Microsoft Thanks ‘MacBook’ Disappointment for Great Sales; Honda Teases Electric Car with AI; Gates & Others Start Alt Energy Venture Fund
Posted: December 12, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, Bill Gates, Electric vehicle, Emotion engine, Energy technologies, Honda, Jack Ma, Jeff Bezos, John Doerr, Macbook Pro, Microsoft, Microsoft Ventures, NeuV, Richard Branson, Surface Book, Surface Studio, Zero greenhouse gas emissions Leave a comment
November was a banner month for Microsoft Surface consumer sales. According to techcrunch,com, they credit ‘Macbook disappointment’ for the bump. Apple, on the other hand, says they got more orders for the new Pro with limited ports than any previous Macbook Pro. Of course, Microsoft rolled out a freshened Surface book and the new, high line Surface Studio, which has gotten a lot of buzz.
Honda has dropped a picture of it’s experimental electric vehicle called the NeuV. The verge.com says they will show it at CES January 5th, and are saying it will come equipped with artificial intelligence of some kind built into what Honda calls an ‘emotion engine.’ The engine is a set of technologies that will “enable machines to artificially generate their own emotions.” So, does this mean sometimes your car will act like Grumpy Cat, and other times like an excited puppy? Stay tuned.
Bill Gates, Jack Ma, and other tech giants have formed a billion dollar tech venture fund to back cutting edge energy technologies, with the goal of searching for breakthroughs that they hope will reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero. Others involved are John Doerr, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson. Geekwire.com says Gates will be Chairman of the billion dollar Microsoft Ventures fund.
Galaxy S8 Goes Stereo; iPhone 7s Will See Red; Fitbit Buys and Kills Pebble
Posted: December 7, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Fitbit, Galaxy S8, Glass case, Harman, HTC, iPhone, Kickstarter, Pebble, Red, Samsung, Stereo speakers, Wireless charging Leave a commentSamsung has had some of it’s best successes borrowing things from Apple, so one would think they’d poach the dual cameras of the iPhone 7 Plus for the Galaxy S8. Well, according to bgr.com, the feature they are thinking about grabbing and highlighting is actually stereo speakers. This rumor comes from Fone Arena, and Samsung will not only pick up on iPhone’s stereo speakers, but look to HTC for the marketing. HTC has featured a stereo setup they called BoomSound, and Samsung will be cooking up a flashy name for theirs. Sadly, it won’t be Harman. Although they bought the upscale audio company, they won’t be able to integrate Harman luxury tech into the Galaxy series until 2018.
Apple iPhones are going to see red next year….and we’re not talking about Product (Red.) 9to5mac.com reports they will actually have a red chassis color to add to Black, Jet Black, Silver, Gold, and Rose Gold. 9to5mac.com picked up the rumor from Macotakara, which correctly touted the demise of the headphone jack. They do differ with KGI Securities, though on the upcoming iPhones. The Japanese site says there will be a high line iPhone 8 with wireless charging and the glass case, but the other two models will be named iPhone 7s and 7s Plus, and will keep metal cases without wireless charging, but will get upgraded internals.
Fitbit has officially bought Pebble. Thenextweb.com says, they also took about 40% of the employees…virtually all from the software side, and they are killing off the smartwatches and Pebble OS. They will be doing more to develop apps for Fitbit products, and haven’t decided if they will even use the Pebble brand. People who contributed to Kickstarter for upcoming Pebble products will get refunds.
Will iPhone 8 Bring a ‘Supercycle’ of Upgrades; Amazon Prime Offers HBO & Cinemax for Additional $$
Posted: December 1, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Apple, Cinemax, Cord-cutters, HBO, iPhone, iPhone 6, iPhone 8, Netflix, Prime Video, Supercycle Leave a commentThe second half of 2017 may bring what’s being called a ‘supercycle’ of iPhone upgrades. Businessinsider.com reports that KGI Securities has been polling Apple suppliers, and Apple may be gearing up to ship between 90 and 110 million iPhone 8 models the second half of next year. It’s possible that they may even blow past the 113 million iPhone 6’s they sold the back half of 2014. Besides KGI, 3 other analysts believe 2017 could be a banner year as the anniversary iPhone bows.
Just a day after Netflix plays catchup by offering downloads for viewing later, which Amazon has already had, Amazon Prime Video introduces HBO for an additional $15 a month and Cinemax for $10 a month. Venturebeat.com notes that cord cutters could be induced to buy in….but for 30 days, Prime members can try them for free!
Apple-10 Prototypes for iPhone 8; Google Should Sell 3 Million Pixel Phones; Premium Amazon Alexa Coming; Cyber Monday Sets Record
Posted: November 29, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Alexa, Amazon, Apple, Best selling electronics, Best selling toys, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Echo, Google, India, iPhone 8, OLED, Pixel Phone, Prototypes, Touch screen, Wireless charging Leave a commentThere’s lots of buzz about what next year’s iPhone 8 will be like. Some may be true…but Apple is testing more than 10 prototypes of the anniversary handset right now, according to businessinsider.com. A curved screen is a consistent rumor, as is an OLED display with darker blacks and less power hogging. Of course, there’s the glass back and possible wireless charging. Apple was supposed to get OLED screens this year, but dropped them due to supply problems, so stay tuned.
Preorders for Google’s Pixel phone have blown the doors off what was expected. 9to5google.com reports that, based on preorders and Verizon activations, they should sell 3 million phones by the end of this year. The Pixel is already 10% of the premium market in India…benefitting from Samsung’s collapse over the fiery Note 7. Apple has also benefitted there, grabbing 66% of the premium phone market!
Amazon apparently has a premium Echo speaker with Alexa in the works with a large touch screen and higher grade speakers. Bloomberg.com says it may be out first quarter of 2017. The speaker and screen with be angled and on top, so a person standing can use it when it’s sitting on a counter or table. The present Echo sells for $180 when not discounted, so expect the higher line one to be over $200.
Cyber Monday was the biggest online shopping day, ever. According to zdnet.com, analysts say US online spending topped $3.39 billion, and that’s a 10.2% increase over last year. It’s also slightly more than Black Friday, which notched $3.34 billion. Interestingly, mobile revenue was a little lower than Black Friday, but it was still up 48% over last year’s Cyber Monday. The five best-selling toys in terms of quantity sold on Cyber Monday were Lego, Shopkins, Nerf, Barbie, and Little Live Pets. The five best-selling electronic products were Sony PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox, Samsung 4K TVs, Apple iPads, and Amazon Fire tablets.
iPad Pro Coming Sans Home Button & Bezel; Samsung Doing the Splits; Record Black Friday for Mobile
Posted: November 28, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Bezel free, Billion dollar mobile, Black Friday, iPad Pro, Lewis Black, Samsung, Samsung Electronics Leave a commentIn a rumor that might telegraph features on next year’s iPhone 8, macrumors.com reports that a story from Japanese site Mac Otakara says Apple is planning a thicker, bezel-free iPad Pro with no home button. The tablet will have a 10.9 inch screen, but with the same footprint as the current 9.7 inch model. As for the thickness, it really will only be as thick as the original iPad Air. Expect it to drop around March.
On the heels of a proposal by an activist hedge fund manager, the board of Samsung Electronics will meet Tuesday to consider splitting itself in two, according to reuters.com. Samsung has a complicated corporate structure, and has a number of businesses. This might give a smartphone division more ability to become a greater player than ever in the mobile tech world.
It was a record Black Friday in one new way. Recode.net says it was the first billion dollar mobile shopping day ever, with shoppers dropping 1.2 billion on phones and tablets to pick up Black Friday bargains. Overall, it’s estimated that total online sales Black Friday hit 3.34 billion. It sounds like people are taking Lewis Black’s exhortation to …’buy more…um…stuff.’
Apple Corners Smartphone Profits; Super Battery Concept Charges in Seconds & Lasts Days
Posted: November 23, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Batteries, Capacitor, Fast charging, HTC, Huawei, LG, Lithium-Ion, Mobile market share, Samsung Leave a commentThey may not have the biggest market share, but according to a Strategy Analytics report picked up by 9to5mac.com, Apple took in 91% of mobile industry profits in the third quarter of 2016. Huawei had the best showing of any Android maker with 2.4%. Samsung, of course, helped Apple by taking a big loss with the recall of their fiery Galaxy Note 7 models. LG and HTC also reported losses.
Thenextweb.com reports that a new battery concept from scientists at University of Central Florida may be able to charge in seconds and last 20 times longer than a conventional lithium ion cell….possibly lasting over a week! It’s essentially a super capacitor. The battery doesn’t degrade like present ones, either…holding the same charge after 30,000 recharges. Keep your fingers crossed, if this pans out, it will be a game changer for smart devices, electric vehicles, and anything else running on batteries.
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.
clarkreid 
Recent Comments