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AfterDawn: News

Video Daily: Skype 2.0 allows calls via 3G on iPhone

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 May 2010 1:42

Video Daily: Skype 2.0 allows calls via 3G on iPhone Skype has rolled out its long-awaited Skype 2.0 app for the Apple iPhone this weekend, adding the ability to make calls using 3G data.

Until this weekend, iPhone owners could only make Skype calls when connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi.

The company says it has also made "CD quality audio enhancements," which should boost volume and sound quality of the calls.

While the deal may sound great for users who want to cut down on their AT&T phone bill by slashing some minutes and instead using Skype, there is of course a catch.

All 3G Skype-to-Skype calls are free until only the end of August, afterwards there will be a "small" monthly fee.

Full changelog, via 9-5:

Upgrades / improvements include:
- Call using your 3G connection. Skype-to-Skype calls on 3G are free until at least end of August 2010, after which there will be a small monthly fee (operator charges for data will still apply).
- Near CD-quality sound for Skype-to-Skype calls using wideband audio (SILK codec) on iPhone 3GS and 2nd generation iPod touch.
- Enhanced call quality indicator.
- Improved start-up time.
- Fast access to the dial pad from iPhone home screen.

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AfterDawn: News

Toshiba, Sanyo launch Vudu-supporting Blu-ray players, HDTVs

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 May 2010 1:15

Toshiba, Sanyo launch Vudu-supporting Blu-ray players, HDTVs Vudu, the movie streaming service, has announced that Toshiba and Sanyo have begun shipping HDTVs and Blu-ray players with Vudu-support built-in, meaning the service has now followed through on their promise of being available on a plethora of players and TVs from different manufacturers.

The service will be available on the Toshiba BDX2500 and BDX2700 Blu-ray players, which will also give access to CinemaNow and Netflix. Vudu movies can stream in up to 1080p resolution. The player is BD-Live, has analog and HDMI-based 7.1-channel surround, and can playback locally stored media, including H.264, says Electronista.

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AfterDawn: News

2.6 million iPhone owners using Opera Mini now

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 29 May 2010 11:48

2.6 million iPhone owners using Opera Mini now On April 13th, the Opera Mini 5 application was accepted by Apple into the App Store, and the free browser saw 1 million downloads on its first day.

As of April, says Opera, there are now over 58 million Opera Mini users globally.

Opera Mini uses Opera's servers to render and compress pages, thus increasing speed for the end user, and that tactic was what allowed the browser to be accepted to the App Store.

The iPhone is now the most popular Opera device used in the U.S., beating out the entire RIM BlackBerry line. Despite a much smaller market share, it is also now the 5th most popular device running the browser in the UK, as well.

While many of the millions that have downloaded the browser may done so just to test it, U.S. downloaders were the most likely to keep using it.

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AfterDawn: News

"Hurt Locker" producer files suit against 5000 alleged pirates

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 29 May 2010 11:31

"Hurt Locker" producer files suit against 5000 alleged pirates In early May we reported that "Hurt Locker" producer Voltage Pictures was preparing to sue thousands of alleged pirates for downloading the film online.

This week, that suit has come to fruition, with Voltage suing 5000 unidentified pirates accused of downloading the 2009 Best Picture.

Says the suit: "A Defendant's distribution of even one unlawful copy of a motion picture can result in the nearly instantaneous worldwide distribution of that single copy to a limitless number of people. The Plaintiff new seeks redress for this rampant infringement of their exclusive rights."

The movie was leaked to the Internet, in full DVD quality, about 6 months before its nationwide release in the U.S. Despite winning Best Picture, the film only grossed $17 million USD domestic in theaters.

Voltage, backed by the U.S. Copyright Group, will begin to subpoena ISPs this week to identify the persons behind the IP addresses that were used to download the unauthorized film copy.

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AfterDawn: News

Foxconn factory workers to get raise after tenth worker suicide

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 29 May 2010 1:46

Foxconn factory workers to get raise after tenth worker suicide Hon Hai Precision Industry of Taiwan, the owners of manufacturer Foxconn, say they plan to raise worker's salaries by 20 percent amidst a flood of worker suicides at their Chinese factory.

Foxconn is the maker of the Apple iPhone.

Ten employees of the manufacturer have died via suicide this year, with the latest happening this week, and public anger at the company is rising. On Thursday, an 11th employee tried to kill himself, slitting his wrists. He was revived by a medical team.

Edmund Ding of Hon Hai said the salary increase had been planned for months.

One of the factory's employees, surnamed Wang, said the increase should help with current spate of deaths: "It may help the suicide situation, because we workers just need money and the financial pressure on us is great. Every little bit helps."

Line workers at the factory make about 900 yuan ($131.80 USD) per month, and the company was allegedly giving 100,000 yuan to compensate families of suicide victims.

Foxconn has a massive amount of employees in China, around 420,000.




AfterDawn: News

PS3 quarterly market share jumps to 31 percent

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 28 May 2010 11:29

PS3 quarterly market share jumps to 31 percent According to new figures from Strategy Analytics, the Sony PlayStation 3 has seen its quarterly global sales market share jump to 31 percent, a large gap up from 18 percent in the same period in 2009.

For the Q1 2010, the Nintendo Wii had 49 percent market share, the PS3 had 31 percent and the Xbox 360 had the remaining 20 percent.

Unit wise, the Wii had 3.5 million sold during the quarter, with the PS3 following at 2.2 million and the Xbox 360 in third at 1.5 million units sold.

Adds David Mercer, principal analyst at Strategy Analytics (via GI): "The PS3 continues to benefit from the price cut last September. This should help the PS3 maintain growth momentum throughout 2010."

The report estimates that for the full year, 17.5 million Wiis will be sold, followed by 14 million PS3s and 10.5 million Xbox 360s. Those numbers work out to about 42 percent share for the Wii, 33 percent for the PS3 and 25 percent for the Xbox 360.




AfterDawn: News

Four percent of gamers play almost 50 hours per week

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 28 May 2010 11:04

Four percent of gamers play almost 50 hours per week According to new research from the NPD Group, about four percent of U.S. gamers play videogames for almost 50 hours a week, getting the title of "extreme gamers."

These "extreme gamers" play 48.5 hours per week, while the average gamers play around 13 hours per week.

Overall, gaming time went up from 2009, when the average was 12.3 percent.

Interestingly, portable gaming time fell 16 percent, while PC gaming rose 6 percent and console gaming rose 9 percent.

The age of the average gamer rose as well, from 31 to 32 this year, implying that current gamers will continue to play even as they get older.

Adds Anita Frazier, key analyst with NPD (via GI): "With these kinds of shifts in the composition of the gaming consumer and changes in gaming behaviour, it’s clear that the need to understand gamers and their purchase patterns remains critical information to those that develop, market and sell games."




AfterDawn: News

Amazon to unveil thinner Kindle model in August

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 28 May 2010 10:47

Amazon to unveil thinner Kindle model in August Amazon will unveil a thinner version of the popular Kindle e-reader in August say two sources, who also say the new, updated model will have a more responsive screen.

The display will also have "sharper picture," but will not have color or be touchscreen, as some had speculated.

Amazon introduced the Kindle in 2007 to slow sales, which have since grown, with one report claiming the e-tailer has sold 3.3 million units of the device, to date.

Apple sold over 1 million iPads in just the first month, and international sales began today, with hundreds of thousands of sales expected in the coming weeks.

The device faces increasing pressure from rivals however, as the Apple iPad is a hit, and Sony and Barnes & Noble have both released devices that have better specs than the Kindle, at a comparable price.

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AfterDawn: News

Excitement over international iPad launch reaches fervor

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 28 May 2010 10:18

Excitement over international iPad launch reaches fervor The Apple iPad hype reached a fervor today when the tablet began selling in international markets, with fans in the UK and other nations mobbing Apple stores.

Pictures show 600-700 feet lines in Sydney, Tokyo and London and smaller but still large lines in Canada.

The tablet has sold well in the United States, selling over 1 million units in its first month. The unexpectedly high demand caused the international launch to be pushed back a full month.

Rahul Koduri was the first to buy the device at the Sydney location, and says he waited in line for over 24 hours: "It's fantastic, it was so worth the wait," Koduri adds.

The first buyer in the London location was high schooler Jake Lee: "I just came down for the atmosphere, and I don't think I could have waited. I'm a gadget lover."

The device will go on sale in The iPad will go on sale in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore starting mid-July.




AfterDawn: News

Sony giving 10 free games to PSPGo users

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 May 2010 11:47

Sony giving 10 free games to PSPGo users Sony has confirmed today that it will be offering ten free games to new PSPGo owners who register their systems online.

The games included in the deal are not some cheap ports either. Sony says the games included in the deal are: Gran Turismo, LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm Arctic Edge, Wipeout Pure, Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice, FIFA 2010 World Cup, Need for Speed Shift, Gran Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, and Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines.

In the past, Sony has offered free games to early PSPGo adopters, and free games to users who upgraded from older PSP handhelds.

While Sony has yet to reveal hardware sales for the Go, the general consensus is that sales have been a complete flop, especially in the EU and UK.

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AfterDawn: News

Key WebOS developer leaves for Android

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 May 2010 11:16

Key WebOS developer leaves for Android In late April, HP announced it was purchasing the struggling smartphone maker Palm for $1.2 billion. The deal gave HP all of Palm's patents and the WebOS mobile operating system, which some argue is the best mobile OS available today.

Palm had put itself up for sale in the last two months after it became clear that the company's phones were not selling and it only had enough cash to last the next 12 months.

The ink has not even dried on the deal yet, but HP has seen its first setback, with key WebOS developer Matias Duarte jumping ship to Google, to work on the rival Android operating system.

Duarte's move seems to imply the developer has little confidence in the future of WebOS with HP at the helm.

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AfterDawn: News

Motorola planning Android tablet, sequel to Droid smartphone

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 May 2010 10:49

Motorola planning Android tablet, sequel to Droid smartphone Speaking to an investor's conference, Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha has made the revelations that his company plans to release an Andoid tablet soon, as well as a sequel to the very popular Droid smartphone.

The tablet will be between 7 and 10-inces and will act as a "companion product" to HDTVs, adds Jha.

Says the CEO: "We're very focused on participating in this convergence between mobility and home, and I actually think you will see some products from us in a very short period of time."

How soon? Jha would not give any details on a time table, but did say it would run Android, as the open-source operating system remains the company's focus. Refuting recent speculation, the company added it has no plans to create its own mobile OS.

Motorola said to remain competitive, however, it must continue to improve its MotoBLUR user interface, which is seen on phones like the Cliq, which runs Android, with BLUR on top. Jha says BLUR 2.0 will be released later this year, as well.

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AfterDawn: News

Microsoft: We will sell 30 million Windows Phone 7 devices by end of 2011

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 May 2010 10:21

Microsoft: We will sell 30 million Windows Phone 7 devices by end of 2011 Microsoft has set some pretty high ambitions for its upcoming Windows Phone 7 smartphone operating system, saying they are aiming to sell 30 million devices with the OS installed by the end of 2011.

The software giant estimates that 40 percent of all mobile phones sold next year will be smartphones, and it seems they want a large piece of that pie.

Currently, only 15 percent of all phones sold are smartphones.

That number is even more over-the-top because Windows Mobile licenses sold have fallen each year, to just 18 million last year.

As a comparison, Apple has sold 51 million of the incredibly popular Phone, in its three iterations, since 2007.

Aiming to differentiate itself from the iPhone and Android phones, which use home screens of widgets and icons, Microsoft says it has tried to blend applications together for a more "integrated experience," allowing the OS and applications to "share information with the user in a natural and seamless fashion."

Pic via MobileTechWorld:




AfterDawn: News

AT&T confirms iPhone 4G for June

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 May 2010 1:29

AT&T confirms iPhone 4G for June BoyGeniusReports has posted a small blurb today saying that AT&T has confirmed to its store managers that the Apple iPhone 4G will launch in June.

The site even says that the phone will be ready in early June, meaning the launch could be imminent in the next two weeks.

New to the 4G are a front-facing camera for video conferencing, a better standard camera (including larger lens and flash), a Micro-SIM slot (just like the iPad), 960x640 resolution, a second mic, metallic exterior (not plastic) and split side buttons for volume.

The form factor is very different as well. The back is flat and not rounded, slightly smaller screen, a more "square" design all around with less wasted space, a larger battery, and smaller internal components.

Wal-Mart announced this week that it is slashing the price of the iPhone 3GS in half, with the 16GB 3GS model going on sale for $97 USD with two-year contract. The smartphone currently costs $199 through Apple. The move has led many to believe that Wal-Mart is clearing out remaining stock in anticipation of the new iPhone launch.




AfterDawn: News

30 million Americans have experienced "Bill Shock" after seeing their mobile bills

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 26 May 2010 11:43

30 million Americans have experienced "Bill Shock" after seeing their mobile bills The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released a study this week which shows that 30 million Americans have experienced "bill shock" after seeing their monthly mobile phone bill.

"Bill shock" means seeing an unexpected increase in the bill, even if the subscriber has not changed their plan.

3000 people were surveyed by Princeton Survey Research Associates for the FCC, and 2400 had mobile phones. Of those 2400, 17 percent said at least one time in the last year the experienced "bill shock."

The FCC says 17 percent of all mobile phone users in the U.S. adds up to 30 million Americans that have experienced the unexpected increase in their bill.

84 percent of those that had experienced the increase say their carrier did not warn them at all that they were on the verge of exceeding some portion of their plan, be it minutes, texts, or data bandwidth. 35 percent said their bill increased by $50, while 23 percent said the fee was $100 or higher.

The results are part of the FCC's ongoing investigation into "bill shock."

The CTIA, which represents the wireless industry says the real "bill shock" is the excessive taxes and levies that come as part of every bill.

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