iPhone 5 launches in 9 countries
On the chance you just arrived back from some alternate universe -- where Windows Mobile handsets with big, bulky keyboards are most popular -- iPhone 5 debuted today in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom and United States. Apple Stores around the globe opened at 8 am local time, some to long lines -- despite 2 million preorders in the first 24 hours.
In the United States, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon carry iPhone 5 today, while several regional carriers start sales on September 28. US buyers with freedom to pick from any carrier should choose carefully. Apple's new handset comes with 4G LTE but with trade-offs. Sprint and Verizon models offer global LTE radios but cannot access data and cellular networks at the same time, meaning you can't talk and surf the web. AT&T's iPhone 5 does both, but offers limited LTE bands; it's not a globetrotter.
Will Apple Maps keep you from upgrading to iOS 6?
I've wanted to ask this question all day. But we needed an Apple Maps review first -- Wayne Williams delivered a good one -- and it needed a few hours live on the site. But I can refrain no longer. Will Apple Maps keep you from upgrading to iOS 6?
Considering the bad reaction to Apple's homegrown replacement for Google Maps, it's no idle question. About three quarters of US smartphone owners use location-based services, with mapping programs ranking among the highest, according to Pew Research. If you're among them, and actually would like to reach a destination using an Apple device, iOS 6 may not be for you. That is if the default mapping program is your primary one.
Google gets a break in the US, a warning in Europe
Trustbusters and other regulators still have their eyes on Google, which in response has maintained high lobbying presence in Washington. Is that effort paying off?
This week is surprisingly chock full of happenings -- good or bad, you be the judge -- for Google in the areas of lobbying and antitrust. Governments changed their positions on antitrust, rivals combined efforts and Google shifted strategy. All-in-all, it must be busy at the Washington, DC offices.
Windows 8 tablets are the right post-PC response
Microsoft is taking a considerable risk with the Windows 8 ecosystem and major push into the post-PC era. There is no room for error and to get it right all the parts must work in perfect harmony. Windows 8 faces stiff competition and must dismount all preconceptions it's a weak tablet operating system.
Microsoft enters the market fully prepared to take its opponents head-on. Instead of copying adversaries, the company takes the more mature approach of offering a different user experience. Every competitor should fear Windows 8 tablets, and I've got five reasons why.
Dell's new Windows 8 tablet and ultrabook: general purpose, but not for consumers
The traditional personal computer is returning to the niche from whence it sprang at the dawn of the Internet age, but general purpose computing isn't dead yet.
With consumer desktop and notebook computer sales in decline, and lower-powered, general purpose devices such as the iPad encroaching on resource-light communications and data management tasks in the workplace, the PC business is gearing down. Former consumer PC market leader Dell has all but exited the consumer hardware business and has been on an enterprise software and services buying spree.
TuneUp Utilities 2013 review
Is your PC slower than it used to be, less stable, more prone to behaving in odd and unexpected ways? Then you’re not alone, but there are many potential causes, and figuring out exactly which ones apply in your situation may require considerable time, effort and expertise.
Or, alternatively, you could just install a copy of the TuneUp Utilities 2013, which aims to clean, repair, defragment, troubleshoot and generally optimise your PC until it’s running at the best possible performance.
Apple iOS 6 Maps -- headed in the wrong direction [review]
I upgraded one of my Apple devices to iOS6 last night and the first thing I did, once finished setting it up, was to launch the new Maps component. This, as you’ll no doubt be aware, replaces the aging Google Maps app. I knew from other articles I’d read previously that Apple’s own mapping service wasn’t going to be as good as the old Google one. After all, Apple is new to this mapping lark, and the search giant has years of experience in the field. But I was prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt, and forgive any minor problems. After all, how bad could it be?
I started, as I am sure most people do, by typing in my address. Well, actually as I live in the United Kingdom I typed in my post code. Apple found my road, Prince’s Drive, but decided it was called Princess Drive. Not the most auspicious of starts.
Major takeaways from the first days of Salesforce's Dreamforce '12
Maybe it wasn't drool-worthy enough for heaps of fanboys to liveblog, but Leading Cloud CRM provider Salesforce has already rolled out a host of big news at its week-long Dreamforce conference in San Francisco. Some of the news has been in the form of new product unveilings and new partnerships that focus primarily upon expanding Salesforce's social CRM functionality, and growing its business into newer, less-trodden territory.
Some of the news has taken the form of progress updates on Salesforce as a company, and on the state of enterprise cloud business as a whole. Those who are acutely aware of bubble-like investment opportunities where growth is fast but returns on investment are uncertain will want to take note.
HDClone 4.2 Free supports Windows 8
The release of a new operating system often means that there is renewed interest in migration and backup tools and this is certainly the case with the imminent release of Windows 8. Hard drive cloning tool HDClone 4.2 Free is the latest app to be updated with support for the latest version of Microsoft’s OS, and there are a number of other improvements that have been made to this utility.
While the free version of the program is more limited than its big brothers -- there are also Basic, Standard, Professional and Enterprise editions available for anyone whose needs are a little more demanding -- there’s still enough here to cater for most people’s requirements.
Nitro Pro 8 review
These days, free PDF tools do a heck of a lot more than simply display and print PDF files. Pick up a tool like Nitro Reader, for example, and you can create PDFs from within any application, plus sign, annotate and fill in PDF forms.
What you can’t do with free tools is edit, convert, split or combine PDF files, so if your needs are greater than the basic options provided by free tools, you’ll need to invest in a dedicated PDF editor. And when it comes to getting more bang for your buck, Nitro Pro has always delivered exceptional value in a package one third the price of Adobe’s entry-level Acrobat Standard.
Get the address right with Email Checker Basic
You’ve found what you think is an email address for a friend, or colleague -- but is it really valid? If you don’t want to send an email to find out (or you’re checking so many addresses that simply isn’t practical), then another option is to use a tool such as Email Checker Basic to verify the address directly with the server.
The program is small, portable and adware-free, so is very simple to try: just download the 198KB archive, unzip it and you’re ready to go.
You CAN root Amazon Kindle Fire HD
Almost two weeks after Amazon unveiled new tablets, the $199 7-inch Kindle Fire HD tablet gets "a new lease on life" through rooting.
Gaining elevated privileges (popularly known as "root") is facilitated by an exploit found in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich that Amazon didn't fix before shipping the tablet. The fairly uncomplicated process gives the Kindle Fire HD a new trick up its sleeve -- using the Google Play Store, which provides access to all apps available there.
Is patent peace possible in our lifetime?
Late this afternoon, in response to Motorola's requested, massive Apple product ban, Dan Gillmore posts to Google+: Come on, Google, don't abuse the patent system the way Apple does. Sheesh". I've seen similar sentiments expressed elsewhere. Gillmore and others are wrong. Google isn't playing Apple's game, but trying to end it. If Apple won't negotiate willingly, a show of force may be the only way to achieve patent peace.
Motorola Mobility is now a Google subsidiary, so legal demand from the one really comes from the other. From one perspective, the request is so sweeping as to dwarf any of the claims Apple makes against competitors like HTC and Samsung. Moto seeks a ban on virtually every Apple device -- iOS or OS X -- sold in the United States. It's reasonable to look at Google and to question whether the tactics are heavy-handed. They are not.
'The Next Big Thing' isn't iPhone 5
Samsung has revived its "The Next Big Thing is Already Here" marketing campaign with new videos, one of which posted about an hour ago to YouTube. Like its predecessors, the 90-second spot mocks people waiting in line to buy iPhone, something going on right now at Apple Stores around the globe. Doors open at 8 am local time on September 21 for iPhone 5's official launch.
The South Korean electronics giant started the ad campaign in November 2011, following release of iPhone 4S. This year, the commercials come first and are sure to continue afterwards. This spot carries forward the storyline for at least one character -- that is for anyone who has watched the series. It's clever storytelling for advertising.
Back to basics -- CyanogenMod 10 [Review]
In the world of Android distributions, one name stands above all -- CyanogenMod -- and praise doesn't come higher than that. Based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the popular CyanogenMod 10 should be a go-to for any modding enthusiast, be they a newcomer or aficionado looking for the custom ROM to unleash all the power without being too over-the-top.
As of late, CyanogenMod 10 offers increased flexibility by being available as a monthly release and nightly build, but what better way to experience the latest changes and the project evolution as a whole than running the latest cutting-edge nightly build?
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