Apple : a $1 trillion company ??

Apple may be richer in cash than the US government but Could Apple be worth $1 trillion? It's conceivable. The $342 billion iPhone and iPad maker became -- if only briefly -- the most valuable company in the United States when it surpassed Exxon Mobil on August 9. Yet its sales have been surging 80 percent a year, and profit faster. And Apple trades roughly in line with the growing US market -- and at less than half the price-to-earnings multiple it fetched in 2006, when revenue growth was much slower.

Apple now trades at about 11 times estimated earnings for the fiscal year ending September 2012. The S&P 500 index is valued at about 10 times next year's earnings. But Apple's sales growth is not far off 10 times faster than that of the average company. The gadget producer also sits on $76 billion of cash and investments.

To get at this dissonance another way, consider Apple's PEG ratio. This hints at the price of growth by dividing a company's PE ratio by its projected percentage earnings growth. A smaller figure suggests a company is cheaper. Apple's is 0.2. That's low compared to growth darlings. Burrito purveyor Chipotle Mexican Grill, for instance, comes in at 2.1, and Salesforce.com at 13.2. Pandora and LinkedIn aren't even expected to make money.

Alternatively, put Apple on the same PE multiple it traded on in 2006, and it would be worth almost $900 billion. A premium for today's faster growth could get it to $1 trillion. Apple can't be so cheap just because Steve Jobs is in precarious health.

True, Apple already sells more per quarter than it did in all of fiscal 2007, and it takes more and more success to move the needle. Growth could easily slow. Yet the smartphone and tablet markets are young, the company's customers show remarkable fidelity, and areas such as television are ripe for new gadgets. Moreover, Apple's return on equity is almost twice what it was in 2006, suggesting it has pricing power.

Maybe investors simply can't fathom so large a company. A $1 trillion Apple would mean adding all of Microsoft, Google, Intel and Amazon -- and more -- to the firm's current market capitalization. Perhaps Apple is correctly priced, the market too expensive, and growth stocks grotesquely so. But something doesn't add up. In relative terms, Apple should be worth far more.

Apple's market capitalization was $341.5 billion in midday trading on Aug. 9. Exxon Mobil had a value of $341.4 billion.

In the last quarter, the firm's sales grew 82 percent and earnings increased 125 percent from the same period a year ago.

iChat : Apple's social network ??

In a world, where social networking has revolutionized the interaction mode of the society and "digital social profile" reflects the personality and character of an individual, it is becoming very difficult day by day to choose the perfect platform for networking.

If you thought "Facebook" is the best platform then think again, as new entrants like "twitter" and "google plus" has already threatened its numero uno position and the latest to join this $200 billion "social networking market" ,is none other than "Hardware and software" giant "APPLE".

Apple which already provides "iChat" an "instant messaging" application currently available on MAC OSX, is planning to take it to the next level and convert it into the full-fledged "social meadia network". As per our sources, Apple is making its best effort to introduce this social platform alongside the launch of iPad 3 next year.


When Apple first announced that it would launch "iChat"(to know more about it, read below) for the first time as an application on its next iPhone i.e. iPhone 5, many critics spontaneously referred to as BBM's (BlackBerry Messenger) killer as it has got each and every qualities to defeat Research in Motion's instant messaging service.

It wouldn't be difficult for Apple to gain the market share in the social networking field too as it already have the strong user base of iPhone and iPad all around the world. Apple which estimatedly sold 24million iPads (both 1 and 2) already in the market, wouldn't have to try it hard to get the user's attention.

ABOUT  iCHAT(application)


Full-featured instant messaging.
iChat is an instant messaging application that makes it easy to stay in touch with friends and family using text and video. iChat works with AIM, the largest instant messaging community in the U.S., which means you and your buddies can use AIM on a Mac or a PC. iChat works with other services including Yahoo! too.

Video chatting made easy.
Most Mac computers include a built-in FaceTime or iSight camera and mic. When you use them with iChat, you can have high-quality video and audio chats with your friends and family.
Chat with just one person or make it a party by starting a multiway chat.

15 Billion Application Downloaded from Apple's App store

Apple’s App Store has served 15 billion application downloads, the Cupertino, California, company announced Thursday.

According to the official numbers, the store has gone from zero to 425,000 apps in just three years. About 100,000 of those are iPad-native.

Those are impressive figures, whichever way you cut them. And, doing some math actually makes them even more interesting. Apple says there are 200 million iOS users worldwide. Dividing one number by the other gives us a figure of 75 apps per user.

Sure, many of these apps are free (and lots are just plain junk), but that’s really not the point here. Before the App Store, installing software on your phone was a horrible experience. I’m a total nerd, but even I shied away from putting much extra software on my old Symbian-based Sony Ericsson P800 and P900. And when I did, it was uniformly ugly and buggy.

Now, it is so easy and compelling to install apps that the average user has 75 of them on their device. That’s pretty incredible. In fact, shopping for apps is actually something of a pastime. I have friends who browse the App Store in idle moments and think nothing of trying out something new for a few bucks.

Apple has more cash than US govt ??

Well, it might sound ridiculous and weird at first but when it comes to "cash" even the most powerful nation is second to this tech giant.

Apple now owns more money than the government of the United States, reports thenextweb.com.

According to the report, currently Apple has $75.876 billion while the US government trails with $73.768 billion as they struggle with a debt ceiling debate.

Apple's cash reserves are only expected to go up as the company recently launched their next generation portable computer the MacBook Air and their latest operating system 'Mac OSX Lion' which became the fastest selling operating system in the company's history.

The company's iPhone has seen solid sales and those sales are expected to up as many believe the company will launch the next iteration of the iconic device in September.

Xoom's wi-fi debacle

Since it was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show last January, the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Xoom tablet has been hailed as the strongest challenge yet to Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPad.

However, it faces two possible obstacles to widespread acceptance: Its price, and its lack of a WiFi-only version.

Motorola Xoom
The Xoom has both 3G and WiFi capabilities, and it's offered at a price of US$800 without a carrier contract. It can be had for $600 if the buyer signs a two-year contract with Verizon Wireless for data services.

Apple, on the other hand, offers iPads with or without 3G capabilities. Prices for the latter range from $500 to $700, and for the former from $630 to $830.

So for buyers who want a WiFi-only model and don't want to incur the cost of 3G communications, the advantage is to Apple, at least for now. But more on that later.


 
The Unbearable Lightness of Lacking WiFi-Only Models

What about consumers who only want a tablet with WiFi and don't care to rack up charges for cellular data use? What proportion of tablet buyers want the WiFi feature only?

"About a third of iPad buyers got the 3G model, but only about one third of them turned 3G on," Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, told TechNewsWorld. "They bought the 3G capability as insurance since you can't add it later."

Only about 10 percent of iPad buyers turn on the 3G service, Enderle said, adding that purchasers of the Samsung Galaxy Tablet were in line with this trend.

In other words, quite a few people buy the iPad only for its WiFi capabilities. Customers who desire the same thing from Xoom would have to choose between paying a monthly bill for something they don't really want or paying top dollar for hardware they don't need -- the embedded cellular data chip.

So what's Motorola going to do about this?

"We have not yet announced a WiFi-only Motorola Xoom for the U.S. market, but did announce that they would be coming to the Europe market in Q2," Motorola Mobility spokesperson Kira Golin told TechNewsWorld. She declined to discuss whether or not a WiFi-only version of the Xoom will be offered in the United States.

The 3G or Not to 3G?

On the other hand, perhaps a SKU with WiFi-only is overrated as a consumer draw.

"ABI Research estimates that only one in three U.S. homes have WiFi home networking," Jeff Orr, a senior practice director at ABI Research told TechNewsWorld. "This limits the opportunity for media tablets that rely upon WiFi or require a mobile broadband modem for basic connectivity to the Internet."

However, the majority of media tablets sold in 2010 only had WiFi support, although a few vendors, including Samsung, offered only models with 3G connectivity, Orr pointed out.

"Given the introduction of tens of new products in 2011, most manufacturers will differentiate by price, and value-add features that increase costs such as 3G, 4G, GPS and rugged enclosures, will be the first to go," Orr predicted. "In January, Samsung announced plans to introduce a WiFi-only version of its Galaxy Tab tablet, while even more companies are coming to market with only WiFi support."

That's the exact opposite of what Strategy Analytics Associate Director Martin Bradley sees.

"Our expectation is that the trend will be towards increasing adoption of cellular-capable devices, and consumer demand for wide-area usage will naturally increase," Bradley told TechNewsWorld. "We believe around 50 percent of users in developed markets are content with WiFi-only devices, but the trend is downwards."

MOT in the WiFi User's Eye

Perhaps Motorola's decision relates to its marketing  strategy. After all, the Xoom, as it's now designed, gives buyers the choice whether or not to use cellular data. If consumers are buying iPads with both 3G and WiFi capabilities to ensure they won't lose out on 3G, why shouldn't Motorola offer its Xoom to support both connectivity protocols?

"Motorola may be targeting an audience that expects mobility and isn't primarily using the tablet in and around the home," ABI Research's Orr speculated. "A mobile Internet tablet, designed to augment current usage habits for both laptops and smartphones, will include features and services tailored for on-the-go applications."

It's likely that Motorola is targeting mobile professionals and that a WiFi-only media tablet does not match this strategy, Orr pointed out. "The 3G-enabled Xoom is intended to address a specific market opportunity for prosumers and business professionals who want an Android-based tablet for applications that replace currently performing functions on a smartphone and/or a laptop today," he elaborated.

Money Talks -- but Listen Closely

The Xoom's price could prove to be a major issue for consumers. At $800 it's only $30 cheaper than the top-of-the-line 64GB iPad, which offers both 3G and WiFi.

"The Xoom's pricing is clearly at the high end of the range of current devices," Strategy Analytics' Bradley pointed out. "It's positioned as a market leader in the new wave of Android devices and runs the latest Android Honeycomb operating system."

"It's hard to price above Apple successfully, given folks think of them as a premium brand," Enderle said.

"Where are the $200 Android tablets everyone was talking about?" asked Andrew Eisner, director of community and content at Retrevo.

However, the high cost of the Motorola Xoom may be based more on perception than on reality.

The Xoom is more capable than the current iPad, Enderle contended. "With an Nvidia (Nasdaq: NVDA) Tegra2 dual-core processor and being upgradable to 4G LTE in a couple of months via a software patch, it has a much faster processor," he elaborated. "It's closer to what we think the iPad 2 will be."

On the other hand, the iPad 2 is expected to be announced March 2, and we'll then see whether Apple will price that device competitively with the Xoom.

Until then, it's not clear whether Motorola's holding off on offering a WiFi-only Xoom tablet in the United States is a canny marketing move -- or quite the opposite.

Android to surpass iPAD by 2016

Google's Android has been a major competitor in the smartphone industry, but it hasn't quite been that successful in terms of tablets. That being said, a new research conducted by Informa suggests that Android tablets could overtake iPad sales by 2016, which is another 5 years from now.

Apple currently holds about 75%, but the research claims that company's dominance in the tablet market will see a huge fall and will end up at a mere 39%. The theory seems very well worked and we cannot disregard the possibility of this happening sooner than 2015. Apple doesn't have an array of tablets to brag about with the iPad 2 currently being the single and the flagship tablet of the company. We have always stressed on the fact that the head-start that the iPad maker got with the competitive tablet market has been very alarming for the likes of Google, and hence it became necessary to bring out the Honeycomb platform.

The Galaxy Tab, which initially came with Froyo, is the best selling Android tablet to date and that's mainly due to the fact that there weren't any (Android) competitors to the tablet at the time of the launch. However, today with Google's Honeycomb update, the Android scene has opened up considerably. That being said, even with the platform's arrival early this year, there haven't been many Android 3.x tablets.

David McQueen, who is an analyst, said, "From 2013, as cheaper and more advanced Android tablets enter the market, we forecast that sales will pick up considerably, eventually surpassing iPad sales in 2016". He further added, "We have seen a huge explosion in the tablet market in recent years, driven primarily by the iPad, and we estimate that the market will go from strength to strength, growing from under 20 million tablets sold in 2010, to over 230 million in 2015". Given Android's open source nature, it isn't quite hard to make these speculations. The slow roll out of iPads could benefit Honeycomb and ultimately Google.

Samsung Ahead of Apple & Nokia in smartphones

Samsung Electronics, maker of the Galaxy mobile phone, may have surpassedNokia and Apple in smartphone sales for the first time on demand for devices that run on Android software, a research company said.

Samsung is estimated to have sold between 18 million and 21 millionsmartphones globally in the April-June quarter, compared with 16.7 million for Nokia and 20.3 million iPhones, Neil Mawston, a London-based analyst at Strategy Analytics, a research company based in Boston, said in an e-mailed response to questions on July 22. The data exclude tablet-computer sales.

The estimates show Google's Android is gaining ground on Apple in smartphones as Nokia, which is turning toMicrosoft for software support, struggles to keep up with the pace. Samsung, which also produces low-end phones that aren't capable of downloading applications, has said it aims to more than double sales of high-end devices this year.

"Samsung's Android portfolio is selling strongly in most regions," said Mawston. "Samsung stands a reasonable chance of capturing the top spot on a quarterly basis if it can continue expanding its Android portfolio across high-growth markets like China and Brazil.Samsung and Apple will be at similar levels in smartphones by the end of the year."

Catching Nokia 

Including basic phones, Samsung will probably have a 20% share this year, compared with Nokia's 26%, closing the gap between the world's two largest handset makers to the narrowest ever, he said. Samsung wasn't immediately able to verify the figures, said Nam Ki Yung, a Seoul-based spokesman for the Suwon, South Korea- based company. Steve Park, a Seoul-based spokesman for Apple, declined to comment.

Cherry Gong, a Nokia spokeswoman in China, didn't immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment. Samsung fell 0.4% to 847,000 won at the 3:00 p.m. close in Seoul, while South Korea's benchmark Kospi index lost 1%. The shares have declined 11% this year.

Samsung's global smartphone sales had lagged behind Nokia, Apple andResearch in Motion in the first quarter, according to researcher International Data Corp. The South Korean company's sales are accelerating after it began selling the Galaxy S II, a successor to its best-selling Android device introduced last year to counter Apple.

New Galaxy 


Samsung planned to roll out the model in 120 countries through 140 operators from May, the company said in April. The latest Galaxy handset went on sale last week in five cities in China, including Beijing and Shanghai, as the company seeks to make a push into the world's largest market for mobile phones.

The latest 4.27-inch Galaxy phone, unveiled in February, helped Samsung more than double operating profit at its mobile phone business in the second quarter, say five analysts polled by Bloomberg News. Apple reported net income that beat estimates on July 19, lifted by record sales of iPhones andiPads. Nokia reported its first quarterly loss since 2009 as the Finnish company struggles to sell handsets based on its Symbian software.

Review of Application : Flipboard

Available on: iOS
Reviewed on: iPad
Price: Free







Introduction:

Crowned Apple's app of the year, Flipboard is the premier information aggregator on the iOS. It allows the user to consume information in an enjoyable way while delivering customized content.

Usability:

When we first opened Flipboard, we were welcomed with a neat page flipping animation from which the app derives its name. We were asked to sync our Twitter and Facebook accounts, which led us to the Flipboard content grid. The grid was a very intuitive way of portraying the content page as one could easily access all the default Flipboard headers and also the synced social networking headers.

As far customization of content went, the app allowed us to select a custom header. For example, for technology we had the 'tech and science' header which was further sub categorized to include some of the most popular technology blogs such as 'Wired', 'CNET' and 'All things digital'. Once we selected these, we would get a header of the particular blog under the Flipboard contents grid.

We do feel that the customization options are not as streamlined as on Zite, but Flipboard offers a different experience on the whole. It has been designed to provide a more social experience as it does a brilliant job of compiling data from social networks which include images and content.

It gathers all the content trending on our social networks and presents it in a very cool magazine like layout.

It even plays video embedded in those sites but, unfortunately, Flipboard never seems to reveal the name of the author of a particular article, it only reveals the source. So if one is looking for an article authored by 'David Pogue' one will only receive the NYT link.  This is a minor issue but it should be sorted out and the least they could do is give the author the credit for his work.

Interestingly, unlike Zite and Pulse, Flipboard just displays a part of the information in its own window and then redirects to the original website in a Safari like window. This maneuver has been deliberately adopted so that Flipboard does not violate copyright laws.

On the whole, it succeeds as an information aggregator but we do miss the customization options now available on other information aggregators such as Pulse and Zite.

Verdict:

Flipboard brilliantly aggregates information from social networks and various RSS Feeds but it does not offer the plethora of customization options that Zite does. It has neat animations, which enhance the experience. Flipboard and also does not blatantly violate copyright laws. The best part is that it's free. Little wonder, then, that it won Apple's app of the year award.

Apple's Mac OSX Lion crosses million mark

Apple has announced that its latest operating system the Mac OSX Lion has been bought and downloaded by over a million users in a day.

Apple also revealed that it was the fastest adoption rate for any OS released by the company.

According to Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller "Lion is off to a great start, user reviews and industry reaction have been fantastic, Lion is a huge step forward, it's not only packed with innovative features but it's incredibly easy for users to update their Macs to the best OS we've ever made."

For those who do not know Lion introduces more than 250 new features to the Mac, including Multi-Touch gestures; system-wide support for full screen apps; Mission Control, the Mac App Store, Launchpad, and a completely redesigned Mail app.

Interestingly Apple currently only offers the OS as an online download through the Mac App store for $29.99, but the company has announced a retail copy will be available in late August for $69.99 which will be sold on USB drives.

Apple may bid for Hulu

Apple Inc is in talks to potentially bid for video-streaming service Hulu, a person close to the situation said Friday.

The person, who said Apple is among several companies interested in Hulu, spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk about the matter. In early July, search giant Google Inc. was said to be among about a dozen companies in talks to potentially buy Hulu. Yahoo Inc is also believed to be interested. 

Hulu, which is owned by Disney, News Corp., Comcast Corp. and Providence Equity Partners , started presenting its financial information to interested bidders late last month, after an unsolicited offer prompted its board to look for other offers.

The online video service streams movies and TV shows from broadcasters ABC, Fox and NBC to computers and _ for a monthly fee _ to a number of Web-connected mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. It expects its paid service, Hulu Plus, to have over a million subscribers by the end of the summer and its CEO, Jason Kilar, has said it is profitable.

For Apple, an acquisition of Hulu could bolster its iTunes store, which provides videos users can rent or buy, but does not currently stream content or offer a subscription streaming service. It could also help the Cupertino-based iPhone and iPad maker as it spars with competitors such as online video pioneer Netflix Inc., which offers both a DVD-by-mail and video streaming service, and Google Inc.'s popular YouTube video streaming site, which streams free, ad-supported videos and rents movies from several major studios.

Apple has plenty of available cash for making a deal. At the end of the last quarter, its horde of cash and securities totaled $76.2 billion.

And Apple CEO Steve Jobs , who is currently on medical leave, already has a connection with one of Hulu's owners: He's The Walt Disney Co.'s largest shareholder and a member of its board.

However, if Apple _ or any other company _ were to buy Hulu, there's no guarantee it would be able to continue streaming content from the company's current owners. A buyer may have to reach a new deal in order to license the content.

Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said key to any deal involving Hulu would be an agreement for the continued streaming of its current video content. And if, as many analysts expect, Apple is developing its own TV set, the addition of Hulu would put the company in an ``amazingly powerful position,'' he said.

Hulu isn't interested in just exploring possible offers. Earlier this month Disney CEO Bob Iger told reporters that Hulu's owners are ``committed to selling.'' He spoke on the sidelines of an annual gathering of top media executives hosted by investment bank Allen & Co. in Sun Valley, Idaho. Iger's comments were reported by Bloomberg News and The Wall Street Journal.

BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis said it makes sense that Apple would take a meeting with Hulu, but since part of Hulu's business is ad-supported it's contrary to Apple's current model of buying or renting videos. It makes more sense for Google or Yahoo Inc. to buy Hulu, he said.

``They're not the most logical buyers,'' Gillis said of Apple. ``Maybe peeling off a couple bills to keep it out of the hands of Google makes some sense.''

Still, as with any deal, he noted that whether or not it makes sense depends on the purchase price.

Nokia lost its throne to Apple

Mobile phone maker Nokia Corp on Thursday posted a loss of 368 million ($523 million) in the second quarter and for the first time was overtaken by Apple's iPhone in smartphone shipments.

Nokia, which posted a profit of 227 million in the same period in 2010, said revenue fell 7% to 9.3 billion from 10 billion last year.

It shipped 88.5 million mobile devices in April through June, down from 111 million a year ago and 108.5 million in the previous quarter.

Its smartphone volumes fell to 16.7 million units, which means Nokia is no longer No. 1 in the smartphone sector. Apple Inc sold more than 20 million iPhones in the same quarter, lifting its net income to a stronger-than-expected $7.31 billion.

"The challenges we are facing during our strategic transformation manifested in a greater than expected way" during the quarter, CEO Stephen Elop said. "However, even within the quarter, I believe our actions to mitigate the impact of these challenges have started to have a positive impact on the underlying health of our business."

Nokia's share was up 3% at 4.21 on the Helsinki Stock Exchange immediately after the report.

Nokia said it was accelerating its cost-cutting plan to exceed the previously targeted savings of 1 billion in 2013. The reductions would be achieved through cuts in staff and outsourced professionals, facility costs "and various improvements in efficiencies", the company said.

While that could improve the company's finances, Nokia needs to take quick action to develop new products or it will continue to lose ground to its rivals, said Neil Mawston of London-based Strategy Analytics . He expects Samsung to also surpass Nokia in smartphones when it releases its second-quarter earnings next week.

Nokia's global market share dropped below 30% earlier this year for the first time in over a decade.

China clones Apple store now

An Apple Store "doppelganger" has been reported to be found in the south-central city of Kunming, China.

China's four official Apple stores are found in Beijing and Shanghai (two in each of these major cities). These stores were authorized by Apple resellers through an extensive application process. Apparently, an estimated number of 40,000 visitors enter these stores on a daily basis. Statistic wise, that is four times as much as any Apple store in the entire United States!

However, Apple's popularity has brought into light the discovery of a fifth hoax store this week by an expat blogger. The American woman, called BirdAbroad or Jessica, according to some sources, wrote about how deceivingly similar this store is to the original.

According to the blogger, the employees were all dressed in blue t-shirts embedded with the Apple logos and had Apple name tags. Shockingly, they were convinced that they were actually working for Apple.

However, the blogger began to develop suspicion when security guards in layman clothing demanded her to stop snapping pictures of the store. These photos highlighted the realistic details such as its wooden display tables, and iPads, iPhones, MacBooks, and other Apple products that did not appear to be fake.

The blogger realized how poorly constructed the stairs were as well as weakly painted walls, increasing her doubts.

Confirmation with Apple showed that it does not have a retail outlet in Kunming, but it does have a reseller. The reseller is not located near this Kunming location.

BirdAbroad is also doubtful of two other Apple stores in the area, one of which is titled "Apple Stoer."

It seems as if many fake Apple products and Apple stores are becoming prevalent in China.

List of Top Online Brands

Each quarter, General Sentiment releases its “Top Global Brands Report,” which ranks brands based on the dollar value of their online “buzz.”

What does that mean exactly?

General Sentiment measures these brands based on two criteria: impact value and perception value.

Impact value measures all online mentions of the brands and places a value on the overall level of discussion and exposure for the brand. Perception value measures the positive, negative, and neutral mentions of the brand.

Now that we’re caught up, here are the top 20 brands from the first quarter and the overall dollar amount of their “buzz”:

1. Apple - $952, 303
2. Google - $704,327
3. Microsoft - $522,769
4. Yahoo - $259,046
5. Ford - $251,683
6. Intel - $202,262
7. Toyota - $176,861
8. eBay - $132,569
9. Hewlett-Packard - $131,525
10. Sony - $129,700
11. IBM - $121,297
12. Nokia - $117,588
13. Mercedes-Benz - $110,782
14. Oracle - $108,570
15. Samsung - $94,831
16. Disney - $93,442
17. GE - $90,621
18. Starbucks - $74,647
19. Honda - $74,391
20. Goldman Sachs - $74,042

Music apps for iPhone

The great thing about the iPhone is that while it is an extraordinary phone with some extraordinary features, there are also an umpteen number of super cool third party apps available which can help you do just about anything you can imagine with your iPhone.
This list discusses some of the coolest and mind-boggling music apps that can turn your iPhone into a powerhouse of music. Ranging from apps which stream radio stations to apps which can convert your iPhone into a flute or piano, we've got them all covered.

1. Last.fm

     DOWNLOAD


Last.fm, the immensely popular social music site is on the iPhone too. The Last.fm iPhone app lets you access your Last.fm account on the iPhone and listen to your favorite tracks. You can get the music recommendations according to your taste, add tracks to your playlist, purchase tracks directly from iTunes, tag the tracks, share them with the Last.fm community and much more. Certainly offers great features at a great price - $0.


2. Pandora

            DOWNLOAD


The Pandora iPhone app is the iPhone version of the free personalized radio which is completely integrated with your web based Pandora account. It is easy to use and offers all the Pandora features. You can create a station from the current song or artist, tap the album art to get more information, email the station to a friend, bookmark songs and artists, buy tracks from iTunes and get a nice view in the landscape mode by rotating your iPhone.


3. Shazam

         DOWNLOAD


Shazam is an innovative iPhone app that cures your " What was that song ? " problem. It happens to all of us, isn't it. We hear a song, love it, know we have heard it before but just can't recall it. With Shazam you don't need to. Just hold your iPhone near the speakers of the device playing that music. Through iPhone's microphone Shazam gets hold of that song and identifies the album, artist and song title for you. Cool, isn't it ? Oh, and it's free too.


4. Ocarina

        DOWNLOAD

Ocarina makes one of the most unique uses of iPhone's and iPod touch's touchscreen by turning it into a flute which you can play with your fingers. You can blow into the mic and tap the four virtual holes on the screen, all of which give a cool experience of playing a real flute ( atleast to those who have never touched a flute ). In fact users of the Ocarina community can hear what you are playing in the globe mode. The cost of the app - $0.99.


5. Slacker

        DOWNLOAD

Slacker gives you access to unlimited free music on your iPhone. It is easy to use and has an elegant user interface. It can stream music from millions of songs from a huge number of artists in its library. You could also listen to over 100 expert programmed radio stations or create your own custom station. The sound quality is great and it certainly emerges as a tough competitor for Pandora. It's free to download.

Trip Jacket for Apple iPad 2

We have news of some new iPad 2 accessories. The company has just unveiled eleven new iPad 2 sleeves and jackets, which M-Edge CEO Patrick Mish says will compliment Apple’s tablet with style, elegance and protection.
One such product is the new Trip Jacket, which just like the company’s Incline Jacket can be folded into five different typing and viewing angles. The Trip Jacket – which is priced up at $49.99 and is available in 3 different color options – features a soft microfiber interior, a durable canvas and leather trim exterior and an elastic strap to hold it closed when it’s not in use.
If that doesn’t appeal to you, then maybe you will like the book-style New Yorker Jackets. These cases are made from printed fabric, and feature 5 of The New Yorker magazine’s most iconic covers. The new Yorker Jackets are also priced up at $49.99. Another of the newly announced products is the Back It shell, which is designed to use with Apple’s Smart Cover.
The Back It shell simply snaps onto the rear of the iPad 2 to protect the back and corners of the tablet. The Back It shell comes in 4 different colors: orange, clear, grey and aqua, and is available for $19.99. The other new M-Edge accessories include the Pop Sleeve ($29.99), Leisure Jacket ($39.99), Incline Jacket ($49.99) and the Latitude with Theater-Stand ($59.99).
As well as the new iPad 2 accessories, the company is also offering customers a series of fully customizable jackets via its design-your-own-cover website MyEdge. Customers will have the ability to create a cover using their favorite artwork, photos, pattern or text. M-Edge accessories can be purchased at Best Buy, Walmart and Staples, as well as through the company’s website.
Are you thinking about buying a new case for your Apple iPad 2?

Most Valuable brand of 2011

The ratings are finally out and its not surprising that the "hardware to software to animation studio" giant "APPLE" has been named as the most valuable brand of 2011.

Apple is now the most valuable brand in the world, ending a four-year reign by Google, according to the latest Brandz ranking from Millward Brown. The ranking values the Apple brand at $153 billion, up a whopping 84% since last year.

Apple, AT&T Under Fire from FCC

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) sent a letter to Apple, AT&T and Google Friday as the commission began its investigation of Apple’s App Store and the rejection process for apps, reported CNET.Apple has rejected the Google Voice application and removed third-party applications connected to the application that had been previously approved.The FCC has questioned why the Google Voice app

Apple iPhone Weakness to be Resolved

At the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas a security researcher demonstrated Thursday the vulnerability of the iPhone, reported AppleInsider.Charlie Miller, co-author of The Mac Hacker’s Handbook, revealed how hackers could gain complete control of a person’s iPhone. The weakness allows hackers to access the iPhone camera, dialer, messaging, Safari and more personal data among other

Microsoft to Open Retail Stores in Fall

Microsoft confirmed Tuesday that the company had signed two leases, where Microsoft will open retail stores this fall, reported CNET.Microsoft will be opening the new stores around the same time that the company releases its new operating system, Microsoft 7, which is due out on October 22, reported CNET. The company said that retail stores would open in close proximity to Apple stores, in an

Apple Rejects Google Voice App for iPhone

Apple and AT&T continue to reject Google Inc. applications. Google Inc. announced last week that its Latitude application for Apple’s iPhone was originally a more full-scale application, but was forced to make compromises after Apple claimed that the application was “too similar” to the Maps application offered on the iPhone, reported DailyTech.Google Inc.’s Google Voice has been the most recent