Apple has won a patent that allows SIM cards to be easily removed. Apple says that this will work in a tablet like device or smart phone like device. This can also be a Micro-SIM, SIM card, mini-SIM, or other card type.
Rumor has it that a new iPad will be released in March 2013. It is supposed to be thinner and more lightweight than the current model. This release would be less than a year after the release of the mini. The report says that the new iPad would be as thin as the iPad mini.
HTC Corp. wants to make tablets based on the Windows operating system. HTC was left out earlier this year from the first batch of Windows tablets. HTC’s products are to come out in 2013 based on the Windows RT version designed for machines using the ARM chip technology. The tablets are scheduled for the third quarter. Toshiba Corp scrapped plans to make a machine using the Windows RT operating system.
You can now convert Microsoft files to Google docs and edit them in Quickoffice. They have now been made to look better after the conversion. Now you can also do quick edits to Word, Excel and Powerpoint files without converting them first. In 2013 there will be even more improvements.
There was a 29% increase in iOS 6 in the five days after Google Maps was released. Most people waiting until the weekend to hear how the new Google Maps was. The Apple Maps was so bad that people actually held back from updating to iOS 6 and it removing Google Maps until the new Google Maps was released for iOS 6. Withing the first 48 hours Google Maps got over 10 million installs. More people using an operating system means more improvements. In Apples case, more improvements to Siri. More people may also buy an iPhone 5 now which comes preloaded with iOS 6.
Google collects data from all sorts of sources (Governments, cars, satellites and private data stores) but people must shift through all these things. Google has a tool it calls Atlas that has layers to it. Google has thousands of people that use Atlas to message the data. In the images above the top one shows the US governments TIGER system and the both shows Google’s Map. Because Google team went through it there are dozens of improvements.
Google’s Map app reached number 1 quickly after it was released Wednesday night. Nokia’s maps app, Here< was talked about in November but got low ratings. With the release of Google Maps it has taken a nosedive. In order for Here to get better it needs more users looking up locations to improve its database. If Nokia's maps got better they could use it to make more app just for their Lumia smartphones.
The United States Trade Representative has a list of the worlds largest file sharing sites accused of file sharing infringement. The list comes for groups like RIAA and MPAA. Megaupload, BTjunkie and Demonoid have all been closed by this group. Pirate Bay is number one for Indexing but still remains online. Rutracker is not the number one tracker with Demonoid gone. They are based out of Russia.
In September Apple dropped its contracts with Google. Apple wanted to write a new app, based on its database of the world. Apple made a hugh mistake. Rumor had it that Google would make an iPhone app that would use it 7 year old database. It was true. Apple and Google both collect data from at least 24 different sources. Google however has had hundreds of employees and several years hand editing the maps and fixing thousands of errors. In the new app you can report a mistake by just shaking the phone. Also, since 2006 Google’s Street View vehicles have covered 3,000 cities and five million miles of road.
Apple is testing large-screen, high res TV prototypes. It is still in the early stages but Apple is showing a lot of interest. They have been testing designs internally for years. Apple’s chief executive says that it has gone beyond being a “hobby”.