Apple has released to developers its iOS 5.1 beta, which is intended to bring several bug fixes to users. However, tech whizzes have already spotted some code within the release that points to several new Apple products that may be coming, specifically the next-generation Apple TV, the next iPhone and two new iPad models. READ MORE
Which smartphone people prefer depends on many things: design, user experience, applications available, enterprise support and security, camera, cloud services, voice-activated services, and performance issues such as browser speed. Openness–the ability to customize the phone without limitation—is also important to some people. In this regard, Apple and Google sit on opposite ends of the spectrum with Microsoft somewhere in between. READ MORE
Up until the iPhone 4S was announced last month, conjecture about its features and functions swirled for months beforehand. Well, the rumor mill is already starting to turn for the iPhone 5, which won’t come out until sometime next year. According to reports from tech industry site DigiTimes, Apple will be adding near-field communications, the technology that enables users to use their iPhones as wallets, to its next-generation iPhone. READ MORE
When Steve Jobs died, Apple fans were so distraught that they began treating Apple Stores like shrines, leaving flowers and notes on their doorsteps. Do you think your own store could ever inspire that degree of customer loyalty? Perhaps it can–if you follow in the footsteps of Ron Johnson, who headed up retail at Apple and is now leaving to become CEO of J.C. Penney. READ MORE
Battles are heating up between online stores and bricks-and-mortar giants both aiming for holiday shopping dollars. And the best place to get a deal might be your smartphone or tablet. E-tailers are rolling out mobile-only deals that are unavailable on their websites, with the aim of luring away shoppers while they’re standing around waiting for service traditional stores. One online company that usually sends out mobile deals at noon will be sending them out at 6 a.m. instead on Black Friday, with the aim of grabbing shoppers as they while away the time waiting for big box stores to open their doors. Others are planning for a shopping spike as people digest their Turkey Thursday evening. Mobile shopping has climbed from 3 percent of online purchases in October 2010 to 10 percent in October 2011. And with 43 percent of American mobile phone users using smartphones, mobile’s potential this season appears unlimited. Read more at The New York Times.
After you’ve stuffed yourself with turkey this Thursday, what will you do next? While some may nap or watch football, a huge number of Americans will get started on their holiday shopping, according to prognosticators at PayPal. READ MORE
When CNET’s Greg Sandoval attended the lavish launch of Google Music, he couldn’t help recalling a similarly lovely bash when Microsoft launched Zune–by some odd irony, almost exactly five years ago. And there were plenty of similarities to point to. Both events took place in Hollywood and both featured blue lights. In each case, a tech giant was trying to catch up to iTunes, the undisputed leader in digital music sales. In each case, it was doing so with a music catalog that wasn’t quite as big. Google has signed up three of the four biggest record companies but is missing Warner. Apple’s got all four. READ MORE
The Samsung Galaxy Nexus was recently released in the U.K. and since then has been hailed by the tech media as being the best Android phone ever. Since it’s the first Android phone to ship with Android 4.0, which is also known as Ice Cream Sandwich, it didn’t take people long to figure out it came without Flash onboard. READ MORE
The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is the first smartphone with the latest Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system, and according to Mashable’s Charlie White, it’s the best Android phone yet. READ MORE
Amazon is broadening its business to include not just electronic reading devices and tablet computers like the just-released Kindle Fire, but also handheld smartphones, according to Mark Mahaney, an analyst at Citi. READ MORE
