"Stunned" Apple Discovers iPhone Reception Bars Software Flaw

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Cupertino, Calif. – Apple (NASD:  AAPL) said on Thursday in an open letter
to iPhone 4 users that it was "stunned" to discover that in fact a
flaw in its formula used to calculate the number of "bars" used to
display the quality of mobile phone reception is the root cause of user reports
of antenna issues with the device. Previously, the company acknowledged that
holding the iPhone 4 in a user’s left hand could also cover up a key spot on
the antenna and affect reception — but said the solution was for users not to hold
the phone that way, or else buy a $30 rubber bumper.

"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," the company writes in the letter.

"Our formula, in many instances,
mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength.

For
example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2
bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a
certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they
don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop
in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place."

Apple
said it will be adopting AT&T’s (NYSE:  T) recently recommended formula for
calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength.

"The
real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report it far
more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they
will get in a given area," Apple added.

The company plans to release a
software fix "within a few weeks" that includes the corrected
formula, which will also fix the same issue on iPhone 3GS and 3G models.

 

Related Links:
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/07/02appleletter.html

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20009564-266.html

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/07/iphone-4-anandtech

Blockbuster Shares to be Delisted From NYSE

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Dallas – Debt-laden video rental giant Blockbuster announced
this week that its shares will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange,
after the company failed to receive enough shareholder votes to move forward
with plans to regain compliance with exchange requirements.

In November 2009,
the NYSE said Blockbuster was in danger of being delisted because its share
price dipped below the $1 minimum over a 30-day period.

Blockbuster said that
shareholders at its annual meeting last week did not vote in great enough
numbers to create a majority that would have passed its reverse stock split
proposal — aimed at boosting its share price and regaining NYSE compliance.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/27ybfrd

http://www.blockbuster.com

comScore Acquires Mobile Network Analytics Firm Nexius

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Reston, Va. – Internet audience measurement firm comScore
announced that it has acquired the products division of Nexius, a provider of mobile
network analytics services.

Financial terms of the transaction were not
disclosed.

Reston, Va.-based comScore said it expects the acquisition will add
approximately $4 million to its 2010 revenues.

The company said the deal will
allow it to expand its product offerings targeted at mobile operators.

"The
explosive growth of mobile data services is driving growth and profitability in
the sector but has also dramatically increased the amount and complexity of
customer data that operators must manage in this highly competitive global
marketplace," said Dr. Magid Abraham, comScore president and CEO.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/29254mx

John Simson to Step Down as Head of SoundExchange

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Washington – SoundExchange, the recording industry entity
set up to collect and distribute digital music streaming royalties, said on
Thursday that founding executive director John Simon will step down after ten years
in the position. Simson will remain on until a successor can be found. "After
ten years of working with digital services, we’ve achieved many of our
important goals. We’ve established
fair rates for performers and labels and built the largest performer and recording
label society in the world," Simson said. "It is time for me to
return to different creative pursuits that I’ve been putting off these past few
years."


 

Related Links:
http://www.soundexchange.com

Amazon Debuts New Kindle DX With Better Screen, Lower Price

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Seattle – Amazon.com (NASD: AMZN) on Thursday introduced a new version of
its Kindle DX large-form e-book reader device, which boasts "50% better
display contrast," and a lower price tag of $379, down from $489. The new
model also features a new graphite-colored case, and a new, high-contrast
electronic ink display. Pre-orders for the new Kindle DX started today; the
device will ship on July 7.


 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/35ur8kf

http://tinyurl.com/34aaost
(E Ink display announcement)

http://www.amazon.com/kindledx

PayPal Launches Mobile Express Checkout Service

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Los Angeles – PayPal, the online payments unit of eBay (NASD:  EBAY), has
introduced a new service that lets users pay for goods on their smartphones
with one click, TechCrunch reported. The Mobile Express Checkout service will
initially be support iPhone and Android 2.0+ devices, and retailers including
Nike and Buy.com. PayPal noted in April that its iPhone application had
surpassed a million downloads, and said its expects more than half a billion
dollars in mobile payment volume in 2010.  

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/39s3t6u
(TechCrunch)

http://tinyurl.com/5vl98h
(PayPal Mobile Express Checkout)

Report: Netflix Developing Instant Streaming App for Android

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Los Gatos, Calif. – Online DVD rental service Netflix (NASD: NFLX), which
recently introduced a streaming application for Apple’s iPhone, is developing a
similar application for Google Android-powered handsets, WebProNews reported.
The article notes a listing on Netflix’s job page seeking a great engineer to
help us build Instant Streaming client implementations on Android
devices."


 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/3xgn5aj
(WebProNews)

Sex.com Domain Up for Sale Again

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Cambridge, Mass. – Online domain name marketplace Sedo
announced on Thursday that it has been hired to broker the sale of Sex.com by
Escom, four years after that now-struggling company purchased the domain for
$14 million. "It is an extremely rare opportunity that a domain name of
this caliber becomes available for sale," said Sedo sales director Kathy
Nielsen. "The sale of sex.com presents potential buyers with a once in a
lifetime opportunity."


 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/38tlpou

http://www.sedo.com

http://www.sex.com

Groupon to Offer Exclusive Deals on McClatchy Newspaper Sites

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Chicago – Groupon, a provider of online shopping "daily
deals" in over 150 cities, announced on Thursday that it has signed a deal
with newspaper publisher McClatchy, to distribute exclusive content to
McClatchy websites in 28 U.S. markets. The deal will see visitors to McClatchy
newspaper sites presented with exclusive deals not available on Groupon.com,
kicking off first in Sacramento and Kansas City.


 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/3x8lkxo

http://www.groupon.com

http://www.mcclatchy.com

Colleges With Federal Aid Face Deadline on File-Sharing Protocols

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
1

San Francisco – U.S. colleges and universities receiving
Title IV federal aid had a deadline of Thursday to implement new anti-piracy
protocols under the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008, CNET
News.com reported.

Backed by the entertainment industry, the law requires that
schools inform students of campus copyright policies; use technology-based
deterrents to combat violations; and offer legal alternatives to illegal
downloading, among other things.

CNET noted a range of actions being taken by schools.

At the
University of Kansas, a suspected file-swapper’s access to the Internet and
school information services are suspended until the situation has been
corrected, while repeat offenders can face expulsion from schools including
Marist College and the State University of New York at New Paltz.

"It’s
the first time ever in the history of dealing with the issue that Congress is
holding schools accountable and requiring them to address the problem,"
RIAA president Cary Sherman told CNET.

"Here you have Congress saying ‘Get
off the sidelines and deal with the problem.’ It’s an important signal."

 

Related Links:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20009386-261.html

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