Wednesday 31 October 2012

31/10/2012: Galaxy Premier released, Microsoft is being sued because of their LiveTiles and iOS Maps in alpha? Plus much more!

Samsung announces the Galaxy Premier!



   Samsung is currently the world's biggest smartphone manufacturer and it's quite clear why. Firstly, they have their insanely popular Galaxy S range, which is always their flagship phone and subsequently commands a very high premium. But, aside from the Galaxy S' there's an absolute wealth of options suited to every budget and tailored to every different need.

   Today's announcement though is somewhere slightly below the Galaxy S3 and somewhere slightly above the slightly older Galaxy S2, which is now considered a mid-range phone. As such the Galaxy Premier, or GT-i9260 as it's more affectionately known, is packing a solid spec sheet. There's the same 720p 4.65-inch AMOLED display we saw on the Galaxy Nexus, a dual-core 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4470 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a choice of 8 or 16GB of internal storage, both of which are expandable with the help of a microSD card which can be up to 32GB in size!


   On top of that there's two good cameras; an 8-megapixel rear and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing shooter. This is all topped off with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, LTE connectivity and an ample 2,100mAh battery to get you through the day!

   If you're intrigued by this new offering from Sammy then it's available in Ukraine for the equivalent of $680 USD, which we hope you'll agree seems rather expensive when compared to Google's new Nexus 4!



In other news:

  • The Wall Street Journal has reported that Asus and Google are shifting about a million Nexus 7's a month now! "At the beginning, it was, for instance, 500K units a month, then maybe 600, 700K. This latest month, it was close to 1 million,” Asustek Chief Financial Officer David Chang told The Wall Street Journal.
  • Microsoft is offering a huge 92% discount if you join their development centre at the moment! The only catch is you have to pay $99 upfront and then they'll reimburse you 91 of those dollars within the next 30 to 45 days. If you're interested in this deal head over here! The deal is valid until the 7th of November!
  • The guys from Redmond are also being sued for their implementation of live tiles in Windows 8, Windows RT, but not Windows Phone. A company by the name of SurfCast currently owns a patent which says that 'tiles “can be thought of as dynamically updating icons. A Tile is different from an icon because it can be both selectable and live — containing refreshed content that provides a real-time or near-real-time view of the underlying information.” It'll be hard for Microsoft to argue that their tiles are different to that, but we'll see what they come up with! You can find more details here!
  • If you live in the UK and would like to get the Nexus 4, on contract, the day it launches then The Carphone Warehouse will have you covered. The phone is available on either Vodafone and O2 and you can get it free from £31 a month! Which seems slightly extortionate to us given the device is available free on the Play Store for either £239 or £279, which would go very nicely with a cheap little sim-only plan! That'll give you something to think about, especially if your network of choice isn't Voda or O2!
  • Again for those of us in the UK the famous HotUKDeals website has launched apps for both iOS and Android! You can find them in your app store of choice of for internet links head over to here!

And finally, is this an alpha build of Google Maps for iOS, most places would have you believe so! We'll have to wait and see what this looks like if or when it gets submitted to the app store and approved!
Via Wired.

Tuesday 30 October 2012

30/10/2012: Matuas Duarte answers Nexus questions on Google+, BBC iPlayer is now officially on Sky+, Rovio teases Angry Birds Star Wars and more!

Matias Duarte answers some of the nagging questions the community had!




   There was a couple of key complaints which Google has faced in the recent versions of Android and today Matias Duarte has stepped forward on Google+ to help explain Google's thinking!

   The issues Matias tackled were SD card slots, or rather the lack of them on Google's Nexus devices and secondly the decision to drop the split navigation and notification bar which tablets with ICS or Honeycomb were blessed with. 

   Firstly, with regard to SD card slots and reluctantly we can actually see where he's coming from especially as Google is trying their best to work on usability for the average consumer, he said:
"Everybody likes the idea of having an SD card, but in reality it's just confusing for users. If you’re saving photos, videos or music, where does it go? Is it on your phone? Or on your card? Should there be a setting? Prompt everytime? What happens to the experience when you swap out the card? It’s just too complicated."
    The second thing he brought up was the new navigation buttons which will grace the bottom of every tablet running Android 4.2, like Google and Samsung's new Nexus 10. The new navigation bar won't be split between notifications and navigation like the Motorola Xoom's was, instead the bar will be very much like the Nexus 7's and the status bar will be added to the top of the screen, so you'll have to pull down to see notifications!

"This new configuration is based on usability research we did on all of the different form factors and screen sizes that Android runs on. What mattered most of all was muscle memory - keeping the buttons where you expect them, no matter how you hold the device."
   And just for your extra information, there's a good overview from The Verge which gives you a good amount of information about the creation of the new range of Nexus devices!


 



In other news:

  • Google's Android has caught up with Apple's iOffering in terms of apps; there's now 700,000 apps on the Play Store!
  • Microsoft have faced criticism on the performance of Office 2013 on their new Surface RT tablets. The company went on to say that the “issue is known,” and “an update is forthcoming.” Apparently, the best way to 'fix the problem' is to update to the latest versions of all software which you have! Other users have said that has made everything better! So stay up to date!
  • The 4th generation iPad has been benchmarked and this one is a lot more powerful and it's packing a 1.4 GHz A6X chipset with 1GB of RAM!
  • The mobile phone makers Pantech have announced that they have partnered with Mocana to secure their next-gen Android smartphones and tablets! The company plans to use Mocana's VeloDAR solution which offers FIPS 140-2 certified encryption!
  • EE has today launched their 4G network and their new Fibre Optic home and business broadband service!
  • BBC iPlayer is now officially available for Sky+ viewers straight from your Sky Box!
  • ZTE has now officially overtaken HTC to become the world's 4th biggest smartphone manufacturer!
And finally, Rovio has offered their first video teaser of their upcoming Angry Birds Star Wars game! There's some game play in there too and it's looking pretty good! The full teaser is just below!

Monday 29 October 2012

29/10/2012: Google release their Nexus family and Android 4.2, Windows Phone 8 launches and all the other news!

Google's Nexus event isn't being rescheduled: Everything gets released!


   That event Google had planned for today was unfortunately cancelled by a somewhat inconveniently timed and potentially dangerous hurricane which goes by the name of Sandy. But, Google doesn't need a hurricane to stop them releasing their newest set of devices! And after much speculation we now have an three separate and new devices, each with great sets of specs and we think you'll find them very, very intriguing, especially when you see how much they're going to cost!

   Before we start though, there's a new version of Jelly Bean (Android 4.2) available and all of the official details straight from Google can be found here! But now onto the devices!

The LG Nexus 4.

   First up we have possibly the worst kept secret gadget ever! It's got everything that was rumoured too!

   To start with there's a 4.7"1280 x 768 pixel screen, giving the device a ppi of about 320, which definitely pegs this in the realm of high end displays! For added protection this one will have Corning's Gorilla Glass 2, just to fend off those pesky keys!

   Aside from the display you've got 2GB's of RAM, 1.3 and 8MP cameras, NFC, 8 or 16GB's of storage, a Snapdragon S4 Pro processor  and a 2100mAh battery which also powers your usual array of connections and features! In case you are wondering there is wireless charging for the phone too, but we don't currently have any official details of the 'charging orb' but it should be available pretty soon!

   This phone will ship with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on board as well! That's a great package in itself, but wouldn't it be even better if it was £239 for the 8GB model and £279 for the 16GB model? Well that's how much they are folks! If you can't wait to get your hands on it then you can pre-order it here! 

Asus Nexus 7: New Variants!


   Everyone in the tech world has grown to know and love Google and Asus' little 7" Nexus tablet. But, there's always been some things missing for reviewers and they're 3G connectivity for those weekends away and some extra internal storage! 

   Thankfully Google's been listening and has allayed both of those fears with the update Nexus 7's. There's still the Tegra 3 under the hood and everything else remains the same apart from now your storage options are 16GB and 32GB for the same price as the 8 and 16GB versions used to be. So that means your 16GB version is now down to £159 and you can get that here! The 32GB version is available for £199 just here! And finally, the 3G version will only come with 32GB of internal storage and that extra modem will cost you a little bit extra, bumping the cost up to the exceptionally reasonable £239 and you can pre-order one here!

   The Nexus 7 has always been a great device, but with this price cut it's only got even better!

The Samsung Nexus 10.

   It was definitely rumoured but up until the last few days we didn't have any conclusive proof. But, alas here we have it, the Samsung Nexus 10 with the world's highest resolution screen on a tablet!

   Obviously, the screen is the highlight of this tablet; it's a 2560 x 1600 10" panel which works out to being about 300ppi! Lets take a minute to compare that to everything else on the market; Apple's 'retina display' has 264ppi and everything else is straggling behind, way down in the 150-190 range! And just for the record it's coated in Corning's Gorilla Glass 2 just to give it that extra scratch resistance!

   Aside from the fabulous screen there's a dual-core ARM Cortex-A15 chip paired with 2GB of RAM. Our best guess is that it's a Samsung Exynos chip but noone can confirm that at the moment. On top of that there's a quad-core Mali T604 GPU a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. The battery is a very good 9,000mAh pack, which Google claims will be good enough to give you 9 hours of HD video playback. The whole thing weight in at 604 grams. 

   Just for good measure Google and Samsung will be throwing in dual, front-facing speakers for audio, microUSB and Micro HDMI ports and not one but two NFC chips, one on the front and one on the back! It's a very comprehensive set-up indeed!

   Again this tablet will come in 16 and 32GB models but there's no 3G option, but we're not sure you'll need it because this one is pretty much designed to stay in the house! The 16GB model is up for pre-order here and the 32GB here! 


Windows Phone 8: A very brief overview!

  • Windows Phone 8 will have 'live apps' on the lock screen; for example there's things like quick links to the Facebook app.
  • Skype for Windows Phone 8, which also launched today, will have an 'always on' feature!
  • Windows Phone 8 buyers will get a free one-year subscription to the music streaming service Pandora!

In other news:

  • Google themselves have released a hack which allows the Samsung Series 3 Chromebook to run Ubuntu!
  • Nook has finally brought their range of e-readers and tablets to the UK! The NOOK Simple Touch is available now, whilst the NOOK HD and HD+ tablets are available for pre-order!
  • Verizon and Nokia have teamed up to release a 4G LTE compatible version of the Lumia 820, it'll be called the Lumia 822 and it'll set you back $100!
And finally, Amazon has had a stab at Apple's iPad Mini, with the company comparing their Kindle Fire HD and Cupertino's newest tablet head to head on Amazon USA's homepage. A screenshot of the ad is just below!

Friday 26 October 2012

26/10/2012: Apple posts their UK 'apology' to Samsung, GTA: Vice City coming to iOS and Android and more!

Apple finally posts the 'apology' on their UK site for suing Samsung!


   Apple vs. Samsung has been one heck of a saga over the last couple of years. Apple seems to have gotten their way in most parts of the world, but time after time the UK seems to have dismissed their claims.

   With Apple choosing to sue Samsung for their original Galaxy Tab 10.1 a UK judge thought Apple had taken a step too far! Apple were subsequently ordered to put an 'apology' on their website explaining that Samsung had not copied their iPad design.

   This is not so much an apology as a self-promotion for Apple, but it's something nonetheless! If you'd like to see the full release you can find it here or the full transcript is below!   
"On 9th July 2012 the High Court of Justice of England and Wales ruled that Samsung Electronic (UK) Limited’s Galaxy Tablet Computer, namely the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Tab 8.9 and Tab 7.7 do not infringe Apple’s registered design No. 0000181607-0001. A copy of the full judgment of the High court is available on the following link www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Patents/2012/1882.html.

In the ruling, the judge made several important points comparing the designs of the Apple and Samsung products:

“The extreme simplicity of the Apple design is striking. Overall it has undecorated flat surfaces with a plate of glass on the front all the way out to a very thin rim and a blank back. There is a crisp edge around the rim and a combination of curves, both at the corners and the sides. The design looks like an object the informed user would want to pick up and hold. It is an understated, smooth and simple product. It is a cool design.”

“The informed user’s overall impression of each of the Samsung Galaxy Tablets is the following. From the front they belong to the family which includes the Apple design; but the Samsung products are very thin, almost insubstantial members of that family with unusual details on the back. They do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design. They are not as cool.”

That Judgment has effect throughout the European Union and was upheld by the Court of Appeal on 18 October 2012. A copy of the Court of Appeal’s judgment is available on the following link www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2012/1339.html. There is no injunction in respect of the registered design in force anywhere in Europe.

However, in a case tried in Germany regarding the same patent, the court found that Samsung engaged in unfair competition by copying the iPad design. A U.S. jury also found Samsung guilty of infringing on Apple’s design and utility patents, awarding over one billion U.S. dollars in damages to Apple Inc. So while the U.K. court did not find Samsung guilty of infringement, other courts have recognized that in the course of creating its Galaxy tablet, Samsung willfully copied Apple’s far more popular iPad."

In other news:
  • Apple's iPad Mini in white may take a little bit longer to get to you then you may have planned, with the 16GB white version being subject to two week delays! The Black version of the same size and all other sizes remain available!
  • HTC's Q3 Operating profit has dived by 76% compared to the same quarter last year! The company has announced there are worse times ahead for Q4.
  • Samsung has outsold Nokia again which confirms that Samsung is the world's largest phone manufacturer.
  • Samsung also announced that they made $7.4billion in profit from Q3! Another stellar quarter for the South Korean Giants!
  • Strategy Analytics have released an updated list of tablet sales based on the OS' that the devices run. This time Android devices have gobbled up even more of Apple's market share; Apple now has 56.7% of the market, whereas Android devices make up 41.3% of sales. The next set of results will be different 
  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is coming to Android and iOS this autumn!



And finally, is this one of the first indications that a Samsung Nexus 10 tablet really is on the way? These are pictures posted on Google+ by a Google exec who was seemingly on holiday somewhere rather nice! 

Thursday 25 October 2012

25/10/2012: Microsoft announces Windows 8 and RT details! CPW leak full Nexus 4 details and much more!

Microsoft announces a slew of Windows 8 details.


   Microsoft has started introducing their Windows 8 line of devices today! See what they have to say after the jump!

Wednesday 24 October 2012

24/10/2012: You may be able to swap your iPad 3 for an iPad 4! Galaxy S3 updates and more!

You possible could exchange your recently purchase iPad 3rd Gen for a 4th Gen!


   Yesterday the tech world stood and watched Apple announce the iPad Mini, a new 'retina' Macbook Pro, new iMac's and something none of us expected, a new version of the 'new iPad'. That last version was released only seven months ago, so no one was expecting a refresh this quickly.

Tuesday 23 October 2012

Apple's October 23rd announcement: The rundown!



Hope past the break to see what Apple had to show us today! It's well worth a read!

23/10/2012: EE launch their 4G plans, Nokia announces a $199 Windows Phone and more!

EE launches their 4G plans: No Unlimited option!




   EE announced their new plans at midnight last night and we here at TTF are very disappointed to say the least. Most people were holding out for an unlimited tariff which is definitely not what we got here. Although, EE gave us plenty to choose from assuming you're willing to pay through the roof for your data.

Monday 22 October 2012

TabletTalk: Something Android should have as standard!

  Tablet Talk 
   There's some people out there who have this amazing little feature built into their devices, but you have to have a HP Touchpad to use it! Do you know what it is? Surprisingly, the iPad, Blackberry Playbook (unless you have a Blackberry phone too!) and Android tablets all lack this functionality (Please correct me if I'm wrong!) and you'll most certainly find it useful if you use your tablet a lot!

22/10/2012: Samsung and Apple end LCD deal, LG India all but confirm the LG Nexus and more!

Samsung ends their LCD deal with Apple.


   It's no secret that Samsung and Apple don't exactly see eye to eye any more, Samsung has previously been a key supplier for Apple. Unfortunately, Apple technologies won't be featuring Samsung made components much more.

Friday 19 October 2012

19/10/2012: Sony announces their Jelly Bean update plan, Verizon introduces Google Play billing and more!

Sony has announced their Jelly Bean update schedule: 'Good things come to those who wait!'


   With Android updates the phrase 'good things come to those who wait' has never been more applicable. If you have a flagship phone you normally get an update within the first six months of a new update release, but for everyone else it's a long, painful and sometimes eternal wait for updates. 

Thursday 18 October 2012

18/10/2012: Stephen Elop is bullish in the face of a Surface phone plus Verizon and Nokia Q3 sales and more!

Stephen Elop remains bullish in the face of a Surface phone.
 
 
    Stephen Elop has today fielded investor questions about his position on Microsoft's much rumoured Surface phone, which would become a flagship competitor to Nokia's Lumia devices.

Wednesday 17 October 2012

17/10/2012: HTC J Butterfly, iPad Mini rumours and more!

 HTC have unveiled their new J Butterfly: The world's first 1080p smartphone.
 
 
   HTC have been having quite a tough time of it lately; they've had a couple of underwhelming years because their smartphones haven't quite quite captured the imagination of customers in quite the same way Apple's and Samsung's have! Today may well be a changing point for the company with a new beast of a phone that combines some serious hardware with a slightly more refined HTC style.

Tuesday 16 October 2012

16/10/2012: Microsoft announces price for Surface tablets, Padfone 2 announced, Apple iPad Mini event and more!

Microsoft announces prices for Surface tablets!



    Microsoft has revealed the prices for their upcoming Surface tablets that will be running Windows RT. The company has also offered up the prices for its Touch Cover read on past the jump for the full low down! Ohh, the video above is the company's new advert for the tablets, it's quite cool!

Monday 15 October 2012

15/10/2012: Asus Padfone 2 leaks again, Samsung resumes Galaxy S3 updates, LG confirms their update schedule and perhaps a Sony Nexus?



Is this Asus' Padfone 2?!

Asus PadFone 2 out tomorrow: First images!

   The Twitter page @EVleaks is starting to make quite a name for itself in the phone community, because the people behind it are getting quite a few scoops on the news before it happens. Over the weekend the site posted a few more cheeky snaps of Asus' new Padfone.

Sunday 14 October 2012

Pheonix announce WebOS for Android.












   Pheonix have been quite an enigmatic entity since they announced themselves as saviours of WebOS earlier in the year. We weren't sure if the company was planning to build new WebOS hardware or whether they were working on a software solution to bring OpenWebOS to those who wanted it.


Friday 12 October 2012

12/10/2012

Amazon has confirmed they sell their devices at cost!

Good read: Amazon's Kindle Fire tablets are a third of the price of Apple's iPad

   Amazon has today confirmed that they sell their tablet and eReader hardware at cost. Their CEO, Jeff Bezos said to the BBC ""We sell the hardware at our cost, so it is break-even on the hardware." 

Thursday 11 October 2012

11/10/2012

Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini finally official.


   This lovely little device, ladies and gentlemen, is the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini. It became officially official in Germany today after tonnes and tonnes of leaks in the past week. Which, incidentally  turned out to be totally correct!

Wednesday 10 October 2012

10/10/2012

Galaxy S3 Mini details leaked?!


   The immanent release of the new Samsung 'Galaxy S3 mini' has had people excited about the possibilities of the Galaxy S3's power and a more manageable 4" form factor. But, the guys over at MobileGeeks may have got some information which could scupper your purchasing plans!   

Tuesday 9 October 2012

09/10/2012

Rumours of a new HTC phablet grow!




   There have been rumours about HTC making a challenger to Samsung's self-invented 'phablet' market for quite a while now. But, everything had gone quite quiet on that front until the rumours were reignited today by a pair of tweets from @EVleaks and @Football4PDA.

Monday 8 October 2012

The Nokia Lumia 810 for T-Mobile USA

Nokia Lumia 810

   T-Mobile USA have today announced that they will be bringing an upcoming Windows Phone 8 device to the USA! The Nokia Lumia 810 is a solid device featuring a 4.3" ClearBlack OLED screen, interchangeable wireless charging shells and an 8MP Carl Ziess shooter, and that's just for starters!

08/10/2012

A 32GB version of the Nexus 7 looks increasingly likely!

Android Central

   Google's Nexus 7 is one of the most popular tablets going at the moment; it offers the best of great specs and bargain price point! One of the only issues reviewers have found with the tablet has been the lack of expandable storage and the very limiting confines of 8 or 16GB's of storage.

Friday 5 October 2012

So that's where my data allowance went...


When most people buy a contract nowadays the first considerations they make is the amount of minutes and texts they're going to be using each month. But, soon after they'll start thinking about the quantity of mobile data they're planning to use. Some people think they won't use much and opt for smaller data allowances and sometimes get stung because they underestimate their usage. Others choose to go for the opposite end of the spectrum and overestimate their usage, to avoid the dreaded bill shock!

05/10/2012

Is the next Nexus going to be made by LG?


   Today Modaco founder, Paul O'Brien took to Twitter to announce some details from his, trusted sources, about an upcoming Nexus device from LG! Although, he made it explicitly clear that he doesn't know if this is the only Nexus device which will be arriving!

Sony halts their Xperia Tablet S: Turns out they're not all splashproof!



   Sony has announced a temporary sales ban on it's new Xperia Tablet S citing the a slight manufacturing defect as the reason. We're not sure the issue is affecting all units but some devices are suffering from a gap between the display and the bodywork of the rest of the tablet.


Padfone 2 specs leak



   With just under two weeks until the official release of the Asus Padfone 2 we have another set of specs, which sound extremely good and very well could be what we see in the final article.

Thursday 4 October 2012

04/10/2012

Nokia continues their verbal war. Says their offering is 'a step above'.



   Today Nokia's CEO, Stephen Elop, has refuted claims that HTC has eked out an advantage in the Windows Phone market by securing the deal with Microsoft for the 'signature Windows Phone' brand on their new handsets.

Wednesday 3 October 2012

03/10/2012

RIM release Playbook OS 2.1!


   RIM and their Playbook in particular are interesting entities. The Playbook's themselves are great little devices and they are selling extremely cheaply at the moment. But, RIM has also had a good track record with their updates too! Every time the company has promised some improvements they have arrived, if slightly late a couple of times.

Tuesday 2 October 2012

Nokia takes a stab at the iPhone 5: Calls it boring!

   Sometimes the underdog needs something to make their products sell well. Apple used to be the underdog, they used the uniqueness of their iPhone and the lure of exclusivity from the premium price tags to convince millions of users to join their iOS army.

02/10/2012

HTC announce the One X+.


   After a couple of leaks earlier in the week made this one of HTC's worst kept secrets in a while, the company has officially confirmed their brand spanking new One X+. 

   The comparisons to the Sensation XE have been acknowledged by HTC themselves, but it's a great attention-grabbing colour scheme and it certainly looks great to our eyes!

Jolla announce another little update to their plans!



   Today Jolla Mobile, the saviours of Meego, have announced their initial plans for their fledgling project!

   The company plans to start by forming a new ecosystem in alliance with 'leading players in the industry' centred in Hong Kong. To quote the company directly they will utilize;

 "The new fully productised mobile operating system, based on MeeGo and codenamed “Sailfish”, will be ready for licensing by other device manufacturers, design houses and service companies in spring 2013. Sailfish builds on and contributes to existing open source projects such as the Qt Project and Mer Core, and due to those roots the new OS will be open to community involvement and participation."

Monday 1 October 2012

The Scroll Pocket 4.

   Many people out there might have children, those children might be being asked what they want Father Christmas to bring them this year. Some might have said an MP3 player, or more specifically iPod Touch.

   But, we're more than aware, here at TheTechFella, that not every one will have a spare £250 for Apple's latest and greatest, so it's well worth having a little look at this guy from Storage Options!

   It's called the Scroll Pocket 4 and it's an interesting little prospect because it's got some nifty little features given it's price. There's Android 4.0 on board, a 4.3” 480x272p capacitive multi-touch screen, 4GB internal memory and a MicroSD card slot.

    The processor is a 1GHz Box chip unit and it's paired with 512MB of DDR3 RAM! There's also a little rear facing 0.3MP camera and a 1500mAh battery powering the whole thing!

   When you think about it this is essentially a mini tablet or a contender in the same realm as Samsung's Galaxy players, which start at £129! So when you consider the Scroll will cost you £49.99 it's a great deal!

   Even if you just use it as your MP3 and movie player for car journeys for that price you can't go wrong! This thing will definitely be on my christmas list! You can get the full details on this link!


Via TechDigest

1/10/2012

Google overtakes Microsoft to become World Tech Giant No.2!


   We all know that the tech world is incredibly competitive and the big hitters come and go, we can look to people like RIM and Nokia for proof of that. But, at this moment in time Apple is the clear leader, being the most valuable company in the world, period. But, behind them and just in the tech sector we have you're everyday names; Google, Microsoft, IBM, AT&T and the list goes on.

   But, today we heard that Google now has over $249 billion in market cap which means they are now more valuable than Microsoft, which fell to around $248.8 billion today.

   While not important for much more than that, it does perhaps reflect where investors think technology is heading as the power of the internet continues to grow. But, Microsoft will remain an incredible powerful company for the foreseeable future irrespective of their market worth!

Barnes and Noble gives Nook Simple Touch GlowLight discounts!

   Most of you bookworms out there probably have an Amazon Kindle eReader by now. But, there might be a small portion of you who have opted for a Kobo, Sony or even a Barnes and Noble reader instead? If you fall into none of those categories and you're looking to purchase a new good quality one then B&N might have the answer for you!

   Barnes and Noble have chalked $20 off the price of the eReader, bringing it right into line with Amazon's Kindle at $119. 

   But, the company isn't happy with just a reduced price but the company has been explaining how the NOOK Simple Touch will actually be better value for money. They point out that their device includes an AC adapter, whereas Amazon only put a microUSB cable in the box for the Kindle Paperwhite. If you want a proper Amazon adaptor well that's $9.99 on top, but you don't need it, you could use any standard MicroUSB charger.

   There's also them pesky ads to consider. The Nook eReader won't have any, whereas Amazon's offering will, unless you chalk up another $20 to get rid of them too! So maybe you can have a second thought if you are looking for a shiny new eReader for Christmas.... It's not too early to be thinking about that is it?!?!

In other news:

  • Nokia and Oracle have inked a deal which would see the latter integrate the formers Mapping solutions into their products, particularly for custom geo-location work in Enterprise servers!
  • Sharp has announced they are beginning productions of 5" 1080p screens for upcoming smartphones!
  • Samsung's Galaxy Note II is now officially on sale in the UK! And there's a drop test just below.
  • Apple is facing an EU investigation after they have 'continually' ignored EU law. The company has been advertising their products with a 1 year warranty, when EU law stipulates that those sorts of products should have 2 years. The investigation will decide if Apple was intentionally trying to get customers to purchase AppleCare. If they're found guilty then there will be a lofty fine!

And finally, HP have unveiled their ElitePad 900. It's a stunning bit of kit that includes an Intel Clove Trail processor and 2GB of RAM inside a 1.5-pound brushed aluminum case! It's absolutely stunning. There's a picture and a video for you to marvel at below!



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