Kazuo Hirai will take over as the president of Sony in the next few months, Nikkei reported on Friday. Howard Stringer, who previously had served as the president, chairman and CEO of the company will remain on board as chief executive officer. Sony is expected to be a big presence at the Consumer Electronics Show this year and could unveil a “different kind of TV set” early next week. Sony also recently announced that it will purchase Ericsson’s stake in its Sony Ericsson joint venture for $1.47 billion.

[Via The Verge]

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Apple’s board of directors has been in informal talks with executive recruiting firms and has been discussing a successor to CEO Steve Jobs, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. Reportedly, the board has also met and talked with “at least one” head of a “high-profile tech company” as a possible successor, although it’s unclear who that person is. The Wall Street Journal also noted that it wasn’t immediately clear if Steve Jobs had been aware of the search or if Apple has been looking behind his back, though he emailed The Wall Street Journal in response to their questions about the discussions: “I think it’s hogwash.” Steve Jobs has been on medical leave from the Cupertino-based firm since January of this year.

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Via a press release today, AT&T announced a new, comprehensive insurance offering dubbed Mobile Protection Pack. As the company explains, the new offering is a combination of three services: mobile insurance, enhanced support, and mobile locate. Mobile Protection, which will retail for $9.99 per month, covers subscribers against equipment loss, theft, accidental damage, liquid damage, and out-of-warranty malfunction. It also provides users with the ability to locate, lock, and trigger an alarm on a misplaced phone — and includes a handful of setup services. The complete list of covered devices can be found here, and includes the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Motorola Atrix 4G. Users looking to replace a damaged or lost device will have to pay a $50 or $125 deductible and, like all AT&T insurance offerings, Apple’s iPad and iPhone are not eligible. Hit the jump for the full press release.

AT&T Introduces the AT&T Mobile Protection Pack, a First-of-its-Kind Offer to Replace, Support, and Locate Your Mobile Device

Mobile Protection Pack features Mobile Insurance, Enhanced Support and Mobile Locate

AT&T* today announced the availability of the new AT&T Mobile Protection Pack, providing comprehensive protection and service support for several devices in AT&T’s mobile phone portfolio. The new package, available for $9.99 a month, combines two existing AT&T services – Mobile Insurance and Enhanced Support – along with the new Mobile Locate app, offered exclusively as part of the protection pack.

“This package is designed with the customer and their wireless support needs in mind,” said Mark Collins, senior vice president, Voice and Data Products, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Now concentrated in one service package, customers have a more convenient, affordable and seamless way to protect and manage their wireless device.”

AT&T Mobile Protection Pack combines the following services:

Mobile Insurance. Formerly Wireless Phone Insurance, Mobile Insurance provides replacement for approved claims involving loss, theft, accidental damage, liquid damage, or mechanical and electrical failure after the manufacturer’s warranty expires. Customers can sign up within 30 days of service activation or device upgrade.

Enhanced Support. Customers can take advantage of direct live support (via phone or web chat) for device setup, plus general “how to” help and ongoing troubleshooting assistance. Customers can also grant the service agent permission to remotely access a capable device and/or customer’s computer via a secure connection to help manage account and device needs.

Mobile Locate. Available exclusively within the AT&T Protection Pack, Mobile Locate allows users to remotely locate, lock or sound an alarm on their missing phone via the Mobile Protection Pack website. Compatible phones must be powered-on and be within an AT&T coverage area. Highlights include:

• Locate missing phone in real-time. Customers can locate their phone in real time, plus retrieve the last five locations of the device, including turn-by-turn directions to each of the locations.
• Sound an alarm. An alarm on the device can be activated, even if the phone is on silent or vibrate. The alarm will sound for three minutes unless turned off by the customer.
• Secure data by remotely locking the phone. Customers have the ability to remotely lock the phone if lost. If the phone is found, customers can simply enter a unique pin to unlock the phone.

To enroll in and learn more about the AT&T Mobile Protection Pack, customers can call 866-MOBILITY or visit www.att.com/mobileprotectionpack.Mobile Insurance is available separately for $4.99 per month per enrolled mobile number. Enhanced Support is also available separately for $9.00 per month per enrolled mobile number.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

Customers must enroll in AT&T Mobile Protection Pack within 30 days of activation date or device upgrade date. Existing Mobile Insurance customers can upgrade to the Mobile Protection Pack at any time. Both Mobile Insurance and Enhanced Support are available as standalone products, however Mobile Locate is only available as part of the Mobile Protection Pack. If the customer is enrolled in Mobile Protection Pack and decides to drop Mobile Insurance, both Enhanced Support and Mobile Locate will also be dropped. However, the customer can still purchase Enhanced Support separately for $9.00 per month per enrolled number. Mobile Locate is available on select phones. All features may not work on all devices. Visit att.com/mobileprotectionpack for more information.

Mobile Insurance: A nonrefundable deductible of either $50 or $125 applies, depending upon the device model for each approved claim. Claims may be fulfilled with a new or remanufactured device. Customers are allowed 2 claims within any consecutive 12 months with a maximum device value of $1,500 per occurrence. Customers can cancel the optional coverage at any time and receive a prorated refund of unearned premium. Mobile Insurance is insurance underwritten by Continental Casualty Company, a CNA company (CNA), and administered by Asurion Protection Services, LLC (in California, Asurion Protection Services Insurance Agency, LLC, CA Lic. #OD63161. In Puerto Rico, Asurion Protection Services of Puerto Rico, Inc.) a licensed agent of CNA.

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The battery in Apple’s recently revamped 17″ MacBook Pro, incase you somehow missed it, is amazing. With a single charge it can power the monster notebook for approximately eight hours while using the NVIDIA 9400M graphics processor or approximately seven hours while the 9600M GT chip is at work. What’s more, the new powerhouse has a charge cycle life of 1,000 charges which is leaps and bounds beyond the shelf life of a standard laptop battery. While those are some remarkable specs, it doesn’t mean that the new battery is immune to problems of course and Murphy’s Law makes it likely that problems will occur after the one-year battery warranty has expired. It also can’t (shouldn’t) be replaced by end-users so what happens if the pack starts to go after its estimated five-year lifespan and you want to swap it out for a new one – though we can hardly imagine using the same notebook for two years, let alone five. Apple has just put up a support page detailing the process and cost to put your mind at ease as you debate shelling out that $2,800 – $4,000 on a shiny new Pro. In a nutshell, the replacement battery will run you $179, which includes the installation of your new battery and the disposal of your old one. If you can find your way to an Apple Store, the turn around time is just one day. If you choose to mail your baby to Apple you’re looking at three to four days from the date Apple receives it. There, now you can sleep better at night.

[Via MacRumors]

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