Some carriers' stores are unable to sell BlackBerry devices
RIM's BlackBerry line isn't seeing the same shelf space that it used to in carriers' retail stores, according to an analyst.
Worse, some of these locations are unable to sell a single Blackberry in a 30-day stretch.
"In terms of sell-through, we believe that current run rates are roughly one-fifth of those we saw in the United States just eight months ago," Pacific Crest analyst James Faucette told AllThingsD.
"Further, we found a meaningful number of carrier retail locations which had not sold a single BlackBerry in over a month."
This trend stands in contrast to what both RIM and carriers have recently said about 2013-bound BlackBerry 10 devices.
The vote of confidence from McAdam is a good sign, as is the commitment from another Verizon executive who said that the company will launch BlackBerry 10 devices next year.
TechRadar reached out to a RIM spokesperson who remained optimistic about next year's BB10 launch:
"We remain focused on the successful launch of BlackBerry 10, scheduled for the first quarter of calendar 2013, and believe the delivery of high quality, fully-featured BlackBerry 10 smartphones will be an attractive offering to our customers."
But with studies that indicate current BlackBerry devices account for just 1% of mobile traffic (down 25% over a year), RIM may have a difficult time recapturing that shelf space in retail locations.
It's not only Apple that's gearing up for the unveiling of the iPhone 5. It appears Samsung is too, as reports suggest the Korean company is currently filming a new anti-Apple ad likely targeting the new handset (and its fans).
Despite being clobbered in the courts by Apple to the tune of a billion bucks recently, Samsung appears to have retained its sense of humor, with a report on Tuesday suggesting the Korean tech giant is currently filming another of its TV ads poking fun at devotees of the Cupertino-based company.
The latest ad, being shot in Los Angeles, looks to be along the same lines as previous Samsung productions, reports The Verge, featuring a store with more than a passing resemblance to an Apple Store, complete with Apple-style signage (showing slogans like “join the crowd”), cardboard cut-outs of smiling ‘Apple Geniuses’ and mock-ups of various Apple products.
Earlier ads, one of which you can catch below, have shown hordes of people waiting in line for the doors of an Apple-style store to open so they can get their hands on the tech company’s refreshed phone. “If it looks the same, how will people know I upgraded?” asks one worried person in the line. Next they take an interest in someone walking by using a nifty-looking handset. They seem to like it, until they discover it’s made by Samsung. “I could never get a Samsung, I’m creative,” says one guy. “Dude, you’re a barista,” his friend tells him. The pay-off line? “The next big thing is already here.” We can expect more of the same in the new ad.
The Korean company is using its anti-Apple ads as part of an ongoing strategy to dampen down consumer enthusiasm for the iPhone. In fact, a study conducted following the airing last year of one of Samsung’s anti-Apple ads appeared to show that they were indeed having a damaging effect on consumer perception of Apple’s iPhone 4S. No wonder the company’s filming another one.
Last month the iPhone’s main competitor, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 smartphone, outsold the iPhone 4S for the first time ever, though admittedly this may have been in part down to Apple fans holding out for the soon-to-launch iPhone 5.
With Apple just hours away from unveiling the next iteration of its popular handset, we can expect to see the Korean tech company’s latest pop at Apple coming to our screens in the very near future.
It seems like augmented reality has been tipped to take off for a few years now, so where is it? Why aren’t we using it in our daily lives?
Augmented reality or AR has been around for years. Back in 2009 we were talking about AR’s potential impact on our lives. The idea of overlaying information on your view of the real world is familiar to everyone. Thanks to sci-fi movies like the Terminator series, we all have a pretty good idea of how useful it could be. The convergence of cameras, location awareness, and apps in our modern smartphones made AR really accessible for the first time. If you care to look, there are a lot of AR apps in Google Play and the App Store. So why isn’t anybody using them?
Existing AR apps
Options like Wikitude and Layar allow you to view the world through your camera viewfinder and see information about various things. You can see local restaurants or hotels; you can find further information on landmarks; and you can check property for sale. The potential applications go on and on. Layar alone has over 3,000 different layers to choose from, depending on what you want to see.
Here’s an augmented reality app roundup we did back in 2010. These apps all had genuine potential and some of them have achieved a fairly high number of downloads, but widespread adoption is still a distant goal. What has been holding it back?
In short: AR apps are only as good as the information they draw on. User created overlays and apps that rely on people to enter details rarely offer comprehensive coverage of an area. Information can also become dated quite quickly, so frequent updates are required. Cities are generally far better served by AR apps than rural areas or towns. It also has to be said that many of the AR apps available right now have ugly interfaces. Overall, the experience with many existing AR apps can leave you feeling underwhelmed.
Nokia’s lens to the city
Nokia unveiled the Lumia 920 this week and showed off its City Lens for Windows Phone 8, which is basically a navigation overlay that looks a lot like Wikitude and Layar. During the City Lens demo Kevin Shields, Senior Vice President of Nokia, held it up to show off the names of nearby restaurants popping up and then said if you were out on the street “you would actually be able to see those labels on those restaurants”. It was tough not to think “you mean like signs?” but it would be churlish to ignore the potential here. You could see restaurants that were a few blocks away and of course you’d see the names but you can also access further information, reviews, photographs, and contact details to make a booking.
City Lens is not a new concept, but we expect Nokia to execute better than many of the existing apps and create a more compelling experience. If it works smoothly enough, it could help AR to break into the mainstream.
Beyond smartphones, there is Glass
Maybe our early smartphones didn’t have enough power to achieve the kind of augmented reality apps that people want. Perhaps a vast improvement in the power of our smartphones and the speed of our mobile networks will give AR the kick start it needs. In early 2011, we did a piece on 5 awesome ways augmented reality could improve your life. The potential applications are fantastic. Even beyond the obvious improvement in navigation, there is much to consider, from interactive games with a real world backdrop, to bringing static pages or posters to life, to creating interactive instructions, or even trying on virtual clothes.
It’s been a year since we wrote that article, but mainstream AR is still an elusive dream. We shouldn’t lose hope, however. Now that high-speed 4G LTE service is becoming more common and our smartphones have bigger batteries, perhaps the AR experiences we dream of are may yet become reality.
According to a recent report from Juniper Research, “over 2.5 billion mobile augmented reality (AR) apps will be downloaded to smartphones and tablets per annum” by 2017. The steady climb toward that goal starts now, but it may not be our smartphones and tablets that really drive it.
But maybe smartphones won’t make augmented reality popular.
The driving force that really catapults AR into the mainstream could be entirely new devices.
Will AR be a good thing?
We are pretty sure that AR is coming — it just lacks the right vehicle right now — but will it be a good thing when we can augment reality? There could be some less-than-wholesome uses of Google’s AR glasses, from virtual violence to porn overlays and graffiti, but then you could say that about almost all of our new technology. Every time there’s a leap forward, there’s always a way to abuse it, but that obviously doesn’t negate all the good it could bring.
AR seems like the best kind of technology, in the sense that it should make our lives easier. It should make our lives richer and more interesting. It should augment our reality, but then man-made augmentations to our lives don’t have the best track record. The short film Sight shows up the potential perils of augmented reality beautifully.
Time to try it out for yourself
Whether you just want to have a bit of fun with augmented reality and check out something like this Chest Burster app, which allows you to watch a hungry wee Xenomorph burst out of your friend’s chest, or you’d rather find something with a practical use, there are some seriously awesome augmented reality apps already out there. Why not give it a try for yourself? Just make sure to come back and tell us what you think. If you’ve got any good AR app recommendations, post a comment and share them.
Travel app WeHostels has all the app finesse of Airbnb without the high prices. The startup officially launches to target the last-minute backpacking crowd.
Today WeHostels is announcing its public launch, pivoting from its beginnings as Inbed.me. The currently mobile-only app is targeting the space between CouchSurfing and Airbnb — the world of cheap hotel and hostel bookings. The startup is still riding its $1.2 million raised this past spring, and silently added 30,000 downloads in the past three weeks.
Before the WeHostels mobile app, the service existed as Web client Inbed.me – but surprise, we users all have our minds in the gutter and interpreted the name in the most inappropriate way possible. Though there’s been a name change, the concept more or less remains the same: Connect to Facebook and find last-minute affordable last-minute accommodations on-the-go. It’s not all utility, however, and the social link gives you options to connect with other guests so you can, as WeHostels puts it, make friends en route before you even get to your destination.
Of course, the other big switch-up would be that fact that WeHostels is entirely ditching the desktop in favor of a mobile-approach. According to the team, it was a pure logistics decision when they saw traffic from smartphones growing 10 times faster than their Web app.
“We decided to focus only in mobile because it’s a fascinating new arena that requires a very unique set of skills in terms of product design and distribution,” says co-founder Diego Saez-Gil. “By focusing only in mobile, we’re forcing ourselves to become experts on it, and therefore we can outperform any team in any big company working on it.”
Despite that focus, WeHostels sees beyond the smartphone. “In the future we plan to develop solutions for all devices and platforms – we will need to be ubiquitous,” Saez-Gil tells me. “But we prefer to start on the one platform where the new ways of interacting with the Web are happening.”
The fast and quiet growth that WeHostels experiencd over the last few weeks saw the userbase grow largely in the United States, with Europe coming in second, and from there travelers in South America and Australia getting on board with the network. The current version of WeHostels has 80 cities available, but new partnerships with Hostelworld and Expedia will hugely increase those options worldwide.
“We will keep growing in terms of cities and accommodations, and we will develop for other devices,” says Saez-Gil, who mentions that iPad and Android are up next. “In the longer future we consider expanding to other verticals in the travel space and becoming the one-stop-shop where young travelers plan and book their trips from mobile devices.”
Vodafone pulled a blog-post about the availability of nano-SIMs
Vodafone says it has 500,000 nano-SIM cards in stock and ready to be dished out to customers, on the eve of the iPhone 5 launch.
The network has stocked up on the new SIM standard, which is likely to make its debut in the new iPhone, which is all-but-certain to be announced in San Francisco on Tuesday evening.
Vodafone made the announcement in a post on its official blog, which Pocket-Lint points out has now been removed as nano-SIM-enabled devices are not yet available.
The post from Vodafone comes a week after T-Mobile Germany informed retail partners that the next-generation of SIM technology will be winging its way to them.
Handle with tweezers
"They're so slim and tiny you might only be able to handle them with tweezers - but imagine the extra space the new nano-SIM card frees up inside your handset," Voda's post read.
"The first devices have now been announced – and Vodafone has now got 500,000 of the new 12.3 mm x 8.8 mm nano-SIMs in stock."
The nano-SIMs, which became the new European standard after a legal battle involving Apple, Motorola, Nokia and RIM, are 40 per cent smaller than the micro-SIMs that live within the iPhone 4S.
We'd say there's a very good chance Vodafone will republish this post as soon as the iPhone 5 is announced in tomorrow evening.
With Apple prepared to release iOS 6 soon, YouTube has released a new and improved app for iPhones and iPod Touches.
Just one day before the official iPhone 5 and iOS 6 launch announcements, Google has rolled out its new and improved YouTube app for iPhone and iPod touch.
Whether or not you’re planning to upgrade to iOS 6 (though, really, why wouldn’t you?), the new YouTube iOS app is well worth the download. A compact version of what we already find on its desktop app, the new YouTube is superior to the existing iOS YouTube app — and is nearly identical to YouTube for Android, with a few tweaks
A left side panel that includes a channel guide, subscribed channels, and other video content can be accessed by swiping the left side of the the screen. Share functionality that integrates with iOS has been added, as has the ability to view comments while watching a video. Search has been updated with an auto-complete feature that will suggest similar videos as you type in your search query. And tens of thousands of official music videos, a significant change that indicates that YouTube has finally integrated ads onto the new iOS app.
YouTube has been a long-time partner with Apple, providing Google with real estate on all iOS devices for a native YouTube app that sat front and center on the front page of Apple’s mobile devices. When the licensing period ended and Apple decided to part ways, Google confirmed that YouTube would be absent from iOS 6 devices. Mobile usage of the YouTube app on iOS devices could dip slightly due to the lack of a pre-installed YouTube app on iOS devices. Currently, as much as 25 percent of total YouTube views come from its mobile apps, which equates to a whopping 1 billion daily mobile views.
While the change may be bad for Google, it seems like a win for users. YouTube’s native app was noticeably neglected by Apple. Under the terms of the partnership, Apple was responsible for designing the app in the first place based on YouTube guidelines. So the infrequent updates and outdated user interface were Apple’s fault, not Google’s.
While YouTube lost valuable real estate and Google scrambled to design a standalone iPhone app in preparation for the iOS 6 release, Google is finally free from Apple’s regulations, and we can expect regular updates Google develops a product that provides a superior user experience for its users.
For now, the app will be available for the iPhone and iPod touch only, but YouTube has confirmed that its team is working on an optimized version for the iPad, which will debut in a few months. The app was released internationally beginning today, and it can be downloaded here.
The UK's first 4G LTE network has been switched on by EE, the new name for Everything Everywhere, and will launch in the coming weeks.
After many months of planning and negotiation, today Everything Everywhere has announced that the UK’s first 4G LTE mobile network has been switched on, and that engineers are busily preparing it for the public, promising the launch will happen “in the coming weeks.”
Everything Everywhere is the joint venture created by the merger of mobile networks Orange and T-Mobile, but from now on it will now be known simply as EE, a re-branding of the company designed to stand alongside the pre-existing Orange and T-Mobile names.
Although customers of these networks will gain access to the 4G LTE network, EE will be the primary brand name behind it, and there are plans to open 700 EE stores through which to sell the service.
Initially, customers in London, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff will receive a 4G signal, with EE planning to expand to Edinburgh, Belfast, Derby, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield and Southampton by the end of the year. This will represent a third of the UK’s population and around 20 million people.
In 2013, coverage will reach 70-percent of the population and cover towns and rural areas, and EE has a goal of reaching 98-percent coverage by 2014.
Speeds and Phones.
EE’s press pack says its 4G network will offer download speeds of 8-12Mbps, with a claimed maximum of 40Mbps, while upload speeds will be 5-6Mbps and a maximum of 15Mbps.
As a comparison, a recent PCMag.com test of the USA’s 4G network saw Verizon come out on top, with an average download speed of 8.89Mbps and an upload of 6.46Mbps. Maximum speeds attained were 49.22Mbps and 17.24Mbps respectively.
EE’s 4G network has caused considerable controversy in the industry since the company announced its intentions back in February. Through the Orange/T-Mobile merger, the company amassed a large stock of the 1800Mhz spectrum — previously used for 2G connections — on which it decided to launch a 4G network.
Despite outrage from its competitors, the UK’s communication regulator, Ofcom, approved Everything Everywhere’s plan during the summer.
The complaints revolved around an inability for competing networks to counter the move, due to a lack of bandwidth in the required 1800Mhz spectrum, and the potential for customer confusion ahead of Ofcom’s own 4G spectrum auction. Fear over masses of lost revenue was, of course, the elephant in the room.
Despite this 12-month head start, Everything Everywhere will still be bidding for spectrum in Ofcom’s auction next year, but its plans regarding the operation of two 4G networks aren’t clear.
iPhone 5
The timing of EE’s announcement may indicate a desire to cash-in on tomorrow’s expected iPhone 5 launch. It’s almost certain the new iPhone will support various 4G LTE bands, and if it includes 1800Mhz, then EE will have the distinct advantage of being able to offer an incredibly desirable phone on its new network.
It’s not just the UK and EE that would benefit from an 1800Mhz-compatible iPhone 5 either, as a report by WirelessIntelligence.com says there are 27 other LTE networks in the world also using that bandwidth, and that “re-farming” of 2G bandwidth for 4G use will only become more popular.
Does EE know something we don’t about the iPhone 5’s radio, or is it a strategic gamble? If it pays off, EE will not only have the makings of an amazing advertising campaign with which to launch “4GEE” in the UK, but a potential winner on its hands too.
It's Nielsen's turn to post its report on the US smartphone market in the second quarter of this year. The numbers show that Android continues to dominate while iOS is a very solid second. The two platforms combine for a total of 86.2% of all smartphones in the States.
In the second quarter of the year, Android powered 51.9% of US smartphones, while 34.3% ran on Apple's proprietary iOS. RIM's faltering BlackBerry OS came a very distant third, taking 8% of the Stateside smartphone market .
The gaps are even more pronounced among recent acquirers. Of all the US citizens who bought a smartphone over the past three months, a whopping 58.6% chose Android and another 33.0% went for iOS. The trend is understandable, given that the iOS flagship - iPhone 4S was already nine-months old at the end of that quarter, while the Android-powered One X had just made it to the market.
Given that the Samsung Galaxy S III only made it to the US market in Q3 and the next iPhone is expected to debut at the very end of the quarter, we expect the two leading platforms to expand their market shares even further by the time the next report rolls around.
As you see from the graph, the BlackBerry sales were down to 2.7%, while all other platforms, including Microsoft's Windows Phone managed a combined 5.8%. We don't expect Windows Phone to make a significant impact before the holiday season, as we are still waiting for the new WP8 devices to launch.
Carriers over at the US are tripping over themselves to brag about their 4G LTE networks, but adoption across the pond has been limited. Things are changing though - Everything Everywhere is rebranding itself EE and will be rolling out the first 4G LTE in the UK.
The service, called "4GEE", will cover a third of the population by the end of this year. As you would expect, that means covering the big cities - Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Newcastle, Sheffield and Southampton.
4GEE will be available to phones and laptops. Five LTE-enabled phones will be available initially - the Samsung Galaxy S III LTE, the new Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820, the HTC One XL and the Huawei Ascend P1 LTE.
Huawei will also be providing a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot and a USB stick.
EE has plans to roll out fiber broadband to homes and promises lower prices if you get both fiber broadband and 4GEE.
The T-Mobile and Orange brands won't disappear - their stores will remain intact, but you'll have to go with EE if you want 4G.
Everything Everywhere has revealed the specs for the phones to have 4G connectivity, and one just happened to be the Samsung Galaxy S3 with Jelly Bean inside.
Everything Everywhere is bringing 4G to the UK under the new banner of EE and at the launch in London today it revealed the phones that will come with 4G connectivity.
One of those phones is the Samsung Galaxy S3 and according to EE's spec sheet, the 4G iteration of the handset will come packing Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
Handling the Jelly
The specifications reveal that EE will offer the S3 in an exclusive Titanium Grey and it will come with Android 4.1.
Do not fear if you already have a Samsung Galaxy S3, though, as a reader has tipped us off that he has received the update and it is currently downloading 60MB of content on to his phone.
He has an international Galaxy S3 and is Germany, but at least it means that downloads are on their way.
Everything Everywhere has announced the UK's first 4G network today, ushering in a new era in mobile browsing and data on the go.
At a special event held at the Science Museum in London, with TechRadar in attendance, the Orange and T-Mobile partnership officially unveiled its 4G network under the new brand of EE.
EE will stand alongside the 3G networks of Orange and T-Mobile, with the aim of supplying customers with super-fast 4G and fibre broadband.
Simpler and faster
EE CEO Olaf Swantee said: "Today is the day we share our plans to build a new digital communication service for the UK – 4G".
EE's 4G network will launch in a few weeks, so you'll be able to surf the super-fast network in time for Christmas.
Everything Everywhere has already created a Twitter account for EE, where it is revealing more information about the new 4G service - including what areas will be covered and what devices will be 4G ready.
According to EE, the first places to get 4G connectivity will be: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Newcastle, Sheffield and Southampton.
All of these towns will have 4G by Christmas - today London, Cardiff, Birmingham and Bristol are being used for engineering testing.
EE will be hoping to offer 70 per cent of of the population 4G by Christmas 2012, with 98 per cent 4G coverage to the UK by 2014.
The devices to get 4G are: the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820, Samsung Galaxy S3 (4G version) and the Huawei Ascend P1. There will be two Huawei dongles available as well for laptops and PCs.
EE also hinted more devices to some, with Swantee saying: "We'll be offering handsets from Samsung, HTC and Huawei and... one more thing... other firms soon."
According to new data from research firm Nielsen, smartphone ownership is growing fastest among those between 13 and 17 years of age, with more than half now owning such a device.
New research from Nielsen shows that 58 percent of 13 to 17 year olds living in the US now own a smartphone, a significant jump from 36 percent 12 months ago. Ownership is most prevalent, however, among those aged 25 to 34, standing at 74 percent, up from 59 percent a year ago.
As of July 2012, 55.5 percent of all mobile subscribers based in the US own a smartphone, Nielsen said. This marks an increase of 14.5 percent on a year earlier.
With teens clearly the fastest-growing group in smartphone take-up – and with plenty of growth still possible – we can expect to see mobile makers taking an even keener interest in the sector with marketing campaigns designed to win over the young consumers.
Among the various mobile operating systems, Android is still the market leader, with 51.9 percent of all US-based smartphone owners using an Android-powered device as of July 2012. When the figures are broken down to see who bought what during the last three months to July, the figure for Android is even higher – 58.6 percent.
Worryingly for Research In Motion, Android’s recent growth appears to have been at the expense of its BlackBerry devices. According to Nielsen’s research, BlackBerry smartphone ownership now stands at just 8 percent of all US-based smartphone owners, with the figure dropping to just 2.7 percent for those who purchased a smartphone in the last three months. The grim figures highlight the enormity of RIM’s task of rejuvenating its business with the launch of its next-generation OS, BlackBerry 10, although this won’t be happening until at least early 2013.
Of smartphone purchases made in the last three months, 58.6 percent opted for an Android-powered device, while 33 percent went for the iPhone. The figures for Apple’s iOS device may have been skewed by the fact that many of those keen on getting an iPhone are choosing to wait until the launch of the new model, expected to be unveiled by Tim Cook on Wednesday.
In its research, Nielsen questioned more than 20,000 US-based mobile subscribers aged 13 and over.
