iPhone 4G Rumors Heat Up

It's been less than a year since the iPhone 3GS launched, and the rumor mill is already churning out speculation about an upcoming iPhone 4G, expected as early as May.
New rumors have been circulating over the past couple of days, saying a new Apple iPhone 4G will be available by June, or even as early as May. Besides the earlier-than-expected launch date (new iPhone models traditionally come out in June or July), potential new features are in discussion as well, such as a better camera, an OLED screen, a removable battery, and different casing.

A Bloomberg/BusinessWeek report quotes an analyst from the Goldman Sachs Group saying the iPhone 4G would have a better camera than the 3-megapixel shooter found on the iPhone 3GS. The iPhone 4G's camera could offer up to 5 megapixels, which would put it on the par with the camera in Google's Nexus One.
The story also speculates that Apple is working on an updated version of the iPhone OS with an overhauled App Store. The analyst in the Bloomberg story did not identify who gave him the information, but speculates the iPhone 4G will go into production as early as April, with availability expected sometime in June or July.
Derailing from the usual July/July launch timeframe though, is a report originating from a French Web site, which claims we are likely to see the next generation iPhone in May. The report says Apple targeted May because it thought that's when Google would release their Nexus One Android smartphone. Actually, the Nexus One was unveiled earlier this month. Is it like that Apple would move up the release of a new iPhone to compete with Google? Maybe. But it doesn't seem likely that Apple would misjudge Google's launch date by several months.
Also this week, a report from Korea Times quoted unnamed mobile executives claiming the iPhone 4G will have an OLED screen and support for video chat. Most surprisingly, it claimed that the upcoming iPhone would feature a removable battery - though the chances of this happening are slight (Apple refused to use removable batteries in all three generations of iPhones and its latest laptops also sport non-removable batteries).
All-in-all, some of these rumors are plausible, such as the OLED screen and a better camera, though earlier launch dates as soon as May might seem a bit far-fetched, as Apple usually refreshes products in a yearly cycle.

SOURCE: PCWORLD

Nexus One: Too Much Hype, Not Enough Marketing

Poor Nexus One. Despite earning mostly positive reviews and becoming an obsession in the tech blogosphere, the Google phone reportedly sold just 20,000 units in its first week. That's just 10 percent of the Motorola Droid's debut sales.
If those figures are correct -- they're not official, but calculated in a roundabout way by market researcher Flurry -- there a few takeaways as to why the Droid had better early commercial success than the Nexus One. You could argue that in-store Droid sales trump the Nexus One's online-only distribution, or that Verizon Wireless is a bigger carrier than T-Mobile, translating to more potential customers.
But even if you could buy the Nexus One in stores, and on Verizon Wireless, Google's marketing would still be problematic. Google plans to focus its marketing efforts online, within its own pages, the Wall Street Journal reported. That includes Google home page promotion (though I don't see any at the time of writing this), search ads and a Nexus One channel on YouTube. It's a very Google-like outlook on advertising, where all you need is a little online message here and there to make an impression. Verizon, meanwhile, relentlessly used the Droid to bash the iPhone, and AT&T. It approached the stage with the cockiness of a professional wrestler And it worked.
Google's approach just doesn't stack up. Phones are more than just a purchase. They're your constant companion, probably for two years, and like it or not, they convey a message and a lifestyle. The Droid's lifestyle is that of a manly man who favors function over form, unlike that pretty princess iPhone. The iPhone's image is one of smug satisfaction: Can your phone do this?
Google's in a tough position with the Nexus One, because it can't really knock either of those phones. Obviously attacking another Android phone makes no sense, and iPhone-bashing probably isn't in Google's best interests, because so many Google services -- Search, Maps, YouTube -- are tied up in the iPhone. Verizon can get away with an anti-iPhone campaign, but Google, which is selling the Nexus One directly, cannot.
There's hope for the Nexus One. Perhaps Google's online marketing strategy will be a slow burn, sinking in over many months as word of mouth spreads. Verizon Wireless took the shortcut by bashing the iPhone, but the Nexus One has a long road ahead.

Source: PCWORLD

Hey Google, Anybody Home?

Google’s celebrated algorithms may power the Web’s most popular search engine, but they have not yet been programmed to answer a call when a customer has a problem.
New owners of the Nexus One, the latest touch-screen smartphone to run on Android, Google’s mobile operating system, have found themselves at a loss when it comes to resolving problems with the handset. They cannot call Google for help, and the company warns that it may take up to 48 hours to respond to e-mail messages.
Unlike other phones that run on Android, like the Motorola Droid or the T-Mobile G1, the Nexus One was developed and branded by Google and is sold directly by the company to customers.
But ever since the phone went on sale Jan. 5, customer forums have been filled with a cacophony of gripes about the Nexus One. And Google, more accustomed to providing minimal support for its free services, has been unprepared to deal with the higher service expectations of customers who are paying as much as $529 for its high-end smartphone.
Early buyers of the device, like Kiran Konathala, a 27-year-old database programmer in Long Branch, N.J., have complained of dropped calls, plodding download speeds and connectivity snags. “The hardware is great, but the software is a mess,” he said. “It’s not been a happy experience so far.”
The phone presents a puzzle for users like Mr. Konathala: Who do you call when you have a problem?
Most people use the phone on T-Mobile’s network, which offers a subsidy if a customer buys a contract, and the phone is made by HTC, a major Taiwanese manufacturer. But it is sold exclusively by Google through a special Web-based store.
Despite its central role in the process, Google does not appear to have built a significant infrastructure to provide customer support. There is no phone number for support, for example, and customers who send an e-mail message may wait for days to hear back.
“So far, I have yet to hear from an actual person,” said Mr. Konathala, who first contacted Google for help on Jan. 6. “All I’ve gotten are canned replies.”
Katie Watson, a Google spokeswoman, said no one was available to speak about the service problems. But in an e-mail statement, she said, “Solving customer support issues is extremely important to us.”
She added that Google was working to address problems quickly. “We’re flexible and prepared to make changes to our processes and tools, as necessary, for an optimal customer support experience,” she wrote.
Andy Rubin, Google vice president for engineering in charge of Android technology, acknowledged last week that the company needed to improve. “We have to get better at customer service,” Mr. Rubin said during an on-stage interview at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Instead of taking three days to respond to e-mail messages, he said, “We have to close that three-day gap to a couple of hours.” But Mr. Rubin said that the release of the Nexus One had gone smoothly.
Some analysts said that Google appeared to have misjudged the service demands that come with being in the business of selling sophisticated gadgets.
“They may have been clouded by their own personal experience and way of thinking about how they deal with technology,” said Charles S. Golvin, an analyst with Forrester Research. “They’ve got a long way to go in terms of understanding all the components of the retail process — not just selling phones but the after-sales care — to be as skilled in this endeavor as they are in the rest of their endeavors.”
A spokesman for T-Mobile, David Henderson, said that although the Nexus One was not being sold through T-Mobile retail stores, sales representatives knew enough about the family of Android-powered devices to help customers with some questions.
T-Mobile, which addressed the connectivity problems in its support forums, said it was working with HTC and Google to determine the root cause of the problems some Nexus One users were reporting.
Google is not unfamiliar with the business of charging for products. More than a million businesses pay to place ads on Google’s search engine or on Google’s vast network for publishing partners.
But the Nexus One is Google’s first foray into selling hardware directly to consumers.
Relying heavily on automated responses and Internet forums to handle customer service queries may not be sufficient for that kind of device, said Soumen Ganguly, a principal at Altman Vilandrie & Company, a Boston consulting firm that specializes in the communications industry.
“Selling someone a piece of consumer electronics is a very different ballgame,” Mr. Ganguly said. “If you’re a cellphone user and this is your primary phone, waiting one to two days for a response is a long time.”
With the Nexus One, Google aims to extend the reach of its Android operating system for mobile phones. And it hopes to eventually change the retail model of the cellphone market in the United States by becoming a major seller of Android phones made by various manufacturers.
But if that is the goal, it will need to impose a better customer support strategy, Mr. Ganguly said. “Right now, they’re leaving troubleshooting up to the customer,” he said.
Some analysts said the early missteps were fixable. But a black eye from customer complaints could hurt Google’s longer-term goals.
“Having a consumer backlash because of their lack of customer support is not going to help its cause,” said Youssef Squali, an analyst with Jefferies & Company.

Source: NYTIMES.COM

Sony's PS3 enjoys late jump in sales

Since the company revealed that it had sold 3.8m of the games consoles worldwide in the final five weeks of 2009, a bulky price cut and a new model PlayStation3 appeared to have paid off for Sony. This is a 76% increase on last year and the best holiday sales the PS3 has had.

Sony said that its PlayStation Network, the online gaming service that can be accessed from the PS3, PlayStation Portable or by personal computer, now has 38m registered accounts. The message comes a day after rival Nintendo said that it had sold more than 3m Wii consoles in the US in December, a 40% increase on the earlier year. The sales figures alleviated doubts that games console companies were set for a lackluster Christmas as the console market matures.

Sony's figures repeated research from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association, the UK industry body, which found that the PS3 console was the star performer of 2009, increasing unit sales in the UK by 2%.

The PS3 which was launched in November 2006 had been slow to build sales, in part because it was priced much higher than its rivals. Though, last August, Sony unveiled a new, slimmer version of the games machine, priced 25 % lower than the original. The price is below the crucial $300 level in the US, €300 in Europe and £249 in the UK to make it more reasonable for a mass market.

"On the back of the PS2 Sony has built up huge brand equity and there are a lot of people out there saying they would love a PS3 but it's been just too expensive," alleged Ed Barton, analyst at Screen Digest. "Now we are hitting the threshold of the mass market."

The PS3 is now closer to the $199 price of an entry-level Microsoft Xbox 360 and the $199 Nintendo Wii.

Nevertheless, the PS3 has further to go to catch up with sales of its rivals.

The Wii had sold more than 56m units by last September, while the Xbox 360 had sold 34m units by October. The PS3 had sales of 27m to the end of September.

Sony has also added a number of online features to the console, including a video downloading service and links to internet television platforms such as the BBC's iPlayer, in order to increase the appeal of the device.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, Sony repeated plans to upgrade the PS3 consoles so that 3D games and films could be played.

It also plans to introduce a new motion controller for the console, a move aimed at countering the threat from Microsoft, which is this year planning to put huge resources behind the launch of its Natal system, which lets gamers control a console through gestures and voice commands alone.

"Of all the console makers, Sony appears to have the best momentum now, but the biggest threat might be the launch of Microsoft's Natal," Mr Barton said.

Nexus One will struggle

Nexus One; the search giant's first branded mobile phone unveiled. Then Google confirmed that Nexus One, and all subsequent Google phones sold via the company's online store, will be available unlocked for use on every participating carrier. Microsoft has weighed in on this development, specifically where Google is both offering Android to its partners and allowing one partner to benefit from having a Google-branded phone, concluding that it is a faulty strategy. The software giant says that Google will have a hard time attracting partners to its mobile operating system after introducing its own handset, even if it is developed by HTC.
In the stir of the opening of Google's Nexus One smartphone, Microsoft has attacked the company's mobile strategy. Google’s Android mobile phone software will struggle to make a key impact in the market now that the company has launched its own mobile phone, the Windows manufacturer has claimed.
Robbie Bach, the President of the company’s entertainment and devices division, said that so long as Google makes its own handsets, such as the new Nexus One, other phone manufacturers would hesitate to work with the Android mobile software platform because they would fear that they would never be a top priority for the search company.  “Doing both software and hardware in the way they are trying to do both is actually very, very difficult,” Bach said in an interview yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. “Google’s announcement sends a signal where they’re going to place their commitment.”
Google may have a hard time convincing their licensees that they're not in competition with them. Still, Google has at least one advantage over Microsoft: Android is free for licensees to put on their devices. If Google started off by launching the Nexus One and then began distributing Android, it would be a big problem. Since it's the other way around, we must remember that gratis is an addiction hard to drop once you've had it for a few months.
When Google launched the Nexus One on Tuesday night, however, both Motorola and the phone’s manufacturer, HTC, joined the search giant on stage. Motorola Chief Executive Sanjay Jha confirmed that his company was already working on a range of new Android devices, even though many in the industry consider that the new Nexus One has largely stolen the thunder of the Motorola Droid handset.
Mobile network operators around the world, too, are apparently keen to get their hands on the Nexus One. Vodafone have confirmed that they expect to be the first to bring a Nexus One-subsidizing tariff to the UK market, although T-Mobile, which is already partnering with Google in the USA, has also held advanced talks with the company in Europe.

3 Reasons The Google Nexus One Won't Live Up To The Hype

Google played it smart unveiling the Nexus One smartphone, the latest Google  Android offering, while CES is in full swing in Las Vegas. Why not take the opportunity to steal a little thunder away from all of the other device makers looking to make a splash on one of the world's biggest consumer technology stages?
And it worked. The Web and tech news outlets exploded with word of what the Google team had hatched with the Nexus One smartphone.But here's the rub: The Google Nexus One smartphone is a flavor of the week. They hype is going to die and the device, despite how cool and powerful, will crawl back under the shadow of the all-encompassing Apple iPhone.
Why will the Google Nexus One fail to live up the hype? Here are three reasons:

1. T-Mobile will be the Nexus One's first carrier. T-Mobile has fallen to No. 4 behind the big three carriers -- AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. And, despite T-Mobile recently completing upgrades to its 3G network to boost speeds to up to 7.2 Mbps, its network coverage through the U.S. isn't as pervasive as its competitors. The network can be the fastest in the world, but if you can't catch a 3G signal, all the speed in the world won't help. Granted, the leap to Verizon that the Google Nexus One smartphone is expected to make a few months after launch will help, but by then its time on T-Mobile may have worked against it. And, yeah, for a few extra bills an unlocked version is available, but that's a spicy meatball for an as yet unproven device.

2. Google Android isn't quite there yet. Google Android has made great strides since it made its October 2008 debut in the T-Mobile G1. A host of hot Android phones have since hit the market, most recently the Motorola Droid, which has captured the hearts of Google Android lovers everywhere. But Android hasn't evolved enough to reach the iconic status the Apple iPhone has reached. Despite Android phones getting slicker from a hardware standpoint, the software hasn't kept up. While the Nexus One is coming equipped with Google Android 2.1, so far Android hasn't proven itself as a strong enough contender in the OS race. That could all change, but right now Google Android is still a "me too" play.

3. Potential buyers are already suffering Google Nexus One fatigue. This smartphone has been inescapable. Everyone thought Apple went overboard with its product placement, advertising and marketing for its initial iPhone launch, which has been scaled back with each subsequent iPhone release. But Google is beating the proverbial dead horse. Granted, all of the media attention is part of the problem too. But take a look at the main Google search page today. Do you see it? Yup, there it is. Just under the "Google Search" and "I'm Feeling Lucky" buttons it reads: "Experience Nexus One, the new Android phone from Google" with a thumbnail-size image of the Nexus One and a link to more information. While a brilliant placement and marketing ploy, users will grow tired of being bombarded with Nexus One branding and consumer fatigue can often hurt sales.

Source: CRN.COM

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Apple tablet could land By March

Apple Inc. plans to unveil a long-awaited tablet computer this month which may begin to ship in March. A Taiwanese components supplier has notified longtime Apple analyst Gene Munster at Piper Jaffray that it is "likely" the tablet could be available by late March. Munster says he has not been briefed by Apple on the product.

Munster and other analysts have speculated the tablet — expected to be introduced in late January — will come with a 10-inch touch display that lets consumers read newspapers and books, watch movies and TV, play games and use the Internet.

"It's a combination of e-book reader/Web-surfing device/e-mail/video player," Munster says. Third-party applications, which are so popular on the iPhone, will extend the tablet's functionality and "really let it rip," he says.

Published reports have speculated the tablet could cost $1,000 and could include a Wi-Fi subscription. USA TODAY could not independently verify the reports. Apple declined to comment.

An Apple tablet that is bigger than an iPhone and smaller than a laptop "is likely to be a terrific product, but unless it meets some need not currently met by a netbook or iPhone, it's a limited opportunity," says Charles Wolf, a longtime Apple analyst at Needham & Co. Still, Apple's entry could significantly perk up the $950 million U.S. market for tablets. Sales declined 25% in 2008 and were expected to drop again in 2009. "It has been a disastrous market because there has been no champion," says David Daoud, an analyst at IDC.

Munster expects Apple to sell about 2 million tablets in its first year. The company has approached some book publishers with proposals to distribute content, he says.

The product already has commanded attention ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas, where several tablets are expected to be unveiled, including one from Notion with paper-quality screen graphics for easy reading outdoors.

Nexus One Phone Officially Pits Google Against Apple

The Nexus One Phone is anticipated to be wider but slimmer than Apple's market-leading iPhone and faster than Motorola's Fortune 500, is the first handset to be designed, marketed and sold exclusively by Google.

It will run the search leader's Android operating system on a high-speed processor with the complete binding touch-screen and virtual keyboard of the smartphone.

Google has alleged little about the Nexus One since giving the device to its employees last month for testing. But it is expected to reveal its plans for the phone during a press conference about the Android system at its Mountain View headquarters in California today.

Early assesses imply the Nexus camera, that comes with a flash, is preferred to that on the iPhone, and it is expected to win the battle over battery life, with the facility to hold full charge for at least 24 hours. It will also come complete with a light sensor, proximity sensor and an accelerometer.

But the Nexus will fall short of the iPhone in the applications arena, with around 16,000 available for Android phones compared with 100,000 at the Apple App Store.

The phone, which stores audio and video, will also not offer a connection to Apple's iTunes online music library.

CES 2010 Flashpoints: The platforms for the next decade in electronics

Every year, the Consumer Electronics Show is a gauge of the directions in which platforms are moving, a barometer of the evolution of functionality. In no doubt, we see ample of tidy toys, many of which wind up either being for kids or making us feel like kids. And definitely, we hear ample of slackly coupled metaphors that play to our need to be excited, like how a certain device unleashes connectivity or harnesses the power of disruption -- phrases that read like they were assembled using that word game you play with refrigerator magnets. The devices, known as tablet computers, have screens of between 7in and 10in in size, and dissimilar traditional laptops, they use an on-screen "virtual" keyboard, like that used by Apple's iPhone, rather than a physical keyboard.

From March Apple is likely to open its own tablet computer, alleged to be named the iSlate and competitor computer makers are thought to be keen to expose their designs ahead of any Apple press conference.

Freescale, A US company, has shown off a archetype device that could be used by other electronics manufacturers to create advanced tablet computers that will cost less than $200. The 7in touch-screen tablet turns on quickly and connects instantly to the internet via Wi-Fi or the mobile phone network, and provides a full day of battery life.

Dozens of other manufacturers will also use the Consumer Electronics Show to showcase their tablet devices. Notion Ink, an Indian manufacturer, will unveil its tablet computer, which runs Google's Android operating system and features an energy-saving 10in scratch-proof touch-screen, and will allow users to watch high-definition video on the move, and to surf the internet and send emails. Dell might also launch an Android-based tablet device, while gadget fans will be hoping that Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, uses his keynote speech on Wednesday evening to share more details about the Courier, a dual-screen tablet computer and ebook reader that Microsoft is rumoured to be working on.

"Missing link" between PCs and smartphones" Henri Richard, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Freescale, said "The PC has been stale in terms of its ability to innovate. Smartphones have been making progress, but they have limitations," he said.

Analysts at DisplaySearch expect the tablet computer market to be worth $3.5 billion by the end of the year, a significant figure for an emerging device category. "We're talking about a brand-new market," said John Jacobs, a senior analyst with DisplaySearch.

The tablet revolution is being driven by the growing ubiquity of wireless internet connections, and consumers' desire to surf the internet and watch videos on devices that are bigger than a smart phone, but smaller than a conventional laptop.

Glen Burchers, director of consumer product marketing for Freescale, said his company's tablet computer was aimed at people aged between 12 and 30, who wanted a web-friendly device with a bigger screen than a smart phone to surf sites such as Facebook and YouTube.

"The tablet is the newest category of mobile device, and we believe it has the potential to be the fastest-growing," he said. "Everyone who uses the internet finds value there."

Nokia asks court to bar U.S. imports of Apple's Macs, iPhones, iPods

In a further acceleration of an already bitter dispute, Nokia asked a federal court to bar the importation of Apple hardware. Nokia claims to stop importation Apple’s iPhone, iPod and Mac products. The lawsuit- the second Nokia has filed against Apple in the patent war that broke out last October- coincides with a complaint the company filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission last week.

In the new complaint Nokia claimed that Apple is violating in its products, and looks for a restriction barring Apple from further infringement, as well as damages from Apple. Since the trade commission does not make decisions about monetary compensation, Nokia had to file the federal lawsuit in addition to its objection with the ITC.

The lawsuit claimed that almost every major piece of hardware Apple sells violates one or more of the seven patents. The complete list includes the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS smart phones; the iPod Touch, iPod Nano and iPod Classic music players; the iMac Mac Mini and Mac Pro desktops; and the MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air notebooks.

Nokia thrust off its clash with Apple in October with a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Delaware charging Apple's iPhone violates on ten Nokia patents. In December Apple charged against Nokia that its products violate on 13 of its own patents. In its countersuit, Apple laid out in fiery rhetoric its position on the matter. "Other companies must compete with us by inventing their own technologies, not just by stealing ours," Bruce Sewell, Apple's general counsel, alleged in a statement at the time.

"Nokia has been the leading developer of many key technologies in small electronic devices" said Paul Melin, head of Nokia's patent-licensing efforts, in declaration the company's complaint with the ITC. "This action is about protecting the results of such pioneering development."

Nokia asked for a adjudicators trial in its second claim, and wants Apple to pay compensation, with interest, if the company is found responsible of patent abuse.

Rare blue moon will illuminate skies on New Year's Eve

 When the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, remember to do one thing: Look up. A full moon will be shining down from its highest point, illuminating the landscape.

``It will be so clear it will take your breath away,'' said Jack Horkheimer, host of the PBS show Star Gazer. ``It will be super bright and super high for us.''

It will be the second full moon of the month -- a phonomenon known as a ``blue moon.'' A full moon on New Year's Eve last occurred on Dec. 31, 1990; it won't happen again until 2028.

Horkheimer, 71, held a ``Howl at the Full Moon'' party 19 years ago for families with kids in his Miami neighborhood.

``They came in their bath robes and pajamas,'' he said.

``It was the most fun New Year's Eve I ever had in my life. Those children are now adults, and they still remember it.''

Horkheimer encourages families to ring in 2010 in similar fashion.

Apple Orders 10 Million Tablets? Sound Fishy

Today's Apple tablet rumor has an optimistic zing to it--and maybe that's a great way to close out a dreary 2009. According to a blog post by former Google China president Kai-Fu Lee, Apple plans to produce nearly 10 million tablets in the still-unannounced product's first year. Lee worked for Apple more than ten years ago and left Google earlier this year, according to published reports.

That figure--10 million--seems awfully high for a consumer product that's charting unknown territory. The tablet (or iSlate or iPad, if you prefer) would target an untapped market, if rumors of the device's form and functionality are true. True, a few tablet-style browser/media players are either already on the market or are arriving shortly, but none has garnered anywhere near the attention of the Apple tablet.

I did some checking at Apple's site to see what sales figures were like for the iPhone in its first year. Here's the breakdown:

Q3 2007: 270,000 units

Q4 2007: 1,119,000

Q1 2008: 2,315,000

Q2 2008: 1,703,000

Add up the quarterly numbers, and Apple sold just over 5.4 million iPhones in the handset's first year. (I also tried to get first-year numbers for the iPod, which launched in November 2001, but Apple's financial reports didn't break down iPod sales back then.)

If Lee's blog post is to be believed, Apple plans to sell nearly twice as many tablets as it did iPhones in the product's first year.

Call me a pessimist, but that's hard to believe. Remember, the iPhone was entering a well-established cell phone market when it debuted in 2007. People had used cell phones for years. They liked cell phones and understood their value. Apple's pitch back then: The iPhone is better than any other cell phone on the market. Millions of customers agreed, and the rest is history.

The tablet? Well, that's a much harder sell. The iSlate is sort of a big iPod, but not really. It performs a lot of notebook-like functions, but it's not really a notebook either.

My point is that Apple will need to educate its target market. And that's why I seriously doubt the company expects to move 10 million tablets within a year.

Then again, Apple has proven the pundits wrong before. What do you think?

Google Nexus Offers Little Competition to Apple iPhone

Whether the marketplace is ready or not, the Big Guns in consumer electronics are about to make their move at the dawn of the New Year.

Next Tuesday, Google is expected to announce its long-rumored Nexus One smartphone. It is undoubtedly designed to run the Google Android operating system for cellphones, which the search giant introduced more than a year ago. Android was envisioned as a major breakthrough in cellphones because it offered an "open" operating system – i.e., one that other companies could use and design applications for. At the time, this strategy was compared to that of Microsoft Windows, which broke the market hegemony of Apple's decidedly non-open OS in the mid-1980s and within a decade, turned Apple into a niche company. This time around, the new Android phones were supposed to break the hegemony of the Apple iPhone.

So far, it hasn't quite worked out that way with Android. A number of cell phone companies – notably Motorola, HTC, and Samsung – have adopted Android and seen impressive sales. However, this time around Apple, though still exhibiting much of its old "closed" and proprietary ways, has learned some important lessons over the last 20 years.

For one thing, Apple understands, better perhaps than any company on the planet, the importance of being not only perpetually innovative – but with a vast and loyal army of Apple fanatics behind it – to regularly take category-busting risks. Thus, the amazing run, beginning a decade ago, of the iMac, MacBook, iPod and iPhone. These landmark (and in the case of the iPod, historic) products not only were ambitious in their goals and beautifully designed, but they also exhibited multiple features that were so innovative that they forced the competition to spend years catching up – and by then, Apple had already moved on to the next breakthrough.

Military theorists like to say that the goal of combat is to get inside your opponent's "decision horizon" – that is, to move so quickly that the enemy can't respond in time before you have moved on to the next victory. That's exactly what Apple, at its best, has done to the consumer electronics world … and in the process has left competitors reeling, loyal customers thrilled, and not least, Apple regaining its lost market share and making its shareholders wealthy.

At last! Apple tablet is slated for launch in January

Apple are expected to unveil a revolutionary new gadget in January, which will take the company back to its computing roots.

The tablet computer will have a 10.6" touchscreen and allow users to surf the web, watch TV and read eBooks, according to industry insiders.

The device will not have a mouse or keyboard and instead resemble a large iPhone. It will help Apple take control of the wireless multimedia market.

Speculation has reached fever pitch on technology blogs that the device, dubbed the iSlate, will be unveiled at the Apple conference in San Francisco on 26th January. Apple registered the domain name iSlate.com in 2007.

Previous launches at the New Year event include the original iPhone and MacBook Air.

Rumours and counter-rumours have always surrounded fledgling Apple products. Previous reports suggested an Apple tablet would have a 7" screen and be called the iMod.

Apple filed a European design trademark for a tablet-style computer way back in 2004 and numerous tablet patents have been popping up ever since.

However, the plans were put on the back burner because the technology simply wasn't advanced enough to fulfill Steve Job's vision.

 Now sources at various Asian manufacturers have confirmed they are building components for a new Apple device, due to be shipped in the third quarter of 2010.

Innolux, the panel-making subsidiary of the Foxconn Group will supply the touch panels, according to DigiTimes.

A Taiwanese newspaper reported Cheng Uei Precision Industry will manufacture 'connectors' for the device. 

Apple CEO Steve Jobs launched Apple's Macbook Air in 2008. Could the Apple Tablet follow in 2010?

Apple is also rumoured to be in talks with media groups such as Disney and CBS to secure regular content for the tablet.

The company revolutionised the music and mobile phone industry in the 21st century with its streamlined and intuitive gadgets including the iPod, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch.

Shares in the company have gained almost 150 per cent thanks in large part to the popular iPhone and hugely successful App Store. They closed at a record high of $209 (£131) in Christmas week.

Online Sales Of iPhone Suspended In New York

In a holiday-shortened week, AT&T has spawned a raft of headlines on the Internet after the company halted online sales of the iPhone in New York City, at least temporarily. The phone is still available to New Yorkers in Apple /quotes/comstock/15*!aapl/quotes/nls/aapl and AT&T stores, however.

The decision has revived talk about whether AT&T's network can handle the traffic generated by iPhone users, especially in dense urban markets. Owners of the iPhone tend to use the Internet much more than other wireless customers, but existing mobile networks are not designed for such heavy data traffic.

Although AT&T /quotes/comstock/13*!t/quotes/nls/t has beefed up its network, complaints about dropped calls and Internet interruptions seemed to have increased. That's spurred rivals such as Verizon Wireless to mock the quality of AT&T's network in commercials.

In almost any other week, AT&T's effort to limit online sales in New York City might have gone little mentioned. Yet business news is scarce in the last week of December, between the Christmas and New Year's Day holidays.

Dallas-based AT&T hasn't helped its cause with a cryptic and tight-lipped explanation of its action. Several spokespeople have given different media outlets, including MarketWatch, the same response: "We periodically modify our promotion and distribution channels."

Since reports of AT&T's online move surfaced Sunday, a number of people have tried to order the iPhone online using New York City ZIP codes. An effort by this writer to do the same showed that "there are no phones and devices that match your search criteria," according to AT&T's Web site.

A blog called the Consumerist, apparently the first site to report the halt in online sales, said a customer-service representative cited a lack of wireless cell towers in New York City for AT&T's decision. Other AT&T representatives blamed excess fraud or said the online stock of iPhones available to New York customers had been depleted.

Whatever the case, AT&T knows it has to continue to expand its network to match the increased usage by iPhone customers -- 11 million and growing -- as well as 70 million other AT&T wireless subscribers. Brand is critical in the fiercely competitive U.S. wireless market -- as Sprint Nextel Corp. unhappily discovered -- and AT&T can ill afford to see its image suffer. In a worst-case scenario, AT&T might even have to consider raising prices for iPhone customers, who now pay a flat monthly rate for unlimited Internet access.

Ralph de la Vega, AT&T's mobile-operations president, hinted at such a possibility in a presentation to investors earlier this month, though he later said a change in pricing policy is not imminent. He insisted AT&T is merely exploring a variety of methods to reduce the strain on its wireless network.

10 Strategies Microsoft Should Follow in 2010

Microsoft had a relatively successful year. But 2009 is nearly history and Microsoft must look ahead to 2010. Google and Apple will remain its biggest competitive challenges. However, Microsoft would be wise to avoid unhealthy obsessions about the competition. Here is a look at 10 strategies Microsoft should follow in the new year.

Now that 2009 is coming to a close, it's time for Microsoft to look ahead to 2010. The software giant will be met with several challenges during the year. It will need to face off against Google, an increasingly disconcerting competitor that seems to have its sights set on Redmond.

It also needs to take on Apple, which has enjoyed unfettered growth in the mobile space. It gets even worse when one considers that Microsoft also needs to worry about regulators that have major problems with the strategies Microsoft follows. Needless to say, it will be a tough year for Microsoft.

That's why Microsoft needs to be smart about the moves it makes. It can't simply expect to maintain status quo by offering services and solutions that don't appeal to user desire. It also can't expect to run roughshod over the market without the European Union having a few things to say about it. So as Microsoft prepares for the challenges that it will face in 2010, it's important that it has the right strategies in place to ensure it will be successful. 

Ten strategies Microsoft should follow in 2010. Let's take a look.

1. Drastically improve Windows Mobile

It's not enough for Microsoft to simply address the problems users have with Windows Mobile. The company needs to drastically improve its mobile OS if it even wants to stay relevant in the space. Right now, Windows Mobile is little more than an "also-ran." It lacks multitouch support, it has none of the features users are looking for in next-gen offerings today, and the number of apps available to the platform pale in comparison to anything Apple offers. Windows Mobile is in desperate need of improvement.

2. Leverage Bing

If Microsoft wants to be successful online, it needs to do a better job of leveraging Bing. In 2010, the company must integrate Bing into just about everything it does. Bing Search should be in Windows Mobile. It should become a key component in Windows 7. It should especially find its way into Microsoft's many online services. Bing is the centerpiece of Microsoft's online strategy. It must be leveraged.

3. Adhere to the EU's demands

The European Union has a major problem with Microsoft. It believes that the company is engaging in practices that the governing body finds unacceptable. When Microsoft made the deal to offer users the opportunity to download up to 12 different browsers, it was the smart play for the software giant. It can't spend 2010 trying to find ways around that agreement. Microsoft needs to do what the EU wants and move on with other strategies. 

4. Get to work on Azure

It's unbelievable that Microsoft would allow Google to be the first company to move into the online-operating-system space. As a software firm, most expected Microsoft to lead the way to the Web. It hasn't. That needs to change in 2010. The company needs to work hard on Azure and get it to market as quickly as possible. It can't allow Google to steal the online-OS spotlight. Microsoft could easily find itself trying to catch up to Google, rather than leading it.

5. Create a solid marketing campaign

Apple's "I'm a Mac, I"m a PC" ads have proven extremely successful. Over the past few years, Microsoft has tried to match their success with marketing campaigns of its own. Unfortunately, they never worked out. Microsoft needs to spend time in the new year developing marketing campaigns that appeal to consumers, shed its products in a good light, and make them understand why they want to buy Windows or use Bing. It's not easy, for sure, but the software giant needs to do its best.

6. Stay true to the enterprise

As Google and Apple attempt to steal operating-system market share away from Microsoft, it's in the enterprise where the software giant can solidify its power. In the software space, the big money is made in the business world. Google can't break into that space. Apple has had very little success. Microsoft rules the enterprise. In 2010, it needs to maintain that rule. It can't simply switch gears to appeal to consumers because the competition has. By controlling the enterprise, Microsoft can keep its stranglehold on the market, no matter the competition's offerings.

7. Get rid of Starter edition

Microsoft made a mistake offering Windows 7 Starter edition to netbook users in 2009. Many of those consumers were upset to see that they couldn't get the same experience on a netbook that they might otherwise enjoy on a standard notebook or desktop. In 2010, Microsoft needs to optimize Windows 7 to work with the netbook, so all versions of the software have the new features users want.

8. Don't forget Web advertising

For too long, Microsoft's Web-advertising efforts have been poor. When compared to Google's advertising platform, Microsoft's service falls short in almost every area. Microsoft needs to drastically improve its Web-advertising platform in 2010 if it wants to be successful on the Internet. Advertising is the way Microsoft will pay for many of its services going forward. Without providing a good alternative to Google's advertising services, it won't have much of a chance.

9. Get to work on security

Microsoft has done a better job of confronting the many security issues that face its operating system, but it has much more work to do in 2010. This year, the operating system faced zero-day vulnerabilities and far too many unpatched items that could have wreaked havoc on the user's computer. A better security initiative (and more services like Security Essentials) will increase Microsoft's stock in the security community. It has an opportunity to secure its operating system even more effectively in 2010. It can't miss that opportunity.

10. Don't obsess over Apple

Microsoft has a tendency to obsess over its competitors. It had an unhealthy obsession over Apple and Google in 2009. The Google obsession is understandable (after all, that company could cripple Microsoft), but the software giant's focus on Apple is a bit much. There's no debating that Apple can have a direct impact on Microsoft's bottom line. At the same time, its OS market share is small, at best. And although the iPhone is beating Windows Mobile badly, Microsoft can still fall back on the enterprise. Apple is a large, powerful company, but it's not nearly as big of a threat to Microsoft as some want to believe.

Apple almost reaches market parity with Google, Wal-Mart

With a huge Christmas-eve surge in its stock Thursday, Apple Inc. has almost reached market parity with Googleand Wal-Mart.
The 3.4 percent or $6.94 rise in Apple's stock during the day took its market value to $188 billion. The Apple stock sold for $209.04, surpassing the previous high of $207 last month.
The stock surge brought Apple within striking distance of Google Inc. ($196 billion) and Wal-Mart ($204 billion).
The Cupertino-based (California) software manufacturer is already ahead of IBM Corp. ($171 billion) and General Electric ($164 billion) in market valuation.
The spurt in its stock has been fuelled by the speculation that the company is set to unveil an Apple tablet computer next month.
The new device, which could be called iPad, will be a cross between the iPhone and the Kindle reading device.
The New York Times said Wednesday that "there are too many signs that point in this direction'' of the Apple tablet.
The San Francisco Chronicle also said Thursday that the tablet device "will likely be similar to an iPod Touch but with a 10-inch screen.''
The tablet will run a version of the iPhone OS software made to handle larger applications, the newspaper quoted a software analyst as saying.
The newspaper said "Apple's tablet would compete well in the netbook category even though it would not be a netbook.Rather, it would focus more on apps, entertainment content (from the iTunes Store) and web surfing.''
According to a gadget blog, Apple is may launch a 7-inch tablet alongside or in place of the speculated 10-inch tablet.

Blackberry Outage: RIM Should Compensate Users

For the second time in a week, a Blackberry outage has left North American users without access to e-mail on their handsets.

Bloomberg reports that two recent versions of Blackberry's Messenger program could be to blame, and that Research in Motion, which makes the handsets, has released software to fix the glitches. Customers are encouraged to download the latest version if their last upgrade was after December 14. Thanks for the tip, RIM, but two outages in five days deserves more than a patch and a half-hearted "we apologize for any inconvenience." Show your customers the money. It doesn't have to be much. Maybe a $5 or $10 credit, arranged with wireless carriers. Or maybe a $20 voucher off the purchase of a new Blackberry phone. Something to show that customer satisfaction is a priority and that RIM doesn't intend to make a habit of e-mail outages.

RIM doesn't have a flawless track record for responding to outages. In 2007, it took the company a few days to explain a day-long outage, causing outrage among users. Crisis management consultants said RIM should've communicated early and often, even if the company didn't fully grasp on what went wrong. RIM appears to have learned that lesson, keeping the press updated during last week's outage, even when the exact cause wasn't known. But with two outages in short succession, it could be time to go the extra mile with compensation. Some customers appear to have already worked the system. On the Crackberry forums, user "climbguy" said he received a $25 credit from AT&T after the December 17 outage by complaining and following up. Another user said he got a $5 service credit from his carrier by complaining about today's outage. But if RIM really wants to make good on its recent failings, it'll spare customers the hoop-jumping and cough up the dough.

Google's Nexus One Details: What We Know So Far

Google's pretty good at keeping its Web and search developments secret, but it's quickly learning that hardware's a different beast, as details on the Nexus One, a.k.a. the Google Phone, are leaking all over the Internet.

The Official Story

Google has developed an Android phone exclusively for its employees, for the purpose of testing and collecting feedback. An unnamed hardware partner has created what Google calls a “mobile lab” to “experiment with new mobile features and capabilities,” with employees around the globe chipping in. Everything else you've heard, from the name to the photos to the specs, comes from unnamed sources via the Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, Engadget, Gizmodo, Boy Genius Report and others.

The Specs

According to Engadget, the Nexus One measures a little over 0.45 inches thick, and has a 3.7-inch OLED touch screen. It could possibly run Qualcomm's 1GHz QSD 8250 “Snapdragon” processor, and has 512 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM and a 4 GB microSD card included, expandable to 32 GB. The camera has a 5-megapixel sensor, mechanical auto focus and LED flash, and could also include 2x optical zoom (this wasn't mentioned in a hands-on report from Gizmodo). Unsurprising frills include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, accelerometers and a compass.

The Interface

I'd recommend you check out the YouTube video, which was uploaded yesterday. The Android 2.1 interface isn't a dramatic change over Android 2.0, but it looks smooth given the shaky camerawork. A hands-on report from Gizmodo notes that the phone is considerably faster than the Droid, and even beat out the iPhone in multiple Web page loading tests. The screen is also noticeably better than that of the Droid, despite being the same size and resolution. This could be the rumored 1 GHz processor at work. Multitouch was not evident in the browser or map.

The Carrier

Reuters has reported that in addition to the usual carrier subsidy route, Google will sell the Nexus One unlocked and unsubsidized, but all signs point to T-Mobile as the carrier of choice. The HSPA 900/1700/2100 support cited in Engadget's specs suggest that only T-Mobile's 3G service will work on the phone, so AT&T users would be stuck with the slower EDGE.

The Price and Release Date

A T-Mobile source tells PC World that the carrier won't have anything to announce at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, so don't hold your breath. We don't know how much this phone will cost, and suggestions that the Nexus One will subsidize itself with ads are just speculation. A rumor at Android and Me says the price will be $199, but it's a vague report that doesn't describe how the subsidy will work. For all that we know about the Google phone, its business model -- arguably the most interesting thing about it – remains a big question mark.

Blu-ray Players for $300 or Less

As their prices fall, Blu-ray Disc players add streaming media capabilities to their already state-of-the-art high-definition image quality.

Today's Blu-ray Disc players do a lot more than play Blu-ray movies. Even so, they cost much less than they did a year ago.

Every model on our Top 10 Blu-ray Disc Players chart has an ethernet port for accessing Internet-based supplemental disc content via BD-Live. Seven of the ten support Web-based streaming media delivery.

Widgets and Web services are now a major feature of Blu-ray players. Rather than buy a dedicated box to handle streaming, you can buy a Blu-ray player that combines the pristine high-definition images of Blu-ray and the instant gratification of Net­flix On Demand, YouTube, and other Web content.

Through Netflix On De­­mand, Netflix subscribers can access their Instant Queue over their TV. Other streaming services that one or more players we tested accommodate are Pandora Internet Radio, PlayStation Network, VieraCast (which includes Amazon On Demand and Picasa Vudu), and YouTube.

You'll get far superior im­­age quality from a Blu-ray movie than from a streamed video, even if it's a high-def stream, but still the streaming options are convenient and worthwhile extras.

Every model on our chart can read digital images and music files from USB or SD Card; some can read AVCHD camcorder video and other video formats, too.

Price drops are another big development in this category. A couple of premium-priced models hit the $300 mark, and a handful come in at $250, but a typical player now costs $200.

All of the ranked models produced enticing high-def images, but we noted differences in image quality and (even more) in how the players handled standard definition. There, the Panasonic DMP-BD60K and the Sony BDP-S560 earned top honors.