Typo ordered to pay BlackBerry $860,000 for violating sales ban
Way back in March 2014, BlackBerry won an argument in court that saw the makers of the Typo keyboard barred from selling their wares, and Typo’s ignoring of that order has resulted in a court-ordered penalty. For selling the suspiciously-familiar iPhone keyboard case when they were explicitly told not to, Typo’s been ordered to pay BlackBerry damages to the tune of $860,000.
Is the tablet market in trouble? Q4 2014 numbers were unimpressive
As the mobile industry continues to flourish, one particular segment has recently experienced a down turn. The latest statistics show that tablet computer shipments are down as much as twelve percent in Q4 of 2014, as compared to the year previous.
The leading tablet sales vendors, Apple and Samsung, experienced upwards of a twenty percent drop in device shipments each, as compared to their 2013 numbers for the fourth quarter of the year.
Now, before we get all alarmist and yell something about the tablet market being in serious trouble, it is important to note that the full year numbers for 2014 reveal a modest eight percent growth over 2013. This may not be the growth that many were hoping for, nor provide confidence for a strong tablet market in 2015, but it is still growth.
Who did what?
Looking at some of the numbers for the specific vendors reveals that Apple’s iPad sales are down close to twenty percent, and Samsung came out a few points worse than that. ASUS, as well, experienced a year over year loss for the quarter, at nearly twenty five percent reduction in device shipments. Tablets from these three vendors are usually in the mid to high price range of the market, so how did one of the biggest manufacturers of low-cost tablets do?
I speak of Amazon, with their line of Fire tablets. The line was recently updated with new size options and internals, prices remained similar though, clocking in as some of the least expensive tablets around. Q4 of 2014 for Amazon tablets was what you might call a disaster, if you look strictly at the device shipment numbers, seeing almost seventy percent drop from the year previous.
Why are sales down?
The holiday season is when many vendors of mobile technology rake in the big bucks, leading many to surmise that tablets will be a tough sell as we move forward. Indeed, there is an overwhelming availability of smartphones on the market that are clocking in with screen sizes comparable to small tablets, leaving many consumers to ignore the WiFi only tablets.
With all of this info under our belts, one might assume that the tablet market is simply saturated. We previously reported that the majority of homes in the U.S. in 2013 had at least one tablet. Many of these devices are still active and serving their owners well. Speaking for myself, my 2012 Nexus 7 only recently retired as being my go-to device for mobile computing, and my wife uses her 2013 Nexus 7 every day as well, no real need for new tablets here, but we both ‘need’ new phones soon.
ASUS is no longer the supplier of Google’s Nexus tablets, that honor now goes to HTC. As the Nexus 7 was not readily available for sale in Q4 2014, there should be no surprise at a drop. As for Amazon, their tablets run their own version of Android, skipping the Google embellishments, we can’t help but imagine that has played a part in their drop.
Is there any good news?
It is not all bad, however. For starters, we are seeing above average growth out of Lenovo. Although their gear is not as readily available to users outside of China, they are moving up, and can afford to focus more on tablets now that they have Motorola under their belt to tackle the smartphone market. The information at hand reveals one more huge positive – we covered the top five individual vendors above, but the remaining tablet vendors out there make up almost thirty three percent of the market, and they experienced over thirty six percent growth in Q4 2014. Thirty two percent growth for the entire year.
Q4 performed poorly, but 2014 still experienced growth
Bottom line, four of the top five tablet vendors struggled in Q4 2014, but as a whole, the remaining vendors are on a roll. As you can imagine, we’ll be following the market closely throughout 2015 and beyond, where we may end up talking about a few new names in the industry. Stay tuned, we’ll be updating our sister site, TabTimes’ State of the Tablet Market post soon, bringing all of the best stats to date.
Revisiting the questions we have asked more than once in the past, are you in the market for a new tablet, or will you be picking up a larger screen smartphone instead? Also, do you view a tablet as a true mobile device, take it with you on the go, or are tablets just convenient PC replacements for casual use while hanging out at home?
iPhone and iPad apps from Launchpad Toys are now free following its acquisition by Google
Two well reviewed educational iPhone and iPad apps from San Francisco-based developer Launchpad Toys, Toontastic and TeleStory, are now free to download from the App Store. The change comes on the same day Launchpad Toys announced they are being acquired by Google.
In a post on their website, the company stated:.
We’re proud to announce that our little toy company is pairing up with a great big team of tinkerers to empower GAJILLIONS of playful storytellers around the world. Launchpad Toys is joining Google to create even more amazing creativity tools for kids. Today, we’ve made our digital toys and tools free to creative kids everywhere. Tomorrow… well, we can’t wait to share
No financial details of the acquisition were disclosed. Toontastic, which allows anyone to create and voice their own cartoons, is an iPad exclusive and previously cost $9.99. TeleStory, which turns an iPhone’s or iPad’s camera into a tool to help create imaginative videos, was previously $4.99. It would seem likely that we could see elements of both apps in upcoming Google software products.
- Toontastic – Download now
- TeleStory – Download now
Source: Launchpad Toys
Reuters TV brings on-demand news coverage to your iPhone
News junkies, listen up: Reuters has just launched a new app for iOS called Reuters TV. As you might suspect, the app offers up on-demand access to video coverage of news events around the world, directly from Reuters. One of the cooler features, called “Reuters Now” even lets you create a customized news show based on your interests.
Here’s a rundown of Reuters TV’s features:
Reuters Now is a customized news show. Ready when you are it offers insightful coverage of national and international news.
- On-demand: Ready whenever and wherever you are – even without connectivity
- Up to date: Insightful coverage of national and international news that’s always current
- Relevant to you: Tailored to your interests and location
- Any duration: Choose the length of your news show, from 5 to 30 minutes
Live Feeds allows you to watch world events that make the world stand still wherever you may be.
- Global events: From protests in Egypt to Presidential speeches in Washington D.C., watch events as they unfold
- Unfiltered: You choose the events you want to watch with beautifully unfiltered coverage
The service is available on a 30-day trial basis at first, and then switches to a subscription that runs $1.99 per month thereafter.
- Free (with subscription) – Download
Via: 9to5Mac
The developers behind Kim Kardashian: Hollywood are making a Katy Perry game
Hot off her Super Bowl XLIX halftime show performance, singer-songwriter-ascendent-pop-queen Katy Perry is poised to get her very own mobile game. The as-of-yet untitled game is being developed by Glu Mobile, the same company that inflicted Kim Kardashian: Hollywood on the world.
Why is Glu making a game based on Perry? It’s simple, per Glu CEO Niccolo de Masi:
“Katy is arguably the most recognized musician in America following her Super Bowl XLIX Halftime performance this past Sunday. She is a cultural icon and we expect to translate key elements of her success into an innovative, highly entertaining mobile experience. We anticipate that Katy’s significant global audience, including more than 170 million fans on social media, will make her a strong gaming partner for Glu.”
The currently-in-development game is expected to launch onto iOS and Android in late 2015, and will feature Perry’s voice, likeness, and — in an unexpected miracle of technology — her personality (that, or it’s simply going to be programmed with the sort of things that Katy Perry would say or do).
Additional details, like how much the game will cost or what songs you’ll get to sing as Perry’s presumably protege (please let this result in a video of Phil singing “I Kissed A Girl”, pleeaaaaaase) aren’t yet available, but we’d count on “free” and “a boatload in-app” being operative terms here.
Source: Glu Mobile
Microsoft’s new Comfort Headset earphones to go on sale in Europe in March
Microsoft’s recently revealed new earphones, the Comfort Headset, will go on sale sometime in March in Europe. Pricing for the earphones will be €15. So far, there’s no word on if it will be released in other parts of the world.
Google Play Music gets more Material Design tweaks in latest update
Google Play Music scored an update today, but don’t get too excited, as it’s a relatively minor one. Most of what’s new are slight design tweaks that bring it up to speed with Material Design and away from its previous look.
Weekly photo contest: Public transport
We’re in the middle of the early year event season right now and for many of us at Windows Central and Mobile Nations at large that means breaking out of the office and going outside. In most cases we’ll avoid driving when public transport is available, so what better theme for this weeks photo contest!
But first, a little housekeeping. Head below to recap and see who won last weeks “Cold” themed contest!
AIVAnet 