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Here is one chart reflecting how there are really only two companies in the mobile phone market

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 04 May 2013 5:21

Here is one chart reflecting how there are really only two companies in the mobile phone market Benedict Evans of Enders Analysis posted a great chart for clients this week, reflecting how the mobile phone market has turned into a two horse race.

The chart reflects overall handset revenue in the industry since 2010, for the top eight companies.

Samsung and Apple have quickly devoured the competition, accounting for $52 billion combined in revenue in the last quarter. The rest of the group combined for just over $16 billion.

Although they showed strength earlier on, Nokia and BlackBerry have seen their revenues collapse in recent years.

Chart via BGR




AfterDawn: News

Report: Smart TVs almost twice as popular as set-top boxes

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 04 May 2013 4:33

Report: Smart TVs almost twice as popular as set-top boxes According to the Diffusion Group's "Defining the In-Home CE and Network Ecosystem 2013" report, set-top boxes are not as popular as Smart TVs for Internet connectivity on the big screen.

25 percent of households with broadband own a Smart TV with an embedded app platform, compared to 14 percent for set-top boxes, which include the Apple TV, Boxee and Roku, among others.

The figure for smart TVs jumped from 12 percent at the end of 2011 to 25 percent at the end of 2012. Set-tops saw slower growth, from 12 percent to the aforementioned 14 percent.

While ownership may have been higher, only 69 percent of smart TV owners were even connected to the Internet. It is safe to assume that set-top owners are all connected to the Web, otherwise the boxes themselves are rather useless except for playing local content.

Consoles remained the most popular way to connect to the Internet on the big screen, with 62 percent of households with broadband connecting via their Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo devices.




AfterDawn: News

TweetDeck's funeral postponed until June 11th

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 04 May 2013 4:08

TweetDeck's funeral postponed until June 11th To the dismay of thousands of happy users, Twitter announced last month that it was shutting down the popular TweetDeck AIR, TweetDeck for Android and TweetDeck for iPhone clients on May 7th.

Today, the funeral has been postponed, at least until June.

Reads Twitter's post:

We're extending the API v1 retirement date from May 7, 2013 to June 11, 2013, in order to accommodate additional blackout testing.

You can find a recap of what to expect on the final retirement date here. We'll announce the date and time of the next blackout test from @twitterapi soon.

If you have any questions about the retirement of REST API v1, legacy widgets, or the discontinuation of "basic auth" support in the Streaming API, please ask them in this forum.

Thanks everyone!


Twitter purchased the company in May, 2011 for $40 million, three years after it launched. The app grew very popular with Android and iOS power users.




AfterDawn: News

Samsung responds to criticisms over Galaxy S4 internal storage capacity

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 04 May 2013 3:53

Samsung responds to criticisms over Galaxy S4 internal storage capacity Last week we reported that the new Samsung Galaxy S4 (16GB model) only has 8.82GB of usable space. In fact, it is the most popular post on our site.

The company has faced criticism, especially since the huge amount of space is taken by the operating system, recovery partitions and pre-installed applications including Samsung's own suite that includes S Voice, S Translator and S Health.

Samsung defended the phone this week. "For the Galaxy S4 16GB model, approximately 6.85GB occupies [the] system part of internal memory, which is 1GB bigger than that of the Galaxy S3, in order to provide [a] high resolution display and more powerful features to our consumers." The company then added, "to offer the ultimate mobile experience to our users, Samsung provides [a] microSD slot on Galaxy S4 for extension of memory."

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

72 percent of U.S. gamers now play online

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 04 May 2013 3:22

72 percent of U.S. gamers now play online According to the latest NPD figures, 72 percent of American gamers now do at least some gaming online.

That number is 5 percent higher than last year's report.

U.S. gamers who used the PC to play games online fell to 68 percent, somewhat surprisingly. Those using mobile devices like tablets and smartphones for gaming rose 12 percent year-over-year to 56 percent.

The survey was conducted over the last two months and completed by 8800 Americans of varying ages.




AfterDawn: News

Report: LG building the upcoming Nexus 5

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 03 May 2013 10:03

Report: LG building the upcoming Nexus 5 According to a new report, LG has agreed to build the upcoming Nexus 5, marking the second Google phone they have created.

The company released the Nexus 4 late last year, a $300 reference device running high-end specs and the latest version of vanilla Android.

Additionally, the report says LG wants to work closer with Google on existing partnerships and projects such as Google TV and moving forward, Google Glass.

LG is the third largest smartphone maker behind Samsung and Apple, with 4.8 percent of the global market.

The device is expected for the holidays this year.

(Nexus 4 pictured)




AfterDawn: News

EA to skip Wii U with popular 'Madden' game this year

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 02 May 2013 11:41

EA to skip Wii U with popular 'Madden' game this year Long one of the world's most popular gaming franchises, EA will be skipping Nintendo's Wii U for its Madden games this year.

The company released Madden NFL 2013 for the console last year, but the new Madden NFL 25 will not be making an appearance.

Speaking to Nintendo World Report, an EA rep says "we will not be releasing a Wii U version of Madden NFL in 2013. However, we have a strong partnership with Nintendo and will continue to evaluate opportunities for delivering additional Madden NFL products for Nintendo fans in the future."

The news is certainly not good for Nintendo, who has struggle mightily to sell Wii U consoles.




AfterDawn: News

Microsoft shipped 900,000 Surface tablets last quarter

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 02 May 2013 11:00

Microsoft shipped 900,000 Surface tablets last quarter According to new IDC figures, Microsoft shipped just 900,000 Surface tablets in the Q1.

Most of the tablets sold were Surface Pro, which are more powerful (and more expensive) as it appears Microsoft has left its crippled Surface RT to die.

Despite the lackluster quarter, Microsoft managed to take 1.8 percent tablet market share. Apple dominated, with 40 percent share, with Samsung in second at 18 percent share.

When adding in Windows 8 tablets not sold by Microsoft, the numbers jumped to 1.8 million and 3.7 percent share.

As IDC concluded, "Windows-based tablets continue to struggle to gain traction in the market." The research firm notes that Microsoft needs to move to a smaller 8-inch form factor.




AfterDawn: News

Hulu reaches 1 billion videos streamed in last quarter

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 May 2013 4:26

Hulu reaches 1 billion videos streamed in last quarter Hulu reported quarterly figures this week, showing continued strong momentum.

The streaming site saw 1 billion videos streamed in the Q1, the first time that milestone has been surpassed in a single quarter.

Additionally, the service now has over four million premium Hulu Plus subscribers, each paying $8 per month. In the Q1 2012, that figure was around 2 million, showing strong growth.

For their Hulu streaming, PCs remain the top choice, with TVs coming in second and mobile devices finally seeing a blip, to as much as 10-15 percent of all streams, says the company. In 2011, mobile viewership was under 1 percent.

Importantly for advertisers, user engagement remained strong, keeping users for an average of 45 minutes.




AfterDawn: News

Netflix to lose large amount of titles this month

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 May 2013 4:09

Netflix to lose large amount of titles this month Instantwatcher, a company that catalogs Netflix's streaming catalog says the site will lose almost 1800 titles in May.

All 15 seasons of South Park are set to disappear as are some older films like Goldfinger and Dr. No. Netflix's current licensing deals with MGM and Warner Bros. and some other studios are set to expire.

The drop will be the largest since Netflix's deal with Starz expired last year, but many of the movies in this case are on the older side.

Netflix had this to say (via Verge): "The vast majority of the titles that expire on Wednesday are older features that were aggregated by Epix. We recently added many great, more recent titles such as ParaNorman (Universal), Hunger Games (Epix), Safe (Epix) and Bachelorette (Weinstein). Tomorrow we will also add MI:2, among many other titles.

Netflix is a dynamic service, we constantly update the TV shows and movies that are available to our members. We will add more than 500 titles May 1, but we also have titles expiring, this ebb and flow happens all the time."




AfterDawn: News

Best Buy sells off Carphone Warehouse stake, exits Europe

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 May 2013 1:15

Best Buy sells off Carphone Warehouse stake, exits Europe Large U.S. retailer Best Buy has sold off its Carphone Warehouse stake, exiting Europe after a failed attempt to expand outside of its home base.

The company sold its 50 percent stake for $775 million, about 37 percent of what it paid for it 5 years ago.

"The sale allows management to eliminate the European distraction, as it has been a much-debated topic in the investment community for some time," JP Morgan analyst Christopher Horvers said. "It also fully unwinds an ill-timed conquest into Europe."

Best Buy paid $2.1 billion in 2008 for the 50 percent stake in the independent mobile seller's retail operations. The company had aspirations to put Best Buy stores across Europe, but that plan did not work out, thanks in great part to the ongoing recession in the Euro nations.




AfterDawn: News

SquareTrade: Samsung Galaxy S4 breaks easier than iPhone

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 May 2013 12:43

SquareTrade: Samsung Galaxy S4 breaks easier than iPhone SquareTrade has announced today that the Samsung Galaxy S4 scored worse than the Apple iPhone 5 in stress tests designed to test their durability.

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the best, the S4 scored a poor 7.0, compared to 5.0 for the iPhone and a 6.5 for Samsung's Galaxy S III.

In the tests, the phone is dropped and also dunked in water.

The large display of the S4, along with a "more slippery grip," make it more susceptible to damage, says the company. "While the S4 proved slightly more water resistant than its predecessor the S3, Samsung's new Galaxy phone actually performed worse in most other categories," SquareTrade said in a statement.

Samsung's new flagship is expected to be a massive hit, with internal expectations for over 50 million units sold in the first few months of release.




AfterDawn: News

Modders claim the Wii U is now fully open for homebrew

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 May 2013 12:19

Modders claim the Wii U is now fully open for homebrew The team behind the WiiKey are now claiming that the Wii U has been fully hacked.

Says the group: "Yes, its real - we have now completely reversed the WiiU drive authentification, disk encryption, file system, and everything else needed for this next generation K3y. Stay tuned for updates!"

If you own a Wii and are into homebrew and other hacks, you have likely heard of the original Wii Key, a product that allows you to bypass all Nintendo copy protection schemes to run unapproved applications.

Additionally, the hacks allow gamers to play games right off of USB media.

If it's true, the news is a very big deal for Nintendo, which has struggled to move consoles and sell games for its latest system. Nintendo, for its part, is not worried yet: "Nintendo is aware that a hacking group claims to have compromised Wii U security. However, we have no reports of illegal Wii U games nor unauthorized applications playable on the system while in Wii U mode. Nintendo continuously monitors all threats to its products' security and will use technology and will take the necessary legal steps to prevent the facilitation of piracy."

Follow the story here: WiiKey

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

16GB Samsung Galaxy S4 only has 8.82GB of usable space

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 Apr 2013 6:28

16GB Samsung Galaxy S4 only has 8.82GB of usable space Those that have tested the new Samsung Galaxy S4 were frustrated to learn that the size of Samsung's Android variant has ballooned in size, again.

The 16GB model only has 8.82GB of usable space, with the rest taken by the operating system, recovery partitions and pre-installed applications including Samsung's own suite that includes S Voice, S Translator and S Health.

Microsoft caused a stir earlier this year when it was revealed that their 64GB Surface tablet had only 29GB of usable space. The Windows 8 OS was the culprit in that situation.

Samsung does offer a MicroSD slot and larger capacity models, but of course those come with an added price.




AfterDawn: News

Microsoft begins integrating Skype into Outlook.com

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 Apr 2013 5:32

Microsoft begins integrating Skype into Outlook.com Microsoft has begun integrating Skype into Outlook.com, giving email users the ability to make calls and send instant messages.

The preview of the service has been introduced to UK users, with a German and U.S. rollout coming in the next few weeks.

Over the course of the next few months, Microsoft says the rollout will reach all Outlook.com users across the globe. Skype for Outlook.com will include the ability to make voice calls, video calls and messaging.

Once you sync your Skype account to your Outlook.com account, the site will prompt you to install a plugin for your browser, fully enabling the integration.

Says Microsoft: "Even with the best email service, sometimes text isn't enough. We all face those situations where it's just easier to jump on a call to talk something through. Sometimes that quick call can accomplish more than a long email reply. That's why we are bringing Skype audio and video calling to your Outlook.com inbox."

Read more...



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