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Live from Nokia and Microsoft's Windows Phone event!
Nokia and Microsoft plan to offer us the first taste of Windows Phone 8 today, refreshing the phone-maker's Lumia line in the process. We've had glimpses of what we're about to see, but we're expecting more details on that new software at this decidedly blueish event. Join the liveblog after the break.
Nokia and Motorola press events go down tomorrow, get your liveblogs here
Tomorrow is a busy, busy day folks. Things would be exciting enough with just one of these events going down, but you get a joint conference from Nokia and Microsoft at 9:30am (ET) followed by a Motorola announcement at 2pm (ET). Lucky you! We'll be on hand, as usual, bringing you live updates from the floor. So, check back in Wednesday, September 5th to get all the nitty-gritty details. You'll find your liveblogs here and here for Nokia and Motorola, respectively.
Motorola schedules press event for September 5th, dubs it the 'day's main event'
September 5th is going to be a pretty busy day, by the looks of it. While we'll likely get to see a few Windows Phone 8 devices in Nokia's Lumia lineup in the morning, Motorola has scheduled a Save the Date for the afternoon. We're not sure exactly what to expect, though it's certainly possible we'll see a Droid RAZR HD or XT907 to balance out whatever Stephen Elop will be showing off. (We especially love the dig at Nokia by saying it's "the day's main event.") We'll keep you posted as we hear more, and we'll be there to give you word on the latest and greatest from HelloMoto.
Nokia and Microsoft announce September 5th Windows Phone event
We just received an invite from Nokia and Microsoft to attend a Windows Phone-centric event on September 5th. This is the same day as Nokia World's opener, and we have a feeling this isn't a coincidence. Rumors have been rampant that the Finnish company would choose this particular week to announce its lineup of Windows Phone 8 devices, and we're hoping this is indeed the case. Granted, the invite comes with a large reference to Nokia Maps, so it's certainly possible the navigation service could be a primary focus of the event, but we're hedging our bets on new handsets. Either way, we'll be there to share the excitement with you.
Graph shows the tweets per minute during Apple's March 7 event
Twitter crunched the numbers and created a graph that shows the number of tweets per minute during yesterday's Apple press event. The tweets peak at over 10K per minute when Cook introduced the cost of the iPad, fell during the app demonstrations and climbed up to 8K when Cook announced the iPad 2 price drop. It's a fascinating look at our use of social media.
Tim Cook's "time to shine" with new iPhone announcement
Tomorrow is a big day for Apple fans around the world, it's also a big day for Apple CEO Tim Cook. Cook is expected to introduce the next generation iPhone. Apple's first high-profile announcement since WWDC and Cook's first as CEO. Cook is highly regarded as an expert in operations and supply chain management. He is given credit as the man who secured an ample and inexpensive supply of internal components for the iPod, iPhone and iPad. Tomorrow will be a test of whether he can move beyond that role and deliver a dynamic and exciting keynote. Cook will likely be joined by Phil Schiller and Scott Forstall, but Steve Jobs is not expected to make an appearance. Nervousness aside, Cook should do a fine job introducing one of the most highly anticipated products of 2011. All of us at TUAW will be following the keynote and meta live-blogging it. Won't you join us?
Apple officially announces iPhone event for Oct. 4
Jim Dalrymple of The Loop has received an invitation from Apple (pictured below) for a press event to announce the new iPhone. It will occur on October 4 at Apple's campus in Cupertino, starting at 10:00 AM PT. Please note that Apple's typically terse invitation simply says "iPhone." No "5," no "4," no "S." Which model(s) will be discussed? Well, that's the surprise, now isn't it? We can't let this pass without a little wild speculation. While rumors suggest that the next iPhone will feature dramatically improved voice recognition, that "talk" could have a double meaning. Toss in a comma* and you get "Let's talk, iPhone." We'll have full coverage on the fourth. Here we go, folks. *Yes, I know the comma isn't really there. Don't spoil my fun.
Apple October press event reportedly to be held on campus
In the past, Apple has held its major press events at the Yerba Buena center in San Francisco. All the iPhone and the iPad announcements were held in this venue. According to a report from AllThingsD, Apple's may buck this trend and hold its rumored October iPhone announcement at its Cupertino campus. The reasons for this change are not clear. It may have to do with the availability of Yerba Beuna Center or the decision of new CEO Tim Cook who may prefer to keep things closer to home. Hopefully, all this speculation about where and when this event will be held can be put to rest soon. If the rumored October date is correct, invitations should start landing in attendee's inboxes sometime this week.
Samsung pushes Galaxy S II launch event back a day due to Hurricane Irene
It looks like you'll have to wait an extra day to learn what you already know: the Galaxy S II -- aka, the Attain, Hercules and Epic 4G Touch -- is about to launch on AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint. Samsung's pushed Monday's New York press event back a day due to that little east coast storm you may have read something about. Fortunately, these handsets haven't exactly kept a low profile, so we weren't expecting too many surprises anyway. We'll be there covering it live, but in the meantime, stay safe and if you're a Verizon customer, you might want to find a dry place to continue your seething.
Apple rumored to hold press event on Sept. 7 (Updated)
Update: The Loop's Jim Dalrymple says this isn't happening. Frankly, we at TUAW are more inclined to believe Jim than some hit-or-miss random site who has "been right in the past" -- a distant past. As always, we'll let you know when real invites are sent out to a real event. Apple typically holds a press event in September to introduce new iPods. Current rumors suggest that this year's fall media event will happen on September 7th. Others have suggested that Apple will use the opportunity to introduce the next-generation iPhone. Website Kodawarisan claims that "sources in the know" shared the date with them, but really, who knows. A fall press event in September is a very safe bet, as Apple has held on at that time for several years running. There's a whole lot of "could" and "might" in there, so don't write on the calendar with a Sharpie just yet. If/when it happens, you can be sure we'll have it covered.
Apple 'Back to the Mac' media event on October 20
The word is out: Apple is hosting a media event on Wednesday, October 20th. The invitation features a a big cat -- looks like a lion to us, which means if you had "Mac OS X 10.7 Lion" in the betting pool, congratulations -- peeking out from behind a metallic Apple logo and the phrase, "Back to the Mac." We're going to don our Carnac outfit and predict that Apple will be talking about the next iteration of Mac OS X. Of course, we'll have full coverage. See you then.
Microsoft hosting a press conference on October 11, we'll be there live!
If you had any doubts about the most important date in your Windows Phone 7 calendar, you can now dismiss them. Microsoft has just gotten in touch to ask us very kindly to "save the date" October 11 for a 2PM London press conference (9AM ET for Americans) that will last all the way until 5.30PM. Unless Steve Ballmer's planning on reading the Iliad all that time, that sounds like there'll be hands-on opportunities with WP7 devices to us. Of course, there's nary a mention of any phones in the brief invite, but given the multiple sources nailing that exact date as Microsoft's European launch, we'd be shocked to see anything else. Either way, we're bringing our trusty liveblogging equipment and will keep you informed whatever happens.
Apple updates the iPod shuffle
At today's press event, Steve Jobs announced a full revamp of the iPod line. The new iPod shuffle is smaller than the 2nd generation device and brings back something that many users missed with the previous model. Specifically, buttons! The new shuffle has a familiar-looking click wheel on the small postage-stamp shaped model that was introduced a few years ago. It will hold 15 hours of music, is available in 4 colors and sells for US$49. As of this writing, availability has not been announced. The iPod shuffle, and all models introduced today, will go on sale (pre-orders) today, with expected delivery next week. We'll have more on this and the rest of today's announcements all day long.
A study of 17 Apple press invitations
Reporting for Fortune, Philip Elmer-DeWitt reiterates Dan Frommer's question: "Is Apple really going to announce a TV gadget at an event with a guitar on the invitation?" It's a legitimate question, as Apple's press events have the power to move AAPL's price. When rumors become expectations that ultimately aren't met, the stock price has shifted downward. In this case, the "TV gadget" Frommer refers to is the rumored iOS-powered Apple TV. With that in mind, AAPLinvestors compared the wording on the last 17 press invitations to what was ultimately introduced at each event. What they found was that Apple often takes liberty with their often cryptic text. For example, the September 2, 2008 invitation read "Let's Rock," and Apple introduced the fourth-gen iPod nano, the second-gen iPod touch, iTunes 8 and HD TV shows. HD TV is cool, but does it really "rock?" Also, the August 31, 2009 invitation read "It's only rock and roll but we like it." That afternoon Apple introduced iTunes 9, iPhone 3.1, the fifth-gen nano, the third-generation iPod touch and additional colors for the iPod Shuffle. Reading into Apple's terse press invites is part of the fun. So we still might see a new Apple TV next week. Who knows if we will, though. [Via MacDailyNews and Fortune]
Bloomberg: Apple press event on Sept. 7
Yesterday, Bloomberg published a story about Apple's alleged plan to rent television shows through iTunes and, we assume, the Apple TV. The cost would be US$0.99, which is half off the purchase price of $1.99. Bloomberg also mentioned that Apple will hold a press event on September 7th. That's likely, as Apple has refreshed the iPod line every year in September since its launch. Additionally, the "Buy a Mac, get an iPod touch for free" promo that Apple is currently running for students expires on September 7th. So expect new iPods. The real question, as Engadget points out, is what else will be announced at the event? Is the TV rental option the end of the story or part of a larger service? Also, would the new Apple TV (or "iTV") be announced on the 7th as well? We'll know soon enough. Be sure to follow our coverage on the 7th (should the rumored event actually take place) for the latest news. [Via MacRumors] Update: Invitations have gone out and it looks like Wednesday the 1st of September is the magic day. Join us on TUAW for coverage.
TUAW Talkcast tonight at 10 PM ET - Let's all sing The iPhone 4 Antenna Song
It's the second day after the Apple press event, and there's still a lot of buzz in the air about the press conference and its outcome. While we'll probably skip on singing The iPhone 4 Antenna Song for you tonight, we'll have plenty to talk about on tonight's episode of the TUAW Talkcast. As usual, you can join in on the fun! We'll be live at 10 pm ET, taking your calls and questions as best we can. To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the "TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (take advantage of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8. If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free X-Lite SIP client; basic instructions are here. Of course, the full TalkShoe client includes its own 'Shoephone' VoIP tool as well. For MP3 streaming on iPhone or iPad, you can try this link once the show starts (may or may not work).
Nokia and Yahoo announcing partnership Monday?
Whether you call it prescient omniscience or just dumb luck, The Onion's latest lampoon seems to have correctly predicted the Y!phone (pictured above). Or at least something close. We just received our invite to a Yahoo press event on Monday where CEO Carol Bartz will try to wow us with the following: "An exciting announcement about providing global consumers with rich online and mobile experiences, and bringing forward a new era in keeping consumers connected." Kara Swisher of All Things Digital says that the announcement involves building Yahoo apps and services, including email and search, into a range of Nokia devices. The partnership, dubbed "Project Nike" after the Greek goddess of victory, has apparently been in the works for years. A "Yahoo-centric phone" is not expected to be part of the announcement according to Swisher's sources. For Yahoo's part, partnering with the world's largest maker of cellphones is likely its best chance to compete in the mobile space against Google's booming Android OS. The benefit for Nokia in partnering with an also-ran is less clear though -- guess that's why this is a Yahoo press event and not a Nokia-sponsored one. We asked Nokia the dealio but it refused to comment on "market speculation." Hey, we tried.
Nokia teases 'everyone connect,' keep your hands to yourselves until then
No idea what this is but the Twitterverse has an inkling that we'll see Ovi Maps integrated with Nokia Messaging. Jury's still out on hardware like, say, the N8-00 -- though as the rumored flagship S^3 device we'd expect its reveal to be a bit more formal than a countdown.
Intel to be part of Nokia's MWC press conference -- a new Booklet, or something more?
Well, this is interesting -- Intel just sent us an invitation to Nokia's press event at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week. We're told that the two companies will update us on the "latest developments" from their relatively new relationship, before Nokia launches into its solo presser directly afterwards. That could mean pretty much anything from a ho-hum Atom N450 refresh of the Booklet 3G to a fire-breathing Moorestown Maemo 5 phone, so we're obviously extremely curious to see what goes down -- our money is on the more conservative side of things, since we're thinking Intel just wants to have a presence at MWC, but we do love to be surprised.
Nokia Ovi press event this Thursday, 'big news' promised
If you're a Nokia lover who is currently jealous of all the Apple fans and their current state of delicious expectation, we're happy to say that now you too can savor a little anticipation. Nokia is sending out invitations to an event this Thursday, January 21, indicating it will "share some big news with you." Well, not with you exactly, but rather with us media-types, and you can be sure we will then pass it along posthaste. But what will Nokia be sharing? We hate to spoil the fun, but we can't imagine it'll be anything other than the revamped Ovi Store the company has been talking up lately -- that said, we're always up for a surprise.
