Halliburton to abandon BlackBerry, turn to iPhone
Oil field services company Halliburton plans to stop issuing BlackBerry smartphones to employees and switch over to Apple's iPhone, which it said was better suited to its needs, marking another setback for Research In Motion.
RIM's BlackBerry smartphones have long dominated corporate mobile communications with on-the-hip email and security credentials, but are increasingly challenged by Apple products and smartphones running Google's Android software.
"We are making this transition in order to better support our mobile applications initiatives," spokeswoman Tara Mullee Agard said in an email on Tuesday. Read more...
More than 50 percent of Facebook’s monthly active users are on mobile apps
We already knew Facebook’s various mobile apps were popular, be they on Apple’s iPhone or iPad, on devices running Google’s Android operating system, or even on BlackBerry devices and feature phones.
But the company hadn’t released the exact numbers on its mobile “monthly active users” (MAUs) since September, as TechCrunch reports, when it revealed that it had about 350 million mobile MAUs. But with the filing of Facebook’s initial public offering this week, the company also revealed that in December it reached 425 million mobile MAUs, out of 845 million monthly active users across all platforms. Read more...
iPhone built for China Telecom gains regulator approval
A version of the Apple's iPhone built for China Telecom's networks has received approval from a Chinese regulator, putting the iconic smartphone closer in the hands of customers of the mobile operator.
It's not clear if the device is the iPhone 4S, the latest version of the iPhone. The China Radio Management office said on its website that it gave approval to an Apple smartphone built for China Telecom's CDMA2000 network.
Apple's iPhone was originally only built for networks using the WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) standard. But last year, Apple launched an iPhone 4 compatible with CDMA-based networks, leading to speculation that the device would eventually be offered by China Telecom. Read more...
Study: iPhone 4S users consume the most data
iPhone 4S users consume twice as much data as iPhone 4 users, signaling that operators will have to continue to battle with growing data volumes, according to a report published by network management software vendor Arieso.
Apple's iPhone has put some operator networks under immense pressure since the first version arrived, as users download more data than their networks can handle. The iPhone 4S takes data consumption to new levels, according to Arieso's report, which looks at usage patterns of at least 1,000 phones of each model, the company's CTO Michael Flanagan said.
The latest addition to the iPhone family is the champion among smartphones when it comes to data usage. Owners of the iPhone 4S download almost three times as much data as users of the iPhone 3G, which Arieso uses as the benchmark, and twice as much as the iPhone 4, whose users were the most demanding in last year's survey.
Reasons for the growing data volume include the addition of Siri and iCloud, according to Flanagan. Read more...
No winner in Android v iPhone 2011 marathon
The wheat is increasingly being separated from the chaff in mobile. Unfortunately, what's not clear yet is which is the wheat, and which is the chaff. In the ongoing war between Apple's iOS and Google's Android, both camps have plenty to cheer about - and to moan about.
Just take a look at recent headlines. In my own news feed, both Apple and Google have cause to declare victory.
On one hand, Erik Sherman figures that Android's 700,000 daily activations adds up to $5bn per year in user revenue for Google, despite giving away the Android to one and all for free. Apple, meanwhile, doesn't break out iOS revenue but its mobile business has been exploding quarter after quarter, which is made even better by the Distimo finding that the App Store revenue is six times that of Android Market.
So who wins? Read more...
German court issues injunction against Apple products
A German court on Friday ruled that Apple's iPhone and iPad devices infringe a Motorola patent and issued an injunction against sales of the products in Germany, in the latest move in a long series of legal battles between the companies.
However, Apple can appeal the ruling, requesting a stay of the injunction in the meantime, according to Florian Mueller, who has been closely following patent lawsuits in the mobile industry. Mueller is a patent expert who sometimes does consulting work for companies including Microsoft.
Apple did not reply to a request for comment about its intentions.
Should Apple make the appeal but the court decline the stay, Motorola must post a €100 million ($134 million) bond before the court will enforce the injunction, Mueller said. He posted the ruling, issued in German, on his blog. Read more...
iPhone 4S most popular iPhone ever
Apple iPhone 4S owners rated their smartphones higher than did people using last year's iPhone 4, a pollster said today.
According to a survey conducted by ChangeWave Research in early November of more than 200 U.S. iPhone 4S owners, 77% said they were "very satisfied" with the device, with another 19% pegging "somewhat satisfied" for their answer.
Altogether, 96% of iPhone 4S users agreed that they were satisfied with their phones.
Both the very satisfied and total rankings were higher than those reported by iPhone 4 owners in a July 2010 poll taken, like the 4S survey, just weeks after the device's launch.
Last year, 72% of iPhone 4 owners reported they were very satisfied, while another 21% said they were somewhat happy with their smartphone, for a total score of 93%. Read more...
Toads could be used to forecast earthquakes days before they happen
Aside from ionosphere disturbances, nature has a number of ways that signify an earthquake's arrival far earlier than an iPhone can. Animals, for instance, are known to leave their homes and head to safety anywhere from a few seconds to weeks before humans can feel quakes. It was easy enough for researchers to determine the science behind the behavior seconds before ground tremors are felt, but the explanation behind instances of animal exodus days or weeks prior to any seismic activity has eluded them — until now, that is. Rachel Grant from the U.K. Open University and Friedemann Freund from NASA believe they may have figured it all out, thanks to a colony of toads. Read more...
The best iPhone blogging apps of 2011
Being a blogger may not be as difficult as being a firefighter or a doctor or even an accountant, but that doesn’t mean bloggers don’t need some help from time to time. Whether in need of inspiration for story ideas, or simply dying for ways to actually get their posts up, there were plenty of apps in 2011 that catered to the blogging crowd. Here are my picks for the five best apps for bloggers in 2011.
Pinterest (Free)
Blogging took many forms in 2011 but Pinterest, an app that takes what Tumblr started on the web and brings it to iOS, might be the most fascinating of the bunch going forward. Like Tumblr, the emphasis in Pinterest is on brevity. A picture with a brief caption fits the bill on a Pinterest post. But instead of posting a funny picture and calling it a day, the Pinterest app creates a collage of the things the user likes. As if the song “My Favorite Things” was turned into an app.
The app’s added social element — allowing users to re-pin and comment on things they liked from other people’s pages — completes the social cycle for this new kind of blogging. Long winded opinions are out, and showing off pictures of your new kicks are in. Read more...
iPhone overtakes BlackBerry to become top phone for business users
There was a day not so long ago when the BlackBerry was the phone of choice among members of the business community. But according to the results of a new survey, this is no longer the case.
Questioning 2,300 mobile workers at more than 1,100 enterprises worldwide, the iPass survey found that Apple’s iPhone is now the leader among such users, with 45 percent of respondents saying they use one, compared to 32.2 percent who use a BlackBerry. A year ago, BlackBerry was marginally ahead of the iPhone, with 34.5 percent of the share to the iPhone’s 31.1 percent.
Notably, Android almost doubled its share over the past year, with 21.3 percent of those polled saying they use a phone running Google’s mobile operating system.
When asked about buying intentions over the next 12 months, the iPhone came out on top with 18 percent saying they intended to purchase Apple’s device. Android was the next most popular choice, with 11.2 percent planning to get a phone running the increasingly popular operating system. Read more...
Android is half of all smartphone sales
The market share for smartphones running Google Inc.'s Android software doubled in the third quarter as more devices became available and Apple delayed release of a new iPhone, according to the research firm Gartner.
Android had more than half of the worldwide smartphone market in the third quarter, up from 25 percent a year ago. Nokia's Symbian system had 17 percent, down from 36 percent, and Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry devices dropped to 11 percent, compared with 15 percent a year ago.
Apple's iOS system, which runs the iPhone, also dropped — to 15 percent, compared with 17 percent a year ago. Apple typically releases new models over the summer, but the new iPhone didn't come out until after the third quarter ended. Read more...
Worms Crazy Golf tops iPhone Games of the Week
The strategy game series Worms is generally about big explosions and cartoonish wars, but the earthworm battle atmosphere is pretty well translated to golf with Worms Crazy Golf. A worthy title for the Games of the Week, it heads up a great list of titles that includes multiplayer, puzzle and action titles. Check them out below.
Worms Crazy Golf (iPhone, iPad) $2.99
Worms manages to hit a stride similar to Super Stickman Golf – a side-scrolling golfing game with crazy environments – and takes it up a notch. First is the Worms license, which adds a humorous and cartoonish bent to the game. Then, the game expands on the simplicity of its golf undertones by throwing in things like the ability to choose what club to use or add spin to the ball after it lands. There are also obstacles like groundskeepers and sheep with which to deal, resulting in a fairly deep golf experience that’s also light-hearted and fun. It has pass-and-play multiplayer, so it’s great for a party as well as alone. Read more...
With iPhone 5 imminent, users sell older models in record numbers
iPhone 4 trade-in business has been very brisk at companies that buy older smartphones, an early indication of how Apple's next model will sell, the firms said.
Apple is expected to unveil its next iPhone -- what most have named "iPhone 5," although that may not be what Apple calls it -- during a media event at its Cupertino, Calif. headquarters Tuesday at 10 a.m. PT.
Interest in the new iPhone is high, said Jeff Trachsel, the chief marketing officer at NextWorth, judging by the volume of trade-in transactions the company has conducted in the last week.
That was when NextWorth kicked off a promotion that guarantees a $250 payment for any 16GB or 32GB iPhone 4 that runs on AT&T's network. The deal expires today. Read more...
Future for next gen iPhones: Evolution or revolution?
You can read the tea leaves. Or you can tell the future for iPhone based on accessories spotted in stores.
On Tuesday, Tim Cook, the new Apple CEO, presenting a program entitled “Let’s talk iPhones” to the media, analysts and others in the Cupertino, Calif. company’s HQ.
But iPhone-ologists think they have already spotted in the future, observing the shape of accessories for iPhones to come.
Let’s talk iPhone accessories based on Case-Mate sleeves spotted in an AT&T store.
There is a debate over whether the iPhone 5 will be an evolution of the old shape and design of the iPhone 4 or whether it will be revolution with a brand-new design. Could it be both with two phones? Read more...