Sprint Nextel's $15.5 billion gamble on Apple's iPhone will apparently lighten CEO Dan Hesse's proverbial wallet by $3.25 million this year. That's how much compensation Hesse agreed to give back to help placate investors unhappy about the high cost of the company's iPhone deal. Securing the iPhone has already paid dividends for Sprint in terms of sales. The company sold 1.5 million iPhones in the first quarter while posting a net subscriber growth of 263,000. That didn't stop Sprint from posting an $863 million net loss during the same period, however, causing some investors to grumble about the cost of subsidizing Apple's phone. The subsidy Sprint pays for each iPhone is 40 percent higher -- about $200 -- than what the company pays for other competing devices. Don't feel too bad for Hesse, though. Apparently, the financial gesture basically brings back his "compensation target opportunities" to 2010 levels.

Sprint CEO takes pay cut as investors voice concern about cost of iPhone deal originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 May 2012 16:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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J.K. Shin, president of Samsung’s mobile business, sat down with The Wall Street Journal and revealed that the South Korean manufacturer has begun aggressively hiring foreign software engineers in an effort keep pace with Apple’s iPhone. Samsung, which has traditionally developed its own hardware, is also embracing the possibility of making key acquisitions in the mobile space. “The technology industry is growing very quickly and it is too much of a burden to try to do everything in-house,” Shin said. “There are many qualified workers from India that are very skilled in software. And there are small companies that we can acquire that have good research and development capabilities.”

Shin did not name any potential targets, however, and was quick to shoot down rumors regarding an acquisition of Canada’s Research in Motion. While Google’s purchase of Motorola Mobility has Samsung on edge, the company’s senior vice president of sales and marketing Younghee Lee, maintains that Samsung will continue to work with Android because it is currently the most popular platform.

Shin called the company’s latest flagship smartphone — the Galaxy S III — an example of Samsung’s renewed focus on software. While the phone is based on Google’s Android operating system, Shin highlighted how Samsung engineers were able to write new software and enable unique features such as the Galaxy S III’s face-detection and eye-tracking capabilities, which control various functions on the handset based on whether or not the user is looking at the display.

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It's always refreshing to hear the head of a major corporation cop to past mistakes -- particularly in front of a large crowd of on-lookers. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson admitted some misgivings about the way the carrier handled iPhone data, telling a crowd at the Milken Institute's Global Conference in Los Angeles, "My only regret was how we introduced pricing in the beginning, because how did we introduce pricing? Thirty dollars and you get all you can eat." Stephenson drove the point home by adding, "Every additional megabyte you use in this network, I have to invest capital."

And, for the record, that certainly wasn't the only thing about the iPhone that kept the exec up at night. Stephenson again,

You lie awake at night worrying about what is that which will disrupt your business model," he said. "Apple iMessage is a classic example. If you're using iMessage, you're not using one of our messaging services, right?

No one ahead said it was easy being the chief.

AT&T CEO voices regret over iPhone unlimited data model originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 May 2012 17:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Market research firm Ovum estimates that smartphone shipments will continue to grow and reach 1.7 billion units in 2017. The company cites increased demand from emerging markets, alongside the growth of Android, which will fuel ballooning handset shipments. “Android will dominate the smartphone market over the next five years,” said Adam Leach, principal analyst at Ovum. “While Apple has defined the smartphone market since it introduced the iPhone in 2007, we’re now seeing a sharp rise in the shipment volumes of Android, signaling its appeal to leading handset manufacturers.” Android-powered handsets accounted for 44% of the smartphone market in 2011, a significant increase from 17% in 2010. The firm estimates Android’s share will reach 48% in 2017 and Apple’s iOS will account for 27% of the smartphone market, an increase from 23% in 2011. “Although it will remain behind Android in terms of shipment volumes, Apple will continue to be a key player and innovator in the smartphone market over the forecast period,” said Leach. “We expect Microsoft, despite its slow start, to have established Windows Phone as a relevant smartphone platform by 2017.” Ovum’s press release follows below.

Ovum expects smartphone shipments to reach 1.7 billion in 2017 and Android to dominate as OS

London, 3 May 2012. Smartphones will outperform the overall market for mobile phones, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.9% for the period 2011–17 to reach 1.7 billion units, according to Ovum. Predictions show Android as the dominant operating system over the next five years as handset vendors rush to make it their primary smartphone platform.

In its latest forecast*, the leading telecoms analyst house reveals global annual mobile phone shipments will grow at a CAGR of 6.3% between 2011 and 2017, driven primarily by demand from emerging markets where connection growth will continue to fuel handset shipments. New shipments in developed markets, such as North America and Western Europe, will be almost entirely made up of smartphones, while feature phones will continue to play a small role in emerging markets in 2017.

“Android will dominate the smartphone market over the next five years,� said Adam Leach, principal analyst at Ovum. “While Apple has defined the smartphone market since it introduced the iPhone in 2007, we’re now seeing a sharp rise in the shipment volumes of Android, signaling its appeal to leading handset manufacturers.�

Smartphones based on Android accounted for 44% of the smartphone market in 2011, significantly up from 17% in 2010. However, its share will reach 48% in 2017, as Android-based smartphones are expected to grow at a CAGR of 26.8% over the forecast period. Apple’s iOS will be the second most widely deployed software platform in 2017, accounting for 27% of the smartphone market, a slight increase on the 23% share of the market it reported in 2011. Sitting some way behind the Android/iOS duopoly will be the remaining smartphone players.

“Although it will remain behind Android in terms of shipment volumes, Apple will continue to be a key player and innovator in the smartphone market over the forecast period,� says Leach. “We expect Microsoft, despite its slow start, to have established Windows Phone as a relevant smartphone platform by 2017.�

The Windows Phone platform, with the assistance of Nokia, will account for 13% of the smartphone market in 2017. Despite losing significant market share since its high point in 2009, RIM’s BlackBerry platform will still represent 10% of the market in 2017.

The iPhone might be nibbling away at Nintendo's market share, but there are still plenty of games that are damn near unplayable with a touchscreen. Physical buttons are the way to go, and if Levelup's Bluetooth ROAM controller is legit, they won't be able to take our money fast enough. More »

The iPhone might be nibbling away at Nintendo's market share, but there are still plenty of games that are damn near unplayable with a touchscreen. Physical buttons are the way to go, and if Levelup's Bluetooth ROAM controller is legit, they won't be able to take our money fast enough. More »

After posting the most profitable quarter in technology company history to close 2011 — and the second most profitable quarter among all companies, ever — Apple came back again in the first calendar quarter of 2012 and managed another monster quarter. The Cupertino, California-based technology giant earned $11.6 billion on $39.2 billion in sales during the second fiscal quarter of 2012, and its iPhone was responsible for an estimated 80% of all smartphone profits during the quarter. According to Apple watcher Horace Dediu, Apple’s share of all cell phone profits was nearly as overwhelming.

Market research firm IDC states that Apple’s share of the global cell phone market was flat at 8.8% last quarter. Despite accounting for such a small portion of global cell phone shipments, Apple’s share of all mobile phone profits reached 73% in the quarter.

“The new market disruption is the migration of a large number of demanding customers away from phones-as-voice-products to phones-as-computing-products,” Dediu notes as one of the driving factors behind Apple’s performance. The analyst also states that Samsung accounted for 26% of all major handset vendor profits last quarter, while Sony, Nokia, Motorola, LG and RIM all lost money and HTC was roughly even.

[Via CNNMoney]

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Apple’s new iPhone, which is currently rumored to launch in September or October, is reportedly going to be the first iPhone to have a larger display. Multiple reports have suggested that the new iPhone will feature a 4-inch screen, and iLounge’s Jeremy Horowitz is throwing his weight behind it as well. Additionally, he’s reporting that the device will be taller and 20% thinner than the current iPhone 4S. The back of the device will have a metal panel according to the report, though it won’t cover the entire back of the phone. This seems a little strange, especially with iLounge’s rendering. What about the white version? Lastly, there will indeed be a new dock connector to make room for the thinner case, so no doubt third-party accessory manufacturers are going to be thrilled about that, but Apple’s move to introduce a thinner and smaller dock connector is likely a necessary step toward making the iPhone insanely thin. One barrier that Apple has not yet tackled is the 3.5 mm headset jack, which some day might disappear completely in favor of Bluetooth and AirPlay streaming. One more mockup of the new iPhone from iLounge is after the break.

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Pebble, the smartwatch that can display and interact with apps on Android and iPhone smartphones, announced on Wednesday a partnership with popular fitness app RunKeeper that will allow users to wirelessly control and display information from the app on their Pebbles. “Making the RunKeeper app accessible from Pebble is another step towards making fitness tracking simple for our users.” said RunKeeper CEO Jason Jacobs. “People don’t just want to track their fitness activities, they want to do so in the most convenient way possible, and you can’t beat the form factor of a smart watch.” RunKeeper boasts more than 10 million users and was one of the highest grossing health and fitness apps in Apple’s App Store in 2010. “We welcome RunKeeper to the Pebble app family and we’re flattered that they are our first app partner,” said Eric Migicovsky, founder of Pebble Technology. The smartwatch is being fully funded through the crowd-source website Kickstarter and has become the most funded project in the site’s history. The Pebble has garnered more than 53,000 backers and thus far has raised over $8 million. The device is slated to be released in September. Pebble’s press release follows below.

Pebble Announces RunKeeper Will Build First Watchapp

RunKeeper Data Will be Displayed on Pebble’s E-Paper Display And Runners Can Now Control the App Without Ever Having to Touch their Phone

PALO ALTO, CA – (May 2, 2012) – Pebble, the revolutionary smart watch that will display and interact with apps on your iPhone or Android device, today announced it’s first app partner will be RunKeeper, one of the most successful mobile apps ever that makes tracking workouts fun, social, and easy to understand.

With this app for Pebble, RunKeeper’s in-activity fitness data will be shown on Pebble’s E-Paper display, which looks great indoors as well as outdoors under direct sunlight. Runners, cyclists, hikers, walkers and skiers will be able to use Pebble to wirelessly control the RunKeeper app, eliminating the need to remove the phone while on the go. Pebble even makes it possible to pause or skip music tracks right from the watch.

“Making the RunKeeper app accessible from Pebble is another step towards making fitness tracking simple for our users.� said Jason Jacobs, CEO of RunKeeper. “People don’t just want to track their fitness activities, they want to do so in the most convenient way possible, and you can’t beat the form factor of a smart watch.�

RunKeeper has more than 10 million users, and it was one of the highest grossing health & fitness apps in the iPhone App Store in 2010. It is available on both iPhone and Android.

“We welcome RunKeeper to the Pebble app family and we’re flattered that they are our first app partner,� said Eric Migicovsky, of Pebble Technology. “One of the most exciting things about Pebble is that anyone will be able to build apps for the watch, which is going to result in new capabilities and functionality that we haven’t even thought of yet.�

Pebble will release an open software development kit (SDK) in August, enabling even more applications to be developed for the Pebble platform. A watchapp directory will be launched later in 2012 to provide a distribution method for all Pebble apps.

Consumers have already registered their interest in Pebble with more than 53,000 individual backers on Kickstarter, the crowd sourced funding platform. The project was posted on the Kickstarter platform on April 11 and since that time backers have pledged more than $7.5 million towards Pebble.

Pebble is the first watch built for the 21st century. It’s infinitely customizable, with beautiful downloadable watch faces and useful internet-connected apps. Pebble connects to iPhone and Android smartphones, alerting you with a silent vibration to incoming calls, emails and messages.

A leaked part said to be destined for Apple’s next-generation iPhone may quell rumors that the Cupertino, California-based company is working on a teardrop-shaped Liquidmetal case for the next iPhone. Listed as “Replacement Sim Card Tray Holder Slot For Apple iPhone 5,” parts vendor sw-box.com has made what it claims to be SIM card trays for the sixth-generation iPhone available for purchase on its site. If the part is authentic, the most notable observation is that the new SIM tray is nearly identical to the part found in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. While Apple’s next iPhone may still feature a redesigned case, Cult of Mac points out that the use of a flat aluminum tray in the new iPhone would likely indicate that the handset’s case will not utilize curved Liquidmetal alloy, as previously reported.

[Via Cult of Mac]

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Maybe he's finished running with the underdog, or maybe he's just done with the corporate gig altogether, but one thing is certain: as of May 25th, Cole Brodman will mark his exit from T-Mobile. For the past two years, Mr. Brodman has served as the carrier's chief marketing officer, and his departure concludes 17 years with the company. During his tenure, Cole Brodman railed against the subsidized handset game, helped drive the adoption of smartphones and -- sadly -- crushed our dreams for the potential of a Magenta-branded iPhone. He must also claim at least partial responsibility for the carrier's net loss of customers in 2011, with a total of 802,000 subscribers jumping ship in Q4 alone.

One thing is certain of Mr. Brodman's exit, however: he seems content with the decision. Likening the move to a retirement, he remarked, "It's an opportunity to step away, get a break and start to think about how I want to do something next." Andrew Sherrard will replace Cole Brodman as T-Mobile's interim chief marketing officer while the company searches for a permanent replacement. So long, Mr. Brodman, and thanks for the smartphones.

[Cole Brodman photo via CNET]

T-Mobile USA's chief marketing officer, Cole Brodman, calls it quits originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s next huge move isn’t into the television or banking industries according to one expert. Instead, Apple will take on carriers like AT&T and Verizon Wireless by becoming a direct mobile service provider. Veteran wireless industry strategist Whitey Bluestein, who has managed strategic deals for the likes of AT&T, Intel, T-Mobile, Verizon, Microsoft, Nokia and Best Buy, says Apple will soon begin to offer wireless service directly to iPhone and iPad users. Apple has the distribution channels, digital content portfolio and customer base to make the move, Bluestein says, and it also has more than 250 million credit cards on file for iTunes users who could be billed directly for wireless service.

“The battleground is set, but Apple will be the first mover,” Bluestein said while speaking at the Informa MVNO Industry Summit in Barcelona. “Google will have to scramble because it lacks retail distribution, experience with subscriber services and the iTunes ecosystem of content. iTunes and the iTunes Store provide Apple with one-click buying and customer care. Google can acquire most of these capabilities, as it has before, but it is not a core competency of the company.”

Bluestein also notes that Apple has patent-pending network architecture, with patents filed in 2006, that will empower its move into the mobile service provider industry. Apple’s biggest barrier thus far has been the large subsidies carriers pay to keep end-user iPhone pricing affordable, however Apple’s huge cash reserves could be used to remove that road block completely.

“What has been holding Apple back from becoming a wireless provider already, according to Bluestein, are the enormous handset subsidies paid by mobile operators (AT&T, VZW and Sprint in the US), which amount to about $381 for each iPhone sold today,” Bluestein noted. ”That has been a short-term stumbling block for Apple, but the company has its well-known cash reserves and could seize the initiative at any point.”

Such a move could help Apple avoid a potential threat from wireless carriers, though Apple CEO Tim Cook said his company is not concerned with the possibility of carrier’s squeezing subsidies.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak recently purchased a Nokia Lumia 900 and thus far has had nothing but a pleasant experience with the device. The folks over at aNewDomain.net caught up with “the Woz” and spoke to him about his opinion on the Windows Phone platform. “Just for looks and beauty I definitely favor the Windows Phone over Android,” he said. Wozniak called the operating system “intuitive and beautiful,” and said it makes him feel as if he is “with a friend not a tool.” He also noted that apps on the Lumia look “more beautiful than on Android or iPhone.” Despite his praise, Woz maintains that the iPhone is still his favorite smartphone. The co-founder isn’t shy about his opinions and has previously stated that in many ways Android had lept ahead of Apple and the iPhone. 

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When we first heard about the Kickstarter-funded Triggertrap, it was a nice but nichey lab instrument of a device that could fire your DSLR with diverse stimuli, like lights or ringing phones. It wasn't the first photo-tripping idea we'd seen, but at least it could be had for a fair sum ($75.00) and be used out of the box. But now, by connecting that tech to an app and charging $19.98 for both the software and hardware, Triggertrap might open up remote snapping to a lot more folks.

Running off any iPhone, iPad or iPod using iOS 5, the app uses a dongle which can be connected by cable or infrared to most DSLRs or advanced compacts. From there, you'll be able to use all of your iDevice's sensors as triggers, from motion through to facial recognition and even GPS. The app doesn't just fire the shutter, either -- it also gives you control over the focus and flash. And if you don't have a separate camera, the iPhone's built-in cam can be used instead -- which would save you from buying the $9.99 dongle, if you have the necessary accoutrements. So if you've been wondering how to get those hard-to-shoot images, or have more nefarious ideas, check the videos after the break.

Continue reading Triggertrap: nine ways to activate your DSLR with an iOS device, choose one

Triggertrap: nine ways to activate your DSLR with an iOS device, choose one originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's taken a bit longer than we expected, but following Apple's acquisition of app search engine Chomp, the Android option has now been cut out from its homepage. We're now left with the choice between iPhone and iPad categories, alongside existing shortcuts for popular freebies and apps on sale, in a few efforts to cut through Cupertino's 600,000-strong app selection. Hit up the source to give it a run for yourself.

Apple spits out Android option from Chomp app navigator originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While Samsung’s Galaxy S3 has been the star of the rumor show for the past few months — with BGR leading the pack — we now have a clear picture of the smartphone landscape for late summer and early fall this year. BGR has exclusively learned details about most, if not all of Verizon Wireless’s flagship smartphone launches for the remainder of 2012, and things are definitely looking good for Verizon subscribers in 2012. All the details follow after the break.

For starters, Verizon Wireless will indeed be offering the Samsung Galaxy S3 — Verizon notably passed on the Galaxy S II in favor of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus — but we don’t know when the carrier will start selling Samsung’s new flagship smartphone. While we have a clear picture of Verizon’s fall smartphone lineup, we would assume the Galaxy S III will be available over the summer.

Speaking of Android smartphones, there are “multiple” Motorola RAZR models due to hit Verizon in the coming months, one of which will most likely be the Motorola RAZR HD (or a name similar to that) with a larger and clearer display.

HTC might actually be the star of the Android show this time around though, as we have been told HTC will have a major flagship device hitting Verizon shelves in the fall. It’s said to feature a whopping 5-inch 1080p HD display (a non-PenTile screen), a new chipset that includes a quad-core Krait CPU and an Adreno 320 GPU, HTC Sense 5 and a Scribe pen. Yes, HTC is launching a Galaxy Note competitor.

Lastly, as we reported late last year, Apple’s next-generation iPhone is currently slated for a fall release.

Along with an iPhone nano and an iPad mini, rumors of a “Facebook phone” have repeatedly piqued interest as they come and go. The first round of reports surfaced in 2010, but was shot down when Facebook denied that it was working on its own smartphone with hardware and software partner HTC. The handsets that were thought to be Facebook phones ended up being unveiled the following month as the HTC Chacha and HTC Salsa, but consumers weren’t terribly interested in mid-range Android phones with a dedicated Facebook sharing button. Rumors resurfaced this past November before dissipating as quickly as they came, but now — whether or not consumers are actually interested in the possibility of a Facebook-branded smartphone — talk of a Facebook phone has returned once again.

Citing unnamed industry sources, DigiTimes on Wednesday reported that Facebook and HTC are jointly developing a smartphone. The device will be a “customized smartphone” presumably based on Android, and it will launch in the third quarter this year at the earliest.

The report draws a number of comparisons between the secret Facebook phone project and HTC’s previous efforts with Google on the Nexus One, suggesting that because Samsung has taken over as Google’s Nexus partner, HTC is looking elsewhere for branded Android projects. DigiTimes also claims that Samsung has likely been tasked with building the next Nexus phone, though no additional details were made available.

The Facebook phone currently under development is said to have a “platform exclusive to Facebook,” enabling deep integration of Facebook services and providing a variety of custom functionality. How the device might handle private user data is unclear.

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.