Microsoft’s got a giant ad budget and the company’s spending like crazy to tentpole its flailing new(ish) OS, Windows 8. This new ad harkens back to Apple’s “Mac vs. PC” from the decade prior. But this time the tables are turned (at least in the tablet wars), and it’s Microsoft who’s going up against the huge popularity and user base of Apple’s iPad. With its huge success in the mobile device market, Apple’s become the sterile, establishment option and Windows 8 is the colorful, fun option for the hipsters – at least that’s what Microsoft’s aiming at in ads like these. Regardless of your opinion on the matter, the ad’s a hoot.

While I’m on the subject, can we all just agree that John Hodgeman is awesome, and Justin Long is…. not. I think the roles might be reversed if those ads were filmed today!

Watch the video below for a laugh. Apple fangirls and boys, don’t take it too personally!

[Via: The Verge]

In 2012, Apple had the highest score out of any cell phone manufacturer with an 83. This year, still at the highest, it has actually dropped two points down to 81. It’s not too big of a deal, but it is telling overall that less people are happy with their iPhone this year — namely the iPhone 5.

On the other hand, satisfaction with the likes of Motorola and Samsung has increased. Motorola is definitely peculiar since the company has been slacking in 2013 to put out new handsets. It leaped from 73 to 77 while Samsung had the biggest increase of them all with a 5-point boost from 71 to 76.  Nokia also got a slight increase from 75 to 76.

This means that Apple is now only ahead by 4 points compared to last year when it was ahead by 10. Motorola is in second place and Nokia and Samsung aren’t far behind tying for third. HTC and LG come in toward the end, both dropping in satisfaction. HTC fell to 72 from 75 and LG fell to 71 from 75. BlackBerry stayed the same at just 69 points.

Apple has a lot of work to do at WWDC 2013 next month if it wants to maintain its customer satisfaction lead into 2014.

[via CNET]

The Q was introduced at last year’s Google I/O and was designed to allow you to stream content from your phone or tablet to your TV. After  the device failed to garner much interest from consumers and had some initial problems, Google postponed the launch of the consumer model. Last weeks Google Play Music news squashed most hopes that the little orb that couldn’t would be getting a retail launch.

But now it looks like Google may have a new media player in the works, according to Liliputing. The tech site referenced a new FCC filing from Google, for a device called the Google H840. There isn’t much to go on, but the filing mentions that the device, “functions as a media player.” 

While it remains to be seen if this new device from Google is Nexus Q Mark II, or something completely different. But it’s clear that Google’s sights are on the living room!

[Via: Liliputing]

We must say the Square Stand + iPad installation reminds us little on the iMac but I guess that was the idea — to piggyback on the proven design Apple fans are used to.

In the official press release, Square co-founder Jack Dorsey described the $299 Square Stand as “elegant, fast, affordable and easy to use,” and as such – perfect for any merchant whether it sells cupcakes, cardigans or cappuccinos.

In addition to card swiping capability, the Square Stand can also sing along a receipt printer and barcode scanner, both of which are available for purchase from Square.

Finally, it’s worth adding that the stand currently selling is only compatible with second- and third-generation iPads (it has a 30-pin connector), with a model supporting the fourth-gen iPad’s Lightning expected to be launched later in the year.

Thanks for taking the time to report this issue. As you noticed, the latest version of Google Play Music isn’t compatible with the Nexus Q. The Nexus Q devices given to last year’s I/O attendees and provided free of charge to those who ordered are not compatible with the current version of Google Music.

To make matter worse, Q users who update Google Play Music on their phone lose the functionality they already have, leaving them with “broken” music streaming to their media orb.

Google Support recently added this single sentence to their page:

Please note that currently, All Access can be accessed through the Google Play Music mobile app or a desktop browser and is not compatible with Nexus Q.

While it doesn’t explicitly say the Q will never be getting All Access support, it’s not looking good. This may be the nail in the coffin for the Nexus Q. The purpose of the device was to stream media, so it’s omission from Google’s new streaming music service certainly doesn’t bode well. The Q has kind of been the ugly stepchild of the Nexus family since it was unveiled at last year’s Google I/O. While it’s been discontinued, there are several orbs out there with disappointed owners today.

[Via Phandroid]

The display unit was spotted at the Qualcomm booth at a tech event in Dubai. With Google I/O starting tomorrow, the rumors are swirling about a revamped Nexus 4 (among other potential announcements), as well as the white option for Google’s flagship phone. Whether or not this white Nexus is announced at I/O, it should be available soon as more and more handsets are popping up in random places.

The standard, black Nexus 4 is a beautifully designed piece of tech and this shiny, white version looks like a worthy counterpart. While some of you were hoping for a fully white Nexus, I think the two-tone design looks pretty cool. The video’s only been on Youtube an hour or so and has already garnered over 300 views, so the excitement’s building for the new color.

What do you think about the Nexus 4′s new look? Let us know in the comments and check out the video below!

[Via: TechView]

One lucky person in the Philippines nabbed the white Nexus 4 from a buy and sell website, and that’s basically the whole story. While the appearance of the white Nexus 4 popping up again just days before Google I/O 2013 is certainly interesting, there’s still no indication that we’ll see such a device debut at the conference later this week. Still, with rumors of a 32GB/LTE version of the device swirling around, we’re not completely discounting the possibility.

At Google I/O 2012, attendees received a special edition white Nexus 7 tablet, so if there was a time that the search giant would unveil a new color option for the Nexus 4, it could just be days away. Nonetheless, at this moment in time, the owner of the device you see above is just lucky.

It did take a few months before the white Samsung Galaxy Nexus became available, so maybe we’re seeing a similar treatment with the Nexus 4. Maybe not.

Hit up the links below for more shots of the white Nexus 4.

Via: Android Central

Source: Google+

The ad below depicts non-HTC One users “digging” through their phones to find the content they are looking for, with piles of dirt falling at their feet. With Blinkfeed, Facebook, Twitter, and news feeds are all found in one stream that you can customize to your liking. This unified system allows HTC One users to keep all of the important content they care about in one place.

Blinkfeed itself is a staple of the new Sense 5, so we’re not surprised to see its own ad. Then again, this could also be an ad against Samsung’s Galaxy S 4, which ships with several new software features as the main focus and appeal of the device.

Check out the ad below and tell us what you think. Blinkfeed is great for what it is, and it is a decent selling point, but we think picking the phone up and feeling just how awesome this phone feels in the hand is what’s going to seal the deal.

[Via: BGR]

Just to get a better sense of how light it is, when compared to the average aluminum bumper weight of 26 grams; the AL13 weighs almost half of that (14 grams to be exact). As a result, the case keeps the lightweight feel of the iPhone that we all love — it’s truly one elegant piece of material. The lightweight aluminum also prevents major signal loss, as it only drops the signal 5-10 percent, compared to the average 25 percent loss of other aluminium bumpers. I didn’t notice any real drop off in call quality when using my phone.

Putting the bumper on is a joy as well. Most cases or bumpers I’ve tried in the past have always had a janky way of going on the device or coming off. To put on the Al13, all you have to do is simply lay your iPhone 5 down inside the bumper and slide on the back plate: it’s really easy!

Once the Al13 is on, you’ll notice that the front of the phone along with the bezel almost is flush to the bumper case, but the back of the case doesn’t have the same closeness. This could be due to making the iPhone 5 better when it comes to drops, just a guess though. But I would be remissed if I didn’t mention the extras that comes with the Al13. What you get in the tin box is a screen protector for the front and back of the phone, along with a small microfiber-like cloth to wipe blemishes and prints.

Remarkably, the screen protector is no cheaply made plastic that goes over the display, instead it’s an anti-scratch, fingerprint and glare polyurethane screen protector. The protective film is great on the fingers when you’re performing your typical typing and swipe-gestures — it doesn’t feel icky after heavy phone usage.

Carrying my handset around with the bumper didn’t feel like holding a brick, it felt pleasantly light as I alluded to earlier. This allowed me to keep the case on throughout the day unbothered.

In the end, I’d have to say that this is one of the best accessories I’ve ever used. The presentation of the box catches your attention before you see the product, and once you open the box you become even more impressed. Designed by m delivered with this; the Al13 is quality to it’s core.

Al13 comes in five colors and sells for $79.99 here. Photo gallery is below!

Of course, this probably wouldn’t be a completely flexible phone, as the flexible OLED display technology is still in its infancy, and other components such as the battery and processor are far from being flexible at this juncture. More likely than not LG’s flexible display will wrap around the unit, like some concept pictures we have seen of Samsung devices.

LG has definitely stepped up its game over the last year, releasing some awesome smartphones such as the Nexus 4, the LG Optimus G and Optimus G Pro, shipping 10.3 million of its handsets in Q1 of 2013. The only thing that could hold LG back, however is production of the OLED screens, which have plagued both LG and Samsung in the past with the manufacture of their OLED TVs.

Time will tell when LG’s flexible OLED screen dream becomes a reality, but either way it is an exciting prospect.

[Via: BGR]

His quote that says it all is: “Our teams are working on new hardware, software, and services that we can’t wait to introduce this Fall and throughout 2014.” Tim Cook does say that some of what’s currently unannounced will arrive “throughout 2014″ but that’s most likely software. Apple’s WWDC is always in June and in recent years it’s been used to talk about features in iOS and OS X — in other words, software. At WWDC 2013, Apple is expected to talk about iOS 7 and OS X 10.9.

There have been some rumors that Apple could introduce an iPhone 5S, a fifth-generation iPad, or a second-generation iPad mini at WWDC this summer, which would break the usual one-year product refresh cycle. However, Tim Cook’s comments specifically mentioning fall product introductions are likely referring to the new iPhone and iPad. The iWatch is something else we’re waiting for as well, but some speculate that might not be a reality until 2014. Cook did mention new product categories during the conference call, so it’s possible the iWatch is what he was referring to.

[via Gotta Be Mobile]