| Meet the Vers 1Q: the wooden, portable Bluetooth speaker gets Kickstarted, ships this November Aug 8th 2012, 11:31  If you're in the market for a battery-powered speaker and are willing to splurge a bit, then you'd be wise to check out the 1Q from Vers. The diminutive, 3-inch cube-shaped music system is said to provide some impressive tunes all by its lonesome, but it can also be paired with another 1Q to provide true stereo sound. Also, thanks to a 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth connectivity, the little guy is sure to work with any number of devices. Naturally, much of the 1Q's allure is due to its hand-crafted wooden enclosure, which is available in walnut and bamboo varieties. The Vers 1Q has eight days left in its Kickstarter funding phase, but it's not like the project will need your help across the finish line: it's already surpassed the goal nine times over. Fortunately for you, this provides an opportunity to snag a 1Q for just $95; when it hits the market in November, the speaker will retail for $120. For even more details, be sure to hit up the PR after the break. Continue reading Meet the Vers 1Q: the wooden, portable Bluetooth speaker gets Kickstarted, ships this November Meet the Vers 1Q: the wooden, portable Bluetooth speaker gets Kickstarted, ships this November originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Kickstarter, Vers | Email this | Comments | | Nikon makes $201 million quarterly profit, nearly 50 percent drop from last year, blames strong yen Aug 8th 2012, 10:47  Nikon's odd financial calendar means that the camera maker is announcing its first quarter results for 2013. The confusingly-dated documents show that it isn't having the best Spring / Summer, since while it pulled in a net profit of $201 million, that figure is down nearly 50 percent on the $392 million it made in the same period last year. It sold a record number of interchangeable-lens cameras, lenses and a good number of compact cameras, but that was offset against the high cost of the yen. Its other businesses, Precision Equipment and Instruments both suffered thanks to Government spending cuts, a "harsh business climate" and the now age-old problem of the high exchange rate. It's expecting the situation to remain the same in the next three months, with booming camera sales weight against losses in its other businesses -- with a projected profit of $143 million anticipated in Q3. Filed under: Digital Cameras Nikon makes $201 million quarterly profit, nearly 50 percent drop from last year, blames strong yen originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 06:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Nikon (PDF) | Email this | Comments | | Is this the Samsung Galaxy Note 2? Image posted on official site looks familiar Aug 8th 2012, 10:44  Hmmm, this is a strange one. Samsung Pakistan just posted the above pic on its official Facebook page. The caption reads, "Picture perfect view made even more perfect with Samsung Galaxy S3," but the picture clearly isn't of a GS III. So, what is it? It's big, that's for sure, and the bezel is quite the opposite. Dare we hope it's a next-gen Galaxy Note, or is it simply render fodder that has been re-posted by Samsung accidentally? There's one big reason to be skeptical, which is that this exact same pic already did the rounds as a potential GS III image before that flagship was launched. The only difference here is that it's on an official outlet, which implies the jpeg in question could be sitting on a member of staff's hard drive. Oh, and since our brows are already furrowed with doubt, we may as well throw in another rumor that's going about today, which might actually connect with the notion of a thin bezel and no home button. Korea Times is reporting that the Galaxy Note 2 will have a slightly expanded 5.5-inch display that just happens to be flexible -- or at least curved by the time it leaves the factory. We can't vouch for the trustworthiness of their sources, especially since we're still waiting on that 7.85-inch iPad Mini, but then again, Samsung has been exploring flexible AMOLED for years, not to mention bezel-free panels (see More Coverage). Update: And just like that, the Samsung Pakistan Facebook page has disappeared. For the sake of posterity (not least our own), we've kept a record of it after the break. Roll on, August 15th.
[Thanks, Kashif and Leonard] Continue reading Is this the Samsung Galaxy Note 2? Image posted on official site looks familiar Filed under: Cellphones Is this the Samsung Galaxy Note 2? Image posted on official site looks familiar originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 06:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Samsung Pakistan (Facebook) (bust), Korea Times | Email this | Comments | | IDC: Android and iOS continue to carve up the world, another record quarter for smartphones Aug 8th 2012, 10:29  According to IDC's latest figures, Android and iOS now account for 85 percent of the 152 million smartphones shipped in Q2 2012. Google's OS powered 68.1 percent of all smartphones sold -- with Samsung making the hardware behind for just under half of those. Apple's smartphones now claim a 16.9 percent marketshare and while plenty of phone shoppers are holding out for the iPhone's next iteration, iOS still saw double-digit growth in Q2. There's more bad news for both BlackBerry and Symbian platforms, which, combined, accounted for less than 10 percent of all smartphones shipped last quarter. Windows Phone 7, meanwhile, hasn't quite made it to that hallowed third place it reckons it deserves. The mobile OS continues to grow, however, albeit at a gentler rate than both iOS and Android. Microsoft's likely pinning its hopes on the adjustable widgets and meatier specifications of Windows Phone 8 to draw in some new customers this fall. Filed under: Cellphones IDC: Android and iOS continue to carve up the world, another record quarter for smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 06:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | IDC | Email this | Comments | |
