China’s Xiaomi Threatens Smartphone Giants Apple and Samsung

Within about 18 months, Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi may be selling in the US very good Android smartphones at very reasonable prices --

China’s Xiaomi Poses Threat to Smartphone Giants Apple and Samsung | TIME.com: " . . . the Beijing-based company has come out of nowhere this year to become the biggest threat to Apple, Samsung and other smartphone makers. That’s because Xiaomi designs its phones with high-end specs and sells them at midrange prices . . ."

Motorola hopes to tempt iPhone users to Moto X with iCloud migration tool | The Verge: " . . . The process, according to Motorola's help document, is relatively straightforward. Simply enter in your iCloud credentials, then your Google credentials, and your data will be transferred from one to the other. The service only appears to be offered to new customers who have completed the purchase process at Moto Maker. . . ."

Marketing to the Multi-Platform Majority - comScore, Inc: "Mobile commerce, or m-commerce, in the U.S. is growing at a rate of 30% year-over-year and is beginning to alter the retail landscape."

The Butterfly that Started the Apple Tsunami | LinkedIn: "On October 16th, 2003, Apple launched "the best Windows program ever" – iTunes for Windows. Back then Apple had a whopping 3.2% and declining US computer market share. The idea of Apple writing software for the PC was heresy inside of Apple. . . ."

Microsoft Windows 8.1

ABC News
This morning, Microsoft began making Windows 8.1 available for download through the Windows store. Windows 8 users will begin seeing the update in the ...

Washington Post

Apple, Cupertino celebrate after path cleared for new headquarters

San Jose Mercury News
CUPERTINO -- City officials and Apple's (AAPL) chief financial officerWednesday celebrated the launch of the company's spaceship-shaped headquarters after ...

Slate Magazine (blog)

Apple cuts production orders of iPhone 5c as consumers prefer 5s

IBNLive
Next week, Apple is expected to introduce a updated version of the tablets that compete with Amazon.com Inc's Kindle Fire and tablets made by Samsung ...

IBNLive

Apple's Newest Exec Ahrendts Should Shake Things Up, Fit Like A ...

Forbes
Most of the coverage on Apple's recent hire of Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts has included one or more photographs of her. And really, why not? First, it's pretty ...

CIO Today

Microsoft SQL Server 2014: Final Countdown

InformationWeek
Microsoft steps closer to delivering in-memory performance with a second beta release of Microsoft SQL Server 2014. Here's a peek at what's coming....

Windows IT Pro

Google to support Windows XP longer than its developer Microsoft

Los Angeles Times
Microsoft will officially retire its Windows XP operating system early next year, but Google ... Apple sets Oct. 22 for press event; new iPad, MacBook Pro expected....

eWeek

Google gives everyone an endorsement deal

MarketWatch
Google is the latest Internet giant to turn its users into unpaid pitchmen, using ... Two of the world's biggest online marketplaces, eBay and Amazon, have “wish ...

CIO Today

Apple helps Anki Drive start its engines

USA TODAY
NEW YORK — Talk about a high-visibility boost. Apple chief Tim Cook invited the CEO of Anki on stage at Apple's developer conference in June to demonstrate ...

gearburn

Will Apple deliver a budget-priced iMac in 2014?

ZDNet
A new one involves the iMac, Apple's all-in-one desktop PC, which recently got a quiet update to Intel Haswell processors and other improved specs, but ...

ZDNet

Lifted From a Russian Lake, a Big, if Fragile, Space Rock
New York Times
MOSCOW — Russian officials on Wednesday retrieved the largest fragment so far of a meteor that exploded in February over the city of Chelyabinsk, but as divers and a mechanical winch lifted it from the bottom of a lake, the rock broke into three pieces, and ...

Yeti mystery solved? Geneticist links Abominable Snowman hairs to bears
NBCNews.com
British geneticist Bryan Sykes says he has linked purported samples of Yeti hair to an ancient polar bear jawbone. After a yearlong quest, a British geneticist says he has matched the DNA from hairs attributed to Himalayan Yetis, also known as "Abominable ...

Facebook Privacy For Teens: 5 Facts
InformationWeek
Facebook has again changed its privacy settings, enabling features that affect younger users. Here's what you should know. Start The Discussion. Tweet; Mail Mail; Print Print · Kristin Burnham | October 17, 2013 12:25 PM. Facebook is changing its privacy ...

Anki Drive's AI Toy Cars Race Onto Shelves Oct. 23
PC Magazine
The high-tech slotcar races of your youth look like a game of Tiddlywinks next to newcomer Anki Drive, set to make its artificial intelligence debut next week. On Oct. 23, Anki Drive takes the fight between man and machine to the next level, daring players to ...

Rare Meteorites Are From Mars, Curiosity Rover Confirms
Mashable
Although it's rare, some meteorites that drop in on Earth come from our neighboring Red Planet. We have suspected this for years, but this week, NASA's Curiosity rover confirmed their origin. Using her Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument — a highly ...

Samsung Offers to Pull Back on Gadget Ban Requests in EU
PC Magazine
In an effort to avoid an antitrust smackdown in Europe, Samsung has proposed a moratorium on requesting injunctions against devices that use its standard essential patents (SEP). For the next five years, Samsung would abstain from seeking bans on rivals' ...

SwiftKey 4.3 update offers keyboard layouts you can resize, move and split
Engadget
Nearly two months after SwiftKey opened up its Cloud to the public, the third-party Android keyboard is ready to push out another significant update. Taking advantage of the momentum it built with 4.2, version 4.3 offers a feature called Layouts for Living.

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