Microsoft Looks to One-Up the Competition with ‘Xbox One’
On Tuesday, Microsoft lifted the veil on its next-gen voice-controlled video game console called the “Xbox One.”
According to Microsoft, its first gaming console in eight years packs exclusive video and software content, not the least of which is a new “Halo” series produced by Steven Spielberg.
Samsung and Sharp Both Introduce New Ultra-High Resolution Notebook Displays
Although Apple’s 15’’ MacBook Pro was the first consumer notebook that gained a Retina-level display (nearly a year ago), it isn’t the only such offering anymore. Google’s Chromebook Pixel with its 12.85’’ 2560×1700 display and Toshiba’s Kirabook with 2560×1440 220 PPI display have joined the market in recent months. Seeking to raise the ante on Retina displays, Samsung and Sharp have both introduced new high-resolution displays in the past week, targeting notebooks and ultrabooks with the latest technology. The new displays from both companies sport 16:9 ratios, making them unfit for Apple’s line of notebooks, which currently all use 16:10 ratio displays, but they do make Retina displays a mainstream feature in the relatively near future.
Apple offers discount to India’s students
In yet another attempt to capture the nascent smartphone market in India, Apple is now promoting discounts for students. Students can receive $144 on an iPhone when they trade in their old smartphones. Apple and Samsung have engaged in a marketing struggle, both rolling out installment plans to encourage Indian buyers of rival smartphones.
The iPhone maker also announced a cash-back deal when Indian consumers use American Express to purchase an iPhone 4, 4S or 5 before June 10, according to a Monday report…
Verizon Brings 4G LTE to Six New Locations
Verizon has Monday announced that they have turned on 4G LTE cellular coverage for six new locations in the United States. Verizon is the leader of 4G LTE coverage in the United States as competing cellular carriers like AT&T, Sprint, and T-mobile lag behind slowly trying to catch up.
Samsung Looking to Pay Devs for Galaxy-Specific Apps In An Effort to Compete with Apple
In an effort to improve the standing of its smartphone lineup against the iPhone, Samsung is turning to third-party developers for help. The South Korean tech giant is offering $800,000 in prize money for Galaxy-specific apps. Samsung’s global developer competition will see 10 winners with the prize money distributed among them. According to The Wall Street Journal, the company is seemingly interested in apps that can coordinate with Samsung’s Group Play service, which allows users to share content such as photos, games, and music between devices at the same time.
Yahoo! buys Tumblr, and the CEO promises not to screw it up
Having been much rumored in recent days, today came the official announcement that Yahoo! had in fact closed a deal to acquire Tumblr. The deal is reported to be worth a cool $1.1 billion in cash, and CEO Marissa Meyer said her piece:
Weekly Tweak Recap May 13 – May 19
The CW TV Network Reaches Deal to Stream Content to the Apple TV
The television network, the CW, recently announced that it has reached a deal to stream content to the Apple TV. This deal expands its current at home digital options beyond Microsoft’s Windows and Xbox platforms.
The announcement was made by company CEO, Mark Pedowitz, at The CW’s yearly upfront presentation in New York. In the pitch to advertisers, Pedowitz pointed to his network’s viewership numbers, 20% of which originate from digital sources. This metric is likely to grow when the installed Apple TV user base is added to the equation.
U.S. Built Mac to be Refreshed Version of Existing Product
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, recently revealed that the first Mac to be built completely in the U.S. in almost two decades will be a new model in an existing product line. His reveal sheds a bit more light into the company’s “Made in USA” plans. While it isn’t a major topic of discussion, Apple chief told Politico that Apple’s upcoming domestically-made computer will not be a new product but rather a revision on an existing machine. The news is to be expected as Apple is not rumored to be working on a new addition to its current desktop and laptop lineups.
Intel’s outgoing CEO explains how they turned down the original iPhone
Intel CEO Paul Otellini has stepped down from his post, but not before divulging some interesting revelations in the process. As it turns out, Otellini and Intel turned down the chance to work on the original iPhone, now with some element of regret. As Otellini told
The Atlantic:
“We ended up not winning it or passing on it, depending on how you want to view it. And the world would have been a lot different if we’d done it. The thing you have to remember is that this was before the iPhone was introduced and no one knew what the iPhone would do… At the end of the day, there was a chip that they were interested in that they wanted to pay a certain price for and not a nickel more and that price was below our forecasted cost. I couldn’t see it. It wasn’t one of these things you can make up on volume. And in hindsight, the forecasted cost was wrong and the volume was 100x what anyone thought.”