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Posts Tagged ‘Technology’
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
Verizon Wireless is working with Google Inc. on a tablet computer, the carrier’s chief executive, Lowell McAdam, said Tuesday, as the company endeavors to catch up with iPad host AT&T Inc. in devices that connect to wireless networks.
The work is part of a deepening relationship between the largest U.S. wireless carrier by subscribers and Google, which has carved out a space in mobile devices with its Android operating system. Verizon Wireless last year heavily promoted the Motorola Droid, which runs Google’s software.
“What do we think the next big wave of opportunities are?” Mr. McAdam said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “We’re working on tablets together, for example. We’re looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience.”
Verizon Wireless declined to discuss details on the timing or the manufacturer of a such a tablet. Google’s role in the tablet wasn’t immediately clear, though Mr. McAdam mentioned it in the context of the discussions the two companies have about bringing new smartphones to market.
A Google spokesman declined to comment on the Verizon tablet, but said anyone can use the company’s mobile software to create phones and other devices.
Google has said it is working with hardware makers and carriers to create lightweight computers that run its software. As rivals such as Apple Inc. introduce tablets like the iPad, the Internet giant is seeking to spur the adoption of its online software and advertising system through its own partnerships.
The wireless business is still largely about phones. But devices such as tablet computers, netbooks and e-readers are a fast-growing, if tiny, part of carriers’ operations.
Consumers are increasingly interested in wireless devices that can surf the Internet or run software applications, and carriers are trying to tap that interest to offset falling revenue from phone calls.
Mr. McAdam acknowledged that Verizon has some catching up to do in the field. AT&T is the carrier for Amazon.com Inc.’s popular Kindle and the new iPad.
“They were able to get out of the box faster,” Mr. McAdam said. Verizon has been handicapped by its CDMA network technology, less common than AT&T’s GSM, but the executive said his company will have devices ready to show early next year once its new network is in place.
That new network promises much higher speeds for transferring video, for example. Verizon says it will be running in 25 to 30 cities by the end of the year.
The new network will likely bring a shift from current unlimited-use pricing plans.
“The old model of one price plan per device is going to fall away,” Mr. McAdam said, adding that he expects carriers to take an approach that targets a “bucket of megabytes.”
With multiple devices, customers are likely to end up paying more for connecting their gadgets to the next-generation network than they do today, he said. “It’s not out of the question,” he said.
Resource:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704250104575238680540806288.html
Tags: Google, google developing, Ipad, Technology, technology news
Posted in iPad/iPod | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
Apple will release a software update to address Wi-Fi problems with the iPad
Apple has confirmed that it will issue a software patch to resolve ongoing issues with Wi-Fi connectivity on the iPad. Hundreds of iPad owners in the United States have complained about weak Wi-Fi signals and dropped connections, and reported that the iPad sometimes refuses to automatically rejoin authorised networks.
Apple said that the problems affected “a very small number of iPad users”, but has pledged to issue a software update to deal with the problem, although a release date has not yet been given.
In the meantime, Apple has updated a support article, suggesting that iPad users who are experiencing Wi-Fi issues update the firmware on their router, switch to WPA or WPA2 encryption, or try renewing their IP address.
Meanwhile, Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, is “fully operational” and “working at full tilt” just a year after a life-saving liver transplant, according to Business Week.
“Except for the fact that he’s lost a lot of weight, he’s the Steve Jobs of old,” Tim Bajarin, technology consultant and respected Apple-watcher, told the magazine. “At the visionary level, technology and design level, he seems to be working at the same level as he was before he was sick. If I was an investor, I’d be thrilled.”
Jobs was absent from Apple for much of last year. In January 2009, he announced that he would be taking time off to recover from a “hormone imbalance” that was “robbing” of the proteins needed to stay healthy. But it emerged last March that he had undergone a liver transplant in Memphis.
Jobs made his first public appearance since the operation last September, to unveil the new iPod line-up. He has since gone on to launch the iPad, which will be available in the UK on May 28, and has already sold more than a million units in the United States.
Resource:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7713936/Apple-to-issue-iPad-fix.html
Tags: Apple, Apple iPad, Ipad, Technology, technology news
Posted in New Technology | No Comments »
Monday, May 10th, 2010
UK iPad owners offered pay-as-you-go, daily and weekly deals – kept separate from mobile phone plans
Owners of the 3G iPad in Britain will be able to buy mobile broadband access from Orange on a pay as you go, daily, weekly and monthly basis, the mobile phone network said today.
Prices start at £2 for one day’s 3G access and extend to £25 a month for 10GB of 3G browsing and 750MB of wi-fi usage, through BT Openzone hotspots. Vodafone and O2, who announced last month that they had also signed deals with Apple, are due to set out their pricing plans shortly.
Earlier today, Apple said it will start selling the iPad in the UK on 28 May with prices starting at £429. The cheapest 3G-enabled iPad, which also has wi-fi, will be a 16GB version at £529 including VAT; the 32GB 3G device will be £599 and the 64GB £699.
Orange is launching the device in Britain, France, Spain and Switzerland. In the UK it is offering a pay-as-you-go option that costs 5p per MB. Users of this tariff – which entails registering a credit card with Orange – will be charged a maximum of £40 a month, but can carry on browsing after using £40 worth of capacity (800MB).
Large data users, however, would be better off signing up to one of Orange’s four individual pricing plans, which all require payment up front.
For £2, customers can get a day’s worth of browsing – capped at 200MB. For £7.50, customers can get a week’s worth of browsing – up to 1GB. Beyond those usage caps, browsing is charged at 5p per MB.
There are also two contract options. Both are monthly contracts but can be cancelled at any time. For £15 a month, users get 3GB of 3G access plus up to 750MB of wi-fi browsing through BT Openzone hotspots. For £25 a month, users get 10GB of 3G access and 750MB of wi-fi through BT Openzone.
Consumers who want to use their iPad on a 3G network can pre-register for one of the micro-SIMs they will need in order to get online on the Orange website from Monday next week. The micro-SIMs can be obtained from Orange shops as well as directly from Apple.
The mobile phone companies had hoped to be able to tie their iPad pricing plans in with existing mobile phone subscriptions – so that, for instance, an iPhone customer could get unlimited iPad browsing for a few extra pounds per month. But Apple is understood to have made it plain that it wanted iPad mobile phone pricing plans to stand alone.
In the US, Apple’s wireless partner AT&T offers two contract-free options: $14.99 for 250MB per month and $29.99 for what it terms a month’s worth of “unlimited” 3G access. Customers can sign up directly through their iPad and check how much of their allowance they have used.
Resource:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/may/07/orange-ipad-price-plans
Tags: Apple, Broadband, Internet, Ipad, mobile phones, Technology
Posted in iPad/iPod | 2 Comments »
Friday, April 30th, 2010
Apple continued its migration into Google’s turf on Wednesday with the acquisition of Siri, a mobile application that allows users to perform Web searches by voice command on a cellphone.
Siri, a start-up based in San Jose, Calif., describes itself as a virtual personal assistant for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. For example, Siri users can speak commands like “find a table for two at 9 tonight” or “send a taxi to my house”; using GPS and speech-recognition technology, the application translates the commands and uses search algorithms to find answers. For results, Siri worked with several companies, including Citysearch, OpenTable and Taxi Magic.
An Apple spokesman, Steve Dowling, declined to comment on the specifics of the Siri deal. “Apple buys smaller companies from time to time but doesn’t comment on products or plans,” he said.
Norman Winarsky, vice president of licensing and strategic programs at SRI International, a research lab that helped develop the application, confirmed the sale but declined to disclose any financial details of the transaction. Mr. Winarsky described the sale of Siri, which was released as a mobile app in February, as “a great event for us in terms of our impact on the world.”
Before its sale to Apple, Siri raised a total of $24 million from investors, including Menlo Ventures and Li Ka-Shing, a Chinese billionaire who has also invested in Facebook.
Apple may eventually hope to offer an alternative to Google’s search service on the iPhone, the iPod Touch and the iPad, said Charles S. Golvin, an analyst with Forrester Research. Google has made large investments in voice command search, location-based search and advertising and in visual recognition search.
“Apple is trying to break ties to Google,” Mr. Golvin said. “Rather than have search in the browser, users would have a more relevant search application to use.”
Apple has acquired several smaller companies over the last few months as part of a larger effort to gain an edge on rival mobile companies. Most recently, Apple bought Intrinsity, a company that makes a speedy computer chip for mobile devices that uses very little battery power while processing graphics, video and other images. In January, Apple acquired Quattro Wireless, a mobile advertising company.
“This is as much about keeping this good technology away from Google as it is about wanting it for themselves,” Mr. Golvin said.
Resource:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/technology/29apple.html?src=busln
Tags: Apple, iPhone, iPod, New Technology, Technology
Posted in New Technology | 1 Comment »
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