Digital Zone 207: $1,595

Posted by Patrick Wiscombe on May 10, 2010 under Tech Podcasts | Be the First to Comment

In this edition of the Digital Zone, we talked about:

Nokia goes after Apple again
Six more months for AT&T
New iPhone 4.0 features
WWDC sells out
Android phones making their move
Nintendo missing their sales targets
Windows 2000, XP support disappearing
Yahoo attacks Google

Nokia said it has extended its patent-infringement claims against Apple to include the iPad. The lawsuits by Nokia claim that a broad swath of Apple products violate Nokia patents and says the the disputed technologies help reduce the size and cost of electronic gadgets. In this case, technologies that makes voice and data communications more efficient, which allows the devices to be more compact. Apple countersued in last December saying Nokia “copy the iPhone” in order to recapture its share of the high-end phone market.

According to an analyst at BroadPoint AmTech, AT&T is getting a six-month extension on its exclusivity deal for the iPad and iPhone in exchange for giving iPad users a break on its usual 3G data rates without a contract. Translation, Apple products won’t arrive at Verizon until 2011.

The latest iteration of the iPhone operating system scheduled for public release this summer will supposedly offer new features such as file sharing, orientation screen lock, new iPod controls, HD video capture and a simplified method for killing apps running in the background. MacRumors is reporting that the latest version of the iPhone OS 4.0 SDK may be able to record high-definition video and may allow applications to capture video at 1280×720 resolution. Boy Genius is reporting the latest beta of iPhone OS 4.0 will allow you to share files between your computer and your iPhone through the iTunes interface. All a person needs to do is connect a handset to the computer, select your iPhone in the left hand column of iTunes under ‘Devices,’ click on the ‘Apps’ tab and scroll down to ‘File Sharing.’ Moreover, the latest beta release allows users to lock the screen orientation so that the iPhone screen won’t switch between landscape and portrait mode. Sitting alongside the new orientation lock will be a set of regular iPod controls including play/pause, move forward, move back, and an iPod application icon.

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PODCAST SPONSORS: The Digital Zone is sponsored by Cliphanger.com, the perfect item for all cell phones, PDAs, iPods, and MP3 players.

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Apple’s WWDC has sold out for the third year in a row. The $1,595 tickets for WWDC 2010, which jumped in price by $300 over last year, sold out in just eight days.

The NPD Group published results from the first quarter of 2010 which reveals that Google’s Android-based smartphones outsold the iPhone for the first time in the U.S. According to their data, Android-based phones accounted for 28% of smartphone sales while the iPhone accounted for 21%. Meanwhile, RIM remains the market leader at 36%. NPD attributes the growth to strong promotion as well as broader carrier coverage for Android devices. The iPhone is currently sold only by AT&T. While AT&T does make up 32% of the smartphone market, they are the only provider that offers the iPhone at this time. Verizon (30%), T-Mobile (17%) and Sprint (15%) make up the bulk of the rest of the market.

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Wii are continuing to drop and is consistently missing sales targets. Nintendo is now focusing on its upcoming 3-D DS handheld console that requires no 3D glasses.

Microsoft will end support for Windows 2000 (desktop and server) and Windows XP SP2 on July 13. However, the company said self-help online support (such as Microsoft online Knowledge Base articles, FAQs, troubleshooting tools, and other resources) will be available for at least a year longer but paid support, support assistance, and security updates will be discontinued on July 13. Microsoft has a Windows 2000 End-of-Support Center with advice on migrating to Windows 7 (for desktops) or Windows Server 2003, 2008, or 2008 R2 (for servers). If you’re using Windows XP SP2 or earlier people can upgrade to SP3. if you’re using Windows Vista with no service packs installed, Microsoft support ended on April 13, but you can upgrade for free to SP2 for continued support.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Yahoo is planning a new ad campaign that takes aim at Google. The company will reportedly spend between $75 and $85 million to promote Yahoo on TV, the Internet, and billboards. The slogan: “Your favorite stuff is all in one place. Make Yahoo your home page.”

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PODCAST SPONSORS: The Digital Zone is sponsored by Cliphanger.com, the perfect item for all cell phones, PDAs, iPods, and MP3 players.

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