Apple iPhone 4S release: live

The launch of the iPhone 4S last week was overshadowed by two things. Foremost was the death of Apple's co-founder and charismatic leader, Steve Jobs.
Jobs' failing health had been the only cloud on Apple's horizon in recent years. His death was not

unexpected - yet its abruptness was still a shock, as Jobs only stepped down as Apple CEO in August.
The other shadow to fall on the iPhone 4S was the sense of disappointment felt by some. This was not at all surprising: the hype around Apple product launches is now so great, and the level of - mostly uttterly incorrect - speculations so furious, that anti-climax is inevitable.
Frankly, if Apple were to announce it had created a perpetual motion machine and also harnessed nuclear fusion to produce limitless energy - unboxing the Holy Grail as its 'one more thing' - the event would still be greeted by seismic rumblings of discontent.
No surprise then that the iPhone 4S launch was dubbed "disappointing" and a "damp squib". Cupertino's shares even dipped on the revelation that Apple had not, as expected by scores of tech watchers, brought forth the fabled iPhone 5 after all.
The tech press' collective 'meh' was almost audible, not least because the gadget hounds have spent the past year predicting the arrival of the iPhone 5. And now their iPhone 5 vigil begins anew: another year of waiting, hyping and writing another thousand iPhone 5 stories. Little wonder they are blue.
But don't be deceived by this spectre of anti-climax. There's nothing shabby about the iPhone 4S. On the contrary, it's a very respectable update to a very popular smartphone.
Early indications suggest mobile consumers aren't fazed by the lack of the iPhone 5. Apple has racked up record pre-orders for its latest iPhone iteration. On Monday it announced iPhone 4S pre-orders had exceeded one million in the first 24 hours since the device was made available. This compares to 600,000 day-one pre-orders for last year's model, the iPhone 4.
If the iPhone 4S is disappointing there are an awful lot of technology companies that can only dream of being so dismal.
But let's play devil's advocate and ask exactly what features gadget hounds were hoping the mythical iPhone 5 would usher in? Earlier this year, silicon.com's sister site CNET News.com made a fine list of the top 20 most-wanted iPhone 5 features.
Top of this wish list was 4G support - a next-generation network technology that hasn't even been rolled out in the UK, since the spectrum required to underpin it hasn't gone under the hammer yet. So does the whole world - that is, not just the US where 4G has been rolled out - need a 4G iPhone? No, not yet.
Another coveted feature according to the list was near-field communications (NFC) - a technology that enables contactless payments and content sharing between NFC-enabled devices. Again, the infrastructure required to render NFC useful to the masses, rather than an innovative gimmick for the techie few, is not yet in place. In the UK, for instance, around 40,000 retailers accept contactless payments - so that's an awful lot of shops that don't.
On the NFC content-sharing front, RIM has just announced it will incorporate a 'tap to share' system called BlackBerry Tag into the next update of its smartphone OS. There's no firm launch date on this - and RIM's handset portfolio currently includes just two NFC handsets - so finding another NFC-owning BlackBerry user to contactlessly share content with is going to take considerably longer than contactlessly sharing the content itself.
Technology features in and of themselves are meaningless. What matters is whether they contribute something positive to the user experience. Which is why saying no to emerging technologies such as NFC is the right decision for Apple at this time.
It's also why, when Apple upgraded the iPhone's camera to eight megapixels, rather than cramming more megapixels atop the same sensor, it included a larger sensor to ensure better quality pictures - not just a spec sheet bump. Unlike other companies that play spec sheet top trumps - often in a misguided attempt to leapfrog Apple - Apple prioritises the user experience. That's not a bug, it's a feature - arguably Apple's defining feature.

AT&T Airs "4G" New BlackBerries With BlackBerry 7 OS; Launch in August(Photos)

"4G"-ready Torch is the first model to be revealed

According to Canalys Principal Analyst Chris Jones, Canadian phonemaker Research In Motion Ltd. (TSE:RIM) desperately needs to "continue to innovative and recapture lost momentum."  Today RIM made

the first step towards that goal, but the question will inevitably whether it will be enough to right the ship. 

RIM's partner carrier AT&T, Inc. (T) today pulled the wraps [press release] over RIM's next generation BlackBerry 7 OS series, to launch this August.  The first model revealed might look a bit familiar -- it's the BlackBerry Torch with a slight hardware refresh.

The previous Torch -- the BlackBerry Torch 9800 -- came out approximately a year ago, in Aug. 2010 and was the first BlackBerry 6 OS device to launch.  Despite falling a bit short of expectations, the Torch saw decent sales and placed sixth in IBTimes's 2010 list of top smart phones.

The new Torch -- the "4G" BlackBerry Torch 9810 -- adds a 3.5G HSPA+ modem (which AT&T rebrands as "4G"), for faster data traffic.  It also significantly bumps the processor trading the slow 624 MHz Marvell Tavor PXA940 for an 1.2 GHz model from an undisclosed manufacturer.  The NAND flash memory capacity is doubled from 4 GB to 8 GB.  

The camera sticks at 5 MP, but it appears to have some sort of improvements as it can now take 720p video, versus the previous model which could only record at up to 480p.  The display looks identical to the previous model at 3.2-inches.

AT&T describes RIM's new BlackBerry 7 OS, writing:

BlackBerry 7 OS delivers speed, efficiency and UI enhancements and enables new hardware capabilities, including HD video recording, more fluid and responsive graphics, digital compass, and augmented reality. Browsing with the new BlackBerry 7 based smartphones is up to 40% faster than BlackBerry® 6 based smartphones and up to 100% faster than BlackBerry® 5 based smartphones.

Intriguing, AT&T also announces a coming Torch-branded smart phone that's all touch screen.  Hopefully RIM can pull this one off and deliver a solid all-touch phone this time around.  Its only full-touch effort to date has been the problem-plagued Storm, which became the bunt of many a joke, even among RIM supporters. (To be fair, the second generation Storm did offer some modest improvements.)  The new phone is branded the "4G" BlackBerry Torch 9860.

AT&T also announced a coming refresh of the popular "Bold" series.  The new model will be branded the "4G'" BlackBerry Bold 9900.  AT&T did not reveal any hardware details about the Bold 9900 or Torch 9860.

According to a preview in Engadget, the Bold 9900 will feature very similar specs to the new Torch, with a larger 2.8-inch display, a 1.2 GHz processor, a 720p-ready 5 MP camera, and a 10.5 mm thin case (on par with the iPhone 4).

Lenovo Unveils IdeaPad K Android Tablet

With product names like ThinkPad and IdeaPad, one would think Lenovo would've gotten into the tablet game ages ago, but those products were traditionally laptops. While Samsung, HTC, RIM, and others have raced ahead with iPad competitors, Lenovo has bided its time, flirting with Windows 7-based and dual-OS

tablet concepts as recently as January 2011 CES. Now, however, the company has gotten serious and is committing to an Android Honeycomb tablet, the IdeaPad K1.

The 10.1-inch, Honeycomb 3.1 IdeaPad K1 ships in July. Starting at $449 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version (3G pricing has not been set), the 1.6-pound tablet has a silver exterior and a rubberized back. Measuring 13mm at its thickest point, the K1 tapers to a somewhat thinner profile on one side. Like a multitude of other Android-based tablets, the IdeaPad K1 features two cameras, a 2-megapixel one on the front and a 5-megapixel camera on the back. It offers a full SD card slot and support for full-sized USB input. Inside, the Idea K is running an Nvidia Tegra 2 and has an IPS-based, 1,280-by-800 screen. It's also one of the few Android tablets to offer a physical home button on the device face.

Though the device features the most up-to-date, tablet-friendly Android interface, Lenovo has added its own optional on-screen control center that offers one-touch access to the Internet, mail, music, video, and ebooks. Lenovo is also unveiling its own curated app store. Company execs said they're not looking to make money through the store; they simply want to offer "reliable and safe" apps. Google's own Android Market is famously unpoliced and the company has, on occasion, had to reach out and remove misbehaving apps.

The IdeaPad K will also ship with some built-in apps, including Docs to Go and Norton Mobile Security (though Lenovo couldn't tell me if it was a trial or full version). Lenovo spent some time building custom apps for the Honeycomb platform, including a file management utility that lets you drag and drop files from a plugged in USB key to folders on the tablet. There's even a custom Lenovo social aggregator app, which brings together all your social feeds in one, seemingly threaded conversation. Consumers also get 2GB of free cloud-based storage with each Lenovo tablet.

UPDATE 1-RIM nears 2-year low after recalling some Playbooks

* RIM recalls 1,000 PlayBook tablets on flawed OS

* Shares near lowest since March 2009

(Adds share move, RIM statement, analyst quote)

TORONTO, May 16 (Reuters) - Research In Motion

(RIM.TO)(RIMM.O) shares neared a two-year low on Monday after

the BlackBerry maker said it had recalled about 1,000 of its

Playbook tablet computers due to an operating system flaw.

The Canadian company has been dogged by troubles in recent

months, disappointing investors by slashing sales and earnings

forecasts soon after revealing a weak earnings outlook.

[ID:nL3E7FT284]

RIM said the batch of 16 GB devices were shipped with "an

OS build that may result in the devices being unable to

properly load software upon initial set-up."

The PlayBook runs a QNX platform RIM bought last year and

plans to migrate into its new smartphones starting in 2012.

"It probably doesn't move the needle financially but it's

just another blemish from an execution standpoint," Avian

Securities analyst Matthew Thornton said of the recall.

Most of the affected devices were still in distribution and

had not reached customers, RIM said in an emailed statement.

The faulty batch was sent to office supply chain Staples

Inc (SPLS.O), technology blog Engadget reported on Saturday.

Staples did not respond to requests for comment.

RIM's Nasdaq-listed shares fell as low as $42.61, just 9

cents above an August 2010 trough. A fall below $42.52 would be

the lowest price since March 2009 and give the company a market

capitalization of $22.2 billion.

The shares have lost a quarter of their value this year.

RIM hoped the launch of the long-awaited PlayBook tablet

could revive its fortunes, but the product garnered poor

reviews and complaints it had been rushed out before it was

ready. [ID:nN19146402]

Its aging BlackBerry smartphone lineup has steadily lost

market share, especially in the hyper-competitive U.S. market,

to snazzier devices such as Apple's (AAPL.O) iPhone and a slew

of devices running Google's (GOOG.O) Android software.

RIM is expected to ship some 3 million PlayBooks this year,

far fewer than the 15 million iPads rival Apple shipped in a

similar period last year to single-handedly create a market for

touchscreen devices halfway between a smartphone and a laptop.

In April, RIM cut its first-quarter earnings outlook citing

fewer smartphone shipments, particularly in the United States

and Latin America, formerly a strong growth market for RIM as

it expanded globally. [ID:nN28282063]

(Reporting by Alastair Sharp in Toronto and Renju Jose in

Bangalore; Editing by Frank McGurty)

RIM Longtime Bulls Turn Bearish Saying Slide Could Hit 38%

Research In Motion Ltd. (RIMM)’s cut to its profit forecast has prompted some longtime bulls to lower their ratings on the shares and slash their price targets to as much as 38 percent below the stock’s close before the warning.

At least five analysts dropped their ratings for the stock after RIM said earnings would be lower than what it had forecast a month before. Mike Abramsky, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets in Toronto, who has had an “outperform” or “top pick” on RIM since January 2009, cut his rating to “sector perform” and his price target to $55 from $90.

“We were wrong,” Abramsky said in a research note yesterday. Coming four weeks after providing guidance, “this warning raises questions about RIM’s visibility into its own business.”

Peter Misek, an analyst at Jefferies & Co., cut his rating on the stock to “underperform” after recommending investors “buy” or “hold” the shares since at least 2005. RIM’s reduced forecast suggests the company may have delays in getting phones it introduces at an annual trade show next week into stores, which will only turn off carriers and consumers, he said.

“RIM’s falling mindshare and its continued execution- related delays is souring its relationships with carriers,” Misek, who is based in New York, wrote in a note. He cut his price target from $80 to $35, or 38 percent lower than the stock’s closing price on April 28.

RIM fell $7.94, or 14 percent, to $48.65 yesterday in Nasdaq Stock Market trading, for the biggest drop since September 2009. The stock has lost 16 percent this year.

Apple and Google

The Waterloo, Ontario-based company is struggling to compete against Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Google Inc. (GOOG) in the smartphone market. RIM’s share of global smartphone sales fell to 14 percent in the fourth quarter from 20 percent a year earlier, according to the British research firm Canalys. The share for devices that run Google’s Android operating system more than tripled to 33 percent, and Apple was unchanged at 16 percent.

RIM, which will hold an investor day alongside the BlackBerry World event in Orlando, Florida, next week, must convince investors it has come up with products that can compete with Apple’s iPhone and Android devices, said Paul Taylor, chief investment officer at BMO Harris Private Banking in Toronto.

“Management needs to deliver on the product side,” said Taylor, who manages about $14.5 billion, including RIM and Apple shares. “That includes competitive next-generation smartphones and building out the app library.”

‘Aging’ BlackBerrys

Apple offers more than 350,000 software applications, or apps, and Google’s Android Market has more than 150,000, compared with more than 25,000 in BlackBerry App World.

Co-Chief Executive Officer Jim Balsillie told analysts on a conference call on April 28 that he wished the new products would come sooner to replace current BlackBerry devices.

“The issue is an aging that happens in your higher-end products and it affects margin,” Balsillie said. “All things being equal we would love to have these products earlier and not be having this call. Because it’s such a big upgrade, it takes longer.”

The Waterloo, Ontario-based company said April 28 that profit will be $1.30 to $1.37 a share this quarter, instead of $1.47 to $1.55. RIM said BlackBerry shipments will be at the lower end of the range of 13.5 million to 14.5 million it projected last month, and the mix of devices will shift toward cheaper models.

The company said full-year earnings will be about $7.50 a share, after projecting earnings in excess of $7.50 last month.

‘Lost Confidence’

“The investment community was already skeptical about the full-year guidance of $7.50 and this gives them reason to be more skeptical,” said Michael Walkley, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity Ltd., who has a “hold” rating on the stock.

Cormark Securities Inc.’s Richard Tse, who has had an “outperform” or “sector perform” rating since at least October 2008, cut his recommendation to “reduce.” Gleacher & Co. Securities’ Stephen Patel and National Bank Financial’s Kris Thompson also reduced their ratings on RIM.

“We’ve lost confidence in RIM and don’t see this as a one- time miss,” said Thompson.

Sameet Kanade, an analyst at Northern Securities Inc. in Toronto, suggested the company should consider adopting Android for its consumer devices to stay competitive. He also said RIM should scrap its two-CEO structure.

“It is apparent that this dual structure is not working at RIM,” he wrote in a note. “We contend that a change in management structure is required and believe the vote is clearly in favor of Mr. Mihalis ‘Mike’ Lazaridis, who is the technical brains behind the company.”

Apple May Have Sold 500,000 IPad 2 Tablets on Debut Weekend, Analyst Says

Apple Inc. may have sold as many as 500,000 iPad 2 computers after retail outlets ran out of the tablet-style device on its debut weekend, said Piper Jaffray Cos. analyst Gene Munster.
Stores run by Apple, Target Corp. and Best Buy Co. contacted by Munster’s team had sold out of the device, he said in a research note yesterday. Online orders via Apple’s website are taking up to a month for delivery, up from less than a week when sales began.
Early estimates suggest demand for iPads remains buoyant even as competitors such as Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. enter the tablet market. Apple sold more than 300,000 units of the first iPad in the 24 hours after its April debut.
“IPads are sold out across virtually all channels,” Munster said in the research note. “We were unable to find any availability.”
Munster said Apple will probably surpass his early prediction that 5.5 million iPads would be sold this quarter, which ends this month. Munster, based in Minneapolis, said that 70 percent of the customers surveyed by his team were first-time iPad buyers, signaling Apple is expanding its user base.
Apple may have sold three times as many iPad 2s in the debut as the first iPad, according to Trip Chowdhry, an analyst with Global Equities Research. All of the handful of Best Buy stores surveyed by Global Equities sold out of the iPad in four minutes, Chowdhry wrote.
Thinner, Lighter Model
The new model, which comes in white and black, is lighter, thinner, includes a more powerful processor and has front and rear cameras. It ranges in price from $499 for a base model to $829 for the top-of-the-line version.
Materials used in the iPad 2 cost about $326.60, according to research firm IHS ISuppli, which based its analysis on a version that has 32 gigabytes of memory and works with the mobile phone standard know as global system for mobile communications. That’s up from $320 for the earlier model.
Apple expanded the number of retail outlets where the device was available, including 236 retails stores in the U.S. and thousands of AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless, Best Buy, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and Target stores.
“Demand for the next-generation iPad has been amazing and we are working hard to get iPad 2 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible,” said Trudy Muller, a spokeswoman for Apple. The company has not issued a first-weekend sales figure for the iPad 2.
Apple similarly didn’t have enough of the iPhone 4 in the days after its June introduction.
102 Tablets In Works
Through December, Apple had sold 14.8 million iPads, generating $9.6 billion in sales, making it one of the fastest- selling consumer-electronic devices in history.
Rivals including Motorola Mobility, Samsung Electronics Co., Research In Motion Ltd. and Hewlett-Packard Co. are introducing tablet computers to compete with the iPad. Overall, there are 102 tablets from 64 makers either on sale or in development, according to consulting firm PRTM.
On March 11, hundreds of people lined up at the Fifth Avenue store in New York. Store workers handed out free hot chocolate and water to those waiting.
“I’m a student, and I hate carrying my laptop to school. It’s like five pounds and the iPad is a lot lighter,” said Jay Narang, 19, a sophomore at Baruch College. “I was going to get the first one, but I knew they were going to come out with one with cameras, so why not just wait?”
Francis Degode, 44, lives outside of Brussels and said he came to New York for the release because it would take too long to get one at home. Degode got in line at 6 a.m. in the rain on March 11 to get his first iPad.
“The iPad 2 is faster, and there are two cameras. It’s very useful,” Degode said. “It’s the gadget of the year.”

Why You Should Not Buy An iPad 2: iOS(Gallery Foto)

Like many tech enthusiasts, I followed last week’s Apple event closely. Steve Jobs unexpectedly took the stage, but the company announced an expected product: the iPad 2. Although not nearly as revolutionary as the original, the second generation model brings refined hardware improvements. Extras such as cameras are also a great addition, however there is one major flaw: iOS.
Do Hardware Specs Matter?
This questions comes up quite often and the answer is not simple. Apple’s original iPad was a game changer since there was nothing else like it on the market. Tablet PCs had been around for ages, but they still ran a desktop operating system. While I adore Windows 7 and use it primarily for all my work, it is far from being ideal for tablets. With the introduction of iOS, hardware specs for tablets became more along the lines of a smart phone rather than a laptop computer.
Although 2010 was definitely the year of the iPad, 2011 has an entirely new landscape. Competition such as the BlackBerry PlayBook, HP TouchPad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10, and LG G-Slate each offer a very similar set of features. There are some benefits and drawbacks to each which we highlighted in our series of infographics, but the specifications are roughly the same. They are so close in some regards that it truly does not make a difference to consumers.
Software Matters Too

While hardware specifications were all the rage for ages, easy to use and intuitive software has pushed for consumer friendly devices. Apple made a great decision when they chose to run iOS on the iPad instead of Mac OS X last year. The interface was efficient, familiar, and simple. The iPhone was already a hit and the iPad was a perfectly complement to the family.
Although I do not own an iPad, I spent some time using and reviewing it last year. There were many missing features at the time, however iOS ran incredibly smoothly. Fast forward a year later, not much has changed aside from the addition of multitasking. The new iPad 2 makes things faster with a dual-core processor, but the operating system is nearly identical.
This creates a major issue for Apple as we head into the flooded market of tablets in 2011. The current iOS for the iPad is essentially an enlarged version of the operating system for the iPhone and iPod touch. The platform was a great start, but the original design does not take advantage of the tablet form factor. Although I was hoping for a new refreshing interface, Apple did not announce a major software revamp for the iPad 2 aside from a few minor enhancements.
The Competition Has Caught Up

There are many amazing iPad apps that take advantage of 9.7 inch screen, but the operating system does not go far enough. Google, HP, and RIM have started from the ground up with new tablet operating systems that take the slate form factor into consideration from the OS level. BlackBerry Tablet OS, webOS 3, and Android 3.0 Honeycomb each offer many user interface improvements which are more innovative and intuitive than iOS.
For instance, HP’s latest webOS 3 lets users stack sets of applications together for organized multitasking. Google’s Android 3.0 Honeycomb has an impressive notifications panel for keeping up to date with the latest information without letting pop ups disrupt work flow. It is not just about multitasking and notifications either, these new breed of tablets offer creative home screens with widgets and improved navigation for getting things done fast.
It’s Also About The Apps

In addition to beyond impressive sales, Apple’s App Store count is far ahead of competition. Steve Jobs proudly noted that there are over 65,000 iPad optimized apps while less than 100 are available Android tablets. It is also important not to forget that the quality of apps also matter. Apple’s out of the box apps are amazing and many third-party apps are even better.
However, you will probably change your mind once you try Android 3.0 Honeycomb. The default bundled apps truly highlight the true potential for Google’s new operating system. Everything from the Browser, Calendar, Chat, Contacts, Email, Maps, and Music apps are incredibly innovative. They look gorgeous, have more features, and actually very easy to use. This is a small indicator of the likely nature of upcoming third-party Android tablet apps.
Keep in mind that the Motorola Xoom is the only Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet on the market so far and it is than a month old. Apple iOS for the iPad is about a year a more mature than all the others. Competitors, including Google, are still far behind Apple when it comes to tablet sales, but they are move up the ladder faster with better technology.
To Buy Or Not To Buy
If you are ready for a tablet, you may want to think a moment before dropping cash for the iPad 2. It is a great product, but it is only a slight advancement to the previous iteration. Apple has yet to announce or make any mention of iOS 5. It is unclear what the next generation operating system will offer or if every feature would even carry over to the iPad 2. Other tablets already have a head start with features such as 4G connectivity, integrated mobile hotspots, flash player, video chat over a cellular network, and expandable storage. While the iPad 2 will by no means disappoint if you know what you are getting, consider the available options if you are open to unique alternatives.

RIM CMO Out on Eve of Playbook Tablet Launch

RIM might be close to making its tablet debut with its upcoming Playbook, but there's one thing that won't be accompanying this device to the market: an ongoing chief marketing officer.

According to a Friday report by the Wall Street Journal, RIM's chief marketing officer Keith Pardy is leaving the company following a six-month transition period. 

According to a statement by RIM, "personal reasons" are behind the departure, but there's been no elaboration—official or otherwise—as to what those could be. Pardy allegedly made the decision to depart a month ago.

RIM poached Pardy from Nokia in late 2009. The departure now leaves RIM without an executive on top mere weeks before the company is expected to launch its flagship Playbook table—either in late March or early April, depending on which batch of rumors you subscribe to. However, according to IHS iSuppli analyst Rhoda Alexander, the executive departure isn't likely to affect the Playbook's launch.

"Hopefully, when you're weeks away from product release, you've laid most of the groundwork for the marketing efforts," said Alexander in an interview with Reuters. "Others can execute the groundwork that's been laid out."

Although RIM still enjoys considerable success amongst U.S. smartphone owners—it's currently tied with Apple for a 27 percent market share, says The Neilsen Company--jumping into the Apple-focused tablet market is another battle entirely. According to the latest figures from Strategy Analytics, Apple cruised to a 95.5-percent tablet market share in the third quarter of 2010 before dropping to 75.3 percent in the fourth quarter. Over all of 2010, however, Apple commanded 84.1 percent of the tablet market, with Android-based devices barely making a dent at 13.1 percent.

A total of 9.7 million tablet devices sold globally made up the aforementioned fourth-quarter statistics. That's an important number, because Digitimes has reported that RIM allegedly expects to sell one million playbooks in the first quarter of 2011. Pretending, for a moment, that those sales occurred in the fourth quarter of 2010, one million Playbooks sold would have put the RIM at a market share of 9.35 percent.

But remember, by the time the RIM Playbook's launch rolls around, it will be staring down the barrel of two of the market's fiercest competitors: Apple's iPad 2, and what's been heralded as the first true Android-based competitor to the iPad, Motorola's Xoom. With these two heavyweights duking it out, one million units sold for RIM's Playbook could be a difficult target to hit—and might not give RIM even ten percent market share in the aftermath.