Technology News: Handheld Devices

Jobs' Quiet Comeback, Mini's Big BOM and Maine's Massive MacBook Splurge

Thursday - July 2, 2009

After the raging blog activity surrounding the launch of iPhone OS 3.0 and the new iPhone 3GS, the Apple-focused blogosphere has finally slowed down to catch its collective breath. Still, there's plenty to talk about, like Michael Jackson music sales going through the roof on iTunes, CEO Steve Jobs returning to Apple's Cupertino campus, the Mac mini's relatively high build cost, and MacBooks selling like text books in Maine. "Michael Jackson is likely make more money in death than he ever did in life -- the Elvis effect," writes Cult of Mac blogger Leander Kahney. [More...]

Is Dell Building an Android PDA?

Wednesday - July 1, 2009

Here's one of the many questions facing device makers targeting the mini notebook and netbook markets: When business users or consumers want to access the Web on the go, will they be willing to set aside a smartphone or cellphone and instead log on using a next-generation PDA? Dell may be wagering the answer is yes. [More...]

Jobs Is Back, Apple's Still Standing, Life Goes On

Wednesday - July 1, 2009

After all the excitement about Steve Jobs' health, the market reaction to news that the Apple CEO had returned to work appeared muted. Apple shares closed at $142.43 at close of trading Tuesday, 46 cents up from the previous day's close. They were actually down from Monday's open of just under $144. [More...]

On the Road to 4G

Wednesday - July 1, 2009

Though most major U.S. wireless carriers today tout the ubiquity of their third-generation, or 3G, wireless networks, they are simultaneously planning for the future, pushing the development of fourth-generation networks that they hope we'll all be using in a matter of years. [More...]

You, Palm Pre, Are No iPhone

Tuesday - June 30, 2009

Palm's new smartphone, the Pre, is off to a rolling good start and has plenty of room to grow, but it isn't likely to emerge as a solo iPhone killer, said ABI Research analyst Michael Morgan. His assessment comes amid widely reported news accounts of a note from Charter Equity Research estimating sales of the Pre approaching 400,000 in the month since it launched on the Sprint network. [More...]

iPhone OS 3.0: The Delight Is in the Details

Tuesday - June 30, 2009

As most iPhone owners already know, the iPhone rocks. More importantly, what makes it come alive isn't so much the svelte touchscreen form factor but the software. The great thing about the iPhone is Apple's dedication to improving it, and Apple's third major version of its iPhone operating system is definitely an improvement. [More...]

Toasted iPhone 3GS Rumors Spreading Like Wildfire

Monday - June 29, 2009

The iPhone 3GS may be selling like hotcakes, but some users are saying that's not where the comparison ends -- and it's just the latest in a string of complaints about Apple's newest gadget. Temperatures rose over AT&T's initial attitude toward iPhone users who wanted a subsidized 3GS upgrade before their contracts were up for renewal. [More...]

Will PlayStation Play the Cellphone Game?

Monday - June 29, 2009

If you're working your thumbs into a carpal-tunnel frenzy on your Sony PlayStation Portable, navigating the blood and gore of the company's successful gaming franchise "God of War," do you really want to interrupt the mayhem to take a phone call from Mom? Sony may soon get an answer to that question. [More...]

EC Leads Universal Phone Charger Charge

Monday - June 29, 2009

European consumers will be able to cut a few cords from their lives as early as next year, when smartphone manufacturers are expected to begin providing standardized chargers under an agreement announced Monday with the European Commission. The GSM Association announced an agreement in February to implement a worldwide uniform standard for chargers by 2012. [More...]

Shutters Close on iPhone Peep Show

Friday - June 26, 2009

The blogosphere began buzzing Thursday when "The Hottest Girls," the Apple App Store's first iPhone app featuring nude women, suddenly became unavailable hours after it had won Apple's approval. Initial speculation was that Apple had finally decided to pull it for being too risqué. However, the app's developer, who styles himself AllentheGeek, said the app had simply been "sold out." [More...]

Apple's Tally, iSuppli's Breakdown, and Cupertino's Best-Kept Secrets

Friday - June 26, 2009

Apple doesn't talk much publicly, but when it does, it's usually bragging about its awesome products or some special milestone it's achieved. Monday was no different: Apple announced that it had sold more than 1 million iPhone 3G S models over its launch weekend. To put this in summer blockbuster movie opening perspective, the 3G S grossed at least $199 million at the box office in three days. [More...]

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