Right Science Technology and Health

May 17th, 2010

Next-Gen iPhone to Ship 24 Million Units in 2010

After many leaks and rumors, a report today is claiming that Apple’s manufacturer Foxconn is expected to ship 24 million next-gen iPhone’s in 2010. Apple is expected to receive 4.5 million units for the launch, followed by 19.5 million over the rest of the year. The new phone is expected to be announced on June 7 at Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference. Also included in the report is further confirmation that the device will carry an improved display at 960 x 640 resolution, compared to the 480 x 320 display in the current iPhone. An earlier report also claimed the same thing.

Oddly enough, the new report claims that the next-gen iPhone will feature an ARM Cortex A8 processor and 512MB of RAM. The most recent iPhone leak does not back up this claim. The teardown revealed an Apple A4 processor which only included 256MB of RAM. However, the new report also claims that there will be a larger battery which is in line with the prototypes that have been leaked. It could be that the report is just following earlier information and so it might not be completely accurate.

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May 13th, 2010

Adobe Responds To Apple With Ad Campaign

The Apple and Adobe conflict reached another stage today. Almost in direct response to Steve Jobs and his “Thoughts on Flash” open letter, Adobe has published their own open letter titled “Our thoughts on open markets” and launched an ad campaign. In the letter Adobe highlights their belief that developers have the right to choose, while Apple simply offers no choice. They also mention how they have supported Apple over the years, providing software and enhancing the Mac platform. The ad campaign echos this with a simple but effective statement about developer’s freedom to choose.

When markets are open, anyone with a great idea has a chance to drive innovation and find new customers. Adobe’s business philosophy is based on a premise that, in an open market, the best products will win in the end — and the best way to compete is to create the best technology and innovate faster than your competitors.

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May 12th, 2010

Another Next-Gen iPhone Leaked, Confirms A4 Chip

Apple’s next iPhone was already leaked last month by Gizmodo and now another prototype has been discovered, but this time in Vietnam. The form factor is nearly identical, minus a few screws that were on the Gizmodo version. This probably means the design is close to complete and it is not likely Apple will make anymore cosmetic changes. The product id on the new leak is “N90 PRO2” while the Gizmodo one was “N90 DVT” which apparently stands for design verification test.

Photos and videos have been published of the new leak, one particular teardown photo also confirms that the next-gen iPhone will carry the Apple A4 processor, the same one that can be found in the iPad. This also means it will carry 256MB of RAM, which is the same as the iPad and iPhone 3GS. The next-gen iPhone has the same front-facing camera, rear camera with flash, and glass backing as the earlier leak. Many people are still speculating about a higher resolution screen, but there has been no way to confirm that so far.

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May 12th, 2010

HTC Files Patent Infringement Against Apple

Today HTC fired back at Apple by filing a complaint with the International Trade Commission claiming that they are infringing on five of HTC’s patents. If you don’t remember, Apple filed a similar complaint earlier this year against HTC for infringing on patents. This seems to be a direct response to Apple, starting the patent war between the two companies.

HTC

The lawsuit against Apple is asking for all imports and sales of the iPhone, iPod, and iPad to halt due to patent infringement. Seems on par with most patent infringement claims. Just like the Apple lawsuit there is no timeline for when or if this will go to court. There is not enough details about the five patents that HTC claims Apple is infringing, but it will be interesting to see how many of the claims are valid.

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May 11th, 2010

Verizon and Google Tablet In Development

The CEO of Verizon has confirmed that there is a Google tablet in development between the two companies. There is not really any detailed information about the device, but it does confirm that a real Google tablet is in development and confirms at least one wireless carrier for the device.

Google Tablet

With Apple selling over one million iPads in the first month of it’s release it seems that Google is eager to compete in the growing market. Nobody knows what operating system will be used on the tablet, there is a good chance it would be Android based or might run Chrome OS.

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May 11th, 2010

Verizon Planning Ad Campaign for Next iPhone?

The next iPhone release is right around the corner and Verizon might already be working on a campaign to advertise it’s availability on their wireless network according to CrunchGear. Just yesterday it was confirmed that Apple had signed a five year exclusivity contract with AT&T for the iPhone. It turns out exclusivity deal might have been re-negotiated to end at an earlier date, something that has also been rumored due to rumblings about Verizon carrying the next iPhone.

The question remains, will the iPhone remain an AT&T exclusive, or will Verizon become the second US carrier to sell the device? If the rumors are true, then Landor Associates could be working on a Verizon ad campaign ahead of the launch. This is the closest we have come to confirming a CDMA version of the iPhone required to operate on Verizon’s network. The recent iPhone leak from Gizmodo did nothing to confirm the presence of a CDMA chip on the next version.

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May 10th, 2010

WiGig Introduces Multi-Gigabit Wireless Specification

Want more speed for your wireless devices? Today the Wireless Gigabit Alliance announced a new 60 GHz technology that will provide speeds of up to 7 Gbps between wireless devices. With the new standard, wirelessly streaming high definition video will be a breeze. Current Wi-Fi standards only reach a maximum of 600 Mbps using 802.11n, and real world speeds aren’t even close to that. The WiGig Alliance has also announced new partnerships and launched an adopter program where they are offering royalty-free licenses for any products using the standard.

The downside of the new wireless specification is that it operates on the 60 GHz band, which means different power requirements than Wi-Fi, effectively reducing the range it is able to cover. To solve this problem the WiGig Alliance has partnered with the Wi-Fi Alliance, bundling the two technologies together so there is compatibility between the two. This means WiGig will be used for devices within a short range, and Wi-Fi will continued to be used for longer range. A typical implementation might be used to replace HDMI cables, making it much easier to setup home theater components and drastically reduce the amount of cables to manage. It could also be used to provide high speed access to external hard drives, making a great match for portable devices with limited storage capacity.

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May 10th, 2010

Android Sales Surpassed iPhone Last Quarter

For the first time ever The NPD Group is reporting that Android sales out numbered Apple’s iPhone, at least for the first quarter of 2010. The numbers show Google’s Android OS moving up to take the number two spot at 28 percent, while the iPhone only takes 21 percent. RIM of course has the most sales at 36 percent, keeping Blackberry devices well in the lead. Back in march it was reported that Android’s market was growing at the blazing fast rate of 153 percent over the competition. It appears Apple’s numbers are slowing down, but what is the reason?

It could be the increasing number of Android manufacturers. Not only has HTC produced a huge amount of them, but both Samsung and Motorola have added to the mix. The large variety of devices means more options and price points to consumers. The iPhone is currently only available on AT&T in the US, while Android devices are available on many carriers, most notably the Motorola Droid being sold by Verizon. The Droid has received a huge advertising campaign to help sales, and it has certainly paid off.

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May 6th, 2010

FCC Details New Broadband Regulation Plan

Today the FCC announced it’s plans for a “third way” to regulate internet access, essentially reclassifying ISPs and their right to control the service they provide their customers. Recently Comcast won a court decision regarding their ability to filter BitTorrent users on their network. The court sided with Comcast because the FCC did not have the right to impose restrictions under the current classification of ISPs. This was a serious blow to net neutrality efforts, but as many people predicted, it would not be the end of the battle. Currently internet service is a Title I classification under the Telecommunications Act, essentially preventing the FCC from having the authority to regulate them.

Under the new plans outlined today, the FCC seeks to reclassify internet providers as a Title II service, in other words they would treat them the same way as landline phone providers. However, they aren’t looking to make them classified as a full Title II, but rather have them be more of a hybrid classification which does not force them to open their networks to other competitors. Under the new “third way” plan, ISPs would be subject to Title II regulations for the transmission of data, but would remain under Title I regulations for actual information transmitted in said data.

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May 5th, 2010

Microsoft Kin Available Tomorrow, Pricing Detailed

The new social networking phones from Microsoft, the Kin One and Kin Two will be available for sale starting tomorrow. At first the phones will only be available online, but will be in Verizon retail stores on May 13. The Kin One will be sold for $49.99, while the Kin Two goes for $99.99, and both require a two-year contract. They are priced that low after a $100 mail in rebate, which seems a little odd. The phones seem to be targeted at teens, but the prices seem a bit steep. Plans start at $39.99 for the cheapest Verizon Nationwide Talk plan, and require an additional $29.99 for unlimited data. I don’t know about you but if Microsoft is targeting a younger audience with these phones, they might be asking too much with the way they have priced it.

Microsoft announced the Kin handsets last month. The phones feature a custom interface focused on social connectivity. Both phones come with a full slide out QWERTY keyboard. The Kin One is smaller than the Kin Two, but both offer the ability to share videos, photos, and more with an easy to use interface. The Kin is seen as a less advanced smartphone, making use of cloud features to store data online. It does feature the Zune HD player for music playback, but it is not app-focused like the iPhone or Android phones.

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