According to co-CEO JK Shin, Samsung's Galaxy S 4 will soon hit the 10 million mark in sales, less than a month after its debut. That beats the Galaxy S III's time to that mark by nearly three weeks, making it far and away the company's quickest seller, ever. The model will also get another push thanks to a stock Android 4.2 version that'll be available for $649 at Google Play on June 26th. That's a pretty impressive figure, especially considering its bizarre reveal.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Via: Android Beat

Source: Korea Times

The debate over taxing out-of-state online sales in the US has been raging for years, but there are signs that the often messy saga is finally winding to a close... well, maybe. The Senate just voted 69-27 in favor of the Marketplace Fairness Act, a bill that would make internet retailers collect out-of-state sales taxes that Americans are already obligated to pay, but rarely do under a current system that puts the onus on (frequently unaware) buyers. Don't be too hasty in cheering or jeering the apparent conclusion, however. The bill's next stop is the House of Representatives, and the reception may be decidedly colder this time around. The act could be submitted to the President this year if it does survive the gauntlet, although a six-month buffer would likely push any tax changes to 2014 if the bill is ever signed into law.

[Image credit: Scrumshus, Wikipedia]

Filed under: Internet

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Source: The Washington Times

For many observers, the real story for Windows 8 was never going to be the 60 million licenses sold during the holiday rush -- it was always about the long term. The first indications of its post-launch impact are here, and show mixed results. In an interview on the company blog, Microsoft CMO/CFO Tami Reller says that it "recently" sold its 100 millionth Windows 8 license since the OS launched in October. That's a healthy figure, but sales of about 10 million units a month between its January stat update and today show adoption hasn't picked up again since the initial dropoff. The usual post-holiday lull no doubt played a part, although estimates of a much steeper drop in PC sales than usual suggest more was afoot. Microsoft doesn't see an immediate problem however, touting both brisk Windows Store adoption -- downloads of both free and paid apps surged from 100 million in January to 250 million -- and the pending arrival of more affordable convertible notebooks, touchscreen laptops and all-in-ones later this year.

Oh, and about that Windows Blue update everyone's been talking about? It's at last official. Microsoft isn't mentioning details beyond the Windows Blue codename, but it does promise that the upgrade should be available before 2013 is over. We're looking forward to that extra level of personalization already.

Filed under: Desktops, Tablets, Software, Microsoft

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Source: Blogging Windows

Acer's senior VP Scott Lin recently confirmed that a new 10-inch Iconia A3 tablet will arrive this summer and was quick to include it in some very ambitious sales plans. The device (not pictured) has yet to be priced or specced (or even seen), but nonetheless, Lin hopes it'll make up some of the 10 million slates the outfit aims to sell in 2013. He also announced a refresh for the $150 Iconia B1 this summer with a dual-core CPU, updated design and 1GB of RAM, and said that 1.5 million units of that model have shipped so far this year. The company would like to move another 1.5 million by year's end along with 5 million of the recently announced 8-inch Iconia A1 tabs and 2 million Iconia A3s to make up the balance. Considering that competitor ASUS sold 3 million tablets in Q1 and has the hit Nexus 7 to peddle, it seems a lofty goal for Acer -- especially since it only reluctantly leaped into tablets not so long ago.

Update: We've also received word that Mr. Lin confirmed that there is an 8-inch Windows 8 tablet in the works (the W3, perhaps?) and suggested it should be available by June.

Filed under: Tablets, Acer

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Via: Android Beat

Source: Focus Taiwan

When Ford's hybrid lineup has been rapidly expanding over the past year, it stands to reason that the company's sales in the category would take off like an eco-friendly rocket. They have, and faster than you'd expect: the automaker now says it should break its yearly record for US hybrid sales sometime in May, with just under 6,000 cars standing between its current 2013 figures and an all-time high of 35,496 hybrids in 2010. The company has also more clearly established itself as number two, climbing from an estimated three percent of the US hybrid market share last April to 18 percent this year. While Toyota is still the clear frontrunner at 58 percent, Ford is ahead of its Detroit-based rivals -- and when Prius sales are soft, the Japanese firm just might be nervous.

Filed under: Transportation

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Source: Bloomberg

For many, there's nothing quite so comforting as cracking open a good book. The texture of the pages combine with the smell of ink and paper, as the writer pours their imagination and soul into a world that's apart from your own. While e-books have won over a number of people, the latest stats from The Publishers Association suggest that the majority of Brits still prefer the printed form, which accounted for 88 percent of all book sales during 2012. The winds of change are working in the background, however, as digital sales -- consisting of e-books, audio downloads and digital subscriptions -- now account for 12 percent of the pie; an increase from 8 percent just one year ago.

As a whole, the UK publishing industry shows modest signs of growth, with combined physical and digital sales rising by 4 percent to reach £3.3 billion ($5.1b). Meanwhile, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but e-books continue to gain popularity and show tremendous promise. Here, consumer e-book sales have risen 134 percent in 2012, which now account for a £216 million ($336m) share of the UK publishing industry. Regardless of whether you prefer print or digital formats, we reckon that all readers deserve a hearty slap on the back. Here's to keeping the story-telling alive.

Filed under: Alt

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Via: The Telegraph

Source: The Publishers Association

The difference between the Wii and Wii U are readily apparent to most contemporary gamers, but some consumers are having trouble telling them apart. "Some have the misunderstanding that the Wii U is just Wii with a pad for games," Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told Investors last week, "others even consider Wii U GamePad as a peripheral device connectable to Wii." Nintendo is eager to clear up the confusion, of course, and pushed a notification to internet connected Wii consoles stating it plainly. "Wii U is the all-new home console from Nintendo. It's not just an upgrade -- it's an entirely new system that will change the way you and your family experience games and entertainment." The note also assures readers that their Wii accessories will work on the new console, and gives a brief run down of the console's selling points: the Wii U GamePad, backwards compatibility and HD graphics. The humble message probably isn't enough to repair the damage done by product's nearly identical names, but it's definitely a step in the right direction. Check out the full statement after the break.

[Thanks, Will]

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Via: IGN

In recent months scrutiny has intensified over the involvement of Chinese companies in US networking infrastructure, and as a result Huawei announced it's through trying to crack the market. Financial Times quotes VP Eric Xu saying that it is "not interested in the US market anymore" after years of efforts to count US operators among its customers. Ranked as the world's #2 telecom equipment maker, it's now recalibrating sales expectations for the next few years down to $10 billion by 2017 from the $15 billion it projected in more optimistic times. Reuters reports Xu didn't answer questions about any expansion of its handset business, so while Europe may be looking forward to new phones, we doubt the A199 is coming over here.

Filed under: Mobile

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Source: FT, Reuters