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Playbooks Outperforming Android Tablets?

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Chalk one up to RIM, whose Blackberry Playbook is apparently outselling all their rivals save for the  iPad 2 (who dominates the tablet market).

Since its April 19 launch in the U.S., Abramsky thinks RIM has moved about 250,000 PlayBooks. Further, he believes RIM is on track to sell 500,000 PlayBooks by the end of the quarter. […]

“Checks at 180 Best Buys show 14% of the 16 GB sold out, 71% of the 32 GB sold out, and 84% of the 64 GB sold out; however, 32 GB/64 GB stockouts appear allocation-related,” he wrote. Are many PlayBooks being returned? Not really, he said, calling PlayBook returns “nominal.” (Information Week)

Despite being half the size of Motorola’s Xoom as well as requiring a Blackberry device in order to access basic features like a calendar (note: seriously RIM?), the Playbook seems to be a hit amongst the masses.

Motorola also reported 250,000 units sold, although they only mentioned how many tablets were sold to stores and not directly to consumers (which is a way of saying a product is a dud).

Although RIM’s quarter million sales to consumers are not blockbuster figures, it does give them something to boast about when addressing their critics (this author included).

If RIM is able to perform this well underneath Apple’s shadow with a mini-tablet, how much better could they do with a full sized tablet with all of the bells and whistles? Food for thought.

Originally posted on May 18, 2011 @ 1:42 pm

iPhone Wish List: 5 Things Needed In iOS 5

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With Apple delaying iPhone 5 (or iPhone 4S depending on who you talk to) and turning WWDC into a software only affair, many tech pundits have been pondering what Steve Jobs will unveil to to the world.

While there is debate on whether iPhone 5 will be another “giant leap” or merely a spec refresher, there are a few features Apple needs to implement upon iOS 5 in order to challenge Android for smartphone dominance. [Read more…]

Originally posted on May 30, 2011 @ 3:13 pm

Microsoft’s Skype Assimilation (And Why Google Should Be Worried)

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The software giant has snapped up one of the hottest VoIP startups from the jaws of Google by paying twice as much as the search engine giant in cold hard cash.

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: “MSFT”) and Skype Global S.à r.l today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire Skype, the leading Internet communications company, for $8.5 billion in cash from the investor group led by Silver Lake. The agreement has been approved by the boards of directors of both Microsoft and Skype. (Microsoft)

Skype was on the verge of going public when Microsoft and Google entered a bidding war over the VoIP king.

Although the search engine giant has their own “VoIP” service via Google Voice, Larry Page (Google’s co-founder and new CEO) may regret the day that he did not purchase Skype. [Read more…]

Originally posted on May 10, 2011 @ 12:14 pm

Google News Web App Now Local Friendly

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Google has rolled out an update to their Google News web app that allows iOS and Android fans to receive local news while on the go.

To use this feature, visit Google News from the browser of your Android smartphone or iPhone. If this is the first time you are visiting Google News on your phone since this feature became available, a pop-up will ask you if you want to share your location. If you say yes, news relevant to your location will appear in a new section called “News near you” which will be added at the bottom of the homepage. (Google News Blog)

Embracing local via mobile should help Google compete with rival services like Topix (the latter who has been quietly dominating the local news niche).

Although it’s great to see a robust web app, hopefully Google will consider launching a native app in the not so distant future (as even Yahoo! has a native news app for Android and iOS fans).

Surprising Google seems to have overlooked supporting a few rival platforms (like Blackberry OS, webOS and Windows Phone 7) most who support HTML5.

Note: Can any readers upon other smartphones view the “News near you” feature? If so, let us know in the comment section below!

Originally posted on May 13, 2011 @ 2:18 pm

How HP’s TouchPad Can Avoid Tablet Purgatory

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With the exception of RIM’s Playbook, every iPad 2 challenger has been greeted by consumers with a lack of interest (at least as far as Android tablets go).

Instead of taking cue’s from RIM (who didn’t go out of their way to challenge Apple), HP has decided to boast about TouchPad’s superiority over rivals, claiming that their tablet will not only be able to challenge iPad 2, but also beat Apple at their own game.

Although early reviews of the TouchPad have thus far been positive, HP will have to do more than match iPad 2 on price if they plan on stealing the gold away from Apple. [Read more…]

Originally posted on May 23, 2011 @ 1:34 pm

Filed Under: HP