Tech PIVI

iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display will be available in India starting December 7, Apple's authorised distribution partner Ingram Micro has announced via a press release. The distributor also confirmed that 16GB Wi-Fi iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display will be available for Rs. 35,900 and Rs. 28,900 and respectively. These prices are in line with what we had exclusively revealed around 3 weeks back. According to the information we received earlier, but not announced by the distributor yet, the 32GB, 64GB and 128GB iPad Air Wi-Fi only models will be priced at Rs. 42,900, Rs. 49,900 and Rs. 56,900 respectively. The 16GB iPad Air with cellular connectivity will be priced at Rs. 44,900. The 32GB, 64GB and 128GB models will be priced at Rs. 51,900, Rs. 58,900 and Rs. 65,900 respectively. Similarly, the 32GB, 64GB and 128GB iPad mini with Retina display Wi-Fi only models will be pr...

Adding to the woes of Apple's already-troubled software update, a security flaw in iOS 6.1 allows anyone to bypass an iPhone's lock screen and access anyone's iDevice. With this iOS 6.1 trick, anyone can bypass your iPhone's lock screen, access your data, check your voicemail, view or modify contacts and look through your photos and more,  The Verge  reports. The method was explained in a You Tube video posted by a user by the name videosdebarraquito. The method involves "making (and immediately cancelling) an emergency call and holding down the power button twice. We followed the steps and managed to access the phone app on two UK iPhone 5s running iOS 6.1," the repA similar bug was noted with iOS 4.1 and was fixed by the iOS 4.2 update. This is the latest in the series of bugs that came along with the iOS 6.1 software update. iPhone users have been battling bad 3G connectivity and fast battery drain ever since the software upgrade. As iOS users, esp...

When Apple took to the stage at the Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this year, the brand had taken the wraps off its latest notebooks. The notebook that took the centre stage was the MacBook Pro with Retina Display capabilities. This new notebook was praised the world over for reasons much more than its above average resolution. Apple's desktop line-up took a backseat, and did not warrant a mention at the event, though it did receive a slight bump up in specifications. Many rumours since then indicate that Apple could be making a new range of desktops. A recent report by Fox News backs these speculations by claiming that a new range of iMacs are in the works. As per the report, the author Clayton Morris states, “Multiple sources tell me that a new lineup of desktop machines from Apple is imminent. A quick look around Amazon's website shows dried up supplies for the 27-inch version. The popular MacRumors website looked at Apple store supplies and found dwindling a...

Apple is believed to be introducing its next generation of iPods when the brand takes the stage at the Apple media event scheduled for September 12, 2012. A report a few days ago stated that there could be at least two new updated iPod lines which will be showcased at the event and possibly there could be a third as well. The third iPod line-up could refer to the updated iPod touch and it could feature a display the same size as the next generation iPhone aka the iPhone 5. A report by  9to5Mac  sheds some more light on what to expect and has categorically provided a break up of what type of iPod will receive what update. As per the report, the author Mark Gurman states that sources have informed them that the iPod shuffle will not receive any major change but will be available in eight colour options, up from five that are currently available in the market. The price of this iPod will cost around $49. May come in multiple colour options Last year, Apple merely...

Internet is abuzz with reports that Apple's next flagship smartphone, dubbed as the iPhone 5, may not be featuring Samsung's memory chips, displays and other components. Apple has reportedly shifted some memory-chip orders for its next iPhone from Samsung to other Asian chip makers in an attempt to 'diversify' its lines of supply for memory chips and reduce its dependence on Samsung. Samsung, however, hasn't been completely ousted from the iPhone 5 supply chain. Reuters quotes a person privy to the development as saying that Samsung is still on the list of initial suppliers for the forthcoming iPhone 5, which is expected to be unveiled on September 12. The source, who declined to reveal his/her identity, rejected the notion that the move was an aftermath of the patent-war between the two companies, which recently got murkier with Samsung being asked by a US court to shell out more than $1 billion in damages to Apple for infringing upon the latter's patent...

Today in international tech news: Fake iPhone 5s have hit China -- even though real iPhone 5s aren't out yet. Also: a bit of good news for Samsung, which scores a patent victory in Japan a week after its billion-dollar defeat in the U.S.; social media abuse is a hot topic in Australia; Google Maps adds 330,000 miles of European bike trails. China's well-known market for counterfeit goods, electronic and otherwise, has upped the ante: Now you can get knock-offs of products that haven't even been publicly revealed yet. As Mashable points out, a Chinese company called "Goophone" is  advertising a device  that it calls the "iphone 5." The actual iPhone 5 -- the real one, the one made by Apple -- has not been released yet. And even though the Internet is rife with images of mock-ups and supposedly leaked parts, Apple hasn't officially shown the world what the real device will look like. One safe bet for the real iPhone 5: It most probably wi...

A Japanese court has ruled in Samsung's favor, finding it did not violate various Apple patents for mobile devices. The verdict differed from the decision a U.S. court issued recently -- one that could cost Samsung $1 billion and put some of its products off the U.S. market. The Japan decision may only be a defensive win for Samsung, but it is a win.   In a development that may alleviate some of the pain Samsung's feeling after a U.S. court ruled that it had infringed several Apple patents, a court in Japan has ruled against Apple in a similar case there. Tokyo District Judge Tamotsu Shoji decided that various Samsung mobile devices did not infringe Apple's patent for syncing music and video data with PCs on which Samsung's Kies software is installed,  Bloomberg reported . The judge ordered Apple to pay the costs of the lawsuit after reportedly stating that it's hard to believe the products in question belong to the range of Apple's technologies. The ...

Apple extended its dominance in tablet computers in the second quarter, shipping nearly seven out of every 10 tablets, according to research firm   IHS iSuppli . Other tablet makers include   Amazon.com Inc , which said on Thursday that it had sold out of the Kindle Fire amid expectations of a new model soon.   A new  iPad  model came out a few weeks before the April-June quarter began. Apple's 69.6 per cent share in the April-June quarter is up from about 58 per cent in the first quarter. It's the highest since the first quarter of last year, when Apple had 70 per cent in a market with fewer competitors then.  Here are the top five manufacturers of  tablets  in the second quarter, as released by IHS iSuppli:  1. -> Apple Inc , maker of the iPad, 17 million shipped worldwide, 69.6 per cent share  2. -> Samsung Electronics  Co, maker of Galaxy line, 2.3 million, 9.2 per cent.  3. ->...

The repercussions of Apple's billion-dollar patent victory over Samsung were still being felt at Europe's biggest consumer electronics show, as the South Korean firm launched a host of new gadgets. After losing the biggest patent case in decades, Samsung came out fighting at the IFA show in Berlin which opens on Friday, with a sweeping media launch of smartphones, tablets, a "smart PC" and a voice-controlled camera. But as Samsung made every effort to shrug off the defeat with a dazzling array of new toys, there were concerns the court case could stifle innovation as firms fear to launch new products that could be the target of patent suits. "Behind closed doors, you can be sure that there will be serious discussions taking place, device makers talking to different platforms makers," said Florian Mueller, an intellectual property expert. "There will be private meetings in which it will be a big issue," he added. "An overprotected ...

Apple will unveil a new, smaller version of its wildly popular iPad in Oct after the release of the latest version of its iPhone next month Apple will unveil a new, smaller version of its wildly popular iPad in October after the release of the latest version of its iPhone next month, the All Things Digital website reported on Sunday. "First comes the latest iteration of the tech giant's hugely popular smartphone, which will be unveiled at an as yet unannounced event on September 12," the website said. "Only after the next-generation iPhone is out the door and on sale will Apple announce the smaller iPad it's been working on," it said. "That device, which is expected to have a display of less than eight inches (20 centimeters), will be uncrated at a second special event, which sources say is currently scheduled for October." The 10-inch iPad has long dominated the tablet market, but faces a growing challenge from smaller models lik...

Defeat in a bitter patent wrangle with Apple Inc, its smartphone rival and biggest customer, will dent Samsung Electronics Co's $21 billion cash-pile, but could actually help cement its leadership in the global smartphone market. A U.S. court has ordered Samsung - which sold around 50 million phones in April-June, almost twice the number of iPhones - to pay $1.05 billion damages, after ruling that the South Korean firm infringed on some Apple patents. While the verdict was a big win for Apple, the damages are less than half the $2.5 billion compensation it sought - although that could yet be increased by the judge - and are just 1.5 percent of annual revenues from Samsung's telecoms business. That phone and tablet business is the powerhouse behind Samsung's growth, earning around 70 percent of total profit. The group had net profit of $4.5 billion in April-June. Samsung could also see its popular Galaxy smartphone banned from sale in the United St...

With its closing stock market value on Monday, Apple Inc. has become the biggest U.S. company, at $623.52 billion, taking away the crown held by Microsoft Corp. since its December 1999 market valuation at $616.34 billion – that's of course, not taking into account inflation. Apple Inc.'s share price closed at $665.15 on Monday, and according to analysts quoted by WSJ, the company would command a $1,000 share price by the end of the year. Experts estimate that prices would need to be greater than $900 to surpass Microsoft’s 1999 record, after inflation. $1 in 1999 is worth around $1.38 in 2012, making Microsoft's 1999 valuation roughly $856 billion in constant dollars. Also, as pointed out by TechCrunch, after adjusting for inflation, the  biggest U.S. company of all time is IBM, whose record-breaking $192.3 billion market valuation in 1967 is now roughly equal to $1.3 trillion ($1 in 1967 is worth $6.85 in 2012). Currently however, both previous record holders,...

A hacker Friday revealed a security flaw that he claimed could make Apple's iPhone particularly vulnerable to text message cheating. The flaw has existed since iPhone was first launched in 2007, and is still not solved in the beta version of iOS 6, the next operating system for iPhone, the hacker under the name "Pod2g" said in a blog post, reported Xinhua. Under the protocols handling the exchange of SMS (Short Message Service) text between mobile phones, the sender of a message can technically change the reply-to phone number to something different from the original number, Pod2g explained.   In a good implementation, the receiver of the message would see both the original phone number and the reply-to one.   But using iPhone's SMS feature, when receivers see the message, it seems to come from the reply-to number, while the original phone number of the sender is hidden.   The loophole means that someone could send iPhone users messages pretending to be from the r...

Apple and Samsung are going toe-to-toe in a patent dispute, which mirrors a fierce battle for industry supremacy between two rivals. An   Apple   Inc expert witness testified on Friday that consumers would be willing to pay $100 for three patented smartphone features that are at issue in its high stakes trial against   Samsung Electronics   Co Ltd.   John Hauser, a marketing professor at MIT, said he surveyed consumers over the Internet about how much they would pay for some of the technology in the lawsuit, like scrolling and multitouch, which Apple claims Samsung stole from the U.S. company.   However, Samsung hammered Hauser on whether his study actually relates to real world customer decision-making.   Additionally, Apple patent portfolio director Boris Teksler described the company's licensing strategy, saying he could count "on one hand" the number of instances it has permitted other companies to use its design patents. Teksl...

The testimony from Apple patent licensing director Boris Teksler came in one of the most closely watched technology trials in years. Apple   Inc licensed its prized design patents to   Microsoft   Corp but with an "anti-cloning agreement" to prevent copying of its   iPhone   and   iPad , an Apple executive said on Monday.   The testimony from Apple patent licensing director   Boris Teksler   came in one of the most closely watched technology trials in years. Apple is accusing   Samsung Electronics   Co Ltd   of copying its iPhone and iPad, while the Korean company says Apple infringes several of its wireless technology patents.   Apple had reached out to Samsung in 2010, hoping to strike an agreement with its rival on patent licensing before their dispute hit the courts.   Teksler testified that Apple offered a clutch of patents for licensing but, crucially, viewed patents related to what he c...

It's a dilemma faced by most technophiles—to buy the new, sleek, feature-rich gadget or wait for its enhanced version six months later. We help you take a decision about six devices rumoured to be out soon. Blame it on the pace of technological progress, but today there are almost as many interesting products in the pipeline as there are in the market. The result: consumers are torn between buying a product as soon as it is out or biding their time and waiting for a better one just around the corner. In fact, many people have postponed their purchase of iPhone 4S because they expect the new iPhone (about which no official word is available) to be released later this year. This is the case with a number of other high-profile products, rumoured as well as real, which have consumers in a tizzy. Your decision to buy now or later depends on your need. If you are not in a hurry, rest assured that something better will come along. Here's a look at six such devices ...