Apple launches new iPhone, iPods

Apple's newer-gen iPhone is finally out, putting at rest all the frenzied rumours floating for past few months. And there is no iPhone 5, at least not for next few months!
The new phone - Apple's first launch since founder Steve Jobs stepped down from CEO's post in August - is expected to raise the benchmark for smartphone manufacturers afresh. However, it failed to dent the overall disappointing sentiments among Appleafficinados and the market alike, leading to a 3 percent pounding down of the Apple stock, a rare first after a product launch.
The iPhone 4S with Apple's A5 dual core processor (as in iPad2) will be seven times faster than the iPhone 4. The new 'World Phone' which can run on both CDMA and GSM networks and has an advanced, faster 8 megapixel camera with backside illuminated CMOS sensor that gives 73 percent more light. The phone is capable of shooting videos in full HD (1080 pixels) mode unlike the 702 pixels in iPhone 4.
The new iPhone has been priced at $199, $299 and $399 with two-year contract for 16GB, 32 GB and 64 GB models respectively.
Most incredibly, Apple has ensured its earlier generation iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 will stay on and get more popular. It has changed the price tag on iPhone 4 to just $99 for 8GB while announced the 8GB 3GS will be made free, bundled with data contracts by carriers.
Apple also claimed the new iPhone has a much better battery life. It offers "eight hours of 3G talk time, six hours of browsing, nine for WiFi, 10 hours of video, and 40 hours of music," according to the company.
The new iPhone will come with voice recognition software Siri built-in. It also has Wireless Mirroring AirPlay technology, using which a user can for instance mirror the gaming content on a bigger screen.
It will be launched on October 14 in seven countries, followed by another 22 on October 28 and 70 countries by end of the year. Apple will be launching with over 100 carriers, making it the fastest and widest iPhone launch ever.
However, there is disappointment in store for potential Indian buyers, as the country does not figure in the first two stages of launch. This is despite Apple CEO Tim Cook's acknowledgement that Apple is likely to witness maximum growth in the emerging countries.
The new iPod Touch will have iOS 5 with Retina Display, HD video and gyroscope. It is priced at $199 for the 8GB touch, $299 for the 32 GB, $399 for the 64GB.The new iPod nano will have Nike+ app built in.
"iPhone 4S plus iOS 5 plus iCloud is a breakthrough combination that makes the iPhone 4S the best iPhone ever," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "While our competitors try to imitate iPhone with a checklist of features, only iPhone can deliver these breakthrough innovations that work seamlessly together."

iPhone 4S's new native feature Siri is touted to be like an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking. Artificial intelligence, if you will! Siri "understands the context, allowing you to speak naturally when you ask it questions."

It is also claimed to be smart enough about using the personal information you allow it to access. Siri helps you make calls, send text messages or email, schedule meetings and reminders, make notes, search the Internet, find local businesses and get directions. Users can also get answers, find facts and even perform complex calculations just by asking, according to Apple.

The 8 MP camera of iPhone 4S claims to pack 60 per cent more pixels for better, detailed pictures. It has a new custom lens, a larger f/2.4 aperture and an advanced hybrid infrared filter for sharper and accurate images. With the new A5 processor, the Camera app launches much faster and can be launched even with the phone in locked state.

Cook made the announcements at the much anticipated but compact, media-only event at its Cupertino headquarters on Tuesday which was not streamed live, unlike earlier times.
According to Cook, iPhone comprises 5 per cent of the overall global mobile market. Apple has so far sold 60 million Mac computers. Its iPod has 70 per cent share of the portable music player market. Despite "everybody and their brother' trying to compete very hard in the tablet market in past one year, Apple's iPad still enjoys 74 per cent market share, he pointed out.
Steve Jobs, who stepped down as CEO due to health reasons in August, was not present at an Apple launch event, perhaps for the first time in many years. His last engagement as CEO was the launch of new operating system Lion and iCloud service
The first iPhone launch in over a year - during which Google's Android based handsets more than doubled the market-share in mobile OS - is a litmus test for Cook, who officially took charge barely a month ago, but had been the shadow CEO during Job's long illness leaves.
Apple is currently the world's largest smartphone manufacturer and its riches are reportedly more than the US government . The challenge posed by over a dozen Android-based device manufacturers has so far not dented the mania for its iconic smartphones, but today's announcement is an indicator Apple will never sit on past laurels.
Its contract manufacturer went in overdrive to make 1,50,000 iPhone 4S a day to meet the anticipated surge in demand.
About 18 billion apps have been downloaded from Apple's App Store so far, roughly a billion downloads a month. Of this, iPad alone has 1.4 lakh apps. Apple has paid $3 billion in payouts to the developers.
Apple's mobile operating system, iOS, is now the number one mobile operating system, 43 percent share compared to Android's 33 per cent as per the ComScore data for July, claimed Apple's senior VP Scott Forstall.
The company's new mobile OS, iOS5 and iCloud service will be finally launched on October 12 for iPad, iPad2, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS users. The company also said its new mobile OS, iOS5 and iCloud service will be finally launched on October 12 for iPad, iPad2, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS users.
iOS 5 includes over 200 new features including Notification Center, using which one can easily view and manage notifications in one place without interruption. It also has in-built Message messaging service - a rival akin to Blackberry Messenger - that lets the users easily share text messages, photos and videos between all iOS 5 users. iOS 5 will also be available as a free software update for iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS customers.
iTunes Match, using which Apple's multiple device users can stream their music stored on one iOS device across all iOS devices, will be launched by the end of the month in the US and by year end in rest of the world.

Disney moves in on Angry Birds with Swampy game

It's not surprising, perhaps, that a game based on a sewer-dwelling alligator named "Swampy" ranks as the top paid app for iPhones and iPads. What's surprising is that the game is a product of Walt Disney Co. Swampy is the title character on a quest to stay clean in a low-cost, mobile video game called "Where's My Water?" that Disney hopes will lead to a turnaround of its struggling gaming business.

Within 24 hours of its release on September 22, "Where's My Water?" - a 99-cent puzzle game where players try to help Swampy keep clean by digging paths to guide water to his subterranean bathtub - rose to the top of Apple Inc's App Store and has stayed there since. The game featuring Swampy, who is the first Disney character created specifically for a mobile game, currently ranks ahead of Rovio's wildly popular "Angry Birds" as the top paid app for iPhones and iPads, underscoring the threat that established, deep-pocketed companies like Disney and Electronic Arts pose for upstarts like Rovio and Zynga.

In an interview with Reuters, Bart Decrem, head of Disney's mobile gaming operations, declined to provide figures for downloads or other financial measures, saying only that the game "has been really well-received, doing really well in terms of downloads and chart positions around the world." Though it is early days, Swampy has the potential to develop into the kind of hit Disney needs to help revive its interactive unit, which includes online, mobile and social games plus virtual worlds such as the Club Penguin website. The division is the company's smallest unit by revenue and is being revamped after several quarters of losses.

Disney last year bought social games maker Playdom for about $563 million. In the quarter that ended in July, the interactive unit lost $86 million despite a 27 per cent increase in revenue from a year earlier to $251 million. "Where's My Water?" could boost the unit's earnings if it grabs a big enough piece of the mobile games industry, which is expected to grow globally to $11.4 billion by 2014, according to research firm Gartner.

Last year, Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger charged two digital veterans - James Pitaro and John Pleasants - to turn around the division. The pair have said they plan to bring the division to profitability in 2013. One way to accomplish that goal is for Disney to leverage Swampy and other gaming characters across its theme parks, movie studio and media networks much the same way it does its stable of mermaids, princesses and other characters, Decrem said. Right now, however, Swampy is still too green to become the next Mickey Mouse. "First, Swampy needs to continue to prove himself," Decrem said, adding that it will take about three months to judge the character's staying power.

Mobile games for phones and tablets, one of the few bright spots in the beaten-down global video game business, are cheaper to make and purchase than games for consoles. As a result, they have started to eat in to the profits of companies such as Activision Blizzard Inc. While Disney typically brings characters from movies to games, Swampy could go the other direction from game to television or movie screens, Decrem said.

Disney, which competes with Electronic Arts in mobile games, is looking at Google Inc's Android software and other platforms for the game, Decrem said. Disney shares closed trading Tuesday up almost 3 per cent to $29.86.

Logitech Looks to IPhone 5 for Video Meetings

The Apple iPhone 5, expected to be announced on Tuesday, should be able to use Logitech's ClearSea videoconferencing software to tie mobile users into meetings alongside high-end telepresence systems and other platforms, according to Logitech.

Logitech's LifeSize videoconferencing division acquired ClearSea earlier this year by buying Mirial, a video software company based in Milan. ClearSea is videoconferencing software that works on a variety of endpoints and lets mobile devices interface with other endpoints through industry standards.

LifeSize has been updating ClearSea for iOS 5, the next version of Apple's iPhone and iPad software, as part of Apple's beta program, said Michael Helmbrecht, vice president of product marketing at LifeSize. ClearSea should be ready to run on the iPhone 5 as soon as the phone is available, he said.

"Unless they move to a completely new processor type that they haven't put in any kind of device before, we don't anticipate any issues," Helmbrecht said.

To be safe, because it doesn't know anything about the rollout schedule for the new iPhone, Logitech estimated that ClearSea would be available for the iPhone 5 by November.

Because it uses standards such as SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) and the H.264 encoding specification, ClearSea can interoperate with videoconferencing systems from major vendors including Cisco Systems, Polycom and Radvision, the company said. ClearSea is also available for version 2.1 and later of Google's Android OS.

On smartphones, ClearSea can send and receive standard-definition video, and on the iPad 2, it can receive 720p high-definition video. Users can participate in meetings with a good 3G cellular connection or Wi-Fi, Helmbrecht said.

It's unlikely the iPhone 5 will have enough processing power to encode or decode high-definition video for use in ClearSea meetings, Helmbrecht said. On the iPhone 4, the software can send video of the caller at 352 by 188 pixels at 15 frames per second, and receive the same resolution at 30 frames per second, he said.

"If the power's there, we can do HD," Helmbrecht said.

Nokia still pledging Windows phone

On the day that Apple launches the fifth generation of its ubiquitous iPhone, the once mighty Nokia is still weeks away from mounting a fightback.

Stephen Elop, chief executive of the Finnish mobile phone maker, on Tuesday promised to unveil its first Windows-based smartphones this quarter but it remains to be seen whether the they will start shipping in time for Christmas.

The launch is expected to coincide with the annual Nokia World trade show in London at the end of October and deliveries would need to start in early November to get the phones to consumers during the peak of the holiday-sales season.

In the past, Nokia has often unveiled phones half a year before deliveries started, but the company has said it plans to change that.

Addressing a technology fair, Elop argued there is room for the new Windows smartphone in an already fiercely competitive market dominated by the iPhone and models based on Google’s Android operating system, which has won around half the market globally in the last few years.

“Our belief is that there is a clear opportunity for an alternative ecosystem,” Elop said.

Meanwhile Apple, which only entered the cellphone industry in 2007, is expected to unveil the new version of its iconic iPhone later on Tuesday.

“You could argue that one of the most fundamental disruptions that the industry faced happened around 2007 ... when the iPhone was introduced,” Elop said. “The iPhone did something disruptive. It introduced a new level of experience.”

“They created a new bar... that all of a sudden everything else was measured against,” he said.

The iPhone 5 — expected to be faster, thinner and larger-screened — will arrive on the shelves just in time for the holidays. It should sustain Apple’s smartphone momentum and help ward off a challenge from close runner-up Samsung, which uses Android.

Market sentiment towards Nokia has improved recently. According to Thomson Reuters data, with 14 analysts currently rating Nokia shares a buy and 17 saying sell. This compares with 9 on buy and 21 on sell at the start of September.

But the Windows phone has got it all to do.

“Mr Elop is talking. I want action - show me the products and show me when you will ship them,” said John Strand, founder of Danish mobile industry consultancy Strand Consult.

The world’s largest phone maker by volume, left in the dust by Apple and Google, announced a high-risk new strategy at the start of the year to ditch its home-grown Symbian software for a deal with Microsoft.

The switch — which Elop likened to jumping from a burning oil platform — meant a tough eight-month changeover period during which investors fretted about the delay between the announcement and the first of its Windows smartphone models reaching the market.

Already struggling with falling sales and profits, Nokia has seen its shares halve since the announcement on worries it would lose so much market share before the new phones come out that it might never make up lost ground.

Both Apple and Samsung outstripped Nokia in the smartphone market last quarter, ending its 15-year reign at the top of that market. Nokia’s quarterly phone sales to end-June dropped 20% at a time when the market grew 10%.

The firm is expected to report a 0.02 euros loss per share for the September quarter, according to estimates gathered by Thomson Reuters.

Elop, who took over a year ago, last week unveiled a plan to cut 3,500 jobs in his second major restructuring in six months. The redundancies come on top of cost cut plans set out in April, which included laying off 4,000 staff.

Sony Ericsson supports FreeXperia independent developers

Sony Ericsson has announced to provide support to the independent developer community — FreeXperia and provided necessary handsets as well as software with that. This means that Sony Ericsson handset users may expect more apps in future.

Back in June, Samsung had extended support to independent developer groups who work on alternative custom ROMs (Read Only Memory) for Android based smart phones. However, Sony Ericsson makes a mention that unlocking Bootloader on the phone and installing Custom ROMs voids the handset warranty.

In an official blog, Sony Ericsson's head of developer relations, Karl-Johan Dahlstroem mentioned, "We (Sony Ericsson) provided debugged and rebuilt camera library binaries, which we will soon make available on Developer World under a special EULA license. We also supported the group with approximately 20 devices, to make their work easier.

Several Independent Custom ROMs developers like the most famous one Cyanogenmod lures the power users of the Android smartphones to make the best out of their device hardware. FreeXperia group of independent developers are working on the Cyanogenmod Custom ROM for the Xperia 2011 devices. These developers customise the Android code and the experience for best performance of the smartphone.

So Sony Ericsson has extended hand of support from the Sony Ericsson Developer program perspective. The company already offers bootloader unlocking support for the 2011 Xperia devices. Sony Ericsson strongly states that the unlocking the bootloader on the Xperia devices and installing custom ROMs devices voids the warranty. The company points out that the unlocking and custom ROMs installation business is only for the advanced Android developers.

Sony Ericsson's step to support the independent developers is quite interesting especially after Samsung extended support and eventually hired the Cyanogenmod ROM developer — Steve Kondik.

Samsung, HTC and Sony Ericsson are three major Android OS handset makers who have stepped forward to support the independent developers by offering device unlocking. In special cases like that of Samsung and Sony Ericsson, the independent developers were given ample software based support and also smartphones for development.

However, a noteworthy point over here is that these companies wish to keep a tab on the different custom ROMs which are flashed on the device. For instance the Samsung Galaxy S II has a special counter in its recovery (similar to the BIOS on PCs) where the device keeps the count of times a custom ROM has been flashed on the device. That counter means the company will know that you have messed around with the smartphone in case you seek full warranty.

Warranty is a serious matter and the companies are trying their best to counter it especially when it is about open operating system such as Android.

Samsung aims to oust Nokia in smart phones by December

Samsung Electronics, which has grabbed a leading position in the domestic tablet market, is now gunning for the top slot in the smart phone segment.

The South Korean consumer appliances major is targeting a market share of 40% in the smart phone category by year-end, which, Ranjit Yadav, country head - mobile and IT - Samsung India, said will help it overtake Finnish rival Nokia, whose market share in that segment was estimated to be 32% in August.

Global market research firm GFK Group pegged Samsung’s share in value terms in the local market at 26.5% in August.

“We are currently behind Nokia (in the smartphone segment), but will beat them by December when we expect to corner 40% of the market,” said Yadav.

The company has till now launched 12 smartphone models in the local market this year.On Monday, it launched three new smartphones on Windows 7.5, Android and Bada 2.0 platforms.

“These models will contribute significantly to achieving the 40% market-share target,” said Yadav.

According to him, smart phones constituted higher proportion of Samsung’s total mobile phones sales than its industry share. “Smart phones are just 8% of the total cell phone market in volume terms while they are 12-14% of Samsung’s volume sales.”

According to research firm IDC’s numbers, Samsung was the second-largest player in the smartphone market with less than half the market share of Nokia at 21% in June quarter this year. Its Finnish rival’s revenue market was 46% in the same quarter while Research in Motion (RIM) and Apple trailed with 15% and 2.6%, respectively.

Yadav said depreciating rupee against US dollar was putting pressure on mobile phone prices as large part of the components used in local manufacturing were imported.

Opportunity for Samsung, HTC as iPhone 4S disappoints

Asian smartphone makers have a chance to exploit a rare letdown from pacesetter Apple Inc. after the new iPhone 4S failed to wow fans and investors, leaving Android rivals better placed to grab market share. 

The iPhone -- introduced in 2007 with the touchscreen template now adopted by its rivals -- is the gold standard in the booming smartphone market, and its sales have dealt a blow to ambitious plans of many competitors. 

Shares of Samsung Electronics, HTC and LG Electronics, who all make phones using Google Inc's Android operating system, jumped on Thursday. 

Also Read: New Apple iPhone 4S: Full coverage on the latest smartphone 

These companies could now aggressively promote their flagship high-end models ahead of Christmas, potentially helping boost sales in the most crucial shopping season. 

"Apple no longer has a leading edge, its cloud service is even behind Android; it can only sell on brand loyalty now," said Gartner analyst K C Lu in Taipei. 

"Users may wait to buy the next iPhone, if they can't wait, they may shift to brands with more advance specs."

The new iPhone 4S is identical in form to the previous model, disappointing fans who had hoped for a thinner, bigger-screened design of a product that had not been updated for more than a year. 

While the device's high-tech wizardry such as voice commands -- for sending messages, searching for stock prices and other applications -- caught the attention of many analysts, it might not be enough to make it a must-have for consumers. 

"Major concerns for Samsung had been that its smartphone momentum will decelerate with Apple's new iPhone, but that's now less of a concern as the new iPhone failed to excite many," said Kim Young-chan, an analyst at Shinhan Investment Corp in Seoul. 

Shares of Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC rose 0.6 per cent in a generally weaker Taipei market, while Korean rivals Samsung and LG Electronics climbed 1.2 per cent and 1.7 per cent respectively, in a broader Korean market down 2 per cent. 

TOP SELLING SMARTPHONE 

Apple's iPhone is the No 1 selling smartphone in the world. But phones based on Google's Android, which is available for free to handset vendors such as Samsung, HTC, LG Electronics and Motorola, have a greater combined market share than Apple's iPhones. 

"There are still many consumers who don't have the iPhone experience, and Apple still has a lot of markets and carriers to enter, so when there's a new model with better specs, it helps to lift shipments," said Ming-chi Kuo, analyst at Concords Securities in Taipei. 

"The iPhone 4S targets users who are expiring on their two-year 3GS contract." 

Globally, iPhone shipments rose 9.1 per cent in the second quarter while Nokia's plummeted more than 30 per cent, handing the top spot to Apple with a market share of 18.4 per cent, according to IHS iSuppli. Samsung, whose shipments grew faster, is coming on strong with a market share of 17.8 per cent. 

The iPhone 4S will cost $199 in the United States, with pre-orders starting Oct. 7. Apple also cut the price of the older iPhone 4 to $99, and said an even older "3GS" model will be available for free to customers who sign a long-term contract. 

SUPPLIERS TAKE A BEATING 

By 0540 GMT, Apple's biggest supplier Hon Hai was down 1.9 per cent, while casing company Foxconn Technology 

fell 6.9 per cent. Camera module maker Largan Precision shed 6.6 per cent. The broader market lost 0.8 per cent. 

"The casing companies should be the most-hit, correcting from the previous rise, because the market has expected a metal case for the new iPhone," said Mike Fang, a fund manager of Paradigm Asset Management. 

Fang did not expect iPhone shipments to drop on the disappointment over its appearance however, as a cheaper price would allow sales to expand at a faster pace. 

"The demand is still there from users upgrading from iPhone 3GS because it's two generations behind," he said. 

In Japan, the country's second-largest mobile carrier KDDI will sell Apple's new iPhone, ending rival operator Softbank's highly profitable reign as the sole provider in Japan.

Alleged Nokia Searay for T-Mobile Germany image leak

A very legit looking image of the Nokia Searay has just been leaked by The Nokia Blog. The image is allegedly from T-Mobile Germany and has a short description of the phone on the side

Drive safely to your destination with Nokia - including 3D. Representation and voice navigation Windows Mobile 7.5 (Mango) operating system. 3.7" brilliant domed AMOLED display.

The phone itself looks identical to the N9, as it did in all the previous leaks, which means it is also very easy to fake an image like this. Just like The Nokia Blog, we're finding the idea that Nokia would call the final version of this phone by the name 'Searay' a bit hard to swallow. More so because recently Nokia opened a poll to decide the name for their series of Windows Phone 7 devices, with options like Phoenix, Genesis, etc. This means the actual phones will probably be called something like the Nokia Genesis N1 rather than simply 'Searay'.

Things are yet to get finalized though, so eventually they might just go with individual names instead of having a name for the series. Whatever it is, we'll find out before the end of this year.

Apple set to unveil iPhone 5

Apple Inc looks set to unveil a new iPhone after a 15-month hiatus, hoping to fend off hard-charging rivals running Google Inc's Android and safeguard its lead with the fifth incarnation of the iconic device.

Newly appointed CEO Tim Cook will do the honors this time from Apple's headquarters, running the first major product launch in years without impresario Steve Jobs as he tries to take Apple to still-loftier heights.

The iPhone 5 -- expected to be faster, thinner and larger-screened -- would arrive just in time for the crucial holiday shopping season. It should sustain Apple's smartphone momentum and help ward off a challenge from close runner-up Samsung Electronics.

Apple launches are some of the hottest events on the tech calendar, scrutinized by fans, investors, the media and industry insiders alike. Tuesday's "Let's talk iPhone" show, starting at 1 pm Eastern time, will mark Cook's unofficial debut since taking over from co-founder Jobs in August.

Some shareholders and analysts expect a cameo appearance by Jobs, now chairman, though a no-show would not be a major disappointment.

With the launch of the new phone, Apple faces the challenge of surpassing the popularity of its current iPhone 4, a 15-month-old model and bona fide hit with more than 20 million sold in the third quarter ended June 25.

Some on Wall Street also expect the company to unveil a cheaper model tailor-made for the fast-growing Asian market, one of the few arenas where Apple can accelerate its growth.

"We expect improved processing power and camera capabilities, with a potential bump in RAM, though that may not be needed with iCloud," said William Power, analyst with Baird Equity Research.

"Various sources have suggested that Apple will debut more robust voice control functionality," he added.

The new iPhone is also expected to come loaded with the updated iOS5 software that Apple unveiled in June. Some of the new features include improved notification functions and better Twitter integration.

The iPhone -- still the gold standard in the smartphone market -- has been a huge success since it debuted in 2007, transforming it into one of the world's leading consumer electronics powerhouses.

But it faces stiff competition from phones based on Google's Android operating system, which led the U.S. market with a 43 per cent share, Nielsen data show. The iPhone was No. 2 with 28 per cent.

Globally, according to IHS iSuppli, iPhone shipments climbed 9.1 per cent in the second quarter while Nokia's plummeted more than 30 per cent, handing the top spot to Apple with a market share of 18.4 per cent. Samsung, whose shipments grew even faster, is coming on strong with a global market share of 17.8 per cent.

The iPhone 4 pricing starts at $199 and is available on the networks of AT&T Inc and Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc. Many analysts expect Sprint will become the third US operator to sell the iPhone when the next version is launched.

Sony Ericsson's CEO thinks Android is better than WP7

Following an interview with President and CEO of Sony Ericsson, Bert Nordberg, the Wall Street Journal had some interesting points to mill over regarding Sony Ericsson in the US, the iPhone, Windows Phone, Android and Motorola.

Whilst talking about Sony Ericsson's decision to make Android their sole mobile platform, Mr Nordberg put that it was "the best choice we could have made" due to the nature of the OS's impressive growth in such a short time. He also admitted that they (Sony Ericsson) "should have taken the iPhone more seriously when it arrived in 2007". A fair point, but one that might well have been the actual catalyst that has made Sony Ericsson what we see today.

Nordberg said he sees Sony Ericsson eventually shedding its feature phones altogether, in order to become a smartphone-only company, a feat that he reckons will take place sooner than you might think. He expects this shift to be achieved by the mid-point of next year, (bearing in mind smartphones already account for 70% of Sony Ericsson's sales).

When asked as to why Sony Ericsson hadn't yet become the largest manufacturer of Android devices worldwide, he explained that they, as a company, underestimated the speed at which the Android platform could have penetrated the US, a market were he also agreed SE are still "a very tiny player". For the record, Sony Ericsson make up for an estimated 11% of the total Android market.

He spoke of why Sony Ericsson could have been the ones to buy Motorola Mobility, instead of Google, explaining that:

"Well sure, but before you go shopping you have to become rich and a deal between us would have been extremely complicated, with us being a private company with two large owners and them being a listed US company."

To finish the conversation off, Bert also discussed whether Sony Ericsson would ever consider switching from Android to Windows Phone as a main platform. His response was honest to say the least, but in business; transparency is the best policy.

“At this point I wouldn’t feel comfortable investing in a platform that isn’t as good as the one that we currently use. Therefore we have remained with Android, but I am quite curious about Windows Phone.”

Nokia WP7-powered Sea Ray, Sabre and Ace specs leak

With Nokia World just around the corner (October 26-27), rumors about the long sought-after WP7-smartphones of the Finns are starting to intensify. Today we got a particularly juicy bit of online gossip, which claims to reveal the specs of the first three Nokia WP7 smartphones.

Nokia Ace

The most interesting of the bunch is codenamed the Nokia Ace and will, reportedly, come with a 4.3" ClearBlack AMOLED, 1.4GHz CPU and 16GB of internal storage. The Ace will also features an 8MP autofocus camera with a Carl Zeiss-certified lens, HSPA+ connectivity and an ample 1800 mAh battery.

It's yet unclear if this one will run on the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, or a later edition of the OS.

Nokia Sea Ray

Then comes the Nokia Sea Ray, which has leaked several times before. Its ClearBlack AMOLED will measure 3.7" in diagonal and its CPU will be clocked at 1.4GHz too. 16GB of storage will cover your multimedia needs, while the 8MP Carl Zeiss camera should let you take some pretty great photos.

The Nokia Sea Ray will be powered by a 1540 mAh battery and will run on Windows Phone 7.5 Mango.

Nokia Sabre

Finally, we have the Nokia Sabre - a Mango-running smartphone that will have interchangeable back covers for easy personalization. It will pack yet another 1.4GHz CPU, but its autofocus camera will only shoot 5 megapixel stills. The 3.7" screen will be downgraded to LCD too.

The Nokia Sabre's internal storage of 8GB doesn't sound like much, but since Windows Phone smartphones have access to 25GB of free cloud storage, it will probably suffice.

We don't know yet how many of the new Windows Phone devices will be unveiled at Nokia World. Initially, it was believed that it would just be the Sea Ray, while more recent rumors suggest that at least two WP smartphones will be announced with the Sabre the most likely candidate to join the party.

Google ranked world's most attractive employer for third year in a row

Internet search giant Google has been ranked as the best company to work for by management and engineering graduates in two separate surveys, which term the company the world's "most attractive employer" of 2011. 

According to the survey conducted by global employer branding firm Universum, Google has been ranked at the top of its 2011 list of the top 50 global businesses and engineering companies to work for, the third year in a row. 

The search giant has been dubbed the most attractive employer by more than 160,000 people from Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, the UK and US looking for the right place to work. 

"For the last three years, we have been seeing Google leading the pack and it will take a strong player with a clear talent strategy to steal this number one spot," Universum Head (Research and Consulting) Lovisa Ohnell said. 

The search giant is followed by auditor KPMG, where most B-Schools students want to work, while engineering graduates picked tech giant IBM as their second choice. 

For engineering students, software giant Microsoft is the third choice, followed by car-maker BMW (fourth), chip-maker Intel (fifth), electronics company Sony (sixth), tech firm Apple (seventh), GE (eighth), Siemens (ninth) and consumer goods group Procter & Gamble (10th). 

The other technology firms that were favoured by engineers are HP, Cisco, Oracle, Nokia, Dell, and Lenovo. 

"The software industry is highly dependent on its human capital, hence the efforts to attract and retain the brightest minds in the world," Universum Global Account Director Carlo Duraturo said. 

"There's a new working culture paradigm today -- the relaxed and creative office, and part of it we owe to this industry.Generation Y feels very comfortable working in this new environment and it's clearly reflected in the attractiveness of the software industry," Duraturo added. 

Meanwhile, in the list of top 50 employers for business students, KPMG is followed by rivals PwC, Ernst & Youngand Deloitte at third, fourth and fifth spot, respectively. 

In addition, B-Schools students seeking the best employer ranked Microsoft sixth in the list, followed by Procter & Gamble (seventh), financial services entity JP Morgan (eighth), Apple (ninth) and financial services major Goldman Sachs (10th). 

Among the other notable names in the list, soft drink major Coca-Cola figured at 12th position in the list, while Citi occupied 29th place and beverages firm PepsiCo bagged 30th place in the list for business students. 

ExoMars Rover Could Be Canceled

The ExoMars mission the European Space Agency (ESA) is supposed to conduct with NASA is in danger of being canceled, after the Americans announced that budget cuts no longer allow them to contribute the Atlas V delivery system they pledged for the international project.
Given the current economic predicaments in the US, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration could not escape unscathed. The organization will receive a very low budget in 2012, which will fail to provide funds for a large number of critical endeavors.
ExoMars may also fall victim to these cuts at NASA, as the joint Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) mission did earlier this year. The satellite constellation was being built for detecting gravitational waves, but then the American space agency pulled out due to lack of funds.
The ESA rover mission itself has been plagued by misfortune since the get-go. The exploration robot passed through several design changes, reflecting the amount of money the space agency estimated it could allot to the project.

In recent years, these pledged sums have constantly diminished, forcing engineers to design ExoMars as a shadow of its former self. At this point, this blow from NASA might easily become the last nail in the rover's metaphorical coffin.

Top officials from both NASA and ESA will meet on Monday, October 3, in a meeting that is likely to determine the ultimate fate of the explorations robot. In order to avoid cancellation with NASA out of the loop, ESA will have to turn to the Russians.

At this point, the agency is working on a trade system with the Russian Federal Space Agency (RosCosmos). If the document materializes, then it may be possible to acquire a Proton delivery system for ExoMars from the Russians, Universe Today reports.

ESA estimates that ExoMars will cost a total of €850 million ($1.36 billion) without NASA participation. The bulk of these funds were already paid to contractors and subcontractors, which already bought the raw material needed to create the rover's instruments and frame.

The meeting between NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and ESA Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain – to be held at the International Astronautical Congress, in Cape Town, South Africa – will ultimately decide the fate of ExoMars.

Google and Yahoo Services Become Spammers' Heaven

Because any email arriving from Yahoo or Google services is considered to be legitimate and useful, spammers take advantage of this bug to spread their malevolent messages.
Chester Wisniewski from Sophos revealed that he has been receiving a lot of spam email from Google Picasa and Yahoo! Groups, all being attempts of hackers to cast “spammy” allerts.
In the case of Google's Picasa, the thing is simple. A random account is created which contains text and some attached pictures that are then shared with other members.

That's how you might end up receiving a large number of Picasa web albums.

Because anything coming from the popular picture manager is considered to be harmless, it never ends up in the spam folder of the mail box, instead it floods your inbox with all sorts of scam attempts.

With Yahoo! Groups the principle is more complicated but spammers can just as easily take advantage of the policy slip.

The rules allow anyone who owns a group to add members without asking for their permission. Instead, after you are unwillingly made part of a group, you have to unsubscribe in order to stop receiving alerts.

This mechanism is utilized successfully and as Chester pointed out, in many cases it's not the easiest thing to unsubscribe. Another one of Yahoo's policies makes certain links expire “to prevent abuse,” this making it impossible to cancel a subscription.

This is a first for Google, but Yahoo keeps making these mistakes that clearly affect their image. First they served malware, and yesterday we've discovered that they're forcing charity downloads on top of search results.

Recent issues that occurred inside the company have clearly taken their toll on the way things work around there and they'd better get their act together otherwise the company will continue losing ground in front of the competitors.

Alibaba Is 'Very Interested' in Buying Yahoo

Yahoo's future is uncertain and that's the only certain thing we know about the company. Despite initially denying it, Yahoo is entertaining the idea of a sale. But, despite its lackluster performance in recent years, the company is still worth more than $16 billion, 11.8 billion Euro.

So it's going to take someone with deep pockets to do it. Or, better yet, someone who is already part of Yahoo


Alibaba's founder and CEO Jack Ma has come out and made it very clear that he is very interested in buying Yahoo as a whole. It's the first time anyone has expressed interest in the company, publicly.

"We are very interested in Yahoo. Our Alibaba group is important to Yahoo and Yahoo is important to us… All the serious buyers interested in Yahoo have talked to us," he said at an event at Stanford University.

Yahoo and Alibaba's story is a long and somewhat convoluted one. In return for Yahoo's Chinese websites, Alibaba paid the US company with a 40 percent stake.

This makes Yahoo one of Alibaba Group's biggest investors. Alibaba Group has several companies under its wings, among which the very valuable Alibaba.com, a publicly traded company.

Alibaba Group owns 70 percent of Alibaba.com, which has a market capitalization of $4.72 billion, 3.49 billion Euro. Yahoo's 40 percent of Alibaba Group is worth a lot of money.

So much so that its stake in Alibaba Group along with a similarly big stake in Yahoo Japan actually make up most of its $16 billion market worth. Which is why Ma is interested in buying Yahoo whole.

He wants to buy back Yahoo's share, but if he springs a little more, he could buy the entire Yahoo for just a few more billions.

Of course, Alibaba has to come up with all those billions in the first place and it's not going to be able to do it alone. Which is why the process is complicated and why it will take a while before any sort of deal is reached.

SpaceX Will Build a Reusable Rocket

Officials at the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) announce plans to augment their rocket and space capsule ranges with the world's first fully-reusable delivery system. The rocket would be able to deliver its cargo, and then return to land vertically near its launch pad. 

In addition to the rocket itself, the capsule atop the delivery system will also be reusable, capable of reentering Earth's atmosphere and carrying out a powered landing. This means that it will not splash in the ocean or parachute to the ground, like Soyuz and Apollo capsules.
This method of space exploration, representatives from the Hawthorne, California-based company explain, will allow humans to travel to Mars and the Moon, seeing how both the rocket and its manned capsule can land on any straight surface in the solar system.
The announcement was made on Thursday, September 29, by SpaceX founder and CEO, and PayPal co-founder, Elon Musk. He detailed his company's plans during a speech he made at the National Press Club (NPC) in Washington, DC, Space reports.

However, Musk admitted that the task the company has taken on is extremely complex, requiring a tremendous level of innovation and a lot of money to complete. At this point, SpaceX is not yet sure about when it is able to put this reusable system into active duty.

“We will see if this works. And if it does work, it'll be pretty huge,” Musk told attendants. Still, he added, one of the main reasons SpaceX was founded in the first place was to develop a way of ensuring that humankind will establish a continuous presence in low-Earth orbit and beyond.

Within 10 to 20 years, the company hopes to be able to develop a reusable system – and associated technologies – efficient enough to go to Mars. Such a mission holds massive technological and engineering challenges, but it is not impossible.
NASA itself is eying a Martian expedition by 2035, using the newly-announced Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). The two are scheduled to fly together for the first time in 2017m when the first SLS prototype will launch.

“We have a design that on paper – doing the calculations, doing the simulations – it does work. Now we need to make sure those simulations and reality agree because generally, when they don't, reality wins,” Musk said of the newly-proposed system.

Google Opens Up Its First Ever Store, with Chromebooks, in London

Google has finally gotten into the retail store business. Well, it's just dipping its toes, but it could be a first step for the company that is increasingly interested in hardware and will even make its own, once it completes its Motorola acquisition.
Google is now opening its first store, specifically, its first mini-store, showcasing Chromebooks and all of their wonders.
It's a full retail experience, interested customers can play with the Chromebooks and get assistance from the Chrome experts.

"Many things in life, like football and rock music, are best experienced in person. Chromebooks are no exception," Google's Laura Thompsonwrote.

"So this week in London, we opened our first Chromebook experience inside a retail store," she said.

"The brand new Chrome Zone is located inside the PC World / Currys superstore on Tottenham Court Road. Spend time with a Chromebook, discover cool web apps and chat with our Chrome specialists," she added.

It's Google's first physical retail experience, but it's also the first time and the only place you can see a Chromebook before you buy it in the UK.

For Google, it's just an experiment, one that will run for three months, through the holiday season. But Google wants to learn from it and it could decide to go bigger next time.

"We’ll be opening Chrome Zones in additional locations in the United Kingdom over the next few months, so stay tuned. If you’re in London, do drop by and say hello," Google said.

The fact is, laptops (and phones) sell mostly in stores and sell much better in stores than online, like Google found several times. The original plan for the Google Nexus One was to sell it exclusively online. It failed. Google also wants to sell Chromebooks mostly online, but it is making them available at physical stores as well.

Google Goggles 1.6.1 Now in the Android Market

Google has just released a new flavor of their Google Goggles application for their mobile OS, bringing the software update to version 1.6.1. The app can be downloaded on Android 2.1 and up devices from the Android Market here.
The new release follows only a few weeks after Google pushed out theGoogle Goggles 1.6 application flavor, which brought along the search for Camera option.

The release notes for the new flavor of the software shows the same Search from the Camera feature, along with the app's capability to respond to barcode intents.

Identifying products, landmarks and artwork is now easier than ever with Google Goggles, and the same applies to popular images found online.

Not to mention that the application was designed so as to easily translate words in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese & Russian.

Sony Ericsson Xperia ray Arrives in the US, Unlocked at $424.99

Japanese Swedish mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson has just announced the availability of their Sony Ericsson Xperia ray smartphone on the market in the United States. 

The handset arrives on shelves with a price tag of $424.99 (about 316 Euros), and will be powered by Google's Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread platform.

The specifications list of the new device includes a 3.3-inch touchscreen display, a scratch resistant screen with Sony’s Reality Display and Mobile BRAVIA Engine.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia ray arrives on the market with a 1GHz application processor inside, with integrated touch keys and an aluminum frame, while being available in gold, black, white and pink.

Moreover, it comes with an 8-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with support for HD video recording while on the go.

“Sony’s award-winning mobile imaging technology and front-facing 8.1 Megapixel camera set a new standard for low light pictures and video. Think birthday dinners at your favorite dim Italian restaurant or capturing your favorite undiscovered band at a local dive,” Sony Ericsson notes.

The handset does not sport only the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system flavor, but also features a variety of apps and capabilities loaded on it from Sony Ericsson themselves.

“The sleek and slim Xperia ray design will have friends asking “What is that?” – and you can share your response socially using Facebook Inside Xperia, a unique experience for greater social interaction available only from Sony Ericsson,” the mobile phone maker explains.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia ray also offers support for various Google Mobile services, such as Gmail, Search, Maps, YouTube and more, as well as for a wide range of applications and games available for download via the Android Market.

The Android smartphone is available for purchase in the United States unlocked, and can be bought from various retailers, including newegg.com and others.

Google Sends 450 Google+ Employees to Hawaii to Say 'Thank You'

Google has sent a bunch of its people, who work on Google+, to Hawaii. The excuse is that this is all work-related, but it seems that is more like a 'job well done (so far)' thank you from Google rather than anything else. 
The thing is not exactly public, but when so many people are flown half-way across the Pacific, things leak out. TechCrunch founder Mike Arrington got wind of the trip, but others have heard of it as well
Of course, it's hard not to notice the stream of photos from Hawaii on Google+ from Google employees.

Google has confirmed that it's sent part of the Google+ team to Hawaii, but hasn't said more. Apparently, it's not the first time it did this, after the initial, rather successful launch, part of the team went to Hawaii, on Google's dime, as well.

Perhaps now, the ones that didn't get to go the first time around got their chance as well.

Google has put a lot on Google+ and was adamant in getting it right. In fact, Google promised all employees, even those not working on Google+, a 25 percent hike to bonuses provided its social efforts were successful.

At the time, Google+ hadn't been announced and founder Larry Page was just getting started in his second stint as CEO. Of course, if Google's social ambitions failed to provide a successful product, all employees would have gotten 25 percent less in bonuses. It's probably safe to say this won't happen.

Google+ is growing nicely and should be getting close to 50 million users by now. Of course, the key number is how many of those actually visit the site on a regular basis.

While the initial hype has died down, more mainstream users are only now starting to adopt the site. It's too early to tell though it they'll stick around for long.