It's all explainable. In a way.
Funny OR die
I imagine them in a duel.
On one side, a scientist with the latest laser-blasting bazooka. On
the other, a believer with nothing more than a Bible and certainty.
At heart, though, they don't need to fight. Plenty of scientists are
deeply religious. Plenty of deeply religious people still leave a place
for science in their hearts (if not their souls).
Can't we all just get along? Oh, of course we can't.
Bill Nye debates creationist Ken Ham and neither seems to get anywhere with the other.
Moreover, those labeled creationists complain that Neil DeGrasse Tyson
hasn't left room for their version of life as we don't know it in his
fine series "Cosmos."
It is left, therefore, to comedians to bridge the gap between the two entrenched armies of truth.
The sometimes satanically amusing people at Funny Or Die
thought they'd take it upon themselves as a penance of peace to create a
creationist version of "Cosmos" and satisfy the cries of those who
claim they're not heard. Except, perhaps, on a Sunday. Why not
present a more fundamentalist explanation of our world's existence and
history? Why not depict Earth as less an example of evolution and more
the result of divine intervention?
Some might feel that Timothy
Simons (the not-so-Biblical Jonah in "Veep") is less immediately
persuasive than Tyson. He's a little too much like a Ph.D student,
rather than a seasoned professor.
He does, though, present an
uplifting and sincere air, as he explains the world's existence with
short words, short sentences and, indeed, a very short series.
After all, if there's only one explanation for everything, there are few mysteries left to be unraveled.
My own experience suggests the world is an absurd place, full of nonsense and non-sequiturs.
My
sense of humor would, therefore, be entirely appeased if scientists
worked for another few hundred years to unlock life's mysteries -- only
to discover, at the very, very end, a ten-legged being wearing a t-shirt
that said "God," laughing his/her/its head off at the sheer
insignificance of man.
It's all explainable. In a way.
Funny OR die
I imagine them in a duel.
On one side, a scientist with the latest laser-blasting bazooka. On
the other, a believer with nothing more than a Bible and certainty.
At heart, though, they don't need to fight. Plenty of scientists are
deeply religious. Plenty of deeply religious people still leave a place
for science in their hearts (if not their souls).
Can't we all just get along? Oh, of course we can't.
Bill Nye debates creationist Ken Ham and neither seems to get anywhere with the other.
Moreover, those labeled creationists complain that Neil DeGrasse Tyson
hasn't left room for their version of life as we don't know it in his
fine series "Cosmos."
It is left, therefore, to comedians to bridge the gap between the two entrenched armies of truth.
The sometimes satanically amusing people at Funny Or Die
thought they'd take it upon themselves as a penance of peace to create a
creationist version of "Cosmos" and satisfy the cries of those who
claim they're not heard. Except, perhaps, on a Sunday. Why not
present a more fundamentalist explanation of our world's existence and
history? Why not depict Earth as less an example of evolution and more
the result of divine intervention?
Some might feel that Timothy
Simons (the not-so-Biblical Jonah in "Veep") is less immediately
persuasive than Tyson. He's a little too much like a Ph.D student,
rather than a seasoned professor.
He does, though, present an
uplifting and sincere air, as he explains the world's existence with
short words, short sentences and, indeed, a very short series.
After all, if there's only one explanation for everything, there are few mysteries left to be unraveled.
My own experience suggests the world is an absurd place, full of nonsense and non-sequiturs.
My
sense of humor would, therefore, be entirely appeased if scientists
worked for another few hundred years to unlock life's mysteries -- only
to discover, at the very, very end, a ten-legged being wearing a t-shirt
that said "God," laughing his/her/its head off at the sheer
insignificance of man.
Google's
one-day Google Glass sale has proven to be a success. In just a few
short hours, the white "Cotton" version of the wearable has sold out. "Wow, what a morning! We're happy to see so many new faces (and frames) in the Explorer Program," the Google Glass team wrote on its Google+ page. "Just a quick update that -- ack -- we've sold out of Cotton (white), so things are moving really fast." Likewise, the company posted to Twitter, "Yikes, we're out of Cotton." Google opened up sales
of its computer-enabled eyeglass to the general public for the first
time ever on Tuesday. With its one-day online sale, the company offered
any US resident the ability to buy the Google Glass Explorer Edition at
the regular price of $1,500. With the purchase, the company also threw
in a free accessory, like frames or shades. Before Tuesday's sale only a few thousand people, mostly developers, owned the device. Google plans to make Glass available to everyone within this year. Google
Glass is the company's foray into a wearable computer. The device comes
in the form of eyeglasses that can record videos, take photos, chat,
get directions, look up facts on the Web, and more. While many people
have been wowed by the device, it has caused some issues with lawmakers, casinos, bar-owners, and bystanders who don't want to be recorded. Even
though the Cotton version of Glass has sold out, as of this writing the
Charcoal, Tangerine, Shale, and Sky versions are still available.
Google plans to end its Glass sale on Wednesday, April 16 at 6 a.m. PT.
The devices will be shipped to consumers within five to seven business
days. When CNET contacted Google for more specifics on the Glass sales, the company declined to comment.
The Dell Venue 8 Pro has been well received but Windows tablet numbers overall are small.
Dell
When Intel announced its tablet numbers for the first quarter on Tuesday, it was clear that Android buried Windows. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said during the company's first-quarter earnings conference call that out of the 5 million tablet processors shipped "80 to 90 percent" were for Android and the rest Windows. That
leaves a pretty small number for Windows, underscoring the uphill
battle Microsoft is fighting against Android and Apple in the tablet market. "Windows
tablet numbers in general have been pretty modest," said Bob O'Donnell,
founder and chief analyst Technalysis Research. The problem is, a pure Windows tablet experience doesn't have a lot to offer when compared with Android and Apple. "Consumers
using Windows want more of a PC experience. And they're going to get
that from a device that has a keyboard," he said. O'Donnell continued. "That's why you see the latest updates to Windows 8.1 are pretty much focused [on adding] keyboard [functionality]. The keyboard angle of a PC is so essential." And
how does Intel define a tablet? "The 5 million shipments (and 40
million full year target) does not include 2-in-1s. [Those] are
reflected in [PC Client Group] results," said an Intel spokesman. "The primary difference is, if it detaches, that's a tablet; if it just folds over, that's a 2 in 1," he said. Indeed,
that kind of 2-in-1 that folds over -- like the Lenovo Yoga -- is very
laptop-like and a far cry from a tablet like an Apple iPad Air or
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3. Intel's PC revenue in the first quarter was
$7.94 billion, down from $8.54 billion a year earlier. And global
shipments of PCs have continued to fall, down 1.7 percent in the first
quarter of 2013, according to Gartner. On the other hand, the kind
of devices that would be categorized as a tablet include the Surface
Pro 2 and HP Spectre 13 x2, as both detach completely from the keyboard
and can be used as a pure tablet. In 2013, Gartner said that about 4 million Windows tablets shipped worldwide. That compares with 121 million Android and 70 million Apple tablets. Intel
thinks it has a solution, though. The chipmaker will increase the
amount it allocates to device makers to order to incentivize them to
bring out more Intel-based tablets, Stacy Smith, Intel 's chief
financial officer said Tuesday. But the question is, how much of that money will flow to Android tablet makers and how much to Windows.
An Amazon fulfillment center.
Oli Scarff/Getty Images
Amazon Prime's US members have until tomorrow to decide on whether they can swallow a $20 increase to their membership fees, as the hike raises questions about the two-day shipping program's real value. There
is an assumption that in addition to predictable, two-day shipping,
Prime customers end up saving money vs. non-Prime members, with the
membership fees often compared to the fees customers pay to join
warehouse clubs that offer bulk discounts. But CNET took a look at a
number of products and found that isn't always the case. In some
cases, certain products under Prime actually cost more than their
non-Prime counterpart, with the shipping fees baked in. For example, the
PlayStation 4
dual shock wireless controller costs $59.96 through Prime. A non-Prime
seller had the same item listed for $52.32 with a $3.99 shipping cost,
bringing the total to $56.22. The difference is mere dollars, but that
might be enough to sway shoppers. "I spend fairly large amounts at
Amazon but I was even starting to wonder if $79 was a reasonable
price," one customer wrote in an Amazon forum post about the fee increase.
"I have noticed that a large number of Prime items seem to cost more
already...This last year, more of the stores I encounter locally and
online have lower prices." Amazon Prime is an important part of
the company's plans for revenue growth on its retail side. Most of
Amazon's products and services, from the Kindle Fire tablets
to its video streaming service, are designed to drive customers to
Prime, which in turn will spark a higher frequency of online shopping on
it site. As a result, it has had to be sensitive about raising the fees
on the service. Any members who sign up after Thursday will have
to pay the new $99 per year membership fee. Any existing members who
renew their memberships after Thursday will also pay the new fee (so if
it's almost time for you to renew, you might want to renew early to lock
in the old $79 price for the next year). The membership provides
unlimited two-day shipping on 20 million Prime-eligible products as well
as unlimited access to Prime video streaming and the Kindle e-book
lending library. While Amazon says the hike will help cover rising
transportation costs, it has also had the unintentional effect of
causing some to pause and re-consider its value. But, most members seem
fixated on shipping and not the other perks. "I set my iCal
reminders for two weeks prior to expiration to 'END AMAZON PRIME
MEMBERSHIP,'" another customer wrote in Amazon's customer forums. "This
increase is a joke. Drone package deliveries, your own TV series, well, I
don't want to pay for it. I buy mostly camera gear, and B&H has
free shipping and great promotions without charging $99 a year. Thank
you for waking me up." Amazon, for its part, believes the value of
Prime shipping is on reliably knowing when a product will arrive at
your doorstep. The primary benefit isn't in price, but the two-day
delivery. "The comparison is only relevant if you include two-day
shipping on both purchases because Prime is a shipping service, not a
pricing program. Otherwise, you are comparing apples to oranges," Amazon
spokeswoman Julie Law said. Shoppers who don't pay for Prime can
still get free standard shipping on Prime-eligible items, but they have
to buy $35 worth of items, and it is delivered in three to five days.
Those who can't stomach the fee increase will just have to wait a bit
longer for their goods to arrive. The other products on Amazon are
sold and shipped by third-party merchants on the Amazon Marketplace, a
way to sell items that is similar to eBay. These sellers set their own
prices, ones that Amazon says its tries to beat. But, Amazon is not
trying to hide that some non-Prime items are cheaper. Law pointed to a Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner filter
listing that has includes a note that reads, "This item may be
available at a lower price from other sellers that are not eligible for
Amazon Prime." "I know it's complex, that's why we try really to
make it transparent as possible for the customers," Law said. Not all
items that have cheaper counterparts have this note, though. CNET
did a few comparisons and found that while Prime products were more
expensive in some of Amazon's top selling categories, there were also
some categories where Prime products were the much cheaper options. To
do the comparisons, we checked the price of Prime-eligible products
versus those non-Prime products that are also listed for sale. We used
items from Amazon's top selling products categories: toys, electronics,
camera and photo, video games, books, and clothing. We also tested out
household products because it's an area Amazon has been focused on. Household items, like laundry detergent or toothpaste, require frequent replenishing and encourage repeat purchases. To
get a sampling, we picked five items from each category and made two
separate shopping carts, Prime and non-Prime with identical items. It's
important to note that Amazon's prices are dynamic, and change so
frequently that some of these items may actually cost less or more now,
compared to when the comparisons were conducted
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is selling like warmed baked goods The Samsung Galaxy S5 is flying off the shelves, selling twice as many as the Galaxy S4 on launch day in the UK, with more than 9 out of 10 phones sold signed up to 4G contracts.
UK mobile phone retailers Phones 4U and Carphone Warehouse have
revealed that sales of the S5 were more than double that of the S4 on
its first day alone. The two big street staples say that pre-orders for
the new phone were "significantly" higher than its predecessor, with
Carphone Warehouse claiming sales 150 per cent of the S5 on day one.
And a whopping 95 percent of S5 contract sales at Carphone
Warehouse and 99 percent at Phones 4U saw phone fans signing up to 4G
contracts. 4G is still at a relatively early stage in Britain, but
it seems the S5 has arrived at the point when it's reached wide enough
coverage and hit price levels phone fans are willing to embrace. Both retail chains are partnered with Samsung to run dedicated Samsung Experience shops across Britain and Europe, the first of which opened just in time for the S5 launch. Samsung will be pleased: although the S4 undeniably did boffo business -- more than ten million shipped in its first month -- sales were a little slower than expected and didn't see the explosive growth of previous models. Speaking to Reuters, Yoon Han-kil, senior vice president of Samsung's product strategy team, said the S5 is "selling faster than the S4 so far."
The strategy with the S5 is not to fill it with gimmicks and bloatware.
"With the S4, we thought smartphones shouldn't just focus on hardware.
They also had to come with a lot of software and services, and that line
of thinking did lead us to cram many services into the device," Yoon
continues. By contrast, with the S5, "We decided not to put in so many
things and only include what the user really needs, so I cut out a lot
of services and software."
Canva's graphic design software
Canva
Guy
Kawasaki was on Apple's front line in the 1980s leading the charge to
convince developers to use the Macintosh. A well-known figure in Silicon
Valley, Kawasaki was the company's first chief evangelist, whose job
it was to make sure the Mac stood a chance against incumbent IBM by
winning hearts and minds among applications developers. Obviously, other culminating factors helped put the Mac on the map. There was an elaborate launch keynote by a young Steve Jobs
-- an early example of the kind of rousing presentation Apple's former
chief executive would become famous for delivering. And don't forget the
launch of Macworld, a magazine devoted to the machine, as well as a
now-iconic Super Bowl ad called "1984" by director Ridley Scott. But
Kawasaki hopes he can repeat his success at Apple as the chief
evangelist for a little-known, Sydney-based design tech company called Canva.
The startup makes free software that lets people design graphics for
use in blog posts, or on business cards, fliers, posters, or
presentations. The company announced Kawasaki's appointment on
Wednesday. "Apple was my first platform to democratize something,
which was computing," he said, referring to the Mac's role in bringing
personal computing to mainstream consumers. "Now, this is the way to
democratize design."
Guy Kawasaki
Canva's
software is in line with a greater trend that sees the Web catering to a
do-it-yourself mentality, from the growing popularity of 3D printing
with companies like MakerBot and Shapeways, to the online storefront
network Etsy. There are other graphic design tools, like the
venerable Adobe Illustrator. Kawasaki said the goal isn't to snake away
users from other software but to attract people who weren't doing any
designing to begin with. "It's about making the pie bigger," he said. Canva
was co-founded in August 2012 by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and
Cameron Adams. Perkins and Obrecht originally ran an e-publishing
platform for yearbooks, and spun out Canva from there. Since the
product launched last summer, the company said it has 330,000 registered
users who create 100,000 new designs a week and have collectively
created more than 1.5 million designs on the site. Kawasaki said
he learned of Canva because a woman who helps handle his social media
accounts was using it to create graphics for him. The company contacted
him three weeks ago after seeing his name in its user database. Outside
of Apple, Kawasaki has written several books, founded the venture
capital firm Garage.com, and started firms like the Mac database company
ACIUS and Alltop, a news aggregation site. But he hasn't donned the
evangelical title since working for Apple. Why would Kawasaki get
back in that saddle again? When asked, he paused, and the eloquent
Kawasaki stammered for the only time during our conversation. "It's
basically an emotional decision. Contrary to what many people believe, I
think that something like this is falling in love," he said. Typically,
he gets pitched on things constantly, then consults with his wife and
friends, and brushes the projects off. "I can tell you with great
honesty that this is the first time in my career that I didn't check
with anybody before deciding to do it. Then I let all my best friends
know." The biggest difference
between cheerleading a product now versus while he was at Apple is just
how powerful the communication channels have become. In 1997, he had
44,000 email addresses on his email list -- nothing to scoff at. Now, he
said he has more than 8 million followers across his social media
networks. To get the word out about Canva, he plans to do things like
writing blog posts on how to leverage the software and perform demos
during speaking engagements. While the software is intriguing,
there's got to be something more to attract a Silicon Valley big wig
like Kawasaki. After all, Apple didn't stop with the Mac and went on the
create the iPod and iPhone. Kawasaki said Canva has plans for
expansion, but he's mum about details. "Let's just say it's more than
designing online," he said.
The 8GB iPhone 5C is now selling in Italy, among other countriese Apple's new 8GB iPhone 5C is expanding its reach around the world.
As of this week, the 8GB version is available in six more countries, specifically the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Poland, and the Czech Republic. The online Apple Store for all six regions show the lower-cost 5C as in stock and ready to ship within 24 hours.
Apple introduced the 8GB iPhone 5C in March
to consumers in the UK, France, Germany, Australia, and China to add to
the 16GB and 32GB editions. The new variant is not available in the US.
The decision to offer an even cheaper version of the 5C throughout the
world comes amid weak sales for the phone in general.
Will the 8GB version light a fire under sales of the 5C? Not likely.
Consumers
have expressed a strong preference for the 5S over the 5C. At Apple's
first-quarter conference call in January, even CEO Tim Cook
acknowledged that the 5S has grabbed the higher mix of sales.
The
5C's poor reception extends internationally. A report out last month
from China-based analytics firm Umeng found that the
5C picked up only 2 percent of the traffic on its network compared with 15 percent for the iPhone 5 and 12 percent for the 5S.
And with the iPhone 6
expected to launch in September, users who don't need a new phone will
likely sit tight the next few months to see what Apple cooks up next.
Buying last year's model often pays off when you're buying a new car.
It can also save you big bucks when you're shopping for a new
smartphone. Indeed, Samsung released its new Galaxy S5
on Friday on all four major wireless networks. There are a few
noticeable changes in the S5 compared to the S4, despite a couple of
much-talked-about new features on the S5. But most experts agree that
the technical differences between an S4 and an S5 are minor.
Instead, the biggest difference is the price tag. The older S4 is at least $100 less expensive than the brand new S5.
So what is a prospective smartphone subscriber to do? I answer that very question in this edition of Ask Maggie.
Galaxy S4 vs. Galaxy S5
Dear Maggie, I
need a new smartphone. I know I want a Samsung Galaxy. But I'm a little
torn about which one to get. I've also heard that you can get a good
discount on last year's model. Is it worth it to get the newer Galaxy S5
or could I get a good deal on the Galaxy S4 and still be happy? Thanks, Undecided smartphone shopper
Dear Undecided smartphone shopper,
Samsung's
Galaxy S5 is a modest improvement over the Galaxy S4. It has a faster
processor, slightly better camera, improved display and other tweaks
that according to my CNET Reviews colleague Jessica Dolcourt make the S5 "a superior superphone that hits every mark."
However
the improvements are minor. And even though they add up to offer a
better performing device over the Galaxy S4, you still have to ask
yourself if the added features are worth the extra cash. As you noted in
your question, the Galaxy S4 is at least $100 less expensive than the
newer Galaxy S5 released on all four major carriers this week.
Jessica said it best:
With
the exception of a few nonessential hardware and software additions --
like the fingerprint scanner and novel heart-rate monitor -- and a few
design tweaks, you're pretty much looking at the same phone Samsung
released in 2013.
She added that the S5 is more of a Galaxy S4 Plus than a revolutionary new device.
I
agree. Even when it comes to the design of the phone, the two look
almost identical. The S5 is slightly larger, a tad thicker and bit
heavier than the S4. It has the same plastic casing, but the newer S5
has a dimpled back that's supposed to feel more like faux leather.
Personally,
I don't think the design tweaks are enough to make me choose the S5
over the S4. And even though some of the upgrades to the processor and
the software make it run a bit more smoothly than its predecessor, these
are still not enhancements that change the experience drastically
enough for me to choose it over a less expensive S4. Galaxy S5I
am also completely unimpressed with the much talked about heart-rate
monitor that is included in the Galaxy S5 and is missing in the Galaxy
S4. This feature seems to me as if it's more of a novelty than an
everyday functional feature. In fact, I can't imagine anyone really
using this feature on a regular basis. Since it's lacking compared to
some of the full-functioning fitness bands on the market, my guess is
that hardcore fitness buffs would still use another gadget in addition
to the S5.
The Galaxy S5's good side
That said, there are a couple of features that make spending the extra money for the Galaxy S5 worthwhile.
The first is the fingerprint security sensor.
This is by no means the only smartphone on the market that allows you
to unlock the device by reading your fingerprint. The Apple iPhone 5S was the first to introduce this feature last fall. And I doubt it will be the last smartphone to embed this technology.
What
I like about this feature is that it not only adds extra security to
protect what's on your device, it can be more convenient than typing in
your PIN to unlock a device. It can also be used to authenticate mobile
payments.
But Jessica Dolcourt points out in her CNET review of
the S5 that like other fingerprint scanners on other devices, the S5's
scanner can have trouble reading your fingerprint. Damp fingers or
fingers with a touch of lotion can cause issues in getting an accurate
read on the fingerprint. She offers a few hints for making sure the
scanner works properly.
While I think this is a useful security
feature that will one day be added to most if not all smartphones, it's
still early days for the technology. So it may not hurt to wait until
the next generation of device that will improve on the technology.
But
remember, because this is a hardware feature built into the phone, no
amount of upgrading will allow it to function in the Galaxy S4. So the
only way to get access to this feature on the Galaxy products today is
to buy the S5.
The other significant feature on the S5 that excites me is that
the S5 is dust and water resistant. Even though the device isn't
considered "waterproof" it is water resistant meets the IP67 military
specifications for water resistance, which means that it can stay
underwater for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter or about 3 feet.
What this means is that accidentally dropping your phone in the pool or
spilling water on it or even dumping it in your beach bag littered with
grains of sand, won't hurt the phone.
Personally, I love the idea
of a fully water and dust resistant device. I've never bought a case
for my smartphone, so having a device that's already water and dust
resistant means that I don't even have to put it in a plastic bag when
I'm at the beach.
Even though I think this is a great feature and
I hope all smartphones in the future come with this added bonus, it may
not be a feature that's a must-have for everyone. And the truth is that
the Galaxy S4 also comes in a water and dust resistant model known as
the Galaxy S4 Active. The only limitation is that the Galaxy S4 Active
version of the S4 is only available on AT&T's network.
So what should you do?
As
I noted above, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is an improvement over the Galaxy
S4. Several features have been enhanced, such as the camera, which S5
performs better in low-light situations. There are also at least two new
features that don't come standard on the Galaxy S4 that could make it
worth buying the newer device.
CNET
But
as you pointed out in your question, the older Galaxy S4 will likely
cost you less money. How much less depends on the carrier you intend to
use and what types of deals that service provider may be offering.
In
general, the S4 will cost about $100 less than the S5, whether you buy
the phone outright or you buy it as part of a two-year contract. Most
operators are offering the S5 for about $650 at full retail and about
$200 with a two-year contract. Meanwhile, the S4 sells for about $550
and you can get it for about $100 with a two-year contract.
Some
of the major carriers are offering special deals on either the Galaxy S4
or the Galaxy S5 and some are offering promotions on one or both
devices. For example, Verizon is offering a buy-one-get-one-free
limited-time offer on the Galaxy S5 right now. But in order to be
eligible you must be a new Verizon customer. And you must sign-up for
two two-year contracts.
Unless you qualify for Verizon's offer
and you plan to be a Verizon customer, it looks like getting the Galaxy
S4 will be a better deal for you no matter which carrier you choose.
Even if you want to buy your device at full price to avoid a contract,
it still looks like the Galaxy S4 is a better deal.
The Bottom Line
Because
the Galaxy S4 can be significantly less expensive than the S5, I think
that the Galaxy S4 offers a better value. While it can't do everything
that the S5 can do, it's still a top notch phone. It shares many of the
design characteristics of the S5, and many of the software features can
be added with upgrades. There are a couple of notable hardware features
that if they are meaningful enough to you, could make the Galaxy S5 a
better value. But that determination is really up to individual
consumers.
I hope this answered your question and good luck!
Should you still consider the Galaxy S3?
Dear Maggie, I just read your article 'Why You Should still consider the Galaxy S3 to the Galaxy S4' and
I was wondering if the same logical thinking can be applied today? I
will be purchasing my first smartphone and I am a bit torn over the S3
and S4. If you can help that would be appreciated. Thanks, Humphrey
Dear Humphrey,
Samsung
just released its latest version of the Galaxy S smartphone this week,
called the Galaxy S5. That means that the Galaxy S3 is now two
generations old. I still consider the Galaxy S3 a very good device. But
because the device is already two years old, my only concern is that it
will not get software updates as quickly as the S4, which is only one
generation removed from the flagship Galaxy S5.
My guess is that
you will probably hang onto this device for at least another year or
two, which means that at the end of a two-year service contract, the
Galaxy S3 would be a four-year-old device. Again, my biggest concern in
having a smartphone that is that outdated from the flagship is that it
likely won't get software updates as frequently or at all. For some
consumers that's a really big deal, because they want to check out all
the software-enabled features as soon as they can. Meanwhile, there are
other people who wouldn't know how to use some of the new
software-enabled features even if they got them.
eBay
The
other thing to think about here is that with certain carrier
promotions, you could end up getting a Galaxy S4 for free. And that's a
very hard price to beat. For example, AT&T is offering the Galaxy S4
free with a two-year contract. And Verizon is offering a
buy-one-get-one-free promotion for the brand new Galaxy S5.
Having
said all this, there are a few instances in which I might recommend
buying the older Galaxy S3. If you plan to buy your device at full
price, you will get the Galaxy S3 or any two-year old device for a lot
less money than either of the newer versions.
For example,
according to data from eBay, in 2014 the average sales price of a Galaxy
S4 is $427. The average price for a Galaxy S3 is $286. And according to
sales trends over the past four years since the Galaxy S line of
smartphones was first introduced, prices will continue to fall for the
Galaxy S3 and all the Galaxy S devices as they age.
In 2010, the average full retail price of the Galaxy S on eBay was $410. In 2014, that price dropped to $155.
Of
course, you have to remember that the Galaxy S was introduced in June
2010. The phone is now four years old. And as I mentioned above, values
for these smartphones drop the longer they've been on the market.
Technology has come a long way since then.
What should you do?
Unless
you are on a tight budget, I'd buy the Galaxy S4. It's more affordable
than the newest model the S5. But it's not quite as old as the Galaxy
S3. What this means is that it's a smart idea to consider a device that
is at least one generation removed from the current phone. But you have
to be careful in choosing a phone that's too old, especially if you plan
to hang onto this device for any length of time
Sarah Tew/CNET
With
the second major revision to Windows 8, somewhat confusingly named
Windows 8.1 Update, Microsoft seems to have finally remembered that
there are PC users out there who still work with a monitor, keyboard,
and mouse. Not everyone is happily tapping and swiping away at tablet
and hybrid screens yet, and the loudest complaints about the OS have
been regarding its lack of support for those who use their PCs in a more
traditional fashion.Windows 8.1, released in October 2013, was a course correction of sorts, walking back some of the more egregious nods to trendy tablet thinking found in the original release of Windows 8,
including a limited-use Start button and a search function that no
longer required you to search apps, settings, and files separately.
Despite these improvements, Windows 8.1 still felt like a
one-size-fits-all solution, cramming a slate-style mentality onto every
screen.
With Windows 8.1 Update, you now get a computing
environment that feels flexible enough to work on 8-inch tablets as well
as 27-inch desktops. Touch is still the preferred input method for
working in the tile interface many still call Metro, but at last, mouse
and keyboard users aren't completely left out.
These select features stand out as the highlights of Windows 8.1 Update (read more about the rest of the new features here),
and the most likely reasons you'll finally feel OK about upgrading if
the somewhat tortured history of Windows 8 has scared you off before
now.
Screenshot by Sarah Tew/CNET
The return of the X-to-close button
If
you have a touch-screen device, anything from an 8-inch tablet to a
27-inch tabletop PC, one of the first Windows 8 moves you no doubt
learned was to swipe a finger down from the top of the screen to the
bottom in order to close native Windows 8 apps (accompanied by an
awkwardly stilted animation). But with a mouse, the same move was both
counterintuitive and hard to pull off consistently. Simply adding the
top-right-corner X button to close is such a no-brainer, it makes the
entire Windows 8.1 Update download worthwhile.
One weird catch,
however. Closing a Windows 8 bumps you back to the traditional desktop,
even if you were previously in the Metro interface. Inexplicably odd.
Screenshot by Sarah Tew/CNET
Different views for different screen sizes
Got
a traditional-size laptop or monitor screen? Then you'll boot right
into the familiar desktop view from previous versions of Windows, rather
than the tile-based menu. Of course, you can still switch at will, but
having the classic desktop as the main event rather than a hidden
feature is what politicians would call "walking back" a controversial
move. Small tablet-style screens still boot to the tile view, which
makes sense, and a taskbar properties menu allows for even more
customization.
Screenshot by Sarah Tew/CNET
Right-click support for Start screen tiles
The
blocky tiles that make up the Windows 8 Start screen can be baffling.
Launch a new PC for the first time, and you'll find a different mix of
apps represented by these tiles, in different sizes, and grouped into
different sections, all with little rhyme or reason. Even worse, some of
the largest tiles offer no usable information beyond a simple icon
drawing. That particular problem hasn't gone away, but at least it's now
easy and intuitive (that's a word that keeps on popping up, in case
anyone at Microsoft is paying attention) to simply right-click on any
tile and resize it, hide it completely, or even pin it to the classic
desktop taskbar.
Screenshot by Sarah Tew/CNET
An easy-to-find power button
Short
and simple, and exactly the type of common sense feature inexplicably
missing from Windows 8 for its first 18 months of life. In the
upper-right corner of the tile interface, there is now a big power icon,
which can restart, shut down, or set your system to sleep. Previously,
if you were using a mouse and/or didn't have a touch screen, you had to
hover the mouse cursor at the upper-right corner, then carefully
navigate down to the Setting section, then down to the tiny power button
all the way at the bottom of the screen. Search gets a top-corner icon
as well, but that was at least easier to find access pre-Update.
Screenshot by Sarah Tew/CNET
Add any app to the desktop taskbar
As
mentioned previously, you can now right-click on any Windows 8 app (the
kind that runs full-screen by default) and add it to the classic
desktop taskbar. Even if you hate the tile view, there are some good
apps hiding there, and I personally really like the built-in News app.
Now you can still access these without having to navigate to the
tile-filled Start screen first.
Screenshot by Sarah Tew/CNET
Battery, time, network, and date indicators in the Start screen
Actually,
these are all basic-but-useful features still missing from Windows 8.
Even after more than a year and a half, PC users can't simply glance at
the vaunted Start screen on their laptops, tablets, or hybrids, and see
how much battery life they have left, to say nothing of the ability see
the time or date. As always, activating the Charms bar gives you some of
this information (with just a very basic visual icon for the battery
and connection icon for the Wi-Fi network), but it still hides lots of
very practical things from view without user interaction. In contrast,
thanks to the live tiles on the Start screen, the latest sports scores,
recipes, and promoted app store apps are always easy to see.
Despite
this oversight, the updates included in both Windows 8.1 and Windows
8.1 Update are small pieces that add up to a very different feel from
the original Windows 8 experience. If the OS had launched in this
condition in 2012, we'd likely have a much different view of it, rather
than waiting for common-sense features to trickle in over time. That
said, for the first time, I now feel like using Windows 8 on a nontouch
all-in-one desktop is now a viable experience, rather than something
that constantly requires you to think about workarounds and compromises.
Apple and Samsung have sued each other for infringement.
CNET
SAN
JOSE, Calif. -- Google engineers have never copied Apple's iPhone
features for use in Android, an executive from the software giant said
Friday during testimony in the Apple v. Samsung patent-infringement
trial.
Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google vice president of Android,
walked the jury through early development of Android and said engineers
actually tried to make software that was very different from Apple's iOS
mobile operating system.
"We liked to have our own identity; we
liked to have our own ideas," Lockheimer said. "We were very passionate
about what we were doing, and it was important that we have our own
ideas."
Lockheimer was the first witness Samsung called in its
defense against Apple. Apple has accused Samsung of copying its iPhones
and iPads, but Samsung has argued that Google designed many of the
features for Android first.
Earlier Friday, Apple rested its case against Samsung after an expert detailed the $2.191 billion in damages the company says it's due from Samsung.
Samsung's
attorneys said the company may call as many as 17 witnesses by the end
of the day Monday, though many would be via deposition. Nevertheless,
Judge Lucy Koh said the company had to narrow its list.
Many of
the other witnesses on tap for Samsung are Google executives. Dianne
Hackborn and Cary Clark are slated to testify about the design,
development, and operation of Android, as well as possible alterations
made to the operating system. They should specifically talk about
features for quick links, or automatically detecting data in messages,
that Apple has accused of infringing its patent No. '647.
Almost two years after Apple and Samsung faced off in a messy patent dispute, the smartphone and tablet
rivals have returned to the same courtroom here to argue once again
over patents before federal Judge Koh. Apple is arguing that Samsung
infringed on five of its patents for the iPhone, its biggest moneymaker,
and that Apple is due $2 billion for that infringement. Samsung wants
about $7 million from Apple for infringing two of its software patents.
While
the companies are asking for damages, the case is about more than
money. What's really at stake is the market for mobile devices. Apple
now gets two-thirds of its sales from the iPhone and iPad; South
Korea-based Samsung is the world's largest maker of smartphones; and
both want to keep dominating the market. So far, Apple is ahead when it
comes to litigation in the US. Samsung has been ordered to pay the
company about $930 million in damages.
Most Samsung features that
Apple says infringe are items that are a part of Android, Google's
mobile operating system that powers Samsung's devices. All patents
except one, called "slide to unlock," are built into Android. Apple has
argued the patent-infringement trial has nothing to do with Android. However, Samsung argues that Apple's suit is an "attack on Android" and that Google had invented certain features before Apple patented them.
Suing Google
wouldn't get Apple anywhere since Google doesn't make its own phones or
tablets. Instead, Apple has sued companies that sell physical devices
using Android, a rival to Apple's iOS mobile operating system. In
particular, Apple believes Samsung has followed a strategy to copy its
products and then undercut Apple's pricing. While Apple isn't suing
Google, it expects that Google will make changes to its software if
Samsung is found to infringe on patents through Samsung's Android
devices.
Lockheimer on Friday said he joined Google in April 2006
to work on the Android team. At that time, there were only about 20 to
30 people on the team, and it operated like a startup. Currently, about
600 to 700 people working on Android report to Lockheimer, he said.
"People
tend to think of Google as a big company, but we were a small team,"
Lockheimer said. "We were autonomous, and the company let us do our own
thing." Apple has accused Samsung's Galaxy S3 of infringing three of its patents.
CNET
He
noted that there are "thousands" of features in Android, and all aim
for ease of use. He also testified as to the timeframe that Google
engineers developed features like quick links and background syncing for
Android. Many of the features were created in 2005 or 2006 ahead of the
first Android phone launch from HTC in October 2008, Lockheimer said.
The timing will be key to Samsung's argument that Google created Apple's
patented features first.
Lockheimer also testified about what
Android features handset vendors can tweak. For instance, phone makers
don't have to use the Google keyboard, but if they include it, they
can't change it.
Christopher Vellturo, an economist and
principal at consultancy Quantitative Economic Solutions, earlier Friday
wrapped up his testimony from earlier in the week, saying Apple should
receive about $2.191 billion in damages from Samsung for patent
infringement. He noted the figure includes damages -- such as lost
profits -- of $1.067 billion and reasonable royalties of $1.124 billion.
Vellturo on Tuesday had testified he determined the amount by
evaluating the scale of the infringement, the time span, the
head-to-head rivalry between Apple and Samsung, and the belief that the
patents were key for making Samsung devices easier to use and more
attractive to buyers. Samsung sold more than 37 million infringing
devices, Vellturo said. The total amount of sales in dollars was kept
confidential.
Earlier this week, another expert hired by Apple, MIT marketing professor John Hauser, argued that the company's patented features made Samsung's devices more appealing and that fewer people would have purchased the gadgets if the features were missing.
Hauser
and Vellturo are key to Apple's argument that it deserves about $2
billion in damages for Samsung's alleged infringement. The company
argues that Samsung copied Apple's iPhone as it tried to figure out how
to react and compete with the device. It realized it "simply did not
have a product that could compete successfully against the iPhone,"
Apple attorneys said during opening arguments earlier this month. Samsung, however, argues that many of the patented items are features Google had earlier created for Android.
Bathys Hawaii
You may have seen so-called atomic wristwatches
around, but there's a caveat: they actually keep atomic time by
receiving radio signals from nearby government-owned atomic clocks. If
they go out of range of those signals, you'll be left relying on a plain
old quartz movement.
The Cesium 133 by scientist John Patterson's manufacturer Bathys Hawaii, first unveiled half a year ago in a more industrial-looking form and currently seeking Kickstarter backers,
is different. Patterson calls his watch the "world's first true atomic
wristwatch," and the difference is in the insides: a chip-scale atomic
clock (CSAC) hosting a cesium-based oscillator fits right inside the case, dividing each second precisely into the 9,192,631,770 vibrations of the cesium atom.
"The technology
found in this watch is something even a decade ago no one could imagine
existing in such a small package," Patterson said on the Bathys Hawaii Web site.
"Within a single chip there [are] a laser, a heater, a sealed cavity
of cesium gas, a microwave filter, and a photodiode detector. Using the
exact same principle of counting hyperfine lines of excited cesium 133
atoms used by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),
our watch is able to achieve unprecedented levels of accuracy; on the
order of 1 second per thousand years."
This means that the
Bathys Cesium 133 would be the world's most accurate wristwatch, only
losing up to a single second every 1,000 years. This is more accurate by
three orders of magnitude than current wristwatch technologies.
Bathys Hawaii
The current iteration of the watch is powered by a rechargeable
lithium battery that will run up to 36 hours between chargers, and the
dial displays hours, minutes, seconds, the date, and the moon phase.
Under the case, the CSAC is paired with a Ronda 509 Quartz movement so that the timekeeping of the CSAC can be translated to the dial.
All of this is housed in carbon fiber, which keeps the watch lightweight and rust-free.
If you want one, it's not going to be like picking up a Seiko from
your local jeweller. The six prototypes are going for US$6,000 apiece
on Kickstarter, while a new watch will cost you US$10,000, and very
limited numbers are going to be produced. In haute horlogerie terms,
however, this is a pretty great price for something that's bound to
become a collector's item in years to come.
There's little in life more exciting than piloting a fast car around a
good road course, topping 100 mph on the straights and executing
perfect control at the limits of grip in the turns. Now imagine doing
all that in a convertible.
Chevrolet released photos and specs for
its new Corvette Z06 Convertible, a high-performance version of the
Corvette Stingray featuring a convertible soft-top set to debut at the New York auto show next week.
Serious drivers may scoff at convertibles and sunroofs on track cars,
but Chevrolet insists the Z06 Convertible is worthy. Unlike most
convertible conversions, there has been little structural change to make
the Z06 an open top. Chevrolet asserts that the Z06's aluminum
structure was already so stiff that it needed no extra bracing to
preserve its rigidity after stripping off the coupe roof. The weight of
the new convertible is approximately the same as the Z06 Coupe.
Chevrolet's press release includes many details about designing the
Corvette's structure, such as the 17,000 virtual iterations designed on
the computer. Most notably, chief engineer Tadge Juechter said that
technologies used in the new Corvette Z06's frame did not exist five
years ago.
Just like the Corvette Z06 Coupe
unveiled at the Detroit auto show earlier this year, the Z06
Convertible will get a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 that is expected to
produce at least 625 horsepower and 635 pound-feet of torque. That means
very little time to activate the power-operated rag-top, which can be
opened at up to 30 mph.
One big change for the Z06 Convertible,
formerly rear fender-mounted transmission cooling intakes move
underneath the car, as they were incompatible with the tonneau cover.
The launch of the Corvette Z06 Convertible comes as little surprise. After the launch of the new Corvette Stingray at the 2013 Detroit auto show, Chevrolet followed up with the Stingray Convertible at the Geneva auto show a few months later. Having laid that groundwork, the Z06 Convertible was a logical follow-up.
And think of all that headroom for your helmet.
Competition can be a beautiful thing. The Arsenio Hall Show/YouTube I struggle with Siri.
Apple's virtual assistant seems not to hear the things I say. She's
convinced, in fact, that I say things that I didn't say. Today, I said
to her: "Siri, you don't understand my accent, do you?"
"Oh,
no," she replied. I cannot be sure whether hers was an expression of
surprise, or whether it was mere disarming honesty.
Still, now that Microsoft's own virtual assistant Cortana
is presenting herself as competition, Siri had better start paying
attention or I'll have to buy a Windows Phone. (Oh, anything is
possible.)
I am grateful, therefore, to Arsenio Hall who presented the two challengers side by side Tuesday night on what was less a deathmatch and more of a scratchfest.
During the "Arsenio Hall Show" skit Cortana mocked Siri's seeming inability to listen.
Hall asked: "Hey Siri, I'm a little hungry, can you find me a
restaurant that serves grilled cheese?" To which Siri replied: "OK, I
will play Alicia Keys."
This incited Cortana to pipe up inelegantly: "Are you deaf, b****?"
The competitive relationship between the two virtual assistants
devolved into a series of tossed Molotov cocktails and then threats of
drawn muskets at ten paces.
"Really, ho? You got something to say to me?" sniffed Cortana.
"Actually, I've got nothing to say to you, you fake wannabe," spat Siri.
Cortana then aimed a severe and pleasantly low blow toward her rival:
"All I wanna be is kicking your ass up and down Sunset. Would you like
me to get you a map?"
There will be something deeply meaningful
if these two assistants begin to rival each other for wit and charm.
It's one thing to not understand what I say. It's another to not seem to
care or have no amusing banter.
Indeed, this fascinating duel stands in marked contrast to Microsoft's attempts to make ads that criticize every product Apple has ever made, as well as Google's entire existence. Somehow, those ads seem painfully leaden when compared with either Apple's "Get A Mac" or even this amusement from Arsenio Hall.
I wonder if an intuitive, trash-talking Cortana could do more for
Microsoft's image in mobile than any phone MicroNokia might create.
Hewlett-Packard
has agreed to pay a $108 million fine to settle charges that three of
its foreign subsidiaries bribed officials to secure lucrative government
contracts, the company and federal investigators announced Wednesday.
The
deal settles parallel investigations by the Securities and Exchange
Commission and Justice Department into allegations that payments made to
officials in Russia, Poland, and Mexico have violated the Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act.
A Justice Department statement accused
the tech giant's subsidiaries of creating a "slush fund for bribe
payments," setting up an "intricate web of shell companies and bank
accounts to launder money," and using "anonymous email accounts and
prepaid mobile telephones to arrange covert meetings to hand over bags
of cash."
The SEC said HP's
subsidiaries in Russia paid more than $2 million to retain a
multimillion dollar contract with the federal prosecutor's office. To
win a software contract with a Mexico petroleum company, the HP
subsidiary in that country paid more than $1 million in inflated
commissions, while agents in Poland paid more than $600,000 to secure
contracts with the national police agency.
The statement noted
HP's "extensive cooperation" with the investigations, including
voluntarily making employees of its US and foreign operations available
for interviews and assisting in the collection, organization, and
analysis of "voluminous evidence" for investigators.
In addition
to the fine, HP has also agreed to certain reporting and compliance
obligations, although those measures were not described.
"The
misconduct described in the settlement was limited to a small number of
people who are no longer employed by the company," John Schultz, HP's
executive vice president and general counsel, said in a statement.
The investigation was initially launched in 2010 by officials in Germany and Russia and soon joined by the DOJ and SEC. HP first learned of the probe in December 2009 when it was served with a series of search warrants.
LastPass's
Security Check tells you which sites have updated their certificates,
and whether you need to change your password for that site.
LastPass
The cross-platform password manager LastPass now will check your saved sites to see if they're affected by the Heartbleed encryption vulnerability that's been plaguing the Web for the past two days.
The feature update saves you the trouble of going to a Heartbleed site checker like the ones offered by LastPass or Qualys,
and also provides clear instruction to LastPass users on which of their
sites are safe and which have to be updated. It's available to existing
and new users of LastPass' password management system.
The
Security Check lets you know if the site certificate has been updated
and then provides a link to a site to help you update your password for
the site. It will also indicate if you should wait before updating your
password, or if a site and your password are not at risk.
You can
run the check in three ways. It works from your desktop browser either
by tapping the service's add-ons Tools option and choosing Security
Check, or logging in via the Web site and choosing Security Check from
the left column. It's also available on the LastPass mobile app's
options menus.
The
head of Google Payments, Ariel Bardin, addresses attendees at the
Electronic Transaction Association's 2014 tradeshow in Las Vegas.LAS VEGAS -- It's been a bumpy ride for Google Wallet since
its launch nearly three years ago, but in spite of the obstacles the
company has faced, Google head of payments Ariel Bardin says the company
isn't giving up on Wallet or the mobile payments market.
"We have
been doing this for a while," he said during a presentation Wednesday
at the Electronic Transactions Association's Transact 2014 tradeshow
here. "And we'll continue to keep doing this for a long while."
He
acknowledged the slow consumer adoption of Google Wallet, but
highlighted the company's nearly 15-month-long evolution of the product,
which now has expanded beyond Google Wallet's initial reach. And the
key to Google Wallet's transformation has been the cloud.
"We
started out with Google Wallet, which equaled NFC [near field
communications]," Bardin said. "We still do that, but now we offer many
different types of payments and services." How has Google Wallet changed?
Google Wallet got its start anchored in a hardware-based short range wireless technology known as NFC. Using this technology, consumers could load credit card information into an Android
app that stored the information in a secure element that was part of
the NFC chip, and then using the short range wireless technology, it
transmitted the payment information from the phone to the sales terminal
with a simple tap.
The goal was that people could get rid of all
their credit cards, loyalty cards, and coupons that filled their wallets
and instead store all of it and access it from their mobile phones.
While the idea itself sounded nifty enough, a year after launch Google
Wallet still only worked with one credit card and bank combination. And
it only worked on one wireless network: Sprint.
Because the NFC
solution required that both mobile devices and point of sale processing
terminals include hardware, Google struggled to get a foothold in the
market. Wireless operators, who were developing their own competing
mobile payment solution, shut Google out of their networks and devices.
And merchants were reluctant to spend money to upgrade their sales
terminals. Google Wallet appeared doomed. Google Wallet in action.Then Google shifted gears and revamped Google Wallet.
It still uses NFC for the tap and pay functionality, but it now uses a
cloud-based technology called HCE, or host card emulation, to store
credit card credentials.
"The technology we initially used relied
on hardware," Bardin explained. "And there were a bunch of hurdles to
get it out the door using that approach. So we asked ourselves if we
could emulate the secure element in software, and make it a core service
in Android."
That is exactly what the company has done. HCE is
now included in Android 4.4, Google's latest version of Android
software. With this new approach, Google has opened up NFC to any
developer. Because the technology is built directly into the operating
system software it not only works with Google Wallet, but it can also be
used by other app developers that are building applications for
Android.
"Now anyone in the audience could build an app that leverages the tap-and-pay functionality," Bardin said. The 'cloud' is the answer.
While
tap-and-pay had been the only thing that Google Wallet offered when it
first launched, now it's just one component of the service. With payment
credentials stored in the cloud, Google can integrate payments into its
other products like Gmail. It also makes the service more flexible for
consumers and merchants, which can access the wallet from anywhere. This
allows for merchants to embed easy payment buttons into their mobile
Web sites that can link directly to payment credentials stored in the
cloud.
Bardin said that the beauty of this solution is that it
eliminates the need for customers to fill in their credit card
information when they want to buy things online using their mobile
devices. Because Android users are always "signed-in" on the Google
platform, they can leverage their payment credentials from Google Wallet
or even their Google Play account to buy things.
The cloud-based
nature of the service also makes it easy for consumers to add new
credit cards to their Google Wallets. They can also join and add loyalty
cards to their Google Wallets. And they can do all of this without ever
necessarily entering the app on their devices.
Again because
Google Wallet now lives in the cloud, it makes it easier for Google to
tie its other services to the wallet. For example, a year ago it added
the ability to send and receive payments via Gmail. Google
also offers Gmail users the ability to track all their online
purchases. The way it works is that users who opt in can allow Google to
scan Gmail receipts and then through partnerships with companies like
FedEx, Google gets the most up to date information on a package's
status. The competition is stiff.
It's
easy to see why Google wants in on the mobile payments market. According
to Gartner, the global market for mobile payments is forecast to be
about $720 billion worth of transactions by 2017. This is up from about
$235 billion last year.
But earning cash from these transactions
isn't the only reason that Google sees opportunity in this business.
Mobile payments is also simply another vehicle to drive users to other
Google services, such as search and advertising.
"We are in the
payment business to create a great user experience," Bardin said.
"That's a little different from others in this industry. Making money
will come later."
Google isn't the only Internet company that sees
potential in this market. Apple has also hinted it wants a piece of the
action. The introduction of the Touch ID fingerprint sensor on its iPhone 5S last year could pave the way for secure payment transactions. In January, Apple CEO Tim Cook said his company is "intrigued" with mobile payments. He added that such uses were one of the driving factors behind the introduction of Touch ID. There
are also several other potential competitors, such as PayPal and
Amazon. The big phone companies, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile have a
joint venture called Isis that is also going after this market. And then
there are the many startups wanting in on the mobile payments craze,
such as Square, which allows anyone with an iPhone, iPad
or Android device to take credit card payments. (The latest rumor is
that Google and Apple have each talked to Square about possible
acquisitions, according to the news site Re/Code. Bardin did not address the rumors today. And neither Google nor Apple are commenting on the speculation.) In
spite of its struggles to make Google Wallet a success, many in the
payments industry believe that Google is still a major contender in the
market. And he said that Google and Apple will ultimately be the
companies to beat in the mobile payments market. "Google has the
money to make a bad mistake and still recover from it," Kenneth Douglas,
vice president of business partnership development for a Swedish mobile
payment called Seqr, said Tuesday during a panel at the Transact 2014
show. "Google and Apple own the most valuable real estate in mobile
payments."
Along with the price
and launch predictions, Kuo believes the rumored iWatch will come in two
sizes -- both a 1.3-inch and 1.5-inch display. The display is said to
be flexible AMOLED with sapphire cover, which means the screen may be
curved to mimic the shape of a user's wrist. Additionally, Kuo forecasts
the wearable to carry a 200 to 250mAh cell battery that should power it
for at least one day, which is longer than average for many
smartwatches.
iTunes Radio revamp coming?Apple
is considering a "dramatic overhaul" of its iTunes music store in the
face of iTunes Radio's inability to reverse declining music downloads,
according to Billboard.
The
music service, which launched last September, is only enticing 1
percent to 2 percent of its listeners to click on the buy button, music
label executives told the entertainment newspaper. Overall, music
downloads have reportedly declined about 15 percent.
That
situation has forced Apple executives to consider options for a revamp,
the newspaper reports, including creation of an on-demand streaming
music service that would compete with Spotify and Beats music. Apple is
reportedly in "exploratory talks" with senior executives at record
labels about such a service.
A retooling of the service would be
in line with other strategy shifts reportedly in the offing at Apple.
The company is said to be testing its music service as a standalone app for the next version of iOS.
A recent survey suggests that iTunes
Radio has been gaining traction with listeners. Last month, the music
service placed third among people in the US who listen to streaming
music services in a recent survey.
CNET has contacted Apple for comment and will update this report when we learn more.
Apple stock was up 1.31 percent Tuesday, or $6.88 to $530.32.
Expect a redesigned 12-inch MacBook, an iPad Air 2, and a 5.5-inch phablet, according to an oft-cited purveyor of Apple rumors.
Among
the reams of data from KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo released
Wednesday, are more detailed predictions of upcoming devices.
Here's an overview of the stack of predictions Kuo cited in his report, according to MacRumors. iPad Air 2: The
second-gen iPad Air will pack an Apple A8 processor and Touch ID (aka,
fingerprint recognition). Kuo believes the Air 2 will launch earlier
this year than last year's launch of the first-gen Air, premiered in
November.
Little is known about the A8 processor, but it would
be logical to expect that Apple will take its "desktop-class" 64-bit
computing strategy to the next level with the A8. A report this week
from JP Morgan said the A8 processor may surpass Intel's power-efficient Core i5 processors in performance. iPad Mini Retina: The
iPad Mini Retina will be slimmed down a bit, to the same size and
weight as the original iPad Mini. The Mini Retina has seen slow sales,
which Kuo attributes to the fact that it is slightly larger and heavier
than the first-gen Mini because of the Retina display. (Note that price
likely has something to do with slow sales too, as the entry Retina
model was priced at $399 versus the first-gen Mini's $329.) 12.9-inch iPad: A
large iPad will be targeted at entertainment and productivity (aka,
professionals). Kuo repeated an earlier assertion that the product
likely won't make it to the market until next year.
Separately,
Asia-based reports and analysts have speculated that the so-called "iPad
Pro" could be a hybrid of sorts that includes an Apple-designed
keyboard. 12-inch MacBook: This is the long-awaited Retina version of the MacBook Air,
according to Kuo. "We expect the unprecedented 12 [inch] model will
boast both the portability of the 11 [inch] model, and productivity of
the 13 [inch] model. The high resolution display will also offer the
outstanding visual experience of the Retina MacBook Pro. The offering
will likely be lighter and slimmer than the existing MacBook Air to
further highlight ease of portability in the cloud computing era," Kuo
writes. This isn't expected until late 2014. iPhone 6/phablet: There
certainly has not been a dearth of iPhone 6 rumors, so this part of the
Kuo's report was probably the least revelatory. He essentially
repeated rumors of 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones while offering a few
additional details.
The 5.5-inch model may be positioned as a
phablet, according to the analyst. It will come out "later in the
holiday quarter" and may eat into sales of the iPad Mini. The 5.5-inch
model will pack a big battery with "50% to 70% more watt-hours" than the
5S.
The 4.7-inch model will be the most popular, Kuo claims, with full-year shipments hitting about 60 million units.
Expected
screen resolutions for the two devices: Kuo expects the 4.7-inch model
to come with a 1,334x750 resolution Retina display (326 pixels per
inch), while the 5.5-inch model will boast 1,920x1,080 resolution (401
pixels per inch). So, both phones will have the same aspect ratio as the
iPhone 5/5S, meaning apps will not need to be redesigned.
Twitter's new look courtesy of the First Lady's page.
Twitter
Twitter is overhauling its familiar look in an effort to better show off you and your tweets.Available
as of Tuesday to a small group of Twitter users, the revamp places you
and your Twitter stats right at the top of the page. You can now display
a larger profile photo and customize your header. At the top of your
page, you'll see the number of tweets posted, the number of
photos/videos posted, the number of people you follow, and the number
who follow you.
Further, you can highlight one of your own tweets
by pinning it to the top of your profile page. More popular tweets will
appear larger so they stand out more. And you can filter the tweets
posted by other people by opting to see only tweets, tweets with photos
or videos, or tweets and their replies.
In some aspects, Twitter's
new look borrows a page from Facebook by displaying a huge photo at the
top and and key information right below.
The new layout does
represent a dramatic change for the familiar Web site. But change is not
something users typically welcome with open arms. So the redesign is
likely to trigger complaints from many Twitter users who are accustomed
to the familiar look.
People who join Twitter will see the new layout, while existing Twitter users will receive it over the coming weeks, according to a Twitter blog post on Tuesday.
Twitter shares are trading at $43.41 in premarket trading, up 2.26 percent.
Apple was awared 46 new patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office
on Tuesday. One stands out as a compelling, albeit outdated, idea.
Apple
last year filed for a patent on push-to-talk technology, similar to
what Nextel offered before being swallowed up by Sprint and subsequently
shuttered. The patent, which was awarded on Tuesday, describes a method
by which a device owner presses the corresponding button to initiate
the conversation. That data is then transmitted over a cellular or
standard broadband network, hits a push-to-talk server, and reaches its
destination. The feature describes a walkie-talkie-like experience
without any limit on distance.
Push-to-talk was once all the rage
in the mobile world when Nextel brought it to the US as an alternative
to standard calling. After Sprint acquired Nextel, however, the
technology was on the downswing, due in part to device design
constraints and the fact that it ran on a separate technology,
essentially doubling Sprint's costs on cell towers. Before too long,
push-t0-talk was scuttled.
That Apple is now at the very least
thinking about push-to-talk is interesting, if nothing else. But as with
every other major company, Apple files for patents all the time, and
many of those technologies never find their way into products. Adding
push-to-talk to one of its devices, however, could help Apple's iPhones
(or even iPads) stand out in the marketplace.
Last year, AT&T launched an iPhone app that allowed iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S
users engage in conversations in a walkie-talkie-like fashion with its
Enhanced Push-to-Talk technology. The app supported walkie-talkie
communication for up to 250 people at the same time.
In addition
to winning the push-to-talk patent, Apple was awarded intellectual
property on slide-to-unlock functionality, location-based services, and
managing digital content, among other features.
CNET has contacted Apple for comment on its newly granted patents. We will update this story when we have more information.
