Nokia is reportedly working on a midrange smartphone with design cues reminiscent of partner Microsoft's Zune.
The Finnish handset maker plans to release next year a 4.3-inch Zune-like smartphone that will run Windows Phone 8, sources tell The Verge. The "Zeal" will appear in the middle of Nokia's new Lumia lineup and reportedly feature a 1.0GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and a microSD slot. … Read more
Friday's tech news roundup has a good, long talk with a chair:
Electronics maker Sharp could be having problems making the screens for the next iPhone, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal and Reuters. There could be manufacturing difficulties that are delaying shipments. Sharp is just one of three suppliers for Apple's screens, so it's unclear how this could change launch date expectations or if iPhones will be in limited supply at launch.
We're expecting a new family of Amazon Kindles to be announced on Sept. 6, but images of the Kindle "Paperwhite" have been discovered … Read more
Microsoft announced today it will phase out some Zune Music features this week in advance of the launch of Xbox Music later this year.
Mixview playback and channel playlists will be eliminated Friday, as well as the ability to stream or purchase music videos through desktop software, the software giant told Zune Music users in an e-mail (see below). Users will also lose many of the social features of the service, including the ability to send and receive messages, invite friends, and share songs, albums, and playlists.
Also, users will no longer be able to redownload previously purchased music videos … Read more
Nokia recently released a software update for the Lumia 900 that addressed the connection issues many users were reporting. So many users, in fact, that Nokia also offered $100 credit (the total cost of the device on a contract) to Lumia 900 owners.
If you have yet to update your Lumia 900, the process is easy; you just need a bit of time and access to a computer with an Internet connection.
To get started, you will need to make sure you have either the Zune (Windows) software or the Windows Phone 7 Connector (Mac) app installed on … Read more
Apple doesn't want consumers to buy tablets, it wants them to buy iPads.
That's likely the thinking behind Apple's head-scratching move to dub its latest product the new iPad, dropping any numbers or suffixes.
By moving back to just iPad for the name, Apple can better crystalize its marketing effort under a single brand. More importantly, the company can take its dominant market position and push to have "iPad" supersede "tablet" as the generic name for a tablet computing device. Think Kleenex for tissues, Photoshop for image manipulation, or Apple's own iPod … Read more
Microsoft is in talks with some of the major record companies about creating a new music service, CNET has learned.
The software maker, which has a spotty record in digital music, has discussed creating a delivery service that would supply tunes to the Xbox as well as an upcoming Windows-based phone, according to sources with knowledge of the talks.
It was unclear exactly how this will differ from Microsoft's Zune Music Pass, which is the music service currently available to Xbox subscribers.
Negotiations are still in a preliminary stage and the two sides have yet to drill down into … Read more
LOS ANGELES--Each gathering was part press conference, part rave.
Five years ago this month, Microsoft unveiled the company's ill-fated Zune digital-media player and sister music store at several press events across the country. Last Wednesday, Google gathered members of the media to help kickoff a new online music store.
Each affair generated plenty of interest and shared numerous other similarities.
Both held events in fashionably run-down buildings in Hollywood, famed for its rock 'n' roll history. Bands rocked under electric blue light and photographers snapped away at music stars.
At the Google function, I thought, here I was, covering … Read more
Sprint has signed a $20 billion dollar deal for 30.5 million new iPhones, and Adobe releases Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 with accelerated 3D graphics support, and check out CNET.com's live coverage of Apple's announcement of the next iPhone(s).
Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:
Apple iPhone coverage Spring buying 30.5 million iPhones Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 launch Microsoft cleans up Hotmail inboxes Microsoft axes the Zune Nintendo partners with Dreamworks Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS HDIt appears the Zune HD's days are officially numbered.
Speculation about the fate of Microsoft's troubled digital device was rekindled today when it mysteriously vanished from Microsoft's Zune Web site. Then it magically reappeared.
Microsoft representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the following statement on a Zune support page appears to confirm the demise of the Zune player:
We recently announced that, going forward, Windows Phone will be the focus of our mobile music and video strategy, and that we will no longer be producing Zune players. So what does this mean for our current Zune users? Absolutely nothing. Your device will continue to work with Zune services just as it does today. And we will continue to honor the warranties of all devices for both current owners and those who buy our very last devices.
Microsoft's Windows Phone sales for 2011 are "abysmal," according to a story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer published last Friday.
Diving through Microsoft's annual report released late last month, the news site came up with a revenue figure of $613 million for the full fiscal year, which includes Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7, Zune, Mediaroom, Surface, and hardware.
Remove the sales kicked in by the Zune and the other non-mobile items, and Microsoft's mobile operating systems actually delivered less than $613 million.
Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request from CNET for comment on the … Read more
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