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Watch out, Google: Siri accounts for 25% of Wolfram Alpha’s traffic

Posted by admin under iPad on Wednesday Feb 8, 2012

About a quarter, or 25 percent, of all of Wolfram Alpha’s traffic now comes from Siri on the iPhone 4S, according to a report from the New York Times.

The fact that Siri has had such a large impact on Wolfram Alpha in only a few months not only proves iPhone customers are actually using Siri, but how useful Wolfram Alpha’s technology is. It may also prove a long-term threat for Google, as technologies like Siri could become a disruptive platform that stands between users and search engines.

I’ve always been interested in Wolfram Alpha because it’s called an answer-engine rather than a search engine. This implies that there isn’t a need to search — you just get what you asked for. I own an iPhone 4 so I don’t have access to Siri, but I’d be willing to bet I would use Wolfram Alpha much more often if I had an iPhone 4S. Its website, wolframalpha.com, isn’t exactly the easiest URL for beginners to remember. Plus, since Google, Bing, and the like are all baked into most web browsers, it’s more convenient to use those search engines.

Now the tables could be turning, as technology generally simplifies as it evolves over time. The next logical step for search engines is to remove the search part of it and just get users directly to the answer they are looking for. This isn’t a viable solution for every query, but Wolfram Alpha executes this in as many ways possible. Google should feel a little bit threatened by Siri and Wolfram Alpha. Combined, search engines can seem second-rate.

[via PhoneArena]

About The Author


George Tinari

George has followed technology news for quite some time, but he only started writing about it a few years ago. He’s a self-professed Apple fanboy, but that doesn’t stop him from covering a wide range of topics in the mobile area. When he’s not reporting for IntoMobile, you can usually find George listening to a wide array

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Why Siri may never land on the iPhone 4

Posted by admin under iPad on Tuesday Feb 7, 2012

Audience is a technology company that makes advanced voice and audio processing chips for mobile phones. Its products reduce background noise which makes talking on the phone pleasurable and using voice commands possible. Audience worked with HTC to put the A1026 processor in the Nexus One, and helped Apple integrate its chip into the iPhone 4. A recent S-1 form filed with the SEC for Audience’s upcoming IPO revealed a version of this audio technology also made its way into the iPhone 4S.

Instead of a dedicated chip like the iPhone 4, Apple is licensing Audience’s audio technology and embedding it directly into the iPhone 4S’ A5 chipset. Audience’s latest earSmart technology used in the A5 is newer than the background noise processing found in the iPhone 4. The improved audio hardware found in the iPhone 4S may be the reason Siri is a 4S-only product.

Siri is often advertised as a hands-free solution you can use at any time, even when your phone is sitting on your desk. Trying to reduce background noise over a long distance like this isn’t easy and Siri may need the advanced audio processing found in the iPhone 4S. In other words, the iPhone 4 doesn’t have the hardware to handle the noise reduction Apple’s version of Siri requires. Though developers may be able to hack Siri onto older devices, the hardware differences between the iPhone 4 and the 4S may stop Apple from officially releasing the voice assistant on its older devices.

[Ars Technica and EE Times]

About The Author


Kelly Hodgkins

Kelly spent the last three years covering mobile technology at
places like BGR, Gizmodo and The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Before writing, she
spent a few years working with and teaching others how to use Adobe
Flash and Macromedia Director. Even earlier than that, she spent six
years working on her Ph.D in Microbiology. When she’s not writing, she
can be found fishing the lakes

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Hotels by Orbitz hits the AppStore

Posted by admin under iPad on Monday Feb 6, 2012

Orbitz released a new iPhone app that allows folks to quickly book a hotel while on the go. Available as a free download, Hotels by Orbitz provides users with an “intuitive search-and-book experience” and offers powerful comparison tools, secure booking in just three taps and Orbitz Mobile Steals. The last mentioned feature is touted to deliver exclusive, mobile-only discounts of up to 50% off hotel stays in popular cities worldwide, something that sounds pretty similar to Hotel Tonight’s offering.

The new Orbitz application comes on the heels of earlier mobile products and services offered by the popular travel site, including Orbitz apps for iPhone and Android, Orbitz Hotels app for iPad, Orbitz mobile website, and Orbitz Mobile Steals. All of them come with the same value that customers have come to expect when booking on Orbitz, including Automatic Price Assurance, Enhanced Low Price Guarantee and Orbitz Care Alerts.

Again, Hotels by Orbitz is free to download and you can get it from a link below.

Hotels by Orbitz (FREE) [iTunes link]

About The Author


Dusan Belic

Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The “convergence” is what he’s most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do.

In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it’s an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he’s there to try it out. He admits though, he’s still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which “sings” perfectly with the mobile PIM application.

Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he

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Apple expands its Australian lawsuit against Samsung

Posted by admin under iPad on Sunday Feb 5, 2012

Apple turned up the heat on Samsung in Australia when it expanded its patent and trademark lawsuit to include 278 new infringement claims covering 22 patents and ten devices (some unreleased). This is a significant increase from the original lawsuit which targeted only the Galaxy Tab 10.1  and included with a handful of patent infringement claims. If the court grants Apple an injunction based on these new claims, it  potentially could prevent Samsung from selling any Android device in the land down under.

Samsung and Apple are embroiled in a heated legal battle that began in August of 2011. Apple scored a victory when it was granted an injunction that banned the sale of the Galaxy Tab. Samsung Australia appealed this injunction and a court overturned the ruling in mid-December. Samsung resumed sales of the device and flaunted its victory by launching an advertising campaign proclaiming the Galaxy Tab was “the tablet Apple tried to stop.”

[Via The Next Web and Shutterstock]

 

About The Author


Kelly Hodgkins

Kelly spent the last three years covering mobile technology at
places like BGR, Gizmodo and The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Before writing, she
spent a few years working with and teaching others how to use Adobe
Flash and Macromedia Director. Even earlier than that, she spent six
years working on her Ph.D in Microbiology. When she’s not writing, she
can be found fishing the lakes and hiking the mountains of Western
Maine with her husband and children.



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Motorola scores a permanent injunction against Apple’s iCloud in German Court

Posted by admin under iPad on Saturday Feb 4, 2012

Motorola has just scored a pretty significant injunction against Apple’s iCloud, as a decision in its favor was handed down by judge Andreas Voss in a German court room. The “permanent injunction” forced the Cupertino-based company to remove most of its products from its German-based online store including the iPhone 3G, the iPhone 3GS, and the iPhone 4 as well as any 3G-enabled iPads. Both companies have been in a patent battle for months, with Motorola getting the best of the iPhone maker so far.

Lots of developments have occurred after this initial ruling, so lets sort them out. To understand what’s going on, you must first understand which patent is in question. Motorola filed a case against Apple for its “multiple pager status synchronization system and method,” which is something Apple uses in its iCloud product. Yes, this is a huge deal.

As expected, Apple has appealed the decision. And from the latest news coming in, all its devices in question will return back on its German online store shortly. The Cupertino giant released a comment to AllThingsD.

“All iPad and iPhone models will be back on sale through Apple’s online store in Germany shortly,” an Apple spokeswoman told AllThingsD. “Apple appealed this ruling because Motorola repeatedly refuses to license this patent to Apple on reasonable terms, despite having declared it an industry standard patent seven years ago.”

So what does this all mean? Well, this suspension is more than likely a temporary thing, as the battle will continue on the basis of appeal. Apple’s argument is Motorola Mobility is not honoring the FRAND licensing obligations (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) it has on some standards-essential patents.

In the end, I expect these two to work out some sort of licensing agreement, because Apple is swimming in cash and Motorola needs some of that loot. Of course, once Motorola becomes a part of Google, you have to wonder how/if the negotiations will change.

[via AllThingsD]

 

 

About The Author


Charles West

Charles has been a cannibal of all things handheld and gadgety

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Apple climbs past LG to become the world’s #3 phone manufacturer

Posted by admin under iPad on Friday Feb 3, 2012

IDC, a technology research firm, released statistics today on the data it gathered on mobile phone sales in Q4 2011. According to the numbers, Apple is now the third largest phone manufacturer in the world by shipments, surpassing LG. Apple’s record-breaking iPhone sales last quarter skyrocketed the company into an easy third place, claiming 8.7 percent market share.

Nokia and Samsung still hold their respective positions as the top phone manufacturers by a long shot. Last quarter, Nokia shipped 113.5 million mobile phones and Samsung shipped 97.6 million. After that, shipments drop significantly to Apple’s 37 million. Comparably, that doesn’t seem like a lot, but keep in mind Apple only ships iPhones. That’s it. Samsung and Nokia ship all sorts of smartphones and basic dumbphones. Looking at it from that perspective, it’s quite astonishing.

Coming in after Apple is LG with only 17.7 units shipped and ZTE with 17.1. The grand total of mobile phones shipped in Q4 factoring in all other manufacturers as well? 427.4 million. That’s a year-over-year change of 6.1 percent, which was overall a bit lower than expected.

“The introduction of high-growth products such as the iPhone 4S, which shipped in the fourth quarter, bolstered smartphone growth. Yet overall market growth fell to its lowest point since 3Q09 when the global economic recession was in full bloom,” said senior research analyst at IDC, Kevin Restivo.

[via IDC]

About The Author


George Tinari

George has followed technology news for quite some time, but he only started writing about it a few years ago. He’s a self-professed Apple fanboy, but that doesn’t stop him from covering a wide range of topics in the mobile area. When he’s not reporting for IntoMobile, you can usually find George listening to a wide array of music, trying to be funny and sarcastic, eating, or voicing his opinions about all things tech on his personal blog, GT Daily.



Facebook has 425 million mobile users

Posted by admin under iPad on Thursday Feb 2, 2012

Facebook filed for the largest IPO in history today and the world’s largest social network revealed some interesting figures in its filings. What really stuck out to us is that Facebook said that half of its users are now mobile, so that means 425 million users poke, comment and share links via a phone.

TechCrunch did a great job of digging through the filing to come up with that figure and Facebook itself points out that these numbers are based on its own internal metrics. The Facebook apps may be helping to juice the “active user” count, as some apps automatically connect without the user even meaning to use the service, the company said.

Still, it’s clear that mobile is going to play a large role in the future of Facebook for a variety of reasons. With 825 million users overall, Facebook may already have nearly all the users in certain markets on PCs. As it utilizes initiatives like Facebook Zero ( which gives people in emerging markets free data access for Facebook), mobile may be the main growth category for the company.

We’ve also heard multiple rumors that Facebook is building its own phone and the IPO may give it more resources to push this through for the masses. Designing and building consumer electronics at scale is very capital intensive, so this may have been a small reason why it decided to go public.

Going public cuts both ways though, as there will be more pressure to generate revenues and I’m thinking that could mean ads in the mobile products. I’m not too upset with this but I also hope this means that we’ll also see desktop features like Skype calling work its way to the mobile products.

[Via TechCrunch]

About The Author


Marin Perez

Marin Perez has torture tested cell phones and smartphones for industry leaders like CNET and InformationWeek. He remembers when 4G was just a screen on PowerPoint presentations and is fascinated

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Samsung, Apple boost ARM’s quarterly earnings

Posted by admin under iPad on Wednesday Feb 1, 2012

ARM reported excellent financial results for calendar year Q4 2011 and it likely has Samsung and Apple to thank more than any other companies.

Revenue last quarter rose 21 percent to $217 million while profits leaped 45 percent to roughly $90 million. Since public statements almost never dive into details, ARM accordingly gave credit to new licensing fees, royalties, and growing demand for smartphones and tablets. Tim Score, CFO of ARM , said the average smartphone generates anywhere between five and ten times more royalty revenue than a regular cell phone.

To be more specific, success from Apple and Samsung spiked ARM’s revenue. In CYQ4, Apple shipped 62 million iOS devices and Samsung shipped 35 million smartphones — all of which include ARM’s processing architectures.

“2012 will bring exciting opportunities and challenges as ARM enters competitive new markets where we are well positioned to succeed with leading technology, an innovative business model and a thriving ecosystem of Partners,” said CEO Warren East. “As our customers are designing more ARM technology into their widening product portfolios, ARM is investing in the development of new products. These products will drive further long-term growth in our revenues, profits and cash.”

Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system, slated for release in 2012, will add support for ARM processors and give the company another noticeable rise in income. Apple will also presumably ship the iPad 3 and sixth-generation iPhone this year with an A6 processor based off of ARM’s technologies.

[via Electronista]

 

About The Author


George Tinari

George has followed technology news for quite some time, but he only started writing about it a few years ago. He’s a self-professed Apple fanboy, but that doesn’t stop him from covering a wide range of topics in the mobile area. When he’s not reporting for IntoMobile, you can usually find George listening to a wide array of music, trying to be funny and sarcastic, eating, or voicing his opinions about all things tech on his personal blog, GT Daily.

iPhone 4S inventory finally catches up with demand

Posted by admin under iPad on Tuesday Jan 31, 2012

After months of delayed shipments, the iPhone 4S is back in stock at Apple’s online store. According to Apple’s website,  all models and colors are now listed as being in stock. This is a jump from a few weeks ago when shipment times for the 4S were shortened to 3-5 days.

The iPhone 4S had a banner launch when it went on sale last October. The handset sold millions in its first weekend and its sales show no signs of slowing down. The Cupertino company announced its quarterly earnings last week and confirmed it sold 37 million iPhone handsets in the quarter, up 128 percent year over year. The handset breakdown was not disclosed by Apple, but many believe it was the 4S that drove sales. Even though the 4S was only a moderate jump from the iPhone 4,  the handset’s Siri voice assistant and 8-megapixel camera proved to be a hit with consumers.

[Via Electronista and Apple]

 

About The Author


admin



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RAGE HD receives iOS 5 support, new episodes, and melee in latest update

Posted by admin under iPad on Monday Jan 30, 2012

Even though the console version of id Software’s RAGE left much to be desired, that doesn’t mean RAGE HD for iOS isn’t a terrific game. In fact, the company just released an update that puts more goodness into an already impressive package.

The latest update for RAGE HD brings a slew of enhancements such as iOS 5 support, the ability to melee your enemies, and two new episodes called Kraken and Aqueduct which can be purchased for only $.99 via in-app purchase. And just to clarify, that’s $.99 for both episodes.

Rage HD version 2.0 also supports HDMI-out, which could be used to easily trick your friends your playing the console version of your game through your iOS device. We all know what a little trickster you can be.

RAGE HD ($1.99) – [iTunes Link]

RAGE ($.99) – [iTunes Link]


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About The Author


Daniel Perez

Daniel is a Jersey boy, born and raised. He currently lives in the Northern NJ area, close to New York City. He prides himself in being known as a geek and knows his way around technology. He’s the kind of person that if he can’t figure out a solution to a tech problem, it’ll keep him up at night.

Daniel has experience in editorial from his previous work with Ziff Davis Media. With a strong background in the journalism field, he’ll chime in from time to time on IntoMobile to share stories of interest with the IntoMobile readers.


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