank casts its eyes on the Greater China Region and inked a strategic cooperation agreement with Shanghai Media Group (SMG) on June 29, 2009. Softbank Founder Masayoshi Son and SMG President Li Ruigang signed on the agreement. The two parties will jointly to develop new media digital content business. Softbank is reported to cooperate with Far Eastone Telecommunications Co., Ltd. in August to launch mobile phone cartoon services. Far Eastone is in talks with Softbank subsidiaries in an attempt to introduce Japan's well-known cartoon works into Taiwan as soon as possible.Semiconductor Japan's Ushio Inc. announced its subsidiary Ushio America Inc. has acquired a 49 percent stake in U.S. firm Necsel Intellectual Property Inc. Necsel has technology for low-cost mass production of visible-laser light sources, and Ushio plans to leverage this to boost its own competitiveness in the markets for light sources for data projectors and digital cinema display systems. Using the technology, Ushio will be able to broaden its lineup of light sources to include semiconductor lasers across the complete spectrum of visible wavelengths. The company plans to purchase the remaining 51 percent of Necsel over the next five years and turn the unit into a wholly owned subsidiaryMedia, Entertainment and GamingSquare Enix Holdings Co. (SQNXF.PK) has shipped three million units of its "Dragon Quest IX" video game software in Japan since its release. In total, global shipments of the "Dragon Quest" series have surpassed 50 million units since the popular franchise debuted in 1986. Sales of the highly anticipated latest installment are going strong, too, with some 2.5 million units flying off the shelves in its first three days on the market -- beating the roughly 2.4 million of "Dragon Quest VIII," which was released in 2004. For the first time in the series, "Dragon Quest IX" runs on the Nintendo DS hand-held system. And through Wi-Fi wireless technology, up to four nearby gamers can play together.KoreaTelecommunicationsSK Telecom Co. (SKM) is considering bidding for Kazakhstan's Mobile Telecom-Service, as part of its recent efforts to seek business opportunities overseas. Kazakhtelecom, Kazakhstan's incumbent telecommunications operator, said in late June that it plans to sell its 51 percent stake in Mobile Telecom-Service and that it would accept letters of intent from potential bidders by and final bids by Aug. 31. Mobile Telecom-Service, Kazakhstan's smallest GSM operator, was launched in 2007 and provides services under the brand Neo with 920,000 subscribers.Mobile/WirelessEricsson (ERIC) plans to invest US$1.5 billion in South Korea over the next five years. The company would set up a research centre in the Asian nation to develop environmentally friendly and fourth-generation wireless technologies. Ericsson also planned to increase the number of employees at its Korean unit to 1,000 from 80. The Korean government was determined to provide a level playing field for foreign businesses to compete with domestic rivals. The investment was expected to help boost Korea's competitiveness in the market for long-term evolution, or LTE, high-speed wireless technology, backed by Ericsson. AT&T and Verizon Communications are also choosing the standard. Verizon Wireless, the biggest U.S. mobile-telephone company, aims to begin offering a high-speed network in all U.S. regions by 2015 using LTE, which is scheduled to reach 30 markets by next year. LG Electronics, Asia's second-largest mobile-telephone maker, in December said it developed a faster wireless chip used in mobile telephones based on the technology.BiotechnologySamsung Electronics plans to invest about 500 billion won (US$389 million) in the biotech medicine business. Korea's economy minister Lee Youn-ho said that Samsung, the world's top maker of memory chips and flat-screen TVs, would spend the amount over the next five years on the biosimilar business. Biosimilars are versions of biopharmaceuticals whose patents have expired. Samsung declined to confirm the size of the investment but said biosimilars presented a new growth opportunity for the technology giant. Lee signed a letter of intent with several domestic firms, including Samsung Electronics and LG Life Science, on their investment in a government biosimilar industry development initiative, with Korea Development Bank and a state-led fund already committed to providing financial support.ChinaInternetChina's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) has not ruled against the proposed merger between Sina (SINA) and Focus Media (FMCN); documents for the merger have not yet been put on MOC records. Focus Media CEO Jason Jiang is "quite anxious" about the merger, and said recently that the MOC has continuously asked for more documentation. The companies first submitted an application for their merger in late December 2008.As of the end of 2008, China saw a netizen base of 298 million, and an Internet penetration rate of 22.6 percent, outracing the global average level of 21.9 percent.Mobile/WirelessA total of 13.21 million mobile phones were sold in China in May 2009, up 9.6 percent from the previous month. The number of GSM mobile phones sold in May increased by 12.5 percent month-on-month to 11.06 million units, while only 2.15 million CDMA handsets, which included 39,800 3G CDMA 1xEVDO handsets, were sold in May, down 3.4 percent from April. The dip in CDMA mobile phone sales is the result of China Telecom's shift in focus from 2G to 3G. In addition, both China Mobile and China Unicom implemented subsidies within their 3G service plans in 2009 to attract more users. Five foreign brands, Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and LG, accounted for a 65.6 percent share of China's mobile phone market in May. Nokia had the largest market share of 31.9 percent last month. Domestic mobile phone manufacturer ZTE was the sixth-largest brand in May with a 3.8 percent market share.Z-Obee Holdings, which provides design services for mobile-telephone manufacturers on the mainland, has launched its own handset brand to meet the country's growing demand for stylish wireless devices. The Singapore-listed company's new "Vim" brand for the mainland mobile-telephone market will cater to price-conscious consumers keen on using fashionable, easy-to-operate handsets. The firm's production road map includes launching a new model every 45 days, which would enable it to introduce at least eight models in Hong Kong and on the mainland each year. The initial batch of Vim handsets being introduced on the mainland includes a his and hers model designed for couples that has a text message authentication function. This allows text correspondence between the pair to be decoded with a specific password for privacy. Each Vim handset has a voice diary function, allowing users to record appointments on the phone and be automatically reminded by the device at the designated time.TelecommunicationsChina Mobile Ltd. (CHL) will invest 70 billion yuan (US$10.2 billion) in building and upgrading its telecommunications networks, and promoting the use of its 3G services in the country's vast rural areas over the next three years. The ministry will help it promote the adoption of 3G-enabled applications in rural areas.China's three telecoms carriers, China Mobile, China Unicom (CHU) and China Telecom (CHA), injected more than 100 million yuan (US$14.6 million) in online advertising for two consecutive months of May and June. Their online ads expenses amounted to 198 billion yuan in May, when it welcomed the World Telecommunications Day on May 17, and China Unicom started trial operation of WCDMA. China Unicom's online ads input reached 78.79 million yuan on that month. In the same period, the carriers paid large amount of money in TV advertising as well, shouldering into prime time of CCTV, China's leading television station. Their expenses on online advertising fell, but still stayed above 100 million yuan to 115 million.ZTE Corp. (ZTCOF.PK) has captured 34 percent of the latest 8.6 billion yuan (US$1.3 billion) 3G network expansion tender by China Mobile Communications Corp. Huawei Technologies won 22 percent while partner Nokia Siemens Networks claimed 7 percent. Datang Mobile Communications Equipment and domestic partner FibreHome Technologies ranked third with a 21 percent share. The rest went to China Putian, New Postcom and Ericsson, each winning five to six percent. ZTE and Huawei were helped by their offers of a free upgrade in China Mobile's existing TD-SCDMA equipment, which was installed in the previous two phases of network construction. Industry watchers said China Mobile's preference for supporting domestic vendors and homegrown technologies also enabled ZTE, Huawei and Datang to take a bigger share. As a result, foreign vendors' share was shrinking. The latest tender was the third by China Mobile for a network covering 200 cities or 70 percent of the areas on the mainland. The original contract size was about 8.6 billion yuan for the installation of 39,000 base stations.China Unicom aims to go up against market leader China Mobile for high-end users as early as October, thanks to its exclusive sales agreement for the popular Apple (AAPL) iPhone handset. Unicom and Apple are expected to announce a schedule for the iPhone's introduction soon. Meanwhile, industry sources have confirmed that Apple has already submitted the device to a Ministry of Industry and Information Technology laboratory for official approval. Unicom and Apple could not be reached for comment on the deal, but telecommunications sources said Unicom would launch the handset in the fourth quarter when its 3G mobile network will cover 284 cities across the country, up from 55 cities at the end of last month. The full commercial launch of its 3G network plus the exclusive deal with iPhone is expected to put pressure on China Mobile to defend its high-end users.HardwareGreater China is expected to see an almost fourfold increase in demand this year for mini-notebooks, commonly known as netbooks, as computer makers aggressively market the low-cost devices amid the economic downturn. That growth spurt is likely to boost sales for the market's leading notebook personal computer suppliers - including mainland Lenovo Group (LNVGY.PK), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Dell (DELL), Toshiba (TOSBF.PK), Acer and AsusTek Computer (AKCPF.PK) and operators of high-speed 3G mobile networks. Netbook shipments on the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan are forecast to hit 3.9 million units, up nearly 260 percent from 1.1 million units last year. The market research firm said total industry shipments would reach nearly 33 million units, up from its earlier estimate of 27 million units. That would result in a global netbook penetration of about 20 percent and flat year-on-year demand for pricier, full-featured laptops. Many buyers were adjusting their discretionary spending and were buying netbooks as lower-priced alternatives to traditional laptops. Netbooks are smaller than typical laptops, carry few software applications and are mainly used for wireless internet access.Lenovo Group plans to expand its sales network coverage from more than 100 Indian cities to more than 300 within 2009. The company is currently restructuring to divide its global business into mature and emerging markets. Lenovo previously will open 30 retail locations in India to bring its store total to 150 and expand its service centers from 130 to 250.Shenzhen-based Coship Electronics Co., Ltd. has won an order worth US$21 million from EMB, an old customer in South America to supply digital TV set-top boxes. The order from EMB represents about 6.79 percent of Coship's total operating revenue in the entire 2008 and is the first overseas contract that Coship makes public this year. In November 2008, Coship got a set-top box order valued at US$12.21 million from the South American company. Coship had sold set-top boxes worth 120 million yuan (US$17.5 million) to EMB as of June 30, 2009, eight months after it secured the first order from the latter. The Shenzhen company, engaged in the production and sales of digital TV equipment and electronics, saw its digital TV set-top box software and hardware sales revenue account for 93.94 percent, 96.83 percent, and 95.94 percent of its revenue from major business in 2003, 2004, and 2005, respectively.TCL Corp. said that its net profit may plunge 80 percent from a year earlier to 85 million yuan (US$12.4 million) during the first half of this year. TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd, one of TCL's subsidiaries, saw sales of handsets and accessories slide 12.32 percent year on year to 1.02 million units last month, while its first-half sales declined 24.69 percent from a year earlier to 5.06 million units. TCL Multimedia Technology Holdings Ltd, another subsidiary of TCL Corp, sold 616,898 LCD TVs in June, up 60.3 percent from a year earlier, and 342,353 CRT TVs, down 56.1 percent year on year. TCL sold more than 2.31 million LCD TVs in the first five months of this year, representing a year-on-year increase of 103.7 percent. The sales volume of LCD TVs in the first five months accounts for nearly 60 percent of the company's sales in 2008.Alternative EnergySuntech Power Holdings (STP) plans to invest 30 billion yuan (US$4.4 billion) in the four projects with a combined capacity of 1.8GW that it signed up to in recent weeks. The money represents just the initial investment. China's long term plan for the PV industry is 70 percent of projects will be on-grid and 25 percent building integrated PV.LDK Solar Co. (LDK) has purchased a 70 percent stake in Italian systems integrator Solar Green Technology for an undisclosed sum. The move is expected to enhance LDK Solar's presence in the Italian photovoltaic sector. In addition, the deal will help Solar Green Technology grow further through its partnership with LDK Solar for several projects in Italy and Europe.ReneSola Ltd. (SOL) has successfully commenced trial production on the first batch of polysilicon from Phase 1 of its two-phase, 3,000 metric ton annualized capacity polysilicon manufacturing facility located in China's Sichuan province. ReneSola's two-phase, 3,000 MT annualized capacity polysilicon manufacturing facility utilizes the Siemens process and a closed loop system to produce polysilicon. Phase 2 of the facility, representing approximately 1,500 MT annualized capacity, is scheduled to reach mechanical completion in September 2009.

  • iPhone nano now rumored for June, Unicorn delayed again until September

    Ready for more iPhone nano rumors? Good, because apparently the Chinese trade paper Economic Daily News is now reporting that Taiwan Semiconductor Company (TSMC) will be handling chip manufacturing for a low-cost device being referred to as... you guessed it: the iPhone nano. While the paper has a fairly good reputation, it is filtered through the lens of DigiTimes on our end, so as usual, take it with the required grain of salt. Still, the source is calling a June launch of the handset on the heels of an order for the components in March. The time frame is reasonable enough, and if history is any lesson here, Apple loves to intro iPhones in the Summer. Given that China has yet to see a deal for the iPhone proper, and a lower-cost entry may be perfectly tuned for vast Asian markets, the nano could gather in a whole new fold of users (and the smaller screen would be less of an issue given the need for character recognition). That theory falls in line with statements from analysts, though as always, putting too much stock in any of this speculation could be hazardous to your health. Just ask Steve Jobs.[Via AppleInsider]Filed under: CellphonesiPhone nano now rumored for June, Unicorn delayed again until September originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • iPhone coming to Japan's NTT DoCoMo?

    According to the Wall Street Journal Asia, Jobs and Co are in Japan working out the details for a domestic iPhone launch. It's no surprise then that Jobs was rumored to have just met with NTT DoCoMo's president, Masao Nakamur, to discuss the deal with the largest carrier in the world's second-largest economy. As usual, Apple seems to be playing the carriers off one another with rumors that The Steve is courting Softbank as well. However, "people familiar with the situation" say that DoCoMo is the first choice. While the revenue sharing is a sticking point as usual, WSJA says that Apple doesn't expect to have any difficulty closing the deal. Funny, that's what everyone was saying about Vodafone in Europe.P.S. For what it's worth, NTT DoCoMo does not run a GSM/EDGE network. Any iPhone released on DoCoMo's FOMA service will be HSDPA -- right, the 3G iPhone. Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

  • BGR: AT&T employees told to prepare for June launch of new iPhone

    Filed under: RumorsShocking news; we're absolutely gobsmacked with surprise. Boy Genius Report fans the flames of the widely-telegraphed WWDC rumored iPhone revision story with a one-line tidbit: AT&T employees have been informed that the phone is actually coming, and may in fact be on sale in the month of June. MacRumors points out that this corresponds neatly with a previously-BGR-reported block on employee vacations for June affecting the cell carrier. Got to make sure those stores are staffed! Back at the end of April, Mashable hinted that the new phones might go on sale during the developer conference itself, which would be quite a way to kick off the summer. Meanwhile, Jim Dalrymple at The Loop aligns his crystal ball with Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster on the topic of a possible Verizon iPhone: neither the bearded Mac maven or the tie-wearing Wall Street analyst expect to see a big red Apple phone anytime in the immediate future. Daring Fireball also notes that Matt Drance at AppleOutsider has done a nice job assessing many of the technical and business reasons why a VZW/Apple teamup isn't likely to appear soon. Everybody ready for June? It's going to be a scorcher. TUAWBGR: AT&T employees told to prepare for June launch of new iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 26 May 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments IPhone - Apple - AT&T - Unofficial Apple Weblog - WWDC

  • 10 Things that Apple Could Unveil Tomorrow (That's Not a Tablet)

    As everyone in the free world knows by now, Apple made its January 27 media event a reality at long last, complete with invites to the press. That means we’ve all been spending the days leading up the event like a bunch of kids waiting for Santa to fly down the chimney on Christmas, speculating on what wonderment our Techno-Santa (that would be Apple CEO Steve Jobs) will unveil.  MacLife.com would like to take a moment to throw out our own list of possibilities -- some more realistic than others, naturally, but that’s half the fun.iPhone OS 4.0It’s been quite awhile (in tech time) since Apple rolled out the modest iPhone OS 3.1.2 update -- so much time that folks much wiser than us have predicted that iPhone OS 4.0 must be right around the bend. The logic behind such assumptions is that the refreshed OS contains too much code that will spill the beans on Apple’s aforementioned tablet, and therefore the company has boxed itself into a corner by having to wait and introduce them both together.Of course, all of that assumes that Apple even plans to use iPhone OS for its tablet, essentially turning it into a larger, souped-up iPod touch instead of allowing it to run a full (or even pared down) version of Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6. For the past two years, Apple has waited until March to unleash iPhone OS updates to developers via their SDK, with a proper release coming closer to early summer when the new hardware is ready. But plenty of folks are placing bets that this third year will buck that trend, especially after the recent leak of a screenshot claiming to show a device using iPhone OS 4.0. Among the rumored features are some graphical and UI changes, new ways to run applications in the background (we’re guessing that means a form of multitasking) and even new syncing abilities for contacts & calendars.We’d venture a guess that won’t be all that iPhone OS 4.0 has in store for us: Our wish list includes improved push notifications (preferably a solution to the problem of only one being displayed at a time), a more efficient home screen and hey, while we’re at it, isn’t it about time for the ability to wirelessly sync media between iTunes and our devices? There are plenty of occasions where the dock connector umbilical cord makes sense (for instance, when you need to get a battery charge while you sync), but really, it’s 2010 already. Wireless is where it’s at!Bonus points to Apple if they give us push e-mail on any account (even the Palm Pre can do it!) and maybe 720p HD video recording -- the iPhone 3GS hardware has already shown it's capable of doing it, so why not enable it?New MacBook ProsWe realize there’s only so much Apple can do with the notebook form at this point, and they’ve made some good choices, such as the unibody designs of late. But a peek over at the world of Windows-equipped laptops shows that those folks are really working overtime to pile on the features, and they generally do it for a whole lot less than Apple’s notebooks.There are already standing rumors that the MacBook Pro is going to get a nice speed bump -- courtesy of Intel’s latest Core i5 processor -- while retaining current battery life. That would be welcome, but what about a Blu-ray enabled SuperDrive so we can watch HD discs on the go -- and of course, have the ability to burn them as well. PC laptops have been doing that almost forever (okay, a couple years now), while Apple continues to tiptoe around the fact that the world isn’t quite ready to totally abandon optical media in favor of iTunes downloads. (That’s the real “bag of hurt,” if you ask us.)So, we say: Apple, bring on some real innovation with these laptops again! If you’re really going to sell us on a multitouch tablet computer, why not add the same technology to the MacBook Pro so we have the best of both worlds? Or better yet, give us some of that sweet swivel-screen action like HP has done, so your notebooks can actually double as a tablet? We figure while you’re at it, it’s also time to make the iSight camera part of the actual screen, so you can extend the screen real estate all the way to the edges, too.And hey, bring back those Firewire and ExpressCard ports! What’s with this Van Helsing routine, trying to put a stake through the heart of your own Firewire innovation?! Sure, an SD card slot would have been nice a few years ago, but true MacBook “pros” would get better use out of those ports, especially for digital video & audio use.iLife ‘10The 2009 edition of iLife added some welcome new features, particularly with iPhoto and the inclusion of Faces, Places and Facebook integration. But some components of the software got less love than others -- primarily iDVD, which, like its pro cousin DVD Studio Pro, appears to be on the outs with Apple.Rumors abound that iDVD will gain some new tricks with the next iLife release, such as the ability to create iTunes LP media. Color us not so impressed. For starters, it’s downright silly in this day & age that the program can’t burn Blu-ray discs in addition to DVDs, especially as hard as Apple has pushed the whole “create your own HD content” with iMovie.Perhaps our biggest wish for iLife ‘10 is less on new features and more on speed: All of the components in the iLife bundle have a lot of old legacy code (and lack 64-bit optimization), which makes them sluggish at best. What’s the point of ramping up the processor speeds in their systems when these aging products can barely keep up?iTunes 10Please oh please, Apple gods: Hear our pathetic cries for a near-total revamp of iTunes! For all of its joys -- such as the iTunes Store and pretty decent media management (at least for music & apps) -- iTunes is an old dog that’s ready to be put out of its misery. It’s slow to open, frequently sluggish to scroll through windows and as we mentioned above, enough with the tethered syncing already. MobileMe wireless syncing for contacts & calendars is already a year and a half old, and it’s just made us want to sync our media the same way even more (at least for photos, music & apps).It’s sort of embarrassing that iTunes opens faster and runs more efficiently on Windows than it does under even Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 -- shame on you, Apple. (No wonder it was recently ranked number 46 on Forrester’s Consumer Experience Index.) There’s already speculation that Apple’s recent acquisition of Lala will push more of iTunes to the cloud -- we’re not big fans of that idea overall, unless it allows us to also keep our media on our computers at the same time (again, at least the smaller files such as photos, music & apps).iTunes is yet another Apple innovation that’s become a bit long in the tooth -- despite recent updates that have introduced features like Genius (which ultimately benefits Apple more than the user with their paid music suggestions), it’s taken way too long for truly inspired additions like the ability to manipulate the iPhone & iPod touch home screen from the app itself.Our biggest wish for iTunes 10 is to soup up the movies, television and, to a lesser degree, music video aspects of the program. Even with enormous hard drives in our computers, who wants to store gigantic HD video files inside their iTunes library? It’s like a noose around our necks. Apple needs to take a cue from Netflix here, with their excellent streaming video service to all kinds of content boxes -- or at the very least, make the downloading part of the equation at our discretion, particularly for times like traveling where Internet access may be spotty or simply unavailable. There will always be times when you want a TV show episode on your iPhone for when you’re traveling without data access. Freedom of choice, we say!MacPad (iPad?)There have been rampant rumors of late that Apple is trying to seize upon a trademark for the term “iPad,” which many tech bloggers are translating to mean that Cupertino intends to use it as the name of their tablet computer. But what if it was actually going to be a super-groovy combination of Magic Mouse and MacBook-style trackpad that could attach to any Mac via Bluetooth (or at the very least, USB 2.0)?The Magic Mouse was released last fall to plenty of anticipation, but if you ask us, it fell way short by delivering such a lackluster amount of multitouch fun. Sure, the third party developers have since stepped in with a multitude of choices to soup up the Magic Mouse, but we’re still left itching for more.We prefer to call it the “MacPad,” which is essentially a mouse replacement for your desktop that replicates a Mac notebook trackpad, complete with awesome multi-finger gestures assignable to most any task.You’ll recall, of course, that such technology once existed for the Mac courtesy of a small company called Fingerworks, who was subsequently purchased by Apple. Their website recently shut down after years of remaining live, leading many to speculate that Fingerworks technology will finally be implemented in the Apple tablet -- but we’d like to see it land in a small external pad that works with any Mac. Is that too much to ask? (Fingerworks image courtesy of MacRumors.com)Apple TV ReduxDon’t get us wrong: There’s nothing inherently wrong with Apple TV, especially if you buy into the entire iTunes ecosystem. But the mere fact that so many people buy the device with the intention of using ATV Flash or other methods to hack them should tell Apple something.That “something” is that they want more content choices besides the iTunes Store and YouTube. XBMC and Boxee are both widely used on hacked Apple TVs in order for users to watch their own home-brewed content -- be it ripped from their DVD collection or acquired by “other means.” (We wouldn’t endorse nor have any knowledge of that, however.) Netflix has made great strides to latch onto every conceivable kind of hardware with their streaming service (now including all three major gaming systems), yet it remains closed to Apple TV for the most obvious of reasons -- Apple’s greed (or rather, arrogance that the iTunes Store and its “pay per download” model is the best way).Expecting a new Apple TV may seem like a wildcard, but let’s not forget that the device hasn’t really, truly been refreshed in a looong time. It’s still running Tiger 10.4 Mac OS X, for God’s sake! Apple clearly wants to capture the living room and they’ve acknowledged that their first try didn’t quite cut it -- even dismissing the Apple TV as a “hobby” to the press. Entrenching themselves into customers’ living rooms should almost be a higher priority than that silly old tablet, we say.Macquarium, Featuring iFish OSSpeaking of the living room, messy aquariums and accidentally overfeeding your aquatic pets will soon become a thing of the past, thanks to Apple’s latest home entertainment wonder, Macquarium. If you’ve enjoyed the multitouch fun of the 99-cent App Store favorite Koi Pond, prepare to have Apple totally blow your mind with the first completely computer-driven fish tank -- no water required!Imagine a razor-thin, Jonathan Ive-designed, holographic fish tank that’s totally customizable thanks to its pared-down Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 software interface. Fill Macquarium’s virtual tank with a wide variety of default "iFish" personally hand-picked by Steve Jobs himself, or use the included OceanMe software to customize the defaults and even create your own new fish -- whether they exist in real life or not! Of course, for the less-ambitious among us, additional fish will also be made available at the iFish Store, a new virtual market included as a feature of iTunes 10, with an SDK immediately available for download to all potential iFish OS developers.Of course, Macquarium includes accelerometers to allow your fish tank to stand vertically or horizontally (let’s see your real fish tank do that!) and the multitouch screen includes a new “multi-dimensional” feature that allows you to actually reach inside the device to play with or feed your iFish, all without ever getting wet. Amuse your friends by bumping the side of the tank and watch those iFish come running at chow time!Macquarium features a Mini DisplayPort jack so you can plug in your Apple laptop or desktop and use it as a convenient computer display when not in use, and includes a wireless 802.11 b/g/n network connection to sync with your iFish Store purchases. (Mac G4 Cube fish tank mod image courtesy of WalYou.com)iRumors.apple.comIn an effort to single-handedly kill the rumor-blogging community that’s made their products such a hit in the past, Apple Inc. will finally announce next week that they’re going public with all of their ideas under one easy-to-find shingle -- the ultimate “one more thing” for Apple CEO Steve Jobs.The Cupertino tech giant, finally backed into a corner by the Internet’s incessant digging for juicy trade secret nuggets to expose to the world prior to the launch of the Apple tablet, will launch the subdomain iRumors.apple.com as part of their strategy to give away all of their best (and worst!) future ideas, far in advance of the actual product launch and at long last, finally knock the wind out of our sails for all Apple events to come.Apple had “no comment” regarding speculation that unemployment lines would be overloaded with former tech journalists & bloggers as a result of next week’s move.iBabySure, Apple might have dropped “Computer” from their name back in 2007, but that doesn’t mean that a lifelike, computerized baby wouldn’t be in the cards. After all, in these tough economic times, both parents have to work just to eke out a living, so who has time for making babies the old-fashioned way? Enter Apple’s new iBaby.Your iBaby’s multitouch faux flesh will be perfect for tickling or stroking their lifelike hair, arriving complete with a pair of swanky new super-fast USB 3.0 ports for feeding your simulated baby with all the knowledge & dreams a real child would one day fail to retain (sorry, no Firewire here!). Also included is Mini DisplayPort for plugging iBaby into an external monitor (ideal for monitoring dreams and other brain activity that would cost thousands of dollars in real life) and of course, a standard headphone jack (which also doubles as an optical audio output) so you can enjoy your iPod playlists from the comfort of your stereo speakers. Of course, a Mute button comes standard with every iBaby, a must for all first-time parents.iBaby’s chest will include an iPhone/iPod dock connection built-in, so you can keep up with the latest news, sports scores and information while you rock your little bionic tot to sleep -- and if the charming lil’ tike won’t go to sleep on their own, you always have the easy Sleep menu option that you’ve come to know & love in Mac OS X to simply knock that sucker right out.Best of all, iBaby’s sleek unibody design has the option of giving a Steve Jobsian “Boom!” to take the guesswork out of those messy diaper changes, and the whole thing will run the latest & greatest Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6. Available as either male or female in Caucasian, African-American and Chinese models (with other races arriving in time for the holiday season in Q3 2010), your iBaby can easily swap personalities with a simple trip to the iTunes Store -- a handful of new ones will be available for only 99 cents each when the product hits stores in March.Apple AirAs if to hammer home the point that Apple fanatics will buy virtually anything the company makes and love it unconditionally, Steve Jobs will announce a tiny clear plastic box next week, similar to the current diminutive casing that the iPod nano comes in. The contents of this package will make even the iPod shuffle look positively obese.Called “Apple Air,” the packaging will contain absolutely nothing, save for the nitrogen and oxygen (aka, air) exhaled in the hallowed halls of the Apple Cupertino campus. The company will offer a variety of different Apple Air models, each indicated by the iPod nano-style color scheme of the packaging: One color for Steve Jobs’ office, another for the reception area, different colors for both Phil Schiller and Jonathan Ive’s offices -- the possibilities are endless.Prices will start at $199 with the equivalent of 8GB of air space. Remember, you heard it here first!*****Did we miss anything that you’d like to see? Make your own predictions heard in the comments!

  • Orange Executive Reveals Tablet Details, Then Deny’s Them

    The web has been rife today with news that StĂ©phane Richard, an executive from the French communications company France TĂ©lĂ©com, had let slip could-be details about Apple's supposedly upcoming tablet in a recent radio interview. During the Europe 1 interview, which aired Monday morning, StĂ©phane Richard revealed to radio host Jean Pierre Elkabbach that the highly-debated tablet could feature a built-in webcam, possibly similar to that found in Apple's current computer line-up, in addition to disclosing that the device will have integrated 3G capabilities. According to Richard, cell-phone carrier Orange will be providing the 3G network infrastructure for the tablet in France. However, he failed to specify on any price points or possible contact plans. Apple is expected to unveil its long-rumored tablet at a San Francisco press event towards the end of this month, where hopefully all will finally be made known, putting an end to more than a year's worth of often deliberate speculation. The translated interview between StĂ©phane Richard and Jean Pierre Elkabbach follows: Elkabbach: “According to the weekly magazine Le Point, in a few days your partner Apple will launch a tablet?” Richard: “Yes.” Elkabbach: “Equipped with a webcam?” Richard: “Yes” Elkabbach: “Will Orange customers be able to enjoy it?” Richard: “Of course!” The entire recorded interview can be seen (in French) over on NowhereElse.fr, with the pertinent details being discussed around six minutes in. Following the interview, to little surprise, no official comment has been made from Apple, however Orange has since attempted to clarify on the “leak,” releasing the following statement a few hours after the interview aired: “These responses in no way reflect Orange’s confirmation of the existence of the rumoured device. The spokesperson was merely confirming that he is aware of the speculation surrounding a launch and that Orange would be delighted to have such a product were it ever to be available.” France TĂ©lĂ©com currently enjoys a healthy relationship with Apple, with the telecoms company selling the iPhone in over 28 countries through its global mobile brand, Orange. So, I'd like to think that this slip-of-the-tongue from StĂ©phane could be deemed as credible, despite Orange's somewhat fluffy statement.

  • Dear AT&T: Maybe It’s Time to Get On the iPhone Bandwagon

    I've defended AT&T on occasion regarding the iPhone, but its latest moves (or non-moves) make it hard to do so. To recap its defense, I've praised AT&T for the following: Without AT&T we don't even have the iPhone as we know it. You think Verizon was gonna allow it? Heck, it's been two years, and there's still no Wi-Fi on Verizon's phones. At the initial iPhone launch, the unlimited data at $20/month was better than most, and in-home activation was also new. (For 3G, the company raised the data rate to $30, but that was what it charged for other 3G phones, so it's not as egregious as some think.) It leveraged its Wi-Fi hotspot service and made it free to iPhone (and other smartphone) users. This is huge, and something I use daily. Yet, for all the good, AT&T lately is acting like a tanker that takes forever to turn. Apple's comments about AT&T in the WWDC keynote on June 8 always seemed tinged with dissatisfaction. In my opinion, AT&T has been a clear disappointment in four areas. Let's take a look at those. MMS The iPhone will get it late this summer. Yes, all its other phones have it now, but the iPhone must wait. This is nonsense, and I don't believe it's due to any technical hurdle so much as fear on AT&T's part that somehow its network will collapse. I'll discuss the network shortly, but AT&T should look at it this way: It can be criticized for poor coverage, dropped calls, and no MMS, or just for poor coverage and dropped calls. That's its choice. Tethering This one's worse than the above. Not only is it allowed for other phones (though it costs too much), but in the iPhone's case, AT&T won't even supply a date! Instead, AT&T just says “it's coming,” as if that's supposed to mean something. I believe this is another case of the company thinking its network will fall apart when it allows it, but I'm not buying it. The iPhone is not hammering its network because of the 10 percent of iPhone geeks grabbing a load of bandwidth, but rather because, of the millions of iPhone users, the remaining 90 percent use it much more than the average smartphone user. To clarify that last statement, assume two groups: One of 10M Blackbery Curve users, the other 10M iPhone users. Each group has their 10 percent using the system relatively heavily. The difference is the remaining 90 percent. Those Curve users hardly use it at all (relatively speaking), whereas the iPhone users do. Month after month of web market share figures confirm this fact. (This isn't about the Curve — substitute any high-volume smartphone, and you'll see the same thing). So if AT&T really wanted to avoid the alleged network collapse, it'd have to stop adding new iPhone users, not limit the 10 percent who currently use it most. Tethering will not harm its network nearly as much as the flood of new customers getting onboard with the cheaper 3G or new 3G S models, yet I don't see AT&T rushing to limit them. Low-Cost Data Plans (and $99 iPhone) There were many rumors of a “low cost” data plan for the iPhone. Most suggested maybe $20 a month with a cap of 200MB or so. While that cap is small to me, it would likely cover most people attracted to the cheaper iPhone, and for those it didn't, they could upgrade to an “unlimited” plan anyway. I can't help but think the $99 iPhone 3G and the rumored low-cost plan were meant as a one-two punch in the face of every smartphone vendor. The iPhone pretty much set the smartphone price floor at $199, and even then RIM's Storm and Palm's Pre required mail-in rebates to get there. Dropping it to $99 could be a huge blow. But a $99 iPhone only harms the competition when people buy it, and staring at a ~$75 monthly bill will restrict sales. The rumored “low-rate” plan would drop that by $10 to $15 a month, and with the $99 phone that would be a huge draw. But no new pricing has been announced, even though the $99 iPhone is here. The Network Whether it's just an excuse or the real deal, this all comes down to AT&T's network and the appearance it seems to convey that it's a house of cards waiting to topple if it adds any new features for the iPhone crowd (though, strangely, it can add as many new iPhone customers as it wants). And all we get from AT&T on this is talk. Here's my advice to AT&T: Let half of the marketing people go. You know, the ones writing the press releases about improving the network with so much technology that soon we'll be able to connect to the Hubble telescope and control it with our phones, and instead hire more people to actually do the upgrades. It's clichĂ©, but talk is cheap. When you brag about the advancements on paper, but don't allow MMS and tethering, well, let's just say I know which action I put more stock in.

  • The daily roundup: here's what you might've missed

    A visual recap of the day's articles May 20th 2010 | 45 Articles http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/the-daily-roundup-heres-what-you-mightve-missed/ 12:51 am 0 Comments The daily roundup: here's what you might've missed http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/acer-launches-11-6-inch-aspire-timeline-1825pt-netvertible/ 1:59 am 56 Comments Acer launches 11.6-inch Aspire Timeline 1825PT netvertible http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/apple-now-accepting-cash-for-its-cold-hard-ipads-video/ 1:31 am 263 Comments Apple now accepting cash for its cold hard iPads (video) http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/dram-cartel-settles-with-european-commission-will-pay-331-mill/ 2:57 am 27 Comments DRAM cartel settles with European Commission, will pay €331 million fine http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/lgs-windows-phone-7-phone-caught-in-the-wild-looking-good/ 4:08 am 107 Comments LG's Windows Phone 7 phone caught in the wild, looking good http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/ipad-app-store-goes-live-in-europe/ 3:29 am 65 Comments iPad app store goes live internationally http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/versace-unique-launched-vertu-put-on-notice/ 4:47 am 43 Comments Versace Unique launched, Vertu put on notice http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/forever-white-headset-plays-music-to-your-ears-while-bleaching-y/ 5:56 am 58 Comments Forever White Headset plays music to your ears while bleaching your teeth http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/dr-fritz-sennheiser-audio-pioneer-dies-at-98/ 5:28 am 63 Comments Dr. Fritz Sennheiser, audio pioneer, dies at 98 http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/ssd-power-consumption-reduced-by-86-percent-speeds-of-9-5gbps-a/ 6:53 am 59 Comments SSD power consumption reduced by 86 percent, speeds of 9.5GBps achieved by Japanese researchers http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/android-gingerbread-is-planned-for-q4-2010/ 6:21 am 123 Comments Android Gingerbread is 'planned for Q4 2010' http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/japan-proposes-holographic-3d-broadcasts-for-2022-world-cup/ 7:58 am 25 Comments Japan proposes holographic 3D broadcasts for 2022 World Cup http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/nintendo-wiimote-rvl-036-mysteriously-clears-the-fcc/ 7:27 am 23 Comments Nintendo Wiimote RVL-036 mysteriously clears the FCC http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/seagates-game-changing-storage-tech-coming-to-asus-rog-g73jh/ 9:09 am 27 Comments Seagate's 'game-changing' storage tech coming to ASUS ROG G73Jh laptop http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/samsung-wave-hits-vodafone-uk-on-june-1-free-on-25-a-month-pla/ 8:44 am 43 Comments Samsung Wave hits Vodafone UK on June 1, free on Ł25 a month plans http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/drobo-fs-gets-native-time-machine-support-we-go-hands-on/ 8:30 am 47 Comments Drobo FS gains native Time Machine support, we go hands-on http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/gateway-brings-zx4300-and-zx6900-all-in-one-touchscreen-pcs-into/ 10:11 am 14 Comments Gateway brings ZX4300 and ZX6900 all-in-one touchscreen PCs into a world of fingers http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/evigroups-android-wallet-mid-now-available-chrome-is-optional/ 9:50 am 31 Comments eviGroup's Android Wallet MID now available, chrome is optional (video) http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/bang-and-olufsen-announces-40-inch-beovision-8-lcd/ 9:31 am 33 Comments Bang & Olufsen announces 40-inch BeoVision 8 LCD http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/live-from-the-google-i-o-2010-day-2-keynote/ 11:01 am 181 Comments Live from the Google I/O 2010 day 2 keynote! http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/nvidia-gtx-465-detailed-ahead-of-june-1-launch-gtx-460-also-rum/ 10:55 am 27 Comments NVIDIA GTX 465 detailed ahead of June 1 launch, GTX 460 also rumored http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/quartet-of-dell-streaks-spotted-in-the-wild-in-seattle-testing/ 10:33 am 66 Comments Quartet of Dell Streaks spotted in the wild in Seattle, testing for AT&T http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/android-2-2-froyo-beta-hands-on-flash-10-1-wifi-hotspots-an/ 12:00 pm 110 Comments Android 2.2 'Froyo' beta hands-on: Flash 10.1, WiFi hotspots, and some killer benchmark scores http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/flash-10-1-for-android-beta-unveiled-hulu-a-no-show-froyo-now/ 12:00 pm 120 Comments Flash 10.1 for Android beta unveiled: Hulu a no-show, Froyo now a minimum requirement http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/google-claims-froyo-has-the-worlds-fastest-mobile-browser/ 11:56 am 37 Comments Google claims Froyo has the world's fastest mobile browser http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/android-2-2-froyo-officially-announced/ 11:48 am 69 Comments Android 2.2 Froyo officially announced http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/t-mobile-mytouch-3g-slide-coming-june-2-for-180/ 11:41 am 34 Comments T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide coming June 2 for $180 http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/hp-expands-laptop-battery-recall-again/ 11:22 am 28 Comments HP expands laptop battery recall, again http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/android-2-2-sdk-goes-live-developers-likely-unable-to-crash-goo/ 1:12 pm 34 Comments Android 2.2 SDK goes live, developers likely unable to crash Google's download server http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/google-tv-turns-on-at-i-o/ 12:23 pm 171 Comments Google TV turns on at I/O http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/google-adding-over-the-air-app-installation-and-itunes-streaming/ 12:17 pm 101 Comments Google adding over-the-air app installation and iTunes streaming to Android http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/ce-oh-no-he-didnt-sir-howard-says-when-you-beat-apple-youre/ 2:14 pm 150 Comments CE-Oh-no-he-didn't!: Sony's Sir Howard says 'when you beat Apple, you're dominating' http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/supposed-next-gen-iphone-cases-surface-in-china/ 1:52 pm 52 Comments Supposed next-gen iPhone cases surface in China http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/sony-internet-tv-platform-is-first-with-google-tv-dish-adobe-and/ 1:21 pm 61 Comments Sony Internet TV platform is first with Google TV; DISH, Adobe and others along for the ride http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/sim-unlock-now-available-for-atandt-palm-pre-plus/ 2:58 pm 35 Comments SIM unlock now available for AT&T Palm Pre Plus http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/msi-shows-off-convertible-sketchbook-laptop-concept/ 2:36 pm 46 Comments MSI shows off convertible 'SketchBook' laptop concept http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/logitechs-google-tv-companion-box-includes-smartphone-apps-we/ 3:58 pm 130 Comments Logitech's Google TV companion box includes smartphone apps, we go eyes-on http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/analyst-apple-selling-more-ipads-than-macs-at-the-moment/ 3:42 pm 193 Comments Analyst: Apple selling more iPads than Macs, at the moment http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/washington-establishing-timeline-for-sales-of-loud-evs/ 3:19 pm 77 Comments Washington establishing timeline for sales of 'loud' EVs http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/wikitude-drive-ar-nav-app-beta-announced-available-in-android-m/ 5:12 pm 45 Comments Wikitude Drive AR nav app beta announced, available in Android Market (video) http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/hp-developing-wrist-pc-for-military-finally-putting-that-flexib/ 4:32 pm 41 Comments HP developing wrist PC for military, finally putting that flexible display to good use http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/beambox-evolution-r-2-one-of-the-brightest-little-guys-around/ 5:59 pm 6 Comments BeamBox Evolution R-2 -- one of the brightest little guys around http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/hp-envy-15-said-to-be-suffering-from-blank-screen-issues-lousy/ 5:33 pm 70 Comments HP Envy 15 said to be suffering from blank screen issues, lousy webcam http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/corsair-expands-sandforce-sf-1200-based-ssd-family-with-60gb-12/ 6:54 pm 7 Comments Corsair expands SandForce SF-1200-based SSD family with 60GB, 120GB and 240GB options http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/mad-musician-makes-a-minimalist-maze-on-his-monome-video/ 6:22 pm 13 Comments Mad musician makes a minimalist maze on his monome (video) Google! Live from the Google I/O 2010 day 2 keynote! Logitech's Google TV companion box includes smartphone apps, we go eyes-on CE-Oh no he didn't!: Sony's Sir Howard says 'when you beat Apple, you're dominating' Android 2.2 'Froyo' beta hands-on: Flash 10.1, WiFi hotspots, and some killer benchmark scores Google adding over-the-air app installation and iTunes streaming to Android Flash 10.1 for Android beta unveiled: Hulu a no-show, Froyo now a minimum requirement Google TV turns on at I/O: runs Android and Flash, partnered with Sony, Logitech, and Intel Other news of import: iPad app store goes live internationally Analyst: Apple selling more iPads than Macs, at the moment Quartet of Dell Streaks spotted in the wild in Seattle, testing for AT&T LG's Windows Phone 7 phone caught in the wild, looking good Bang & Olufsen announces 40-inch BeoVision 8 LCD Don't you dare forget: The Engadget Show returns, this Saturday, May 22nd with Sprint's Evo 4G, Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch, and an Engadget editors Q&A! The daily roundup: here's what you might've missed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

  • Gizmodo, the iPhone 4th Gen, and Beer

    Image via Gizmodo Well, as much as I hate talking about rumors, fact is, this is a mammoth story, and it needs to be addressed here on Apple Gazette. This is going to recap the saga that is the 4th-Gen iPhone, Engadget, Gizmodo, Apple, and everything in between. But before we can talk about what it is and why it's so important, let's first discuss how this all shook out. On April 17, Engadget reported that they had been sent pics of the prototype iPhone. It had been left at a bar in San Jose, and the pictures were now being mailed to various tech outlets. It wasn't said specifically, but at the time the owner of said pics may have been shopping for a price on the device, which was alluded to in the post: There may be a chance to get some more face-time with the handset, but we wanted to get these photos to you guys ASAP. Stay tuned, we're working on more details as we type — for now, enjoy the gallery below! Well, Engadget didn't get the device. But someone else did, and is rumored to have paid $10k for it. Gizmodo. This topic has been pretty hot on the interwebs. So much so that Ken Sweet wondered about it aloud on Twitter: I'm waiting for the backstory on @gizmodo's #iphone exclusive. How was it lost/found? I think @nicknotned has said he'll pay for exclusives. Denton's response was just part of the answer: @kensweet Yes, we're proud practitioners of checkbook journalism. Anything for the story! So Gizmodo buys the supposed iPhone, then on April 19 – must have overnighted that thing – they posted up on the site with the title: “This is Apple's Next iPhone.” Sounded arrogant to me, and frankly, like a load. So I decided to read it, determine that it was probably another hyped up thing to garner pageviews, and went on my way. Except that I may have been wrong. Yesterday, Gizmodo released the story on how they came to acquire the device, and how it came to be found in that bar in San Jose. A software engineer named Gray Powell went to The Gourmet Haus Staudt to enjoy a beer or two, and along with him came his prototype iPhone. As it turns out, Gray works for Apple and is responsible for developing iPhone Baseband Software, which is how the iPhone can make a phone call. He went to the bar, had a few, and left the iPhone on the stool. A drunk guy found it, handed it to a less inebriated gentleman, who decided to hang onto it and give it back to the owner. He flipped it on, looked through some apps and found the owner's Facebook profile, and planned on calling him the next day. Except that he didn't. When he went to fire up the phone, it was now turned off – according to Gizmodo, probably via MobileMe – and now it was a useless piece of junk. So he decided to take off the case on the device and see what was doin. Turns out, it wasn't an iPhone 3G like the case said, it was something different. That's when things proceeded to go a bit differently. We don't know how it all broke down from there exactly, but we do know the end result: Gizmodo paid this guy to buy the iPhone from him, and then they published the results. What they found seems to be the next iPhone, and it's pretty hard to deny that it's at the bare minimum, a functioning prototype. You could ignore all this of course, and just say it's crap. That's what I did. But then Gizmodo called Gray at Apple to get a response: Gray Powell: Hello? John Herrman: Is this Gray? G: Yeah. J: Hi, this is John Herrman from Gizmodo.com. G: Hey! J: You work at Apple, right? G: Um, I mean I can't really talk too much right now. J: I understand. We have a device, and we think that maybe you misplaced it at a bar, and we would like to give it back. G: Yeah, I forwarded your email [asking him if it was his iPhone], someone should be contacting you. J: OK. G: Can I send this phone number along? J: [Contact information] At this point, I don't know how this isn't the next iPhone, or at the bare minimum, a really close prototype. So now the question becomes, what happens from here? From Apple's standpoint, this is a big f-ing deal. An employee took an Apple prototype out into the wild, acted irresponsibly, then lost the device. Now the whole world knows what's coming out sometime in June, and they have no big reveal. No iPad moment. No time to build up suspense about what the device is going to be and get customers lined up for hours to buy it. Instead, all the pomp and circumstance is taken out of the event, and people will walk into that conference center on June 22 with smug looks on their faces and tight-lipped smiles. No applause, no “one more thing,” nothing fancy. This has got to be eating Steve alive. There's been speculation as well that this is a controlled leak, designed to stir up hype about the iPhone and get people in line to make a purchase. I disagree. Apple leaks things to reputable companies like the Wall Street Journal, and does so in a very controlled way. Look at the iPad, for example. At first, you could make the argument that there was nothing but leaks around the device, since everyone out there from CEOs to newspapers were talking about the Apple Tablet. But no one had the device in hand – at least not that we say prior to the big reveal – and no pictures were taken. Every single photoshopped image of the iPad was fraudulent, and just an educated guess as to what could be. It was a bit chaotic, but it drummed up hype for the iPad, which was Apple's intent all along. Were this a leak, I imagine it would've gone down a bit differently. There's no way to tell that the person who found the phone would leak it to the press. It was only after Mister X got the case off of the phone that he discovered what it really was, and that's all by chance. I don't see it being possible that this was a controlled leak in any way, and fact is, we'll never know for sure. So what does Apple do? They sue the crap out of Gizmodo. They fire Gray. They lock down the building even more than before and maybe – just maybe – they delay the launch so they have time to redesign the device in some new way so that Gizmodo looks like an ass. I think it's very likely that the first two will happen, if the ball isn't rolling already. The rest is still unclear. We'll just have to wait until June to show the world. Gizmodo had better buckle down for a fight. When it comes down to brass tax, they purchased stolen property. Sure, Gray “lost” it, and that's how they'll defend it in court. But the mysterious person who found it should've returned it to him right away. Instead, he sold it to the highest bidder – and that's a problem. If Gizmodo is a reputable organization, then they'll claim that they can't reveal their source and will hide behind the constitution. If they're not, they'll rat out their Mister X and he'll go to jail, get fined, or sued himself. No matter what, Gizmodo is going to meet Apple's legal team. Of course, Apple could go another route with Gizmodo, as mentioned in the comments on their very post: You guys better be prepared for the mighty God hammer that will fall after June's unveiling. After that, it's going to hurt, A LOT! For 10k, the thief will lose a lot more than that defending himself in court. Gizmodo may be ban hammered for life from Apple events. This is Not going to end well. The reason that Apple's been quiet now is because they want plausible deniability that this is the next iPhone. Once it's announced however, Jobs will unleash the hounds of war. All those who are responsible for this betrayal will be punished. If Gizmodo is banned from Apple events, that could hurt their bottom line. Apple fanboys might leave the site because Gizmodo would have nothing to offer them. Of course, they would have lots of other things to post about – Apple isn't everything, remember – but it could be a kick in the junk to them at the minimum. But this story is developing quickly, too. Late last night, Gizmodo posted up a letter from Apple. The interesting part though is the response from Gizmodo: Happy to have you pick this thing up. Was burning a hole in our pockets. Just so you know, we didn't know this was stolen [as they might have claimed. meaning, real and truly from Apple. It was found, and to be of unproven origin] when we bought it. Now that we definitely know it's not some knockoff, and it really is Apple's, I'm happy to see it returned to its rightful owner. Followed by commentary about the legal ramifications, per their lawyers: (Our legal team told us that in California the law states, “If it is lost, the owner has three years to reclaim or title passes to the owner of the premises where the property was found. The person who found it had the duty to report it.” Which, actually, the guys who found it tried to do, but were pretty much ignored by Apple. ) Except that's not how it was portrayed in their first post. At least, not at first. I can't confirm this is any way, so I'm not going to make a blatant accusation. And frankly, I could be wrong. But I've spent a lot of time pouring through their post, and in the time period between putting draft 1 of this to bed along with myself, and waking up the next morning, something's been updated. I have no recollection of this passage: He reached for a phone and called a lot of Apple numbers and tried to find someone who was at least willing to transfer his call to the right person, but no luck. No one took him seriously and all he got for his troubles was a ticket number. He thought that eventually the ticket would move up high enough and that he would receive a call back, but his phone never rang. What should he be expected to do then? Walk into an Apple store and give the shiny, new device to a 20-year-old who might just end up selling it on eBay? That sounds like a big case of CYA if I'm correct, which could be verified with Apple at some point, I'm sure. If I'm not, apologies to all around. Regardless, Mister X did know who had the phone at the bar, and could've given it back to him directly just by sending him a message via Facebook. He had his name, after all. So even if this passage was added after the fact, Mister X is still in the wrong and could have – and should have – returned the phone. This may come across at first like it's the score of the century, and a huge scoop for Gizmodo. But the way the device was acquired, from start to finish, is shady and I think that there will be more revealed on this topic in the days ahead. I think at the end of it all though, this might be a lesson about how to deal with Apple and how not to deal with them.

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