BlackBerrys are still wildly popular with a certain cash-strapped sub-set of mobile users in parts of Europe: namely teenagers. A wide-ranging research report looking at mobile users’ habits in France, Spain and the U.K found that BlackBerry penetration amongst teenagers in the UK and Spain was two and three times higher respectively than the overall “mobile media user” population. → Read More
Apple continued to win out in terms of tablet market share this past quarter, according to the latest figures from ABI Research, with a 55 percent share of all shipments during the period. That’s a lead it has had since 2010 when the iPad was introduced, but it’s also the slimmest lead it’s ever had, and represents a dip of 14 percent versus the previous quarter. → Read More
The iPad seems to have dominated online shopping from tablets, according to an IBM report, and in fact won out over all other devices in mobile e-commerce. Arguably, that’s because it offers more of a full-web experience, and is more pleasant for browsing standard online retailer sites than a smartphone. But tablet-based shopping continues to be a less than optimal experience. → Read More
The timing is likely right for Linden Lab to change direction: reports recently indicate Second Life is shedding users, with passive viewing becoming the dominant interaction method. Gaming industry notable Rob Humble, who previously worked with EA on the Sims franchise, took the reins at Linden Lab as CEO in 2011, however, and now the company is putting out mobile products that look vastly… → Read More
Chances are, if you ask a kid in the U.S. what they want to find under the tree (or holiday symbol of your choosing) this year, they’ll ask for an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or iPad mini. Those devices occupied four of the top five spots on Nielsen’s annual holiday shopping study among kids aged 6 to 12, which tracks interest in consumer buying habits over the next six months. → Read More
I like gadgets, and almost out of necessity I also like bags. The Phorce, a new project hitting Kickstarter today, knows that there are many out there like me, and wants to provide a bag-based charging solution to help you keep your gadgets protected and topped off, with the added benefit of additional power management options communicated via Bluetooth to an iPhone app. → Read More
Nokia has released Here, its newly rebranded mapping application, for iOS devices. The app is universal, so it works on both iPhone and iPad, and it’s free. Users of Nokia’s Windows Phone devices may find the experience familiar, as it includes similar features like nearby places discovery, but there are also crucial components like transit direction that aren’t present in Apple’s own… → Read More
Do you like power? It’s very useful for using all those electronic devices we have. But often, those devices have less power than we’d like them to, especially when we’re traveling or fighting for socket space at a coffee shop or conference. The HyperJuice 2 can provide that power, and lots of it, enough to double the life of a new Retina MacBook Pro, and charge iPads and iPhones, too. → Read More
Some iOS games have done some pretty cool stuff with AirPlay, including Real Racing HD 2, but it’s always seemed like there’s so much more possible from the technology, especially when it comes to gaming. A new update for Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy from Namco Bandai adds split-screen gaming via AirPlay and the Apple TV. Up to four players can dogfight at once now, each playing from their own… → Read More
Apple has seen sales of its iPad soar following the resolution of a trademark dispute with Chinese company Proview, which had IPAD registered years prior to the release of Apple’s iconic tablet. That’s according to new estimates from IDC analyst Dickie Chan, who said that sales of the iPad in China in Q3 were up to 2.07 million, an 80 percent increase over the previous quarter’s 1.15 million… → Read More
This is the iPad mini you’ve no doubt heard about. The one Apple introduced in October, the one that reviewers have mostly loved, and the one that’s been my constant companion since I got one on launch day. You may know it as the iPad mini, but for all intents and purposes, this is the new iPad. → Read More
Apple made a big deal about the iPad mini providing an uncompromised iPad experience for users, and it’s standing by that by making it impossible for web developers to detect whether a web page is being read on an iPad or an iPad mini. Usually, devices provide a means with which developers can determine physical screen size, but the iPad mini looks exactly like the full-sized iPad to browsers. → Read More
You may not know this but I was an English literature major in college, so books are things I’m fond of. But I’m also a tech lover, so I generally read on either an iPad or a Kindle. Cases like the ones from San Francisco-based DODOcase represent a way to bridge those two worlds, and now you can personalize their products thanks to a custom case-building tool that DODOcase is introducing today. → Read More
Apple’s iPhone 5 is a popular grey market item, and the proximity of Hong Kong to mainland China makes that country a particularly popular choice for stocking up on Apple hardware to be resold in the latter country. Now, there’s been a huge bust by Hong Kong Customs, according to a report by MIC Gadget. A truck containing 227 iPhone 5s, 22 iPads and a number of other electronics was caught… → Read More
Revel Systems, the company behind iPad-based POS products that have mostly been focused on restaurant customers, today announced the addition of two major new retail clients to its portfolio, as well as new features aimed at retail uses and hardware integrations to help clients switch from existing systems and provide retail users with easier onboarding. The retail partners for Revel this time… → Read More
If you haven’t seen Apple’s adorable Heart and Soul iPad mini ad, you’ve probably been living under a rock. But chances are you haven’t seen the last two ads, highlighting iPhoto and iBooks.
Interestingly enough, both ads feature the iPad mini and its big brother iPad, just like the Heart and Soul ad. → Read More
Some buyers of Apple’s 4th generation iPad with LTE are receiving notices that their shipments will arrive by November 16, otherwise known as this coming Friday. The latest iPad had originally been announced with an anticipated shipping date of mid-November, which would mean Apple is making good on its promises with shipping coming soon. The iPad mini’s delivery date remains a little further out. → Read More
Samsung has reportedly increased the price of the mobile processors it manufactures for Apple’s iOS devices by 20 percent, according to South Korean daily newspaper Chosun Ilbo, which says it received the information with someone familiar with negotiations between the two firms. Apple apparently wanted to walk away rather than accept the new terms, according to the report, but had no replacement… → Read More
“What’s the best feature of the Surface?”
“Um, everything.”
Thus began my experience at a local mall buying a Microsoft Surface. → Read More
Apple was granted a couple of interesting patents today (spotted by AppleInsider), including one for multitouch surfaces embedded in devices that appear and disappear as needed, as well as a new cooling apparatus design that can redirect air to where it’s needed most within a device. One is just a twist on tech Apple already uses, and the other is something that could address warm lap issues… → Read More
Editor’s note: Ross Rubin is principal analyst at Reticle Research and writer for Engadget. Each column will look at crowdfunded products that have either met or missed their funding goals.
The iPad mini stole the show at Apple’s far-flung October 23rd product introduction, creating a more compelling alternative to the iPad 2 while taking a backseat to the muscled-up fourth-generation… → Read More
One thing that’s become apparent about the iPad mini during my past few days with it is just how well it fills the role of a second screen device. The iPhone and the iPad both have their merits as a companion while lounging around and watching TV, but the iPad mini hits the sweet spot of portability, power and connectivity for that use case. → Read More
The iPad mini may have a display that’s being singled out in most reviews as below Apple’s recent standards, but a look under the microscope by Repair Labs affirms what I’ve been noticing in person: while the mini definitely doesn’t offer the same kind of quality as an iPad with Retina Display (3rd or 4th gen), its screen is a big step up from the 2nd-generation iPad. → Read More
Apple’s 4th generation iPad boasts a faster processor, the new A6X chip, which makes it twice as fast as the 3rd generation iPad, based on benchmark tests, in terms of raw processing power and graphics. That sounds good, but what does it mean in practice? Well, there’s a noticeable boost all around, but we’ve got a hands-on video with three scenarios where you can see the differences. → Read More
The iPad mini officially went on sale today, and the response at physical retail stores has been mixed. Some areas are seeing decent-sized lines, according to Reuters this morning, including Tokyo and Seoul Apple Stores with crowds of 100 or more, but overall, the news organization notes that crowds are smaller than they have been in the past for other launches. → Read More
iOS 6.0.1 arrives today ahead of the iPad mini, and it features some bug fixes that resolve issues around the famous horizontal lines appearing on the software keyboard bug, a camera flash issue, and improved Wi-Fi connectivity reliability. This is the first minor point upgrade for iOS 6, and should solve some of the update’s growing pains. But for iPhone 5 owners hoping to download it OTA, you’ll… → Read More
An Apple patent application spotted Thursday by AppleInsider shows a system for detecting unusual motion via a portable gadget’s accelerometer which would sound an alarm, making said device harder to steal. The system is a simple one, without the kind of sophisticated face detection we saw in a previous application, but it could be much more effective for curbing thefts at the moment they occur. → Read More
The iPad mini seems downright hungry, and it has a taste not just for other small tablets, but for its larger brethren, the iPad with Retina Display. Some analysts are saying as much, with expectations of the iPad mini’s cannibalization effect on existing iPad sales ranging from around 10 to 20 percent. But one suggests that it could be more like 50 percent, based on numbers Apple revealed. → Read More
The new new iPad hits stores Friday, but an early Geekbench benchmark reveals some interesting details. Apparently, at least per this one-off report, the 4th generation iPad uses a dual-core ARMv7 CPU with 1GB of RAM. Not surprisingly, this results in benchmark scores better than those earned by the iPhone 5. → Read More
Popular gadget repair site iFixit has taken the Microsoft Surface apart to see what makes it tick, and discovered a tablet/PC that scores higher on repairability than Apple’s iPad and its Retina MacBook Pro computers. The Surface ended up with a repairability score of 4 out of a possible 10, compared to just 2 out of 10 for the iPad, 2 out of 10 for the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro. → Read More
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