Japanese court fines Apple ¥330 million in click wheel patent case
Apple is ordered to pay ¥330 million ($3.3 million) to Japanese inventor Norihiko Saito after a court ruling.
The case refers to the click wheel controller used on iPod Classics since 2004. The court heard that Mr Saito's company held a patent for the technology dating back to 1998.
Twitter Alerts delivers the information you need in emergencies
Twitter announces details of its new Twitter Alerts service which will make it possible to disseminate information when other methods fail or when large groups of people need to be notified about something. What does this mean? In times of national emergency, crisis or natural disaster, Twitter Alerts could be used to provide details about what is happening and what steps are being taken by authorities.
In times of emergency, it is very common for people to turn to the internet. But as we know all too well, the internet is home to a wealth of misinformation so this could end up to be less helpful than it should be. A number of international organizations have already signed up to be part of Twitter Alerts including the American Red Cross, FEMA, the World Health Organization, and various police and fire departments. Other interested organizations are invited to take part.
Using Mailbox for iOS? There's a JavaScript security hole to beware of
A potentially serious security flaw in iOS email app Mailbox is being investigated. Michael Spagnuolo, an Italian computer engineer writes about discovering that the app automatically executes any JavaScript that might be embedded in the body of an email.
Michael has recorded a video demonstrating a few proofs of concept which leaves iPad and iPhone users open to potential attack. His example scenarios are purposefully harmless -- he has opted to show how opening an email could lead to an app being opened without permission or instigate a tweet or SMS (although it is not sent without confirmation) -- but the security hole is going to make many users feel uneasy.
Windows Phone is the least usable mobile OS in the world
The release of iOS 7 seems like as good a time as any to reassess the mobile operating system market, and this is precisely the thinking of Pfeiffer Consulting. The firm pitted Android, Blackberry 10, iOS 7, iOS 6 and Windows Phone 8 head to head (to head to head to head), comparing the aspects of the OS that have direct impact on user experience. Rated in four key areas, Windows Phone 8 came bottom of the list in terms of overall usability.
The results are quite damning. Looking at what the report terms "cognitive load" (how easy it is to pick up the OS), Windows Phone 8 actually fared well, receiving the same rating as iOS 7 and being praised for its "streamlined user interface". However the OS is criticized for reducing the overall user experience and efficiency.
RealNetworks simplifies video sharing with RealPlayer Cloud
Now here's a blast from the past. RealNetworks (remember it?) is launching RealPlayer Cloud, a new service that aims to make it easier than ever to share videos between devices and across platforms. The service has been developed to help avoid the need to transfer videos from one device to another or upload them to an online storage repository ready to download elsewhere.
The idea is that users do not have to worry about the platform videos will be viewed on, or the format they are saved in. There are a huge number of video codecs in use, so the appeal of something that helps to overcome compatibility issues is understandable. There are plenty of services that already make it possible to stream video wirelessly from a PC to an iPad or other device. This is nothing new, nor is the ability to pick up from where you left off watching when you switch devices.
Twitter updates @MagicRecs recommendation system for mobile users
Twitter is in the process of rolling out a new notification system designed to help users find interesting people to follow. It is not an entirely new system -- the micro blogging site is basing the feature on its @MagicRecs account, which started off as an experiment earlier in the year, making "magic recommendations" about who Twitter users might like to follow.
@MagicRecs monitors the activity of the people you follow and people in your network and sends out direct messages letting you know when several people you are connected to follow a particular user. The thinking is that if two or more people are interested in following someone else, there's a high chance that you will be too. In a blog post, Senior Software Engineer, Venu Satulur explains how the recommendation system has been tweaked and updated.
Microsoft's Surface 2 lineup can win you over, but it won't
If we are to believe all the comments posted on the Interwebs by Microsoft fanboys, then the Surface lineup should have delivered two of the most popular tablets on the market and Apple and Android OEMs should have gone out of business by now. But, once reality sets in and we overlook the silly one-sided comments, people just don't care enough about Microsoft's slates -- the 4.5 percent Windows market share, from IDC's Q2 2013 report, coupled with the $0.9 billion write-off speak for themselves.
Now there's a second-generation Surface lineup which was unveiled yesterday, comprised of Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, that quietly wants to change people's perception about Windows-based slates and their preference towards Android tablets and iPads. On paper, the new Surfaces look great. Microsoft appears to have gotten the hint -- more power, more battery life, more versatile kickstand, more accessories. The new Surface lineup is simply "more" than its predecessor. Yet I don't think many people will notice that and rush to pre-order now or buy on sales day.
Apple's iPhone 5s failure
If a prominent analyst's sales estimates are correct, Apple hit, at best, a single rather than homer launching iPhone 5s and 5c. Yesterday, the company announced first-weekend sales of 9 million, which compares to 5 million for iPhone 5 a year earlier. But today, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster tells Bloomberg:
"When I saw that 9-million number, I basically fell out of my chair. But you have to put that 9 million in context here". Apple's so-called sales includes "channel fill of the 5c". Based on that, the real number of total new iPhone sales was "closer to five-and-a-half million". I cannot overstate what the number really means for the launch.
Apple updates iMac range with four new models
We're delighting in iOS 7 (mostly) and enjoying our new iPhones. Thanks Apple! As if this wasn’t enough, there are now new updated iMacs coming out from the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant. All told, there are four new models: two 21.5-inch and two 27-inch variants, with entry-level and high-end versions of each to choose from.
All four iMacs feature updated quad-core Intel Core i5 processors, and graphics and Wi-Fi have also been enhanced. With support for next generation 802.11ac, wireless performance is improved by up to three times. There's also support for faster PCIe-based flash storage, with a claimed speed boost of 50 percent. Graphics performance has been improved across the board with new chips from Intel and NVIDIA to be found throughout the range. No sign of Mavericks yet; the new iMacs are supplied with Mountain Lion.
9 million iPhone sales is good, not great
First-weekend iPhone sales look good at first glance, and they're surely nothing to snicker at. But the numbers are not as big as they might seem. A year ago, iPhone 5 racked up 5 million sales, which compares to 9 million combined for successor 5s and the new 5c. Five is more than nine right?
But the math isn't so simple. The 9-million figure should stand on its own, and not -- as many blogs and news sites state today -- suggest sales surge. Don't be fooled by Apple marketing. What's good isn't great.
Moto X bests iPhone 5s, 5c and Galaxy S4 in breakability test
Smartphone reviews today usually revolve around specs, benchmarks and feature comparisons, with little emphasis being placed on long-term usage scenarios. As a result, it is difficult for consumers to figure out which handsets they should buy knowing that their new purchase is likely to get into a couple (or more) accidents down the road.
According to a new breakability test, conducted by insurance company SquareTrade, if you are looking for the most durable new smartphone available on the market then you should get the Motorola Moto X. The handset surpassed the Apple iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and Samsung Galaxy S4 in a series of tests which involved a five-foot drop, sliding the devices on a slippery table and submerging them in shallow water.
Apple breaks its sales record, sells 9 million iPhone 5s and 5c models in opening weekend
With queues stretching around Apple stores and talk about stock sell-outs dominating the tech news, it comes as no surprise that the iPhone 5s and 5c enjoyed brisk sales this launch weekend. The only question was exactly how many units the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant would shift of its new devices.
While Apple predictably doesn’t break the number down into 5s and 5c sales, we now know thanks to an official announcement that combined the devices sold some 9 million units worldwide in the three days since they launched on 20 September. This beats the previous record for first weekend iPhone sales, which was 5 million for the iPhone 5 last year.
iPhone 5s comfortably outselling the plastic bodied 5c
Despite being the cheaper -- or rather more affordable -- of the two new iPhones, and available in a choice of bright pastel colors, the iPhone 5c was always going to struggle to win the hearts and minds of the Apple faithful, especially with the iPhone 5s grabbing most of the attention with its own new colors, 64-bit processor and fingerprint scanner.
So it should come as no surprise that the plastic 5c is currently getting trounced in the sales department by its metallic sibling, although both appear to be selling very well.
iPhone 5s Touch ID bypassed with a fake fingerprint
Just days after the launch of Apple's iPhone 5s, German security and privacy group Chaos Computer Club, claims to have found a way to bypass the Touch ID fingerprint reader. The group says that this demonstrates that "fingerprint biometrics is unsuitable as an access control method" but the "hack" is longwinded enough to mean that it is unlikely to be of concern to most people.
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) goes as far as explaining precisely how it managed to bypass Touch ID using a fake fingerprint fabricated from a photo of a print.
The most popular stories on BetaNews this past week -- September 15-21
Apple stole the limelight from just about everyone else this week. The big news was, of course, the release of the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s. Just about as soon as online orders opened up, delays in shipping started to lengthen; Joe was somewhat skeptical about the limited supplies.
Before the new hardware hit the stores, iOS 7 was released to mixed reviews -- I hated it, Wayne loved it. A couple of security holes were found in the operating system including one that allowed for Siri to be used to post messages and access phone details even on locked handsets. There was also a new iOS 7 inspired look for iCloud and the addition of a bookmark syncing option.
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