At yesterday’s product launch event in San Francisco, Apple announced the fifth generation of its market-leading tablet, promising a “thinner, lighter, faster” device — and introducing a new name. The new iPad Air will feature the same 9.7-inch screen as the fourth-gen iPad and the same A7 processing chip that is in the new iPhone 5S, making it 72 times faster than the original iPad. The new 1-pound tablet is 20 percent thinner and 28 percent lighter than the current model. Continue reading Thinner, Lighter, Faster: Apple Unveils New iPad Air Tablet

In addition to the new iPads unveiled yesterday, Apple made several announcements regarding its hardware and software products. The new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops will go on sale immediately, while the $2,999 Mac Pro desktop will ship before the end of the year. Apple’s iWork and iLife suites of office and creative software are now free with every hardware purchase. Another surprise is the company’s decision to offer its Mac operating system, OS X Mavericks, as a free download. Continue reading Apple Takes New Direction by Offering Free Operating System

Craig Mundie, senior advisor to Microsoft’s CEO, is proposing that a form of digital rights management can be used to secure personal data. He believes it is vital, since people do not currently have a method to ensure that the data they share will not be misused. However, DRM has been ineffective at preventing some illegal copying of media files. And many companies may oppose the idea as they require access to personal data for their businesses. Continue reading Microsoft’s Mundie Sees DRM as Protection for Personal Data

Although competition is fierce, developers of both free-to-play games and console games are trying to compromise and attract a wider range of gamers. Both sides see an opportunity to bridge the gap with a new generation of game consoles from Microsoft and Sony. Free-to-play games can attract a demographic of casual gamers to the console, while consoles provide a new gateway to loyal gamers with a tendency to spend heavily on video games. Continue reading Overlap Emerging Between Free-to-Play and Console Games

AOL and ESPN announced a new syndication deal this week that includes distribution of the sports programmer’s video content, excluding live TV, via AOL.com and the company’s network of partners. ESPN’s live programming will remain available to subscribers online and on mobile devices through the WatchESPN service. AOL began distributing ESPN’s news, highlights and analysis on Tuesday. ESPN has additional video deals with Apple and Microsoft’s Xbox. Continue reading Syndication: AOL and its Partners To Distribute ESPN Content

Apple is expected to hold its next invitation-only event on Tuesday, October 22. On the eve of the holiday rush, Apple is preparing to unveil a slate of updates including the company’s fifth-generation iPad, the new Mac Pro and OS X Mavericks. The new 9.7-inch iPad is expected to be thinner and lighter, featuring Apple’s latest A7X processor and possibly its new Touch ID fingerprint sensor. A second-generation iPad mini is also anticipated. Continue reading Apple Gears Up to Unveil iPad Updates Prior to the Holidays

Microsoft officially pulled the plug on its MSN TV service this week. Founded by Steve Perlman, the Internet TV pioneer launched in 1996 under the name WebTV. It was later acquired by Microsoft and rebranded. Despite hardware upgrades and new features added to MSN TV 2, Microsoft has since shifted its focus to the Xbox game console. The company is ramping up its Xbox TV programming as it preps the new Xbox One console for the upcoming holiday season. Continue reading Microsoft Finally Shuts Down MSN TV, Shifts Focus to Xbox One

Valve made several announcements last week regarding the release of new devices, an operating system and a game controller. One main target for their operating system, SteamOS and its Steam Machine hardware is Microsoft, its Xbox consoles and the Windows PC business. Gaming could be a Trojan horse that Valve uses to control the post-PC operating system. Yet, there are little details as to the type of hardware and who are its manufacturers. Continue reading Valve Reveals Gaming Devices, Software to Rival Microsoft

Sony and Microsoft, the gaming industry’s two leading console makers, are preparing to go head-to-head this holiday season with new game consoles that also serve as media entertainment hubs. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, more American shoppers are leaning toward purchasing Sony’s PlayStation 4 over Microsoft’s Xbox One. In response to their interest in dedicated game devices, 26 percent of respondents indicated they are likely to purchase the new PS4, while 15 percent chose the Xbox One. Continue reading Sony and Microsoft Target Gamers and More with New Consoles

Kindle plans to unveil two new versions of its Kindle Fire tablet today, featuring a faster processor and graphics, improved screen quality and a lighter, slimmer design. The Kindle Fire HDX, available with 7-inch or 8.9-inch screens, will undercut the price of competitors including Apple’s popular iPad and, not surprisingly, focus on sales of services such as digital music and e-books. “We want to make money when people use our devices, not when they buy our devices,” said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Continue reading Amazon Pushes its Digital Services with New Kindle Fire HDX

Microsoft introduced two new tablets during a launch event on Monday. The Surface 2, starting at $499, is the company’s follow-up to the Surface RT. It features a higher-resoution 1080p ClearType display and Tegra 4 chip. Microsoft is making a play for the content creation market with its $899-$1799 Surface Pro 2, presenting it as a full-fledged mobile workstation. During the demo, Surface GM Panos Panay teamed it with a RED Dragon Carbon Fiber camera to showcase 6K video capabilities. Continue reading Microsoft Targets Content Creation Market with Surface Pro 2

Microsoft is expanding its TV programming in order to market the Xbox One as a portal for games, music and video content. Microsoft hopes its new console will merge television viewing and video game playing. Additionally, the company is producing a live action “Halo” show that will involve director Steven Spielberg and a concept development team in the Los Angeles area. This show is just one of many ideas currently being developed by Microsoft. Continue reading Microsoft Expands TV Efforts, Sees Xbox One as Media Portal

San Francisco-based startup Occipital, creator of the 360 Panorama app and RedLaser barcode-scanning app acquired by eBay, is developing a 3D scanning accessory for iPads called the Structure Sensor. Inspired by the sensor technology of Microsoft’s Kinect, CEO Jeff Powers decided to change the direction of Occipital to develop a new scanning tool. The result is the Structure Sensor, which earned the company more than $250,000 in a single day through its Kickstarter campaign. Continue reading Turn Your iPad into a 3D Scanner with New Structure Sensor

Microsoft is developing a personal assistant app called Cortana that will compete directly with Apple’s Siri and Google Now. Cortana derives its name from an artificially intelligent character in Microsoft’s “Halo” series. Essentially, the app will be able to learn and adapt while utilizing machine-learning technology and the Satori knowledge repository powering Bing. The app will likely be released somewhere between 2014 and 2016. Continue reading Cortana: Microsoft Developing Next-Gen Personal Assistant

According to new projections from researcher IDC, tablet shipments will exceed personal computer shipments for the first time in the fourth quarter of this year. The new report underlines the shift in consumer trends from laptops and desktops to mobile devices. IDC expects that tablet shipments will reach 84.1 million units in the fourth quarter, while PC shipments will reach 83.1 million units. The total market for Internet-connected devices will jump 28 percent to $622.4 billion this year. Continue reading New Milestone: Tablet Shipments to Surpass PCs for First Time