How a top Microsoft rival could make 2014 the year of Windows Phone

While we've been laser-focused on Samsung's split from Android, another major electronics company has purportedly been exploring other options as well. The Information reports that Sony is currently in talks with Microsoft to release a Windows Phone of its own as early as next year, breaking a four-year streak of Android exclusivity and pairing up two long-time rivals in the gaming console market. The sources say that Sony has already shared designs for a Windows Phone prototype with Microsoft, and also that any products released under the partnership would be branded as Sony Viao devices. The two companies have yet to finalize any plans, so roadblocks could undoubtedly arise, but if Microsoft can expand its mobile OS as far as Sony's lineup, the platform might finally stand a fighting chance against Android and iOS.

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Posted in 2013 at 07:00PM, December 31

What’s really behind Amazon’s delivery drone trial balloon

Let's face it: The chances that the federal government will let Amazon fly delivery drones around in densely populated areas by the end of 2015 are basically slim to none. So why did Amazon bother putting on a big show about its delivery drones for CBS's 60 Minutes earlier this week? Wired's Marcus Wohlsen and Forbes contributor Will Burns each suggest two plausible explanations that make Amazon look either very cynical or merely somewhat cynical.



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Posted in 2013 at 07:00PM, December 03

Steam takes the fight to Xbox One, PS4 with big Black Friday discounts

Steam on Wednesday published its Black Friday and Cyber Monday game deals part of the Autumn Sale 2013 promotion that takes place from November 27th to December 3rd. The company will offer different deals each day combined with flash sales that last only eight hours each. Discounts range from 50% to 80% for the first new daily deals, while flash sales have discounts between 33% and 80%.



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Posted in 2013 at 07:00PM, November 28

Samsung execs to discuss ‘crisis awareness’ at huge company meeting

Samsung’s management team is meeting from December 17th through the 20th to discuss its plans for the next year, and one of the main topics is “crisis awareness,” ZDNet reported. It is not clear if Samsung has a specific crisis in mind — perhaps the slowing sales of its high-end smartphones — or whether the company is just making an effort to ensure that it is prepared. On the whole, Samsung is doing very well right now. Apple and Samsung are the only two companies that have been able to profitably sell smartphones, combining to make 109% of the mobile industry's profit last quarter, while all other companies are losing money or breaking even. But crisis always looms. Samsung’s foray into smartwatches hasn't been well received, though Samsung did manage to sell 800,000 Galaxy Gear units into distribution channels. It's still not clear if consumers are buying them, however. Beyond that, it was ruled last week that Samsung will have to pay Apple $290 million in addition to the $600 million it already owes Apple for infringing on its patents, so the crisis awareness portion of next month's meetings could certainly pertain to ongoing patent battles.

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Posted in 2013 at 07:00PM, November 27

Here’s why Apple’s Retina iPad mini launch was so surprisingly quiet

Apple surprised anxious fans around the world earlier this week when it quietly launched its new second-generation iPad mini tablet in the middle of the night with no warning. Those who had been eagerly awaiting the new high-definition mini slate scrambled to place their orders as soon as they woke up and read the news — and therein lies Apple's logic in debuting the new Retina iPad mini so quietly. According to Internet Marketer Ed Dale, this was a carefully calculated move on Apple's part, and a smart one as well.



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Posted in 2013 at 07:00PM, November 15

Windows Phone is surging at BlackBerry’s expense

It's taken a while but Microsoft's Windows Phone finally looks like it's ready to become a major player in the mobile market. The latest numbers from IDC show that Windows Phone shipments surged from 3.7 million in the third quarter of 2012 to 9.5 million in the third quarter of 2013, a year-over-year growth rate of 156%.



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Posted in 2013 at 07:00PM, November 12

iOS 7 may not be the smash hit Apple expected

There's no doubt that a lot of Apple users have upgraded their smartphones and tablets to iOS 7 so far but there may be a sizable portion of the company's user base holding out. MillennialMedia has noticed that adoption of iOS 7 seems to have lagged behind where adoption for iOS 6 was one week after its release. Specifically, MillennialMedia has found that "while the 185% daily growth for iOS 7 was impressive, we looked back at the first week of growth for iOS 6 and saw that it grew an average of 264% daily." The firm speculates that the major changes that Apple made with iOS 7 may have spooked some users who would have otherwise rushed to upgrade their devices, although it admits it has no firm data to back this up.

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Posted in 2013 at 07:00PM, October 18