FreedomPop, the disruptive new wireless broadband internet company, announced it will officially begin taking orders today for its new 4G iPhone Sleeve. FreedomPop plans to launch its beta program this summer where users will be given up to 1GB of free data every month.

This comes at a time when other mobile carriers, including AT&T and Verizon are increasing prices for broadband data plans and charging exiting customer additional fees to upgrade devices. “The timing couldn’t be better for our product,” said Mauricio Sastre, FreedomPop’s VP of Product. “Carriers are throttling data and increasing prices and users are desperate for affordable alternatives. As the mobile industry flexes its joint oligopolistic power, we want to ensure that we are keeping them honest,” added Sastre.

With FreedomPop’s Freedom Sleeve, users will be able to supplement existing plans with free data or even replace wireless internet plans altogether. The 4G iPhone Sleeve not only unleashes the iPhone at speeds up to 10x current 3G, but also allows up to 8 other devices to connect to it and doubles as a battery charger that can extend battery life up to 6 hours. “FreedomPop is one step closer to disrupting the wireless broadband internet market and providing all Americans with access to free, fast, reliable wireless internet on the most popular mobile device in the world” added Sastre.

Informa Analyst Viewpoint On The Launch Of Samsung’s Galaxy S III

Malik Saadi, Principal Analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media comments on the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy S III.

Today, Samsung introduced the third generation of its flagship smartphone brand, the Galaxy S III.

The phone will be branded as the official 2012 Olympics phone. This device belongs to the super-phone category of smartphones which also includes HTC One X, the forthcoming iPhone 5 and LG Optimus 2X.

According to Informa Telecoms & Media, the super-phone market will generate above 50 million units in terms of sales by the end of 2012.

Galaxy S III will certainly enable Samsung to reinforce its position as the leading vendor in this market.

It will also enable the South Korean consumer electronics giant to maintain its leadership as the dominant Android manufacturer, with an estimated one-third market share by end of 2012 (see attached).

What is unique about the Galaxy S III is the level of intelligence Samsung has created around its embedded features and sensors which takes smartphone innovation into another league. The device’s features are capable of communicating with each other and sharing information, enabling it to react intuitively and automatically to an action taken by the user. For example, the phone can recognise a face in a picture taken with the camera and will associate it with a contact saved in the address book. The phone will then automatically save the picture in a relevant file (e.g. family, friends, colleagues), tag it, and suggest you should upload it to facebook or Twitter.

While the Galaxy S III will be highly desirable for enthusiastic and advanced users, Samsung will have to build on the already popular Galaxy brand and push it hard to various distribution channels before the iPhone 5 is launched. However, Samsung will find it hard to convince and educate the typical mobile phone user to adopt and use all the advanced experiences enabled by this phone. In this specific segment, Samsung Galaxy S III is unlikely to meet with great success, at least in the early stages after launch.

The casing of the Galaxy S III is another weakness, as it’s based on the usual plastic casing found in most of Samsung’s phones and doesn’t do justice to the device’s impressive features. Samsung needs to learn from the likes of Nokia and Apple which use high-quality materials and the best designs for casing their premium devices.

Galaxy S III could, potentially, also cannibalize sales of some of its popular smartphones including Galaxy Note, Galaxy S II, and Galaxy Nexus. Therefore, Samsung will have to come up with a well-structured price segmentation, where Galaxy S III addresses the premium price points while the existing Galaxy devices enter the lower price points to widen the audience of the overall Galaxy brand.

For more information, please contact Malik Saadi who will be attending the event in London on +44 (0) 775 998 2670

via Business4Media.com.

Cunard Cruise Line, the luxury cruise operator, has achieved significant booking uplift via its Apple iPad app since the app’s launch in June 2011.

The Cunard app features the latest cruise brochure and includes the company’s full programme of voyages, latest fares and special offers. It additionally features videos depicting life on board, a slideshow of photos of the fleet and access to Cunard’s social media channels.

The YUDU Media-created app also allows users to book cruises, with Cunard finding its average cruise order value increasing significantly compared to transactions made solely via its website, www.cunard.co.uk.

With over 10,000 app downloads to date as well as a high opt-in registration rate, Cunard will soon expand the app to include its weddings brochure as well as its quarterly Cunarder magazine. This will allow Cunard to directly link all relevant content on its website and social media sites to create an even smoother user journey.

Cunard’s Senior New Media Executive, Laura Beasty, says: “The app has been our first real step into mobile devices and something we want to continue to build on. Our website is now far more mobile friendly and, significantly, our bookings are beginning to reflect this”.

YUDU Media’s CEO, Richard Stephenson, says: “We create iPad and iPhone apps for some of the world’s leading brands and we are not surprised by either the strength of sales originating from Cunard’s app nor the increase in order values”.

Stephenson continues, “the latest iPad has 3.1 million pixels which puts it ahead of the average HDTV resolution. This allows users to view Cunard’s app and ‘virtually’ experience what it is like to be on board, say, the Queen Elizabeth at sunset. It’s the ultimate sales tool”.

- ENDS -

For further information please call Ana Sharkey on 0207 484 2785 or email ana.sharkey@yudu.com

Notes to editors:

About YUDU Media

YUDU is an award-winning publishing support service provider, enabling professional publishers, brand owners, marketers and retailers to publish interactive, rich media content to the Web, mobile and tablet. The YUDU cloud publishing platform allows content providers to publish magazines, catalogues, brochures and books in multiple digital formats. With offices in London, Lancashire and Boston, MA, YUDU offers advanced professional publishing with Yudu.com.

About Cunard

Cunard Cruise Line is one of the world’s most recognised brand names in ocean travel with a classic British heritage and is part of Carnival Corporation & PLC. Continuing the tradition of luxury cruising that began in 1840, Cunard currently has the world’s youngest fleet.

The most recent addition to the fleet was Queen Elizabeth, named by Her Majesty The Queen in October 2010. Her sister ship, Queen Victoria, was successfully launched in December 2007 whilst Queen Mary 2 continues her scheduled transatlantic crossings, the only luxury ocean liner ship to do so. www.cunard.co.uk

Cunard app Apple Store Cunard download: http://tinyurl.com/72eewuf

· Sleek and stylish design that looks good anywhere in your home

· Built-in dock for iPhone, iPod and iPad gives you easy access to your digital playlists

· In-built DAB/DAB+ tuner for easy listening to all digital radio stations

· Innovative Magnetic Fluid speakers deliver crystal-clear, distortion-free sound

· Stream music wirelessly with Bluetooth connectivity

The complete package

With its sophisticated, minimalist design and high quality finish, this system will make a stylish addition to any room. The system’s compact dimensions mean it’s able to fit seamlessly into in any part of the home, whether on the table top or wall mounted.

As for sound quality, you won’t be disappointed. Thanks to patented Magnetic Fluid technology from Sony that creates crystal clear sound reproduction, the speakers are damperless, meaning less distortion and improved clarity – particularly in the mid-to-high range. Your favourite tracks have never sounded better.

What’s more, because there’s no damper, the speakers are even more slimline so the Hi-Fi systems’ design is sleeker and more compact.

Your music, your way

Got thousands of tracks on your iPhone, iPod or iPad? Just pop your Apple device into the Hi-Fi system’s built-in dock for instant access to your digital music library – no cables required. When you’re finished listening to your device, the dock retracts neatly back into the system for a streamlined appearance.

The CMT-V75BTiP even features Bluetooth connectivity so you can stream music wirelessly from your iPhone or other Bluetooth-enabled devices. It also includes DAB and DAB+ radio, giving you access to a huge selection of digital radio stations.

The CMT-V75BTiP system houses a CD player too, just in case you haven’t got round to digitising your collection yet.

Style and substance

“With the CMT-V75BTiP Hi-Fi systems, we’ve paired iconic design with exceptional audio quality,” says Matt Coupe, Audio Product Manager at Sony UK.

“This Hi-Fi system not only offers exceptional depth and clarity of sound, it’s also an elegant, beautiful object in its own right. And with a range of intelligent features built in – for example, very few rival systems feature a dock that is iPad compatible – it’s the perfect blend of style and substance, form and function.”

The new CMT-V75BTiP Hi-Fi system is available in the UK from June 2012.

Cologne, Germany – sonoro audio, the German design and engineering company of top-quality compact audio solutions, introduces cuboGo, a stylish portable radio with outstanding sound and multiple finish options. With its distinctive yet compact design and sound quality that belies its size, cuboGo is the ideal audio statement for any location – either as a great compliment to any room or as the perfect holiday entertainment system. Available now in the UK, cuboGo has a UK SRP of £129.00.

Unique to the cuboGo is its interchangeable covers (aditional covers available separately) available in black, white, red, green, purple, orange, blue and taupe, allowing users to fine-tune its aesthetics to a room setting or to make a design statement as preferred. Combined with its curved-corner shape and drip-proof ABS casing, cuboGo is a unique design accessory for kitchens, bathrooms, children’s play areas, studios, garages and outdoor patios. Standing only 192 mm (7.6”) tall by 94 mm (3.7”) wide and complete with long lasting NiMH (Nickel – metal Hydride) rechargeable batteries giving extended portable use of up to 20 hours, its compact size also make it the ideal travel companion.

A retractable telescopic antenna and volume control knob is embedded in the speaker grill while the tuning control is discretely hidden on the base of the unit, giving cuboGo a sleek, minimalist appearance while enabling a precise adjustment of FM radio frequencies. Connected via the supplied 3.5 mm stereo cable, cuboGo is compatible with all iDevices, mobile phones and MP3 players for complete flexibility and listening pleasure.

“ At sonoro, we pride ourselves on creating quality audio products that look as good as they sound – blending form, function and design with practical, easy to use technology,” said Marcell Faller, founder and CEO of sonoro audio. “That philosophy continues with cuboGo, a radio that is fun, versatile and portable.”

cuboGo is available in the UK now through select retailers with a suggested retail price of £129.00. Additional covers can be purchased for £15.99.

For more information regarding sonoro audio and its cubo and elements quality audio product lines, please visit www.sonoro-audio.com. For additional images, click here or contact us for a wide selection of lifestyle images..

iPod® not included. iPod® is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the US and in other countries.

For further information, interview requests, images or review products, please contact Andy Napthine of Napthine Porter on 07920 425166 / andy@napthineporter.com or Alan Porter on 07922 073208 / alan@napthineporter.com

iPhone 4/4S users have a reason to celebrate with a new iPhone accessory just launched by AirCast Mobile called The AirClip.

The AirClip is a one-piece device that steadies your hand while taking video or pictures. By helping the user hold the phone in a more natural way, The AirClip makes the iPhone more stable, and therefore greatly improves or eliminates the natural tendency people have to “shake” their phone while filming or taking pictures.  If you’ve ever watch a mobile video on YouTube, then you know how hard it can be to watch.

By using The AirClip, users can shoot or record video in a variety of positions (portrait, landscape, even upside-down), or they can even use it as a hands free stand for FaceTime or Skype video calling.  The AirClip is small, portable, and most importantly inexpensive.

AirCast Mobile’s Founder & CEO, Michael Linhardt explains how they came up with the idea for The AirClip:

“AirCast Mobile is a mobile media company focused on mobile video solutions. During the beta-testing of our AirCastLive and JamCast iPhone apps, we realized that all of our test videos were coming out very shaky. After looking at the reasons why, we discovered that the shakiness was due to the way that people hold their phone while recording videos or taking pictures. We discovered that most people hold their iPhone with one hand, and then operate it with the other. That leads to a tendency to shake the iPhone while using it. To solve this problem, we invented The AirClip. After many revisions, we realized that there was a better, more natural way of holding the iPhone. Now with The AirClip, shaky videos or blurry iPhone pictures are a thing of the past!”

The AirClip is already for sale on Amazon, Tinylightbulbs.com, as well as AirCast Mobile’s own website: http://www.the-airclip.com/

The AirClip is a Patented and Trademarked product.

Yamaha have launched an amazing new App for their acclaimed THR Practice amplifier range.

The new free of charge ‘Session’ App allow users to to play along with, and learn their favourite tracks by deploying the App’s cool ‘ Extraction’ feature which isolates and mutes the guitar track allowing guitarists to play along, practice and learn solos with the band and their guitar heroes .

This nifty function provides a great practice and learning tool, ideal for ‘At-Home’ rehearsals, users can practice songs and techniques quicker and more effectively than conventional methods.

Other useful functions include a ‘slow down’ function which slows tracks down without any loss of audio quality,  for those difficult moments any segment of the track can be repeated and the key changed.

The App is available now for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4/4S, iPod Touch and iPad

The app can be viewed here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kLOQSLr7fQ

TASCAM, the brand synonymous with professional recording products, today introduced the iU2 premium sound-quality audio interface for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. 

Now users can make use of all of the features of TASCAM’s best-selling USB audio interfaces (including MIDI Interface and a pair of great-sounding microphone inputs) and easily connect directly to their iDevice.  iU2 is available now with an SRP of £149.00

Connection via Apple’s iOS 30 pin connector or USB for Mac/PC, the iU2 featuresmicrophone inputs that have phantom power for use with high-quality condenser microphones. 

These feed an onboard microphone preamp and A/D converter for better sound performance than those built into iPhone and iPad – true stereo recording with low noise and less tendency to distort. The inputs also accept line-level signals or you can plug a guitar or bass directly into your device.

In addition to compatibility with iOS devices, the iU2 also works with Mac and Windows computers. A zero-latency monitoring path allows musicians to hear themselves directly through the unit, without any distracting delay. MIDI in and out is provided to interface withsynths and drum machines and a digital output connects to digital mixers or recorders.

Features:

• Audio/MIDI Interface for Mac, Windows and iOS devices
• Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch
• Two XLR mic inputs with phantom power
• Two balanced line inputs
• Instrument-level input for guitar or bass
• MIDI in and out
• Onboard A/D conversion for low-noise and distortion when recording with iOSdevices
• Zero-latency direct monitoring
• S/PDIF Digital Output
• Powered through the iPad 32 pin apple plug
• Includes USB cable, iOS dock connection cable, XLR to ¼” conversion cables

Compatible with iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 4G, iPad, iPad 2, New iPad

* Apple, iPhone, iPad and iPod are trademarks of Apple Inc.

The TASCAM iU2 is available in the UK now and has an SRP of £149.00.

To download PDF of press release, click here - http://www.napthineporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/TASCAM-iU2-Press-Release-Final-Email1.pdf

TEAC UK Ltd

Suites 19 & 20, Building 6

Hatters Lane

Croxley Green Business Park

Watford

Hertfordshire

WD18 8TE

Tel:      0845 1302511

Email:  info@tascam.co.uk

http://www.tascam.co.uk

Notes for Editors

TASCAM is the professional audio division of TEAC Corporation and has been developing and manufacturing professional recording products since the early 1970’s.  Today, TASCAM’s model line up includes recording devices (both portable and static), mixers and interfaces for the professional recording and broadcasting world.  In addition, TASCAM continue to develop its range of semi-pro and home-recording products dubbed Portastudio – the iconic portable recording device that has been synonymous with musicians the world over since the mid 1970’s.

For further information, interview requests, images or review products for both TEAC and TASCAM, please contact Andy Napthine of Napthine Porter on 07920 425166 /andy@napthineporter.com or Alan Porter on 07922 073208 / alan@napthineporter.com

Now movies, games, and music come alive with atmosphere and realism.

When it comes to set-up, Audyssey 2EQ® ensures the surround soundstage is adjusted to the proportions of your living room. And thanks to the HDMI functionality of the Onkyo HT-S5400 Home Theater System, you can take advantage of Onkyo’s convenient overlaid on-screen display to adjust settings with a minimum of fuss.

Naturally, the receiver’s four HDMI inputs also handle 3D video and high-def audio from Dolby® TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio™. Other connectivity highlights include a handy front-panel USB input that lets you send a clean digital signal from your iPod®/iPhone® to the receiver, and front-panel analog A/V inputs for easy connection of a game console or camcorder.

To provide greater bass impact without taxing the receiver, the Onkyo HT-S5400 Home Theater System includes an independently powered subwoofer.

Embark upon an amazing cinematic experience from the comfort of your own couch with this HT-SS380 5.1-channel surround sound 3D home theater system.

Outfitted with three HDMI inputs with 3D pass-through, you can easily connect compatible devices-like a PS3 system, 3D HDTV or 3D Blu-ray Disc player-and experience eye-popping 3D.

With 1000 watts of powerful, 5.1-channel surround sound, get blown away by your music and the sounds of your favorite movies and games. Play songs stored on your compatible iPod or iPhone with the included dock, then control the audio system with the BRAVIA Widget Control onscreen menu for compatible BRAVIA HDTVs.

FEATURES: Three HDMI inputs – Connect three HD sources via HDMI and easily switch between them. HDMI connections combine the quality of pure digital-to-digital signal transfer with the simplicity of a single connection for audio, video and control.

BRAVIA Widget Control – Controlling surround sound systems just got easier. With select 2011 BRAVIA HDTVs, you can pull up a menu on the TV screen to make comprehensive audio adjustments.

Digital Cinema Auto Calibration – Easily optimize your surround sound experience.

Simply place the included microphone where you will be seated.

Speaker set-up is automatically optimized based on the precise placement of your speakers and the speaker-to-listening position delays.

HDMI standby pass-through – Conveniently access all your HDMI sources without having to power on the home theater system. HDMI 3D Pass-Through – Enjoy Blu-ray 3D movies, 3D video games and other 3D content with compatible players and HDTVs.

1000 Watts for powerful sound – Hear everything with incredible impact. The system delivers 1000 Watts total power (167 Watts x5 +165 Watts, measurements at 3 Ohms, 180 Hz