The much hyped Apple Store 2.0 10th anniversary retail revamp didn’t quite deliver the magic and revolution folks were anticipating. The top secret operation was rumored to bring NFC-enabled registers, interactive iPad 2 signage, and even some ginormous sale among other endless possibilities. And although the use of the iPad 2 as new interactive product signage turned out to be true, the execution was rather underwhelming.
Last week, we had the launch of two more ’4G’ devices on the AT&T network, the HP Veer 4G and the Samsung Infuse 4G, which sparked new complaints about the carrier’s marketing strategy. Back at CES earlier this year, AT&T had already downgraded the term 4G to their “evolved” 3G network, but this past week, they further downgraded 4G to mean the combination of 3G and a fast backhaul. So, what happens when they actually complete their promised 4G LTE network?
The PlayStation Network outage looks to be resolved soon with the latest response from Sony stating that services will start coming back this week. Many PSN subscribers were upset with the situation, both frustrated at Sony’s delay in response and at the hackers responsible. However, many couldn’t help but aim their anger at Sony, with reports claiming 1 out of 5 would switch to the Xbox. Nonetheless, will Sony’s response be enough for PSN subscribers and will they be able to regain trust? For both panels of this week’s comic, continue after the cut.
Last week Cisco announced that it was shutting down its Flip video camera business that it bought just two years ago from Pure Digital for $590 million dollars. It was their bid to tackle the consumer market, a segment that is apparently beyond their expertise. There are many reasons behind their decision.
Last week we had an episode that seemed almost like an April Fools prank between Google and CNN. You would think that these two big shots wouldn’t run into such a PR problem. CNN may have been a little too enthusiastic on their reporting claiming Google was busy at work developing a facial recognition app, while Google may have been hyper-sensitive given their run in with the privacy police in the past.
AT&T made a big announcement this past weekend—on a Sunday of all days. The carrier has committed to purchasing T-Mobile for $39 billion, a deal that will take 12 months to complete. The acquisition is said to help more quickly expand AT&T’s LTE network coverage. But merging the two largest GSM carriers in the US, leaves little room for competition.
The Apple iPad 2 started selling last Friday, March 11th to massive lines at major flagship Apple Stores. One NYC woman was able to sell her first place spot in line for $900. This could become an interesting trend for future Apple product launches…
Several devices are finally getting their updates for Android 2.2 Froyo that will be rolled out in batches over-the-air. But with all updates, there’s always a chance of firmware issues wrecking your phone. So be sure to backup first. Sprint last week announced that they would be rolling out Froyo updates for the Samsung Epic 4G, but had to quickly halt the update as complaints arose over Epic 4G phones getting bricked after the new install. Other devices announced for firmware updates last week include the Samsung Captivate, Sanyo Zio, and the Samsung Omnia 7. Check out the full comic after the jump.
Twitter suspended UberTwitter and Twidroyd this past Friday for violations including trademark infringement and “changing the content of user’s Tweets in order to make money.” Although the suspension seemed to catch everyone by surprise, Twitter says that they’ve been warning Ubermedia–the company behind the two most popular 3rd-party Twitter apps–since April of last year.
Mobile/tablet OS platforms are duking it out for survival as platform updates, new product launches, dubious alliances and speculations continue to brew. Android OS is increasingly dominating the marketplace, with Apple’s iOS attempting to regain momentum and stirring up the media with plenty of rumors. Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer and Nokia’s Stephen Elop just made a surprise announcement last week to put Windows Phone 7 on future Nokia phones–seemingly a take-over of Nokia and an imminent demise for Symbian and MeeGo–a move that blindsided Intel and slighted Google. And still earlier last week HP/Palm introduced new phones and tablets to push their own webOS platform. The competition’s getting rough. Can all the operating systems at least just allow us to truly multitask our apps for now?
With Verizon’s CDMA iPhone 4 already in some users’ hands, it’s full steam ahead for Apple’s smartphone. Figuring out whether AT&T or Verizon’s version is right for you, though, means you have to look where you’re going…
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