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BlackBerry Asks Android, iOS Users To Demo BB10 In Their Browsers, Keep An Open Mind

April 5, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

Now that BlackBerry 10 is available on most carriers in North America, the big marketing push begins.

The biggest roadblock to adoption is simply getting the device and the experience into peoples’ hands. The average smartphone user rarely walks into a carrier store searching for new operating systems to use, so instead of of BlackBerry waiting impatiently for its chance to shine, it’s decided to come to the people.

The company launched an HTML5-powered smartphone portal for iOS and Android users this week which attempts to emulate the BlackBerry 10 experience. By swiping, tapping and experiencing, users can ascertain a taste of the real thing, it’s nowhere near as smooth as the Z10 itself.

Rather, it introduces users to the swipe-and-peek navigation of the new operating system, hoping its innovation will shine through in person rather than on billboards or commercials.

It’s a nice touch, and we’re happy it’s available; I’ve answered so many, “So how is BlackBerry 10?” questions from friends and family, and now I can redirect them here.

Via: Engadget

Dragons’ Den Kevin O’Leary on the BlackBerry Z10: “This is the best technology on the market today”

April 5, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

Kevin O’Leary, from the TV shows Lang & O’Leary Exchange and Dragons Den, is fierce, rude and astute investor. He’s been known to hammer down on BlackBerry for its poor performance, but is also an avid BlackBerry and iPhone user. Like many Canadians, O’Leary is keeping his older generation QWERTY BlackBerry before making the jump to the new QWERTY/Touch BlackBerry Q10 (launching in April).

On a recent episode of LLE, O’Leary declared that he’s “dumped his iPhone” and converted to the Z10. O’Leary stated that “it’s absolutely amazing” and “right now, I’m telling you, and I’m not giving you a commercial, this is the best technology on the market today until somebody else surpasses it. I’ve switched. I always have the best.” O’Leary also noted that other Dragons have made the switch to the new Z10. It could also help that BlackBerry is one of the key sponsors of the show.

Source: YouTube
Via: Twitter

Canada’s first Mobile Interac Flash debit transaction occurred recently, full rollout is expected “in the coming year”

April 4, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

Mobile payments in Canada are slowly on the uptake. While financial institutions, carriers and app developers are forging ahead to build-out the needed technology, Canadians are still somewhat concerned about its security. We’ve seen CIBC and Rogers team up to launch ‘suretap’ – which has been a joint investment of approximately $60 million. RBC and Interac Association/Acxsys Corporation jumped into the game and made the first mobile debit transaction via Mobile Interac Flash.

The big event occurred in Toronto at a McDonalds and the device of choice was an NFC-enabled BlackBerry Bold 9900. The total bill for an Egg McMuffin and 2 medium McCafe coffees came to $10.02. Mobile Interac Flash works similar to any Interac or Interac Flash transaction, but on your mobile device. When this service goes live in a few months all you’ll have to do is simply download you banks mobile payment app, enter your credentials, tap your device to the Interac Flash terminal, then approve the transaction.

Mark O’Connell, President and CEO of Interac Association/Acxsys Corporation, stated “This achievement in mobile debit innovation helps solidify our role in the mobile payments space in Canada. Soon, Canadians will be able to use their mobile phones to pay with Interac Flash quickly, conveniently and securely when making everyday purchases – bringing added value not only to consumers, but also to the merchant community and our partner financial institutions.”

Mobile Interac Flash works with any NFC-enabled smartphone and will be rolled out “in the coming year.”

HTC dumps ‘Quietly Brilliant’ tagline because it can’t afford to be anymore

April 4, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

HTC has decided to drop the tagline that brought it to the top and then quietly let it down again; ‘Quietly Brilliant’ is out, though in its stead is an uncertain future.

According to the company’s Chief Marketing Officer, Ben Ho, the company’s rhetoric “hasn’t been loud enough,” and with the One, HTC finally has a product that can and will rival the iPhone and Galaxy S.

Ho said, “We have a lot of innovative ideas, but we have not publicized them enough in the past,” referring to a period between 2010 and 2012 where the company’s rather excellent flagship devices — the One X in particular — went comparatively unnoticed in a sea of inferior Androids.

The new marketing campaign will focus on three words: ‘bold’, ‘authentic’ and ‘playful’, each one suggesting a litheness and spontaneity that neither Apple nor Samsung has been able to muster in recent years. To go along with this, Ho insists that HTC will be all about innovation, resisting the trappings of copying other companies’ ideas.

Digital marketing spending, according to Focus Taiwan, will increase 250% this year, and there will be more organic consumer outreach. Ho also acknowledged that the Ultrapixel camera array was the reason for the One’s quite-significant delay, pushing back volume shipments until the end of April.

Source: Focus Taiwan, WSJ
Via: The Verge

Reuters: Nexus 7 refresh coming around July, will be thinner and have a high-res display

April 3, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

Back in January there was an overseas rumour by DigiTimes that stated Google and ASUS would be bringing a refresh of the Nexus 7 to market. The specs were scarce, but indicated that the 7-inch tablet would be thinner and have an upgraded HD display. In addition, the Digitimes supply chain insiders believed “the combined shipments of the company’s first- and second-generation Nexus 7s are expected to reach 10 million units in 2013.”

According to a couple sources close to Reuters, Google and ASUS will indeed launch a Nexus 7 with a “higher screen resolution, a thinner bezel design and adopt Qualcomm’s chip in place of Nvidia Corp’s Tegra 3.” As for the number of shipments, Reuters states that “Google is aiming to ship as many as eight million of the Asustek-made tablets in the second half of the year.”

This new Nexus 7 – possibly called Nexus 7 HD – will reportedly launch “around July,” which means it’ll probably be unveiled during the upcoming Google I/O conference in May. The price may stay the same as the current 7-inch model at $199, while the first-gen will drop to a low $149 outright.

Source: Reuters

Samsung is making a smart watch, says “we are working very hard to get ready for it”

March 21, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

Smart watches have been attempted before. Sony tried one. Motorola’s MOTOACTV gave it a go with a health twist. Recently Waterloo-based Pebble broke through ice and gained mass popularity. Rumours are pointing towards Apple cashing in on the craze with the “iWatch.” Samsung is not one to stand still and they’ve now confirmed they too will begin production of a smart watch.

Bloomberg is reporting that Lee Young Hee, EVP of Samsung Mobile, said “We’ve been preparing the watch product for so long. We are working very hard to get ready for it. We are preparing products for the future, and the watch is definitely one of them.”

There was no hint of when the Samsung’s smarwatch will be available, or at what cost. In addition, one would think that a product like this would fall under the Galaxy naming scheme and be called something like the “Galaxy Watch.” If it’s released this year I’d imagine the design being a really small Galaxy S4 with the ability to be paired with your smartphone to answer calls, receive text messages, view your calendar events, reading your email, integrated S Health, and act as a music player.

Lee noted that “the issue here is who will first commercialize it so consumers can use it meaningfully.”

Source: Bloomberg
Via: PocketNow
Image Credit: Behance

Apple releases iOS 6.1.3, fixes lock screen security issue

March 21, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

Apple has pushed out an update that finally fixes the lock screen security bug. In addition, includes some improvements to Apple Maps for those in Japan. It’s arrived on my iPhone, hit Settings > General > Software Update. Total size is 18.2MB and takes less than 3 minutes to download (depending on your Wi-Fi connection).

Square impressed with activations in Canada, says average mobile payment is $120

March 19, 2013/in Tech News /by Chris Sutton

Square launched their Mobile Card Reader in Canada on October 24th. This was their first market outside the of U.S. and a welcomed addition to the mobile scene as any individual or business owners could easily and securely start accepting payments from their device (iPhone, iPad, or Android).

Square has finally released a some Canadian stats. In an email to us Square stated that the combined number of signups for both the U.S. and Canada total 3 million. Clearly more activations are in the States, but comparing to four months after their October 2010 launch, Square is “seeing more activations in Canada at this time than we did in the U.S., with an adoption rate that is 25% higher per capita.”

Back in November Square declared they were processing $10 billion a year in mobile transactions. Considering Canada was only live for a month our contribution wasn’t that high. However, now a few months in surely we’ve reached a respectable number. Unfortunately, Square didn’t comment on where the total transaction numbers are now, but did say that the average transaction size (Gross Payment Value) in Canada is $120, compared to $70 in the States. The users of Square in Canada are typically “services and retailers,” such as accounting, legal services, and consulting, while in the United States it’s individuals and food trucks/carts.

We reached out to Square for more insight into what’s next. We can expect Square Wallet to arrive this year, but they’re not committing to a specific time. In addition, Square is “always looking for new ways to make commerce easy, but we have nothing to announce” regarding a BlackBerry or Windows Phone app.

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