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Constantly fantasizing about writing for us? You can still be a good person if you'd just get therapy here.
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Latest @th3j35t3r tweets
@phantomboy2005 Really? Wow. You got LOIC on your Kindle? Did u just actually say that? Please, don't make me uncoil on you skid. Go home.
When I grow up I wanna be more like David Lightman (Shall we play a game? Tic Tac Toe?): http://t.co/pjodb4extX
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Author Archive
Apple posts record earnings. Again.
I have to hand it to Apple. In only a couple short years they’ve turned me from a nay sayer to a complete believer. I’ve never been happier with a suite of devices. I’ve purchased their iPhones, iPads, iPods, Apple Tvs, a MacBook Air, an iMac, and a Mac mini, and every time I’ve been completely satisfied and ready to buy the next best thing. Because that’s what they are – the best thing. And their latest Q2 2012 results prove that.
In the face of all nay sayers everywhere ( even here ), Apple posted their second best quarter ever (only second to the one just past – Q1 2012).
35.1 Million iPhones were sold
11.8 Million iPads
4 million Macs
$39 Billion in revenue and $11.6 Billion in Profit.
They have over $110 Billion in cash.
Yep. They’re a failing company alright. lol
Their stock is up over 9% in pre trading.
Here’s a small excerpt from their earnings statement which you can read here.
4 comments » | Uncategorized
Mobility Digest Review: Bose QuietComfort 15 Headphones
Bose QuietComfort 15 Headphones are $299, which is a lot of money for a pair of headphones, even ones that have active noise cancellation, but after trying a few other models from Sony and other big name brands, the quality of the audio can’t be beat. The build quality also seems to be top notch the ear cups and head band are covered in a very nice leather like material and are extremely comfortable to wear for long periods of time (I’ve had them on for over 5 hours and they feel just
as good as the moment I first put them on).
Bose QuietComfort 15 Headphones come with a nice zip-up carrying case with a standard 3.5mm cable that you can use with any audio source, an airplane connector adaptor, and a special cable for iPhone, iPad, iPod or MacBook connections which includes a remote for volume, play/pause, and forward/reverse controls. They are powered by a single AAA battery (included) and can be used with out any cables at all if you’re simply looking for noise cancellation. Also included with the headphones, and placed inside their carrying case are a handful of information cards which have the model number and a website link to give to people if they ask you about the headphones. And as silly as that might sound at first, this is the first time I’ve ever used these and I already gave one to the guy sitting next to me.
I highly recommend the Bose QuietComfort 15 Headphones if you’re on the go, constantly in a loud environment, or just want to enjoy quality sound without interruption.
3 comments » | Reviews
OnLive Desktop for iPad released.
Guess which I choose to do?
There are pro user rates and free user limits and blah dee blah blah.. All anyone really should care about is the fact that it works so amazingly well compared to other remote desktop applications like LogMeIn or Splashtop. If there were a solution for consumers on personal computers that worked like this, I would buy it as soon as it were available. Of course, I’d like it to be universal to any VM, not just Windows… but that’s just me.
Check out the official OnLive Desktop Page.
Get the iPad app here: iTunes Link
2 comments » | iPad, Youtube clips
AT&T: “Speakers are Tethering”
Author: Athanasios
Comment:
So I got done talking to customer service today. They told me, “tethering data to anything electronic” is considered “tethering”. I explained that I use a small pair of Sony speakers, they fit in the palm of my hand, and listen to Pandora with them . They told me that was Tethering and there “system” showed I was tethering….
She said, “speakers are considered as electronic devices and fall under tethering.
I was at 2gigs for October and they sent the letter…. I explained I do all my work on my phone… A lot of e-mails, I use my GPS a lot and my son watches a lot of Netflix… She asked if I connect the phone to the TV.. I told her no, and she said that would be tethering if I did…..
I am truly amazed at this. Stunned is the word…. Headphones, she said, were not tethering by the way…???
So, what are the possible repercussions of this statement (which must be false, or else the entirety of AT&T’s subscriber base would surely walk away… right? RIGHT?) if it were accurate? All those iPod docks, portable speakers, BT kits in cars? Against the user agreement and would require you to spend a ridiculous amount of money to pick up a tethering plan just because you want to listen to music. And of course, you’re damned if you want to watch a movie on your TV via HDMI. That’s not kosher and you will be charged for the…… I don’t even know what. Or why. Oh.. and they know. THEY KNOW.
AT&T: If you pursue this, I am leaving you. I use my iPhone for music primarily. I ‘tether’ to my car daily. I ‘tether’ to my Apple TV daily. I ‘tether’ to my TV to watch movies when I’m on the road. I ‘tether’ to some battery powered speakers when I want to listen to music outside.
And since Headphones aren’t speakers (what?) and aren’t ‘tethering’… I’m assuming that we’ll be looking at this issue again in the near future when one of AT&T’s ridiculously horrible customer ‘service’ reps makes another insane statement.
This just in: Holding your phone in your left hand requires a tethering plan and nulls your Unlimited Data account.
7 comments » | Uncategorized
Ask the Readers: What is the best mobile WiFi HotSpot device & service?
I travel A LOT for my job, and I’ve been using AT&T for data on my iPad 2, but when it comes to my laptop or PSP, I’m left to trying to find a Panera Bread or pray for a hotel with decent internet access (which is extremely rare). With things like the Sony Playstation Vita coming out early next year, and a few other devices that I usually travel with requiring WiFi or dedicated 3G cellular data accounts, I’ve decided to look into a HotSpot device that can support them all and also consolidate the data plans. I was tethering on my iPhone 4 up until AT&T announced that they were performing a kind of Spanish Inquisition
to find those of us that felt that we should be able to use our data anyway we wished. And doing that with the iPhone 4 worked great, but just adding a tethering plan to my iPhone is out of the question as I use WAY over 5-10GB of data a month just on that one device (in March alone I used over 90GB….) and adding a tethering plan automatically removes my unlimited data plan.
So I leave it to you: What device/plan is the best bet for someone like me that is traveling all over the country on a regular basis and has anywhere from 3-5 devices that need WiFi. I would like 10GB/month at a bare minimum. 3G, 4G, 4G LTE? AT&T, Sprint, Verizon? You tell me.
Also, how much data do you use on average per month?
1 comment » | Uncategorized
RIM posts lower than expected profits, we wait for a firesale…
Yesterday, after the markets closed, RIM announced its earnings for the Quarter and they were a lot worse than analysts had predicted. This prompted after hours trading drops of more than 20% for RIM stocks. As Doug Simmons has been saying for a long time now: Short RIMM.
Part of the quarterly earnings statement included information about the shipments of their Playbook tablet device. Shipments of the device plummeted from 500,000 shipments last quarter to only 200,000 this past quarter. To put that into perspective, that is about 2% of what Apple shipped last quarter with their iPad tablet.
Their Blackberry handset sales also fell. From around 13 million to just over 10 million. And over all profits fell to $329 million, down from $695 million the previous quarter.
Previously it appeared as if the international sales of Blackberry devices and services would survive the Apple and Android assault a bit better than they have here in the US, but trading in international markets have(or maybe ‘had’ by the time you read this) the stocks even lower than Wall Street.
In the end, I’m not surprised at what has happened to RIM’s Blackberry lineup. They had a unique and useful solution for communicating many years ago, but have since fallen behind the innovative curve and seem unwilling to embrace the future. Through all of this, RIM’s CEOs and Chairmen all remain incredibly positive and optimistic..
Source: Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Google News, Google Finance
[spoiler]Research In Motion Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2012 Results
WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Sept. 15, 2011) – Research In Motion Limited (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM), a world leader in the mobile communications market, today reported second quarter results for the three months ended August 27, 2011 (all figures in U.S. dollars and U.S. GAAP, except where otherwise indicated).
Highlights:
Revenue in the second quarter was $4.2 billion and service revenue surpassed $1 billion for the first time
GAAP net income of $329 million or $0.63 per fully diluted share; adjusted net income of $419 million or $0.80 per fully diluted share
The BlackBerry subscriber base grew 40% year over year to surpass 70 million
RIM’s largest roll-out of BlackBerry smartphones was initiated with 7 new smartphones launched with over 90 carrier and distribution partners in 30 countries during the latter part of Q2
Approximately $780 million was invested as part of a consortium of companies that successfully bid to acquire intellectual property assets from Nortel
BlackBerry smartphone shipments in Q3 are estimated to grow between 27-37% over Q2 shipments
Q2 Results:
Revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 was $4.2 billion, down 15% from $4.9 billion in the previous quarter and down 10% from $4.6 billion in the same quarter of last year. The revenue breakdown for the quarter was approximately 73% for hardware, 24% for service, and 3% for software and other revenue. During the quarter, RIM shipped approximately 10.6 million BlackBerry smartphones and approximately 200,000 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.
“We successfully launched a range of BlackBerry 7 smartphones around the world during the latter part of the second quarter and we are seeing strong sell-through and customer interest for these new products. Overall unit shipments in the quarter were slightly below our forecast due to lower than expected demand for older models,” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “We will continue to build on the success of the BlackBerry 7 launch to drive the business as we focus our development efforts on delivering the next generation, QNX-based mobile platform next year.”
The Company’s GAAP net income for the quarter was $329 million, or $0.63 per share diluted, compared with GAAP net income of $695 million, or $1.33 per share diluted, in the prior quarter and net income of $797 million, or $1.46 per share diluted, in the same quarter last year. Adjusted net income for the second quarter was $419 million, or $0.80 per share diluted. Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share exclude the impact of a pre-tax one-time charge of $118 million for the Company’s cost optimization program that was implemented in the second quarter of fiscal 2012. Details on the cost optimization program are available in the Company’s press release dated July 25, 2011 as well as in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the fiscal period ended August 27, 2011, which will be filed shortly. This charge and its related impacts on net income and diluted EPS are summarized in the table below.
Reconciliation of GAAP net income to adjusted net income
(United States dollars, in millions except per share data)
For the quarter ended
August 27, 2011
Net Income Diluted EPS
As reported $ 329 $ 0.63
Adjustment:
Cost optimization program, net of income tax(1) 90 0.17
Adjusted $ 419 $ 0.80
Note: Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and thus are not comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other issuers. The Company believes that the presentation of adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share enables the Company and its shareholders to better assess RIM’s operating results relative to its operating results in prior periods and improves the comparability of the information presented. Investors should consider these non-GAAP financial measures in the context of RIM’s GAAP results.
(1) During the second quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company implemented a cost optimization program to streamline operations across the organization. The Company incurred approximately $118 million in total pre-tax charges related to the cost optimization program. Substantially all the pre-tax charges are related to one-time employee termination benefits and the identification and elimination of redundant facilities, with the charges included in the relevant line items in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations. During the second quarter of fiscal 2012 pre-tax charges of approximately $13 million were included in cost of sales, charges of approximately $19 million were included in research and development, and charges of approximately $86 million were included in selling, marketing and administration expenses. Additional charges for headcount related costs associated with our cost optimization program may also be incurred in subsequent quarters.
The total of cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments was $1.4 billion as at August 27, 2011, compared to $2.9 billion at the end of the previous quarter, a decrease of $1.5 billion from the prior quarter. Uses of cash included strategic purchases of intellectual property assets associated with RIM’s participation in a consortium of companies that successfully bid to acquire Nortel Networks Corporation’s patent portfolio, of which RIM’s cost is approximately $780 million, capital expenditures of approximately $285 million, and working capital requirements.
Q3 and FY2012 Outlook
Revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 ending November 26, 2011 is expected to be in the range of $5.3-$5.6 billion. Gross margin percentage for the third quarter is expected to be approximately 37%. BlackBerry smartphone shipments are expected to be between 13.5 million and 14.5 million units. Adjusted earnings per share for the third quarter, excluding the impact of charges related to the Company’s cost optimization program, is expected to be in the range of $1.20-$1.40. Adjusted diluted earnings per share for the full year fiscal 2012, excluding the impact of charges related to the Company’s cost optimization program, is expected to be towards the low end of the previously guided range of $5.25-$6.00.
Conference Call and Webcast
A conference call and live webcast will be held beginning at 5 pm ET, September 15, 2011, which can be accessed by dialing 1-877-974-0445 (North America), (+1)416-644-3414 (outside North America) or through your personal computer or BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet at www.rim.com/investors/events/index.shtml. A replay of the conference call will also be available at approximately 7 pm ET by dialing (+1)416-640-1917 and entering passcode 4466490#. A replay of the webcast will be available on your personal computer or BlackBerry PlayBook tablet by clicking the link above. This replay will be available until midnight ET, September 29, 2011.
About Research In Motion
Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ:RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws, including: statements relating to RIM’s revenue, gross margin, shipments and earnings expectations for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 as well as its adjusted earnings expectations for fiscal 2012; its plans to build on the success of the BlackBerry 7 launch and to focus its development on its next-generation, QNX-based mobile platform; its plans and business strategies over the next several months; its plans and expectations relating to its cost optimization program; new product introductions and timing; and anticipated growth opportunities relating to new products and technology. The terms and phrases “estimated”, “continue”, “drive”, “focus”, “will”, “expected” and similar terms and phrases are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by RIM in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that RIM believes are appropriate in the circumstances, including but not limited to general economic conditions, product pricing levels and competitive intensity, supply constraints, new product introductions, RIM’s expectations regarding its business, strategy and prospects and RIM’s confidence in the cash flow generation of its business. Many factors could cause RIM’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks relating to RIM’s intellectual property rights; RIM’s ability to enhance current products and develop new products and services; risks related to delays in new product introductions; RIM’s ability to realize the anticipated benefits of its cost optimization program; RIM’s ability to compete in the tablet market; risks related to intense competition; RIM’s ability to manage inventory and asset risk; RIM’s reliance on carrier partners, third-party manufacturers, third-party network developers and suppliers; risks relating to network disruptions and other business interruptions; RIM’s reliance on key personnel; risks related to third party manufacturers and RIM’s ability to manage its production processes; risks related to RIM’s international operations; security risks and risks related to encryption technology; potential defects in RIM’s products; RIM’s ability to maintain and enhance its brand; RIM’s ability to manage growth; and difficulties in forecasting RIM’s quarterly financial results, particularly over longer periods given the rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards, intense competition and short product life cycles that characterize the wireless communications industry.
These risk factors and others relating to RIM are discussed in greater detail in the “Risk Factors” section of RIM’s Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F and RIM’s MD&A (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on RIM’s forward-looking statements. RIM has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. RIM, Research In Motion and BlackBerry are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be pending or registered in other countries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners.[/spoiler]
3 comments » | Blackberry
Mobility Digest Review – Cut The Rope: Experiments for iOS
Today, the sequel to the insanely popular game ‘Cut the Rope’ was released. We ran a brief story about it this morning, and were asked to review it. Since I love the original game, I decided to give this one a go too.
Cut the Rope: Experiments adds a couple of new game mechanics to the already stellar Cut the Rope formula which include a new rope gun and suction cups. They help to create some incredibly thought provoking levels (75 in all!) which will try your patience and skill. Feeding Om Nom has never been this difficult!
If you’re not familiar with the Cut the Rope game mechanics, you are basically given a simple set of tools (ropes, blowers, bouncers, balloons, and ‘auto-rope-zones’) which will help you navigate the various levels. You guide a piece of candy to the ever cute Om Nom and try to collect three stars scattered around the particular level before feeding the little guy. The more stars you get in the least amount of time, the better your score.
The new suction cups and rope guns allow you to precisely control the candy’s ascent or descent in the level. This game is very addictive and you’ll find yourself trying to perfect every level. I just wish the initial release of this update to Cut the Rope had a few more levels. 75 sounds like a lot, but I finished it pretty quickly.
The iPhone / iPod version is only $.99 and the iPad ‘HD’ version is only $1.99 and they are both available on the Apple App Store.
This game is rather short, so I feel a quick review is fair. However, I recommend this game and look forward to all of it’s upcoming updates! Thumbs up!
2 comments » | iOS, Reviews
Skype for iPad available now
The native iPad app for Skype has finally been released. Making it’s debut at precisely midnight, it is a welcome replacement for the iPhone app – this is not an update to the existing iPhone version, it’s completely separate.
It is capable of making and receiving voice and video calls (and of course text chats) over both 3G and Wifi and has a very slick interface. If you’ve got an iPad 2, jump on this quick and call everyone you know to let them know you… have Skype on your iPad….
Get it here: App Store
Comments Off | Uncategorized
Google + app is now live on iOS
Get it on the iTunes App Store at THIS LINK
3 comments » | Uncategorized
Jailbreakme.com v3.0 is live – iPad 2 included!
Take your happy little self on over to JailBreakMe.com and remove the limitations from your idevice of choice (as long as it’s not a 1st gen iPhone or iPhone 3G)
Here’s a photo of cydia running on my personal iPad 2 ATT 3G 64GB :)
Have fun.
1 comment » | Uncategorized
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