Mobile data increased very much last year. I expect the growth to continue. If operators do not invest enough to their network and/or find suitable charging schemes the network can become more congested than before.
4G mobile device speeds becomes the new standard. As competition move to that end, there will be fast growth there. Shipments of ’4G’ LTE devices, that is handsets, dongles and tablets, reached almost 103 million units in 2012, according to figures published by ABI Research. It interesting that almost 95% of the devices shipped went to North America and the Asia-Pacific.
3G will become the low-cost option for those who think 4G option is too expensive. What is interesting to note is that not everyone who upgraded to an LTE-capable device last year took out an LTE subscription; in fact, only around half of LTE device owners also have an LTE subscription.
The shift to 4G can take many more than year to fully happen even in USA. ABI expects the rate at which 3G subscribers with LTE handsets upgrade to LTE connections will gather pace over the next two years. And even longer in Europe. Carriers should not be panicking. And 3G will live and expand besides 4G for quite a long time. For many of those living outside cities, 3G internet connections are still hard to come by.
Apple and Samsung will continue to make money this year as well as people rate Apple and Samsung more highly than ever. Accountant Deloitte predicts that Smartphone sales to hit 1bn a year for first time in 2013.
Samsung is currently the world’s leading seller of phones and televisions. Those leaders should be careful because competition is getting harder all the time. Samsung boss has given warning on this to employees. Remember what what happened to Nokia.
Android will dominate smart phone market even stronger than before. Digitimes Research: Android phones to account for 70% of global smartphone market in 2013.
Windows Phone 8 situation is a question mark. Digitimes predicts that Shipments of Windows Phones, including 7.x and 8.x models, will grow 150% on year to 52.5 million units in 2013 for a 6.1% share. There is one big force against Windows Phone: Google does not bother doing services for Windows Phone 8, Google’s sync changes are going to screw Gmail users on Windows Phone and there are issues with YouTube. Does Windows Phone even have a chance without Google? For active Google service users the changes are pretty that they get this phone.
Competition on smart phones gets harder. It seems that smart phone business have evolved to point where even relatively small companies can start to make their own phones. Forbes sees that Amazon, Microsoft, Google, will all introduce branded mobile phones.
Patent battles are far from over. We will see many new patent fights on smart phones and tablets.
Mobile phones still cause other devices to become redundant. Tietoviikko tells that last year mobile phone made redundant the following devices: small screen smart phones (4 inch or more now), music buying as individual tracks or discs, navigators (smart phone can do that) and a separate pocket size camera. Let’s see what becomes redundant this year.
Many things happens on Linux on mobile devices. Ubuntu now fits in your phone. Firefox OS phones from ZTE will come to some markets. ZTE plans to make Open webOS phone. Meego is not dead, it resurrects with new names: Samsung will release Tizen based phones. Jolla will release Sailfish phones.
Cars become more and more mobile communications devices. Car of the future is M2M-ready. Think a future car as a big smart phone moving on wheels.
Nokia seemed to be getting better on the end of 2012, but 2013 does not look too good for Nokia. Especially on smart phones if you believe Tomi T Ahonen analysis Picture Tells it Better – first in series of Nokia Strategy Analysis diagrams, how Nokia smartphone sales collapsed. Even if shipment of Windows Phone 8 devices increase as Digitimes predicts the year will be hard for Nokia. Tristan Louis expects in Forbes magazine that Nokia abandons the mobile business in 2013. I think that will happen this year, at least for whole mobile business. I have understood that basic phone and feature phone phone business part of Nokia is quite good condition. The problems are on smart phones. I expect that Windows Phone 8 will not sell as well as Nokia hopes.
Because Nokia is reducing number of workers in Finland, there are other companies that try to use the situation: Two new Finnish mobile startups and Samsung opens a research center in Espoo Finland.
Finnish mobile gaming industry has been doing well on 2012. Rovio has been growing for years on the success of Angry Birds that does not show slowing down. Supercell had also huge success. I expect those businesses to grow this year. Maybe some new Finnish mobiel game company finds their own recipe for success.
Late addition: Wireless charging of mobile devices is get getting some popularity. Wireless charging for Qi technology is becoming the industry standard as Nokia, HTC and some other companies use that. There is a competing AW4P wireless charging standard pushed by Samsung ja Qualcomm. Toyota’s car will get wireless mobile phone charger, and other car manufacturers might follow that if buyers start to want them. Wireless charge option has already been surprisingly common variety of devices: Nokia Lumia 920, Nexus 4, HT, etc. We have to wait for some time for situation to stabilize before we see public charging points in cafeterias.
1,261 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nvidia unveils Tegra 4, ‘world’s fastest mobile processor’
http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/6/3844860/nvidia-tegra-4-announcement-specs-availability
Nvidia has just announced its next-generation Tegra 4 processor for smartphones, tablets, and notebooks. The Tegra 4, like its predecessor, features a quad-core processor along with a fifth, low power, core to save battery life. Although it retains the 4-plus-1 setup of Tegra 3, Nvidia’s fourth-generation chip is built on an all-new architecture.
Tegra 3 failed to find its way into as many devices as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon not for lack of power, but because of poor battery life. Despite its companion core setup, Nvidia couldn’t manage to integrate LTE in its chip, which negatively impacted battery life when compared to Qualcomm’s integrated setup
Tomi Engdahl says:
NVIDIA unveils Project Shield, a Tegra 4-powered Android gaming handheld
http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/07/nvidia-project-shield-tegra-4/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Many Windows Phone users report being cut off from Google Maps
http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/4/3836510/windows-phone-8-users-unable-to-access-google-maps
Google Maps has never officially been supported on Windows Phone, but today many users have reportedly been cut off entirely. Frustrated owners report that trying to visit the web version of Google’s popular service results in them being redirected to the company’s main website. As numerous posts in our forums and our own tests confirm, the issue is currently affecting a wide number of handsets running Windows Phone 7 and 8.
The rivalry between both tech giants has grown deeper in recent weeks after Google announced plans to move away from Microsoft’s Exchange platform, news which Redmond insists it was surprised by. This development shouldn’t come as any type of shock, however, since Google Maps relies on WebKit on mobile devices; the Internet Explorer app Microsoft built for Windows Phone doesn’t utilize the rendering engine.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google enabling Maps access for Windows Phone after uproar
http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/5/3840620/google-bringing-maps-back-to-windows-phone
The Google Maps on Windows Phone debacle looks like it will be resolved after all. Google now says that it is in fact planning to get rid of the redirect that’s preventing Windows Phone users from accessing the Google Maps website using Internet Explorer — “soon,” even.
That’s quite a change from what we heard just yesterday — Google told us that the reason for the outage was because the company had not designed its mobile Google Maps site with Internet Explorer compatibility in mind. WebKit-based browsers like Google’s own Chrome and Apple’s Safari make up the vast majority of mobile browser traffic, so it’s reasonable for Google not to be spending an inordinate amount of time testing on Microsoft’s platform.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Big screened quad-core Chinese beasts splash down at CES
‘Phablet’ and 6.9mm slimphone battle it out at electronics show
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/07/ces_huawei_zte/
China’s homegrown smartphone giants are set to make a splash overseas this month with some impressive handset designs including the world’s thinnest smartphone and a giant 6.1in phone/tablet hybrid.
Leading the charge at this week’s annual gadget-fest CES in Las Vegas are Shenzhen neighbours ZTE and Huawei.
The two had a pretty torrid 2012 at the hands of US politicians, who branded their telecoms kit businesses a national security risk, so they’ll be looking to the world’s biggest consumer electronics show to boost brand awareness and highlight their innovation efforts in the mobile space.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A close relationship with your phone can be a problem: more than 90 per cent of workers said they work more than 50 hours a week. Of the respondents, 56 percent of checked messages after going to bed.
Workers have apparently tacitly approved work could go to home to as part of their large salary, concludes Harvard Business School professor Leslie A. Perlow.
Boston consulting firm has responded to the problem by launching a pre-agreed-free, which means one uninterrupted night’s sleep a week. Freedom are opposed to the unexpectedly employees.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/konsulttiyhtio+ehdotti+kannykkavapaata+yota++tyontekijat+vastustavat/a868355?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-07012013&
Tomi Engdahl says:
Consumers pay the hidden costs for the ‘free’ app ecosystem
Can mobile developers find a way to make paid apps work at scale?
http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/7/3835724/the-price-of-apps
Time is money, and apps don’t last forever.
Free apps are dangerous, yet free is the dominant business model most mobile apps are taking these days. The roadmap is simple: grow as quickly as possible, then insert ads of some kind or get acquired. For consumers it offers a crummy set of choices: either losing the countless hours you put into the app or have your private data sold to marketers — since as well all know, when the product is free, you are the product. So how are we to trust investing time (our most valuable asset) in free apps that seem to inevitably “jump the shark,” no matter how cool they start out? Are paid apps the answer, or will we need something more complex to keep developers in business?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm outs Snapdragon 800 and 600: up to 2.3GHz quad-core, 4K video, due by mid 2013
http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/07/qualcomm-snapdragon-800-and-600-chips/
Having pushed the Snapdragon S4 into an outrageous number of devices last year, it seemed inevitable that Qualcomm would come to CES 2013 with an even more fiery Snapdragon S5. As it turns out, that prediction was slightly off the mark.
Let’s start with the 800 and that claim of 1.75x performance.
This SoC will be able to capture and play 4K video at 30fps, handle 2K video (or more precisely 2560 x 2048) at 60fps, and deliver the latest 7.1 channel DTS-HD and DD Plus audio standards.
The 800 should arrive by the middle of the year, but another upgrade option will get here even sooner, by Q2.
Tomi Engdahl says:
As Demand For Tablets, Smartphones And Connected Screens Soars, Pure Play Devices Under Threat, Says Accenture
http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/07/as-demand-for-tablets-smartphones-and-connected-screens-soars-pure-play-devices-under-threat-says-accenture/
Attention dumbphones, point-and-shoot cameras and music players: sorry to tell you this, but it looks like your days may be numbered. According to a new survey out from Accenture (embedded below and released to coincide with the CES show), consumers are moving away from buying “single-use” devices and opting instead for those that offer the ability to do many things, with smartphones (at 41% of respondents), PCs (36%), HDTVs (33%) and tablets (23%) topping the list of items consumers are most likely to buy in 2013, as gadget spending is projected to reach $1.1 trillion.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ford Launches Open Developer Program To Let Mobile Apps Interface With Its Cars
http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/07/ford-launches-open-developer-program-to-let-mobile-apps-interface-with-its-cars/
Our cars have become increasingly connected, but building apps for them has generally involved small private betas and a lot of hand-holding from car manufacturers. The first manufacturer to open up their cars to developers is Ford, which is announcing its open mobile app developer program for iOS and Android apps at CES today.
Developers will be able to use Ford’s new SDK to tap into a car’s entertainment systems to enable two-way communication between the apps and the car.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Guy Is Teaching Your iPhone To Detect Bad Breath … And Other Smells
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/your-iphone-will-soon-detect-bad-breath-2013-1#ixzz2HNGRPfts
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hey, Apple and Google: Stop trying to wolf the whole mobile pie
Stick to your slice and we’ll ALL get better tech
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/03/open_and_shut/
It’s become a truism that the way to win in mobile is with an end-to-end, hardware-to-software-to-cloud strategy. I just wish this were as good for consumers as it seems to be for vendors. If I could get any wish fulfilled for 2013, it would be to have Apple and Google, in particular, go back to doing what they do best – rather than doing “all the things” in an attempt to squeeze out maximum value from a captive consumer.
It’s not surprising that there has been a rush to integrate everything in these still early days of mobile computing. As Clayton Christensen called out in The Innovator’s Dilemma, integration is essential to winning in a nascent market, because customers gravitate to solutions that bake out unnecessary complexity.
The problem for Apple and others, however, is that we’re likely moving beyond the point when we need an end-to-end crutch, particularly given how poor the dominant vendors are at different areas of the mobile “stack”.
The transition from proprietary architecture to open modular architecture just happens over and over again. It happened in the personal computer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Handy mobile app allows users to access their computer via mobile device
http://www2.electronicproducts.com/Handy_mobile_app_allows_users_to_access_their_computer_via_mobile_device-article-fand_vnc_viewer_mobile_app_jan2013-html.aspx
Mobile app allows users to access their at-home computers from remote locations
No matter where you are in the world, VNC Viewer can get you to your computer when you need it. VNC Viewer connects your iOS or Android device to a computer running VNC-compatible server technology to allow you to take control of your at-home system even when you’re miles away. View your computer’s desktop, access your personal data, change settings, run applications, and get hold of your keyboard and mouse just as if you were sitting comfortably at your desk.
VNC Viewer for Android or iOS: $4.99
Tomi Engdahl says:
Use your smartphone to detect food allergies
http://www2.electronicproducts.com/Use_your_smartphone_to_detect_food_allergies-article-FANE_food_allergy_device_Dec2012-html.aspx
Food allergies can be a major concern for people, especially parents with small children affected.
Now a new device that hooks up to your smartphone can help detect allergens in your food.
A team of researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a lightweight device that weighs just over one ounce called the iTube, which attached to your iPhone to detect allergens in food samples so you can eat out without worry.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Analysis of the company Inderes estimates Nokia’s Lumia sales to be too small at the moment, so it would be able to make a profitable business the smart phone market during the bloody contest.
“Our expectations for Nokia’s Q4 report and early prospects are cautious. Estimate that the company which supplied four million Lumia phones in Q4, but sales have been focused on poor margins offered for sale in the old range Lumia 920: the slow ramp-up due to the” Inderes write Nordnet morning report.
Inderes estimates Nokia’s smartphone unit’s operating loss to be reduced this year for the 2012 level, but the unit still remain clearly negative. Inderes predicts Nokia to sell 33 million Lumiaa this year. The amount is not enough to make a profit.
“We believe that Nokia is currently too small to be able to make a profitable business the smart phone market during the bloody contest.”
Devices & Services unit will remain under pressure in 2013, as the fading of basic telephone business is no longer the place smartphone losses to the same extent as 2012.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/analyysiyhtio+lumiamyynti+liian+pienta+kannattavaksi+bisnekseksi/a868856?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-09012013&
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sony’s new top model is a waterproof smartphone
Sony announced a new Android-top model, CES show in Las Vegas. Xperia Z-phone has a thickness of only 7.9 mm. The phone has a large five-inch high-definition display.
Water resistance is a rare feature of this style devices.
Waterproof phones have been seen in the past, but no major manufacturer’s flagship smartphone model.
According to Sony’s phone takes splashing water from all directions, as long as the phone jacks lids are closed tightly.
Xperia Z takes a half-hour immersion in water meters deep.
According to Sony Xperia Z is the first smartphone that includes hdr camcorder. HDR technology (high dynamic range) of the camera records the image more dynamic than usual.
Source: http://www.tietokone.fi/uutiset/sonyn_uusi_alypuhelinten_huippumalli_on_vedenpitava
Tomi Engdahl says:
T-Mobile appeals with free 4G in laptops; no-contract unlimited smartphone data
http://gigaom.com/2013/01/08/t-mobile-appeals-with-free-4g-in-laptops-no-contract-unlimited-data/
T-Mobile is getting aggressive to lure new customers. The carrier is offering its 4G Unlimited Data without a contract. New laptops and tablets also come with T-Mobile service: Users get a taste with 200 MB of free monthly data and options to add more.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Making apps for touchscreen mobes? YAWN. Try a car instead
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/09/ford_sync/
CES 2013 Phone app developers who fancy expanding onto car dashboards can now create programs for Ford cars, utilising the voice control and connectivity built into the vehicle through open software interfaces (APIs).
The interfaces are provided for Android and iOS, but the likes of Angry Birds won’t be welcomed. In fact no games will be allowed as Ford points out that such distractions are suitable only for passengers who can use their own phones. These APIs are for vehicle drivers, and applications will therefore be limited to those appropriate to someone whose primary focus is on the road.
Announced examples include a Wall Street Journal app, which reads out the news headlines, and Kaliki, which reads out non-news from TV Guide and celeb rag OK! Then there are apps from Amazon for playing back one’s music from the cloud, and streamed radio stations such as Rhapsody.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm gets some competition as Broadcom enters mobile processor market
http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/8/3852430/broadcom-enters-mobile-chip-market-arm-license
Broadcom, a manufacturer of baseband modules (the chips that let devices communicate with mobile networks), announced today that it has licensed the ARMv7 and ARMv8 mobile processor architectures. Broadcom will use these licenses to develop mobile processors with integrated LTE chips, something that Qualcomm already does.
tomi says:
Car-as-a-service era is here
http://www.eetimes.com/design/automotive-design/4404564/Car-as-a-service-era-is-here?Ecosystem=communications-design
What if you were able to try out driverless features in your car for one month at no charge? If you liked it a lot, you could buy an annual subscription. When your subscription runs out, you could renew it through your smartphone. On a weekend, you might want to upgrade the driverless feature from “commuter style” to “race track style”, and be driven at breakneck speeds on a racetrack.
Such possibilities are endless. At their core, they speak to the looming transformation of business models in the automotive industry. A business that is characterized by occasional vehicle sales today is soon to become the “car as a service,” creating an on-going relationship between auto manufacturers and consumers with recurring revenues from sales of apps and services. The recipe driving the transformation of automotive manufacturers consists of essential ingredients, “platform + apps + service.”
Ford Sync is an early example of a next generation a connected software-driven dashboard or vehicle information and communications system.
A “platform + apps + services” model allows an auto manufacturer endless possibilities for revenue. For example, consumers can have the option to pay for navigation maps for a short duration, such as a weekend trip, rather than paying a monthly subscription. Manufacturers can also offer entertainment, such as movies or video games, to rent for a weekend or a long trip. Additionally, manufacturers can offer a vehicle’s maintenance history in the cloud. This information will stay with the vehicle and can be passed along to a new owner.
Ford has also partnered with an auto insurance provider to track and transmit mileage data, resulting in improved insurance rates for drivers
Internet connectivity anywhere, anytime in cars is the key enabler for “platform + apps + services” models. As Gartner* points out, “A connected vehicle experience provides the opportunity to move beyond a vehicle-sale-centric business model and toward a variety of monetization opportunities focused on the sum of the automobile ownership, driving experience and user-related aspects.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
The infotainment platforms craze Detroit
American Ford hastily enroll the first major automaker to open a new infotainment platform, third-party application developers. Just hours later, General Motors announced its own plans to infotainment.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/cio/infotainmentalustoista+detroitin+villitys/a869126?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-09012013&
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ford drives apps for navigation, social, fun
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9235396/Ford_drives_apps_for_navigation_social_fun
Launches Ford Developer Program to bolster in-vehicle app platform
LAS VEGAS – Ford Motor Co. is looking to integrate drivers’ favorite apps into their cars, giving them someone to read them the morning newspaper, along with an app to find them the site of their next great date.
Tomi Engdahl says:
GM Joins Ford on Infotainment Platform for App Developers
http://www.cio.com/article/725832/GM_Joins_Ford_on_Infotainment_Platform_for_App_Developers
Hours after Ford announced Monday it would be the first automaker to open its in-vehicle infotainment app platform to third-party developers General Motors jumped on the same bandwagon. GM says it will also open its new in-vehicle infotainment systems to third-party app developers.
GM plans to offer developers a software developer kit (SDK) through its online developer portal at developer.gm.com. The portal will let developers work with GM to design, test, and deliver integrated automotive apps for the company’s new infotainment systems. Like Ford’s developer portal, GM’s portal will also allow developers access to a forum community.
GM’s new infotainment systems, which are customizable and feature built-in partner apps such as TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Slacker, and The Weather Channel, will debut in select 2014 MY vehicles this summer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Low-Priced iPhone Awaits
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324391104578230060513922882.html?mod=djemalertNEWS
While the iPhone remains the top-selling smartphone in the U.S., Apple’s share of the high-end cellphone market has taken a hit in China and remains low in other emerging markets.
Apple is working on a lower-end iPhone, according to people briefed on the matter, a big shift in corporate strategy as its supremacy in smartphones has slipped.
The cheaper phone could resemble the standard iPhone, with a different, less-expensive body, one of the people said.
Many other parts could remain the same or be recycled from older iPhone models.
Apple could still decide to scrap the plan.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CES: 3G broadband has a strong future, says Ericsson
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2235308/ces-3g-broadband-has-a-strong-future-says-ericsson
Ericsson chief executive Hans Vestberg has said that the 3G wireless platform still has a strong future, despite the rise of LTE wireless broadband networks.
“3G has a lot of potential,” Vestberg said. “When I became CEO, 14.4kbps was the maximum speed of HSPA, we are now deploying 84, so there is a lot more to be done on 3G.”
He noted that Europe in particular has the potential to extend the lifespan of 3G. As many countries in Europe were relatively late to adopt 3G, networks and equipment are newer and more expandable than in other regions of the globe.
Vestberg said that just three nations, Korea, Japan and the US make up most of the world’s LTE infrastructure. In other regions, particularly those with the fastest growth, 3G still accounts for most wireless broadband.
“The handset price is so important for the dev of 2G and 3G, particularly 3G.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
ZTE Planning to Sell Mozilla-Powered Phone in Europe
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-09/zte-planning-to-sell-mozilla-powered-phone-in-europe.html
ZTE Corp. is working with a European wireless carrier to introduce a smartphone based on software built by Mozilla Corp. this year, saidCheng Lixin, chief executive officer of ZTE’s U.S. unit.
ZTE is seeking partnerships to offer devices with the new operating system to reduce its reliance on Google Inc.’s Android, which dominates the smartphone market with a 75 percent share of shipments, according to IDC.
ZTE is expanding in mobile devices and cloud computing, where sales growth is faster than its traditional equipment business.
Tomi Engdahl says:
President Clinton at CES: The World Needs More Smartphones (And Fewer Guns)
http://allthingsd.com/20130109/president-clinton-at-ces-the-world-needs-more-smartphones-and-fewer-guns/
It was a bit of a head-scratcher to see former President Bill Clinton on the Samsung keynote roster at CES 2013.
Surprise — part of his appearance actually made sense.
The South Korean conglomerate sells hundreds of millions of smartphones globally each year, and has been one of the leaders in the race to dominate the low end of Android-powered mobile devices.
Efforts to get those phones into the hands of people in impoverished rural areas, Clinton said, should be a priority in world humanitarian efforts. For many, the cellphone is the first — and only — point of entry to having a bank account, or to standardize commodity food prices across their particular region.
Big business agrees with Clinton on focusing on the developing world for growth — just with a different incentive in mind. As smartphone tech becomes cheaper and more widely available, millions of first-time users will start regularly accessing the Internet via mobile device, especially in Asia and South America. While smartphone penetration continues to reach record highs in the U.S., international markets remain the major area for potential growth.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dropbox to be included on all Samsung flagship phones and camera
Users get 50GB of cloud capacity for two years for free
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/print/9235500/Dropbox_to_be_included_on_all_Samsung_flagship_phones_and_camera
Dropbox on Wednesday announced tighter integration of its cloud storage and file-sharing service with Samsung products, from smartphones to televisions.
Dropbox said the deeper integration includes several new Samsung devices, such as the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Grand smartphone and smart cameras. Samsung cameras will automatically push the photos to Dropbox’s cloud storage service.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The connected car as a platform
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/automotive-innovation/4403736/The-connected-car-as-a-platform
When people think of the connected car they think of a car that hooks to the cloud. The reality is that the car itself is a connected platform that enables multiple protocols to talk together and connects to the cloud through the occupant’s mobile cellular service and hardware.
The current models feature multiple communication systems that connect the engine, drivers assist, tire pressure, airbag and safety systems and camera/radar systems to the drivers display. There is also a network that connects the passenger area to the information system along with entertainment control.
Tomi Engdahl says:
What do smartphone sensors sense all day?
http://www.edn.com/design/systems-design/4403623/What-do-smartphone-sensors-sense-all-day-
As noted in our October article in EDN, each of the leading mobile operating systems offers its own approach to how apps work with sensors when the device is in standby mode. Android allows any developer to install a background process that monitors sensor data. Windows 8 requires all sensors to be powered down. And iOS takes the middle road, allowing communications, streaming media, navigation, and any app developed by Apple to run during standby.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung anticipates 72 percent fourth quarter profit increase
Galaxy S3 and Note 2 boost the firm’s fortunes
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2235163/samsung-anticipates-72-percent-fourth-quarter-profit-increase
KOREAN HARDWARE GIANT Samsung Electronics has revealed guidance on its expected 2012 financial results, anticipating sales of approximately 201tn Won (£118bn) and operating profit of about 29tn Won (£17bn) for the year.
Samsung is expected to release its financial results for 2012 by the end of January.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia earnings better than expected
Nokia gave a positive profit warning.
The result is improved as well as the predicted in smartphones Devices & Services business and on Nokia Siemens Networks.
Source: http://www.iltalehti.fi/talous/2013011016541571_ta.shtml
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia sold 4.4 million Lumia smartphones in ‘solid’ Q4 2012; results ‘exceeded expectations’
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/01/10/nokia-sold-4-4-million-lumia-smartphones-in-solid-q4-2012-results-exceeded-expectations/
Straight out of left field, Nokia has today announced that its fourth quarter of 2012 was surprisingly solid, making its stock price spike.
Revealing its preliminary financial results for Q4 2012, Nokia says ‘Smart Devices’ net sales came in at approximately 1.2 billion euros ($1.57 billion), with total volumes of 6.6 million units.
Of those, Nokia, notes, 4.4 million units were Lumia smartphones.
In all, total smartphone volumes in Q4 2012 were 15.9 million units – 9.3 million Asha full-touch smartphones, 4.4 million Lumia smartphones and 2.2 million Symbian smartphones. Yup, Lumia finally beat Symbian!
In its press release, Nokia says its ‘Devices & Services’ unit likely exceeded expectations and “achieved underlying profitability” in the fourth quarter of 2012, as both its Mobile Phones business unit and Lumia portfolio delivered better-than-expected results.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Plasma Active, Sailfish, and Ubuntu Phone Developers Discussing Common APIs
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/13/01/10/1513251/plasma-active-sailfish-and-ubuntu-phone-developers-discussing-common-apis
Jolla’s Sailfish, Canonical’s recently announced Ubuntu Phone, and KDE’s Plasma Active environments are all using Qt5′s QML for interface design. Unfortunately, the set of UI components provided by each, although similar, are incompatible with the others.
to evolve that holiest of grails in the mobile space: an open and vendor neutral application development strategy built around the commonality of QtQuick and Linux.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Schiller: Despite popularity of cheap smartphones, they won’t be the future of Apple’s products
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2013/01/10/apples-schiller-says-that-despite-the-popularity-of-cheap-smartphones-they-will-not-be-the-future-of-apples-products/
Apple SVP of Worldwide marketing Phil Schiller gave an interesting interview to Chinese newspaper Shanghai Evening News yesterday. In the interview, he directly addresses the rumors surrounding a potential cheaper iPhone, saying that this will ‘never be the future of Apple products’.
We have verified with Apple that this was an official interview.
“At first, non-smartphones were popular in the Chinese market, now cheap smartphones are more popular and non-smartphones are out,” Schiller added later. “Despite the popularity of cheap smartphones, this will never be the future of Apple’s products. In fact, although Apple’s market share of smartphones is just about 20%, we own the 75% of the profit.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Developers: Check the BlackBerry store for pirated versions of your Android app
http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/166lgt/developers_check_the_blackberry_store_for_pirated/
Apparently RIM has made it very easy to repackage existing Android apps for BB10 / Playbook OS. They even have an online tool that will take an Android APK and turn it into a BB-compatible BAR file that can then be published on BlackBerry App World.
Sure enough, someone had downloaded my app from Google Play, converted the APK and published it for BB using his account, along with half a dozen other Android apps that were obviously not his own.
Runtime for Android apps
https://bdsc.webapps.blackberry.com/android/bpaa/
Tomi Engdahl says:
What will be in the auto black box?
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/automotive-innovation/4404670/What-will-be-in-the-auto-black-box-
Coming soon in September 2014, cars will be required to have an automotive “black box,” also known as an MVEDR (motor vehicle electronic data recorder), that will record information in the event of an accident.
Most of the new vehicles are being designed to incorporate communication as an integral part of the vehicle. This communication will be from all the sensor systems in the car to a central processor, as well collection of this information for transfer to the cloud for owner analysis after using the car.
tomi says:
Mozilla confirms Firefox phones with ZTE, Qualcomm and Alcatel
Will start hitting shelves this year
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2235714/mozilla-confirms-firefox-phones-with-zte-qualcomm-and-alcatel
SOFTWARE OUTFIT Mozilla has confirmed that it has a number of partners that will release Firefox based phones sometime this year.
“We have announced Firefox OS partners including device manufacturers like TCL Communication Technology (Alcatel) and ZTE; chipset manufacturer Qualcomm; network operator partners like Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica,” said Mozilla VP of Products Jay Sullivan.
“Telefonica has announced plans to ship devices in Latin America in 2013.”
ZTE’s US unit, was keen on bringing Firefox phones to his territory.
Cheng confirmed the European release, but did not name a carrier.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smartphones: Life’s Remote Control
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/13/01/12/2244224/smartphones-lifes-remote-control
“This year’s Consumer Electronics Show has shown off more interconnected devices than I would know what to do with. Not only are existing devices I use getting modern, Internet-connected interfaces (cars, ovens, and security systems, for example), but companies are now putting out addons for smartphones that replace existing ones (blood pressure and glucose monitors, for instance. An article at the NY Times points out that the smartphone is quickly becoming life’s remote control”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smartphones Become Life’s Remote Control
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/12/technology/smartphones-can-now-run-consumers-lives.html?_r=0
The smartphone is no longer just a portable computer in your pocket. It has become the remote control for your life.
Want to flip off the living room lights, unlock your front door or get a reading of your blood pressure? All of this can be done through mobile apps that work with accessories embedded with sensors or an Internet connection.
For several years, technology companies have promised the dream of the connected home, the connected body and the connected car. Those connections have proved illusory. But in the last year app-powered accessories have provided the mechanism to actually make the connections. That is partly because smartphones have become the device people never put down. But it is also because wireless sensors have become smaller, cheaper and ubiquitous.
The idea of turning off the lights with a smartphone may seem gimmicky, but consumers are warming to applications
Mr. Scal said wireless fitness devices were becoming popular because they addressed basic needs for consumers, unlike another trend seen at the show, enormous televisions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
E-ink smartphone on display at CES 2013
http://news.cnet.com/8301-33692_3-57563140-305/e-ink-smartphone-on-display-at-ces-2013/
Gadgets at CES 2013 give us a peak into the future: e-ink on smartphones, device-to-device wireless charging, and controlling a tablet with your eyes.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple cuts LCD panel orders for iPhone 5 on weak demand
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/14/us-apple-iphone-demand-idUSBRE90D04B20130114?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=56943
Apple Inc has almost halved its order with suppliers of LCD panels for the iPhone 5 in the current quarter due to weak demand, the Nikkei reported on Monday.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia’s Low-End Asha Is Outselling Lumia Two to One
http://allthingsd.com/20130113/nokias-low-end-asha-is-outselling-lumia-2-to-1/
Earlier this week, Nokia pre-announced its financials for the fourth quarter of 2012, telling investors to prepare for better than expected results. The big reasons for the upside surprise: The strong performance of Nokia’s Devices & Services division generally and burgeoning Lumia sales specifically.
But there was another key player in Nokia’s Q4 uptick: The company’s Asha family of low-end, multitouch smartphones.
According to Nokia’s announcement, shipments of Asha smartphones hit 9.3 million units in the fourth quarter (note: this obviously does NOT include shipments of Asha feature phones). That’s more than double the 4.4 million Lumias shipped during the same period.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The traditional Wintel relationship that used to generate an increase of PC purchases and excitement around a Windows release is starting to show signs of cracks. It’s not the first time that PC sales have taken a plunge, but this time it feels a little different. There’s a huge amount of competition trying to take sales away from Windows PCs, and a weakened global economy with a focus on low-cost mobile devices vying for consumers’ dollars.
Source: http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/13/3867246/microsoft-ces-2013-partners-fly-the-windows-8-flag
Tomi Engdahl says:
Disruptions: Design Rivals Technology in Importance
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/disruptions-design-to-propel-technology-forward/
“We’re on the tail end of technology being special,” says John Maeda, president of the Rhode Island School of Design.
Walk into most car showrooms in America and sales clerks might spend more time explaining the shape of the heated seat than the engine that moves the car along. Several decades ago, he might have been heralding pistons and horsepower.
Now, Mr. Maeda said, this shift has happened to technology, be it computers, smartphones or the iPad Mini.
“We have this exciting next step for design,” he said. “Now that we have enough technology to do anything, design can now begin to be better than the technology itself.”
“We want to make the product emotional for the person using it, and that happens with the design of it,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia: Ship’s now stable, all we need is passengers
Everything’s rosy except Lumia
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/11/nokia_q42012_outlook_analysis/
Europe’s biggest technology company Nokia caught a few people by surprise with its outlook yesterday. Nokia released far more information than a company typical discloses in a preview – an unusual amount.
Ratings agencies may regard Nokia as “junk”, and the fallen industry leader has flogged off and leased back its glittering HQ, but there are many healthy signs at the business. The mobile phones division still brought home almost €4bn of income in the quarter, and although that’s €2bn lower than the same quarter two years ago, it claimed to have attained “underlying profitability”.
In what has increasingly become an IP business, Nokia bags almost $1bn a year from patents. Microsoft’s support payments add another $1bn.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Learning by Sharing: Snark-free CES observations
http://blog.learningbyshipping.com/2013/01/13/learning-by-sharing-snark-free-ces-observations/
CES 2013 was definitely a year of refinement across many product lines. Pulling some themes across a broad set of products, there was refinement in many ways:
Mobile. Stating the obvious, mobile is front and center for every product.
Design language. The design language in use for both hardware and software is trending towards a clarity and minimalism–turning over the screen to the app and the customer.
Build quality. Across the board products are getting better.
Service integration. It was hard to find a product that did not integrate with the web and back end service in some way. While third party services have been a theme for several years, the role of first party services is up significantly.
Social integration. The integration of products with social networks is technically an easy thing to do
Broadening of Moore’s law. We all know how MIPS increased over time. We then learned how available storage increased over time. We’re now seeing this increase in bandwidth usage
Connected life. For sure, the connection of our lives to the internet continues as a trend.
Phablet. The made up word that was used more than it seems like it should was Phablet—a device that is bigger than a phone and smaller than a tablet. Given the size of phones this might mean 5-6.9” or so. It seems that there are two views. There’s the view that a phone is a phone and should be “less than” some size, and a tablet is a tablet which is 7-8” unless it is a big tablet (9.7”) or a PC/tablet.
Wireless communications. Obviously wireless mobile communications are everywhere, literally.
Tablet cases. There were a lot of cases for tablets.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Baidu’s Mobile Browser Steps Out Of Asia And Into Africa With Exclusive France Telecom Deal
http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/14/baidus-mobile-browser-steps-out-of-asia-and-into-africa-in-an-exclusive-france-telecom-deal/
A big step forward for China’s search giant Baidu as it looks to raise its international profile and credibility in mobile: the company has inked an exclusive deal with mobile carrier France Telecom/Orange to co-brand and pre-load its new Baidu mobile browser on Android smartphones sold in Africa and the Middle East, covering 19 countries where Orange operates in the region.
The deal is important for both companies.
Baidu first unveiled the browser in September last year as part of its big attack on mobile — at the time noting that it would be selling it via the carrier’s Mobinil network. This appears to be an extension of that deal, covering the entirety of Orange’s footprint. Orange is the No. 3 carrier in the region behind MTN (164 million users) and Vodafone (92 million users).
France Telecom says that it will be shipping the first smartphones pre-loaded with the browser sometime later this year. But from today, those who already own Android devices in the region will be able to point their phones to a link for a free download, says Orange’s VP of innovation for Africa, Middle East and Asia, Arnauld Blondet.
France Telecom says that it will be shipping the first smartphones pre-loaded with the browser sometime later this year. But from today, those who already own Android devices in the region will be able to point their phones to a link for a free download, says Orange’s VP of innovation for Africa, Middle East and Asia, Arnauld Blondet. This will work on all versions of Android 2.0, aka “Eclair.”
TechCrunch understands that Orange had been looking to have a more controlled smartphone experience for Orange-Baidu browser apps pagesome time — however stopping short of rolling out “forked” versions of the platform, a route that has been popular in other markets like China.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Look at Samsung’s Curved Smartphone Concept and 4.99-Inch 1080p AMOLED Display
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6645/a-look-at-samsungs-curved-smartphone-concept-and-499inch-1080p-amoled-display
Next are two smartphone concepts.
I’ve been wondering for some time what curved (not necessarily flexible) displays would enable or look like for a smartphone, and Samsung’s concepts are actually pretty innovative looking. The two concepts have a bend on the horizontal or vertical axis — a bend on the right side, or bottom. Then a flip cover covers the planar section of the display while leaving the curved section exposed.
On display was an example roadmap of Samsung AMOLED displays, and at the far right slated for Q1 2013 launch is a Full HD 1080P display 4.99-inches diagonal with 440 PPI.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows Phone app revenue and downloads double as Microsoft debuts contest for prime-time ad spot
http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2013/01/14/windows-phone-app-revenue-and-downloads-double-as-microsoft-debuts-contest-for-prime-time-ad-spot/