Is $199 the right price for tablets?
Preliminary results are in from Betanews poll: "What price would be low enough for you to buy a media tablet?" For the majority of respondents (30 percent), $199 is the price. Only about 5 percent of you would spend more than $299.
Not that Apple seems all that perplexed about selling tablets ranging from $499 to $829. But perhaps it should be now that Amazon has lowered the price bar to $199 with Kindle Fire.
Skype 5.6 for Windows improves video calling
Skype has updated its Windows software to version 5.6, and while the build is primarily a maintenance release, it does have a few notable changes. Beginners should find it easier to configure the program, for instance, as an enhanced “getting started” wizard walks them through the process of setting up their audio, webcam, adding a profile picture and more.
If you switch to another window or application while on a call, the call monitor automatically pops up to show you the live video call and give you access to basic call controls.
Movie Edit Pro MX improves performance, video sharing
German multimedia specialist MAGIX has introduced the next generation of its high-end consumer video editor, Movie Edit Pro MX.
MX apparently stands for Media-X-change, and represents the idea that MAGIX MX-tagged programs will make it easier to exchange your files with online services, mobile devices and other MAGIX tools.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.5 released -- get it now!
Adobe has released an update for Photoshop Lightroom, bringing it to version 3.5 and adding support for an increased range of digital cameras. The update supports more high-end cameras' RAW output.
The list of newly supported cameras includes models from Fuji, Nikon, Olympus, Ricoh, Panasonic and more, and the same cameras are now also supported by the Camera Raw plug-in 6.5 for Photoshop. As well as adding new hardware support, Lightroom 3.5 also adds a number of enhancements and fixes bugs.
Intel acquires navigation and location services provider Telmap
At the close of Elements 2011, Intel's developer conference aimed at the AppUp app store community, AppUp GM Peter Biddle announced that Intel has acquired Israeli navigation and location services provider Telmap.
The acquisition is part of Intel's strategy to grow its software and services portfolio in a meaningful and (most importantly) multi-platform way, where there won't be too much market consolidation on the consumer side, and the app developer side will be given a richer set of tools to work with.
Here's the video game you should buy this holiday season
If you have a gamer in your household, this is a story you might want to read before deciding what to buy them this holiday season.
First person shooters remain hot according to a survey of hotly anticipated upcoming video games, as the top two most sought after games fall in the genre. Research firm Nielsen found that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, available November 8, tops many gamer's wish lists: a quarter of respondents listed the title in their top five holiday games.
Finally you can Skype video on Galaxy Tab 10.1 and XOOM
I must have been asleep at the wheel yesterday, because somehow this reporter missed the big Skype for Android upgrade. What? You missed it, too?
Well, hells bells. Version 2.5 adds video-calling support for 14 more devices -- and, finally, some big-brand tablets: Motorola XOOM and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. About friggin' time!
Let the tablet price wars begin
What better way for retailers to celebrate the low-cost Amazon Kindle Fire than to offer cut-rate prices on existing tablets. Woot has a one-day special on Motorola XOOM WiFi, refurbished, for $349.99 plus $5 shipping; the tablet typically retails for $499.99. Meanwhile, Best Buy has dropped the price on BlackBerry PlayBook again to $299.99 -- that's $200 off the list price -- for the 16GB model.
The deals come one day after Amazon announced its 7-inch tablet, for $199. The online retailer is taking preorders now, but Kindle Fire doesn't ship until November 15. Best Buy and Woot deals may or may not be coincidentally timed, but they foreshadow what likely will be a price war during the holidays. Tablet prices are going south for the holidays.
T-Mobile joins Verizon to block Apple injunction against Samsung
With Apple's battle against Samsung heating up, T-Mobile is doing its best not to get burned. If Apple is successful in getting a preliminary injunction against Samsung, the nation's fourth biggest carrier could find itself in a bad spot. Verizon has iPhone to fall back on. T-Mobile mostly offers Android smartphones, and Samsung makes the flagship models.
On Wednesday, T-Mobile filed a legal brief with the United District Court for the Northern District of California asking a federal judge to reject Apple's request for preliminary injunction against four Samsung devices: Droid Charge, Galaxy S 4G, Infuse 4G and Galaxy Tab 10.1. A hearing is scheduled for October 13. If granted, Samsung would be barred from offering these Android devices in the United States.
Samsung unveils all new components for next-gen phones and tablets
At Samsung's Mobile Solutions Forum 2011 in Taiwan, the South Korean consumer electronics leader revealed some major new components that it will use in its next generation of smartphones and mobile tablets: a new dual-core applications processor, and a new 16 Megapixel CMOS sensor and new forward-facing camera sensor, a new 64 GB flash memory module. and a new 4 Gigabit low power DDR3 DRAM memory unit.
These components find their way into all types of mobile devices, and not just those with the Samsung brand stamped on them; so here is what will be going into new devices next year...
Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 released
Adobe has updated Photoshop Elements to version 10, and there are a huge range of features to enable you to view, organize, manage and edit your digital photos. For many people, using a photo editing package is all about adding special effects to images, and there are dozens of new effects to choose from here.
If you’re having trouble using any of the tools you find in the program, Guided Edits are on hand to provide you with assistance. While these may not help you to produce the best possible results, it is a good way to get an introduction to any tools you are not familiar with so you can see just what they are capable of.
What can you expect from new Firefox versions?
Mozilla has started the Firefox development merry-go-round again, updating its Beta, Aurora and Nightly builds to versions 8, 9 and 10, respectively.
The most significant changes between all three versions can be found in Firefox 8 Beta, which includes a number of notable improvements and new features. But there’s also an alternative Nightly build, called Firefox 10.0a1 UX. What is it, and what sets it apart from other releases? Which version should you install? Read on for our updated guide to what’s happening with Firefox.
Virtualization makes sense for small and medium businesses
For small and medium businesses (SMB), the cost of IT can be sometimes prohibitive. Budgets are small and resources are thin: virtualization may be an attractive alternative to the server farm as it is easy to set up and less time consuming to maintain. Through virtualization, SMB IT deployments can be much more expansive and comprehensive due to cost savings typically realized as a result.
A recent survey by VMWare validates this. Of the 309 SMB IT managers surveyed using virtualization, nearly 73 percent saw a significant decrease in the amount of time spent on routine IT tasks. Over two-thirds also were better equipped to adapt to the changing needs of their businesses, and nearly the same number were able to significantly reduce their hardware costs.
Is XOOM 4G LTE better late than never?
You were an earlier adopter. You bought Motorola XOOM six months ago -- or five, or three, or one -- on the promise of a free LTE upgrade. Soon. But you waited, and waited, and waited. Then Verizon released Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE first. You felt gipped. Angry. Frustrated.
The wait is over. Finally, Motorola and Verizon are coming through for you. Today Verizon announced that XOOM LTE upgrades start tomorrow, and that XOOM 4G LTE models will be in stores on October 13.
FCC sued over leaving wireless data out of open Internet rules
Media reform group Free Press has filed suit in the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, asking the courts to review the Federal Communications Commission's "Open Internet Rules." Those policies were passed last December in an effort to create a formal code of conduct for broadband providers following accusations of unfair traffic handling.
These rules force providers to be transparent about how they handle Internet traffic and forbid the favoring of one company's traffic over another. But it's not the same for wireless data.
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