Author: Jeff Morgan (Page 87 of 168)

      Foxconn to open retail stores in China

      December 2, 2009 /

      Foxconn to open retail stores.Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, has plans to open as many as 10,000 retail locations in China, according to China Daily. That’s a hell of a plan, considering they have virtually zero current retail presence.

      The stores will likely be host to the products Foxconn produces, including the iPhone and the Nintendo Wii. As Michael Arrington has it, the stores will also be used to drum up additional business from companies like HP and Dell, with promises of retail presence at the new locations.

      If anything, I’m surprised Foxconn would limit itself to third-party (sort of) offerings. Why not go into retail with its own products, at its own prices. China Daily claims the company accounts for nearly 4% of Taiwan’s total exports, more than $55 billion worth. Most people think that’s a gross undervaluation. The real export figure could be as high as $100 billion.

      Apple, iPhone, News

      New iPhone model shows up in SF

      December 1, 2009 /

      Apple testing a new iPhone?The iPhone model 3,1 has peeked its head above ground for a second time this weekend. You may recall the first appearance was in OS 3.0 beta firmware files back around June. Now the company responsible for iBART, a Bay Area Rapid Transit app, has found the model number showing up under access lists for the application. Someone in San Francisco has the new iPhone. DUN DUN DUN!

      It’s not all that surprising. The more iPhones Apple makes, the more money it makes. It’s a simple business model for Cupertino. As for what this model will have, I don’t really know. The front-facing camera? Maybe, but my guess would be more speed, more wireless band support (new carriers) and maybe even a better camera.

      As for timing, again, it’s all guesses. iPhone model 2,1 first showed in October 2008 and went on to become the 3GS eight months later. The first iPhone launched in June 2007, so it would be odd to see model 3,1 available within the same timetable as the 3GS, around February 2010. At the very least, I would guess AT&T’s exclusivity contract has a duration divisible by six.

      Source: MacRumors

      Apple, Apps, iPhone, News

      The CrunchPad is dead

      November 30, 2009 /

      The CrunchPad is no more.Less than a month after claiming the CrunchPad was “steamrolling” toward production, Michael Arrington has pronounced his web tablet dead. Apparently there was a serious fallout with the manufacturer. Serious as in the manufacturer is going to try to sell the device itself. Without Arrington. Potentially under the CrunchPad moniker.

      This is about as spectacular as device wars get. You can imagine Arrington is pissed, and bound to be throwing around any lawsuit he can think up. He writes this about the email he received from Fusion Garage, the company set to manufacture the web tablet.

      Bizarrely, we were being notified that we were no longer involved with the project. Our project. Chandra said that based on pressure from his shareholders he had decided to move forward and sell the device directly through Fusion Garage, without our involvement.

      Err, what? This is the equivalent of Foxconn, who build the iPhone, notifiying Apple a couple of days before launch that they’d be moving ahead and selling the iPhone directly without any involvement from Apple.

      The rest of Arrington’s post on the subject is appropriately distressed. I’m still amazed Fusion Garage would try to pull this off, particularly two days before the product was set for a public launch. For more detail on the drama, head over to to TechCrunch and offer Arrington your condolences.

      Source: TechCrunch

      Digital Media, Mobile, Websites

      Best of Black Friday

      November 26, 2009 /

      Black Friday deals.I’ve never been the type to get up ass-early the day after Thanksgiving, but there are some undeniably great deals out there that could make be worth it were I ever not sleeping off my vitamin T. I’ve scoured all the ads this year to find my personal favorite deals in the hope that it will help some of you last minute planners.

      Amazon’s got the Blackberry Bold 9700 (Bold 2 for those of you keeping track) for $149.99 on new contracts, but you can do better. Wirefly has the same phone on AT&T for FREE with new activations and just $29.99 for existing customers. It’s a perfect deal for your favorite Blackberry fan (and probably yourself if you’re so inclined).

      According to blackfriday.info’s many, many ad leaks, Office Depot has a Seagate 1.5TB external drive for $99.99. There are cheaper deals for smaller drives out there but, dollar for dollar, this will get you one of the best storage deals available. As someone who recently had to restore a machine from a backup drive, I’d highly recommend this option. It’s also great if you know someone working with large amounts of audio and video.

      Dell’s working a little Black Friday love this year, my favorite being the 23″ Full HD (I’m assuming that means 1080p) widescreen monitor w/webcam for $219. Gamers would love this thing, whether it’s for a PC or, if they’re really desperate, that brand new Xbox 360 bundle they picked up. At 23″ it’s plenty big enough for extended MW2 sessions, especially in a dorm room.

      If you’re in the market for a new computer, check out the Acer Aspire One at Office Max. It’s 10.1″ with 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HD, and Windows XP – all for $149.99. That’s about as cheap as you’ll get for a ten-incher, which is as small as I can go before my hands cramp up.

      Black Friday just wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Best Buy. The house of blue and yellow has the Nikon D3000DX bundle for $499.99. It’s a 10.2 Megapixel DSLR with a 10-55mm VR lens just a penny under the $500 mark. It’s 10% off list for most retailers, and as low as anyone wants to go for a DSLR this season.

      There you have my favorites. There are plenty of sites where you can find the rest of the deals if you don’t get the paper. I’d recommend checking out www.blackfriday.info. Now, go get some rest. You’ll need it for the maddening crowd.

      Cameras, Computers, Guides, Mobile, Tips

      App Review: Best of Cycle World

      November 24, 2009 /

      best-of-cw-appI’ve got another app review for you today, this time from Cycle World (which is published under Hachette Filipacchi Media along with Car and Driver). The app, appropriately named “Best of Cycle World,” can be picked up from the App Store for free.

      Before installing the app I read a few users reviews complaining about the update schedule and limited content. I would wholeheartedly agree if the app was billed as digital magazine, but it’s not. It’s a companion to a subscription magazine and should be considered as such. Bearing that in mind, I think the app is a great way to carry CW content in your pocket.

      The app works like a content-rich RSS feed for the magazine’s best articles. It’s a simple list that links to individual articles, all of which have a picture gallery. While the content is decent, a few simple updates could improve the app. I’d recommend a system by which the reader can see what’s been read and what hasn’t. Also, adding a picture count (1 of 8, etc.) to the galleries would be a small improvement.

      Overall, can’t complain much about free content. If nothing else, it saves you the embarrassment of carrying a magazine into the bathroom while your girlfriend’s over. That is, if you still care about that sort of thing.

      Apps, iPhone, Mobile, Reviews

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