By Gilbert Falso :: 8:50 PM
Did you get an e-mail in your inbox today from Apple alerting you to the availability of the new iPhone 5? Don’t open it or click the links in it – it’s a hoax!
Someone has created a very clever and believable scam e-mail that claims the iPhone 5 is ready to order. Most have gone out with the subject line of “iPhone 5G S has been released” and contain a realistic looking message like the one below.
According to antivirus and security firm Sophos, “Clicking on links in the email takes you to some Windows malware (lucky Mac fans are being ignored by the hackers on this occasion) which Sophos detects as Mal/Zapchas-A.”
Similar phishing attempts happened earlier in the year, with hackers portraying the new iPhone model as having a slide-out keyboard.
The Mal/Zapchas virus renders a victim’s computer vulnerable to remote takeover and attack. It can be fixed by running most any up-to-date virus protection program.
By Cynthia Herbert :: 12:07 PM
Amazon’s Kindle Fire launched last week, and Amazon’s online storefront is well prepared to serve the new tablet, even though it is only in pre-order mode right now, and won’t ship until November.
The top-of-the-line case offering for the Kindle Fire appears to be the Marware C.E.O. model
Marware also offers another, slightly lower priced offering, the MicroShell Folio
For those looking for something more streamlined and compact, Amazon offers a zip sleeve
Technology accessory and case maker Belkin has also gotten in on the Kindle action, they offer three cases, a grip sleeve
Without a real Kindle Fire to hold and fit into all of these cases, however, it will be a while before any strong recommendation can be made for cases, or any other Kindle Fire accessories, for that matter.
By Gilbert Falso :: 1:58 PM
Last Wednesday, Amazon launched its long-awaited tablet, the Kindle Fire
Though it won’t be released until November, Amazon and its retail partners, such as Best Buy, began taking pre-orders for the $199 tablet, and expect to ship it in time for the holidays.
95,000 pre-orders were taken for the tablet, both through Amazon’s website, as well as through its channel partners, according to a survey run by digital marketing firm eDataSource.
To put these numbers in perspective, Apple sold 300,000 first generation iPads on their first day, but it’s still an impressive number given that the tablet doesn’t exist yet – customers are only pre-ordering.
eDataSource was able to tabulate these figures by tracking email purchase receipts across 800,000 user inboxes.
The Fire’s $199 price point
IHS iSuppli Teardown Analysis Service, the firm that generated the $210 figure said in their report, “The real benefit of the Kindle Fire to Amazon will not be in selling hardware or digital content, rather, the Kindle Fire, and the content demand it stimulates, will serve to promote sales of the kinds of physical goods that comprise the majority of Amazon’s business.â€
By Gilbert Falso :: 1:41 PM
Will Apple be adding another carrier to it’s stable of iPhone service providers? There are rumors afoot that wireless carrier Sprint will be added, alongside of Verizon and AT&T.
Here are a few things that just about every news site and tech blog can agree on – the iPhone 5 will come with Apple’s more powerful A5 processor, an 8-MP camera and an overall redesign, at least along the back side.
Gene Munster an analyst from the firm Piper Jaffray has said that adding Spring to the iPhone’s carrier lineup has the potential to increase overall sales by about 6 million units. If Sprint naps the iPhone, it would leave T-Mobile out in the dark as the last major U.S. carrier not offering it. That is, unless AT&T is able to finish its T-Mobile acquisition, which is far from a done deal given the federal scrutiny happening. Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile’s parent company, has been able to offer the iPhone for several years in Germany.
In addition to launching the iPhone 5 at the October 4th event, it is expected that Apple will offer a new iPhone 4 to be added to the lineup, as well as some new iPods, and the possibility of iPod retirement for the Classic and Nano models.
By Gilbert Falso :: 9:35 PM
During Apple’s last earnings call, sharp-eared investors may have heard of an impending “product transition” for the iPod line. At the time, it was not clear what they were talking about, but according to TUAW, things are much clearer now. The iPod Classic and the iPod Shuffle will be sunset very soon.
TUAW isn’t disclosing their source, but they do make some good points – namely that the iPod Classic is now based on 10-year-old technology. It has a platter-based hard disk, while all of the other Apple music players have transitioned to flash-based memory. The iPod shuffle, while similar in size to the Nano, lacks a screen – it’s the odd duck among Apple’s lineup.
Apple is planning to reveal minor changes to its iPod touch device in the near future. It is unclear, at this time, if that will be part of the planned October 4th iPhone 5 announcement.