iPhone 5's record preorders, early lines
New York's Apple Store already has a line for the iPhone 5, Shazam gets into the IntoNow game, and HTC may unveil a new phone and tablet on Wednesday.
Monday's tech news roundup is bringing the snacks:
People are already in line for the iPhone 5 at the iconic Apple store in New York City. They lined up eight days before it launches on Sept. 21. But motivation to sit there isn't only fueled by fandom. It's fueled by marketing and media attention. The first guy in line hopes to promote his social networking app, Vibe. A few others are there sponsored by the electronics trade-in Web site Gazelle. There's also someone promoting his online financial service. On launch day you can expect more businesses taking advantage of all the fans and media outlets that are drawn to the event. It's typical to find companies giving away swag and food at big Apple Store launches.
But you may actually need a sleeping bag if you plan on getting an iPhone 5 on launch day and didn't preorder. A record 2 million iPhones were preordered
in the first 24 hours. That's about double the first-day preorders for the last model, the iPhone 4S. One analyst is estimating sales could reach 10 million within the first week of it going on sale. If you don't feel like waiting in line, there's always the option to pay someone on Craigslist to wait for you.If Samsung is more your style, a new model is on the way. The company said it plans to unveil the Galaxy S4 in February, and it will likely hit stores about a month later.
The app Shazam is known for helping you identify songs just by listening to a few cords. But nowit can identify TV shows just by the audio. Once it identifies a TV show, it'll pull up cast info, actor photos, trivia, and social network buzz about the show. Shazam is now dancing on the turf of Yahoo's IntoNow app, which also identifies shows, has a social experience along with links to facts. But IntoNow creates endless screen captures for every show that you can share on your networks and add a caption, so it's a step ahead with that perk.
Wednesday will be busy. The morning starts with a new smartphone from LG, followed by an HTC event that could showcase smartphones and tablets. And that's also the day when Apple devices can download the upgrade to iOS 6.
And a fun factoid: This marks the 100th episode of CNET Update! A big thank you goes out to all the viewers and fans. I appreciate all the emails, tweets, Touts and comments, so please keep 'em coming. We've only just begun.
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