Verizon users waiting for iPhone 5 to ditch Android en masse? | TiPb

Needham analyst Charlie Wolf thinks most Verizon Android users have been holding out for the iPhone 5, and once it’s released, a mass exodus from the Android platform will ensue.

Verizon’s Android users are waiting for the iPhone 5. And when it arrives this fall, they’ll make the switch en masse.

Wolf suspects some Verizon subscribers chose not to pick up the Verizon iPhone after it debuted last February, some 8 months later than the iPhone 4 on AT&T.

“It’s reasonable to assume that a material percentage of Verizon subscribers who plan to switch were content to wait until the iPhone 5 arrived later this year,” says Wolf. “One reason Apple delayed the launch of iPhone 5 until September is that it reportedly plans to coordinate the launch of the GSM and CDMA versions of the phone. To do so in June would likely have upset Verizon subscribers who purchased iPhone 4 in the preceding months. It’s our expectation, then, that the anticipated surge in iPhone sales on the Verizon network is likely to occur this fall after Apple launches iPhone 5.”

TiPb has heard that the Verizon deal was a factor in Apple not launching iPhone 5 in June. However, it’s just as likely that Verizon users are on contracts with a wide range of end dates, …

via Verizon users waiting for iPhone 5 to ditch Android en masse? | TiPb.

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ClamCase for iPad 2 is a little lighter, suited for picture taking and $149 — Engadget

 

Just in case you bought an iPad 2 but really needed a netbook, ClamCase is back with a redesigned version of its case / battery powered Bluetooth QWERTY keyboard combo. This one is a hair thinner and a little lighter than the previous version (reviewed here), with cutouts for the back camera and speaker grille plus integrated magnets to awaken and sleep your tablet when the case is opened or closed. The keyboard has also reportedly been refreshed for an improved feel, but even though the black version is on sale now for $149 (white ships next month) there’s still a 4-5 week wait for shipping to get a hands-on and find out for yourself. Logitech’s Keyboard Case for iPad 2 is another option for $100, but it will only protect your precious slab on one side — something to consider while you’re checking out specs.

via ClamCase for iPad 2 is a little lighter, suited for picture taking and $149 — Engadget.

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Fried Kool-Aid Is This Summer’s Viral Treat [VIDEO]

An enterprising San Diego man has invented a treat that might give ice cream a run for its money: Fried Kool-Aid.A five-day-old video of “Chicken” Charlie Boghosian demonstrating how to make Fried Kool-Aid is verging on 100,000 views. Boghosian served the treat at the San Diego County Fair and now the Internet is buzzing. “Fried Kool-Aid” has been a trending topic on Twitter for two days.Although “likes” outnumber “dislikes” by a wide margin on YouTube, many commentors expressed disgust about the new dessert. One man even made a video asking Boghosian to stop. Neverteless, IRL, people are lapping it up. During the fair’s opening weekend, Boghosian’s food stall went through 150 pounds of Kool-Aid powder and 1,500 pounds of flour. (The rest of the ingredients are a trade secret.)

via Fried Kool-Aid Is This Summer’s Viral Treat [VIDEO].

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Apple iPhone 5 to be major update after all; announcement and availability in August?

 

While Apple has indeed been giving some developers access to a device known as the iPhone 4S — an iPhone 4 with upgraded internals — BGR has independently confirmed that the next-generation iPhone will not merely be an upgraded iPhone 4 as had been previously rumored. We have been told by a reliable source to expect a radical new case design for the upcoming iPhone, though we have not been given any additional details surrounding the design of the new iPhone case. What about a release, then? The consensus is that Apple is going to announce the next-generation iPhone at the company’s annual September event, traditionally focused on iPods, but we have heard it’s quite possible Apple will break tradition. According to our source, Apple may hold an event in the beginning or middle of August to announce the new iPhone, with availability to follow in the last week of August. We’re not sure if that means the iPod event will be moved up slightly, or if this will be an iPhone-specific event. Thisismynext reported earlier that the upcoming iPhone 5 would feature a new teardrop-shaped case design.

via Apple iPhone 5 to be major update after all; announcement and availability in August?.

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Geek meditation session

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The FBI Just Gave Itself Permission to Follow You and Go through Your Trash

 

The easiest way to change the rules that apply to you is to just rewrite them yourself. So the FBIs done exactly that, the NYT reports, self-releasing a new edition of its rulebook. Lets dig through some garbage, Fed bros!The “Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide” is the FBIs big fat guide to investigative dos and donts. Formerly under the dont category: administer lie detector tests, go through private residential garbage, and send out “surveillance squads” without any firm evidence that the person in question might possibly be a criminal. Not anymore! This is a new, chill, laid back FBI. Who needs evidence?

via The FBI Just Gave Itself Permission to Follow You and Go through Your Trash.

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Spanish Police: Three Arrested in PSN Hack Attacks

Spanish police this morning say they have arrested three involved in the hacking of Sony’s Playstation Network, which lead to Sony shutting down the Playstation 3’s network for a month, locking nearly 80 million gamers out of playing online.

All three were freed without bail pending formal charges. The New York Times reports that they are expected to be charged with “forming an illegal association to attack public and corporate Web sites, a charge that faces a potential sentence of up to three years in prison.”

“Spanish Police dismantle the #Anonymous hacker group in Spain. They attacked #Playstation Store,” they wrote on their official Twitter feed early this morning. “Police arrested 3 #Anonymous leaders in Barcelona, Alicante & Almería. They attacked governments of Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Colombia…

“#Anonymous has thousands of ‘zombies’ computers infected all over the world.”
The New York Times reports that according to police one of the hackers had “harbored a computer server in an apartment in the northern port city of Gijon, from which the group attacked the Web sites of the Sony PlayStation online gaming store.”

It is not clear if the three were the only ones suspected of being responsible for the massive hack attack or if this is the beginning of a series of arrests.

Spanish police say the three are also connected to hacking attacks on banks BBVA and Bankia, utility ENEL and the governments of Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Iran, Chile, Colombia and New Zealand.

The investigation by Spanish police in October 2010 after a denial of service attack was carried out on the country’s Minister of Culture website.

Anonyops, a site often used for public statements from the group, had no comment posted about the arrest. The official Twitter feed for the group had this to say:
Via: gizmodo.com

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IATA’s Checkpoint of the Future uses biometric IDs to separate do-gooders from terrorists (video) — Engadget

This, ladies and gentlemen, could be your Checkpoint of the Future — a new airport security prototype that promises to move away “from a system that looks for bad objects, to one that can find bad people.” Unveiled at the IATA’s annual conference in Singapore yesterday, the setup is comprised of three, 20-foot long detectors — one for “known travelers,” one for high-risk flyers, and one for everyone else. Instead of funneling passengers through the same checkpoint, then, the prototype would use eye scanners and biometric chips to verify their identities and analyze their personal history, before dividing them into groups. People who complete and pass government background checks would waltz through the fast pass lane with their carry-on luggage in tow, whereas those deemed particularly risky would have to undergo a more intensive, full-body scan within the “Enhanced” security lane. The rest of us, meanwhile, would be directed to the “Normal” detector, which would automatically scan us for liquids, metals and everything that is evil. The IATA says this risk-based approach would reduce security lines and lower airport costs, but it would still require governments to share data on their own citizens, which could pose a major hurdle to widespread adoption. For now, the IATA and gover

via IATA’s Checkpoint of the Future uses biometric IDs to separate do-gooders from terrorists (video) — Engadget.

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Apple iOS 5: Day two

 

After two days of use with Apple’s brand new iOS 5 on both an iPhone 4 and iPad 2, I can confidently say that iOS 5 has not only added much-needed features and enhancements, but has pushed Apple’s mobile operating system even further out into the lead ahead of competitors. What’s incredible is that Apple’s first beta release of iOS 5 for developers already runs better than any production BlackBerry or Android OS phone, and in daily use, I haven’t had any major issues at all with the OS. Hit the break some more impressions following my thoughts after day one.

via Apple iOS 5: Day two.

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Apple iOS 5 hands-on preview — Engadget

iOS 5 won’t be ready for the masses until this Fall, but lucky developers — and eager tech bloggers — are able to get in on the action right now. We just got done downloading the 730MB BETA, and have decided to turn our iPhone 4 and iPad 2 into guinea pigs for all the newness. Apple says that there are over 200 new features baked into the updated OS, and we’ve run through the biggies from Notification Center to Twitter to that oh-so-convenient split keyboard for you — all you need to do is click after the break.

via Apple iOS 5 hands-on preview — Engadget.

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