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Intel declares 'best quarter ever,' after 34% annual jump in revenue

Publié: juillet 13, 2010, 10:39pm CEST par Tim Conneally

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Chipmaker Intel Corp. has posted its earnings for the second quarter of 2010, and with revenue of $10.8 billion and a net income of $2.9 billion, declared it to have been the company's best quarter ever.
Strong demand from corporate customers for our most advanced microprocessors helped Intel achieve the best quarter in the company's 42-year history," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "Our process technology lead plus compelling architectural designs increasingly differentiate Intel-based products in the marketplace. The PC and server segments are healthy and the demand for leading-edge technology will continue to increase for the foreseeable future."
Intel's Atom line of low-profile, low power chipsets was up 16% over last quarter, reaching revenue of $413 million, and with a slightly higher average selling price for processors, the company had record high revenues in both its mobile processor and server microprocessor categories.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Paul Otellini - Intel Corporation - Net income - Corporation - Personal computer
Apple should NOT recall iPhone 4

Publié: juillet 13, 2010, 9:56pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews

Today's Business Insider headline "Suddenly, Everyone Is Talking About An iPhone 4 Recall!" is tabloid journalism gone too far. Dan Frommer aggregates quotes from blogs or news sites demanding an iPhone 4 recall. There's no counterpoint. I'll give one: I'm not asking for a recall, so it certainly isn't everyone. What about you? Do you demand an iPhone 4 recall? (Uh-oh, my colleague Ed Oswald posted about a recall being inevitable, too. For shame!)
In late June, I posted: "12 people share their iPhone 4 Death Grip stories." These dozen iPhone 4 owners told antenna/reception stories ranging from serious problems to none. As I expressed then: "The reception problems aren't as widespread as blogs and news stories suggest" and "Most people reporting 'Death Grip' are only seeing problems in weak signal areas." The point: Not everyone is dissatisfied with iPhone 4.
I'm not bothered by the so-called "Death Grip," and I live in a lousy AT&T reception area. In my first 10 days using iPhone 4, I had all kinds of calling problems, which I later determined were caused by some strange incompatibility between iPhone 4 and my Nokia BH-804 Bluetooth earpiece. Switching to the Jawbone Icon fixed consistent problems of garbled calls. But Death Grip isn't much affecting my calling. Sure, the number of bars reduce when holding the phone flush to my left palm, but nothing more. Instead, I generally find the signal stronger and more available in more places than with iPhone 3G or 3GS.
I'm so satisfied that I'll be recommending iPhone 4 in my upcoming review. This is the first time I've ever endorsed iPhone. I panned iPhone 3G twice -- in September and December 2008 reviews. I didn't bother writing a formal review of iPhone 3GS, which I tried three different times; in my most recent test (April-May 2010), I chose the Google Nexus One over the iPhone 3GS.
Unquestionably, Apple has bungled the PR messaging. The company's July 2nd statement isn't really believable:
We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising. Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength.
Then there are reports that Apple is allegedly killing forum posts linking to blog post "Why Consumer Reports can't recommend the iPhone 4." Apple is taking the ostrich-with-its-head-in-the-sand approach to Death Grip: Denial. "There is no problem." Well, hello, earth to Apple: There most certainly is a PR problem, and it's getting worse by the hour. Apple's shares range from $261.21 yesterday to $246.89 earlier today. It's a helluva up-and-down chart, with declines following Consumer Reports' blog post, which seemingly contradicts the broader Consumer Reports review that puts iPhone 4 ahead of other smartphones.
Perhaps Dan Frommer felt something about his earlier post, because about 45 minutes later he blogged another: "Sorry, But This Whole iPhone 4 Antenna Thing Is A Non-Issue And Will Blow Over." I totally agree. Frommer writes:
The bigger and more successful Apple gets, the easier it becomes to poke holes in the company. And the more fun people have beating up on Apple, and the more notoriety they get, etc. Seriously, when's the last time you thought of Consumer Reports before this week? But like every other tech PR calamity -- Facebook redesigns, Google privacy, etc. -- this will be news for a few more days and then life will go on.
To answer his question: Almost never. Consumer what? Frommer emphasizes: "There's no reason for a huge recall. This isn't a faulty car that might kill you. It's a phone, and it's a phone that works."
He is exactly right. Calls for an iPhone 4 recall are simply ridiculous. Apple has created an exceptionally good smartphone. Death Grip won't kill you. But the negative hype might kill Apple's share price for a few days -- at least until the fiscal Q3 earnings announcement on July 20.
[Update:: As several commenters have pointed out, people can return phones within 30 days. Apple might consider extending the return period to 45 days, in sign of goodwill.]
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Apple - IPhone - Consumer Reports - Betanews - Smartphone
Comcast/NBC Universal merger talks extended another 4.5 months

Publié: juillet 13, 2010, 8:00pm CEST par Tim Conneally

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

The move to form a joint venture between cable company Comcast and content network NBC Universal has been extended by 135 days.
Today, William T. Lake, of the FCC Media Bureau announced that the application process, which was originally slated to take no more than 180 days, has been restarted at Day 45 after Comcast and NBCU submitted renewed responses. This means the bureau's review period will last nearly four and a half months before the merger can progress.
Late in 2009, cable company Comcast made the move to merge with NBC Universal with the intention of eventually forming a joint content company (to be called simply NBC Universal) that would run alongside Comcast's Xfinity pipeline company. The joint venture would be 51% owned by Comcast, 49% owned by General Electric, and managed by Comcast.
The company would combine NBCU's two broadcast television networks (NBC and Telemundo), its 26 local broadcast television stations, several national cable programming networks, a motion picture studio, international theme park businesses and online content businesses with Comcast's regional sports networks, other programming networks, and certain online businesses.
Of course, the merger raised concerns among both legislators and the entertainment industry. For many, it was the unsettling combination of a for-pay TV provider taking control of a company that produces content for free, over-the-air broadcasting.
"Clearly the concern here is that when a company that has the wire going into the home merges with a company that has all of NBC Universal's content, there could be a temptation to discriminate against others," said Representative Ed Markey (D -Mass.) in February.
For companies such as Netflix, the concern was similar, except for online services like Comcast's TV Everywhere. With that, Comcast would deliver streaming on-demand content anywhere, but only to Comcast subscribers, tying cable subscriptions with online content delivery.
"By bundling the traditional cable TV offering with Internet delivery of content, vertically integrated MVPDs and network operators are potentially extending and expanding their dominant market position at the expense of competitive online offerings," Netflix wrote in comments to the FCC.
For seven months, the deal has been going through the process of getting regulatory approval, and in May, Comcast, GE, and NBC Universal filed applications to assign and transfer control of broadcast, satellite earth station, wireless and other licenses to the NBC Universal joint venture.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

NBC Universal - Comcast - Cable television - NBC - Television
Apple's iPhone 4 woes deepen as some see recall 'inevitable'

Publié: juillet 13, 2010, 7:01pm CEST par Ed Oswald

By Ed Oswald, Betanews

Apple continued to be on the losing end of a public relations battle Tuesday over a "Not Recommended" rating from Consumer Reports for its iPhone 4. Some industry watchers have gone as far as to suggest a recall is something the company may need to consider.
The latest round of bad news was courtesy of Wayne State University Professor Matthew Seeger, who told Cult of Mac that the brand image of Apple could be at risk and said the company will be forced to issue a recall.
Others told the Apple enthusiast site that the company needs to act with more urgency, calling Apple's response so far lackluster and even irresponsible. While there seems to be general agreement that Apple has responded poorly, some see a recall as too harsh a step.
Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner said in a note to clients that he saw the risk of recall as low, saying the antenna issue was not serious enough to warrant such an action. He argued that Apple should be giving out free "bumpers" to those with problems, and wouldn't affect overall profit margins more than 1 or 2 percentage points.
Apple charges $30 for these bumpers, which cover up the metal stripe. This keeps users from touching the lower-left hand corner with their hand, which seems to set off the reception problems.
The company is also attempting to control the debate: Apple blog TUAW noted that it had found evidence the company was deleting threads in its support forum that referenced the Consumer Reports ratings at least a half dozen times.
"It's hard to imagine what Apple hopes to gain by doing this," TJ Luoma wrote.
Either way, Consumer Reports' words are having a chilling effect on Apple's stock. In intraday trading Tuesday, the stock had fallen as much as 4 percent over the recall worries. Apple's typical silence on issues like this is probably not making the situation any better.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Apple - IPhone - Consumer Report - Wayne State University - iPhone 4
China moves to end Internet anonymity by requiring real names

Publié: juillet 13, 2010, 6:29pm CEST par Ed Oswald

By Ed Oswald, Betanews

Text of a speech made by a government official in China back in April indicates the country plans to require Internet surfers in the country to use their real names. The transcript of the comments by the State Council Information Office's Wang Chen had been removed from the legislature website by Chinese officials.
It is not known why the government moved to scrub Wang's words, although it can be speculated it had to do with the likely unpopularity of such a move. The text was recovered by New York interest group Human Rights in China, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Comments posted anonymously or even just the concept of surfing the web should be tacked to a real name, Wang told legislators. This would make it easier than ever for the government to monitor and suppress what it considers subversive speech, allowing it to clamp dow even harder on those who dare defy it.
Google attempted to defy the country by stating it would no longer censor in China, and redirecting users in the country to the Hong Kong version of its search engine. That nearly cost the site its license to operate, and last week it relented, agreeing to terms from the Chinese government in return for its license renewal.
China has also blocked western websites from time to time for various reasons, including sites such as YouTube. Typically the sites return within a matter of days, and the blocks have something to do with some type of content the Chinese government finds objectionable.
The concept of the real name system is not necessarily new. As early as last year, the Chinese have been pushing such a system, and even earlier than that. However, the country has seemed to pull back after heavy public criticism of its plans.
China has the largest number of citizens online, numbering about 400 million. It is also widely considered one of the heaviest censors of the Internet to its own citizens.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

China - Google - Hong Kong - State Council Information Office - Human rights in the People's Republic of China
Microsoft announces Windows Phone Live, integration with Zune

Publié: juillet 13, 2010, 5:05pm CEST par Tim Conneally

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

There is more Windows Phone news coming from Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference today, and this time, instead of focusing on developers, it is focused on the consumer experience. Microsoft's Senior Vice President of Mobile Communications Andy Lees introduced a couple of major consumer-facing enhancements to Windows Phone today that extend functionality off of the phone's various "hubs" and into other connected services.
First, there will be a new addition to the Windows Live suite of Web services dedicated strictly to Windows Phone, appropriately named Windows Live Phone. Integration with Windows Live services has always been a strong aspect of Microsoft's mobile strategy, and was executed well even with the much derided Windows Mobile 6.5.
With Windows Phone 7, the cloud-based Windows Live Phone becomes an extension of both the "People and Pictures" hub, and the "Office" hub. It is a central location for photos, calendars and contacts, and OneNote file swapping, and will include the Find My Phone service and 25GB of SkyDrive storage all for free.
Secondly, devices running Windows Phone 7 will be able to access and manage content shared in the user's home network through the Zune PC software. Music, Video, and photos will all be available through the "Music + Videos" hub on the mobile device. Similarly, the "Games" hub features Xbox Live and gamer content, letting users invite their friends to Xbox Live games directly through their phone.
Microsoft is counting down to holiday availability of Windows Phone 7, and the initial launch will likely take place in the 17 countries where Microsoft has already established the Windows Phone Marketplace: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, UK and United States.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Microsoft - Windows Live Phone - Windows Phone 7 - United States - Windows Phone
Blackberry Tablet confirmed, will support Flash

Publié: juillet 13, 2010, 1:05am CEST par Tim Conneally

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Rumors of a BlackBerry tablet have been circulating for months, and statements from Rodman & Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar on Friday have rekindled the discussion with a little bit more accuracy.
A source close to RIM confirmed to Betanews that Kumar's statements were accurate, including the screen size, and the dual camera setup. But they gave us a bit of additional information that the rumors haven't covered yet: Flash support.
In May, when Boy Genius Report wrote about it, it was estimated to be 8.9" in size, and equipped only with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, making it a companion device to the owner's BlackBerry, sort of like what Palm attempted with the Foleo.
In June, the Wall Street Journal followed up, saying that the device will have a slide-out keyboard, and will run on "a new version of the BlackBerry operating system...[with] a universal search bar."
Some of what the Wall Street Journal report discussed can be seen in the BlackBerry 6 video that was released today.

In his note on Friday morning, Kumar said the BlackBerry tablet will actually be a 7" device with a 1GHz Marvell Processor that has two cameras for video conferencing.
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen said Flash 10.1 would be coming to BlackBerry in the second half of 2010, and in June, the company released Flash Player 10.1 to its mobile platform partners; which included support for Android, webOS, Windows Phone, LiMo, MeeGo, Symbian, and, as expected, BlackBerry.
Our source said that the BlackBerry tablet will indeed include Flash, and will have a hardware-based Flash accelerator.
Even though the iPhone is a huge success in the United States, it is still far behind BlackBerry in market share. The shoe is on the other foot in the tablet market, though, where Apple has gotten a strong head start with the iPad, even though the company has outspokenly denied support for Adobe Flash.
While the effect a Flash-supportive BlackBerry tablet will have on the consumer market is unclear, it may prove to be a very desirable companion device for mobile enterprise users.
Unfortunately, our source did not confirm earlier reports about the tablet's December launch date. However, the holiday season is a beneficial time to launch new hardware, and seasonal buying has done wonders for devices like the Motorola Droid which launched during last year's holiday season and went on to become the best-selling Android phone to date.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Apple - iPhone - Android - Research In Motion - Motorola