Xbox Special Event Planned For May, Report Claims, To Provide Details On Durango

Console wars are a complex and many-parted affair, and Sony has launched its full salvo, with all eyes now on Microsoft to see what kind of return shot they can manage. The next-generation Xbox, codenamed Durango, will apparently get a preview at a special event in May, The Verge’s Tom Warren reports, with an official splashy unveiling at E3 in June.
Sony has already introduced its PS4 without formally introducing it, a move that was ridiculed by some in the Xbox camp, including Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, who took to Twitter to mock the no-show show back in February. The Xbox event had originally been planned for April 24, according to the Verge’s sources, but will instead push that to May 21. It’s unclear what exactly the company will be showing off in May vs. what it’ll demo at E3, but Hryb’s comments tend to suggest we’ll get eyes on some actual hardware.
The home console market is one that has been relatively well-guarded against disruption from newcomers and startups for decades now, and recent reviews of the earliest shipping versions of the OUYA Android-powered home gaming console suggest that they aren’t likely to be knocked off their lofty perch by any upstarts just yet. There seems to be a general decline in interest in console gaming overall, but new players aren’t responsible for that so much as a general shift in the way consumers enjoy and look for games.
The next Xbox has a chance to shake things up by providing an experience that’s truly connected across a user’s devices, and Microsoft, which controls software ecosystems across platforms including desktop, mobile and living room consoles as well as media ecosystems and cloud-based products, is uniquely poised to bring everything together.
If Microsoft is smart, it can own the space third-parties like OUYA are trying to occupy, while also becoming a platform for the living room along the lines of what Apple’s App Store is for mobile devices. It’s not at all clear that that’s what we will in fact get from Durango, but this is still a space to watch for developers looking to make waves in the home entertainment space.

source : techcrunch.com

App Stores In Q1 2013 Hauled In $2.2B In Sales On 13.4B Downloads, Google/Apple Duopoly Leading The Way: Canalys

Apple’s App Store and Goole Play on Android continue to set the pace for the overall performance and fortunes of mobile apps worldwide, while BlackBerry and Microsoft’s Windows Phone remain “distant challengers.” Figures out today from Canalys note that in Q1 2013, the four top app stores worldwide collectively accounted for 13.4 billion downloads, with $2.2 billion in paid app sales, in-app purchases and subscriptions. But while Google has long passed Apple as the biggest smartphone platform worldwide, Apple is still killing it when it comes to monetizing: Google Play accounted for 51% of all downloads (6.8 billion), but Apple’s App Store for 74% of all revenues ($1.6 billion).
The figures represent 11% growth compared to Q4 in terms of download volumes, and about 9% growth in terms of sales. In terms of the biggest markets, app store revenues in North America were up by 8% and downloads 6%, and in Western Europe, revenues were up 8% and downloads 10%.
The concentration of activity on Apple and Google’s platforms show that while it continues to be a challenge for smaller players to break the hegemony that is Samsung/Android and Apple on handset sales, the same goes in content. This may not come as good news to challengers, who are putting a lot of effort into building up their app stores as a way of making their hardware more attractive. That has included, in some cases, help to developers to make sure that key apps get into the smaller markets, and campaigns to bring certain high profile apps to new platforms. (One of the most notable has been Nokia’s efforts to get Instagram to Windows Phone.) Still, the discrepancies of app numbers are one kind of indication about where developers are choosing to focus their energies. While Apple and Google are well over 500,000 apps each in their stores, BlackBerry currently has around 100,000.
The other important point of so many apps is that it continues to be a counterbalance to more general wider web use. Whether or not mobile web represents a more open and encompassing opportunity, the fact that apps continue to persist as a primary way of accessing things on mobile devices continues to have an impact on how all developers will have to position their work in the future. On touchscreens, it seems that icons as initial points of entry, and experiences that make full use of the hardware, will continue to persist as must-haves for consumers.
Despite the challenges, and the not very encouraging numbers, Canalys still sees an opportunity for BlackBerry and Microsoft to improve their respective positions.
“Apple’s App Store and Google Play remain the heavyweights in the app store world,” writes Tim Shepherd, Canalys senior analyst. “In comparison, BlackBerry World and the Windows Phone Store remain distant challengers today, though they still should not be ignored.”
In Canalys’ view, once chance lies in how these new app stores tackle less mature markets where there is still growth to be found in countries like South Africa, Brazil and Indonesia.

source : techcrunch.com 

Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case Gives Logitech A Competitor For The Best iPad Keyboard Crown

Keyboard cases for iPad are many and multiplying, but at this point it’s a question of refining the best concepts, not creating dramatically different devices. The Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad is a great example, taking a lot of cues from the massively popular Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad and folio style designs to create a solution that might be as near as perfect as tablet typers can get.

The Basics

• Keyboard is 6.4mm thin
• 160 hours battery life
• Magnets for secure closure and three viewing angles
• MSRP: $99.99
• Product info page

Design
The Ultimate Keyboard Case is not small, but it isn’t big either. It avoids feeling anywhere near as bulky as a total hardcase like the Brydge, but don’t expect something with the low profile of Apple’s Smart Cover, for instance. But it sill manages to be just about as low-profile as the Logitech Ultrathin, and it has a few extra tricks up its sleeve, including a protective cover for the back of your iPad, three possible viewing angles for your device, and a sound port built into the case that redirects the iPad’s speaker output for better listening.

The materials feel top-quality, it weighs only 411 grams (slightly more than the Ultrathin’s 355 grams) and its keyboard layout feels natural and won’t impede your touch typing abilities. The design of the keyboard component and faux leather hinge means that you can use it with the keyboard folded back in behind, without keys awkwardly facing outward where you can accidentally hit them with your fingers, as is often the case with folio designs.

Performance
As mentioned, the Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case is great to type on, with one small quibble: the recessed design of the keys means that it can be awkward to hit the spacebar, since your thumb will also brush up against the base of the case itself. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it does annoy when you’re coming from a standard notebook or desktop keyboard. But the dedicated keys, including a microphone key that brings up Siri on later generation iPads or voice dictation on earlier ones, as well as the convenience factor outweigh any downsides.
The Ultimate Keyboard’s other big feature is its use of magnets to allow for three different viewing angles. It’s a nice trick, and one that works well. The one limitation here is that if you’re trying to type in an unstable setting, say on a very bumpy car or train ride, the magnets can actually become dislodged. As long as you’re using the Belkin on a flat surface and you aren’t on safari, however, the magnets do their job and offer a bit of flexibility vs. the Logitech Ultrathin.

Bottom Line
I feel like we may be reaching peak keyboard case, especially for the standard-sized iPad. But Belkin’s Ultimate Keyboard Case, though somewhat late to the party, shows that there’s still some depth left to be plumbed in terms of wringing innovation out of the overcrowded space. At $99.99, it’s not cheap, but if you’re looking for a way to make your iPad a much more capable text-entry machine, while still offering full protection for your iPad itself, this is a good option.

source : techcrunch.com