Verizon sold 2 million iPhone 5s, 4 million iPhones in total during 2013 Q1

During Verizon's quarterly financials call, company CFO Fran Shammo let slip that of the 7.2 million smartphones that the company activated, 4 million of them were iPhones. He added that half of them were LTE-ready, which we can take to mean the iPhone 5, while the other half was mixed amongst the older devices in Apple's smartphone pantheon. While the executive didn't break out how much of the 3.2 million other smartphones were Android-based, we're reasonably confident that other operating systems haven't made too much of a dent in that figure.

Source: Verizon

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By: Unknown On 8:08 PM

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FAA may ease 'reading device' restriction during takeoff and landing later this year

By early 2014, passengers may be able to use certain electronic devices in airplane mode during takeoff and landing, according to a New York Times report. The publication's industry sources say that the Federal Aviation Administration may announce more lenient electronics policies later this year, allowing passengers to use "reading devices" during takeoff and landing -- while it's not clear which gadgets would qualify, cellphones would remain on the ban list. The FAA commissioned an industry group to study the issue of in-flight electronics use -- the team, which includes representatives from Amazon, Boeing, the CEA, FCC, and others, will announce the results of its study by July 31st.

The issue has support from key lawmakers as well. Senator Claire McCaskill is calling the FAA out on its authorization of pilots to use iPads in the cockpit and flight attendants to use devices of their own, while restricting passengers from reading books on e-readers -- "A flying copy of 'War and Peace' is more dangerous than a Kindle," she told the Times. And we'd have to agree. Until the FAA announces a policy revision, we all have no choice but to reluctantly comply with the ban, but with devices like Google Glass on the horizon, updated restrictions could not come too soon.

Source: The New York Times

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By: Unknown On 6:21 PM

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EE sees contract activations fall during its first quarter with LTE

When EE activated its LTE network part-way through its fourth-quarter, there was an assumption speed-hungry Brits would storm the company's numerous stores to get at that super-fast mobile data. The reality, however, seems to indicate that it takes more than a Kevin Bacon commercial to send the homeland into a frenzy. The company's financial results show that the network only added 201,000 customers between October and December 31st -- 49,000 fewer than in Q3 and 112,000 fewer than signed up in the same period in 2011. EE also isn't breaking out figures for how many of its existing customers made the change -- so for now we'll have to assume that the UK isn't as sweet on the guy from Footloose as Olaf Swanee had hoped.

Source: EE

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By: Unknown On 6:01 PM

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Foxconn and Flexium to keep some Apple assembly lines running during the Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is the most important festival in China. During the 15 days, factories are usually shut down and it takes something terribly important to keep the assembly lines humming. This year, the strong demand globally for the Apple iPhone 5 and the Apple iPad mini means that both Foxconn and Flexium Interconnect will keep some of their production facilities open during the Chinese New Year period. Foxconn assembles the devices while Flexium produces printed circuit boards. Not only won't the plants completely shut down for the festival that starts February 10th, Flexium has hired a large number of students to maintain production.

This could be considered to be a sign of strong demand for the Apple iPhone 5 and the Apple iPad mini. Recently, Apple has been able to catch up with the demand for its iconic smartphone and not only can the handset be found in stores, those ordering online can also find it in stock from the online Apple Store.

The Apple iPad mini is a little different story. A recent report showed that those assembling the unit are putting together fewer tablets than the number that would be expected from the amount of components shipped. This could be a sign of a poor yield rate although the latest word is that the yield rate on the iPad mini assembly line is picking up. Currently, those ordering the Apple iPad mini from the online Apple Store have to wait a week from the time they place the order to the time that it is shipped.

source: UnitedDailyNews (translated), BrightWire via Forbes                                      

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By: Dilusha On 10:15 PM

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Nokia Lumia 920 coming to KPN in the Netherlands during the first week of 2013

The Nokia Lumia 920 is beginning its next phase to take over the world. Nokia's Windows Phone 8 flavored flagship phone recently had a very successful release in the Chinese market where not once, but twice long lines of buyers waited outside and inside the Nokia Store in Shanghai to purchase the phone. The first time, the stock was sold out in 2 hours. The second time, the yellow model was snatched up in 20 minutes. And even online, where the special variant of the phone, the Nokia Lumia 920T was offered for customers' of China Mobile, Amazon was wiped out of inventory in 30 minutes. On Sunday, we told you that an 11 second television commercial in India was telling those watching to get ready to switch to the Nokia Lumia 920. Also expecting to launch the device soon are carriers in the Netherlands. There, the operators have been taking pre-orders for the phone, expecting to ship them sometime next month. One carrier in particular, KPN, has a more precise launch date. On its website, KPN says it will have the phone available in the first week of January 2013. The carrier is giving you the phone free with your signature on a two-year pact for 25 EUR a month ($32.98 USD). That plan, though, is pretty light with only 1000MB (slightly less than 1GB) of data at 7.2Mbps, 250 minutes of SMS and unlimited KPN to KPN calls.

Vodafone Netherlands and T-Mobile Netherlands are both among the carriers taking pre-orders with the former selling the device for 119.98 EUR ($158.27 USD) with their recommended plan. That price requires you to get locked up with the carrier for two-years. So which country is next to release the Nokia Lumia 920?

source: T-MobileNetherlands (translated), VodafoneNetherlands (translated) via WMPoweruser

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By: Dilusha On 8:43 PM

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Softbank will offer satellite phones for use during natural disasters

Japanese mobile service provider Softbank announced today that it will sell satellite phones that can be used during tsunamis, earthquakes, or other events during which traditional mobile phone service may be unavailable. The carrier has partnered with Dubai-based Thuraya, a satellite phone and service provider, to sell satellite-based phones to its home market. Softbank, which is in the midst of a $20.1 billion acquisition of US carrier Sprint, has been slower than other Japanese carriers to restore critical mobile services after natural disaster-caused outages. Satellite phone sales will primarily target essential services such as government officials, energy providers, and local media, though private citizens will be able to buy the phones through retail outlets in order to stay connected during critical events. No word yet on price, though Japanese consumers can expect these phones on the market by February.

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Via: Computerworld

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