Page 165 of 258

      Will somebody save Palm?

      November 14, 2009 /

      Rumors that Nokia might take a look at purchasing Palm resurfaced today, giving Palm stock an eight percent bump. It’s a deal we’ve been hearing about for months, though not always with Nokia as the buyer. There have also been rumors that Dell or Microsoft could nab the struggling mobile company.

      Let’s consider the Nokia thing for a minute, though. I would be amazed to see it drop the estimated $2 billion to purchase Palm, especially since Palm isn’t exactly going gangbusters. Stock dipped 30% after this same deal failed to mature in September. So why would Nokia spend so much just to acquire the company, not to mention the marketing that Palm needs to stay alive, when the Finnish handset manufacturer is bleeding market share to Apple every day? It just doesn’t make sense.

      Palm’s struggling stock is a clear reminder that the company needs help, but I don’t think it would bring enough value to any of the potential buyers to make a deal reasonable. If anything, Nokia could license WebOS for a facelift on a few devices, but even Palm’s operating system seems to have an expiration date looming in the near future.

      Mobile, News

      Get $100 gift card when you buy a blackberry at Walmart

      November 13, 2009 /

      Walmart lookin depressing.Starting tomorrow, Walmart’s offering a pretty nice deal for new Blackberry owners. When you purchase a new Blackberry, either in the store or online, you’ll get a $100 gift, which you’ll likely then blow on chargers and other accessories. It’s a great deal, and it runs through the end of next week.

      The deal works like a rebate for online purchases, so you’re waiting 4-6 weeks for your card, but in-store purchases get the gift card instantly. And yes, this is for two-year contracts only.

      As for the phones you can get, Walmart carries the following Blackberry devices:

      – AT&T Curve 8310
      – AT&T Bold 9000
      – Sprint Curve 8330
      – T-Mobile 8520
      – T-Mobile Pearl 8120
      – Verizon Storm
      – Verizon Storm II

      Again, deal runs from the 14th to the 21st.

      Mobile

      Apple to open 40-50 stores next year

      November 12, 2009 /

      Apple store.On the heels of an insane earnings report and just prior to another store opening, Apple announced today that it would open 40-50 retail locations in 2010. The announcement was part of a speech in which senior VP of retail, Ron Johnson, said the company expects a solid holiday season.

      I’d imagine so. The $1.6 billion mobile profits report blew everyone away (especially Nokia). The retail stores continue to grow with the mobile business, up 7 percent from last year and sporting $1.87 billion in profits last quarter alone. That’s a big pile of cash for a company whose yearly profits were closer to $5 billion just over a decade ago.

      The new retail stores are mostly headed outside the US. Plans have already been made for new stores in London, Paris, and two in Shanghai. The newest stateside store will open on Saturday on the upper west side of Manhattan.

      Apple, iPhone

      Joe Hewitt quits iPhone development because of Apple

      November 12, 2009 /

      Joe Hewitt.Joe Hewitt’s been unhappy with and outspoken about Apple’s app approval process since about the time he started working on the Facebook app. Well he’s finally had enough. According to a recent, tweet he’s done working on the app and ready to move on.

      Time for me to try something new. I’ve handed the Facebook iPhone app off to another engineer, and I’m onto a new project.

      Hewitt also said in very clear language that he left iPhone development because of Apple. Speaking to TechCrunch he said, “My decision to stop iPhone development has had everything to do with Apple’s policies. I respect their right to manage their platform however they want, however I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process.” As are a lot of people, but to this point no one with Hewitt’s resume has made the same decision (Arrington left the iPhone for a different reason and he’s not a developer).

      Hewitt’s in a better position to “quit” then some developers, though. He’s got a swanky gig at Facebook, where he’ll still be developing after his announcement. A house like Tapulous, on the other hand, is making enough money off the App Store that it’s unlikely it will leave, and we probably wouldn’t hear about one of its developers quitting because of a philosophical opposition like Hewitt’s.

      Instead we’ll probably continue to see the trickle of policy changes Apple has made over the last several months. The most recent allows developers to see real time status updates about the app, so when it’s sitting in “waiting for review” you can start throwing around some lawsuits.

      Apple, Apps, iPhone, News

      Apple surpasses Nokia handset profits

      November 11, 2009 /

      Apple vs. Nokia.Apple has been slowly stealing Nokia’s market share since the release of the iPhone, but this past quarter it finally passed the Finnish handset manufacturer. By a mile. Well, half a billion dollars actually, but that’s not how the saying goes.

      At first glance it might not seem like terrible news for Nokia. According to research firm Strategy Analytics the company still leads in overall handset share, shipping over 108 million handsets in the third quarter (compared to 7.4 million iPhones). But that actually makes the news worse. Nokia is selling more phones – nearly 15 times as many – but losing in profits by 50% of what the company earned? That’s insane, and it’s a trend that will likely continue. Apple has put the iPhone on multiple carriers overseas to great success, something we’ll likely see stateside in the near future.

      The Strategy Analytics report points to several factors for Apple’s success, high subsidies and low manufacturing costs among them. There’s no reason those things should change for Apple anytime soon. Enough people want the iPhone that carriers would be crazy to boycott the phone based on the price. It’s a problem that points back to branding. If you asked a hundred people what an iPhone is I’d guess 85 or more could tell you, most in great detail. Ask about an N97 and you might get 10. 15 tops. How long before the same can be said for Nokia itself?

      Apple, Mobile, News

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 Gadget Teaser

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑