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.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Buys Wearable Technology Patents From Taiwan’s Hon Hai
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-23/google-buys-wearable-technology-patents-from-taiwan-s-hon-hai.html
Google Inc. (GOOG), which is testing Web-enabled eyeglasses, bought patents for wearable technology used in gaming and training simulations from Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., a primary assembler for Apple Inc.
The head-mounted display technology consists of a computer-generated image that is superimposed on a real-world view, Taipei-based Hon Hai said in an e-mailed statement today. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
Google has been amassing technology for its Glass device from Taiwanese companies, agreeing to invest in Himax Technologies Inc. (HIMX) on July 22. The eyeglasses can take pictures and videos and share information via the Internet.
Hon Hai doesn’t know if Google will use the display technology for Google Glass, Laura Liu, a spokeswoman for Hon Hai, said by phone today.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Battle of the waterproof phones: Samsung Galaxy S4 Active vs. Sony Xperia Z
Finally, rugged phones that take a beating and look good doing it
http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/10/4511142/battle-of-the-waterproof-phones-review-galaxy-s4-active-sony-xperia-z
A waterproof smartphone is a nice idea, but they’ve always been kind of terrible. Casio has been making its line of Gz’One rugged smartphones for years, but they’ve always been a disappointment in one way or another, with slow processors, disappointing screens, and outdated software. Outside of the Japanese market, where every smartphone is waterproof, you had to make a choice as a consumer: buy a top of the line smartphone and deal with getting a clunky or cumbersome case (and the constant fear of dropping or soaking your phone), or buy a subpar smartphone that’s ready for the elements.
But this summer, new phones from Samsung and Sony mean that you don’t have to make such a compromise. Sony’s Xperia Z is finally making the long trek over from Europe, and will be available from T-Mobile starting on July 17th for $99 down. Likewise, Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Active — the waterproofed version of the immensely popular Galaxy S4 — is available now from AT&T for $199.99.
Samsung’s Galaxy S4 will likely be the most popular Android smartphone of the year, and for good reason.
The S4 Active handled dunks and splashes with aplomb, performing just as well wet as it does dry. But the best thing is that nothing’s different: despite its added abilities to withstand water, the S4 Active offered virtually the same experience as the standard S4, which is commendable to say the least.
The only notable difference between the devices is in the camera resolution — the S4 Active has an 8-megapixel shooter as opposed to the higher-res 13-megapixel camera on the S4 (the display on the S4 Active is an LCD instead of the AMOLED used on the S4, but I couldn’t find any difference between the two panels in use).
T-Mobile’s version of the Xperia Z is virtually identical to the global edition
That means that all of the positive features have carried over — the handsome-if-ergonomically-challenged design, impressive battery saving features, and of course, water- and dust-proof construction.
Unfortunately, it also comes with all of the Z’s negative qualities, such as its dated software, poor viewing angles, and not quite flawless performance.
Sony’s claims of waterproofing — backed up by IP55 and IP57 ratings, industry standards to let you know that a device is water- and dust-proof — certainly held true in my tests. I was able to dunk the phone in the pool (causing more than a few palpitations in my friends that were with me), pull it out, and immediately start using it as if nothing happened. Shooting video underwater also worked without an issue, provided that I started recording before the phone was submerged.
The phone of the future is waterproof
So what does it take to make a waterproof smartphone in 2013? Both the Xperia Z and the Galaxy S4 Active are as thin as any other modern smartphone — waterproof phones used to require chunky, heavy housing, but that’s clearly not the case anymore. Still, though, there are a few concessions to keep out the liquids: all of the ports (headphones and Micro USB) on the Xperia Z are protected by fiddly flap doors, while the S4 Active gets away with just a flap door on the charging port, leaving the headphone jack easily accessible. Having to fiddle with a flap every time you need to charge your phone is annoying. It could be easily resolved by integrating wireless charging into the device, but neither the Z or the S4 Active have wireless charging — hopefully that’s something we’ll see in future revisions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sporty, splashy fun, but not truly rugged
http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-s4-active/4505-6452_7-35783536.html
The good: Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Active has a sporty design, takes strong daylight photos, and delivers the majority of Android 4.2 features. It also has a great speakerphone.
The bad: Aqua mode is fixed focus, the S4 Active takes weak low light shots, and the phone isn’t as durable as its name suggests. Its 8-megapixel camera is lower resolution than the original Galaxy S4′s.
The bottom line: Choose the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active for its sporty style, fast internals, and underwater camera fun, but pass if you’re an image snob or seek a truly rugged phone.
Quite a few smartphones these days can claim to be waterproof, but you have to hand it to Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Active for turning that characteristic into a camera feature. Specs-wise, that waterproof camera is the only element that justifies the creation of this brand-new S4 phone.
The 8-megapixel shooter’s underwater aqua mode absolutely works — so long as the seal holds — but it’s a mistake to think of the S4 Active, which is also dustproof, as a rugged or durable phone.
Even after you successfully dunk the phone, keep in mind that the S4 Active’s IP67 ratings clear it for dives up to a meter under the surface — that’s a little over 3 feet — and for up to 30 minutes. Any longer than that and it still may work, but you’re starting to play with fire.
All that said, using the Active’s aqua mode was a ton of fun, and I’d absolutely take it into the drink for a quick, casual snorkel and keep it handy at a pool party. I assess the S4 Active’s underwater performance into the camera section below, so keep reading!
Underwater image quality was hit or miss. There’s no focus in Aqua mode, so you’ve got to adapt and adjust yourself around the fixed focus. That’ll make you miss some shots for sure, but take enough and you’re bound to get something you can work with.
Making matters more frustrating, the screen — and therefore your subject — is barely visible underwater, so there’s a little guesswork concerning where to aim the Active and how long to keep clicking. Since the lens is all the way at the top of the phone (the far left or right as you hold it in landscape mode), that’s a little more mental math to do until you get used to things.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sina, China’s answer to Twitter, enters the mobile messaging battle with its own app
http://thenextweb.com/asia/2013/08/26/sina-chinas-answer-to-twitter-enters-the-mobile-messaging-battle-with-its-own-app/
Sina, China’s equivalent to Twitter, has jumped on the mobile messaging bandwagon after it began promoting its new app WeMeet, known as ‘Weimi’ in Chinese.
Weibo has over 500 million registered users, more than 50 million of which are active each day, but it is under pressure from WeChat, the mobile messaging app developed by Chinese Internet giant Tencent, which has 235 million monthly active users across China and overseas.
The WeMeet app links up to Weibo, as you’d expect, and has a particular focus on group chat.
WeMeet is in Chinese only, however it is available worldwide for iOS and Android which suggests that further language support could come later.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Yahoo and Apple Want Foursquare’s Data
http://www.fastcompany.com/3016250/why-yahoo-and-apple-want-foursquares-data
This week, BuzzFeed reported that Yahoo was in talks with Foursquare about a possible data-sharing deal. The news comes just months after Apple senior VP Eddy Cue was said to be in discussions with Foursquare to integrate its location data into the Apple’s mapping service. Why does Foursquare suddenly seem to be a hot commodity again, after so many assumed the startup was down for the count?
Foursquare has long been of interest to Silicon Valley tech giants. Microsoft includes Foursquare data in its Bing search results.
The company’s 35 million users have helped created a database of more than 50 million points of interest, from bars to restaurants to ice cream shops. While many companies have powerful location databases–Yelp, Yext, the Yellow Pages–Foursquare’s database is unique in that it’s inherently social: It was built on the 4 billion check-ins that users uploaded via the app.
Foursquare’s location database is more than simply a list of venue names and addresses. It’s not just location data that Foursquare is collecting: The company knows when you check in to a venue, whether your friends join you there, and often what you did before and after.
Foursquare knows this information from its check-ins, so it can offer users personalized recommendations
It’s not as if other companies don’t offer local search. The problem for search giants like Google, ironically, is almost that it knows too much. The company’s local search results are a pain to sift through.
Foursquare’s location database is an even more compelling asset because of its third-party partnerships. The company’s API, which allows other apps to tap into its location data, is used by roughly 50,000 developers, including Path, Uber, Facebook’s Instagram, Twitter’s Vine, and Yahoo’s Flickr. It’s a two-way street: Foursquare is giving away its location data in return for signals that enhance its database.
The company can cull all of this noise into more advanced location data. If at a particular time, a venue receives a lot of Foursquare check-ins or tips, along with many Instagram photos or Uber pick-up reservations, Foursquare can infer a lot about that location. It’s partly why Foursquare has transitioned to a search and discovery engine.
It’s also partly why Yahoo and Apple are said to be interested in gaining access to Foursquare’s data. It’s a powerful tool not only to enhance local search but to offer more targeted advertising.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pew: 30% Of U.S. Adults Don’t Have Broadband; 10% Use Smartphones As Sole Internet Access; 20% Have Zilch
http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/26/pew-30-of-u-s-adults-dont-have-broadband-10-use-smartphones-as-sole-internet-access-20-have-zilch/
As Facebook teams up with other tech titans to put more effort into ubiquitous internet access worldwide, Pew Research is today is releasing the results of a survey that shows how one of the more advanced countries in the world, the U.S., is still not quite there in leading by example: 20% of U.S. adults are still without broadband or smartphones for internet access. And 3% of people in the country still using dial-up connections.
The think tank’s most recent survey notes that today 70% of adults in the country reported having broadband access at home as of May 2013, with the proportions of connected individuals increasing in wealthier households, by age and other factors like race.
“Broadband users can consume and create many types of content in ways that dial-up users cannot, and our research has long shown major differences in these two groups’ online behavior,” writes Aaron Smith, a senior researcher for the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project and the report’s co-author. “Smartphones may offer an additional avenue for internet access that surpasses the dial-up experience in many ways, but those who rely on them for home internet use may face limitations that are not shared by those with traditional broadband connections.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
As Android Rises, App Makers Tumble Into Google’s ‘Matrix of Pain’
http://www.wired.com/business/2013/08/android-matrix-of-pain/
Here’s the good news for Android users: Google’s app store, which has lagged behind Apple’s in polish and scope, is starting to catch up. More developers are working to follow their polished iOSweb alt apps with polished Android apps — and Android app downloads and sales appear to be spiking.
But there’s a big downside to this Android growth: Severe fragmentation in the Android market means that startups must tune and debug their apps against a whole range of official Android versions, carrier tweaks, internal smartphone hardware, and external screen dimensions. Pundits have warned about this for years, but now the problem has come home to roost.
That intimidating array of Android configurations is sometimes referred to as “the matrix of pain,” a reference to all the aches that must be endured to ensure that code is running as designed.
“You go over to Android, and it’s like, ‘Geez, Louise,’” says Todd McKinnon, CEO and founder of Okta, a startup that helps corporations manage logins and identity. “You have, first of all, about six major versions of the platform. Then you have, beyond that, minor versions that are forks and configurations…You have different resolution devices, small screens, massive screens.”
Navigating the matrix of pain is certainly doable.
But it means that writing Android software is significantly more complex than writing apps for iOS, where Apple keeps hardware configurations to a minimum and where the vast majority of users run the latest version of the operating system.
And it’s even more of a headache when compared to web technologies like JavaScript and HTML. These webby alternatives were supposed to replace native apps, letting developers write one version of software that runs on all devices. But consumers have largely rejected web apps.
Developers who brave the matrix of pain often have to make some compromises.
Tomi Engdahl says:
USA: “Beware of the three Android security threat”
U.S. authorities have released a warning to government employees for Android security concerns. There are three primary threat.
Warning have developed together with the U.S. Department of Justice and the national security agency. Published by example, Android Community.
They point out that the malware problem is now almost exclusively on Android. Another problem is the beginning of Nokia’s Symbian operating system, but it is being phased out of the market.
79 percent of Android pests
The warning, in 2012 mobile malware 79 per cent of Android. Symbian accounted for 19 per cent.
On other platforms the problem was not at all. Apple’s iOS platform accounted for 0.7 per cent. Windows Phone and BlackBerry’s share of the malware were both just 0.3 per cent.
The reason for the problems is the Android platform in addition to the popularity of its openness. The programs can be applied quite freely, allowing for the distribution of malware. For example, the Apple iOS platform, Windows Phone and applications are checked prior to arrival.
One problem is that the Android phones are used in many cases older versions of the platform. They are known to be security holes.
The three main problems
The warning are highlighted three main problems. The first is expensive to send text messages to the Trojans. They can be fought for Android security software.
Another risk is the rootkit malware that hides behind the phone’s operating system. This threat is recommended that Carrier IQ Test program.
The third threat is a criminal by the fake versions of Google Play-trade program.
Sources:
http://www.tietokone.fi/artikkeli/uutiset/usa_varokaa_androidin_kolmea_turvauhkaa
http://cdn.androidcommunity.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Screen-Shot-2013-08-26-at-9.40.48-AM.png
Tomi Engdahl says:
Teardown Reveals Google’s Moto X Costs $221 to Build
http://allthingsd.com/20130827/teardown-reveals-googles-moto-x-costs-221-to-build/
As the first smartphone to be completely designed since Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility, there are a lot of expectations riding on the Moto X.
And unlike most other phones, this one is assembled by Motorola at a plant in Texas, not in China or Taiwan. This boosts the manufacturing costs somewhat, but also allows for the custom colored shells.
“What Google and Motorola are trying to do is not play the game of ‘bigger is better’ that everyone else is playing,” said IHS analyst Wayne Lam. “They are looking for ways to differentiate themselves from the pack and push the user experience in a new direction.”
IHS estimates that the components used to build the phone cost $209. Manufacturing costs add another $12 per unit, which is about $4 or $5 higher than the cost to manufacture most phones in Asia. “Motorola is paying a premium for a made-in-America phone, but it’s also giving them the ability to do the customization work easily.”
Kristine Mulford, a Motorola spokeswoman, declined to comment on IHS’s findings.
The phone is selling directly from Motorola for $579 without a contract, or $199 from most wireless carriers in the U.S. with a two-year contract.
The main chip inside the phone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, which IHS estimates costs $28.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HTC Developing Smartphone Operating System
Taiwanese Handset Maker Works With China in Bid to Revive Sales
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424127887324463604579040172467657350-lMyQjAxMTAzMDIwODEyNDgyWj.html
TAIPEI—HTC Corp. is developing a mobile software system specifically for Chinese consumers, people familiar with the project say, as part of a big China bet that the Taiwanese smartphone maker hopes will help revive sliding sales.
The project reflects the growing pull of Chinese buyers, as well as China’s broader efforts to develop homegrown software to counteract U.S. tech giants like Google Inc. and Apple Inc.
HTC’s China-specific software would play into a wider Chinese government policy to encourage the development of a unique local software ecosystem to reduce reliance on Western companies. China’s technology ministry said in March in a white paper that the country’s mobile industry is too dependent on Google’s Android operating system, and it praised Chinese Internet giants Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Baidu Inc. that have created their own systems.
Google’s relationship with Beijing soured in 2010 when the company stopped censoring its search results in China. Google’s search engine was subsequently banned in China, and its app store there has only limited offerings. The result is holes in the China Android experience that have allowed for some locally developed software to take root, said IDC analyst Teck Zhung Wong.
But some of this homegrown software has been controversial.
Taiwanese PC maker Acer Inc. had to abruptly cancel the launch of its smartphone running software made by Alibaba last fall, after Google accused the operating system of infringing on Android and threatened to stop working with Acer. Alibaba has denied the allegations.
It is unclear whether HTC’s China operating system will be entirely proprietary or will build on top of Android. Plans have changed over the past year over whether it would be an entirely different operating system or a user interface built on top of Android, said one person familiar with the matter.
Like Acer, HTC is part of Google’s Open Handset Alliance, which requires the companies to abide by certain regulations set by Google.
Smartphones running the operating system are now in testing, and some prototypes have been sent to Chinese officials, two of the people said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
BlackBerry Is A Failed State
http://www.buzzfeed.com/jwherrman/blackberry-is-a-failed-state
What happens now that BlackBerry appears to be doomed? Just think of it as a country. Welcome to BlackBerria. Don’t drink the water.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Forget tablets. Nokia has a bigger connected gadget in mind: the car
http://gigaom.com/2013/08/27/nokia-will-soon-get-into-the-connected-car-market/
Nokia believes its can use its role as the auto industry’s mapmaker as a launchpad into the connected car. In an interview with GigaOM, Nokia Here EVP Michael Halbherr shares his vision of the Nokia-powered vehicle.
Rumors of a Nokia tablet has got the tech world buzzing, but Nokia’s plans to expand beyond the handset are much more ambitious than producing a mere slate. Nokia EVP of Location and Commerce Michael Halbherr told GigaOM that the Finnish handset maker is eyeballing the car as the next repository of its technology and applications and has plans to launch some form of connected car platform in the future.
Of course, Nokia is already a significant player in the automotive market. The company supplies maps for navigation systems through its Navteq group, which along with the rest of Nokia’s location services was recently renamed Here, the massive Nokia division Halbherr now heads up.
Nokia plans to use that deep-seeded mapping relationship with automakers as springboard into more sophisticated connected car and infotainment services, Halbherr said.
“Historically we’ve supplied content to the automotive industry – first maps and now traffic,” Halbherr said in a recent interview at Here’s Chicago HQ. “As more cars get connected we have the opportunity to move up the stack from a content player to a platform player to a services player.”
What kind of connected car services is Nokia planning beyond mapping? Halbherr wouldn’t talk specifics, saying the company would reveal more of its strategy soon.
Halbherr said Nokia envisions cars that can not only direct you or drive you to your destination by the fastest possible route, but also cars that can send you on routes that minimize carbon emissions, that coordinate with the congestion and traffic management systems being developed in large cities and even work in tandem with public transit to more efficiently move people across a densely packed urban landscape.
Tomi Engdahl says:
BitTorrent’s File Synchronizing Service Sync, Still In Beta, Launches As An iOS App
http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/27/bittorrents-file-synchronizing-service-sync-launches-as-an-ios-app/
BitTorrent, which years ago first made its name as an efficient distribution network for music and video (sometimes not for the most legit of ends), has been positioning itself as a distribution service for everything.
Today it’s adding two more strings to that bow: it’s launching Sync, its file-synchronizing service as an iOS app
As with before, Sync remains a free service, although the company is getting closer to working out how to monetize it as a premium service for enterprises, as well.
Since launching Sync in beta and as an Android app just over a month ago, BitTorrent tells me that the service has seen some strong take-up.
“We are closing in on 14 petabytes synced since the open alpha in April,” a spokesperson tells me. “We were at 8 petabytes in July when we moved into beta.”
The iOS app will let users move big files between devices, not unlike what you do with Dropbox, Bitcasa and other cloud-based storage systems — except that BitTorrent’s P2P distribution architecture means that nothing is “stored” in any cloud that can be accessed.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cybercriminals target Android platform
http://www.av-comparatives.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/apkstores_investigation_2013.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
7000 malware programs in Android software stores
Criminals put in large quantities of dangerous programs Android app stores, says the virus protection investigative AV-Comparatives. Problems are concentrated in one area
The problems are rampant in Asia
AV-Comparatives the app stores surveyed found a total of 7175 malicious program. Among them, 3778 were in direct damaging malware.
In addition, in its 3397 program improperly. The latter group consisted mainly of adware and spyware.
Problems, which were strong in Asia, and China in particular. Nearly 95 percent of the harmful applications of distributed software stores in these areas.
AV-Comparatives estimates that one reason for the poor situation in Asia is the Android market, a very rapid growth in those areas. Criminals have seen the action-packed to the increase of money earning. Malicious software aims to spread the users’ devices camouflaging them attractive applications.
Source: http://www.tietokone.fi/artikkeli/uutiset/7000_tuholaista_android_ohjelmakaupoissa
Tomi Engdahl says:
Will the New “Cheap iPhone” Not be Cheap?
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/08/24/will-the-new-cheap-iphone-not-be-cheap.aspx
Apparently, Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) “cheap” iPhone might not be that cheap.
According to KGI analyst Mingchi Kuo, he expects that the so-called iPhone 5C will carry an unsubsidized price tag between $400 and $500. Given Kuo’s track record of making the right calls about Apple’s future product announcements, there could be a lot of weight behind this call.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smartphones: shortages of components
The huge growth in the smartphone appears as expected in shortage key components. Chinese industry sources, the shortage is already such a camera, touch screens, as well as a multichip memory modules.
The problems began as early as the first half of the processors manufacturer Mediatek announced the delivery problems for their clients. After that Chinese manufacturers have been trying to build a bigger component stocks for the future. New smartphones, the demand is, however, exceeded even the expectations.
As demand grows, components, prices will rise. For example, 4,5 -, and 5-inch touch panel manufacturers to raise prices for their own list.
Memory module manufacturers were are able to meet only about 60-70 per cent of today’s orders.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17:alypuhelinten-komponenteista-pulaa&catid=13:news&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
U.S. Losing Ground In Mobile App Market
http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/29/u-s-losing-ground-in-mobile-app-market/
If mobile apps are the post-PC era’s software industry, the U.S. may be losing its edge. According to new findings mobile analytics firm Flurry released this morning, the U.S. isn’t leading in the creation of mobile applications, having slipped from 45 percent of worldwide app market share in 2011, to 36 percent in 2013, in terms of where apps are being built. Positioned against what the software industry looked like in 2008, where U.S. businesses produced around 68 percent of software units sold, it’s clear that the mobile app industry is one that’s becoming truly global in nature.
“U.S. made apps only account for 16 percent of total time spent in apps in China,” writes Flurry’s Simon Khalaf, noting also that the size and growth rate of the Chinese app market will soon push U.S.-built apps’ portion of the Chinese app market even lower.
The concern here is that U.S. developers have been slow to think about localization efforts, having ridden the app wave so far resting on the fact that English is one of the world’s more dominant languages. Some other countries, meanwhile, have had a head start in terms of globalizing their mobile applications, the report finds. Developers in Finland, Denmark, Bulgaria, and Slovenia have been taking advantage of the localization opportunities, for instance. There are also many worldwide app hit makers outside the U.S., including Finland’s Rovio (Angry Birds), Russian Zepto Labs (Cut the Rope) and Australian Half Brick Studios (Fruit Ninja).
The cost of producing apps is still relatively inexpensive which helps contribute to the increasing globalization of the app market, along with the ease of distribution offered by app stores.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Personalizing Your Moto X Could Make It Very Hard to Sell
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/08/moto-x-resale-value/
The Moto X, which is now on sale, has more customization options — wood backs, crazy colors, engraved messages — than any previous smartphone. This is all thanks to Motorola’s Moto Maker tool, which lets you fully customize your new phone at the time of purchase. You can spend your afternoon today swapping colorways and composing cute messages that will go on the back of your new devices.
This will make you happy now, but it will only lead to a headache if you choose to sell the phone in six months or a year.
The variance in resale price isn’t easily predictable. In fact, the resellers I talked to don’t quite know how to handle the Moto X.
“Generally we don’t deduct for factory customization, and we tend to offer the [standard] value quoted,” said Anthony Scarsella, chief gadget officer at Gazelle, which resells smartphones to customers around the world. “But we haven’t seen a product like this, and we don’t know if there’s a secondary market.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung’s biggest fear? Becoming ‘too full’ of itself
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100992409
Samsung has blazed a trail with its highly popular lineup of Android smartphones, reportedly overtaking rival Apple as the world’s most profitable handset vendor in the second quarter. But the boss of the company’s electronics division says his biggest fear is to become complacent.
“My biggest worry is that we might get too full of ourselves for what we have achieved. About 20 of Samsung’s products are number one in their respective category around the world. It’s very important to remain humble,” Boo-keun Yoon, CEO, Consumer Electronics Division at Samsung Electronics told CNBC.
“We need to continue to innovate and strive to be the best with the goal of producing top-notch products for the consumer,” he added.
And, the South Korean electronics giant isn’t backing down any time soon. The company is expected to launch its Galaxy Gear smartwatch – a smartphone device worn on the wrist – as early as next week to rival Apple’s rumored iWatch, which could be unveiled in the next couple of weeks.
Yoon said the conglomerate – which manufactures products ranging from consumer electronics, to telecom equipment and semiconductors – is continuing to “break new ground” in technology thanks to synergies between its businesses.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kodak phenomenon: navigation manufacturers in hard difficulty
Navigator sales continues to slow. Leading manufacturers Tomtom and Garmin expect markets to shrink by 20 percent this year.
Smartphones and tablets maps are greatly reduced separate navigators sales for many years. In 2011, the devices were still sold 33 million, last year it was only 28 million. In 2007, the record had sold nearly 40 million units.
The decrease is directly reflected in the American Garmin as Tomtom from Holland sales. Tomtom turnover has decreased 9% early in the year, and Garmin turnover has decreased 4%.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/kodakilmio+navigaattorivalmistajat+kovissa+vaikeuksissa/a925561
Tomi Engdahl says:
US mobile app dominance threatened by ANGRY BIRDS revolution
Non-US firms playing larger role in app market, study finds
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/29/flurry_global_app_survey/
The US is still a dominant force in mobile app development worldwide, but that could be changing, based on the latest data from app analytics outfit Flurry – and a certain Finnish firm could be leading the way for the rest of the world.
US-based developers produced 36 per cent of all active mobile apps as of June 2013, according to the Flurry report, leaving developers in all other countries to cut up the rest of the pie. But that figure was down significantly from the previous two years, in which the US produced 45 per cent of active apps.
Chinese-made apps have enjoyed some measure of success outside of the Middle Kingdom, having captured single-digit percentages of users’ time in Brazil, the UK, and the US. Even more interesting, however, is that some of the more successful apps are emerging from unexpected regions.
But there was one standout winner on the impact scale, and that was Finland. The Scandinavian nation’s impact rating was four times higher than that of the US, despite having 1/59 the population and a language with fewer native speakers than the population of New York City.
It’s tempting to pontificate about why this might be. Finland’s population is relatively tech-savvy, you might say, and Espoo, Finland–based Nokia once dominated the mobile phone industry. But no; Flurry measured none of those factors.
Based on Flurry’s metric of user engagement divided by total apps produced, it seems clear that Finland’s phenomenal showing in Flurry’s stats comes down to the success of one company: Rovio, with its blockbuster family of Angry Birds apps. In March, Forbes reported that gamers had downloaded Angry Birds products a staggering 1.7 billion times and counting.
Flurry notes that other non-US apps have enjoyed similar success, including Russian-made Cut the Rope and Australia’s Fruit Ninja.
Tomi says:
Scoop: Google acquired WIMM Labs to bolster its own smartwatch plans
http://gigaom.com/2013/08/30/google-wimm-labs-smartwatch-acquisition/
Samsung isn’t the only one looking to launch a smartwatch. Google quietly snapped up a smartwatch company last year that could lay the foundation for its own wrist-bound products.
Watch out, Samsung: Google has some smartwatch development projects of its own, and it quietly snapped up Los Altos, Calif.-based WIMM Labs last year to kickstart these efforts. WIMM Labs not only gives Google the talent and technology to build a smartwatch, but actually an Android-based app platform tailored for consumers’ wrists.
WIMM Labs was incubated around five years ago by Pillar Ventures, the investment company of former Rambus President Dave Morring, who subsequently became WIMM’s CEO. The company first developed an Android-based developer platform for wearable displays, and then followed up in late 2011 with its own, developer-centric smartwatch dubbed the WIMM One.
Tomi says:
Ready for smartphones with a next-generation chip? They’re right around the corner
http://gigaom.com/2013/08/30/ready-for-smartphones-with-a-next-generation-chip-theyre-right-around-the-corner/
he newest line of Snapdragon chips have powered many of the latest mobile phones and tablets this year. But Qualcomm has one more chip yet that could bring huge advances in features in functionality: Meet the Snapdragon 800 and devices that will use it.
The market has seen a number of phones and tablets using the current Snapdragon line, but those have all been the 200, 400 and 600 models.
So what’s the big deal about the 800? Quite a bit, because it’s not just a faster chip: It adds the potential for completely new features we haven’t yet seen on smartphones. Of course it will be up to handset makers and software developers to tap that potential, so Sony’s Xperia Ultra and LG’s G2 may or may not fully utilize the chip’s functionality.
For example, the Snapdragon 800 supports much higher resolution video capture: Enough to display such content on a UHD HDTV if you have one. That means stills of up to 21 megapixels or video at 4,000 x 2,000 pixels. The chip can also push a lot of pixels on a screen too, supporting displays up to 2560 x 2048 or sending 1080p video wirelessly through Miracast. A new Adreno 330 graphics chip is expected to boost visual performance by 50 percent from the prior version; when combined with the display tech it should offer some excellent gaming opportunties.
Also interesting is potential for a feature we’ve already seen: Listening for user input through a low-powered, dedicated Digital Signal Processor (DSP). Motorola enabled this on the Moto X and Droid Ultra line by adding a DSP to the phone chips but the option will be available for all handsets thanks to the Hexagon DSP included with the Snapdragon 800.
Tomi Engdahl says:
More details on Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch: those images are of a prototype
http://gigaom.com/2013/09/01/more-details-on-samsungs-galaxy-gear-smartwatch-those-images-are-of-a-prototype/
Summary:
Hungry for more details about Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch? Don’t be surprised when the actual product introduced Wednesday looks different from images circulating on Sunday.
Venturebeat caused a holiday weekend stir with what appeared to be pictures of Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch, which will be formally unveiled this Wednesday.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung’s Bizarre Galaxy Gear Smartwatch Gets Detailed Before Official Launch
http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/01/samsungs-bizarre-galaxy-gear-smartwatch-gets-detailed-before-official-launch/
Samsung is getting ready to pull the curtain on its curious Galaxy Gear smartwatch (well, among other things) in just a few days, but what’s a major product unveiling these days without a slew of last-minute leaks to ruin the surprise? To that end, VentureBeat recently got what may be the first real glimpse of Samsung’s Galaxy Gear and it’s, well, pretty bizarre.
Unlike most of the other smartwatches that have exploded onto the scene these past few years — think the Pebble, the MetaWatch, or even Sony’s family of wrist-worn gadgets, the Galaxy Gear is shaping up to be a real whopper. VB reports the square display plus the bezel that runs around it means the watch itself measures about 3 inches diagonal, and images culled from an internal promotional video depict a device that looks like a Galaxy S4 that got nailed with a shrink ray. So much for subtlety. I’m no watch nerd (I leave that sort of thing to John) but I can’t imagine bigger always equals better when it comes to stuff you wear on your person.
In typical Samsung fashion though, the company has apparently packed the thing to the gills with a 4-megapixel camera nestled inside in the Gear’s strap, a WiFi radio, speakers, and a microphone so users can deliver S Voice commands to a connected Samsung smartphone.
Perhaps the biggest bummer is that the Galaxy Gear may only be able to run for 10 hours before having to be recharged. That’s just about respectable for modern smartphones (though we should all be demanding more longevity from Samsung and its ilk), but who wants to worry about charging their watch that often?
Throw in a handful of “pre-loaded Android apps” and an apparently substantial focus on mobile fitness and health tracking, and you’ve got an ambitious device that seems to have an identity crisis. Is it for your average smartphone nerd? Fitness buffs? Both?
Tomi Engdahl says:
5 insane phone designs that never took off
http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/5-insane-phone-designs-that-never-took-off
Tomi Engdahl says:
The car comes as a smart phone
Also in Finland, designed electric cars – even sports model. Scarlet Motors has been quite a few years working on his own car working.
The company’s former CEO and current adviser Julien Fourgeaud sees electric cars big similarities between smartphones.
“Mobile is going to be in the same role as a smart phone. In addition to driving, it is only a vehicle for the use of the ecosystem. ”
According to him, the future of money is, above all, services and applications, rather than the cars themselves.
“If you did not think of electric cars as mobile device has lost the game,” he says wryly.
Applications are part of Scarlet’s strategy, and FOURGEAUD, the company may be able to change the practices of the sector.
In a positive evaluations in violation of his notes, however, that a breakthrough will still probably ten years.
Fourgeaud believes that the car market is a niche for the mobile space and there is place for a small fast acting business operator.
“Electric cars are often thought an obstacle to short-’s range, but in fact most of the use of a few tens of kilometers commuting to work. Finland is also still do not know how to sell your products wisely, “he says.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/autosta+tulee+kuin+alypuhelin/a923465
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple set to make 63 million iWatches in 2014 priced at $199
An analyst claims the firm has teamed up with two Taiwanese supliers
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2291853/apple-set-to-make-63-million-iwatches-in-2014-priced-at-usd199
GADGET DESIGNER Apple is rumoured to have teamed up with two Taiwanese suppliers to begin the making of its so-called iWatch wearable smart device, with plans to launch to market in the second half of 2014.
There are also mutterings that the Cupertino company will make a rather substantial 63.4 million of the smart watches in 2014, partnering with manufacturers Inventec and Quanta who will split the iWatch orders in a 60:40 ratio, respectively. If true, that sales figure would come close to Apple’s total iPod sales from 2008 to 2010.
Apple has not yet indicated whether it is working on the device, but in July the company filed an application to register “iWatch” as a trademark in Japan, Mexico, Turkey and Taiwan under product category for a computer or watch device.
Tomi Engdahl says:
STMicroelectronics has announced a new Bluetooth circuit which is able to transmit and receive data only milliamps current. ST is planning to chip, above all, the growing smart watch, smart glass and other site-held devices on the market.
BlueNRG network processor supports Bluetooth 4.0, the low power consumption specifications. ST’s power consumption is the maximum of 8.2 milliamps. The reception desk is low: 7.3 milliamps. Both are the lowest in the company, according to market quotations.
ABI Research predicts that this area of the unit deliveries grows this year to about 220 million to nearly a billion unit in 2016.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=299:bluetooth-yhteys-milliampeereilla&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rate-my-boink app scores frisky fanbois, fangurlz’ SCREAMS, VIBRATIONS
Saucy sex study software reveals all, ‘selfies’ included
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/14/spreadsheets_app/
Spreadsheets are pretty much the unsexiest invention since the chastity belt, but one app developer is hoping the idea of analysing their own performance in the bedroom will appeal to a generation of selfie-taking fanbois.
A new bit of software called Spreadsheets is now on sale in Apple’s app store
The app allows lovers to analyse their sex sessions, so a man has evidence that he’s actually managed to do the deed and a woman has a clear-cut way of expressing exactly how disappointing the whole thing was.
“Spreadsheets is a mobile app that monitors your performance in bed to provide statistical and historical feedback,” the developers, Ardenturous Labs, wrote.
“Keep a record of your encounters, date, time, and performance,” the app-makers add.
“Spreadsheets monitors data from user’s movement and audio levels through the accelerometer and microphone to provide statistical and visual analysis of their performance in bed.”
The app allows lovers to track exactly how long each romp lasts, registers the “decibel peak” of each lovemaking bout and measures the average thrusts-per-minute, or TPM, of each session.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Here Nokia Mobile software runs on the dashboard of cars. Navigation software to add spice to the phone app, which also supports Windows Phone Android-powered competitors.
Nokia’s position in cars has been a strong Navteq map to acquire up to. Many of the world’s biggest car manufacturers use Navteq maps.
Now, these services will be extended Nokia Here Auto product. This is not only a map of automobiles, automotive systems, but full functional navigation system.
An integral part of the new product in the smartphone software, which extends the vehicle system. Here Car Companion application (photo below), released on the Windows Phone platform, and in addition to Android.
This is understandable. Android is about 80 per cent market share in smart phones, so the phone software is practically forced to do it. Nokia has not made an application for iOS version of Apple’s iPhone.
Auto system and the smartphone will bring a combination of Nokia’s many benefits. Smartphone Programme for example, may tell you what the car is parked, and then guide you through the user’s car. This application will be able to view your information, such as the amount of fuel, the temperature inside the tire pressure or even the windshield washer fluid volume.
The user can also control the car’s devices with smartphone. For example, the car doors are locked and the air conditioning system can be controlled by phone.
Auto Tour route can be planned even before the car moving. Plans can be made Here.com smartphone or web service.
Maps operate 95 different countries, and the system will tell the rider such as traffic congestion and fuel prices. When the car is approaching the destination, the system may display the item photos, parking information, and even the interior of the maps.
Nokia says that Here Car will be launched in the coming months. Cooperation will take place with car systems manufacturers Continental and Magneti Marelli.
Source: http://www.itviikko.fi/uutiset/2013/09/02/here-auto-nokia-tahtoo-autoilijan-yleispalvelijaksi/201312160/7?rss=8
Tomi Engdahl says:
Director Says BlackBerry Can Survive as ‘Niche’ Player
Nordberg Says There Are ‘Subsets’ That Should Be Sold Off
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424127887324463604579044851825017922-lMyQjAxMTAzMDMwMDEzNDAyWj.html
One of the members of BlackBerry Ltd.’s board committee tasked with exploring strategic alternatives said the company can compete as a “niche company” in the smartphone business, but said there are “subsets” that should be sold off.
In an interview in Stockholm, newly elected BlackBerry director Bert Nordberg said the board is aware of the value the company has created in areas like the enterprise business, hardware functionality and secure communications.
“If you look at BlackBerry’s book value versus its market value, it’s clear that there’s lots of work to do,”
“I think BlackBerry is able to survive as a niche company. But being a niche company means deciding to be a niche company. Historically, BlackBerry has had larger ambitions. But battling giants like Apple, Google and Samsung is tough.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Acer announces 6-inch Liquid S2, ‘first 4K-recording smartphone’
http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/02/acer-6-inch-liquid-s2-smartphone/
Acer’s touting the S2 as the first phone to offer this 4K functionality, though all signs point to Samsung’s next Galaxy Note shipping with the same feature. The device sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED ring flash along with a 2MP front shooter capable of 1080p video.
Though 4K recording is clearly the phone’s marquee feature, other specs are decidedly more high-end than we’re used to seeing on Acer’s Liquid lineup. As mentioned, there’s a Snapdragon 800 chip under the hood, clocked at 2.2GHz and bolstered by 2GB of RAM, and the battery is a sizable 3,300 mAh. There’s 4G LTE connectivity on board as well.
• Video Recording: 4K Ultra HD, fast full HD 1080p 60FPS, 4 x slow motion
The Liquid S2 version will be available at the end of October in. Exact pricing and availability will be announced at a later stage.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This is Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch: A blocky health tracker with a camera
http://venturebeat.com/2013/09/01/this-is-samsungs-galaxy-gear-smartwatch-a-blocky-health-tracker-with-a-camera/
Samsung is set to reveal its Galaxy Gear smartwatch next Wednesday, Sept. 4, in Berlin. But this weekend, we got a first look at the watch.
Here it is.
The press has been speculating about the hardware and design, and leaking information, since word got out that the company would be designing its smartwatch to rival new and yet-to-be-released gadgets from Sony, Apple and Pebble.
I’ll walk you through the specs, and then offer a few insights about potential use-cases for Samsung’s smartwatch. Health and fitness junkies will be intrigued. My initial impression was that it’s a new wearable fitness device to rival a Nike Fuelband or Fitbit Flex — a smartphone companion rather than a smartphone alternative.
The smartwatch prototype has Bluetooth to connect with the Galaxy S family of smartphones and tablets, although it may also connect to all Android devices. It also has Wi-Fi for Internet access, including e-mail, even when it’s not connected to a smartphone, but I didn’t see that in action.
It has a 4-megapixel camera built into the strap, and tiny speakers in the clasp. You can measure health data through the camera. Take a picture of your food, and you can tag it according to what type of food it is, such as “grains” or “fat.” It’s a clear swipe at Google Glass — but would anyone take photos of their meals from a watch, other than for spy movie appeal?
A source also revealed that a health startup, based in Palo Alto, Calif, has been working with Samsung to develop fitness apps for the watch for several months.
Samsung will do well with the health-concious market, and those who are looking to lose weight. I could envision using the watch at the gym or during a run, as it can be cumbersome to carry a smartphone device. You can track your steps, measure your heart rate, take a photo, call a friend, and share your excitement that you completed a marathon — all from your wrist.
Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch appears to be a pre-emptive strike in a smartwatch war that has yet to get underway.
Apple is widely believed to be working on an iOS-based watch, called “iWatch.”
But, as Time‘s Harry McCracken recently wrote, we’re still in need of killer use-cases for smartwatches. The lack of battery life and apps remain a problem, one that the biggest contender in this space, Sony, has yet to solve with the second version of its smartwatch.
Apart from Sony, the leading smartwatch contenders have come from outside mainstream electronics companies, with the Kickstarter-funded Pebble being the most prominent example. That’s a sign that the category is not quite yet ready for primetime.
As for Samsung, it clearly believes it will be the vendor to make smartwatches a must-have item for both gadget lovers and fitness fans.
Tomi says:
Microsoft to buy Nokia’s phone business
http://www.epanorama.net/blog/2013/09/03/microsoft-to-buy-nokias-phone-business/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google’s Project Glass headman answers most pressing question: ‘Why?’
The computer that ‘lives on your head’ will change mankind, it turns out
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/28/babak_parviz_explains_the_reasoning_behind_google_glass/
Hot Chips The creator of Google Glass sees his baby as being nothing less than the next step in human communications and humanity’s “quest for knowledge.”
“There are two main drivers for why we wanted to make Google Glass,” Babak Parviz, who founded and heads up Project Glass at Google, told his audience at the Hot Chips conference this week at Stanford University. “One is that we wanted to have a pictorial communication device, and secondly to make access to various types of information much faster.”
Parviz characterized Glass as the next step in communication. At the dawn of history, he said, “Basically what we did was we talked to each other, so we had to be in physical proximity of each other, carry our emotions through speech, and communicate – that was the only thing we could do.”
Next came the invention of writing, which enabled sending messages long distance – an improvement, but slow. Enter the telegraph, he said, which was able to send text messages quickly over long distance. Then came the telephone – fast, long-distance, without the requirement for conversion into text, with the ability for instant back-and-forth conversation, but tethered.
The digital age brought email – essential a private, mobile telegraph – and untethered, aka mobile, phones. All well and good, but from Parviz’s point of view, “What we haven’t really had actually, to this day, genuinely, has been a device, a technology that has been engineered from the get-go for visual communication from person to person – and that’s one of the main drivers of Google Glass.”
Sure, he said, you can take photos with your smartphone and email them to a friend, he said, “But that is sort of an extension of taking a picture and putting it in paper mail and mailing it to someone else.”
A camera-equipped computing device that, as Parviz put it, “lives on your head,” will enable you to immediately live-stream what you’re looking at to one or many viewers who can “experience [your] life at this very moment” while leaving your hands free. “This has a camera that sees the world through my eyes – and that’s unique to this form factor,” he said. “We don’t have other electronic devices that can live with me as I live my life rather than be an intrusion into my life.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft’s Nokia acquisition should have Apple and Google worried
Opinion The smartphone market just got serious
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/opinion/2292247/microsofts-nokia-acquisition-should-have-apple-and-google-worried
MICROSOFT SURPRISED NO ONE on Tuesday when it announced that it picked up Nokia’s devices unit and licensed some of its software for a cool £4.6bn in cash. While many see the deal as two struggling companies merging for a final shot at success, we think the deal should have Apple and Google worried.
First off, Nokia pretty much is Windows Phone.
Finnish phone firm accounting for around 85 percent of Windows Phone handsets sold and its Nokia Lumia 520 smartphone ranking as the best selling phone running the Microsoft mobile operating system yet.
This could be a worry for Google. When the firm bought handset maker Motorola last year, Google reassured Android OEMs that it would not favour the company in any way. However, after Microsoft’s buyout of Nokia, perhaps other Windows Phone makers can’t feel quite so assured.
So why is this bad for Google? Samsung and HTC are unlikely to want to rely on only the Android mobile operating system, and could avoid throwing all of their eggs into one basket by branching out elsewhere. This, for example, could see Samsung focusing more heavily on its Tizen mobile operating system and distancing itself from Android somewhat, which could spell bad news for the Android ecosystem, given that the firm accounts for 95 percent of profits in the Android smartphone market.
There have been some rumours recently that HTC could be planning to launch its own mobile operating system, and Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia devices could see the firm looking to focus on this to avoid reliance on Android.
That’s not the only reason Google should be worried, and Apple should be too, as the buyout finally sees Windows Phone becoming an exciting third player in the smartphone market, looking to end the duopoly currently held by iOS and Android. The pairing of the two companies might be just what Microsoft’s mobile operating system needs to extend its reach beyond the present 9.2 percent marketshare it holds in the UK. In fact, Microsoft has already said that it wants to see its market share triple by 2018 following its purchase of Nokia.
In fact, we could go on. There are a number of factors that should have Google and Apple worried: Nokia bringing its distribution reach to Microsoft, the amount of money Microsoft can pump into Nokia, and the fact that Microsoft now owns Nokia’s extensive patent portfolio, which could see Microsoft going after its rivals in other ways.
Today’s deal also effectively writes off Blackberry as a major player in the smartphone market, as Microsoft picking up Nokia sees the firm combining the Finnish firm’s hardware division with its software and is likely to make Microsoft the number one choice in the enterprise market.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Do you suffer from nomofobia?
Cell phone addiction is not to mention mental health problems of the DSM-5 classification. Uuseat mental health professionals are taking it seriously. According to them, nomofobia (no mobile-phobia) of the nominated suffering from the problem of communication device is experiencing separation anxiety. He is afraid to be without their mobile phones.
Security company Lookout survey, 73 percent of respondents said they had experienced a panic phone mislaid. Nearly 60 percent said they had to revise their phones every hour.
“Cell phone addiction is a form of Internet addiction. People have been getting hooked on their phones less intelligent, “online addiction specialist Hilarie Cash said.
Cell phone addiction is usually only tip of the iceberg. In the same patients often have greater mental health problems, says therapist Elizabeth Waterman Californian rehab.
Cash agrees: “For all addictions have in common is that they are perceived through the claim of pleasure or sense of release, the development of tolerance and withdrawal symptoms that occur when access to a source of pleasure is prevented.”
New message on Facebook or mobile phone in our brains release dopamine, a neurotransmitter through which situations to get hooked. Technology Dependent waiting for a new message, like a drug addict for next time.
Nomofobia, however, often causes anxiety and withdrawal symptoms in the form of difficulty in obtaining the same kinks face to face chat with.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/karsitko+nomofobiasta+taalla+sita+hoidetaan/a925919
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google scandalous love triangle: Android boss the ax, the founder threatens to divorce
The love triangle at the center of the Google Glass smart glass Marketing, Amanda Rosenberg , the company’s Android operating system, the former boss Hugo Barra , and Google co-founder and multi-billionaire Sergey Brin .
Among other things, Valleywag reported by 27-year-old Rosenberg has had a relationship with both Barra and Brin.
Relationship frenzy will have resulted in the Barra announced last week that they will not move away from Google and the Chinese Xiaomin breads.
In addition, Brin six years of marriage, is said to be coming down. He is a representative of the changed apart from his wife Anne Wojcicki .
A pattern is further complicated by the fact that Google has invested millions of dollars under the leadership of Brin Wojcicki biotechnology company. In addition, Wojcicki’s sister Susan Wojcicki of Google’s advertising is one of the six directors
Source: http://www.iltasanomat.fi/digi/art-1288595941048.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Founder at Center of Alleged Sex Scandal
One of the tech giant’s founders, Sergey Brin, reportedly left his wife and is dating another exec.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/google-sex-scandal-founder-sergey-brin-allegedly-dating-20141151
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft is gambling – but it does not have other options
Nokia’s phone business buying is Microsoft gambling, but the company is not just options. This estimate of analysts.
Microsoft will pay Nokia’s mobile phone business 3.79 billion, and the patents related to the use of the rights of 1.65 billion euros.
“Mobile is currently the world’s fastest growing and largest computer platform. We see this movement with courage, but completely necessary threat to Microsoft as a game, “research director Ben Wood at CCS Insight research firm estimates.
So far, Microsoft has been trying for 15 years to get a foothold in the mobile operating system by developing and offering the manufacturers. However, it is not successful.
If implemented, the trade is a good thing for both companies. The challenge, however, is the integration of the businesses, which can not be underestimated. In particular, when Microsoft has a history of its own, the company’s largest ever disaster.
Wood points out that history is full of similar-sized projects that have gone awry.
Both CCS Insight’s Wood that Gartner’s Milanesi believe that Microsoft is the only Windows Phone manufacturer. At least unless something major happens on Android.
The decisive factor for the future of Windows Phone is how quickly Microsoft is able to buy the Nokia allows the development of new smart phones and to improve the operating system itself. Also, the number of applications need to grow.
“It would be a big mistake if Microsoft would try to merge the companies to each other and to take power, because it does not understand mobile.”
The big question is, what the deal means for the entire industry. Nokia’s decision to sell off the phones came only three weeks after the Blackberry was announced looking for a new strategy.
Blackberry is considering an alternative to, among other things, joint ventures, or from the sale of the entire company.
“This is not just about the phone’s development. This is a very mature market, so the need for strong financial muscle to compete, and if not, enters into trouble. This has happened to Nokia, Blackberry and HTC for “Jeronimo estimates.
Wood believes that the mobile industry will see more consolidation, with bigger gamblers are buying smaller players from the market.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/microsoft+pelaa+uhkapelia++mutta+silla+ei+ole+muuta+vaihtoehtoa/a927315
Tomi Engdahl says:
German Giesecke & Devrient has introduced a new SIM card platform, with the same card can simultaneously run multiple applications on a variety of NFC (near field communication). SkySIM CX card has multiple protected areas such as the mobile payment required for authentication techniques may be used.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=311:nfc-sovellukset-suoraan-sim-kortille&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google has released a new Android version
The new Android 4.4 version got name KitKat.
Google has co-operation with KitKat candy maker company Nestlé.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/uusi+android+on+nimeltaan+kitkat/a927100
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung’s Galaxy Gear is a smartwatch like no other
On sale for $299 in the United States from early October
http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/4/4692824/samsung-galaxy-gear-features-specs-release-date-price
The Galaxy Gear, Samsung’s latest foray into the smartwatch category, is now official and it’s quite unlike anything you’ve seen before. Yes, it’s a smartphone accessory that can pick up notifications, control music playback, and keep time with a rich variety of watch faces, but Samsung takes it a few steps further by integrating a 1.9-megapixel camera, a speaker, and two microphones — allowing you to shoot short 720p movies and even conduct phone calls with the Galaxy Gear.
It’s not a standalone phone, but you can use it to make phone calls
Importantly, the Galaxy Gear is not a phone in its own right — it relies on a Bluetooth connection to your Samsung Galaxy device in order to do most of its connected work. When it goes on sale later this month, the Gear will be compatible with the freshly announced Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition, while software updates for the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S III, and Galaxy Note II are in the works to introduce compatibility there as well.
Returning to the star of the show, the Gear, you’ll find a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display with a thrifty 320 x 320 resolution, a single-core 800MHz Exynos processor, a metal face and buckle, and a selection of six different shades of adjustable wrist band.
As usual with Samsung, the Galaxy Gear is a feature-rich device. Basic onboard apps include a pedometer and the ability to find your Galaxy (or, alternatively, an option to find your Gear via your Galaxy handset), but most impressive of all is the number of compatible apps. Samsung says there’s over 70 to choose from
There are a couple of significant downsides that temper my enthusiasm for the new Gear. First and foremost is the speed and intuitiveness of the user interface — or rather, the lack thereof. There’s a tangible lag to anything you do with the Gear, while the swipe gestures are hard to figure out and do different things depending on where you are in the menus.
Also important will be the Galaxy Gear’s battery life. It does use the Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy standard to communicate, but at 315mAh its battery is decidedly small. Samsung promises “about a day” of endurance from the Gear, but by the end of our briefing with the company, the cameras on most of its demo units were refusing to turn on due to the watches running low on power.
On the plus side, the camera built into the Galaxy Gear produces surprisingly decent pictures and there’s 4GB of onboard storage to stash them on if you’re away from your smartphone.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung’s Galaxy Gear isn’t really a smartwatch
http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/4/4694494/samsungs-galaxy-gear-isnt-really-a-smartwatch
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Prior to the reveal of the Galaxy Gear today, we’d reported that it wouldn’t be a standalone phone. After today’s announcement, I can conclusively say it’s not a smartwatch, either.
A smartwatch is, quite literally, a smart wristwatch. It’s a timepiece with a brain, capable of processing and displaying information above and beyond what you’d expect of an ordinary clock. But there are fundamental tenets of the term “wristwatch” that the Galaxy Gear violates.
In fact, I’m not entirely convinced the first smartwatch has even been made yet.
I’m not necessarily saying the Galaxy Gear is a bad product; I haven’t used it,
Fortunately, Samsung’s press release for the Gear sticks to the much safer, more generic “wearable device” moniker, only briefly mentioning that it also functions as a “standalone watch.” That’s a start. “Wearable device” is a term I’m comfortable with for this product.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Soon synchronized with at least six different devices
People already carry with them a wide variety of mobile devices. In the coming years they will discuss more with each other. Gartner predicts that by 2016, each of synchronizing personal cloud at least six mobile devices.
They suggest the co-operation between different devices was and still is very difficult. In practice, it is often the text messages and phone calls. New smart devices allow a completely different function.
According to Gartner, the change to drive the three major trends: The first is the BYOD (bring your own device), second is the personal cloud, and the third is a useful mobile applications on the market.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=315:pian-synkronoidaan-ainakin-kuutta-eri-laitetta&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Worldwide Mobile Phone Market Forecast to Grow 7.3% in 2013 Driven by 1 Billion Smartphone Shipments, According to IDC
http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24302813
The worldwide mobile phone market is forecast to grow 7.3% year over year in 2013, marking a sharp rebound from the nearly flat (1.2%) growth experienced in 2012. Strong demand for smartphones across all geographies will drive much of this growth as worldwide smartphone shipments are expected to surpass 1 billion units for the first time in a single year, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.
The overall mobile phone market is growing faster than previously forecast thanks to a stronger-than-expected first half of the year driven by strong gains in emerging markets and the sub-$200 smartphone segment.
Vendors are now forecast to ship more than 1.8 billion mobile phones this year, growing to over 2.3 billion mobile phones in 2017.
Worldwide smartphone shipments are forecast to grow 40.0% year over year to more than 1.0 billion units this year. High smartphone growth is the result of a variety of factors, including steep device subsidies from carriers, especially in mature economic markets, as well as a growing array of sub-$200 smartphones. Total smartphone shipments are forecast to reach 1.7 billion units in 2017.
“Smartphones will represent virtually all of the mobile phone market in many of the world’s most developed economies by the end of 2017,” said Kevin Restivo, Senior Research Analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker program.
Smartphone Operating Systems
Android remains the dominant smartphone operating system, a status that won’t change even though its share will decline somewhat as the market matures and competition solidifies.
iOS will remain the clear number two operating system as the expected launch of a lower-cost iPhone will open up a wider addressable market.
Windows Phone will solidify its position as the number three O.S. with incremental share gains over the course of the forecast. With the acquisition of Nokia’s device and services unit, Microsoft will increasingly need to drive share gains by itself as OEM support for Windows Phone is expected to wane
BlackBerry OS share will decline markedly over the forecast
Tomi Engdahl says:
Silent Circle launches encrypted text messaging app on Android
http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/4/4693740/silent-text-encrypted-messaging-file-sharing-launches-on-android
Silent Circle is launching its secure file sharing and text messaging app, Silent Text, on Android today, almost a year after the service first launched for iOS. The app allows mobile users to transfer 100MB files of any type, or to just send one another simple messages. It protects the data using end-to-end encryption, and it stores those encryption keys on users’ devices — not Silent Circle’s own servers — which makes the people in the conversation the only ones with the key to decrypt it.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mozilla Launches Phase Two Of ‘Phones For Apps’ Program, Giving Firefox OS Devices To Devs Who Port HTML5 Apps
http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/04/mozilla-launches-phase-two-of-phones-for-apps-program-giving-firefox-os-devices-to-devs-who-port-html5-apps/
In order to participate in the program, developers need only have already built and shipped an exiting HTML5 web application, and must provide Mozilla with a link to said app online, or in the Amazon Web App, BlackBerry WebWorks, Chrome Web Store, webOS or PhoneGap online stores. You can also use apps built with HTML5 submitted to native app stores like Apple’s or Google’s in a native wrapper.
The rules say that you should start working right now on porting your app, with the aim of delivering a completed port sometime in the next two months. Mozilla will be reviewing applications while devs are working on their ports, and say to expect communication only if you’re chose to participate.