Apple reports $45.6 billion Q2 2014 revenue: 43.7m iPhones, 16.3m iPads, 4.1m Macs sold

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Handhelds, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video,

Today, Apple announced its second quarter earnings results, with revenue at $45.6 billion, beating the guidance of $42-44 billion that it previously gave, while also soundly beating analyst estimates.

How did Apple make that money? Mostly on the back of the iPhone. Device sales for Q2 2014 include 43.7 million iPhones sold, 16.3 million iPads, 3 million iPods, and 4.1 million Macs. In the same quarter last year, the iPhone sold 37.4 million, iPad 19.5 million, iPod 5.6 million, and Mac 3.9 million. The company also announced that Apple TV sales has now surpassed 20 million.

Apple isn't done yet. During today's earning call, CEO Tim Cook reiterated that Apple has new hardware categories that it's excited to reveal here in 2014. Time will tell if they'll be big enough to garner their own bulletpoint in the quarterly results in the future.

iOS 7.1.1 brings improvement to Touch ID for iPhone 5s

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Software,

If you haven't yet updated, Apple released iOS 7.1.1 yesterday, focused on improving the responsiveness of Touch ID fingerprint recognition, iOS keyboard responsiveness, and Bluetooth keyboard usage as well. After installing the small 26 MB update, you should find that Touch ID is less forgetful, while the rest of the updates are fairly minor. You can head into iOS settings and check for the software update to grab it over the air now.

Is this Amazon’s 3D infrared Kindle smartphone?

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors,

Our friends at BGR is reporting that it has acquired an image of Amazon's upcoming smartphone with 3D display. Purportedly, this is a prototype, and if it's true, it has some interesting features that set it apart from the pack. The biggest feature is a 3D effect that is powered by a series of infrared cameras that are used to to track the eyes and face of the user, which then uses the data gathered to power the 3D effect without using the typical methods of deliverying glasses-free 3D (like found on the Nintendo 3DS.) The display is a 4.7-incher, along with a 13-megapixel rear camera.

Amazon has been rumored to be working on its own smartphone for years, ever since releasing the first Kindle Fire tablet. According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon's 3D smartphone should ship to customers this September.

Photo purports to compare iPhone 6 display panel with iPhone 5s display

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors,

A photo that purports to show a front panel from the upcoming iPhone 6 has appeared on China's Weibo site. In the photo, someone is holding the alleged iPhone 6 part up next to a current black iPhone 5s in order to show a size comparison between the two Apple smartphones. The display panel matches up with the rumored 4.7-inch size increase. Of course, that doesn't mean that this particular image is real, but iPhone leaks do start happening annually, like clockwork, around this time of year for the past three years.

Click to continue reading Photo purports to compare iPhone 6 display panel with iPhone 5s display

HTC One (M8) teardown shows repair difficulty

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds,

HTC announced the new HTC One M8 last week, and we've got one in that we're putting through it's paces (stay tuned for our full HTC One (M8) review!) iFixit was also able to get one of the new smartphones, and it performed the now-expected teardown, revealing the build quality and all the innards. The result? The HTC One (M8) build quality is solid, but repairability is very difficult. The battery is buried beneath the motherboard and is adhered to the enclosure, and the display can't be removed without taking apart the entire phone. This is likely why HTC includes free cracked screen repair for the first six months of HTC One (M8) ownership, where the company will take care of the issue absolutely free, regardless of the reason for the damage. Head on over to iFixit to see the full teardown.

Read More | iFixit

HTC One (M8): Quad-core, 1080p, KitKat, available today for $199

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Corporate News, Handhelds,

This morning, HTC officially announced the HTC One (M8) during a New York City press conference. It's the new flagship device from the company, replacing last year's original HTC One smartphone, which we thought was the best Android phone of the year (you can see our original HTC One review here.) HTC did what it could to make the device better in every way, including a unique camera system. With that said, there's a lot to go over, so let's get to it.

Click to continue reading HTC One (M8): Quad-core, 1080p, KitKat, available today for $199

Apple releases 8GB iPhone 5c in select markets

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds,

Apple has released an 8 GB version of the iPhone 5c. The new lower-capacity model will only be sold in select markets where LTE is just now coming to fruition as an entry-level device (since the iPhone 4s only supports 3G.)

"The mid-tier iPhone segment is growing year-over-year and the 8GB model provides a more affordable option for markets where LTE is becoming more established," an Apple representative told Re/code.

Apple's Online Stores in  the UK, France, Germany, China, and Australia are the only territories selling the 8 GB iPhone 5c. In Europe, the cost is £429 for an unlocked model, available in all the same colors as the larger-capacity models. To be honest, this one has us scratching our heads a bit--8GB of storage on a phone that takes 8-megapixel images and high definition video is absolutely nothing. If Apple has it planned for the entry-level buyers, then the price should be less than it is.

Be sure to check out our iPhone 5c review.

Thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy S5

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Editorial, Handhelds,

I wanted to publish some of my thoughts on the new Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone in response to a few comments I've seen others making. Some random clarifitations:

1) While the Galaxy S5 does have a fingerprint sensor, it is bad enough that it will just be a frustration for those who try it out, and they'll likely disable it. Unlike Apple's Touch ID, Samsung's requires a vertical swipe at a very specific angle (or, non-angle.) With Touch ID on the iPhone 5s, you simply press your finger to the Home button, and it instantaneously unlocks your phone. The S5 scanner only works when you scan your finger straight down, towards the bottom of the phone, making it difficult to unlock the phone with one hand. The implementation on the Galaxy S5 is nowhere near as simple.

Click to continue reading Thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy S5

Samsung Galaxy S5 specs and release date

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Handhelds,

As expected, Samsung introduced the Galaxy S5 at its Unpacked event on Monday. This time around, the company focused more on the practical hardware features of the smartphone, as opposed to the bell-and-whistle show we got with the Galaxy S4--we're talking about faster connectivity, a great display, durable build, and camera features that anyone can appreciate.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 packs in a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with 1080p resolution, with a 2.5GHz quad-core CPU, and running Android 4.4.2 KitKat. The battery in the device hold 2800mAh of power, and it's paired alongside a "Super Power Save" mode that'll turn off battery-draining features and turn the display black-and-white in instances where you absolutely want to stretch out your battery life for as long as you can.

Click to continue reading Samsung Galaxy S5 specs and release date

Square introduces SQUA(RED) Reader,  joining fight against AIDS

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Smartphones,

Square is joining in the fight against AIDS with a new, red version of the Square Reader. You can pick up the new device, affectionately referred to as Squa(red), right now for $10. 97.25% of the purchase price will go to the Red charity, and is enough to cover "more than 24 days of life-saving medicine for someone living with HIV." Even more interesting, when a card is swiped through the Squa(red) device, buyers will get a link on their email receipts that allows them to donate directly to the Red charity and the global fund to fight AIDS.

Read More | SQAU(RED) Reader