Mobile infrastructure must catch up with user needs and demands. Ubiquitous mobile computing is all around us, not only when we use smartphones to connect with friends and family across states and countries, but also when we use ticketing systems on buses and trains, purchase food from mobile vendors, watch videos, and listen to music on our phones. As a result, mobile computing systems must rise to the demand. The number of smart phones will exceed the number of PCs in 2014.
Some time in the next six months, the number of smartphones on earth will pass the number of PCs. This shouldn’t really surprise anyone: the mobile business is much bigger than the computer industry. There are now perhaps 3.5-4 billion mobile phones, replaced every two years (versus 1.7-1.8 billion PCs replaced every 5 years).It means that mobile industry can sell more phones in a quarter than the PC industry sells in a year. After some years we will end up with somewhere over 3bn smartphones in use on earth, almost double the number of PCs. The smartphone revolution is changing how consumers use the Internet: Mobile browsing is set to overtake traditional desktop browsing in 2015.
It seems that 4G has really become the new high speed mobile standard widely wanted during 2013. 3G will become the low-cost option for those who think 4G option is too expensive, not everyone that has 4G capable device has 4G subscription. How the situation changes depends on how operators improve their 3G coverage, what will be the price difference from 3G to 4G and how well the service is marketed.
Mobile data increased very much last year. I expect the growth to continue pretty much as projected in Mobile Data Traffic To Grow 300% Globally By 2017 Led By Video, Web Use, Says Strategy Analytics and Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2012–2017 articles.
When 4G becomes mainstream, planning for next 5G communications starts. I will expect to see more and more writing on 5G as the vision what it will be destined to be clears more. Europe’s newly-minted 5GPPP Association plans to launch as many as 20 research projects in 2014, open to all comers, with a total budget of about 250 million euros. The groundwork for 5G, an ambitious vision for a next-generation network of networks that’s still being defined, and the definition will go on many years to come. No one really knows today what 5G will be because there are still several views. Europe’s new 5GPPP group published a draft proposal for 5G. 5GPPP is not the only group expected to work on standards for next-generation cellular networks, but it could become one of the most influential.
The shifting from “dumb” phones to smart phones continue. In USA and Europe smart phone penetration is already so high levels that there will not be very huge gains on the market expected. Very many consumers already have their smart phone, and the market will be more and more on updating to new model after two years or so use. At the end of 2013 Corporate-Owned Smartphones Back in Vogue, and I expect that companies continue to shop smart phones well in 2014.
The existing biggest smart phone players will continue to rule the markets. Google’s Android will continue to rule the markets. Samsung made most money in 2013 on Android phones (in 2013 in West only Samsung makes money from selling Android), and I expect that to continue. In 2013 Apple slurped down enormous profits but lost some of its bleeding-edge-tech street credit, and I expect that to continue in 2014.
The biggest stories of the year 2013 outside the Samsung/Apple duopoly were the sale of Nokia’s mobile phone business to Microsoft and the woes of BlackBerry. BlackBerry had an agonising year and suffered one of the most spectacular consumer collapses in history, and I can’t see how it would get to it’s feet during 2014. Nokia made good gains for Windows Phones during 2013, and I expect that Microsoft will put marketing effort to gain even more market share. Windows Phone became the third mobile ecosystem, and will most probably keep that position in 2014.
New players try to enter smart phone markets and some existing players that once tried that try to re-enter. There are rumors that for example HP tries to re-enter mobile market, and is probable that some other computer makers try to sell smart phones with their brands. In the Android front there will be new companies trying to push marker (for example OPPO and many smaller Chinese makers you have never heard earlier). Nokia had a number of Android projects going on in 2013, and some former Nokia people have put up company Newkia to follow on that road. To make a difference in the market there will be also push on some smaller mobile platforms as alternative to the big three (Google, Apple, Microsoft). Jolla is pushing Sailfish OS phones that can run Android applications and also pushing possibility to install that OS to Android phone. Mozilla will push on with it’s own Firefox OS phone. Canonical will try to get their Ubuntu phone released. Samsung is starting to make Tizen powered smart phones and NTT DoCoMo could be the first carrier to offer a Tizen powered device. None of those will be huge mainstream hits within one year, but could maybe could have their own working niche markets. The other OS brands combined do not amount to 1% of all smartphones sold in 2013, so even if they could have huge growth they would still be very small players on the end of 2014.
As smartphone and tablet makers desperately search for points of differentiation they will try to push the limits of performance on several fronts to extremes. Extreme inter-connectivity is one of the more useful features that is appearing in new products. More context-aware automatic wireless linking is coming: Phones will wirelessly link and sync with screens and sensors in the user’s vicinity.
You can also expect extreme sensor support to offer differentiation. Biomedical sensors have lots of potential (Apple already has fingerprint sensors). Indoor navigation will evolve. Intelligent systems and assistive devices will advance smart healthcare.
Several smartphone makers have clear strategies to take photography to extremes. 40 megapixel camera is already on the market and several manufacturers are playing with re-focus after shooting options.
In high-end models we may be moving into the overkill zone with extreme resolution that is higher than you can see on small screen: some makers have already demonstrated displays with twice the performance of 1080-progressive. Samsung is planned to release devices with 4k or UHD resolutions. As we have seen in many high tech gadget markets earlier it is a very short journey to copycat behavior.
It seems that amount of memory on high-end mobile devices is increasing this year. To be able to handle higher resolutions smart phones will also need more memory than earlier (for example Samsung lpddr 4 allows up to 4 GB or RAM on smart phone as now high-end devices now have typically 2GB). As the memory size starts to hit the limits of 32 bit processors (4GB), I will expect that there will be some push for chip makers to start to introduce more 64 bit processors for mobile devices. Apple already has 64-bit A7 microprocessor in iPhone 5s, all the other phone-makers want one too for their high-end models (which is a bit of panic to mobile chip makers).
You will be able to keep your mobile phone during some flights all the time and browser web on the plane more widely. At some planes you might also be able to make phone calls with your mobile phone during the flight. Calls on flights have been theoretically possible, and United States has recently looked at mobile phone calls allow the flights.
In year 2013 there were many releases on wearable technologies. Wearable is a trend with many big companies already in the space, and more are developing new products. It seems that on this field year 2013 was just putting on the initial flame, and I expect that the wearable market will start to heat up more during 2014. The advent of wearable technology brings new demands for components that can accommodate its small form factor, wireless requirements, and need for longer battery life.
The Internet of Things (IoT) will evolve into the Web of Things, increasing the coordination between things in the real world and their counterparts on the Web. The Internet is expanding into enterprise assets and consumer items such as cars and televisions. Gartner suggests that now through 2018, a variety of devices, user contexts, and interaction paradigms will make “everything everywhere” strategies unachievable.
Technology giants Google Inc. and Apple Inc. are about to expand their battle for digital supremacy to a new front: the automobile. The Android vs. iOS apps battle is coming to the automotive industry in 2014: car OEMs aren’t exactly known for their skills in developing apps and app developers don’t want to develop so many different versions of an app separately (for Ford, General Motors, BMW, and Toyota). I am waiting for Google’s response to Apple’s iOS in the Car. Next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Google and German auto maker Audi AG plan to announce that they are working together to develop in-car entertainment and information systems that are based on Google’s Android software. The push toward smarter cars is heating up: Right now, we are just scratching the surface.
For app development HTML5 will be on rise. Gartner predicts that through 2014, improved JavaScript performance will begin to push HTML5 and the browser as a mainstream enterprise application development environment. It will also work on many mobile applications as well.
1,857 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
So you reckon Nokia-wielding Microsoft can’t beat off Apple?
Wrong. It could. Look at history – and Redmond ought to swot up, too
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/17/microsoft_swallows_nokia_to_take_on_apple/
Analysis Microsoft isn’t used to being the underdog, but the company which owns the desktop is losing its grip on customers’ wallets.
It’s easy to compare the phone industry to the computer business
The thing about the computer duopoly is that it’s been around since before the cellular market existed. The mobile market is different: the top players change.
The reason for that mobile-industry-in-a-paragraph history lesson is that there is no reason to assume that today’s Apple/Samsung duopoly is any more enduring than the Motorola/NEC of 1994 or Nokia/Ericsson one of 2000.
Microsoft needs to recognise that wars are not usually won. They are lost. Understanding the enemy’s weakness rather than fighting their strengths is what will help Microsoft make a success of Lumia
Part of the Finns’ downfall was a swagger which came with that market share
This proved to be a mixture of successes and failures, but it wasn’t what the operators wanted.
Microsoft needs the mobile operators to understand that they are no longer dealing with an arrogant phone company but someone who understands partnerships.
Yet Nokia’s arrogance of a decade ago is naught compared with that of Apple.
It has, in effect, pulled all the applications revenue out of the hands of the operators and into those of Apple.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mapping Our Interiors
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/mapping-our-interiors/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
A Finnish company called IndoorAtlas has figured out that all buildings have a unique magnetic “fingerprint” — and has solved how to use that to determine locations inside a structure to within six feet. That is enough to take a consumer to a product in a crowded supermarket, or figure out the location of, say, a half-dozen workers in a building full of them. It’s also much better than cell phone towers can do.
The reason for the fingerprint is that the steel in buildings distorts the Earth’s magnetic field. Different amounts of steel, and changes in the magnetic field at different points on the globe, make each building’s distortion unique.
IndoorAtlas scans a building to determine its fingerprint (it amounts to walking around a map of the floor plan, which is overlaid on a Google map). After that, anyone can use a smartphone’s compass to navigate the interior.
IndoorAtlas has enjoyed some success selling the service to stores in Finland. In at least one case, shoppers can load their week’s shopping into their phones, and get interior directions about where every product is located, and how to efficiently walk through the store to get everything.
The company is hoping for bigger success with U.S. big box retailers, and hopes also to resell the service in Asia.
The business plan of InsideAtlas is somewhat unorthodox: It will measure and store your building’s magnetic fingerprint in its computing cloud. Keeping it private, however, will cost $99 a month, per building. “It’s free if you want it public,” he said.
Moreover, he expects that soon enough other versions of magnetic fingerprinting will happen, and that crowds of individuals will contribute indoor information to public databases.
Certainly, we’ve seen this kind of development already for our open public spaces. OpenStreetMap is an open source project that has, since 2004
Tomi Engdahl says:
Security company F-Secure Chief Research Officer Mikko Hypponen criticized for children’s freemium games pricing: The most expensive in-app purchases for “free” mobile games are simply outrageous.
Hypponen tweeted an image of free Farm Heroes Saga of the game, with the most expensive facilitating the advancement of the bonus package costs 94.99 euros
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/uutisia/hypponen+toteaa+lapsille+suunnatun+quotilmaisenquot+pelin+hinnoittelusta+quottorkeaaquot/a988742
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple Settles With Motorola: Samsung Next?
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1322437&
Late last week, Apple and Motorola announced a settlement agreement regarding the patent lawsuits between them. Today, a report from Korea suggests Apple is on track to do the same with bitter rival Samsung. Together, the change in tone from Apple over smartphone patents suggests the company is ready to move forward and focus once again on innovation.
The news from Apple and Motorola came as a surprise.
Tomi Engdahl says:
5-year enterprise wearables market seen reaching $18 billion
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/05/abi-enterprise-wearables.html
Growing at a CAGR value of 56.1% over the next five years, wearable device technologies will become an integral part of enterprise mobile enablement strategies, predicts ABI Research.
“There are cases being made for wearables in the enterprise despite the relative newness of the technology,” states Jason McNicol, senior enterprise analyst with ABI Research. “However, which wearables are primed for enterprise usage and adoption is a more important question. Wearable technology such as smart glasses and those used for healthcare are better suited for the enterprise as corporate-liable devices. Smart watches, on the other hand, will most likely follow the trend of BYOD into the enterprise.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook Will Soon Detect What You’re Watching and Listening To
http://www.wired.com/2014/05/facebook-will-soon-detect-what-youre-watching-and-listening-to/
Facebook will soon automatically identify the TV shows you’re watching and the music you’re listening to, making it easier to join online discussions involving your latest bit of entertainment.
The move will help Facebook get a leg up on other social networks fighting to push their way into your TV and movie time. Twitter and Yahoo’s Tumblr have touted their networks as vital online hubs for TV and movie fans. But on those networks, inserting your comments into a broader discussion about a particular show isn’t the smoothest of tasks. Typically, it involves identifying a particular hashtag and manually adding it to your comment.
That’s why Facebook is rolling out its new audio fingerprinting tool, detailed on Wednesday with a company blog post. With audio fingerprinting, you needn’t go looking for a hashtag. Instead, you click a button on your Facebook mobile app, it listens to the TV show you’re watching, and then it automatically links your comments to the right online forum–at least in theory.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why is the ” Chinese Apple ” phones are so cheap ?
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomilla goes fast.
The company is known for the iPhone similar phones , the price of which is only a third of the price of the iPhone.
Already Xiaomin first flagship model for 2011 published by Mi 1, caused a sensation in low price: The phone was 1,999 yuan , or about 235 euros, which was only a small part of the price of competitors’ flagship models.
Xiaomi has launched Hongmi great deals on phones with prices starting from 699 yuan , or about 80 euro (manufacturing costs about 63 euros).
The latest top model Mi 3 properties – Nvidia’s quad-core and 1.8 – gigahertz processor , 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, with five -inch screen and 13 megapixels of the camera – on the basis of the price could be expected to be higher. Research company Fomalhault Techno Solutions estimates that one phone will make 73 Euros to the company, and making the Mi3 phone costs 115 euros.
Unlike its competitors , Xiaomi did not spend money on traditional advertising . It is also not very much the foundation of the shops, but it will sell phones directly to consumers via the Internet. Using restricted batches of items, the company keeps the cost down. The down side is that many avid buyer will have to wait their own phones
In the future, Xiaomi wants to make money on the software. The idea is the same as Amazon’s Kindle preferred tablets, which are attractive to buy e- books and other digital content. Xiaomin phone users can buy their phones of different themes and change the interface to payment.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/miksi+quotkiinan+applenquot+puhelimet+ovat+niin+halpoja/a988937
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Beats Apple in List of World’s Most Valuable Brands
Brand value highlights tech sector growth By Lauren Johnson
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/google-beats-apple-list-world-s-most-valuable-brands-157868
Google, Apple, IBM and Microsoft are the companies that rank the highest in terms of brand value, according to a new study commissioned by WPP and conducted by Millward Brown. McDonald’s is the only non-tech brand within the top five, highlighting the growth of the digital vertical in recent years and more trust among consumers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Brits prefer better smartphone battery life to 4G
And definitely not NFC
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2346017/brits-prefer-better-smartphone-battery-life-to-4g
BRITISH MOBILE USERS would rather have better battery life than any other feature.
Forget brand, camera, processor, apps and everything else that the marketers throw at punters to sell mobile phones. What Britain wants is longer battery life, according to a survey by market research firm GMI.
An overwhelming 89 percent saw battery life as “important”. However, not all responses were as practical, as the second most important factor at 68 percent was brand name, showing that mobile users are slaves to fashion too, with processor speed just behind at 67 percent.
Bottom of the list was touchless payment, reflecting the slow take-up of NFC at just 20 percent. More worrying for the mobile networks that have invested billions in 4G technology, 4G capability scored just 36 percent.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Silent Circle gets cash to meet ‘overwhelming’ Blackphone demand
Will also use funding to bring encrypted services to iOS and Android
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2346061/silent-circle-gets-cash-to-meet-overwhelming-blackphone-demand
SILENT CIRCLE announced on Wednesday that it has raised enough cash to meet growing demand for its privacy-focused Blackphone device.
Silent Circle said that it has received $30m in funding from some “renowned” investors
The company said it will use this funding to finance production of its encrypted Blackphone device, which Silent Circle boasts has seen “overwhelming demand” in the wake of NSA surveillance revelations. With its first smartphone, Silent Circle is promising that all of a user’s data will be kept secure, with the smartphone arriving equipped with $700 worth of security features.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Concerning Windows Phone and its relevance to the larger business
A key to broader workforce mobility?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/22/windows_phone_enterprise_mobility/
You could be forgiven for thinking that Microsoft has missed the boat with its Windows everywhere proposition. It’s a hybrid world in which Android, iOS, OS X and even Linux are not going away. This in turn leaves Windows Phone 8.1 as just another mobile operating system, vying for position against more established platforms.
But the enterprise mobility game is far from over – in fact it’s arguably only just beginning in relation to smart devices. If you look at smart phone use within business, for example, the centre of gravity for adoption to date is in what we might call the ‘VIP’ segment of users.
Activity in the VIP segment will continue to be led by the high-end consumer market and the desire for the latest fashionable devices. In our surveys of Reg readers, we are consistently told that IT teams can generally do little to influence this situation – they just need to accept that the notion of standardisation has been sacrificed on the altar of VIP individuality.
Some deal with this by offering a broader range of company device options, while others put systems in place to support BYOD.
Standardisation is therefore a more viable option as you look to push mobile connectivity further down into the rank and file.
The question then becomes which platform to standardise on.
So it must be Android then – after all, this has now become the mobile OS for the masses in the consumer space. Unlike iPhone, Android phones are available at all price points, and from manufacturers whose badge doesn’t necessarily command a brand premium.
The problem here though is that in practical terms, Android is not just one platform. Each manufacturer has its own variant
Added to this, outside of the VIP user segment, Windows still totally dominates on desktop/notebook machines, and the custom developed solutions to support process-centric activity represents a much bigger part of the software landscape. In this context, the Windows everywhere proposition starts to look more relevant.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung is making a VR headset for its phones and tablets
http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/22/samsung-vr-headset/
Samsung is known for its ubiquitous Galaxy smartphones and tablets, popular smart televisions and, most recently, smartwatches. The Korean consumer electronics giant is about to enter another major new category: virtual reality headsets. We’re told by sources close to Samsung that a virtual reality headset is not only in the works at the company’s mobile division, but it’s set to be announced this year. The urgency is said to be a measure of beating Facebook’s Oculus Rift and Sony’s Project Morpheus to market. Some developers already have early versions of the headset, which — at least in the development stages — is powered by flagship Galaxy devices (think: Note 3, Galaxy S5). The consumer model, however, is said to require the power of next-gen, unannounced Galaxy phones and tablets.
We’re told it has an OLED screen, as good or better than in the second Rift dev kit; it’s not clear how the headset connects to your phone/tablet, but we’re guessing it’s a wired connection rather than wireless.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Developing Tablet With Advanced Vision Capabilities
Tech Company Plans To Produce About 4,000 Prototype Tablets Beginning Next Month
http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/SB10001424052702303749904579578833557306544-lMyQjAxMTA0MDIwMTEyNDEyWj
Google Inc. GOOGL +1.05% is developing a new, cutting-edge tablet as it continues to experiment with advanced vision capabilities for mobile devices.
The company plans to produce about 4,000 of the prototype tablets beginning next month, according to people briefed on the company’s plans. The device would come with a 7-inch screen and will be equipped with two back cameras, infrared depth sensors and advanced software that can capture precise three-dimensional images of objects, said these people.
The tablet is being developed as part of a Google research effort dubbed Project Tango, according to a person familiar with that effort
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hands on with LG’s Heart Rate Earphones, a two-trick wearable that actually works
http://www.techhive.com/article/2158160/hands-on-with-lgs-heartrate-earphones-a-two-trick-wearable-that-actually-works.html
Fancy that: LG’s Heart Rate Earphones actually work. That’s a victory in a wearables space that’s full of grand aspirations, but flawed executions.
Google Glass is still a huge question mark. Samsung’s Gear Fit isn’t reliably accurate. Fitbit had to issue a recall for its flagship activity tracker. And now the world waits for Apple to release an iWatch—because only Apple, apparently, can fix the broken smartwatch paradigm.
Yet in its simple, two-trick-pony earphone gadget, LG seems to have delivered on the promise of its product packaging. No, the Heart Rate Earphones don’t run apps, or tell the time, or respond to voice commands. But they play music and monitor your heart rate—ostensibly with a high degree of accuracy. And that’s all they need to do.
I’m surprised the Heart Rate Earphones aren’t getting more attention. They may not be as glamorous as smartwatches or smartglasses, but they’re an entirely new type of gadget in a wearables space that’s searching for a mainstream hit.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Facebook Spent a Year Learning to Listen in on Your TV Shows
http://www.wired.com/2014/05/facebooks-year-tv/
If you’re watching TV or listening to music and you feel like discussing it online, Facebook believes, nothing should stand in the way. Not even a few keystrokes.
The social networking giant spent more than a year developing its new audio sampling system, which can listen to a TV show or a song and then automatically mention it in your next Facebook status update. And for Facebook, that’s time well spent.
According to those who built the tool, the aim was to remove every last bit of friction from the way we reference bits of pop culture on the social network.
Facebook already lets you add structured media tags in other ways. Using a drop-down menu, you can indicate you’re “listening to” or “watching” or “reading” something, and the social network will give you list of suggested shows and songs and other media. All told, more than 5 billion status updates have included this kind of structured data. But the company wanted to go further.
The solution involved audio fingerprinting–listening to several seconds of sound from a song, show, or movie, digitizing it, removing the noise introduced between the audio source and your smartphone microphone, and running the result through a large database of audio fingerprints. The popular smartphone app “Shazam,” launched in 2002 as a dial-in service for regular mobile phones, uses the same basic technique.
The system also grabs more detailed information about what you’re doing.
Facebook hasn’t hidden the fact that it sees a huge business opportunity in dovetailing with what you’re watching and listening to.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel sheds light on wearables and how to secure the Internet of Things
Intel’s Karen Lomas talks all things Internet of Things
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2346559/intel-sheds-light-on-wearables-and-how-to-secure-the-internet-of-things
Lomas gave us an overview of Intel’s push into the wearables market, the firm’s quest for acquiring companies that will help it to make its mark in the IoT sector, and the security fears surrounding internet-connected devices. Security was also a hot topic at the roundtable, with Intel arguing that IoT needs its own security model in order to protect user data.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Readies Phone for Your Wrist
Electronics Maker’s Device Will Make Calls Without Being Tethered to Smartphone
http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/SB10001424052702303480304579579830279369694-lMyQjAxMTA0MDIwMzEyNDMyWj
Samsung plans to roll out a smart watch that doesn’t need to be tethered to a phone
Samsung Electronics Co. 005930.SE -0.42% is making another run at that perennial technogeek dream, the wrist communicator, with plans in the next few months to unveil a smartwatch that works as a stand-alone phone.
Samsung’s watch-phone will be able to make and receive calls without being tethered to a smartphone, something most smartwatches on the market now can’t do, according to people familiar with the company’s plans. It will also take photos, send email and come with GPS, Bluetooth and a heart monitor, the people said—a suite of features that would make the gadget-toting James Bond proud. (The fictional British spy used a wrist walkie-talkie in the movie “For Your Eyes Only.”)
The recent craze for wearables has breathed new commercial life into wrist-communication devices, with companies including Google Inc. GOOGL +1.50% and ZTE Corp. 000063.SZ +0.32% planning smartwatches. Apple Inc., AAPL +1.13% Samsung’s closest rival in smartphones, is widely expected to launch a smartwatch later this year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung reportedly building smartwatch that doesn’t need a phone
http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/23/5745608/samsung-building-smartwatch-that-makes-phone-calls-says-report
Samsung plans to introduce a smartwatch that’s capable of making phone calls and receiving data, allowing it to be used without maintaining connection to a smartphone and removing a limitation that’s troubled recent watches, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The device would essentially put the key capabilities of a smartphone into a watch, requiring a SIM card and likely a data and voice plan too. Samsung’s been more than happy to experiment with the shape of smartphones, often to ridiculous results, and it sounds as though this watch will be just another extension of that. That said, it’s a logical area of experimentation as the smartwatch market begins to emerge.
One of the biggest complaints with Samsung’s existing smartwatches is their overbearing reliance on the phone that they’re tethered to
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pebble trumps both Samsung and Sony in smart wearables market
Canalyst claims Kickstarter success story claimed 35 percent of the market
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2346509/pebble-trumps-both-samsung-and-sony-in-smart-wearables-market
PEBBLE IS OUTPERFORMING both Sony and Samsung in the smart wearables market, research firm Canalys has reported.
Canalys took a look at the smart wearables market for the first quarter, revealing that Pebble got 35 percent of the market globally, compared to Samsung and Sony’s respective 23 percent and 29 percent shares.
The research firm didn’t reveal how many devices each firm managed to shift during the three month period, but a report earlier this week claimed that Samsung shifted 500,000 units between January and March. However, Canalys reported that “total smart band shipments fell short of half a million units” during the first quarter. We have asked for clarification.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cute or a freak ? Japanese mobile phone app gives a girl staring at you
Japanese Ningen iOS app Watching Cute Girl is a special application for single users, mainly men. It brings the phone’s screen beautifully Japanese girl who just stares at virtually the user. Does that sound strange ?
Forever alone? More like never alone! “Watching Cute Girl” is a free Japanese app that’s pretty much what it sounds like. Launch the app on your iPhone, and a cute girl looks out at you from the screen, periodically saying something charming or offering to give you a (virtual) hug.
Watching the demo video, it’s clear that the app is the latest in a long line of Japanese inventions that attempt to solve the enduring problem of social isolation. These range from anime body pillows (often used as “girlfriends”) to the hugging coat that automatically hugs its wearer and the ramen bowl with an iPhone mount
It’s another step toward the technology featured in Spike Jonze’s Her: virtual people that we can interact (and possibly fall in love, or at least obsession) with.
Sources:
http://time.com/#108980/this-japanese-app-is-literally-just-a-girl-staring-at-you/
http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/sopoa+vai+friikkia+japanilainen+mobiilisovellus+tuo+puhelimen+ruudulle+tuijottavan+tyton/a989805
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/watching-cute-girl/id564115042?mt=8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdWYhzqDWhU
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Tile,’ The Gadget That Makes Sure You Never Lose Anything Ever Again, Is Now On Sale To The Public
http://www.businessinsider.com/tile-begins-shipping-2014-5
Just attach the $25 device to an object, and your smartphone will find it for you, up to a range of 50 to 150 feet.
It’s not the first such gadget. But what makes this one different is that it’s also a social network of sorts.
If your lost jacket isn’t in some mysterious corner of your home, you can ask all other Tile App users to watch for it. If they get near it, their phones will beep and they can alert you to the jacket’s whereabouts. That’s why its creators, Mike Farley and Nick Evans, call it “the world’s largest lost and found.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
GemWhere smart voice watch – let the watch speak for itself
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/849884380/gemwhere-smart-voice-watch-let-the-watch-speak-for
GemWhere watch simplifies and reads info to you. It brings news, search, music, games and a lot more to your wrist. 3G+Wifi+Bluetooth!
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Gold Gadget That Would Let You Stop Heart Attacks With a Smartphone
http://www.wired.com/2014/04/clear-3-d-printed-defibrillators-can-shock-heart-without-pads/
mplantable defibrillators and pacemakers have been around since the 1970s, but advances in materials science and 3-D visualization are transforming them from cumbersome life-support tools into streamlined therapies that could be props from Iron Man.
Professors John Rogers of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Igor Efimov of Washington University in St. Louis have developed a new cardiac intervention that uses MRI and CT machines to scan a patient’s heart, 3-D printing a model from that data, and using the print to make a metallic mesh sleeve that can be implanted in the patient’s chest.
“Large IT companies will probably enter the market,” says Efimov. “Big data is a buzzword, but biological big data will come from these devices.” Wearables are making headlines today, but “implantables” could be the wave of the future.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Europeans are the most active mobile broadband users in the world . The Finns are placed in comparison leading edge of development – 16 and 60 -year-olds 61 per cent own a smartphone .
Less than 35 -year-old Finnish up to 80 per cent own a smartphone
This year’s European elections turnout in Finland was 40.9. House Consultant Capgemini TNS Gallup survey found that 51 percent of the Finnish , who did not plan to vote in the 2014 European Parliament elections , would have voted if it had been possible on a mobile device (such as a smartphone or tablet). 18 to 24 year olds up to 58 percent of the vote in activate if it could do with a mobile device.
Security point of view is , of course, can not ignore , but the mobile voting advantages and disadvantages should be studied carefully with an open mind.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/aanestysprosentti+jai+matalaksi++capgemini+mobiiliaanestys+aktivoisi+kymmenia+tuhansia/a989976
Tomi Engdahl says:
Android and iOS make gains in UK smartphone market at expense of Blackberry
Struggling Canadian phone maker clinging to 1.6 percent share
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2346607/android-and-ios-make-gains-in-uk-smartphone-market-at-expense-of-blackberry
Android’s share climbed one percent giving Google a 52.8 percent hold on the market
iOS
giving Apple a 30.2 percent slice of the market.
Windows Phone, which seems to have wrestled third-place away from the struggling Canadian phone maker, saw its market share grow 0.9 percent during the three month period, giving it a 10.1 percent share.
“Across Europe there is an accelerating trend of fragmentation in the handset market as smaller brands gain real traction.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
iPhones frozen by hackers demanding ransom
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/10857715/iPhones-frozen-by-hackers-demanding-ransom.html
People around the world have found their iPads and iPhones frozen by hackers who are demanding cash ransoms to unlock their devices
Owners of iPhones and iPads have been targeted by a hacker who is freezing iOS devices and demanding a ransom of up to £55 to unlock them.
The majority of the attacks have taken place in Australia although there are also reports of Britons being affected.
It appears that the hacker, who goes by the name Oleg Pliss, has managed to exploit the Find My iPhone feature which can track and remotely lock stolen devices.
An Australian government website, Stay Smart Online, has told affected users not to pay the ransom.
“Currently there is only speculation about how the attacks have been carried out. Apple has not yet responded officially,”
“Such scams have been around for years. By using the credentials to access an Apple iCloud account, the attackers can enable the ‘Find My iPhone’ service – this is not only able to locate a lost or stolen device, but also to set a passcode preventing third parties from accessing the personal data stored on the smartphone.”
“This is clearly a form of ransomware, previously only seen on PC and, recently, on Android devices”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple granted patent for embedding sapphire displays in LiquidMetal iPhone chassis
http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/05/27/apple-granted-patent-for-embedding-sapphire-displays-in-liquidmetal-iphone-chassis
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday issued Apple a patent describing a process in which an iPhone’s display glass — including sapphire — is integrally joined with a bezel made out of amorphous metal alloy, namely LiquidMetal.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple’s smart home platform may finally unite legion of isolated devices
http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/05/26/apples-smart-home-platform-may-finally-unite-legion-of-isolated-devices
Apple is reportedly on the verge of announcing a new iOS-based platform that will integrate with users’ “smart home” systems, a move that could finally tie together a sea of individual devices — and controllers — to turn the niche “Internet of things” into a mainstream market.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Glass, gaming and the future of wearables
http://www.redbull.com/en/games/stories/1331654254532/google-glass-games-and-wearables-incoming
Indie developers are leading the charge on for wearable tech you can play. Here’s what to expect.
Google is one of the world’s most powerful and innovative technology companies, so it’s no surprise that it’s among the first out of the starting blocks when it comes to making wearable technology that you can actually use – and the Glass headset has made plenty of waves despite its short lifespan, high price and exclusivity.
Glass can already be used for taking pictures, checking the latest news and communicating with friends, and it’s now dipping its toes into the gaming world. Is Glass going to replace your PlayStation, work alongside your Xbox – or barely work at all?
Glass is one of the most high-profile wearable devices that’s made it to market, but it’s currently the preserve of the few: for most of its short life Glass headsets have only been available for people who registered for Google’s “Explorer” programme while it was still open to applications. Even if you were accepted, you’d still have to pay $1,500 – before tax.
Major games developers and publishers, too, aren’t completely sold on Glass. The lack of user numbers means it’s not cost-effective right now, and firms that make their own hardware – including Microsoft and Sony – will surely prefer to develop their own devices rather than rely on Google.
Glass has its issues, then, but Google’s own efforts – and those of indie developers and other companies excited by this new technology – are pushing the project forward. Mind Pirate’s Shawn Hardin says that “Glass isn’t the be-all and end-all of smart glasses, it’s just the beginning”, and he’s right – wearables are new and exciting.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Exclusive: A Microsoft Smartwatch Is Coming
http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2014/05/29/exclusive-a-microsoft-smartwatch-is-coming/
Microsoft is the latest technology giant preparing to jump into the wearables market, with plans to offer a sensor-rich smartwatch that measures heart rate and synchs with iPhones, Android phones and Windows Phones, Forbes has learned.
It’s a surprising development in the ongoing conversation about wearables that till now has been dominated by Samsung and Apple.
Though Microsoft’s hardware products have a spotty history, executives will be hoping a sensor-rich smartwatch can replicate the success of the company’s Xbox and Kinect divisions, rather than the failure of the Zune music player and struggles of Microsoft’s Surface tablet.
Founder Ron Gutmann believes doctors of the future “will have to become data scientists” to properly analyze the stats coming in from multiple sources, such as heart rate and sleep data from wearable devices and nutrition data from apps like Runkeeper or MyFitnessPal. “Doctors will spend less time on the minutiae and spend more time on analyzing these streams of data,” he said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
GE integrates iBeacons in new LED lighting fixtures rolling out in Walmart & other retailers
http://9to5mac.com/2014/05/29/ge-integrates-ibeacons-in-new-led-lighting-fixtures-rolling-out-in-walmart-other-retailers/
Up until now most retailers have been deploying Apple’s iBeacon technology by purchasing small standalone Bluetooth beacons or using iPad terminals that act as beacons. Now, GE is introducing its next-generation LED light fixture that packs in a combo Bluetooth LE/Visual Light Communication chip for iBeacon functionality allowing retailers to cut costs and avoid purchasing standalone beacons from a company like Estimote. It’s already got one massive customer about to roll out the iBeacon lighting fixtures: Walmart announced back in April (before iBeacon support was announced) that it plans to roll out these same new GE lighting fixtures to stores worldwide as part of its switch to LED.
GE is officially unveiling the new lighting fixture at LIGHTFAIR International 2014 in Las Vegas next week on June 3.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Intel-Rockchip Tie-Up Matters
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1322528&
Since 2011, essentially two brands have dominated the global tablet market. One is Apple, and the other is the so-called white box. (Of course, Samsung joined the fray last year.)
Rockchip, a Chinese designer of ARM-based SoCs, has not only rocked China’s white-box tablet market but also dominated the global market for the last three years, along with its dancing partner (or, more accurately, its biggest competitor) Allwinner, an app processor company based in China.
Since Taiwan’s MediaTek entered the white box market last year, however, everything has changed. Cost, design house, supply chain — competition is everywhere.
So Intel’s decision to enter a strategic agreement with Rockchip is a big deal — not just for the two companies involved, but for everyone in the global tablet market. Intel said in a press release that the arrangement will “expand the breadth of and accelerate the rate at which [Rockchip] brings its Intel architecture and communications-based solutions to market for a range of entry-level Android tablets worldwide.”
Will Intel and Rockchip become a tour de force to break up China’s never-ending cycle of cutthroat competition — solely based on prices — in the tablet market? We certainly hope so.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Slideshow: Beyond Google Glass
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1322552&
At least a half dozen headset makers hope to leapfrog Google’s Project Glass. They are adopting the latest mobile processors and stereo 3D displays to deliver images covering a full field of vision that users can control with hand gestures and head motions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Get me be wearable gaming machine ? Sony is planning to extend the game ecosystem
Electronics manufacturer Sony plans to invest in wearable electronics. In this case, wearable devices do not just mean smart watches , but also game machines.
Sony believes that the wearable electronics can swallow more of the camera and TV-like features.
The company plans to distinguish itself from its competitors by bringing the camera’s image sensor and advanced display technology, wearable electronics.
At the moment, Sony is developing a Project Morpheus virtual reality glasses, Lifelog wearable camera and competitor to Google smart glasses.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/saisko+olla+puettava+pelikone+sony+kaavailee+peliekosysteeminsa+laajentamista/a990705
Tomi Engdahl says:
Xamarin: Design an app for Windows, iOS and Android … from one codebase?
With my reputation?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/30/xamarain_three/
Perhaps the most striking feature of Microsoft’s Build developer conference in April was the crowd that gathered to hear Xamarin’s Mac-toting Miguel de Icaza talk about mobile apps – meaning, of course, his company’s tools for targeting iOS and Android with C#, the premier language of Microsoft .NET.
The session was so popular it had to be moved to the main keynote hall
Xamarin has now released version 3 of its cross-platform development suite.
If you take Xamarin’s latest offerings together with Microsoft’s recently announced Cordova support, then Visual Studio becomes a real contender for cross-platform mobile development, particularly for those with existing skills in C# and XAML. This fits exactly with Microsoft’s new strategy, as evidenced by its release of Office for iPad, where cloud services like Azure and Office 365 are consumed by a broad range of clients.
The snag is that Xamarin is an expensive additional subscription for smaller developers, which limits its take-up, but this will not trouble enterprise customers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Only Beats Can Teach Google Glass How to Be Cool
http://www.wired.com/2014/05/honan-glass-learn-from-beats/
When Apple dropped $3 billion on Beats this week, it was pretty clear Cupertino was more interested in the software and people than the hardware. That’s no surprise. From the get-go, Beats cans have been almost universally maligned in the tech press as poor performers, both for their low fidelity and their cheap build quality. The styling is suspect, too—the headphones often are cast as garish and gauche.
But as it turns out, the buying public cares more about what Weezy wears in the studio or what Kobe wears on the private jet than what some nerd in San Francisco wears at his desk.
First, Glass needs to take style cues from Beats. Glass needs to look more like Ray-Bans, or at least Oakleys.
Second, Beats’ popularity was driven by celebrity endorsements—the right kind of celebrity endorsements.
But Google missed a clear and compelling use case: Athletes.
Yes, it needs more compelling apps. And, oh God, yes, it has to look more fashionable and come in a wider array of styles. But mostly, it needs new and better marketing. You can sell anything with the right marketing. Even Glass.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple’s IoT ‘Good Housekeeping’ Label: MFi
Apple to unveil IoT strategy for home at WWDC
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1322557&
Expect Apple to beat Google to the punch by unveiling its Internet of Things (IoT) strategy on its home front at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference next week in San Francisco.
Apple will lay out a plan to connect a plethora of IoT devices — light bulbs, thermostats, door locks, washing machines, refrigerators — with iPhone. Apple’s iPhone will serve as a screen to set up each of these IoT devices (since some of them are physically too small to have a screen of their own) and automatically connect them to the home network, after which the iPhone becomes the smart home’s all-purpose remote control.
EE Times has learned that the key to its execution is a wireless chip — WiFi, Bluetooth, or Zigbee — and an MCU, combined with a piece of software that allows each IoT device to be certified as an MFi (Made For iPhone/iPad/iPod) device.
The beauty of the scheme is twofold.
First, it’s simple. Consumers no longer need to worry about setting up from scratch a home network of their own.
Second, it’s inclusive. There’s no need for Apple to build its own refrigerator or thermostat to realize Apple’s smart home dream.
The simple connectivity function and MFi certification embedded in each IoT device will do the job of setting up the smart home to be controlled by an iOS device.
In contrast, sure, Google already owns Nest thermostats, but Google’s Android OS isn’t anywhere close to pulling off a similar smart home network scheme by using an Android phone. Android has no equivalent to MFi. Without it, the Android ecosystem, for now, is running the risk of building a fragmented smart home. Samsung does one thing, while LG does another — that sort of thing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Samsung Z is the world’s first Tizen smartphone, will go on sale in Russia in Q3 2014
http://thenextweb.com/gadgets/2014/06/02/the-samsung-z-is-the-worlds-first-tizen-smartphone-will-go-on-sale-in-russia-in-q3-2014/
Samsung has finally announced the world’s first Tizen smartphone, the Samsung Z. It will be available in Russia in the third quarter of this year, and Samsung says there are plans to expand it to other markets.
Samsung also touts its Tizen smartphone as offering a faster startup time and more efficient multi-tasking capabilities
The Samsung Z will no doubt help to boost the Tizen operating system though. Samsung already has Tizen-based devices in the market, after it used the operating system for its smartwatches — the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo – and just announced plans to introduce a Tizen-based SDK for smart TV products next month
Tomi Engdahl says:
USA! USA! … Aw, screw it. Motorola to close Texas smartphone plant
Turns out it really is hard to make things in the US, after all
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/30/motorola_to_close_texas_factory/
Motorola Mobility’s adventure in stateside manufacturing is coming to an end, with the Google subsidiary announcing that it plans to close its Fort Worth, Texas factory less than a year after launching its vaunted Moto X smartphone.
The plant opened in May 2013 specifically to assemble the Moto X for US customers, but The Wall Street Journal reports that Motorola will shutter it by the end of this year.
Motorola made a big deal out of building its newest flagship handset on US soil, even though most of its components were manufactured overseas.
The trouble is, Motorola never sold enough of the Moto X to achieve the economies of scale that would have made the whole operation profitable.
At its peak, Motorola’s Texas plant employed around 3,800 people
By the time it closes, not just Motorola’s manufacturing but the entire company will have left the US. Google expects its sale of the division to Chinese PC maker Lenovo to close later this year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rise of the retro phone: Trend for app-free bulky mobiles means some 1990s models are fetching up to £800
Among the top-sellers is the old-school Nokia 8210 at €59.99 (£48 or $80)
A vintage Nokia 8800 Arte Gold is selling online for €1,000 (£810 or $1,360)
Experts claim the high-price is because old mobile phones are now trendy
They are also simple to use, have long-lasting batteries and are more sturdy
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2639542/Rise-retro-phone-Trend-app-free-bulky-mobiles-means-1990s-models-fetching-800.html#ixzz33TlSjNfv
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung WRISTPHONE – for those who wanna whisper to strap-ons
‘Tizen-powered mobe coming in June or July’
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/26/calling_dick_tracy_samsungs_planning_a_wristphone/
Samsung is about to give the world a smartphone-on-a-wrist, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Murdoch’s money magazine reports that the as-yet-un-named device will run the Tizen operating system, include a camera, Bluetooth, GPS, heart rate monitor and even an email client. Unlike Samsung’s current wearables, it won’t need a companion smartmobe for wide area connectivity
Online tat bazaar Alibaba is already replete with wristphones, such as the XLW SM-588
Maybe that $US75 XLW-SM-588 isn’t looking so bad after all
Tomi Engdahl says:
GE Brings ByteLight-enabled Smart LED Lights to Stores
http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/consumer-electronics/gadgets/ge-brings-bytelightenabled-smart-lighting-to-stores
Controlling LED light bulbs in your home with a smart phone certainly makes for a cool demo. But lighting companies think they have a more compelling commercial application for smart lighting: retail.
Next week, General Electric and startup company ByteLight will demonstrate a network-connected lighting system for stores at the LightFair industry conference in Las Vegas.
GE will embed chips made by ByteLight in its LED-based overhead lights
The chips will communicate with consumers’ smart phones and use sensors to track the direction a person is moving inside a store.
Until now, ByteLight only made a chip that communicated via Visual Light Communications (VLC), which uses light pulses to transmit data.
VLC can accurately locate a person to within less than a meter, but it can’t “talk” to a phone that’s inside a pocket
The technology demonstrated with GE will include a chip that can communicate via both VLC and Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE.
And earlier this year, Phillips introduced its own VLC-based smart LED lighting system and said it is testing it with retailers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
OK, execs. You want Apple kit. And Windows Phone, too? Really?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/06/02/cio_go_to_iphones/
A “circle of despair” is causing CIOs to abandon BlackBerry, it’s reported.
UK-based but Malyasian-owned Caterham chose Apple over Android because of security and device fragmentation concerns, it said.
Caterham’s head of IT, Bill Peters, did however leave the door open for Windows Phone.
The view that Android is the least secure is shared with a number of security experts
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple Unveils iOS 8, the Biggest Release Since the Launch of the App Store
Introduces iCloud Photo Library, New Messages Features & New Health App
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2014/06/02Apple-Unveils-iOS-8-the-Biggest-Release-Since-the-Launch-of-the-App-Store.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple Introduces iOS 8
http://techcrunch.com/2014/06/02/apple-introduces-ios-8/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple Opens Up Touch ID To All Apps
http://techcrunch.com/2014/06/02/apple-touch-id/
Announced today as a side feature of iOS 8, the Touch ID recognition you’ve come to know and love in the 5s will now extend beyond helping you more quickly unlock your iPhone and download apps from iTunes to helping you more quickly log into apps like Mint
The Touch ID API will be available in beta today
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple shows off Swift, its new programming language
Successor to Objective C has “none of the baggage of C.”
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/06/apple-shows-off-swift-its-new-programming-language/
Apple announced on Monday that it has developed a successor to its venerable Objective C with a language it’s calling Swift. Providing a new language with “none of the baggage of C,” Swift code can still be mixed with standard C and Objective C code in the same project.
The new language will rely on the automatic reference counting that Apple introduced to replace its garbage-collected version of Objective C. It will also be able to leverage the compiler technologies developed in LLVM for current development, such as autovectorization.
Use of Swift will be supported as soon as the next version of Xcode is released—it’s currently available in beta form to registered developers
Tomi Engdahl says:
Always-on Analytics Beyond NSA’s Dreams
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1322578&
Some of you may be familiar with Apple’s Siri voice commands that let you operate an iPhone or an iPad and search online, organizing your life through natural speech rather than through touch interfaces.
Together with its fairly basic built-in touchpad, the Google Glass user interface partly relies on voice commands to operate, including when users perform Internet searches.
Recently e-commerce giant Amazon unveiled a microphone-enabled barcode reader, the Amazon Dash
More broadly, the data you generate as you speak into these voice-activated devices will be scrutinized beyond their superficial user-interface functionality. Most of the data will transit from the application to the cloud where more powerful data analytics can be performed
So by virtue of progress, it looks as if always-on analytics (voice, gesture, biometric) will pair, more often than not, with always-on connectivity and augmented reality, beyond the NSA’s wildest dreams.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple OS X, iOS Draw Closer
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1322585&
At WWDC, Apple shows it is building connections between its desktop and mobile operating systems. Apple is fortifying its position by opening up new opportunities for developers.
On Monday, Apple introduced new versions of its desktop and mobile operating systems, OS X 10.10 and iOS 8, respectively. The free software will be offered to consumers this fall but is available to developers in beta form now.
Cook took a swipe at Android, as well, noting that half the company’s new customers in China had switched to iOS from Android devices. “They had bought an Android phone, by mistake, and had then sought a better experience and a better life,” he said, and even though 89% of iOS customers were using the most recent version of iOS, only 9% of Android users were using the latest version of Android.
This matters to developers interested in using new operating system features in their apps. Users of legacy versions of operating systems can’t take advantage of features based on new technology.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Computex: Pixelworks Debuts Mobile Video Post-Processing IC
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1322575&
As mobile devices have become the video-watching “first screen,” for more consumers, the gadgets have revealed a glaring weakness: They can’t reliably display HD content on their high-resolution screens without video artifacts.
Large-screen living-room HDTVs are equipped with a video post-processing IC designed to enhance images, but mobile devices come with no such processing pipelines today. They frequently produce images with motion blur and judder.
Pixelworks is the first chip vendor to address this issue. It has developed a small, hardwired mobile video display processor that sits between a mobile SoC and the mobile device’s panel. The co-processor uses MIPI for input and small eDP for output.
Expect other vendors (including MediaTek, Qualcomm, Imagination, and NXP Software) to join the mobile video post-processing race, but with vastly different approaches.
Race to bring HD video to mobile screens
Naturally, Pixelworks isn’t alone in paying attention to the lack of video display processing capabilities in mobile devices. MediaTek is pushing what it calls Clear Motion technology by running video display processing in its octa-cores pipeline.
Similarly, Qualcomm is promoting a video processing engine called Hollywood Quality Video (HQV) for a broad range of devices, including smartphones, tablets, set-tops, and TVs.
In January, Tony King-Smith, executive vice president for marketing at Imagination Technology, called good display processing or video post-processing “absolutely an important area” in mobile devices. “The right way to handle it [post-video processing] is in the graphics pipeline,” he told EE Times.
NXP Software has been pitching the idea of “bringing the living room HDTV experience to mobile” by running the company’s video sharpening software algorithms on mobile platforms.
Few in the electronics industry question the rapid growth of mobile video over the next several years. Cisco predicted this year in its Visual Networking Index that video will handle as much as two-thirds of the world’s mobile data traffic by 2018. More specifically, it said mobile video use will increase 14-fold between 2013 and 2018, accounting for 69% of mobile data traffic by 2018.