Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Mobile Computing - OSs & Manufacturers UNMODERATED -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Road Walker who wrote (811)	1/21/2011 7:17:17 PM
From: sylvester80	Respond to of 3170

Apple demonstrates staggeringly screwy arrogance on iPhone innards Nothing will go wrong 21 Jan 2011 15:26 \| by Andrea Petrou \| posted in Hardware 1 Comment Apple is so confident that its iPhone is unbreakable that it has decided to extend that closed garden. The iPhone has issues, but Apple has really got on its high horse now. It is so confident that nothing can or will go wrong that it has decided to, quite literally, close it off to the public. According to sources, the company is replacing screws on iPhones which are brought in for servicing with tamper-proof alternatives - which it hopes will stop people from fiddling with the device and prevent them from replacing the battery. The latter means that Apple will now be able to fleece its customers for more cash as only qualified people will be able to open the device, and probably charge double for the privilege. Currently the company will replace iPhone batteries free if the device is under warranty, but otherwise charges $79, a price tag many were able to avoid by opening the device and buying a battery from a supplier. Two people with first-hand knowledge of the practice told Fox News that when a customer brings an iPhone 4 into a US Apple store for repair, tech staff have now been ordered to swap out the commonly-used Phillips screws, with which the device is shipped, and replace them with so-called "Pentalobe" screws. Pentalobe screws require a screwdriver that is not commercially available, meaning Apple can supply these to its service staff minions and demand they charge extra. However, iFixit, a site that's well known for cheeky Apple antics, has already started advising customers of a way to get around this. It has found a screwdriver that works for the 5-point “Pentalobe” fasteners on the iPhone 4 case, which although isn't a true Pentalobe driver — the tip is more star shaped than “flowery,” so there may be some slight play in the fit when using - can unfasten these screws meaning you can replace them with the standard Philips ones. Take a bite on that, Apple. Read more: techeye.net

To: Road Walker who wrote (811)	1/21/2011 8:11:29 PM
From: sylvester80	Respond to of 3170

Google Profits Up, Fueled by Android By Brian McCulloch \| Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:06 pm mobiledia.com Google today announced a 29 percent surge in quarterly profits, due in large part to the continued success of its Android business. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company posted a fourth-quarter profit of $2.5 billion, up from $2.0 billion a year ago. Revenue increased to $8.4 billion, compared to $6.7 billion in the October-December period in 2009. "Our strong performance has been driven by a rapidly growing digital economy, continuous product innovation that benefits both users and advertisers, and by the extraordinary momentum of our newer businesses, such as display and mobile," said Eric Schmidt, Google's chief executive. "These results give us the optimism and confidence to invest heavily in future growth -- investments that will benefit our users, Google and the wider Web." During a conference call, Jonathan Rosenberg, Google's senior vice president for product management, said its advertising business now has two million publishers. YouTube revenue doubled, while its Android mobile operating platform was growing with 300,000 phones activated a day. The company has been rapidly expanding into the mobile market with its open-source Android operating system. Since 2009, Android has established itself as the main competitor to Apple's iPhone and iPad products. By providing phone makers and carriers with its open-source platform, Google has propelled Android into the world's number-two smartphone operating system, leapfrogging over Apple and trailing only Nokia's Symbian platform. Google search engine usage on Android phones increased tenfold in one year, translating into lucrative advertising revenue for the Internet giant. Building on Android's continued success, Google is set to release a new version of Android, known as "Ice Cream Sandwich," later this summer. It is also busy developing a new variant of Android for tablets, dubbed "Honeycomb," which will be coming to Verizon and T-Mobile on the Motorola Xoom and LG G-Slate, respectively. But analysts worry Google could lose momentum next month as Verizon releases the iPhone 4. Reports indicate that the carrier could sell as many as 9 million units -- many purchases that would have been for Android devices -- this year alone. In addition, amid these challenges, the company must now navigate a change in leadership. Co-founder Larry Page recently announced that he would be taking over the reins, in a shake-up at the top that sees Schmidt stepping aside to become executive chairman.

To: Road Walker who wrote (811)	1/21/2011 8:31:58 PM
From: sylvester80	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3170

HTC surges 160% thanks to Android, to ship 8.5m phones in Q1 updated 11:20 am EST, Fri January 21, 2011 HTC has banner 2010, promises 8.5m in Q1 2011 electronista.com HTC on Friday said its profit jumped 160 percent in the fall as part of record business it expected to accelerate this year. Its decision to focus on Android for almost all of 2010 saw it reach a net profit of $501.2 million. A push on North America was evident as more than half of the $9.55 billion in revenue it made in all of 2010, 50.6 percent, came from North America; it shipped 24.6 million phones worldwide last year. The company also expected that growth to pick up in 2011 and forecast that it would ship 8.5 million phones in the first quarter of this year. HTC would double production at its main Shanghai factory to two million phones every month to keep up with demand, CEO Peter Chou said. It was counting on phones using HSPA+ or LTE to drive these sales and singled out both the Inspire 4G at AT&T and Thunderbolt at Verizon as its halo devices so far. Although not mentioned, HTC is also likely to launch a wide range of new phones at Mobile World Congress in mid-February and could have a Desire sequel along with as many as four other models. Chou confirmed that his firm was working on a tablet as well, but wouldn't name it; leaks have revealed that it twice as many iPhones in the fall as HTC planned to ship in the winter. Combined with Motorola and other core Android developers, it could still help Android outsell iOS in phones, although not when including media players and tablets.