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.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
App Store Sales Top $10 Billion in 2013
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2014/01/07App-Store-Sales-Top-10-Billion-in-2013.html
January 7, 2014―Apple® today announced that customers spent over $10 billion on the App Store℠ in 2013, including over $1 billion in December alone. App Store customers downloaded almost three billion apps in December making it the most successful month in App Store history. Apple’s incredible developers have now earned $15 billion on the App Store.
The revolutionary App Store offers more than one million apps to iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch® users in 155 countries around the world, with more than 500,000 native iPad apps available.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple: Wow, thanks for the $10bn-a-year App Store. We’ll be on the beach with our 30%
Revenue from software souk set to crush iPods in 2014
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/07/apple_app_store_10bn_2013/
Apple claims its App Store racked up $10bn in sales in 2013.
And in December alone, the online shop brought in $1bn in revenue and dished out three billion downloads, we’re told.
“We’d like to thank our customers for making 2013 the best year ever for the App Store,”
The vast majority of App Store downloads are free – the rest costing a few bucks apiece – so given that iPhones start from $199 a throw, it’s not surprising to see phone and tablet sales dwarfing the App Store. After all, hardware is expensive to design, manufacture and distribute, and Cupertino’s margins are legendary.
But even though the software bazaar is way down the list, in terms of revenue, it’s a moneymaking machine: Apple estimates that since its launch in 2008, the App Store has paid out more than $15bn to iOS developers from $21.4bn total revenue. That means it’s generated $6.4bn for Cupertino in five and a half years, or $1.16bn every 12 months – minus the costs of hosting and managing the service.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Yahoo Announces That It Has Acquired “Intelligent Homescreen” Startup Aviate
http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/07/yahoo-announces-that-it-has-acquired-intelligent-homescreen-startup-aviate/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook spies Little Eye, gulps it down: They said we needed mobile
Zuck buys Indian startup that tests Android apps
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/08/facebook_buys_little_eye/
Facebook has bought an Indian startup that specialises in testing apps for Google’s Android mobile operating system for an undisclosed sum.
Little Eye Labs was only founded by a group of program analysis engineers about one year ago.
Tomi Engdahl says:
iOS motion control iRing here at last … but it’s NOT made by Apple
Waving, not clowning, with proximity sensing and SDK for all
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/08/ik_mulitimedia_iring_gets_hand_in_first_for_ios_motion_control/
In 2013, the rumour mill churned out the possibility of the Apple iRing motion controller and 2014 sees this become a reality. However, the iRing isn’t made by Apple but by IK Multimedia, a music technology firm that has an enduring love affair with iOS.
These controllers are doubled-sided too, with a triangular cluster of three engraved dots on one face and three in a row on the reverse.
They work by relying on the iPhone or iPad camera to detect movement and the dot patterns not only enable two separate controllers to be applied simultaneously, but enable precise tracking of location thanks to some clever volumetric positioning algorithms within the iRing FX/Control app.
IK Multimedia is showcasing the iRing as MIDI controller and has an SDK available with a free licensing program to encourage development in other sectors, such as gaming, fitness and household controls.
IK Multimedia’s iRing will be available in Q1 2014 and will cost around £20
Tomi Engdahl says:
An Introduction To Yahoo Tech!
http://www.yahoo.com/tech/an-introduction-to-yahoo-tech-72496546299.html
When it comes to technology, getting good advice is especially important. First, you’re not paying $10 for a movie ticket; you’re paying $200 or $500 or $1,000 for a delicate piece of electronics.
Second, these days, you’re not just buying a gadget. You’re buying into that company’s ecosystem. You’re entrusting your calendar and address book to Apple, Google, or Microsoft’s online servers. You’re syncing among your phone, tablet, and computer—as long as they’re all the same brand. And you’re signing up for a certain design philosophy, like Apple’s (elegant but limited choices) or Google’s (tremendous freedom, but chaotic). In other words, you’re putting on velvet handcuffs that you’ll find very difficult to remove.
And the third reason good advice is important: Tech is coming faster and thicker every year. New, better, more; new, better, more.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Talks UK Government Into Allowing Drivers to Wear Google Glass [Report] – See more at: http://glassalmanac.com/google-talks-uk-government-allowing-drivers-wear-google-glass-report/2056/#sthash.OyCQsFBR.dpuf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Plans Galaxy S5 by April With Possible Eye-Scan Security
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-09/samsung-plans-galaxy-s5-by-april-with-possible-eye-scan-security.html
Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) will release its Galaxy S5 smartphone by April and is considering using iris scanning technology for the first time as it readies the new high-end handset to compete with Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s latest iPhones.
The S5 will be paired with a new wearable device that will be an evolution of the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, Lee Young Hee, executive vice president of the company’s mobile business, said in a Jan. 6 interview. Samsung, which posted profit this week that missed analyst estimates, will debut the new products together as it also boosts marketing of tablet computers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple, Samsung CEOs agree to mediation in U.S. patent fight
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/09/us-apple-samsung-idUSBREA0802P20140109
Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics have agreed to attend a mediation session to be held on or before February 19, as they prepare to clash in court in March over smartphone patents.
Tomi Engdahl says:
First look: iOS-connected smart watches, health trackers, home automation from Archos
http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/01/08/first-look-ios-connected-smart-watches-health-trackers-home-automation-from-archos
Archos is hitting the wearable devices market hard in 2014, with a new range of products showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show capable of connecting to Apple’s iOS mobile platform via Bluetooth Low Energy.
A total of three new smart watch models from Archos were showcased to AppleInsider on Wednesday in Las Vegas., Nev. All three products are based on the same basic technology, but will offer different capabilities in terms of battery life and screen technology.
The cheapest model will sell for $50
high-end Archos smart watch will sell for $129
The company also has an iPhone-compatible pedometer, a blood pressure monitor, and a connected scale all coming this year.
Finally, Archos is looking to bring the whole package together with system of connected/automated home devices that interface with both iOS and the company’s proprietary Android-based Smart Home Tablet.
The setup is structured around connected sensors, like a motion sensor, indoor/outdoor camera, weather monitor and even a tracking tag that attaches to pets. The motion sensors, for example, can detect when a window or door is opened, or keep tabs on activities within the house.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Haters of lurid supershow CES: The consumer tech market is still SHRINKING
Good news if you’re sick of the annual seething mass of throwaway gizmos
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/08/consumer_electronics_market_set_to_shrink/
“While exciting new technologies such as ultra-high-definition [televisions] and wearable devices are being shown at CES, it will take a few years until these products attain enough of a volume to drive the growth of the overall CE market,”
“Until these products enter the mainstream, traditional CE revenue will continue to dwindle.”
Massive TV sets and wearable devices dominated headlines at this year’s show
demand for wearable devices will grow from 51.2 million units shipped to 130.7 million units annually, IHS reckons
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tizen: We have ignition! Smartmobes will come to fruition in spring – reports
This time they really will … honest
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/09/tizen_os_mobile_devices_coming_spring/
Smartphones based on the long-awaited Tizen operating system will finally be unveiled in the next couple of months, according to new reports
NTT Docomo spokesman Jun Otori confirmed separately to AFP that Tizen smartphones would be available from the end of March.
Launched by the Linux Foundation in 2011, the project has been slow to gain momentum despite the backing of Samsung, Huawei, Fujitsu and Intel on the hardware side and operators including NTT, Vodafone and Orange.
Samsung claimed around a year ago that it would have a device out by the end of 2013, for example, but that never materialised.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Experts: No need to stress about mobile payment
The smartphone banking application is safer to use than a laptop pc internet banking machine – at least for now , say experts .
The reason is that the mobile phone applications are separated from each other , especially the iPhone , and Windows operating systems.
“Applications do not necessarily communicate with each other. Another application can not connect to the mobile banking application , “says F-Secure security expert Sean Sullivan .
Smart mobile banking is used to separate the application through which each bank is planning for himself .
Notebooks , in turn, is used for online banking through the browser. You may have at the same time, other activities and sites to use.
Browser on the server side of the program is easier to sneak in e-banking context.
” The good thing about mobile banking is the fact that the attacker is more difficult to make a hostile applications,” a senior security consultant Pekka Sillanpää from Nixu says.
According to experts, cyber criminals are not currently interested in smartphones , because the use of banking services is low.
“No bank will not willfully neglect security.”
Source: Kauppalehti
http://www.kauppalehti.fi/etusivu/asiantuntijat+turha+stressata+kannykkamaksamisesta/201401597531
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smartphone Use While Walking Is Painfully Dumb
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=smartphone-use-while-walking-is-painfully-dumb&WT.mc_id=SA_CAT_TECH_20140107
The research paper in question found a whopping recent increase in emergency room visits for injuries sustained because people were fiddling with a cell phone while—let’s not tiptoe around the issue here—walking.
The authors of the report, “Pedestrian Injuries due to Mobile Phone Use in Public Places,” used data from 100 U.S. hospitals to approximate the numbers for the entire nation. In 2004 an estimated 559 people had, in one scenario, whacked themselves hard enough on a telephone pole to need emergency room treatment. By 2010 the number of walkers who had to finish that last text in the ER had likely topped 1,500, according to the study, which appeared in the journal Accident Analysis & Prevention.
During the same time period, the total numbers of pedestrians who wound up in emergency rooms actually decreased. Cell phone–related pedestrian injuries are thus doing yeoman’s work in keeping our ER docs in business.
Or, as an acknowledgment of how we use the gadgets, maybe we could just stop calling them smartphones.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rogue Android: We show you how BlackBerry’s pain can be your gain
Google Play store comes to BB10. Here’s how…
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/09/hold_rogue_android_we_show_you_how_blackberrys_pain_into_your_gain/
BlackBerry’s comeback with a new operating system, BB10, turned into one of the greatest tech flops of all time. Almost one year after the launch, BlackBerry still sells far more of its ancient BB7 devices than it does BB10 devices. But could you turn BlackBerry’s misfortune to your advantage?
With a street price of around £140 for a new one, the SIM-free BlackBerry Z10 touchscreen smartphone is now excellent value
However there was a serious obstacle for anyone considering adopting BB10: the absence of quality third-party applications. This is about to change – drastically.
The imminent release of BB10 version 10.2.1 – now nearing the end of beta testing – takes Android compatibility to a whole new level. It wasn’t completely glitch-free, but for much of the time BlackBerry 10.2.1 runs Android binaries so well they are typically indistinguishable from native applications.
What’s changed? 10.2.1 has the ability to run the native Linux binary extensions on the QNX-based OS thanks to a clever piece of engineering,
I was amazed to discover that even Android home screen launchers load and run – hosting plug-ins and widgets.
The new Android experience certainly isn’t 100 per cent seamless. There’s a delay of up to 10 seconds while the run-time itself loads up.
And there’s a penalty to be paid for running the native Android .apk files in terms of reduced battery.
The “better Android than Android” we use here is slightly tongue in cheek – it isn’t intended to be taken literally.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel CES 2014: Wearable Technology Highlights
http://download.intel.com/newsroom/kits/ces/2014/pdfs/Intel_CES2014_Wearable_Technology_Factsheet.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Leaked’ iPhone 6 pics will make cool fanbois WEEP – it’s a PHABLET
Could ‘iPhone Air’ herald final surge of Peak Apple?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/09/apple_iphone_6_pics_leaked/
The days of 2014 haven’t even clocked up double figures yet and already the iPhone 6 rumour mill is grinding out more purported sightings of Apple’s next iOS handset design.
The guessing games continue with the screen size measuring up at anything from 4.7in to 5.7in.
If Apple is really going with a larger mobile form factor, it should take a look around. Making calls on a phablet has always looked daft, and for the Apple faithful, 2014 could herald the year when the iPhone loses its cool.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CES: 9-Axis Sensor Stars in Movea Wearable
Movea Debuts Reference Design for Wearables
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1320585&
Movea, a company that specializes in motion processing software, has crafted a wearable wristband reference design for sports and wellness applications in collaboration with Texas Instruments and the contract design house Xm-Squared. The G-series, announced today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, will be jointly marketed by Movea and Xm-Squared and features connectivity courtesy of TI’s CC2541 Bluetooth low-energy system-on-chip.
As Movea’s first reference design for wearables, the G-Series uses its Motionsport embedded software library, which includes all the normal activity monitoring algorithms for sports and wellness wearables plus functions for determine whether the wearer is standing, sitting, walking, or running.
For activity classification, for instance, Movea claims a success rate higher than 95%, along with the industry’s lowest error score (less than 1.7%, versus an average of 6.3% for competitors).
“Our design is also the first wearable to automatically detect sleep, performing sleep analysis every night with the accuracy of a PolySomnograph,” Pagneux said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The vast majority of Android smartphones based processors from on either Qualcomm or Mediatek.
Very few manufacturers have started actually designing their own application processors. Now, the Chinese ZTE is seeking a competitive advantage in their 8-core application circuit itself.
It is still a market rumors. The Chinese manufacturer is not expected to reveal a device based on it’s own application processor called WiseFone 7550.
ZTE follow the example of Samsung’s way. Samsung’s devices, multi-standards-based Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, but some models it has used its own Exynos chip.
Smart phones seems to be starting a trend in which first class manufacturers give up the use of the standard circuits. Time will tell, if manufacturers receive their own chips advantage over its competitors.
Source: Elektroniikkalehti
http://www.elektroniikkalehti.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=809:zte-seuraa-samsungia&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Alibaba Takes On Tencent With Mobile Game Hosting Platform
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-08/alibaba-takes-on-tencent-with-mobile-game-distribution-platform.html
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., the owner of China’s biggest e-commerce business, will start a platform hosting mobile games to compete with Asia’s largest Internet company, Tencent Holdings Ltd. (700)
Alibaba is building a platform to promote and distribute third-party mobile games, Liu Chunyu, president of a newly formed unit focusing on the digital entertainment business, said in an e-mailed statement sent by the company today. Game developers will get 70 percent of the revenue and Alibaba 20 percent, with 10 percent going to charity, according to Alizila, a website run by Alibaba.
Alibaba has been aggressively developing mobile services by building its own operating system and strengthening apps for shopping and messaging.
Tomi Engdahl says:
What do BlackBerry, Qualcomm and Nokia have in common? The connected car
http://gigaom.com/2014/01/07/what-do-blackberry-qualcomm-and-nokia-have-in-common-the-connected-car/
QNX is partnering with Nokia’s Here mapping division and Qualcomm’s brand-spanking new automotive infotainment division to develop new connected car technologies.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Meet Airlock: Facebook’s mobile testing framework
http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2014/01/09/meet-airlock-facebooks-mobile-testing-framework/#!rRFjg
It’s taken a while, but Facebook has started to move in the direction of “mobile-best”. With popular mobile apps on iOS and Android, how exactly does the company know what works and what doesn’t? With millions of people using its apps, it’s hard to continually assess what changes and tweaks are needed.
Enter Airlock, Facebook’s mobile A/B testing framework. Developed after the social networking company rewrote its mobile apps to run natively on iOS and Android, this new process is said to enable better control over “when and how items are downloaded, cached, and freed.”
“The experiment that drove the evolution of Airlock was a project we started with the intent of evolving and simplifying the navigation model within our apps.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Airlock – Facebook’s mobile A/B testing framework
https://code.facebook.com/posts/520580318041111/airlock-facebook-s-mobile-a-b-testing-framework/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google’s master plan for Android: More Internet users paying $6.30 a pop
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/googles-master-plan-for-android/
The mobile industry is headed to Google, who is in an ideal position to clean up at roughly $6.30 per Internet user per year.
Google’s stated mission is to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Put in commercial terms, however, Google’s mission is to get everyone on the planet using the Internet. Why? Because the Internet is Google’s piggybank.
As Asymco uncovers, excluding China, Google earns roughly $6.30 per Internet user per year
Google may not claim a full $6.30 from these emerging markets, but it’s still worth tens of billions of dollars each year, especially since most of the world will experience the Internet through mobile devices, not traditional PCs.
And let’s face it: the emerging markets are where the action is. The U.S. is already over 80% Internet penetration. Most European countries are at least 70% saturated. Add in mobile phone subscriber numbers, and it’s clear that the only real growth left in developed economies is getting users to trade up to more expensive smartphones and tablets. In emerging economies, however, there is still tremendous room to move users from feature phones to Internet-enabled smartphones.
It’s very likely that developing markets will require local applications.
There’s a reason that the hottest job trend, as measured by Indeed.com, is HTML5. And why Firefox, an OS that puts the web first, has seen growing success in emerging markets, along with Android. Apps can be useful, but the web is infinitely more useful, and Android is all about delivering the web…along with Google services to accentuate users’ web experience.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Toshiba Flash Marries Q’comm SoCs in Vegas
UFS 2.0 interface hits 1.2 Gbit/s
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1320618&
Toshiba America Electronic Components announced at the Consumer Electronics Show that its universal flash storage (UFS) implementation will be added to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 802 chipset. UFS version 2.0 products will go into production for smartphones and tablets in the second quarter.
“You’ll see some initial systems at end of 2014, but basically 2015 is when the primary ramp is,” Scott Beekman, senior business development manager for mobile communications memory at TAEC, told us. “By 2016, we expect UFS to account for the majority of [flash] demand for tablets and smartphones.”
UFS, a next-generation embedded flash memory device (following eMMC), delivers a threefold boost in performance for advanced mobile applications. UFS 2.0 supports a maximum data rate of 1.2Gbit/s, compared with 400 MBit/s for eMMC 5.0.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MediaTek’s Global Ambition Opens Door to CEVA
Works with VIA Telecom to integrate CDMA2000
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1320610&
MediaTek came to International CES this year with a singular focus: going global.
Taiwan’s chip behemoth, which dominates the Chinese market, is now intent on establishing a foothold in the United States in addition to Europe and Japan. For that, the company has new ammo: a multimode-LTE modem chipset, currently going through operators’ arduous certification process; and an advanced “worldphone” SoC that will incorporate CDMA2000. But the commercial version of the worldphone won’t hit the market until early 2015.
Dubbed MT6290, MediaTek’s LTD chipset handles both FDD and TDD modes. Designed for broad compatibility with mobile operator networks worldwide, the chip supports the DC-HSPA+, W-CDMA, TD-SCDMA, EDGE, and GSM/GPRS radio technologies, in addition to LTE.
Qualcomm and Samsung are the two biggest LTE modem players, and Huawei (through its HiSilicon chip subsidiary) is in the Chinese and Korean LTE markets,
But often, so-called newly designed “global” LTE modem chips — developed by vendors other than Qualcomm — do not address CDMA2000.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The interest in telemedicine and e-health care services is increasing rapidly, as the old model becomes a key producer of the patient-centered. Tele medical applications market is expected to grow by 9.8 billion to $ 27.3 billion in 2010 in 2016.
Source: Tietoviikko
http://www.tietoviikko.fi/uutisia/suomalainen+medixine+ja+qualcomm+yhteistyohon++hurjan+kasvualan+ensimmainen+asiakas+englannissa/a958489
Tomi Engdahl says:
ZTE shows off its own Project Ara alternative, the Eco-Mobius modular concept
http://www.androidauthority.com/eco-mobius-332282/
When we first heard about Phonebloks, we though it was a cool idea but mostly just a pipedream that had little chance of becoming a reality. Shortly after that, Motorola announced their own modular phone concept called Project Ara.
With Motorola in the game, we certainly have a bit more faith that modular phones can eventually become a reality. That said, it’s still not something that is exactly a “mainstream” idea, but that’s not stopping ZTE from joining in with their own Eco-Mobius modular concept.
The ZTE concept consists of four main modules: the core, display, battery and camera.
Each of these components can be removed easily and replaced thanks to their special magnetic connectors.
Modular phones are certainly cool concepts, but don’t expect to see Project Ara or Eco-Mobius hit store shelves anytime soon. A lot still of research and development still needs to be done before modular phones can become a reality.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Take a Smartphone & Wrap a Car Around It
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1320594&
“I took a smartphone and wrapped a car around it.” That’s what Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, reportedly said in a private conversation with Amit Rohatgi, an executive at Imagination Technologies who loves cars and owns two Tesla’s Model S.
As I sit in keynotes, attend press briefings, and meet executives at this year’s International CES, I realize Tesla’s Musk is no longer the only gearhead thinking that way. The perception of a car turning into a smartphone (or a smartphone turning into a car) is a prophecy fulfilling itself at 90 miles an hour.
I’d have to admit, though, that calling a connected car “a smartphone on wheels” always makes me a little weary. Possibly because I’ve been here before.
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Smart’ toothbrush grades your brushing habits
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/09/tech/innovation/smart-toothbrush-kolibree/
If you’re tired of nagging your kids (or another member of your household) to brush their teeth, you have a new ally.
A French company has introduced what they’re calling the world’s first connected electric toothbrush, which syncs wirelessly with a smartphone to track brushing habits, announce whether you, or your kids, have brushed thoroughly enough and reward you for good oral hygiene.
For extra motivation, or shaming, the brush can share information with your social network or even your dentist.
It’s called the Kolibree toothbrush, and it was unveiled this week at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas,
The device will cost from $99 to $200, depending on the model, and will be available for pre-order this summer through Kickstarter or another crowdfunding site.
“It works just like a regular toothbrush,” said Kolibree spokesperson Renee Blodgett in a phone interview. “The only difference is that all the data is stored on your phone so you can see how you’re brushing.”
It’s not the first “smart” toothbrush on the market, however: The manual, $25 Beam Brush went on sale about a year ago.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Three graphs to stop smartphone fans fretting about ‘market share’
Graphs of data for sales of iPhones, Android and Windows Phones in the US look very different from those of actual users
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/09/market-share-smartphones-iphone-android-windows
The conclusion? As before – don’t put your belief in market share numbers. When Nokia had a 63% market share of smartphones (back in the third quarter of 2007), the entire smartphone market comprised just 17m handsets for the quarter. These days, you’d get that many Android handsets sold in a week. The reality is that the only people to whom market share matters is the people who sell the stuff, and they’re probably more focussed on total numbers – and profitability.
Ask for the hard data. And remember that the diffusion of technologies in large markets, such as entire countries, tends to happen very slowly – and certainly not in a few months.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Blasphemy! Finns trample over Windows Phone home screen
Who let this meddling mob in here? Oh, we did…
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/10/nokia_phone_division_alters_windows_phone_home_screen/
Nokia’s phone division has released an app that might upset the high priests at the Temple of Windows Phone Design – who will shortly become its new masters.
The app allows users to add folders to the Windows Phone Home Screen – thereby desecrating the hallowed ground which by almighty decree, Must Never Change.
It’s part of a release for Lumia owners called “Black”, consisting of an over-the-air system update from Microsoft, called GDR3, bundled with system add-ons from Nokia, and also the synchronised release of new or updated apps that Lumia owners can download from the Windows Phone Store. The heretical arrival, called “App Folder”, is one of the latter.
Nokia sells over 90 per cent of Windows Phones, so its opinion of what WP should look like is influential
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smartphones based on Tizen OS developed by Asian firms set for release
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140108p2a00m0na008000c.html
Smartphones running on the Tizen operating system, developed by mobile phone operators in Japan, South Korea and China, are expected to be unveiled as early as February to rival those devices based on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems which together account for over 90 percent of the world market.
The Asian firms, including NTT Docomo Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., want to forge a “third force” to hold out against the iOS and Android operating systems and ensure that their smartphone business will be a long-term key revenue stream.
According to sources close to the companies concerned, there will be an announcement on the release of Samsung smartphones based on the Tizen OS in time for the “Mobile World Congress 2014,” a mobile phone trade fair to be held in Barcelona, Spain, in February.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Khronos Offers a Quick Peek at the Next Version of OpenGL ES
by Ryan Smith on January 8, 2014 11:00 AM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7657/khronos-offers-a-quick-peek-at-the-next-version-of-opengl-es
Feature wise, OpenGL ES Next will bring with it support for a number of features that were introduced in OpenGL 4.x. This includes compute shaders (OGL 4.3), shader atomics with load/store capabilities (OGL 4.2), indirect draw commands (OGL 4.0), texture multi-sampling (OGL 3.2).
OpenGL ES Next will not be including some of OpenGL’s high-end geometry functionality, specifically geometry shaders (OGL 3.2) and tessellation (OGL 4.0).
it’s a solid bet that we should hear more about OpenGL ES Next towards the middle of this summer
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tech we’re looking forward to in 2014: a realist’s guide to CES
http://thewirecutter.com/2014/01/tech-were-looking-forward-to-in-2014-a-realists-guide-to-ces/
The annual Consumer Electronics Show is all about showing off what’s in the future of hardware and gadgetry. But although there are thousands of announcements and prototypes to sort through, most of what’s announced at CES (if it comes to market at all) isn’t practical or realistic enough for actual lives.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sony still in discussions with Microsoft over Windows Phone
Exclusive “We don’t want to be a single OS manufacturer”
http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/sony-confirms-discussions-with-microsoft-to-launch-windows-phone-1214067
Sony has confirmed to TechRadar that it is actively looking into the possibility of launching a Windows Phone as it seeks to move away from being a single OS manufacturer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung: Don’t hold your breath for a Tizen phone in the U.S.
January 9, 2014 | By Phil Goldstein
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/samsung-dont-hold-your-breath-tizen-phone-us/2014-01-09
Samsung Electronics is unlikely to bring its first phones running the Tizen operating system to the U.S. market, according to a U.S.-based Samsung executive.
“We don’t feel the U.S. is a great test market for those kinds of products,” he said, noting that Samsung will likely roll out Linux-based Tizen phones in other regions of the world. “The U.S. market is pretty mature. Bringing a new entrant here that doesn’t meet a certain performance bar would be a challenge. Recognizing that, we don’t want to set ourselves up for failure.”
Samsung is the largest backer of the Tizen Association, an open-source group that was created through the merger of the former MeeGo and LiMo platforms. Other Tizen supporters include Sprint (NYSE:S), Intel, Huawei, Orange and Vodafone.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HP, the world’s biggest PC manufacturer, is set to launch its smartphone as soon as next week
http://9to5google.com/2014/01/10/hp-the-worlds-biggest-pc-manufacturer-is-set-to-launch-its-smartphone-as-soon-as-next-week/
We’ve gotten word from inside HP that the company is set to release an inexpensive Android smartphone aimed at the prepaid and emerging (BRIC) markets. We’re hearing the street price will be around $200 and it will be released in more than one market.
Nokia Meego defector and new HP SVP Mobility Alberto Torres is said to be heading up the group
We’re hearing that the device resembles the 5.5-inch Galaxy Note
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gorilla Glass Will Be Coming Soon To a Curved Phone Near You
http://gizmodo.com/thinner-glass-more-noise-thicker-glass-quieter-ca-1494241135/@Fulgurites
Gorilla Glass, Corning’s enormously sturdy scratch- and crack-resistant touchscreen glass, is pretty impressive, found on billions of devices worldwide. Now, the glass maker has announced a novel manufacturing technique to make 3D shapes out of Gorilla Glass.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The world’s largest consumer electronics trade fair was held once again in Las Vegas, but the atmosphere this year was oppressive. The Smartphone sales have continued to grow in North America and Europe – China and India will drive growth while less than 200 USD phones and tablets.
Electronics companies are now looking for solace in four categories – smart watches, smart glasses, curved TV’s and curved phones. The new hit products scrabble seemed particularly desperate this year.
Source: Tietoviikko
http://www.tietoviikko.fi/uutisia/tunnelmia+vegasin+jattimessuilta+oudosti+virnuilevat+google+glass+kayttajat+ahdistivat/a958846
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intelligence on the wrist
Particularly strong growth in the CES trade show was a health technology. A variety of activity armbands was in large numbers, as well as smart watches. The first category appears to be better working.
I am surprised if next year the Chinese do not pass on the corresponding number of copies of a few ten bucks price. And probably quite successfully.
Slightly more difficult task in front of smart watches copy companies. These new watches so far do not seem particularly convincing way to work, even if the background would be the largest consumer electronics giants Samsung and Sony’s way.
Still, the fair was already a slew of entrepreneurs who want to play a role in the emerging markets. They seemed tangled in a technical function in addition to the software side
SourCE: mBnet
http://www.mbnet.fi/artikkeli/ajankohtaiset/ajassa/alya_ranteeseen_1
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nuance reveals Dragon Mobile Assistant for smartwatches
Your new assistant gives you one off the wrist
By Chris Merriman
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2322323/nuance-reveals-dragon-mobile-assistant-for-smartwatches
VOICE RECOGNITION SPECIALIST Nuance is about to make the childhood dreams of kids everywhere come true with a watch you can talk into.
The company has released a version of its Dragon Naturally Speaking software tailored for smartwatches.
As well as telling a smartwatch to shut up when its alarm goes off, Dragon Mobile Assistant can also assist mobile functions similar to those of Google Now or Siri, including updating social media, sending emails, giving reminders, checking news and sports results and finding cinema listings.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CES 2014: What we saw, what we loved, and what we’ll remember
Wearables, cars, Linux, Android, games, and the people behind the craziness.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/01/ces-2014-what-we-saw-what-we-loved-and-what-well-remember/
It seems like companies in the auto industry turned CES into their own tech show this year, putting a whole new spin on “mobile device apps” with their developer programs and their embrace of Web standards and open source.
CES has always been the land of televisions, laptops, and smart home vaporware; it’s not a place where any company’s mobile division really goes crazy with new stuff. Samsung showed off its line of “Pro” tablets, but they aren’t terribly different from existing hardware like the Note 10.1. The smartphone-focused Mobile World Congress is next month, and that’s where most of this year’s early smartphone news will be made until Samsung starts with the Galaxy S5 hype train in Q2. The most important announcement was probably Google’s Open Automotive Alliance, a project that will bring Android-powered car computers to market at some point in the distant future. It was only an announcement, though. No one had anything to show off.
The car industry has finally woken up to the smartphone revolution, and this year it seems like all the manufacturers have decided they want to somehow merge the smartphone with the car infotainment system. Can a bunch of software newbies really make a good car computer? Can they make a “smart” car without it being extremely distracting to the driver? Does anyone actually want to use their in-dash computer when they have a newer, faster, more capable cell phone in their pocket?
Wearables were a common topic, as so many of 2013′s wearables failed to actually deliver on the experiences they had promised. The “Internet of things” still doesn’t have very many things.
Tomi Engdahl says:
BlackBerry CEO: our future devices will ‘predominantly’ have hardware keyboards
http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/12/5300992/blackberry-ceo-john-chen-future-devices-hardware-keyboards
An excellent keyboard was Blackberry’s original claim to fame. But after a couple years focusing on software keyboards with devices like the Z10 and Z30, the company is now looking back to its bread and butter — however outdated — as inspiration.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Banking apps: insecure and badly written, say researchers
Buggy code, bad security
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/13/banking_apps_insecure_and_badly_written_say_researchers/
Security researchers IO Active are warning that many smartphone banking apps are leaky and need to be fixed.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lenovo: It could be YEARS before a US smartphone launch
China may have launched a Mars probe before its phones land Stateside
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/13/lenovo_china_us_launch_delays/
Chinese hardware giant Lenovo appears to be delaying its plans for a US smartphone launch, after executives at CES last week dampened previous claims from the firm that it would happen in 2014.
CEO Yang Yuanqing told the Wall Street Journal back in May 2013 that he expected the company to launch a smartphone business Stateside “within the year”.
Tomi Engdahl says:
NameTag
http://www.nametag.ws/
With NameTag, Your Photo Shares You.
Nametag links your face to a single, unified online presence that includes your contact information, social media profiles, interests, hobbies and passions and anything else you want to share with the world.
Using the NameTag smartphone or Google Glass app, simply snap a pic of someone you want to connect with and see their entire public online presence in one place.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The world is full of mobile applications and different platforms are launched every day hundreds or thousands.
Hitting the jackpot is, however, very difficult for developers. Only less than one percent of applications is an economic success, the developers estimate.
This is evident from a study by Gartner. According to the vast majority of applications will not bring money to its developers. In fact, a large part of the applications did not even coded to make money, but corporate brand building and product presentation.
The mobile apps market, Gartner describes a hyper active. More than 200 companies to develop applications development platforms and tools, and applications are millions of hackers. When there is a huge number of very high-quality, free applications, paid applications have risen high on the requirements of the bar.
According to Gartner, by 2017, developed for mobile applications, 94.5 per cent is free of charge.
Over 90% of paid applications less than 500 times a day, and the day of return is less than one thousand euros.
Still, many application developers need to support a variety of mobile platforms in order to earn money.
Gartner forecasts that by 2017, half of all new mobile applications based on web browser, driven in javascript + HTML5.
Source: Elektroniikkalehti
http://www.elektroniikkalehti.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=829:alle-prosentti-mobiilisovelluksista-menestyy&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
A large part of consumer electronics manufacturers are now rushing to market a variety of wearable electronics readable devices. For manufacturers in Taiwan the manufacture of smart watches has had major problems.
Apple iWatch and Qualcomm toq smartwatch yield on production lines have been even less than 50 per cent. This is because the manufacturers of the issues that will be fine structures metal shell casting mold.
In the past, the MIM-cast (metal injection molded) parts used in the equipment inside the shells, but in smart watches and similar products, cast metal surfaces are part of the panel. MMI has been the difficulty to meet these quality challenges.
Source: Elektroniikkalehti
http://www.elektroniikkalehti.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=816:alykellojen-valmistuksessa-huono-saanto&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Android 4.4 Kitkat is a slow mover with just 1.4 percent of devices claimed
Android 4.x Jelly Bean dominates with almost 60 percent of the market
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2322441/android-44-kitkat-is-a-slow-mover-with-just-14-percent-of-devices-claimed