Apple Said to Pick AutoNavi to Offer IPhone Maps in China

AutoNavi Holdings Ltd. (AMAP) (AMAP), a Chinese maker of electronic navigation tools, was chosen by Apple Inc. (AAPL) (AAPL) to offer map services for users of future iPhones and iPads in China, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

AutoNavi will supply its maps of China to users of the iOS 6 operating system, an upgrade for iPhones and iPads that will be released by Apple this fall, according to one of the people, who asked not to be named before an announcement.

In June, Apple introduced its own maps tool for users of iOS 6, replacing a service currently offered by Google Inc. (GOOG) (GOOG) The iPhone maker is adding technology partners in China including AutoNavi, Baidu Inc. (BIDU) (BIDU) and Sina Corp. (SINA) (SINA) to expand the range of services to Chinese consumers and meet rising local demand for its mobile devices.

Helen Zhu, a spokeswoman at AutoNavi in Beijing, declined to comment on the company’s business with Apple. Carolyn Wu, a spokeswoman at Apple in Beijing, declined to comment on future products by the company.

AutoNavi, based in Beijing, accounted for 45 percent of China’s mobile map market in the first quarter, compared with 43 percent for second-ranked NavInfo Co., according to data from research company Analysys International.

AutoNavi fell 0.5 percent to $13.27 in New York trading on July 3. The Chinese company’s stock has gained 32 percent this year, outperforming the Shenzhen-traded shares of NavInfo.

In 2010, AutoNavi agreed to set up a joint venture with TomTom NV (TOM2) in China. TomTom, based in Amsterdam, last month said it signed a licensing agreement with Apple on mapping data.

This article comes from:http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-07-05/apple-said-to-pick-autonavi-to-offer-iphone-maps-in-china

Apple Configurator Gets Quiet, Incremental Update

Apple quietly updated its Apple Configurator utility that businesses and schools can use to manage iOS devices. The update brings with it relatively little new functionality to the free tool. Instead it focuses mainly on reliability and performance improvements. The update does, however, introduce some options for handling user content and user-installed apps.

The release notes for the update include just four items.
Improved reliability and ease of use when installing paid apps with Volume Purchase Program redemption codes
A new preference to disable the automatic removal of apps or profiles installed by the user when a configuration is reapplied to a supervised device
A new preference to disable reapplying a configuration each time a supervised device is connected to Apple Configurator
The profile editor now indicates when a profile cannot be installed on a supervised device due to a missing value in a required field

The process of adding apps and redemption codes from Apple’s Volume Purchase Program (VPP) has gotten a little bit smoother, but is largely the same as in previous releases. Volume purchases are one of the bigger gripes that IT professionals have when it comes to managing iOS devices. Although Configurator and third-party mobile management tools have made licensing and installation processes easier overall, using redemption codes still feels like gifting apps to users and devices rather than the traditional volume or site licensing approach to desktop software.

The option to leave apps and profiles in place when refreshing a device is an interesting new twist. It could mean that Apple is eventually planning to extend Configurator to include support for personally owned devices that are supported as part of a bring your own device (BYOD) model. The option to disable reapplying configurations altogether could also be used in that manner as well as offer a lighter management footprint.

Both of those options are hidden in Configurator’s Preferences window (along with the option to customize the iOS lock screen with a custom wallpaper and/or text). They also appear to be global settings that apply to any managed iOS devices rather than to specific devices, like a CEO’s iPad.

Overall, the update is pretty incremental and doesn’t really alter Configurator’s functionality or feature set. The update is available from the Mac App Store.

This article comes from:http://www.cultofmac.com/177044/177044/

Apple Retail Stores Test New Genius Bar Layout

In an effort to counter crowded stores and limited seating, Apple is reportedly revamping the in-store configuration of its Genius Bars, according to IFOAppleStore.com.

By turning the "bar" 90 degrees perpendicular from the far wall of the store, smaller Apple stores will be able to offer more bar stools to customers with repair needs or computer questions.

The kids area, usually chock full of brightly colored chairs and computers with children's games, might also be sacrificed for the new layout, IFO Apple Store said. Apple recently replaced the iMacs at the kids' tables with iPads, which are better equipped for smaller hands.

Apple did not immediately respond to request for comment.The new Genius Bars are expected to emphasize employees' use of iPads to manage service records, bringing the tablet even greater presence in consumers' minds.

Apple employs "geniuses" to assist customers with training in new purchases and fixing broken items, and has previously relegated them to the back of the store, behind the aisles of merchandise. With the new setup, workers would be more accessible, and able to wander around the bar, instead of behind it, to better help customers.

Apple is in the midst of enlarging or moving several early stores, IFO Apple Store said, increasing their size to accommodate more customers. Judging by the first photo of the new Genius Bar – which offers at least 12 bar stools around a 10-foot long table, compared to the former seven in most stores – customers will likely find stores easier to maneuver, especially with their eyes darting between the store aisles and their new iPhone.

The new bar layout is being tested in at least one undisclosed store, but there is no guarantee that Apple will stick with the new system, or revert back to its former blueprints.Earlier this year, there were rumors of mini Apple Retail stores popping up in various Sam's Club and Target locations, though none have reportedly been built.

This article comes from:http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406620,00.asp

Google Nexus 7 vs iPad: Which One's For You?

The Google Nexus 7 was unveiled earlier last week and with it shaking up the tablet market with its great specs at bargain basement prices. So how does the Google Nexus 7 tablet compare against the current king of the hill, the New iPad? Let's take a quick look.

Google Nexus 7 vs New iPad: quick overview
Screen: The screen of a tablet is hugely important, and there are few better than the Retina display on the New iPad. The Nexus 7, as per the name, has a 7” HD 1280x800p screen, which is good, but not as good as the iPad.

Processor: For its price, the Nexus 7 is very powerful, with a Tegra 3 chipset, a quad-core CPU and a 12-core GPU; it’s amazing when playing games on it. The iPad has the A5X chip and a quad-core GPU however with benchmarks showing it is well ahead of any other tablet on the market at the moment.Weight: The new iPad weighs more than the iPad 2 and also the Nexus. The Nexus 7 weighs half as much as the iPad, at 340g compared to 680g. So if

Connectivity: The iPad has it in terms of connectivity. The Nexus won't be available in a 3G version just yet, so the iPad is unchallenged in non-Wi-Fi terms. It also has added LTE support on networks like Verizon.Price: The Nexus wins out on price - $199 for the 8GB entry model is well below the base 16GB New iPad '3' at $499.

Google certainly has thrown some serious punches with the Nexus 7 – the price alone will tempt many – plus its impressive power, the 600,000+ apps and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. However it is more aimed to compete with the likes of other 7-inch tablets and not the 9.75-inch New iPad 3. So if you're looking for something very portable and won't break the bank, the Nexus 7 is a better bet. Otherwise by all means go for the New iPad 3 which still remains the king of tablets.

This article coms from:http://www.motoringcrunch.com/news/mobile-tech/11168-google-nexus-7-vs-ipad

Apple Patent Hints at Inductive Charging for iPhone 5

Apple’s iPhone 5 might not need wires for charging when it comes out later this year.According to Patently Apple, today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published an Apple patent the company applied for back in 2008. The patent is for inductive charging: using a specially designed dock to charge a device without the need for a wire. The dock still needs a wire connecting it to the power source, but the iPhone just needs to sit in the dock without any sort of attachment.

Inductive charging is nothing new, Palm included it in the original Pre, and every WebOS deviceafter, and other devices feature the same technology. Devices like the Duracell Powermat even bring the technology to the iPhone through cases. Inductive charging built into an iPhone 5 would be a first for Apple, however.

If Apple does include inductive charging in the iPhone 5, it could be another reason for the smaller dock connector in the device. Apple will need some more space inside the iPhone to put the inductive charging components.

Knowing Apple, if it does include the technology, users will need to buy a separate dock in order to use it, and the dock will likely be expensive. The dock won’t sync the iPhone to a computer directly, though Apple did recently introduce WiFi syncing which would solve that problem. There might even be a small argument that Apple added WiFi syncing in iOS 5 in anticipation of a future device with inductive charging.

There were rumors of inductive charging in the iPhone last year, thought they obviously never came true. Maybe this year they might.


This article comes from:http://www.gottabemobile.com/2012/06/26/apple-patent-hints-inductive-charging-iphone-5/

Box Brings 50 Apps Partners To Android

The Box cloud file-sharing service is introducing an Android upgrade that offers 50 new app integrations, bringing Android up to par with the Box OneCloud service first offered to iPhone and iPad users.

Box OneCloud for Android allows apps to read, write, and update files fetched from Box, and an apps gallery promotes the available apps that take advantage of those features. A new SDK for Android developers is also being released on thedevelopers' site.

Box introduced OneCloud for iOS as part of a series of platform and API updates announced this spring. Chris Yeh, VP of platform at Box, said the announcement of the first 30 OnCloud partners for iOS was met with a flood of complaints from Android users feeling left out. OneCloud is now up to 50 iOS partners, and it hopes to smoothen ruffled feathers in "Android land" by matching that number on Android from the launch of this program. Among the most popular of the Android apps are iAnnotate, Breezy, Docusign Ink, and Fetchnotes.

"Android actually has the most users for us of any mobile platform," Yeh said in an interview. However, the demand for productivity apps on the iPad in particular drove iOS to the top of Box's priority list initially. Android tablets have not been as widely adopted, but Android on phones is very popular, he said. Although Box would ideally have pursued both at the same time, "we're still not big enough as a company to do all those simultaneous launches."


Android makes file management easier than does iOS, but Box still had to invest in adding the security required by its enterprise customers, Yeh said. "We've done a lot of work around apps to handle the roundtrip cleanly."
Box assures that files downloaded to the device are never stored in an unencrypted form on the device, meaning they can be accessed only if the user is authenticated to the service, he said. OneCloud extends that assurance to the third-party apps it works with, so that they also leave nothing behind where it could be easily extracted from a lost or stolen device, he said."We can't have files leave Box, ever," Yeh said.

Box is pursuing a vision of productivity tools built around the storage service, which it is delivering first to mobile users, although similar families of apps might be built up over time around the Box Web application, Yeh said. Box research shows that 40% of its users access Box from a mobile device. Upon further examination of the usage statistics, Box recently discovered that 35% of users access Box exclusively from a mobile device. "That was super surprising," Yeh said.

This article comes from:http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/file_sharing/240002645

Microsoft tablet and iPad to duke it out at large companies

Windows 8 Pro tablets have a shot at slowing iPad adoption at large companies, said Deutsche Bank -- though an analyst tempered the assessment with reservations.

Microsoft Surface tablets running Windows 8 Pro can "leverage" the large existing base of Windows customers, giving them a better chance at checking the "penetration" of Apple's iPad at large business accounts, Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore wrote in a research note on Monday.

But Whitmore quickly qualified this as a "best case scenario" because Microsoft is "swimming upstream against the consumerization of IT," referring to employees who bring their own iPads to work.The Intel-based Pro version will likely be priced in the range of $900 to more than $1,000. "Or roughly in line with similarly configured ultrabooks," he wrote.

That's roughly a 20 percent premium over the most expensive 64GB iPad with 4G, according to Whitmore. And Windows Pro Surface tablets must also contend with the iPad's superior battery life and the iPad's large number of third-party apps, he said.

RT tablets -- less expensive Surface tablets built around Windows RT and ARM silicon -- have even less chance against the iPad, Whitmore said.

Below is a Deutsche Bank breakdown of iPad and Surface tablet pricing and configurations.

This article comes from:http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57460277-92/microsoft-tablet-and-ipad-to-duke-it-out-at-large-companies/