Thursday 4 October 2012

4G will arrive in UK by summer 2013 after mobile networks deal

The UK will have nationwide 4G services running on multiple networks by the end of next summer – six months earlier than originally proposed – under a deal sealed in a meeting between the networks and culture secretary Maria Miller on Tuesday night.
The agreement will shorten the headstart won by EE, the largest network company and parent of Orange and T-Mobile, which intends to launch the country's first 4G service later this month.
So-called "fourth generation" mobile technology allows much faster internet connections for phones than today's 3G networks. With the iPhone 5 and high-end smartphones from Nokia and Samsung designed for some British 4G spectrum bands, operators are now racing to build the networks capable of running them at full speed – which will allow users to download movies in seconds and make high quality video calls.
EE already owns enough spare spectrum to be able to launch this year, while its rivals O2, Vodafone and Three must wait for a government airwaves auction to acquire enough bandwidth for 4G.
In an 11-page letter sent to Miller on Monday night, telecoms regulator Ofcom offered to bring forward both the auction date and the deadline for clearing the spectrum being sold from digital TV signals so they are free to carry mobile phone traffic.
The heads of the UK networks agreed a peace treaty on Tuesday night after months of legal wrangling.
"Delivering 4G quickly is a key part of our economic growth strategy," said Miller. " I am grateful to the mobile operators for their co-operation in bringing forward vital 4G services. The open and collaborative approach taken between the government and the mobile companies will have hugely beneficial results for UK business and investment. We anticipate that 4G services will boost the UK's economy by around £2-3bn."
O2's UK chief executive, Ronan Dunne, said that after intensive lobbyingthe auction would begin in January instead of February or March. It is expected to bring in up to £4bn for the government's coffers.
Dunne added that masts company Arqiva would be able to clear away digital TV signals in England, Wales and most areas of Scotland by May, with networks able to launch services by the end of the summer after around two months of testing. However, the harder to reach Highlands and Islands will have to wait longer for 4G, with services not expected until later in 2013.
The UK's 4G auction has suffered from repeated delays after a combination of legal threats from phone companies and a mix-up over digital TV signals. UK digital channels launched on a different band to the rest of Europe and Arqiva is now rushing to harmonise them in line with the continent.
Dozens of other nations including Germany, the US and even smaller economies like Estonia already have 4G, putting the UK in danger of losing its reputation as a pioneer in mobile technology.
In a presentation which laid part of the blame for the slow progress at Ofcom's door, Dunne said: "Everyone is pleased that we've made this progress, it's just a little bit frustrating that it's taken so long. Before our various interventions we didn't have a genuine level playing field and we risked a 4G digital divide."
But the regulator denied that it was to blame.
Ofcom's chief executive, Ed Richards, said: "The actions we have taken with industry and government avoids the risk of significant delay and is tremendous news for consumers who might otherwise have waited a considerable period for the next generation of mobile broadband services. Ofcom's objective has always been to release the spectrum as early as possible and we remain focused on starting the auction by the end of the year."
All operators have now agreed not to litigate either EE or the 4G auction. It is understood that the EE chief executive, Olaf Swantee, has promised not to hold up the work of Mitco, a jointly owned company charged with clearing the spectrum for mobile use over the coming months.
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls has said he will spend the proceeds on building affordable homes and a stamp duty holiday if Labour is elected.
Responding to Balls's plans, announced at his keynote Labour party conference speech on Monday, Dunne said: "It would have been nice to have had an auction before somebody actually went and spent the proceeds."

Who is the next Steve Jobs (and is there one)?

It's a loaded question, one with no clear answer. But in the year since Apple's co-founder and visionary CEO died, it's been asked in tech circles over and over:
Who is the next Steve Jobs?
There's one easy response. It's safe to say that no figure in the tech industry will perfectly duplicate the unique blend of vision, salesmanship, mystique and eye for detail possessed by Jobs, who died one year ago Friday.
And it's complicated further, some say, by the fact that for much of his own life, many wouldn't have predicted Jobs himself would earn tech-icon status.
"Steve Jobs had a strange career. He really wasn't celebrated as a genius until really late," said Leander Kahney, editor of the Cult of Mac blog and author of books on Apple, including "Inside Steve's Brain."
Not until Jobs returned to Apple and introduced the iPod and iPhone did people begin to praise him as a modern-day Thomas Edison, Kahney said. "He was dismissed before then as a marketing guy, a fast talker who didn't know much about technology. He only really was lionized in the last four or five years."
But industry observers abhor a vacuum. Futile though it might be, it's perhaps human nature to speculate about who could emerge to fill the void left by the passing of tech's biggest personality and most recognizable face.
One can make cases for or against a handful of nominees. And no list is long enough to include an as-yet unknown creator who may be birthing the industry's next game-changer in a garage or dorm room somewhere.
But here are some names worth considering, with thoughts both for and against their candidacies:
Jeff Bezos, CEO, Amazon
Pros: Bezos actually has a host of traits that mirror Jobs. Like Jobs was with Apple, he's the founder of Amazon as well as its CEO. Being a part of a company's life story helps. As much as anyone, Bezos also captures a bit of Jobs' panache at live events. At last year's rollout of the Kindle Fire, he got high marks for introducing a game-changing product in a stylized fashion, then getting off the stage. (Tech giants Google and Microsoft have been accused of being rambling and unfocused at similar unveilings.) Reports say Bezos shares Jobs' penchant for attention to detail (some would say micromanaging) and, like Jobs, he's been willing to take the company into new and unexpected directions.
"I've met Bezos personally, and he is mesmeric. Brilliant smile, quick mind, very engaging and decisive," Kahney told CNN. "He has the same obsession with the ordinary consumer; to make and sell things from the consumer's point of view. ... Bezos has Jobs' focus and drive. He's a little bit maniacal in his drive and ambition."
Cons: Despite the Kindle line, Amazon is, at its core, a content company. The mobile devices are a means of delivering books, music, movies and other data to customers as directly as possible. Will the public ever be as excited about the CEO of the company that peddles e-books and data-storage space as it was about the one that sold it its personal computers, laptops, phones and music players?
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Facebook
Pros: The Steves -- Jobs and Wozniak -- had their garage. Zuckerberg had his Harvard dorm room. And in those two rooms, perhaps the two best-known origin stories in tech were born. As head of the social network that has changed the way people use the Internet, Zuckerberg is maybe the only tech boss who, like Jobs, has become a household name. ("The Social Network" didn't hurt.) He created a product that millions of people now use. And he's even cultivated his own trademark, casual-wear style, as the Zuckerberg hoodie is now almost as iconic as Jobs' mock turtleneck.
"Zuckerberg has some of the characteristics (of Jobs), and perhaps the most important one -- the pursuit of a vision," Kahney said. "That sets him apart."
Cons: He's gotten better at speaking in public. But as a pitchman, Zuckerberg still falls miles short of the charismatic Jobs. It's seems Zuck would rather be the idea man behind the scenes than front-and-center when it comes time to sell the final product. Also, the fact that Facebook's stock price is not already racing toward Google/Apple heights doesn't help.
Tim Cook, CEO, Apple
Pros: Well, there's the obvious one. Job's was Apple's CEO. Now Cook is. At the helm of the company, Cook gets to be the face of every new innovation rolled out by Apple. He's got the biggest stage and brightest spotlight in which to put himself forward.
Cons: Cook comes from more of a business background than one of innovation and design. He may masterfully steer Apple's course for years to come, but, rightly or not, few observers at this juncture are inclined to give him credit for vision, or influence over products' design, the way they did Jobs. Plus, being Apple CEO after Jobs is like being the football coach who follows a retiring Bear Bryant or Vince Lombardi. What were those guys' names? Exactly.
Jonathan Ive, senior vice president, Apple
Pros: When Jobs stepped down, there were many who expected Ive, not Cook, to step up. Ive is senior vice president of industrial design and is believed to be the creative mind behind products from the Macbook Pro to the iPod to the iPad. The London native already has a knighthood, as well as a healthy dose of Jobs' true-believer passion for the product.
Cons: Well, he's not the CEO. (Nor is marketing mastermind Phil Schiller, another name bandied about to replace Jobs). To truly ascend to Jobsian levels, Ive would need to set out on his own -- which, at 45, is doable. It's hard to envision Ive bolting from Apple, where he's worked since 1992. But, boy, it would be fun to watch.
Marissa Mayer, CEO, Yahoo
Pros: If you need proof of how well Google alum Mayer is liked in Silicon Valley, just look at the number of folks she's been able to lure to join her at a Yahoo that was floundering when she took the reins in July. At Google, where the former engineer was the 20th employee, she's credited with everything from the clean design of the search page to becoming one of the leading public faces of the tech giant.
Cons: It looks like a turnaround has begun at Yahoo. But the job's still a long way from done. If Mayer becomes the face of a dramatic rebirth, she will have accomplished something few predicted. If she doesn't (the four CEOs before her all fell short), it likely won't hurt her reputation all that much -- but neither will it bump her up to the next level.

Elon Musk, serial entrepreneur
Pros: How's this for an origin story? Musk grew up in South Africa before leaving home at 17, without his parents' consent, rather than serve a compulsory stint in an army which, at the time, was enforcing the race-based apartheid system. He'd end up in the United States four years later -- although he'd already sold his first software, a video game called Blastar, when he was 12. Since then, all he's done is create publishing software Zip2 (sold to AltaVista for $300 million), co-found PayPal (he owned 11% of its stock when eBay bought it for $1.5 billion) and help create Tesla Motors, makers of the first commercial electric car. Oh, wait ... he also runs SpaceX, a company working on space exploration. Director Jon Favreau says Musk was his inspiration for Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark character in the "Iron Man" movies.
"His ambitions are so huge," Kahney said. "He's definitely a ballsy character. And he's a good leader, like Jobs. He's surrounded himself with good people."
Cons: With the exception of Tesla, none of Musk's projects, so far, have directly involved consumer products. Tens of millions of people had something Jobs made in their pockets, on their desks or piping music into their ears. Among the public, Musk may be less well-known than all of the names above -- at least for now. But, at 41, he's got time to change that and it would be foolish to bet against him.
Seth Priebatsch, CEO, SCVNGR, LevelUp
Pros: Who? Priebatsch is the wild card on this list. But consider him the representative of a new generation of young, creative tech "makers" who could ascend to loftier heights in the years, or decades, to come. At 22, Priebatsch's SCVNGR raised more than $20 million in funding. He founded his first Web company at 12 and has moved on to start LevelUp, a mobile-payments system that's also raked in millions from investors. He got rock-star treatment for a speech he gave last year at South by Southwest Interactive. Plus, he's already cultivated a Jobs-like signature fashion statement -- his trademark orange sunglasses and shirts.
Cons: In the startup world, for every success story, there are countless washouts. Not every young turk even wants to be another Jobs, and not every killer app has the potential to make millions, or billions, of dollars -- even when they're well-liked and widely used.
Good or bad, what lessons did you learn from Jobs? Share your responses in the comments below



Wednesday 3 October 2012

Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini to be launched October 11?

It looks likely that Samsung is planning to launch the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini next Thursday, October 11. The manufacturer’s German arm has sent out invites to a special launch event promising “something small”.

The invites, written in German, can be roughly translated as “something small will be really big” followed by “get ready for a little sensation.”
 
It reminds us a little of the phrase used to sell the Samsung Galaxy S3: “the next big thing is already here,” while last year's Samsung Galaxy Nexus was teased with the phrase “something big is coming.”

Add in the distinctive ‘S’ logo that accompanies all Samsung Galaxy devices slap bang in the middle of the invite, and it all points to the launch of a small Galaxy devices.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini has been rumoured for a few months now, and a number of sources are pointing to an imminent launch. Dutch site GSM Helpdesk, for example, recently reported that the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini would be coming out by the end of the year.

Meanwhile German site Mobiflip, which is the source of the above invite information, reckons that “anything else would not make sense for me at the moment.”

The device itself will apparently feature a 4-inch (hardly small by a certain fruity manufacturer’s standards) 800 x 480 display, rather like the original Galaxy S. It’ll apparently run on a dual-core processor and will sport a 5-megapixel camera. Expect it to run Jelly Bean out of the box, too.

We’ve only got around a week to wait before we find out what kind of mini marvel Samsung has in mind.

UK CHARTS: Million-selling FIFA 13 is No.1

There’s claiming the UK No.1. Then there’s claiming the UK No.1.
EA’s FIFA 13 is not only top of the charts, but it sold an incredible one million plus copies in its first week according to the UKIE Charts, compiled by GfK Chart-Track.
It’s not the first game to do so (it’s the fourth, in fact), but it joins a very exclusive club that includes only Black Ops, Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3.
And considering the current state of the UK market, the achievement is all the more remarkable. The numbers absolutely nuke anything we’ve seen from any other title in the UK this year.
In hitting these incredible sales, FIFA 13 betters the week one numbers of FIFA 12 by 27 per cent in units and 31 per cent in value. Again, remarkable in the current in the current climate.
Its success drove the overall market to a 196 per cent week-on-week gain in unit sales and a 282 per cent jump in revenue. FIFA 13 claimed 71 per cent of the UK’s total video game unit sales last week and 80 per cent of its revenue.
The biggest achievement of all, perhaps, is that the UK market actually bettered the same week performance of 2011 – up by 11 per cent in units and 18 per cent in revenue.
Other debutants included World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria (4th), Rocksmith (7th), Angry Birds Trilogy (16th) and Gran Turismo 5 Academy Edition (17th).
Here’s the UK Top 20 in full for the week ending September 29th:
1. FIFA 13 (EA)
2. Borderlands 2 (2K Games)
3. F1 2012 (Codemasters)
4. World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria (Activision)
5. Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 (Konami)
6. Sleeping Dogs (Square Enix)
7. Rocksmith (Ubisoft)
8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda)
9. LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (Warner Bros)
10. New Super Mario Bros 2 (Nintendo)
11. Dead or Alive 5 (Tecmo
12. Forza Motorsport 4 (Microsoft)
13. LittleBigPlanet Vita (Sony)
14. Dead Island GOTY Edition (Koch)
15. Max Payne 3 (Rockstar)
16. Angry Birds Trilogy (Activision)
17. Gran Turismo 5 Academy Edition (Sony)
18. London 2012 The Official Video Game (Sega)
19. Guild Wars 2 (NCsoft)
20. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (Namco Bandai)

Why Samsung wants Apple’s iPhone 5 banned

Samsung has added the iPhone 5 to its list of Apple devices that it claims violates US patents it owns.
According to reports yesterday, Samsung said it had amended its earlier filing against Apple to include the new device. Samsung had originally filed the complaint against Apple on 15 June 2012, alleging that the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad violated two of its standards patents for mobile broadband, as well as six feature patents.
Samsung has stated in its filing that it has good reasons to include Apple’s latest flagship device as the iPhone 5 was released only on 12 September.
According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, “the case in which Samsung added the iPhone 5 claims is scheduled for trial in 2014″.
So what are the patents that Samsung claims the iPhone 5 is infringing upon? Here’s a quick look. You can click on the links given at the end to know more about each patent.
Patent No 7,756,087: This one deals with mobile communication systems using an enhanced uplink dedicated transport channel which transmits data at a relatively low effective data rate through non-scheduled transmission. For more details click here.
The iPhone 5 Getty Images
Patent No 7,551,596: Method and apparatus for signaling control information of uplink packet data service in mobile communication system. For more details click here.
Patent No 7,672,470: Audio/video device having a volume control function for an external audio reproduction unit via a remote controller. For more details click here.
Patent No 7,577,757: Multimedia synchronization in a device. Audio, video, and photographic information including content information and content management information, relating to at least one user, are thus stored in a digital form via this system. For more details click here.
Patent No 7,232,058: This deals with how a bunch of data is displayed on a relatively small display screen. For more details click here.
Patent No 6,292,179: This is how the OS keyboard reacts to a stylus being used on the touchscreen and the methods via which it recognises key code when using a stylus. For more details click here.
Patent No 6,226,449: This one deals with recording and reproducing digital image and speech. For more details click here.
Patent No 5,579,239: This one deals with video transmission system. For more details click here.
In the filing Samsung has also alleged infringement by Apple’s Mac, Mac Mini, MacPro, MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Apple TV products, but those products are relevant if they are components of an accused system that also includes the iPhone 5.
Looks like this Apple-Samsung battle is not going to end. Samsung said in its official statement yesterday,  “We have always preferred to compete in the marketplace with our innovative products, rather than in courtrooms. However, Apple continues to take aggressive legal measures that will limit market competition.”
It seems that Samsung is blaming Apple for starting this legal mess.

Tuesday 2 October 2012

Rumoured HTC One X+ – what you need to know

Rumoured HTC One X+ – what you need to know
Details of the rumoured HTC One X+ have surfaced courtesy of mobile phone and broadband provider O2.
The speculated arrival of the hotly-anticipated One X+ seems to have been confirmed, following its appearance in the latest O2 catalogue.
A significant improvement on the One X and bringing some pretty awesome specs to the table, the newest addition to HTC’s One series can’t come soon enough – especially for HTC.
The Taiwanese manufacturer has had a pretty torrid few months, with poor sales and tumbling shares. So can the One X+ pump in some much-needed life?

HTC One X+ specs


With a 1.7GHz quad-core processor – up 0.2GHz from its predecessor – the One X+ promises to be one of the most powerful, smartphones around.
It is not just power that has been given a boost, but also storage. According to the promotional material from O2, HTC has packed an impressive 64GB of internal storage into the One X+, putting it on a level with the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3.
The cutting-edge rumoured new release is said to arrive pre-loaded with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and because HTC is prolonging its partnership with Dropbox, customers will be treated to 25GB of free cloud storage.
O2 hasn’t given too much away, but it is reported that the X+ will also feature an 8MP primary camera, akin to that of the original HTC One.

HTC One X+ release date

Unfortunately, O2 kept quiet with regards to a release date, leaving fandroids hanging by simply stating the One X+ is “coming soon”.
Although the mobile provider remained mute on such matters, the catalogue did unveil a price: the “Pay and Go” (PAYG) option, otherwise known as SIM-free, will set customers back £479.99.
Considering that a 64GB iPhone 5 costs a hefty £700, the HTC One X+ is a comparatively good deal – if it ever sees the light of day, that is.

Prices for the SEAT Leon

SEAT has revealed prices and specs for its all-new Leon, ahead of first deliveries in March 2013

Prices for the new SEAT Leon have been announced. The five-door family hatch will cost from £15,670 when order books open on 1 October for first deliveries in March 2013.
The Leon prices were confirmed by SEAT’s President, James Muir, who added that the Leon range will expand to include three-door and estate models in the future.
  
Three trim levels will be available from launch: S, SE and FR. The entry-level Leon S gets air conditioning, an MP3-compatible six-speaker CD player and Bluetooth, for hands free phone calls.
Mid-spec Leon SE gets a leather-wrapped steering wheel, front fog lights and SEAT’s XDS electronic differential lock system, while range-topping FR models get 17-inch alloys, a sporty bodykit, sports seats and sports suspension.
Buyers will also be able to pick from an extensive list of options, including 18-inch alloy wheels, full leather upholstery, satellite navigation, and full LED headlamps.
Like the all-new VW Golf, the new Leon is built on the VW Group’s MQB platform. It will be offered with three petrol and two diesel engines, with highlights including the most efficient 104bhp 1.6-litre diesel Leon Ecomotive - which returns 74.3 mpg and 99g/km - and a 181bhp 2.0-litre diesel, which can complete the 0-62mph sprint in 7.5 seconds.
Full list of prices for the new SEAT Leon:
Model Engine Power CO2 MPG Price
S 1.2 TSI 104bhp 114g/km 57.6 £15,670
S 1.6 TDI 104bhp 99g/km 74.3 £17,370
SE 1.2 TSI 104bhp 114g/km 57.6 £16,790
SE 1.2 TSI DSG 104bhp 112g/km 58.9 £18,040
SE 1.4 TSI 138bhp 119g/km 54.3 £17,840
SE 1.6 TDI 104bhp 99g/km 74.3 £18,490
SE 1.6 TDI DSG 104bhp 102g/km 72.4 £19,740
SE 2.0 TDI 148bhp 106g/km 68.9 £19,840
SE 2.0 TDI DSG 148bhp 117g/km 64.2 £21,090
FR 1.4 TSI 138bhp 119g/km 57.3 £19,385
FR 1.8 TSI 178bhp 139g/km 47.1 £20,585
FR 1.8 TSI DSG 178bhp 132g/km 49.6 £21,835
FR 2.0 TDI 148bhp 106g/km 68.9 £21,385
FR 2.0 TDI DSG 148bhp 117g/km 64.2 £22,635
FR 2.0 TDI 181bhp 112gkm 65.7 £22,375

Samsung makes good on threat of patent suit against iPhone 5

Apple's chief foe in the mobile sector and the courtroom goes after the new iPhone, alleging the new smartphone infringes on eight of its patents.

Fresh off a courtroom victory against Apple today, Samsung filed another legal salvo against its chief foe.
The Korean electronics submitted an amendment to a lawsuit originally filed in April against Apple, adding the iPhone 5 to a list of devices that includes the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad 2, and the new iPad that Samsung accuses of infringing on several Samsung patents.
Samsung reportedly threatened to sue Apple last month for patent infringement over its then reported use of long-term evolution (LTE) connectivity in the next-generation smartphone. While the new iPhone's debut last month confirmed that Apple's new device featured access to the the speedier fourth-generation wireless networking -- for which Samsung holds numerous patents -- Samsung's latest lawsuit did not address the LTE patents
A Samsung representative told CNET this evening that the eight patents in question include six utility patents and two standard essential patents unrelated to its LTE patent portfolio (see filing below).
Echoing previous statements made in the patent dispute, Samsung said, "we have little choice but to take the steps necessary to protect our innovations and intellectual property rights."
CNET has contacted Apple for comment and will update this report when we learn more.

 

Rumor: iPad mini invitations set to be mailed out Oct. 10

That would suggest an Oct. 17 unveiling with sales to begin in early November

The iPad and a mock-up of its little sister. Image: 9to5Mac
FORTUNE -- This is a rumor we have no reason to believe except it comes from a major Apple (AAPL) investor who says he's heard it from "multiple sources."
According to our source, who asked not be named, there appears to be some truth to the widespread rumors that Apple is preparing to launch a smaller and cheaper version of the iPad -- often called the iPad mini or iPad air and usually described as having a 7.85-inch screen.
What our source adds is the specificity of a date: The press, he says, can expect invitations to go out on Oct. 10.
If the rumor is true, and if Apple follows its usual scheduling protocol, that would suggest a special event to unveil the product on Wednesday, Oct. 17, with a launch day of Friday Nov. 2 -- plenty of time to capture holiday sales.
Apple has not commented on the rumor, which is not surprising given that the company has never uttered a word  in public -- one way or the other -- about its future tablet product plans.

Monday 1 October 2012

Apple's biggest blunders of the post-Jobs era

This post was originally published on Mashable.
Apple's CEO Tim Cook surprised many by publicly apologising for the company's new maps application, which has been widely panned by customers and reviewers alike as inferior to Google Maps ever since it was introduced with iOS 6 a week and a half ago.
It's their company not Steve's anymore ... That is why ultimately I think you see Tim Cook stepping up and admitting mistakes much earlier, rather than letting them get completely out of hand. 
Tim Bajarin, analyst
In a letter published on Apple's website, Cook wrote:
"At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better."
At first blush, it may have seemed like an insanely rare admission of failure from a company that not only prides itself on being insanely great, but insanely reluctant to concede its missteps. Yet, in the post-Steve Jobs era, Apple's top executives appear to be making more mistakes and to be more willing to admit them. In fact, Apple has issued public apologies in each of the past three months of this year.
  
Apple's other public apologies this year
Back in July, the company made headlines for withdrawing from the EPEAT environmental rating system, which informs consumers whether electronics manufacturers are making eco-friendly products. Apple initially claimed that its own environmental standards were higher, but after receiving a huge amount of backlash from consumers and environmental groups, one of the company's top executives issued a public apology.
Bob Mansfield, Apple's SVP of Mac Software Engineering and Hardware Engineering said:
We've recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system. I recognize that this was a mistake. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT.
Just those four words — "This was a mistake" — were enough to surprise many of those covering the company, but it would only be a few weeks before they'd see these words once more from Apple.
In August, Apple found itself apologising yet again after multiple reports came out suggesting that the company had been cutting back its retail store staff as part of an effort from the new SVP of Retail John Browett to make the stores more profitable. The company denied that this was tied to profitability, but still admitted these changes were a mistake.
Kristin Huguet, an Apple spokeswoman, said in a statement to Dow Jones afterwards:
"Making these changes was a mistake and the changes are being reversed. Our employees are our most important asset and the ones who provide the world-class service our customers deserve."
Why Apple is making more mistakes now
The recent string of mistakes and apologies may simply reflect the reality that Apple has gotten a little sloppier as it transitions from the Jobs Era to the Cook Era. According to Tim Bajarin, principal analyst with Creative Strategies, some things will inevitably "fall through the cracks" as Apple continues to transition to new management and figure out its path forward a little more than a year after Jobs resigned from the company.
"They have to fill some pretty big shoes and find their own way, in the sense that it's their company not Steve's anymore," Bajarin told Mashable. "That is why ultimately I think you see Tim Cook stepping up and admitting mistakes much earlier, rather than letting them get completely out of hand."
Apple has made several other blunders in the past year under Cook, and while it hasn't publicly apologised for these, it has moved to clean them up quickly.
For starters, the company's Siri and Genius ad campaigns have been criticised by many for abandoning some of the key elements that made Apple commercials great. While Apple continues to air its celebrity-drenched Siri commercials, the company was quick to kill off its Genius ads just a few days after they first aired during the Olympics, which was seen as an admission of failure by some (though Apple's ad agency said it was the plan all along.)
In another blunder, Apple released its own standalone podcast app in July, which was quickly slammed by bloggers as poorly designed and generally slow to load. The app was so bad that it had a 2.5 star rating on iTunes for awhile after launching. After a month, Apple responded to all the complaints by issuing a big update to the app to make it work better.
Then, of course, there's Siri, which has been criticised for its limitations pretty much since it launched with the iPhone 4S in October of last year. In some ways, Siri's problems are the most comparable to the new maps fiasco, in that both products were arguably released as beta products (a word Apple hates to use) that improve the more people use it. The difference, however, is that Siri was a new feature whereas the maps application has been central to the iPhone since it launched.
While Apple has never apologised for Siri, some close to the company have slammed the product anonymously, with one ex-Apple insider quoted in Fortune as saying, "Steve [Jobs] would have lost his mind over Siri."
Apple screwed up under Steve Jobs, too
Indeed, it's become a popular refrain anytime Apple makes a mistake with a product that it would never have happened under in the Jobs' era. Yet, Siri was acquired and incorporated into the iPhone while Jobs was still in control of the company.
What's more, even Jobs apologised for the company's mistakes on occasion, albeit reluctantly. During the Antennagate controversy, Jobs initially blamed customers for holding the phone wrong, but after a few weeks of heavy criticism, Jobs finally conceded, "We screwed up."
For the most part though, Jobs chose to rely more on his so-called reality distortion field to persuade the media and the public that he and the company were right, no matter what. Cook appears to have a different leadership style, both because of differences between the two CEOs' personalities and by virtue of the fact that Apple is stumbling a bit more these days as part of the transition.
Bajarin says that he personally "cuts [Apple] a lot of slack" because he is aware of how difficult it is for a big company to make a transition in leadership. The real question, though, is whether Apple's customers will be quite as forgiving.

It’s all about bling: Check out the gold-plated iPhone 5

Find the iPhone 5 too dull in its staple black and white avatars? Sulk, no more. If you want a more snazzier version with a whole lot of bling, you can check out the gold-plated version of Apple’s latest smartphone by Liverpool designer, Stuart Hughes. Click here to see his website and check out the design of the gold iPhone 5.
This limited edition version of the iPhone 5, comes with a plating of 18-carat gold and has a diamond finishing to the boot. The Apple logo has been encrusted in diamonds. Hughes is offering only 100 editions of these gold-plated Apple bad-boys. The price: a whopping £21,995 or nearly Rs 18 lakh.
This beautiful handset took weeks of detailed intricate work to re-create the original chasis of the iphone in solid gold all of which was started and finished by hand, also a full gold dressing for the rear section with the logo in solid gold with 53 flawless diamonds amounting to 1ct . This masterpiece boasts a massive circa of 128 grams of 18ct gold. The result was outstanding even down to the precise polishing to reveal its most beautiful harmonious appearance. The handset is 64gb and is available as a ltd edition of only 100. More options in gold for the iphone 5 can be seen on our other site www.goldstriker.co.uk
Meanwhile, Apple has already sold over 5 million devices. As far as Apple fanboys in India are concerned, it seems the iPhone 5  is available in the grey market in India with people shelling out as much as Rs 1.3 lakh for a device.

HTC One X Plus to come with quad core chip, Android Jelly Bean

It is going to be monster of a phone. HTC One X Plus is all set to come with quad core chip, Android Jelly Bean
The rumored HTC One X+ makes buzz in mobile market. The device is reportedly on way to the U.K. carrier O2. It is hoped that One X+ will have better processor power than the international version One X and the U.S. version One XL.  Perhaps, more internal storage and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean may be other great features of the new HTC One X+. Here we make a look at the key rumored features of the phone from the Taiwanese tech maker.
  
Quad Core CPU: As per rumors, One X+ is to outfit a beefed-up 1.7GHz quad core Tegra 3+ AP37 processor. It is a significant upgrade from the 1.5GHz quad core processor in One X and 1.5GHz dual core offering in One XL, which is 4G-enabled. That is, the new One X+ handset will do great in loading web pages, video & music streaming, camera functioning and more.
More Internal Storage: As part of making its flagship Android phone rather competitive to Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and Apple’s iPhone 5, HTC may integrate better storage in One X+. Rumor mills think that there will be a 64GB variant for the handset, which will further promise 25GB of free Dropbox storage.
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean: The current One X variants run on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. There is a talk that the One X and XL are about to get the next Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. But, the new One X+ is reportedly going to preload Jelly Bean. That is, it is going to be the first handset from HTC to feature the latest Android update out of the box.
No More Ground Breaking Features
Well, you are not going to get many more revolutionary features on the new HTC One X+. There is less chance that HTC will modify the entire phone. “If you are looking for something more ground breaking from the One X+ then you may be disappointed, as there doesn’t seem to be anything else new or different between this and the original One X,” says TechRadar. When it comes to display, camera, connectivity and others, the new One X+ may almost replicate its original edition.
The One X sports a large 4.7-inch Super IPS LCD2 display with a good resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels at 312ppi. It has Gorilla Glass protection against scratches and it touts the company’s latest Android interface Sense UI. The handset sports an 8MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording and more and a 1.3MP front camera for video calls. There are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPRS, EDGE and more.
What Others Say?
“Rumored to be a faster, more robust version of the company’s flagship Android handset, the details paint a pretty picture. Powered by Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and running HTC’s Sense 4.5 UI, the One X+ is expected to feature a quad-core Tegra 3+ AP37 processor running at 1.6GHz. As one of the first models on the market to offer both 4G LTE and a quad-core chipset, the One X+ will be one of this fall’s most powerful devices,” says CNET.
Release Date and Price
We have no info on the exact release date of HTC One X+. As per rumors, it is going to hit stores sooner on O2 in the U.S. The price may go £479.99 (around $780) and so it will be cheaper than the 64GB iPhone 5. In the U.S., T-Mobile and AT&T may offer the device quite sooner. Of course, it will be available for small prices with contract from the carriers.

AMD deal brings Android apps to Windows 8

Some Windows 8 laptops and PCs could end up running more Android apps than ones written for Microsoft's software.
Gadgets built around chips made by AMD will come optimised to run the Android apps.
A collaboration between AMD and software firm Bluestacks lets the devices run the 500,000 apps more usually found on Android phones.
By contrast, Microsoft reportedly only has a few thousand apps written specifically for Windows 8 at launch.
The Android apps will be available on Windows 8 devices via AMD's AppZone player. Inside this is code from Bluestacks that acts as a wrapper around the mobile phone programs so they can run on desktops, laptops and tablets.
AMD has made changes to the core code that runs its processors and graphics cards to ensure apps built for the small screens on mobile phones look good and run well on larger displays.
Store war The deal means future AMD-based gadgets will ship with the AppZone player installed, letting users get at apps such as Fruit Ninja and Flipboard that they know from their phone.
The player also lets users synchronise their apps across both a PC and an Android phone or tablet. AMD has about a 25% share of the market for desktop computers.
As Windows 8 has been developed to work well with portable devices such as tablets, Microsoft has been working to create an ecosystem of apps for the operating system. However, some reports suggest that a month prior to the launch of Windows 8 there are only about 2,000 apps available for it in Microsoft's Windows Store.
Bluestacks' Android-running software also works on Intel-powered devices, including Macs, but typically has to be installed after a gadget has been bought and booted up.
Bluestacks is also talking to other PC makers to get its software installed as PCs are put together in a factory.