This week in the world of tech, Twitter inspired an extremely unflattering tribute, RIM took heavy losses and the Playstation 4 received an incredibly bad rumoured name change.
Could the PS4 actually not be called the PS4 after all?
Although we still believe very much that the next home console from Sony will be titled the Playstation 4, industry whispers this week have suggested that the codename for the expected 2013 release is ‘Orbis’.
Although we’ve heard plenty of odd console codenames in the past which never came to fruition, it’s important to note that the recently launched Playstation Vita handheld console takes its moniker from the Latin term for life, while orbis is the Latin term for orbit, which could suggest that a) both console will be closely related to one another in more than just their branding and b) that Sony’s marketing team have lost their minds.
We likely won’t hear anymore on this rumour until this summer’s E3 convention but until then, there’s a good chance that the ill-fated Gizmondo could face stiff competition in the dubious honour of worst video game console name ever.
Could Apple and Samsung finally call a patent truce?
The patent wars of Apple and Samsung may be reaching an amicable conclusion, as Bloomberg Businessweek has reported that the two tech giants have met recently to discuss a potential patent settlement.
“Apple CEO Tim Cook does not seem to share his predecessor’s passion about laying all foes to waste. Cook appears to view litigation as a necessary evil, not a vehicle of cosmic revenge,” reported the publication, which is hopefully the sign of a much-needed truce between the US and Korean giants, who have previously argued over the inspirations behind one another’s smartphone and tablet product ranges.
Cook clearly does not share the single-minded determination of his predecessor, the late Steve Job, who said of his OS rivals in his official biography: “”I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.”
BlackBerry left bruised after RIM announce $125 million loss
Prior to the launch of the iPhone, there was just one smartphone synonymous with style, usability and comfort. It was of course Research In Motion’s BlackBerry yet in the face of Android-based rivals and Apple’s runaway success, the makers of the BlackBerry have admitted to shareholders that they are to abandon the majority of their consumer markets due to falling sales.
“We plan to refocus on the enterprise business and capitalise on our leading position in this segment,” CEO Thorsten Heins said after the company posted a $125 million net loss in its last quarter this week, which led to the resignation of co-CEO Jim Balsillie. No RIM job for him anymore…
“We believe that BlackBerry cannot succeed if we tried to be everybody’s darling and all things to all people. Therefore, we plan to build on our strength,” added Mr Heins. As of this writing, a single share in RIM will cost you $13.51, from a 52-week high of $57.32, while a single Apple share will set you back $609.86.
Twitter inspires ‘S***ter’ – the most unflattering ‘tribute’ imaginable
Are you tired of seeing your Twitter timeline dominated by the most inane tweets imaginable? Then show your disdain for the micro-blogging site by clicking onto S***ter, which prints out a Twitter feed on rolls of toilet paper for $35.
“Obviously this is fairly tongue in cheek, but we’re reasonably pleased we monetised Twitter in a way that avoided advertising,’ said founder David Gillespie to Venturebeat.
“We all have other jobs, though we would obviously like to make it a full-time thing. I don’t know where the revenue is, it may very well wind up needing to be funded by brands. I can’t imagine Kleenex putting their name to it.” It’s the site that retired footballer Robbie Savage’s Twitter feed was made for.
Google plans to ship new tablet through online stores
Could the days of walking past a group of folks queuing outside a tech store for the latest consumer device be a thing of the past? They could if Google have their way, as the search engine giants are planning to wrest Apple’s control of the tablet market (90 per cent of the global demand currently) by selling co-branded Android-based tablets via its own online store.
That’s all according to a report from the Wall Street Journal, which reckons the store will incorporate numerous Android-based tablets in addition to those branded by Google. Could the move make more than a marginable difference in the tablet wars? We have our doubts.
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