HP ceases Touchpad production

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Nov 022011

HP has finally hit the kill switch. Touchpads are no more in production. After the grand fire sale, most of HP’s Touchpads were bought by junta at inhumanly low prices.

The remainder lot is currently in possession of BestBuy and it is selling it to people who buy HP PCs only.

According to an email sent out by HP

Dear Valued Customer,

Making sure customers have a positive experience when they purchase our products is a priority for us. In some cases, limited inventory makes it challenging to fulfill all customer orders. As you signed up for updates on the HP TouchPad, we wanted you to know that we are officially out of stock. Some retailers will have some stock available, but our online inventory is depleted.

Thank you for your interest in this product and the feedback you provided. Your input plays a critical role in defining our product roadmap and will help us continue to bring innovative products to market.

Sincerely,

HP

This email is an indirect proof that HP has stopped producing the TouchPads. But XDA developers have another point of view. According to them, there would be an Android version of the Touchpads, that is, if what they think is correct. Head over to XDA and read yourself.

Posted by Jatinder Singh at 1:29 pm Tagged with: ,

Half of UK smartphones are powered by Android, RIM holds number two spot.

Metrics Maid No Responses »
Nov 012011

Kantar Worldpanel ComTech has conducted a research on smartphone platforms in the UK and have found out that around half of the UK smartphones have Android of one kind or the other on them.

MBB reports

Android’s share has increased from 29 percent a year ago to 49.9 percent. HTC is leading the way for phone manufacturers using the OS, with 45 percent of Android-based phone sales in the 12 weeks prior to 2 October. Samsung took 38 percent of Android sales with Sony Ericsson contributing 8.5 percent, down from 20.5 percent a year ago.

RIM’s BlackBerry OS is the next most popular smartphone OS, present on 22.5 percent of UK smartphones while Apple’s iOS has 18.5 percent market share, down from 33 percent a year ago. Kantar’s figures were taken before Apple announced the iPhone 4S, a period during which Apple CEO Tim Cook said there had been a significant slowdown of iPhone sales.

While Nokia plummeted from 20 percent last year to 6 percent this year, It’s hopes to gain momentum through the Windows Phone is bleak as Windows Phone managed to bad only a measly 1.4 percent share.

The “bad news for featurephones” is that under half of the UK population (44 percent) owns smartphones, with the growth in sales quickly accelerating. Smartphones made up 69 percent of mobile phone sales during the period.

Posted by Jatinder Singh at 8:35 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,

HTC and AccuWeather facing app lawsuit

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Nov 012011

A class action lawsuit has been files against HTC and the proclaimed AccuWeather on the grounds that AccuWeather tracks user location to within a few feet, and then transmits the information across the internet in an unencrypted form, to be used to deliver targeted advertising.

It was also asserted that there is no way to turn off the app – and therefore no way to stop the location information being made available.

Business Briefing reports

The complaint said that the information transmitted is “unnecessarily precise” for a weather forecast, and was being used “for the defendants’ own purposes unrelated to weather information.” The devices are capable of supplying “coarse” location data, which is less accurate.

It was also said that the transmission of data in unencrypted form is “substandard,” especially since the device is capable of sending data over the Internet using SSL encryption.

The case is calling for refunds, a replacement smartphone, or the premium paid for the devices “above the amount charged for similar, adequately labeled products.”

HTC is involved in this lawsuit is because AccuWeather is shipped pre-installed on many HTC handsets. So that makes HTC, knowingly or unknowingly, a co-culprit in the crime.

Also, as per the document related to the lawsuit

39. Another unreasonable security defect in HTC smartphone is the HtcLoggers service feature on the smartphones. This is not a feature available for Plaintiffs and Class Members to use; it is, however, available to the providers of third-party apps installed on Plaintiffs’ and Class Members’ smartphones.

40. The HtcLoggers feature allows any Internet-connected app, regardless of its purpose, to access Plaintiffs’ and Class Members’ email addresses; phone numbers for calls dialed and received; fine and coarse location and location history; text messages; and activity logs for all apps running on the smartphone—essentially, all information regarding all activity
on the smartphone.

41. HTC Corporation reportedly has acknowledged the HtcLogger defect3 but has failed to alert purchasers, rectify the defect, investigate AccuWeather’s use and/or onward transfer of purchasers’ detailed geographic location data, or remediate AccuWeather’s retention of such data.

So now HTC is in some serious trouble.

Document Source

Posted by Jatinder Singh at 7:47 pm Tagged with: , , ,

Krusell–TOP 10 selling phones for October 2011

Metrics Maid No Responses »
Nov 012011

Krusell, the Swedish manufacturer of elegant cases for mobiles has provided us with the ever important data of top ten phones for October 2011.

1. (1) Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II

2. (2) Apple iPhone 4

3. (9) Samsung GT-B2710 / Xcover 271

4. (4) Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray

5. (-) Apple iPhone 4S

6. (3) Nokia 3720 Classic

7. (7) Sony Ericsson Arc S

8. (6) HTC Sensation

9. (-) Nokia C2-01

10. (-) Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo

() = Last month’s position.

While the Galaxy S2 maintains the numero uno position, as predicted by their MD, Ulf Sandberg some time ago, we do see competition ahead with the iPhone 4S entry.

What is nice is that there are 5 brands in this list for this October 2011. Ulf Sandberg quotes

It’s a good sign to see that the volumes are divided on multiple brands even if LG and RIM are out, and HTC only have one model this month. For the coming month, I forecast that iPhone 4S will climb and so will Sony Ericsson Arc S.

For those of you who don’t know, this list is based on the number of pieces of custom made mobile and smartphone cases ordered from Krusell during October 2011. Krusell’s list is unique due to the fact that it reflects the sales of phones on six continents and in more than 70 countries around the globe.

Posted by Jatinder Singh at 6:32 pm Tagged with: , , ,

Q3 worldwide mobile phone numbers, Nokia still rules

Metrics Maid No Responses »
Nov 012011

IDC has reveled the numbers for the Q3 mobile phone shipments. And as unexpected by few, Nokia is still numero uno.

According to the report

Top Five Mobile Phone Vendors

Nokia reversed a global market share on a sequential basis last quarter thanks to stronger feature phone sales in key regions as well as the clearing of inventory backlogs in traditional strongholds, namely China and Europe, which led to a sharp year-over-year shipment and share decline last quarter. Nokia’s smartphone fortunes could improve in quarters to come now that it has introduced the Nokia Lumia devices, powered by Windows Phone 7, to markets where its brand is still relatively strong and in areas where the company has lost share over the past two years.

Samsung registered double-digit growth compared to the third quarter a year ago and also outpaced the market. The company’s growth was again driven by smartphone sales, such as the Galaxy S2. Smartphone sales were notably higher in emerging markets including China. Samsung outpaced the feature phone market as well in terms of growth. The vendor didn’t close the market share gap on Nokia for the top mobile phone position, but it remains within striking distance.

LG Electronics maintained its position as the number 3 mobile vendor worldwide for the twelfth quarter in a row, but continued soft demand for both its feature phones and smartphones led to volume levels not seen since 2Q 2007. With only a few new devices launched and an aging feature phone portfolio, LG’s warnings of lower year-over-year shipment volume appears to have come to fruition. By the end of the year, LG’s grasp on the number 3 position may be loosened as Apple’s aggressive smartphone campaign takes hold in 4Q 2011.

ZTE jumped into the number 4 position thanks to momentum carried into 3Q 2011 with key devices shipping into strategic regions. In China, ZTE has nearly doubled its smartphone volumes from the previous quarter, while within North America, ZTE’s entry-level voice-centric phones at AT&T have gained greater depth. At the same time, ZTE’s target of 12 million smartphone shipments worldwide in 2011 became more of a reality with the introduction of two new Android-powered smartphones for the North American market.

Apple gained share and posted the third-highest growth rate of any Top 5 vendor but dropped to the number 5 position globally. Global iPhone shipments declined sequentially during the same quarter that company founder Steve Jobs handed the CEO reins to Tim Cook. The decline, not coincidentally, happened as Apple readied itself for the 4S launch, which many waited for. Apple’s ability to upgrade 3GS users to the 4S, for example, and make continued inroads into developing economies, where it has been less successful, will help dictate the company’s smartphone fortunes in the future.

The numbers speak for themselves. What should be noted in the chart below is that while LG is the biggest loser, the Biggest winner is ZTE,  thanks to it’s featurephones sales. If featurephones are removed, then the champ would be Samsung, thanks to its baffling smartphone sales.

IDC q3 stats thumb Q3 worldwide mobile phone numbers, Nokia still rules

Source

Posted by Jatinder Singh at 2:48 pm Tagged with: , , , , , ,

HP loses another one, Phil McKinney decides to retire

News No Responses »
Nov 012011

Well, HP just lost it’s CTO. Phil McKinney has announced via his blog that he will be serving HP until 31 December 2011.

As per his blog

Earlier today, I announced that I will be retiring from HP.

This is not the traditional retirement.  I’m not planning on spending my days playing golf or sitting around the house driving my wife crazy. I have far too much passion, energy and ideas to sit on the sidelines.

My definition of retirement is the freedom to write, speak, mentor, advise and teach without the restrictions of the traditional employee/corporate structure.

My passion is to help innovators get better at innovating and I’ve spent the better part of the last dozen years fulfilling that mission.  My time at HP started out as an advisor on innovation that turned into a request to join for a year or so to “help grow the innovation culture at HP”.  That was 9 years ago.  I can honestly say that I’ve done everything that is within my power to fulfill that objective.

Phil was the person behind the teams that delivered Blackbird, Firebird, Envy 133, Gabble, Twynergy, Pluribus, Vantage TouchWall and DreamScreen.

After the retirement, he aspires to be the motivational speaker, author, mentor and innovator that the world has known him to be.

We wish him all the best…!!

Posted by Jatinder Singh at 2:32 pm Tagged with: ,

Best Buy offering $150 TouchPad PC bundles

News No Responses »
Nov 012011

Retails giant Best Buy is supposedly offering Touchpad for $150 with purchase of select HP or Compaq Desktop, Laptop, or all-in-one PCs at Best Buy.

This offer begins today and will be applicable on BestBuy.com and all other brick and mortar stores. Though there is no mention on how long the offer will stay, we suspect that the offer would not last long as the Touchpads that are being offered are from the last batch in the production.

Anyways, $150 is way better than $50. Winking smile

Posted by Jatinder Singh at 1:00 pm Tagged with: , , ,
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