Friday Recap: Nokia Cash Burn, T-Mobile on Data Sharing, iTunes Festival 2012
Friday Recap: Nokia Cash Burn, T-Mobile on Data Sharing, iTunes Festival 2012
Another weekend is here, and it’s sure starting to feel like summer. After delaying a new iPhone until October of last year, Apple is surprising us again by shifting its annual iTunes Festival music event in the U.K. from July to September, but don’t worry: There should be plenty of summer fun coming from Cupertino, most likely in the form of OS X Mountain Lion and new Macs. In the meantime, keep up with all of the day’s highlights for this Friday, May 18, 2012.
Report: Nokia Burning Through Cash at “Unsustainable Rateâ€
Reuters is reporting that Finnish cell phone giant Nokia could burn through its existing stockpile of cash in two years at the rate it’s currently spending, assuming its recent gamble with Windows Phone doesn’t pay off. “Over the past five quarters, the onetime darling of mobile telecoms has eroded its cash pile by 2.1 billion euros ($2.7 billion),†the report reveals -- and with only 4.9 billion euros in reserve, the clock appears to be ticking for Nokia. Analysts now expect the company to burn through an additional two billion euros in the next three quarters, while the most pessimistic analysts believe it could happen as early as next year. Back in 2007, Nokia had more than 10 billion euros on hand -- ironically, the same year that Apple unleashed its game-changing iPhone, which has disrupted the business models of old-school companies like Nokia and Research in Motion. While Nokia’s new Lumia handsets have garnered praise from customers and critics alike, analysts consider them “too little, too late†to stop the bleeding -- and many believe Microsoft could be the company’s “white knight,†should the worst come to pass.
T-Mobile: Just Say No to Family Data Sharing Plans
Family data plans may be forthcoming from AT&T and Verizon Wireless this summer, but T-Mobile seems to have a completely different attitude about them. The T-Mobile Issues & Insights Blog today announced that the fourth-place U.S. carrier has no plans to offer shared data plans for families, questioning the overall value of such a move. “But would this approach actually deliver a better value to consumers?†the company asks. “Do families really want to keep track of each others’ data consumption? We don’t think so. Just imagine mom’s email is suddenly unavailable because her teenage son watched an HD movie on his phone, consuming the family’s data allotment.†Not a bad point, and T-Mo goes on to point out that their data plans are more “flexible and affordable†than the competition, while unlimited data plans take the surprise out of consumers’ bills. It will be interesting to see if the Magenta Network has a change of heart, depending on how these plans pan out for the big boys first.
iTunes Festival Kicks Off 30 Nights of Free Music September 1
Apple has announced its iTunes Festival plans for 2012, and while the month-long free concert event remains in the United Kingdom, the calendar has shifted from July to September. This year’s event will be held at The Roundhouse in London, with five acts confirmed thus far, including Usher (who kicks things off on September 1), Jack White (Sept. 8) and Norah Jones (Sept. 10). While the tickets are free, they’re dispersed through a lottery system and only available to residents of the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany and the Netherlands. However, video of the performances will be streamed live to iTunes on the desktop or though a free iTunes Festival app -- which is currently U.K. only, but other streaming options are promised for August.
Samsung Racks Up 9 Million Galaxy S III Preorders, But Not from Users
Reuters filed an interesting report this morning which claimed that Samsung had racked up “some nine million preorders for its third-generation Galaxy S smartphone from more than 100 global carriers.†Did you catch that last part? As noted by The Loop, that impressive figure is not units actually sold to consumers, but rather devices being shipped to carriers, many of which could wind up sitting in a warehouse somewhere while they wait to find a home. Now before you accuse us of Android bashing here, we’re sure plenty of those Galaxy S III handsets will find loving homes eventually, but it’s kind of a cheat for Samsung to tout such huge numbers this early in the game, don’t you think?
PDF Expert 3 for iPhone Adds Audio Notes, Embedded Video
Readdle announced the availability of PDF Expert 3.0 for iPhone this week, a significant update to the handheld version of the $9.99 professional PDF document reader. The latest version for iPhone and iPod touch adds the ability to sign documents, create audio notes and attach them to documents, play embedded video from inside a PDF, revise and stamp documents using stamps and seals, preview files using a “shelf view†mode and even organize or find documents instantly with the new sorting panel. If all of that isn’t enough, Microsoft SkyDrive users can access their files right from the app as well. PDF Expert for iPhone 3.0 is available now and as always, a free update for existing owners.
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