Tech News Archives - Page 9 of 15

BlackBerry receives “largest ever single purchase order” with One Million BlackBerry 10 smartphones

March 14, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

BlackBerry was officially released in Canada on February 5th and the launch carriers stated there was “great interest,” “intense interest,” and “very positive response.” There’s no hard sales numbers, but the global rollout has expanded to the United Kingdom, India and coming up in the United States on March 22nd.

In a press release today BlackBerry announced a massive endorsement for what they label as the “largest ever single purchase order in BlackBerry’s history.” Apparently an unknown “partner,” probably a carrier in the States, has placed an order of a whopping 1 million units. The release doesn’t specifically mention one million BlackBerry Z10 smartphones, just “BlackBerry Partner Purchases One Million BlackBerry 10 Smartphones.” So there could be a mix of all 6 BlackBerry 10 smartphones this year. Regardless, one million BB10 smartphones is a serious commitment.

Rick Costanzo, EVP Global Sales for BlackBerry, said “An order for one million devices is a tremendous vote of confidence in BlackBerry 10. Consumers are ready for a new user experience, and BlackBerry 10 delivers. With strong partner support, coupled with this truly re-invented new platform, we have a powerful recipe for success.”

Source: BlackBerry

BlackBerry Secure Work Space for iOS and Android will separate work and personal data, connect to BES 10

March 14, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

BlackBerry will launch its Secure Work Space solution for iOS and Android devices in Q2, with a formal announcement at BlackBerry Live in May. The company had previously announced its plan to take business clients using iPhone and Android smartphones under its wing, allowing a formal separation of personal and business data with “secured client applications for email, calendar, contacts, tasks, memos, secure browsing and document editing for each device that is provisioned via BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10.”

As expected, the backend will rely on BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10, an updated version of the current service used by millions of companies around the world. Secure Work Space will allow third party platforms to connect to their works’ servers over VPN, and ensure that lost or stolen phones will not lead to an inadvertent breach of company data.

The move to being a backend provider to enterprise BYOD devices allows BlackBerry a high-margin sales channel at a time where its hardware sales are, at best, mediocre. As the company works to bring the Z10 and, later, the Q10 to more markets, it must have a strategy in place to sell solutions to companies who don’t want to force a second phone down their employees’ throats, or those with BYOD solutions that may be looking at The Next Big Thing.

Secure Work Space will be outlined in greater detail during BlackBerry Live in May.

Via: Reuters

Google killing off Google Reader, Internet goes up in arms

March 14, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

Google has announced today that it is killing off the popular Google Reader service, among other services as it completes its second round of “spring cleaning.”

The company has been killing off small projects and “non-core” projects since 2011. Google Reader is an aggregator that can read Atom and RSS feeds.

Reads the post:

“Everyone has a device, sometimes multiple devices. It’s been a long time since we have had this rate of change–it probably hasn’t happened since the birth of personal computing 40 years ago. To make the most of these opportunities, we need to focus–otherwise we spread ourselves too thin and lack impact. So today we’re announcing some more closures, bringing the total to 70 features or services closed since our spring cleaning began in 2011.

We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. Users and developers interested in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with Google Takeout over the course of the next four months.”

Besides Google Reader, the company is also killing Snapseed, Google Voice for BlackBerry and Google Building Maker.

Since the announcement, the Internet has gone up in arms over the death of Google Reader with the search giant seeing significant backlash, especially among the tech saavy crowd. It will be interesting to see if the Reader stays dead moving forward.

Microsoft hit with $730 million fine in EU over default browser choice screen

March 12, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

The European Commission has once again fined software giant Microsoft over failing to comply with its commitment to give users a chance to choose their default browser when purchasing a new PC.

Microsoft has been hit with the 561 million euro ($730 million) fine for what it has called a “technical error” within its Windows 7 OS.

In 2009, the company agreed to present a web browser choice screen to all users in the European Economic Area (EEA) in order to settle a competition investigation, in which the European Commission outlined its preliminary view that the company abused its dominant position in the market for client PC operating systems through the tying of Internet Explorer to Windows.

The Browser Choice screen is an unbiased browser selection program that allowed a user to install an alternative web browser, or stick with Internet Explorer as a default. However, Microsoft failed to roll out the browser choice screen with its Windows 7 Service Pack 1, which was released in February 2011, meaning millions of users were not given the choice to move away from Internet Explorer. As expected, the European Commission was not happy.

Microsoft, for its part, did not make any excuses and will not appeal the ruling:

We take full responsibility for the technical error that caused this problem and have apologized for it. We provided the Commission with a complete and candid assessment of the situation, and we have taken steps to strengthen our software development and other processes to help avoid this mistake – or anything similar – in the future.

“Canada’s cell phone market is dysfunctional and in desperate need of an overhaul.”

March 11, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

Grassroots organization OpenMedia released a timely report this morning. It’s based on their recent “Cellphone Horror Story” poll and declares that “Canada’s cell phone market is dysfunctional and in desperate need of an overhaul.”

Between October 17th, 2012 and February 15th, 2013 there were 2,859 submissions and brings nothing new when compared to the CRTC’s Monitoring report, or the Complaints for Telecommunications (CCTS) annual report. Wireless customers in Canada still feel that they pay too much on a monthly basis, contracts are still confusing to read, and they receive “disrespectful customer service,” plus “feel mistreated by cell phone providers who put excessive profits ahead of quality service.” In total there were 12 categories that kept arising:

1. Notification of additional fees
2. Clarity of advertised prices
3. Clarity of contract terms and conditions
4. Contract cancellation, expiration and (automatic) renewal
5. Changes to contract terms and conditions
6. Roaming
7. Onus / responsibility / fault on consumer when it should be on telecom
8. Application of the code to bundles of telecommunications services
9. Hardware warranties and related issues
10. Service disconnections
11. Loss or theft of hardware
12. Telecom’s customer service accuses customer of lying about problem

Based on their findings Open Media suggests that now is the “time for an upgrade” have outlined four recommendations for the carriers and the government to improve the cell phone market: Canadians want real choice, Canadians want reliable and respectful service, Canadians want fair contracts, and Canadians want transparency. The report also noted that Rogers, Bell and TELUS (plus sub-brands) control almost 94% of the wireless market in Canada and “It’s time for policymakers to take bold action to create a level playing field for service providers, encouraging independent service options and facilitating real choice.”

Much of the suggestions have already been tabled in the recent CRTC National Wireless Code of Conduct, or hopefully will be with the announcement that Christian Paradis, Canada’s Industry Minister, declared this morning (700Mhz spectrum auction, tower sharing and roaming agreements).

Check out the full report here

Canadian government to hold 700Mhz spectrum auction on November 19th, will reinforce domestic roaming agreements

March 11, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

Industry Minister, Christian Paradis, held a press conference early this morning to outline the series of events that will lead up to a November 19th auction for the highly-coveted 700Mhz spectrum. Already in use in the United States, the 700Mhz band will facilitate wireless signals that more easily penetrate walls and deliver faster speeds in rural areas.

Citing renewed need for a competitive marketplace, Paradis ensured that all Canadian provinces will have at least four companies for customers to choose from. Similarly, at least four companies per region will be able to bid on the sought-after spectrum in November thanks to new rules around foreign investment.

The Canadian government will redouble efforts, he said, to “reduce cellphone proliferation,” by ensuring incumbent providers share towers with new entrants; no Canadian should be left without a cellphone signal, regardless of where they are in the country. WIND and Mobilicity, two of recent entrants to the national stage, currently roam on Rogers’ 2G EDGE network when outside so-called “domestic home zones,” differentiating between those areas, usually in larger cities like Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, and “domestic away” zones.

This announcement, and promises of “greater wireless coverage at lower rates for consumers,” according to the Minister, come after consultations and public hearings around a proposed “Wireless Code of Conduct.” The Code, the final draft of which has yet to be completed, argues for more accessible unlocking plans by the carriers, less penalties when cancelling a three-year contract — often lambasted as the longest in the world — and discounts for users who choose to bring their own phones.

When the auction begins in late November, there are expected to be more companies fighting over less spectrum than the 2008 AWS auction that raised $4 billion for the Canadian government. Estimates put the 700Mhz spectrum between $2.9 and $3.5 billion, with incumbents Rogers, Bell and TELUS making up the majority in most large markets. Companies like Quebecor, Eastlink, SaskTel, MTS, Mobilicity and WIND Mobile, many of which emerged from the 2008 auction, have launched regional or national wireless networks, but few of them, especially the latter two, don’t have enough spectrum to launch LTE. It’s likely, especially based on WIND Mobile’s parent company Orascom’s poor quarterly earnings, that there will be an “in-market merger” with a company like Mobilicity, largely seen as a necessity in a market unwelcoming to new entrants.

Via: The Globe & Mail

Twitter for Android and iOS get improved search and Discover features

March 11, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

Today’s the day Twitter starts forcing third-party app developers to use its far more limited API v1.1, so it’s not surprising the company has pushed out an update to its Android and iPhone versions focusing on search and discovery.

In particular, users searching for specific terms will come upon Top Tweets, often from months ago, that garnered a lot of attention. Searching for ‘Android’, for example, showed me top accounts, recent stories from accounts I follow, photos and more. The Discover tab has also been updated to show more relevant information, and the pull-to-refresh animation has been spruced up.

Users will also be able to see all the tweets in a conversation when entering a tweet’s Detail view, including replies, though it’s unclear how that is different from before.

The iOS version of Twitter has also eliminated the option of uploading videos to Mobypicture, Vodpod and Posterous, likely because its homegrown Vine solution is the preferred recipient.

Download Twitter for Android and iPhone.

Roku introduces third-generation set-top boxes

March 9, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

Roku has introduced their third-generation set-top box this week, aptly named the Roku 3.

The new set-top has an enhanced remote that includes “private listening” and a headphone jack (with headphones) and a more powerful processor under the hood.

Additionally, the company has refreshed the user interface which promises to make browsing and navigation “more fluid.” The updated UI will also be rolled out to all existing second-generation Roku devices over the current coming weeks.

“Roku 3 introduces thoughtful new features that customers will love,” added founder and CEO Anthony Wood via the press release. “The intuitive new interface makes it easy to find movies and shows quickly while the private listening mode is perfect for late-night streamers who don’t want to wake up the family.”

Outside of the private listening, the remote will also have motion control, allowing for easier playing of certain games, including Angry Birds Space.

Just like its current high-end boxes, the Roku 3 has USB ports, a microSD card slot, dual-band Wireless N, an ethernet port and 1080p support.

The box is now available for $100 in the U.S.