Samsung Clones ‘Jet Black;’ HTC May Leave Smartphone Biz; Amazon’s Clarkson Show Has Big Debut; Electric VWs to be Made in USA
Posted: November 22, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Amazon Prime, Apple, Electric vehicles, Galaxy S7, Google, HTC, Jeremy Clarkson, Jet Black, Leaving market, Mexico, Netflix, Pixel, Samsung, Smartphones, The Grand Tour, Top Gear, USA, Volkswagen Leave a commentIn the past, when Samsung has just plain poached Apple ideas and designs, it’s been a big hit for them. (It’s also hit them in the wallet sometimes, as Apple has sued and won.) Now, Samsung is going to clone Apple’s hot “Jet Black” color. According to bgr.com, they aren’t even waiting for the Galaxy S8….they will roll out Jet Black S7 models as soon as next month. Hey, it’s hard to get sued for using the same color!
HTC has made some really cool phones, and I have several friends that have had them and loved them. They haven’t really caught fire…figuratively…not in the Galaxy Note 7 way, however. Digitaltrends.com says rumors are flying now that HTC will bail out of smartphones completely by this coming spring. They have quietly been shopping the division around, but nothing so far. It wouldn’t be out of the question for Google to snap them up, since the success of the new Google Pixel phones.
Yesterday, Netflix snarked that Amazon hadn’t really paid $160 million to produce their ‘Top Gear’ type show titled ‘The Grand Tour,’ saying it was more like $250 million. The show, starring Jeremy Clarkson, and his former Top Gear colleagues, debuted Friday. It was the biggest premiere ever on Amazon Prime Video, according to businessinsider.com, eclipsing ‘The Man in the High Castle.’ Not only that, it was the top rated show on IMDB with a 9.6 and got 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. Amazon says it got the second most one day sign ups for Prime ever last Friday. Sounds like a hit!
Volkswagen says they will begin building electric vehicle models in North America,and even the US by 2021. Techcrunch.com picked up a report from Automotive news, citing VW brand lead Herbert Diess. Vee Dub will also build large SUVs and limos here. The Mexico factories will also crank out EVs for the North American market.
Record Number Shopping Online for Holidays; Amazon’s ‘X-Ray Vision’ for Packages; Reuters Poll Says Fiery Galaxy Note 7 Didn’t Damage Samsung Brand in US
Posted: November 21, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Apple, Customer loyalty, Galaxy Note 7, Mobile devices, Packages, Presents, Samsung, Shopping online, Visa, X-Ray Leave a commentIt’s not really a surprise, but more people than ever will shop over the holidays online. TechCrunch.com reports that holiday spending online is projected to go up by 18%. A full 47% of shoppers will do some shopping online this holiday season….and a third will buy using mobile devices. The survey was commissioned by Visa, which certainly has an intent interest in the topic! Clothing, accessories, and home decor are still categories people really prefer to buy in person, according to the poll.
The Amazon app is getting a new feature that kind of affords you X-Ray vision for your packages. According to mashable.com, you scan the barcode on the package through the app with your phone’s camera, and the app will show you which of your orders are inside. This should be a boon for those getting multiple items…and some of them perhaps Christmas presents you don’t want prying eyes to see!
After the global recall of millions of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, a lot of people thought Samsung might have to fold their tent and leave. Now, a Reuters poll suggests ‘not so fast.’ The survey had 27% saying they’d first consider Samsung when buying, but a whopping 91% of Samsung owners said they’d buy another. That’s only 1 percentage point under Apple, with their vaunted customer loyalty. It looks like the Galaxy Note 8 or whatever they call it should do just fine!
Looking Ahead, Apple Sees AR in iPhone’s Camera App; One Day Amazon Prime Membership Sale
Posted: November 17, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Apple, AR, Camera app, iPhone 8, Prime, Sale, VR Leave a commentIt’s no secret…Tim Cook has noted several times that augmented reality will become a huge thing. 9to5mac.com reports that Apple has a team working on tech from several of its acquisitions to integrate AR into its camera app. Cupertino hopes people will be able to aim the cam at something in the real world, and have the software recognize it, like facial recognition for everything. The end game seems to be releasing smart glasses that integrate with iPhones. Some VR and AR features could come as soon as next year with the iPhone 8…which one source has already claimed will be ‘a clear piece of glass with mixed reality.
If you don’t have Amazon Prime, here’s your chance to get it at a discount…but only tomorrow, November 18th. Amazon will cut the price from $99 per year to $79 for 24 hours for new members only. A lot of us save it in shipping alone, but you also get Prime Video, Prime Music and more.
Another 3-Model iPhone 8 Rumor; Snap IPO-Could be worth $20-40 billion
Posted: November 16, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 5.8 inch screen, Apple, Dual Camera, iPhone 8, IPO, OLED screen, Snap, Snapchat Leave a commentKGI securities says Apple will roll out a 4.7 inch iPhone next year with a single lens camera, plus a dual lens 5.5 inch model with an LCD display like the smaller model, and one with an OLED screen. According to macrumors.com, some sources think that third, even more premium model will have a larger screen, maybe 5.8 inches. KGI didn’t speculate on that size, however. There are already grumblings from people who don’t want a larger phone, but would like the dual camera setup…which is predicted to be on 65-70% of iPhones by next year. It’s too early to get all that exercised…several sources said there would be 3 iPhone 7 models, and that didn’t happen!
Businessinsider.com is reporting that Snapchat’s parent company Snap Inc. has quietly filed paperwork for an IPO. It could happen as early as March, but could also occur in the second quarter of next year. The company is seeking a valuation of $20 billion to $25 billion. Bloomberg has reported that Snap’s IPO valuation could go as high as $40 billion.
Apple AirPods to Launch Next Week; Snapchat’s Spectacles Will Sell From Pop Up Vending Machines
Posted: November 10, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AirPods, Apple, Pop up vending machines, Snapbot, Snapchat, Spectacles Leave a commentApple delayed the rollout of its AirPods wireless earphones last month, and some had said we wouldn’t see them until the 1st of the year. Now, macrumors.com says a source at European online retailer Conrad claims they will be available next week. The Conrad website still says 6-8 weeks, but there’s hope they might be in customers’ hands sooner, not later.
Snapchat will apparently sell its Spectacles camera glasses through pop up vending machines. That’s according to businessinsider.com. The camera glasses will run $130 and be available at ‘surprising’ pop up locations for one day only. Snapchat will show the locations on a map on their website 24 hours ahead of time. The first is expected to appear in Venice Beach, CA…snapchat’s home. The Snapbot vending machines will have motion sensors that turn on its circular screen when someone steps into view. The screen will show footage of video recordings from the eyewear, which can record 10-second clips that sync with the Snapchat app. The machines have 3 buttons for the three color selections (coral, black, and teal). They claim the screen lets you virtually try on each color (on the screen) before you pay.
Folding Samsung Smartphone Due Next Year; MacBook Pro Touch Bar out Nov. 17th at Third Party Stores; MacBook Outsold All Competition in 5 Days
Posted: November 9, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: ' Folding smartphone, Apple, Dell, Galaxy 'X, Macbook Pro, Samsung Leave a commentSamsung has a trick up its sleeve…or maybe in its pocket…for an upcoming Galaxy model. According to 9to5google.com, they will roll out a foldable smartphone! Some are calling it the ‘Galaxy X’ right now. It sports an accordion hinge much like Microsoft’s Surface Book laptop, so when folded, it’s not completely flat. The display is much larger than usual, and has a different aspect ratio that the 16:9 most phones have. It will retain a home button and capacitive buttons along the bottom, and a camera at the top back. The bottom of the phone will still have a charging port, headphone jack, and speaker. The total screen size hasn’t leaked out yet.
The hot new MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar will be in third party stores November 17th. 9to5mac.com says there’s still a 4-5 week wait time if you order from Apple right now. The non-Touch Bar model is available from Apple, Amazon, and others with no delay. According to Slice Intelligence, the MacBook Pro not only set an online sales record, it outsold every competing laptop in 5 days….including the Dell XPS 13 and 15. In that 5 day period, Apple also hit 80% of 2015 and ’16 year to date MacBook Pro sales.
Peeking Ahead at Apple; Samsung’s Amazing Coming AI Assistant; Future Tesla Buyers & Superchargers; New Old Sega Genesis Goes into Production
Posted: November 8, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI assistant, Apple, AR, Augmented reality mapping, Energous, Find My iPhone, Galaxy S8, Genesis, iPhone, Jet White, Samsung, Sega, Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog, Viv, Wireless charging Leave a commentApple has a few things up its tree, including something fresh for the present iPhone 7. Thenextweb.com says they may be readying a ‘Jet White’ shiny new color to the 7 and 7 Plus to bookend the Jet Black color.
As for the future, they may add a feature to Find My iPhone that would surreptitiously turn the phone on for you with the proper authentication, so you could find a stolen phone without alerting the thief, according to bgr.com. What about the iPhone 8? We reported earlier that they were working with Energous on wireless charging. Now, again according to bgr, this is moving forward with Energous getting an infusion from a power management chip maker. You would be able to charge your phone from a source 15 feet away…no charging pad…and it would draw current whether you were at home, work, or wherever!
Appleinsider.com has discovered that Apple was just granted a patent detailing an augmented reality mapping system that harnesses iPhone hardware to overlay visual enhancements onto live video, lending credence to recent rumors suggesting the company plans to implement an iOS-based AR strategy in the near future. Tim Cook has strongly hinted about this.
Meanwhile, over at Samsung, a sea change in digital assistants. The Galaxy S8 will have a digital assistant that takes ‘smart’ to a new level. Samsung will add Viv, from San Jose’s Viv Labs (which they bought last month). Reuters.com says Viv not only can answer questions and look things up, but can effectively write software on the fly to accomplish tasks that you ask it to! This is beyond Star Trek, folks!
A huge change for future Tesla buyers. According to theverge.com, anyone getting a Tesla after January 1st, 2017 will have to pay a small fee to use Tesla Superchargers. Previous owners will still get to use them for free. Tesla says the fee will be much less than the cost of filling a car with gas.
For hardcore Sonic fans, here’s something cool from the dailydot.com: The Sega Genesis is officially back in production. TecToy is making the machines, with Sega’s blessing. Aside from the SD card slot, it’s pretty well a duplicate of the original. It comes with 22 games on the SD card. Preorders are $125 for the box. Are you hearing the Sonic the Hedgehog theme?
Panned MacBook Pro Best Selling MacBook Ever; Amazon Black Friday Pre Sales; China’s Alibaba Dwarfs Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Posted: November 2, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Apple, Black Friday, China, Cyber Monday, iOS, Macbook Pro, Phil Schiller, Singles' Day, Touch Screens Leave a commentDespite all the complaints about the new MacBook Pro models losing ports, and all the rest, macrumors.com says Apple has gotten more online pre-orders for the new generation than any previous MacBook Pros. Marketing chief Phil Schiller said the volume even surprised him. He underscored that Macs and iOS devices are fundamentally different…saying they tried touch screens, but that the ‘L’ shape with a screen facing you, keyboard & trackpad or mouse just work better for productivity. Schiller says they experimented with touch screens on Macs, and decided it wasn’t a great experience.
Black Friday 2016 is almost here, but Amazon has again kicked off the savings a little early, with deals every day until the big day. It looks like the biggest deals on large electronics like TVs will wait ‘till actual Black Friday. Meanwhile, in China, Alibaba is expected to generate $20 billion in sales on Singles’ Day this year, according to the research firm Fung Global Retail and Technology. By comparison, Americans spent $5.8 billion online last year on Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined, the largest sales days in the US!
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