Q4 results put Apple as numero uno smartphone manufacturer

Technology heads, Apple and Samsung have been at loggerheads with each other over an ongoing patent battle spread across the entire world. While most would expect the brands to compete healthily in terms of product sale numbers, the two have been bitterly bickering in courtrooms. Apple has always been at a strong position, as far as their smartphone sales have been concerned, but Samsung has proved to be a worthy opposition to them and have cannibalized their market to a great extent. But as per the latest release posted by Apple, which shows their fourth quarter sales numbers, it appears that Apple is back on top as the number one sales manufacturer in the world.

Apple to launch a new tool for creating ebooks?

Apple has recently announced the financial results for their fiscal 2012 first quarter, which spanned 14 weeks and ended on December 31, 2011. In the announcement they have stated that they have sold 37.04 million iPhones in the quarter, which represents a 128 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Speaking on these numbers, Apple CEO, Tim Cook said, “We’re thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs. Apple’s momentum is incredibly strong, and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline.” Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO also chipped in by saying, “We are very happy to have generated over $17.5 billion in cash flow from operations during the December quarter. Looking ahead to the second fiscal quarter of 2012, which will span 13 weeks, we expect revenue of about $32.5 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $8.50.”

Earlier on this month, Samsung had announced their fourth quarter results and they had forecasted that they had shipped 35 million smartphones in this period. However, according to a report by Business Insider, the actual sales numbers for Samsung smartphones were in the region of 32 million. For Apple to beat them and retain the top spot as the world’s number one smartphone manufacturer, the Cupertino brand needed to sell more than 35 million handsets. And according to the results, it appears that they have just done the same with 37.04 million handsets being sold.

CoolerMaster launches ‘Xornet’ gaming mouse

CoolerMaster is gradually expanding their Storm gaming series of products with a new introduction to the family, the CM Storm Xornet. At first glance, it looks very similar to the Spawn gaming mouse that CoolerMaster introduced last year. The Xornet is aimed at casual gamers, but at the same time boasts of ‘pro-level’ features. All this is available for a price tag of Rs. 2,499, which is the maximum retail price, so the street price should be a little less. The mouse is available across the country in all leading hardware stores.

Rhymes with 'Hornet'

Dressed in all black, the Xornet is designed on the similar lines as the Spawn, which means if you didn’t like it the earlier one, chances are you’re not going to like this one as well. It offers a low-profile grip that’s comfortable for long gaming sessions. It’s also lined with special sweat-proof rubber, thereby keeping the mouse planted in those frantic deathmatches. The Xornet is laced with a 2000DPI sensor that’s precise and allows changing the sensitivity on-the-fly at the press of a button. The sensitivity can be toggled between 500, 1000 and 2000 dpi - for that perfect headshot or a lightning quick assault. The sensor is equipped with Anti-Drift Technology, which ensures precise tracking during lift-and-drop scenarios. Use of an Ultra-Step scroll-wheel encoder brings smooth scrolling and excellent tactile feedback, so you never jump a gun. The Japanese-made, Omron micro-switches guarantee at least five million clicks and can endure intense abuse that a gaming mouse is usually put through.

For a long time now, there have been very few standout budget gaming mice on the market. The Logitech MX518 is the long standing favourite amongst gamers and till today offers brilliant value for money. Other such mice, include the Razer Deathadder, which has been a crowd favourite amongst gamers around the world. The Xornet does seem promising and hopefully it has improved upon the faults of its predecessor. We’ll know for sure, once we’ve put it through its paces, so stay tuned for the review.

Lenovo ThinkPad tablet rooted…finally

When Lenovo launched their tablet line-up, the ThinkPad tablet was a bit of an odd cookie, since it wasn’t designed for the average joe. Instead, it was targeted at business professionals and the enterprise segment. However, rooting the device seemed like an impossible task, until Dan Rosenberg finally figured out a way to root the device. The reason this took so long was primarily due to the fact that it was developed for the enterprise segment, so the added security actually proves that Lenovo did a pretty good job with it. Another reason why it was so difficult to root was due to the Netflix integration, one of the first Android tablets to have this. Netflix is in the business of digital video distribution, so it’s important that the device is not hackable.

Rooted!

The rooting procedure only works on Windows PCs at the moment. To get started, you’ll need the Android DK or the ADB drivers installed and make sure your device is in debugging mode. Then it’s a matter of downloading the necessary exploit and following a bunch of onscreen instructions. You can read the step by step procedure here. Now, that you’ve rooted the tablet, you might want to go a bit further and install a custom recovery mode, like ClockworkMod Recovery (CWM), so you can install custom firmwares. You can follow the instructions here and post any queries if you have.

Rooting the tablet will let you install custom ROMs and you can even compile your own custom version of Honeycomb, if you’re feeling adventurous. Only proceed with this if you actually need to or want to install custom ROMs.

Gameloft and Verizon to Bring Voice Over LTE for Multiplayer Gaming

Gameloft and Verizon have recently announced plans to revolutionize Android gaming that could potentially change the game (pun intended). Plans are in action to enable in-game voice chat over Verizon’s 4G network that will work much similar to online gaming on Xbox and PS3 consoles.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Verizon to illustrate the potential of in-game voice chat and multiplayer over the 4G LTE network,” said Baudouin Corman, vice president of Publishing for the Americas at Gameloft. “Gameloft seeks to provide gamers with a complete mobile gaming experience and feels that these features are at the forefront of the platform’s future.”

According to the demo at this years CES, only three gamers are able to play and talk at the same time but I imagine that will change once the technology gets perfected a bit more. If you are anything like me and like to play online multiplayer games, then you know how important this feature can be and that it will take more than three people to be completely effective. To see how this is going to work, jump past the break to check out the short demo video and don’t forget to let us know what you think!

AT&T, T-Mobile Ask FCC for Approval of $1 billion Spectrum Transfer

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that AT&T and T-Mobile have filed an application with the FCC asking for their approval to transfer $1 billion worth of AT&T’s AWS spectrum over to T-Mobile. AT&T had already promised the spectrum to T-Mobile as a part of the failed $39 billion merger deal that went TU in December. “This additional spectrum will help meet the growing demand for wireless broadband services,” said Tom Sugrue, T-Mobile’s senior vice president for government affairs. We hope the FCC will move swiftly to approve the license assignments.”

Along with the AWS spectrum, AT&T also promised to pay T-mobile $3 billion in cash to make up for the botched merger attempt. T-Mobile also claims the spectrum is needed to keep up with the stiff competition from other US carriers.

Skydroid – The Windows 8 inspired launcher

Custom launchers are one of those aspects that make Android so awesome. They offer a realm of customization unmatched by Android’s competitors. However, those competitors sometimes offer a unique experience of their own, that is until an Android launcher dev decides he wants that look on his device. In particular, XDA member, TheRedDrake, decided he like some of Windows’ looks and eventually created a Windows Phone 7 launcher. Despite this being well received, TheRedDrake and four other XDA members have since moved on in efforts to bring Windows 8 to Android. The team would like to qualify that in saying that their up and coming launcher is not a copy but rather inspired by the Windows 8 Metro UI. What really makes this launcher special is that the team is going above and beyond. They are implementing custom apps to go with the launcher. Upon launch they expect to have twenty and have so far posted eighteen that they have been working on. Here’s the list:

• Dialer
• SMS
• Email
• Calendar
• People with IM and social
• Calculator
• Player
• Gallery
• Camera
• Browser
• Notes,
• Stock + Currency converter
• Meteo
• Alarm
• News
• File manager
• Settings
• Launcher

The team says a release will come sometime in late March to early April. Until then below is the only teaser picture offered up so far (yes they didn’t post a higher resolution image). By the way, who here would like to see them change the name to Metroid?

Apple has tossed $100 million into the fight against HTC

It’s only the first round and already Apple has reportedly burned through $100 million on its legal battle with HTC, and the fact of the matter is, here lately they have had little to show for it. Newsweek’s Dan Lyons notes Apple’s onslaught of lawsuits around the world have yielded precious little while meaningful wins have been few and far between in its ongoing legal battles against Android vendors. Apple did manage a victory last month when the International Trade Commission banned the import of several HTC smartphones it deemed to be infringing on a patent, but HTC responded the same day and said a simple workaround was already set to be rolled out. How do you like them apples? No end in sight yet however, and if it comes down to cash, Apple certainly has the resources and drive to ruin HTC. Hopefully HTC can continue to rectify their disputes quickly and simply.