Hasta La Gadget!

Don’t write off Microsoft’s chances in mobile just yet. It may still be struggling to make itself count in the smartphone space but early signs are more promising for Windows plus tablets. Microsoft has gone from having no share of the global tablet OS market in Q1 last year to taking 7.4% one year later, with three million Windows 8 tablets shipped in Q1 2013, according to preliminary figures from Strategy Analytics‘ Global Tablet OS Market Share: Q1 2013 report.

The analyst notes record tablet shipments in the quarter, with global branded tablet shipments reaching an “all-time high” of 40.6 million units in Q1, driven on by year-on-year growth of 117% (vs 146% in Q1 2012).

Microsoft launched Windows 8, its touchscreen-friendly reboot of its desktop OS, last fall – so it’s swung from zero to a 7.4% share in just under half a year. Compare that to the Windows Phone OS, which launched more than two years ago, in fall 2010: Windows Phone took only a 4.1% share in the US smartphone OS market in the three months ending February, according to Kantar figures. Globally, its share is even smaller. Earlier this year ABI Research predicted Windows Phone will end 2013 with around 3% of the worldwide market.

Returning to tablets, compared to the dominant players in the tablet OS market — iOS and Android — Microsoft’s share is still very modest. Strategy Analytics dubs it a “niche” portion, noting that “very limited distribution, a shortage of top tier apps, and confusion in the market, are all holding back shipments”. Microsoft has followed its Windows Phone strategy of paying developers to create apps for Windows 8 but it’s still got work to do in the quality vs quantity stakes. While “confusion in the market” likely refers to Microsoft’s decision to offer two flavours of tablet OS (Windows RT/Windows 8).

According to Strategy Analytics’ figures, Apple retains its lead in the tablet OS space, with a 48.2% share in Q1 vs a “robust” 43.4% for Android on 19.5 million and 17.6 million unit shipments respectively. Apple’s tablet lead over Android is shrinking considerably, dropping to under half the market from 63.1% in the year ago quarter when Android took just over a third (34.2%).

The analyst described Apple’s performance as “solid”, helped by its first full quarter with the iPad mini in its tablet portfolio. But Android is growing fastest, with global branded Android tablet shipments increasing 177% annually in the quarter. Add in budget white box tablets and Android becomes the market leader, taking a 52% share of the total tablet market while iOS slips to 41%.

Second screen experiences connected to TV shows haven’t exactly set the world on fire, but NBC will give it another try with a new game show this fall. The Million Second Quiz is being promoted as a non-stop, twelve day trivia game with an “unprecedented level of interactivity” for viewers. In a move that harkens back to our memories of 1 vs 100 on Xbox Live a few years ago, viewers at home can play along and possibly win a spot on the show. While the competition will go on around the clock, the show airs during prime time. It will broadcast live from an “hourglass-shaped structure” located in Manhattan where the four reigning champs will reside as long as they can stay on top throughout the two week competition. Once the million seconds are up, the four champions will face off for a cash prize of up to $10 million. We’ll need more details before we can decide if this is more Ultimate Ninja Warrior or Oh Sit! / Splash / Bet On Your Baby (these are all real game shows, we promise), but it’s one to keep an eye out for when the all new shows debut.

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: The Million Second Quiz (Facebook), Million Seconds (Twitter)

Yamaha is going to release a max 192kHz/24bit WAV/FLAC, Airplay compliant 7.1ch AV receiver “RX-V775″ in late May.

It has 6 input/2 output HDMI terminals that are compatible with MHL and 4K Ultra HD/3D movie transmission.

It can be controlled via a smart device by installing a dedicated application called “AV CONTROLLER” on the smart device.

It doesn’t feature Bluetooth, but you can make it Bluetooth compliant by purchasing a wireless audio receiver “YBA-11″ separately which will be out in late May as well.

Price: 88,000 yen
Dimensions: 435W × 171H × 368D mm
Weight: 10.5 kg
Colors: Black, Gold

If you travel with a lot of gadgets, you know that can be a challenge to keep them powered up. If you’re roaming using something like an iPhone and you make a bunch of calls or get bored and play a game while waiting for your plane to land, your phone can be almost dead before you know it. If you don’t have access to an outlet or some sort portable battery you could end up out of touch for an entire day.

A company called Lenmar has unveiled a new portable battery pack that has enough juice and connectivity to charge up to three of your favorite gadgets at the same time. The device is called the Helix and it has 11,000 mAh of power inside the small enclosure. The device also features three full-sized USB ports on the bottom.

That means you can plug-in three of your devices to charge at the same time. If you connect a single device, the manufacturer says that you can recharge an iPhone up to seven times. The device has enough power to completely recharge your iPad once. The battery pack is a total output current of 4.4 A.

One of the USB ports supports 2.4 A for tablets and the other two support one amp for smartphones and other devices. The battery pack has an LED indicator to show how much power remains in the battery and are charges via a micro USB cable. The battery pack isn’t only for Apple gadgets, since it uses standard USB ports you can charge anything that uses a USB cable. The Helix is available right now for $99.99.

[via Lenmar]

Helix portable battery has 11,000 mAh of power is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Many of the BlackBerry faithful might not have got around to upgrading to version 10 just yet (perhaps they’re waiting on that keyboard model), but they haven’t been completely forgotten. A refreshed version of the BlackBerry OS 5 Facebook app is now available, bringing it at least a little more in line with other modern iterations. Expect your pictures to gain more importance in your newsfeeds and timelines, both of which finally get pull-to-refresh controls. The new version is currently being rolled out to BlackBerry’s app stores globally — see if yours is ready at the source.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry

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Via: Phone Scoop

Source: BlackBerry Blog