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AfterDawn: News

Galaxy S III for Sprint, AT&T delayed

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Jun 2012 5:00

Galaxy S III for Sprint, AT&T delayed Sprint and AT&T have been forced to delay the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S III until next week.

The phone was set for launch on Thursday but Sprint was the first to warn of a delay in the U.S.

Thanks to "overwhelming demand," Sprint had to push back the available date. 16GB pre-orders have already shipped, but 32GB models will not until next week.

AT&T had a similar statement: "Manufacturer supply constraints of the 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy S III have caused a delay to expected preorder shipments. Customers who were previously quoted a delivery date of June 21st should now expect their device to arrive no later than Monday, June 25th."

The S III is available through T-Mobile and Verizon, as well, although the demand does not appear to be hampering either carrier.




AfterDawn: News

Facebook to finally let you edit comments

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Jun 2012 4:36

Facebook to finally let you edit comments After years of user complaints, Facebook has finally given in.

Users can now edit comments they have posted to the site, instead of having to delete it and comment again. The old method was annoying because your friend would get two notifications and you'd have to re-type everything even for a basic typo.

The edit option looks like a small pencil on the right side of the comment. Clicking it will bring a dropdown menu with the options to edit or delete as usual.

Additionally, the social networking giant will be "showing the editing history for a comment so that subsequent commenters or likers have the full context of the conversation."




AfterDawn: News

SSD prices have fallen 48 percent in the last year

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Jun 2012 4:10

SSD prices have fallen 48 percent in the last year Although they are still not necessarily "cheap," prices for SSD have fallen dramatically in the last year.

Overall, the average cost of an SSD has fallen 48 percent over the last 12 months, while the prices of traditional hard drives have remained inflated following the Thai floods.

Larger drives saw the biggest drop, with the 240GB and 256GB model prices falling over 50 percent.

The Intel 320 Series, and most of Intel's drives remained expensive, thanks to its proprietary Intel controller.

Several drives finally reached a milestone, though, falling to under $1 per GB. Most HDD cost around 10 cents per GB now at inflated prices.

See all the charts here: Techreport




AfterDawn: News

Report: Microsoft Surface to sell for $599

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Jun 2012 11:48

Report: Microsoft Surface to sell for $599 Bloomberg reported earlier today that sources are claiming to have early access to Microsoft's pricing of the Surface tablets.

The sources say the tablets will be Wi-Fi-only to begin with, in an effort to keep costs down.

Thanks to such a move, the lower-end Windows RT-based tablet will sell for $599, likely meaning the "Pro" version will cost $799 or so.

If accurate, Microsoft will have to compete on price with Apple devices that offer 4G LTE connectivity although Apple has admitted that there aren't too many people who care about anything other than Wi-Fi.

For more information on the Surface, check here: Microsoft unveils Surface




AfterDawn: News

Nintendo announces 3DS XL

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Jun 2012 11:38

Nintendo announces 3DS XL During this week's Nintendo Direct Conference, the gaming giant has introduced a larger version of their 3DS handheld.

Dubbed the 3DS XL, the console has a large 4.88-inch stereoscopic 3D top screen and a 4.18-inch second screen. The current (first-gen) version of the handheld has a 3.53-inch top screen and 3.02-inch bottom screen.

Additionally, the company is throwing in an extended battery which will give up to 6.5 hours of playtime per charge, depending on the brightness.

Nintendo will include a 4GB SD card, as well, larger than the current 2GB card offered.

All software from the 3DS is compatible and hardware included the charger.

The 3DS XL will hit retailers on July 28th in Japan and Europe and on August 19th in the U.S. alongside New Super Mario Bros. 2.




AfterDawn: News

Analyst: Microsoft making its own phone

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 21 Jun 2012 11:31

Analyst: Microsoft making its own phone According to Nomura analyst Rick Sherlund, Microsoft is looking into ways to make their own smartphone.

The device will be used to boost the presence of the upcoming Windows Phone 8 operating system.

"Our industry sources tell us that Microsoft may be working with a contract manufacturer to develop their own handset for Windows Phone 8," wrote Sherlund in a client note.

"It is unclear to us whether this would be a reference platform or whether this may be a go-to market Microsoft-branded handset."

Sherlund's input is notable as he has covered the company since 1986. Microsoft would not comment on the report.

Microsoft just announced the update yesterday, showing off new features like customizable tiles, an editable homescreen, better multitasking and better supported hardware options.




AfterDawn: News

Android Jelly Bean coming next week?

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 21 Jun 2012 10:21

Android Jelly Bean coming next week? Google has updated their listing of the unlocked HSPA+ version of the Galaxy Nexus, implying that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is on the way.

The description, in the company's Google Play Store, now says "Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ – The latest smartphone from Google, soon the first phone with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean..."

Unfortunately, there isn't much else to go on, but it doesn't seem to be a Google typo.

The company's I/O event is next week and would make a good time to announce the OS update. As seen in the Nexus's photo, there appears to be a bit of a "frosted" look but otherwise the OS still looks the same as 4.0.4.




AfterDawn: News

Twitter sees extended downtime

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 21 Jun 2012 8:17

Twitter sees extended downtime Earlier today, Twitter went down for hours, leaving addicts without their portal to the world of sports, news and popular culture.

Starting at around 12PM EST the main Twitter site went offline, returning within the hour before going down again for another extended period.

At 1:42PM, Twitter posted to its status blog that "the issue has been resolved and all services are currently operational." About a half an hour later, the blog had to backtrack, posting that "the issue is on-going."

Finally, at about 3PM, the site confirmed the problem was caused by "a cascaded bug in one of our infrastructure components." As of writing, the site has been back up with no issues but the downtime was one of the longest in the service's 6 year history.

The crash was so bad that Twitter's infamous "fail whale" did not even appear at all (pictured).




AfterDawn: News

Report: Next iPhone will support China Mobile's 3G

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 21 Jun 2012 6:12

Report: Next iPhone will support China Mobile's 3G According to tech analyst Shaw Wu of Sterne Agee, the next-generation iPhone will support China Mobile's own 3G network, making it the first Apple device to be truly a "world phone."

Support for the TD-SCDMA 3G network will be one of the new "key features" of the iPhone 5, says Wu.

China Mobile has over 650 million mobile subscribers, making it far and away the largest carrier on the planet.

LTE is not too important in the short term for China, as the nation has only been trialing the networks, with full rollouts expected in 2 years.

Apple will also be adding Chinese-language enhancements to iOS 6, including giving Siri the ability to understand and speak Mandarin and Cantonese. Mandarin is the most spoken language on Earth. Additionally, the phones are expected to have easier Chinese character input.

The new phone will likely launch in October, a year after the iPhone 4S and the phone is expected to have a new form factor, a larger 4-inch screen, and LTE.




AfterDawn: News

Sprint to pay $19 million to settle MMS case

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 21 Jun 2012 5:28

Sprint to pay $19 million to settle MMS case Sprint has announced today that it will settle its ongoing MMS-based lawsuit for $19 million.

The carrier had been accused of improperly charging users to send picture messages (MMS).

Users had been part of Sprint's unlimited "Everything Messaging" plans but were still charged for the picture messages. The suit accused the carrier of not explaining how to properly use their phones to avoid unnecessary charges.

Sprint denied wrongdoing in the settlement but will skip a trial and litigation.

The new settlement covers all customers from January 2008 to June 2012 and the customers will have a choice of either free service, fee waivers, credit adjustments, gift cards or cash. From the $19 million, Sprint will pay $3 million towards its own administrative costs and cash payments with lawyers for the plaintiffs getting another $3.5 million.




AfterDawn: News

Judge approves Apple settlement over misleading 4G ads

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 Jun 2012 11:44

Judge approves Apple settlement over misleading 4G ads The fine has been approved by the Australian judge in charge of the case,just two weeks after Apple agreement on the settlement.

Apple had gotten in trouble for misleading buyers into believing that their 4G iPad models worked on all carriers in Australia.

Original story:

Apple has settled with Australian officials over misleading iPad "4G" advertising.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) had brought the case against Apple back in March, after the launch of the third-generation iPad.

ACCC has claimed that Apple misled consumers in the nation by advertising the iPad's 4G compatibility despite knowing that Australian tablet fans could not actually use the LTE networks.

Pending a final approval, the settlement is for $2.25 million with Apple also expected to pay all court costs as well, which are over $300,000.

Previously, Apple announced it would give full refunds to any customer who felt misled by the advertising. On its website, the company updated the LTE notes: "The iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G model can roam worldwide on fast GSM/UMTS networks, including HSPA, HSPA+, and DC-HSDPA. When you travel internationally, you can use a micro-SIM card from a local carrier. You can also connect to the 4G LTE networks of AT&T in the U.S. and Bell, Rogers, and Telus in Canada."




AfterDawn: News

Apple retail employees to get a raise

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 Jun 2012 11:28

Apple retail employees to get a raise Apple has begun raising salaries for its retail employees, depending on their market and performance.

The raises are up to 25 percent and will begin with July's paychecks.

Employees had often complained about their wages during internal reviews, with 'Genius' techs being the most frustrated.

The average employee makes between $9 and $15 per hour with some 'Geniuses' getting up to $30 on rare occurrences.

Apple currently has 357 stores, and is actively expanding. 70 percent or so are here in the States. Sales in retail stores reached $14 billion in 2011.




AfterDawn: News

Microsoft didn't tell partners about Surface until last week?

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 Jun 2012 10:52

Microsoft didn't tell partners about Surface until last week? According to multiple sources, Microsoft did not alert its hardware partners of its plans for the Surface tablet until last week, just days before their public announcement.

Many of its long-standing partners, companies like Dell and the like, did not learn of the gadget until Friday, just three days before the company unveiled the device at a public event for the media.

Windows chief Steven Sinofsky called partners on Friday but did not even reveal the name of the tablet.

Dell, Acer and Asus each confirmed that they were not told details of the device.

For more information on the Surface, check our initial review here: Microsoft Surface Tablet




AfterDawn: News

Android continues to take Chinese market share

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 Jun 2012 10:19

Android continues to take Chinese market share According to new iMedia figures, Android is crushing Chinese smartphone market share.

Android is now on 55.4 percent of all active smartphones, jumping from 47.3 percent last quarter.

iOS continued its growth as well, albeit at a much slower pace, increasing from 11.7 percent to 12.4 percent.

The other major player is Nokia's Symbian, which remains a cheap viable option for some in the market where it once controlled almost 100 percent share. Over the last quarter, Symbian's share fell from 32.3 percent to 25.6 percent.

Windows Phone 7 just made its way over there last month, so overall share remains very low. WP7 and older Windows Mobile devices account for just 2.4 percent share.

Android's pace doesn't look to be slowing its pace anytime soon either, accounting for almost 70 percent of all new device sales.




AfterDawn: News

Wii U price, release date leaked?

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 Jun 2012 9:46

Wii U price, release date leaked? Although it is likely inaccurate, the Nintendo Wii U's price and release date have been leaked by Amazon's German site.

The site, which has had the listing up for hours, shows the console selling for €399.

Additionally, the listing has the console going on sale just three days before Christmas, on December 21st.

That being said, the entire listing seems to be just a placeholder, as the numbers and especially the date, do not make any sense.

Why would Nintendo release the console just three days before the biggest holiday of the year when most people have already bought their gifts? Why would Nintendo sell at a price that would put them at a serious disadvantage against the PS3 and the Xbox 360? They wouldn't.

Check the page here: Amazon.de





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