Thursday, 21 April 2011

iBUYPOWER Gamer Extreme AMD AM573D3 Gaming Desktop Computer

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Non-iPhone owners more probable to possess iPad in Europe, says research

If you own an LG, Motorola, Samsung or Sony Ericsson contract smartphone then you're more likely than an iPhone owner to own an iPad, according to new European data provided by the research company comScore exclusively to the Guardian.

The surprising result emerges from a new comScore mobiLens study that also shows that across the five European countries studied - the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy - Apple has more than twice the share of mobile users contract subscribers - 12.4% - as Android, which has 5.7%.

Apple's iOS devices - its iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches - have a combined installed base of 28.9m users in the five main EU countries, compared to 13.4m Google Android phones and tablets in use, the data show.

Compared to general mobile ownership, smartphone owners are more likely to be male and aged between 18 and 34. Those aged over 45 are less likely to have smartphones.

Ownership of Apple's iPad tablet computer is highest in absolute terms among iPhone owners, but relative to their numbers in the smartphone market, iPad owners tend to be users of Motorola, LG and Samsung phones - which are Android marques - and Sony Ericsson phones, which use Android and Nokia's Symbian operating system.

The research, for mobile users subscribers aged over 13 - which therefore excludes pay-as-you-go phones - refutes the idea that it is only iPhone owners who buy iPads, says comScore. "This data clearly illustrates that the Apple ecosystem extends far beyond the iPhone, but it also shows that there is significant penetration of iPad users amongst owners of other handset manufacturer's devices," said Jeremy Copp, comScore's vice-president of mobile in Europe. "Blackberry users are the only segment of users to buck this trend and are significantly underrepresented among iPad owners - perhaps a signal of brand loyalty as they awaited the launch of the Blackberry Playbook."

The new data "has significant implications for the media and developer communities as they consider how best to reach their audience on all types of connected devices," said Copp.

Apple's financial results, announced last night, showed that it is benefiting strongly from the ecosystem of apps and products around the iPhone and iPad: it reported revenues of $1.63bn from "music-related products and services", which indicates its iTunes App Store and Music Store, which grew by 23% year-on-year, and 14% from the previous quarter. With digital music revenues flat at best, this suggests that sales of apps from the App Store are continuing to drive profits.

But other figures though indicate that Android is rapidly challenging Apple's position. Data from other organisations shows that its share of the mobile phone market has rocketed in the past year, and the number of new phones coming onto the market at a variety of prices - including the pay-as-you-go market - is attracting more and more users. There is little evidence though of strong tablet sales for Android devices so far.

In absolute terms, iPhone owners are the biggest owners of iPads, with Nokia owners being the second-biggest group. But when adjusted for their relative numbers - with Apple having 20.6% of smartphone users, compared to Nokia's 41.7% - it emerges that Nokia and RIM users are least likely, proportionally, to have an iPad.

"This data clearly illustrates that the Apple ecosystem extends far beyond the iPhone, but it also shows that there is significant penetration of iPad users amongst owners of other handset manufacturer's devices," said Copp.

The study contrasts with comScore data released earlier this week in the US looking at the same situation which found that Apple had 16.2% of mobile subscribers, compared to Android with 10.2%. The US study found that compared to their numbers, Samsung and LG owners were more likely than Apple owners to own an iPad, as were Nokia phone users, though in the US they make up a tiny proportion - 2.3% - of smartphone users. In Europe, Nokia smartphone users are 41.7% of subscribers, but they make up only 26.4% of iPad owners, making them only half as likely as iPhone owners to have one of the devices.

Nokia market share decreases but Microsoft deal confirmed

Mobile phone maker Nokia has posted better-than-expected profits for the first three months of 2011, down 1% to 344m euros (£304m).

But its market share fell 4% to 29% as cheaper rivals and the popularity of competitors' smartphones ate into Nokia's dominance.

Nokia also said that it had struck a long-awaited deal to develop smartphone technology with Microsoft.

Investors welcomed the news, sending Nokia shares up almost 3%.

Stephen Elop, chief executive, said: "In the first quarter, we shifted from defining our strategy to executing our strategy. On this front, I am pleased to report that we signed our definitive agreement with Microsoft and already our product design and engineering work is well underway."

The Finnish company's slow response to the smartphone threat from Apple's iPhone and the Blackberry handsets has been one of investors' key concerns.

On Wednesday Apple unveiled a 95% rise in first-quarter profits, and said it had sold a record 18.65 million iPhones during the quarter.

Consultants Strategy Analytics said that Apple had now overtaken Nokia as the world's largest handset seller in revenue terms.

Despite shifting more than 108.5 million handsets in the last quarter - almost six times that sold by Apple - Strategy says that the US's firms revenues from its more expensive phones far outstripped its Finnish rival's.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
image of Tim Weber Tim Weber Business editor, BBC News website

Nokia's new-ish chief executive Stephen Elop will be relieved that sales are holding up fairly well.

If customers don't stay loyal to the brand, if network operators start to focus on other handset makers, Nokia's decline could be swift and brutal.

So it is crucial for Nokia to retain a hefty market share until its technical turnaround kicks in. That won't be before the end of the year though, when the first Nokia phones sporting Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 operating system will hit the market.

For mobile phones, that's a delay of half a lifetime, given the current breakneck speed of innovation.

The numbers also demonstrate Nokia's Achilles' heel: In terms of handsets sold, Nokia is still a giant. Last quarter it sold 583% more phones than Apple. But its margins are razor-thin, and it's little wonder that in terms of both revenue and profits Apple is now a larger phone maker.

Nokia will hope it made the right bet opting for Microsoft rather than Google's Android operating system for mobiles.

In a report published on Thursday, Strategy estimated that Apple's wholesale revenues for its iPhone division were $11.9bn (£7bn, 8bn euros) in the first quarter, against $9.4bn for Nokia.
'Under control'

Under the Microsoft deal, Nokia will start using the US company's software on its smartphones instead of its own Symbian platform.

Nokia said the deal will enable it to cut annual costs by around 1bn euros.

Nokia's group sales rose by 9% to 10.40bn euros, while smartphone sales were up 6% at 7bn euros.

The company's key phone unit reported an operating profit margin of 9.8% for the January-March period, well ahead of analysts forecast of 8.6%.

However, Nokia said that for the full year, margins would fall to within a 6%-9% range.

"Finalisation of the agreement with Microsoft means Nokia can now focus on execution, but margin guidance underlines that difficult times lie ahead as it transitions the portfolio," said analyst Geoff Blaber from CCS Insight.

Despite the drop in Nokia's market share - the first time in a decade it has fallen below 30% - Sami Sarkamies, analyst at Nordea, said: "The first quarter was very strong, much better than expected.

"It seems the situation is under control, there were no dramatic changes," he added.

Yahoo profits fall as company runs into technology delays

Yahoo has said that a partnership with Microsoft is facing delays as it awaits improvements in technology.

The internet company, which has also announced a 28% fall in profits, is using Microsoft's search technology in a bid to improve advertising revenue.

But Yahoo said the system was not yet paying off and that a further roll-out was on hold while changes were made.

Meanwhile, Yahoo made profits of $223m (£137m) for the first three months of 2011, down from $310m last year.

The quarterly earnings figure was ahead of analysts' forecasts and sent Yahoo's share price 3.5% higher in after-hours trading on Wall Street.
'On schedule'

The mixed progress report from Yahoo comes two years into chief executive Carol Bartz's attempts to revive growth at the company.

She told reporters that revenue would not rise to levels that Yahoo experienced before it struck the deal with Microsoft until the end of the year.

Her previous forecast was that revenues would pick up mid-2011.

Yahoo said it was continuing to make progress on efforts to expand into the fast-growing mobile internet market, and to increase the amount of video advertising on the site.

Net revenue, which excludes fees paid to partner websites, was $1.06bn in the first quarter, just higher than the $1.05bn average of analyst expectations but down 6% from the $1.13bn recorded a year earlier.

Ms Bartz said: "Our turnaround is proceeding on schedule, and we are very confident Yahoo is heading in the right direction."

Steve Weinstein, analyst at Pacific Crest Securities, said there were clear signs of improvements at Yahoo.

"The growth in their display business, when you peel everything back, continues to look good," he said.

Apple earnings virtually double as iPhone sales surge

Latest profits for the computer giant Apple beat hopes, including a higher-than-expected rise in iPhone sales.

Net income for the three months to March jumped 85% on the same period a year ago, with iPhone sales of 18.65m - a rise of 113%.

The figures are the latest in a string of good results from the US's technology companies.

Intel's figures, released on Wednesday, were also well above hopes and helped share prices to a three-year high.

Apple reported quarterly net profits of $5.99bn (£3.6bn), 95% up on the $3bn it made a year ago. Revenue was $24.67bn, a rise of 83%.

Sales of the company's computers were strongly higher, up by 28% from a year ago driven by its tweaked MacBook Pro.

Apple's figures were not uniformly positive. It sold 4.69m iPad tablet computers in the quarter, below expectations.

Another disappointment was sales of its one-time star, the iPod, down by 17% on the year at 9m units.

Most analysts were enthusiastic about the figures.

Channing Smith, portfolio manager at Capital Advisors growth fund, said: "Dynamite numbers across the board. The only hiccup is lower than expected iPad numbers."

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said in a statement: "With quarterly revenue growth of 83% and profit growth of 95% we're firing on all cylinders."

Mr Jobs, who went on medical leave in January with an undisclosed illness, continued: "We will continue to innovate on all fronts throughout the remainder of the year."

The day-to-day running of Apple is currently being done by chief operating officer Tim Cook.

Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5134 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

Toshiba Satellite C655D: Affordable Mobile Computing

A nicely affordable, easy-to-use PC for basic productivity at home or in the office, the Toshiba Satellite C655D (model C655D-S5134) gives families, students or small and home-based businesses the essential power and workspace to study, tackle budgets with a handy 10-key pad, keep up on Facebook and Twitter, or simply do more at their desk.
Black Trax Texture
Black Trax Texture.
Toshiba Satellite C655D
The affordable, easy-to-use, all-purpose Satellite C655
The bright 15.6-inch LCD (1366 x 768) offers a true 16:9 aspect ratio and 720p native high-definition resolution. It also features an eco-conscious design with a distinctive textured finish. Plus, you get plenty of ports and storage to give you the freedom to expand, or hold more files and media.
This Satellite comes pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version).

Key Features

  • 15.6-inch TruBrite display for excellent color depth and clarity (1366 x 768 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio)


    Toshiba Satellite C655D
    Stylish, eco-conscious design with a distinctive textured finish

    Toshiba Satellite C655D
    Great for families, students and small-office workers who want
    a full-size portable PC to tackle life's basics.
  • 1.5 GHz AMD E Series processor E-240 (512 KB L2 Cache) offering good power for computing basics.

    320 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM) 
  • 2 GB of installed DDR3 RAM (667 MHz; expandable to 4 GB)

  • AMD Radeon HD 6310 graphics card provides exceptional features, performance and power-efficiencies that enrich what you see and do (384 MB - 947 MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory).

  • 8x SuperMulti DVD drive with double layer support

  • Wireless Connectivity
    • With its integrated Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking capabilities, this laptop provides up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range using 802.11n-compatible routers as you would with 802.11g networks. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found at Wi-Fi hotspots and in older home routers.


    Toshiba ReelTime 
  • Included Toshiba Software:
    • Toshiba Media Controller offers simplified media sharing. Using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, it lets you share videos, music and pictures from the media library on your laptop with compatible devices in your home entertainment network, or with other compatible laptops and devices, like an Xbox 360 game console. And you can do it all without moving equipment, burning discs or fumbling with cables.
    • Toshiba Bulletin Board is an easy-to-use organizational and productivity app that lets you build your own personalized space on your desktop. With Toshiba Bulletin Board, you can quickly and easily manage your to-do lists and calendars, plus create your own custom work area by pinning your favorite photos, documents, links and more.
    • Toshiba ReelTime helps you cut down the time it takes to search for files. The easy-to-use app takes traditional text-based file structures one step further to help you find what you're looking for more quickly. Accessible from your taskbar, it shows you a visual timeline of your recently accessed files--using graphical thumbnails--so you can easily identify and get to your files faster. 

Acer Aspire 5742 15.6 inch Notebook ( Intel Core i3-370M, 3GB RAM, 250GB HDD, DVD, Webcam, Wireless, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit) Black

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit; Intel Core i3-370M (2.4GHz; 3MB L3); 3 GB; 250 GB HDD; DVD-Super Multi DL drive; 15.6" HD Acer CineCrystal LED LCD; UMA; Acer Nplify 802.11b/g/n; 3 USB; 1.3 megapixel webcam; 6-cell Li-ion

The Aspire 5742 meets your daily computing needs with blazing processor performance and impressive graphics. HD media playback offers richer entertainment at home or on the road; while boundary-free wireless communication keeps you in touch with family and friends all the time. Whats more; Acers special 16:9 Home Touch Design provides simple usability for more relaxed computing.

Blazing performance
The 15.6" HD widescreen display provides ample space for multitasking and entertainment. A mighty Intel® Core"¢ processor combines with integrated Intel® HD Graphics and high-definition technologies to deliver great image quality and visual effects. Store all your files and multimedia on the large-capacity hard disk drive; and conveniently share them with others using the 2-in-1 card reader.

Far-reaching communication
The latest communication technologies keep you in constant contact regardless of space or time. Feel free to engage in live chats from all over the world using the Acer Crystal Eye webcam with 1.3 MP resolution and built-in microphone; while a Wi-Fi CERTIFIED"¢ network connection lets you get online from any hotspot. In addition; Bluetooth® makes file-sharing fast and easy.

Awesome multimedia enjoyment
The cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio presents sharp; colorful visuals on the Acer CineCrystal"¢ display. A built-in DVD-Super Multi drive is the ticket to your portable home cinema for viewing favorite videos and movies; plus an HDMI"¢ interface conveniently connects you to todays hottest high-definition entertainment on a bigger screen.