Hello everyone, and welcome to a belated (by a day and a few weeks) Tremors and Rumors! I was off on vacation, but now I’m back in action!
While I was gone, there have been a lot of new stories and events going on. First, there’s our ongoing CES coverage – our Editor John LaPine is on-site giving us video and written word on the coolest and most interesting aspects of the show. Then, there’s a new iPad + Windows virtualization app that will surely make some Microsoft fanboys very, very happy. Finally, we’ve also got information on the latest iPhone 4S launch in China – and it hasn’t exactly been the prettiest one either! Tremors and Rumors abound, so lets get to it!
CES 2012 Features Ultrabooks, Smart TVs and Gaming Consoles (Tremors and Rumors Abound!)
If you’ve been reading through our site recently, you’ll notice that we have ongoing coverage of this year’s International Consumer Electronics Show, more well-known as CES. Our Editor John LaPine has been providing some awesome footage and writing up some interesting articles on some of the coolest stuff on the floor this year. Microsoft will not be attending the show in 2013 due to bad timing with their product launches, but they did make one big announcement: Kinect for PC. In addition, the Nintendo Wii U and the Sony PlayStation Vita were on the floor as playable demos (neither of them have been released in the US yet). Intel has made an announcement regarding a jump into the smartphone business – yes, you’ll soon find Intel Core Whatever chips in your smartphones – and also stole a good bit of the show by pushing some new ultrabook products. These ultrabooks are meant to challenge the Macbook Air, while Apple released a few years ago. Finally, Google has made some new announcements regarding smart TVs, something that seems to be an ongoing hit this year. While I still believe Apple will be the first to get a Smart TV correct (there have been numerous rumors afloat about it), Google is definitely making a good push for the new technology.
New OnLive App Allows You to Have Windows on an iPad (Tremor)
I’ve seen some really cool apps before – Infinity Blade, Fruit Ninja, Apple Pages, Google Earth, etc. – but never have I seen an app that does so much for so little money. The new OnLive Desktop app is now available for the iPad. What does it do? Simple: it virtualizes a Windows 7/Microsoft Office environment for you right on your iPad. Okay, maybe that isn’t exactly simple, but basically, it lets you use Windows and Microsoft Office on your iPad – for FREE. Of course, you need a Windows license (which is not free) and an OnLive account (which is free), but why take my word for it? Check out the video below for more details.
http://youtu.be/jdzmBCH24_Q
The iPhone 4S Releases in China with Serious Problems (International Tremor)
The scene outside some Apple Stores in China was not a happy one as eager customers tried to get their hands on the new iPhone before it sold out.
If you’ll remember, I covered a part of the iPhone 4S release back when it released last year. It was a very nice environment, with people giving us free coffee (thanks Apple! We needed that!) and McDonald‘s doing a nice delivery order for us as well. Furthermore, it was a peaceful event – sure, it was early in the morning and people really didn’t want to be disturbed, but everyone was respectful of each other’s space and spot in line. Sounds pretty normal, right? Well, things didn’t go that way when the iPhone 4S released in China today. Fights were breaking out from massive crowds of angry customers and scalpers trying to get their hands on the new iPhone. In fact, the store in Beijing was forced to close it’s doors and delay the launch because it was being pelted with eggs after not opening on time for the iPhone launch. Apple has made no comment on the release other than the official announcement, but this blogger is wondering if this could have been prevented somehow. I wouldn’t be surprised to see extremely heightened security for the launch of the iPhone 5, rumored to be this summer.
(Thanks @MacRumors for the photo!)
