Jordan Crook studied English Literature at New York University before entering the tech space. Prior to joining TechCrunch, Crook dabbled in mobile marketing and mobile apps as well as doing device reviews for MobileMarketer and MobileBurn. Crook is fascinated with alternative energy production and greentech.
She is now a writer for CrunchGear.
It seems as though nobody’s a fan of RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook. Last year, I would’ve agreed wholeheartedly. What’s a tablet good for — ahem, an enterprise-style tablet no less — if you can’t natively check email, store contacts, or access a calendar.
But even though much of that’s going to change with the release of PlayBook 2.0 OS, some peeps still can’t get on board. In this instance, it would be Netflix. According to Reuters, Netflix has stated that it has no plans to support the BlackBerry PlayBook or any other BlackBerry device for that matter. → Read More
Remember those two high-level executives from Swedish startup Klarna who were arrested earlier this month on sexual abuse charges?
Their names are Jens Saltin and Niklas Adalberth, and they were arrested at the W Hotel in New York after allegedly molesting a 19-year-old tourist from Texas.
Well after a little follow up (it’s not often that we get to call into the New York City District Attorney’s office), it would seem as though the case has been dismissed.
Here’s the official statement out of the DA’s office: → Read More
The Microsoft-Nokia partnership is still in its infancy, but it would seem as though that little guy is about ready to start walking. Strategy Analytics today released Q4 numbers showing that Nokia holds 33 percent of the Windows Phone 7 market share, pushing the Finnish phone giant to the top spot globally.
Windows Phone 7 devices in general are up 36 percent with 2.7 million units shipped in the fourth quarter. Nokia’s slice of the pie comprises .9 million units sold. → Read More
I just want to start this out by saying I love you guys. I really do. TechCrunch is lucky enough to have a really smart, well-informed readership which keeps us diligent in our reporting. You guys are also pretty hilarious, and who doesn’t enjoy a good ROFL now and then.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned through the comments section here at TechCrunch, it’s that these Android vs. iOS fanboy flame wars need to stop. → Read More
The PC industry is in decline, unless of course you count tablets. NPD is apparently doing just that, leaving Apple in the top spot among mobile PC vendors.
According to the firm, Apple shipped nearly 23.4 million mobile PCs in the fourth quarter of 2011, which is 128 percent year-over-year growth. Cupertino shipped over 62.8 million mobile PCs over the entirety of 2011, representing 132 percent year-over-year growth.
Of course, these numbers include the iPad, which makes it easy to understand why the rest of the pack is so far behind. The company shipped more than 18.7 million iPads in Q4, which means that nearly 80 percent of its mobile PC shipments can be attributed to the tablet. Apple shipped 48.4 million units in 2011, up 183 percent year-over-year.
This left Apple with a 26.6 percent share in the industry, and three times as many units shipped as the next mobile PC vendor in line: HP. → Read More
Grindr is awesome. So awesome it won a Crunchie this year for best location app, and so awesome that I often wish Blendr (Grindr’s gender-open counterpart) wasn’t just full of dudes. But the app that’s basically a gay man’s portal to happy times now boasts over 3 million users, which means that we’ve got an army on our hands ladies and gentlemen.
This is huge for the LGBT community as Grindr has announced that it will use its location-based app to fuel a social movement called “Grindr for Equality”. This will allow Grindr to notify and mobilize the LGBT community in specific geographic areas en masse. → Read More
It would be fitting to say that T-Mobile was derailed from its path in 2011. The company’s big break came in the form of a bid from AT&T to acquire the nation’s number four (and magenta-clad) carrier, but then as quickly as it swept into existence, the deal fell through.
Now, however, T-Mobile has a plan (the “Reinvigorated Challenger Strategy”) to get back on track and “get the business back to growth,” according to the release. This includes a $4 billion network modernization investment to evolve the carrier’s 4G network and help prepare for T-Mo’s LTE service in 2013. → Read More
The WinZip iOS app, which lets you crack open .zip files from your iDevice, has only spent a short time on the App Store (and by short, I mean, like, a week). But there’s already plenty to brag about.
The app saw over 30,000 downloads on Day One, and nearly 150,000 on Day Two. As of last night, WinZip has blown by the 500,000 download hurdle with approximately 512,000 installs.
→ Read More
Nokia isn’t all that great with teasers. In August the company posted a teaser for the newest version of Symbian which just so happened to include the release date in it. Today, the teaser (at least) doesn’t give away the name of the product or anything huge like that, but it’s pretty clear what Nokia is hyping right here.
Obviously the big news here is some form of camera technology. We’re promised pure detail, pure depth, and pure definition — all in all, a pure view. → Read More
When I went to meet with Samsung to pick up the Galaxy Note, I was told something that I kept in mind throughout my last week or so with the phone. “People freak out and say it’s too big until they play with it — then they love it.” I was also told that the S-Pen is way more than just a stylus, and I generally felt excited to be playing with something different from your average Android phone. So what do I think now of the giant 5.3-inch S-Pen-packing Galaxy Note?
To put it plainly, I think they were wrong. → Read More
We heard all the way back in November that Microsoft would launch an Office app for the iPad, and it would seem that the big day draws even closer.
According to an unverified image captured by The Daily, a version of Microsoft Office for iPad was caught running on one of Apple’s tablets. → Read More
Pricelock is all about making the buying and selling of energy more efficient. It was true when the company launched the Marketplace, a customized online energy auction platform for utilities companies, power plants and other government and/or commercial entities to buy and sell natural gas, motor fuels and coal. But today, Pricelock is taking things one step further with the launch of a mobile app.
The Pricelock Mobile app extends the auction into the pocket of the buyer or seller, which is meant to improve the speed and efficiency of how energy is purchased. The app notifies suppliers of upcoming auctions and lets them watch how their bids are doing in real-time. → Read More
The Motorola Atrix line has been a big one for the company. Yet with two iterations out so far, the phones have yet to really wow anyone. But according to this specs/photo leak, the Atrix 3 may leave you humming a different tune.
Tian Jin Daily reports that the Atrix 3 will sport a 4.3-inch 720p display, which is a nice start but that’s not even where things get exciting. Under the hood, you’ll find a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 2GB of RAM and a massive 3300mAh battery. → Read More
Our phones can do all kinds of things these days. Hell, millions of people — people from all different OS persuasions — are walking around talking to their phone. But even some of the most basic features — like, oh I don’t know… connecting to the Internet — could stand a few upgrades.
That said, the Nokia Siemens Network and Qualcomm are putting together a new network technology called HSPA+ MultiFlow. It’ll basically allow for one person to use the connection from two different base stations to heighten network efficiency. → Read More
I’m not even going to pretend that you don’t know what Angry Birds is… that would be insulting to both you and the game. But do you know what Angry Birds Space is? Nah, I didn’t think so. And truth be told, I’m not quite sure what it is either.
According to Rovio, Angry Birds Space will be the biggest launch for the company to date. Remember what a big deal Angry Birds Rio was with that whole 20th Century Fox partnership and a movie and all that jazz? Well guess what! Space is even bigger. → Read More
Having access to your documents and pictures is really easy these days. About a million services, including Dropbox and iCloud, allow you to sync your stuff between devices, but there’s one little thorn in our collective cloud-syncing side: it’s called a .zip file.
Fortunately, WinZip has just launched on the Apple App Store and it effectively rids us of this particularly annoying issue. After installing, a single tap will let you get a peek at what’s inside the .zip file. If you tap again, you’ll be able to look at individual files, even if you don’t have the associated applications installed on your iPhone or iPad. → Read More
The Droid 4 doesn’t look much like its other Droid siblings, but it does promise the same stellar keyboard and a solid construction. At $199 it won’t break your wallet, but it will offer most of the same specs we’re seeing go for $300, including a 4G LTE radio.
If thin and light is important to you, the Droid 4 probably isn’t what you’re looking for, but keyboard purists should start getting excited… right… now.
→ Read More
We’ve talked about the Lumia line quite a bit in the past few months, but the series is finally starting to feel real. Just last week the 900 was made available for pre-order, and today we’re seeing reports that the staggeringly high-priced Lumia 800 bundle is just hanging out on Microsoft store shelves waiting for some new Windows Phone fans to stroll in.
Along with the phone itself, which is compatible with AT&T’s network, you’ll get a Nokia Play 360 Bluetooth speaker, Nokia Purity HD headphones and a Luna Bluetooth headset. Unfortunately, that means you’ll be paying $899 for a phone that should probably cost you around $150-$200 (with carrier subsidies) and getting a whole bunch of stuff that’s nice and all but that you never really wanted to begin with. → Read More
We all love music. I mean, when’s the last time you heard someone say they didn’t like listening to music? But for some of us, plugging in some ear buds and cranking a jam or two on the iPod just doesn’t cut it. If that sounds like you, please allow me to introduce you to one of the newest apps to grace the iOS platform: Thrillcall.
Thrillcall has taken its live music discovery site and transformed it into a mobile app to let you find and purchase tickets to live music events when you’re out and about. The app has exclusive offers for shows and makes finding a local concert much more simple. → Read More
We’ve known since the Fire first debuted that it would create some competition for Apple’s iPad, which has dominated the market since it arrived. But today iSuppli has offered up a little insight into just how fierce the competition really is.
According to the research firm, Apple’s market share in the tablet arena dropped from 64 percent in Q3 to 57 percent in Q4, with Amazon nabbing a 14 percent share. → Read More
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