My presentation from Handheld Learning 2009’s Pecha Kucha.
Vodafone enters UK iPhone market
So O2’s exclusive contract with Apple and the iPhone has come to an end…
Again…
Vodafone has reached an agreement to sell Apple’s popular iPhone in the UK.
More from BBC News.
Orange gets the iPhone
So O2’s exclusive contract with Apple and the iPhone has come to an end…
BBC News reports:
Orange has reached an agreement to sell Apple’s popular iPhone in the UK.
The deal ends an exclusive arrangement between UK network operator O2 and the Californian phone maker, which has been in place since 2007.
I am not sure that there was much consumer benefit to the exclusive arrangement that O2 had (well has at the moment) however I am equally sure that bringing Orange into the market won’t actually make too much difference to consumers; more likely it will benefit those who can’t get an O2 signal but can get Orange.
Part of the issue has to be the fact that iPhone is in a league of its own when it comes to smartphones, not many other devices match the iPhone in terms of usability, applications and features.
More rumours on new iMacs
Macrumors has some nice new rumours on the next incarnation of the Apple iMac.
The new iMac may include…
…an SD card reader, as found in the 13″ and 15″ MacBook Pro, and the use of quad-core processors, which conflicts with a subsequent report claiming that the new iMac will continue to use dual-core processors.
and
…a new 100% touch-enabled mouse capable of advanced mouse functions, as well as a new aluminum Apple Remote.
I am also hoping that the Blu-Ray rumour that has also been seen is also true. However Apple do seem to have decided that video downloads from the iTunes Store and not via physical format.
I am expecting to see the new iMacs in October and I will probably more than likely be buying one, to replace my current imac which is coming up to three years old.
While we’re on the subject of new Macs, there is also a white MacBook rumour on Macrumors. I wonder if this will be the same format as the current MacBook but with better specifications. However could it be a completely new format to compete in the cheap netbook market?
Twitter confirms major cash boost
BBC News reports:
Social networking website Twitter has confirmed that it has closed a “significant round of funding”.
Co-founder Evan Williams said in a blog post that the site had secured money from five investment firms.
Will this secure the future of Twitter, or with all the possible problems with the networking site mean the death of Twitter?
How People are using Twitter at Conferences
At the recent ALT Conference in Manchester I made extensive use of Twitter to support and enhance the conference. It’s a very easy tool which allows delegates to share ideas and links, discuss keynotes and presentations as well as keep informed about what is hot and what is not at a conference.
Incredible
Awesome!
300 Million Facebook Users
BBC reports on the continued growth of Facebook.
The world’s largest social networking site just got bigger with the announcement it has 300 million active monthly users from around the globe.
Facebook also revealed that it had started making money ahead of schedule.
Read more.
Bing adds visual search, Google Flips
BBC reports
Software giant Microsoft has introduced “visual search” to its Bing search engine to try to further set itself apart from market-leader Google.
and in other news…
Google has unveiled a service called Fast Flip to let users consume news more quickly and to boost the flagging fortunes of the news industry.
The product is designed to mirror the way readers flick through magazines and newspapers.
Now you don’t need to read the news online anymore, you can just look at the pictures!
Gurt Big Icons
One of the nice features of Snow Leopard is the 512 pixel wide icons – can you still call it an icon.
Cult of Mac has a wonderful gallery of said icons with Leander Kahney’s commentary on the detail Apple has in these icons is almost art in itself.
All the icons for folders and apps in Snow Leopard are now drawn in glorious 512 x 512 pixels. It’s a step toward making the operating system resolution independent, and perhaps also to make Snow Leopard a touchscreen friendly OS.
But it’s also obviously done just for the art of it. These icons are real beauties. They are full of great details and little surprises. One icon contains the words to a song, visible only if you blow it up to its full size.