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:
Mobile hot evenings: the video got mobile data dizzying rise in Finland
Elisa’s network was moving in the summer of data in record numbers. In June, the data showed an increase of as much as 88 percent compared to the previous June
June-July data usage growth of more than 80 per cent compared to the previous. This summer, the use of data began to surge in May (football cup)
Mobile Data Traffic in about half of the moving image, such as movies, music videos and programs.
The moving image is viewed in Elisa’s network throughout the day, but the spike in use begins after working hours. At the higher data usage is about eleven o’clock the evening.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/kaikki_uutiset/kannykka+kuumana+iltaisin+video+sai+mobiilidatan+maaran+huimaan+nousuun/a1005332
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to Read (and Actually Understand) a Wearable Tech Privacy Policy
http://www.cio.com/article/2465362/privacy/how-to-read-and-actually-understand-a-wearable-tech-privacy-policy.html
When was the last time you read a privacy policy? Any kind of privacy policy? Be honest.
Yeah, that’s what I thought. Nobody reads privacy policies. They’re not really meant for the users, anyway — they’re meant to protect companies from potential lawsuits. As such, they’re long, complicated and often packed with enough legalese to make even an eager litigator’s eyes glaze over.
Some CEOs of companies that make products to collect endless mountains of data don’t even read privacy policies.
“It’s almost impossible for users to read and understand privacy policies. All of the [services] I use, it doesn’t matter if it’s Netflix or whatever, I don’t read privacy policies. I wouldn’t understand it without a lawyer,” says Florian Gschwandtner, CEO of Runtastic, which makes a number of fitness tracking devices
The reality is that privacy policies have never been more important.
Many of the latest gadgets are designed to collect all kinds of user data, and much of their value is in the analysis of that information. But how do you know what happens to your information after you hand it over to that fitness tracker or smartwatch? Do you want a company secretly selling your data to your insurance company
Today, lots of device and app makers sneak all kinds of protections into privacy policies that let them do just about whatever they want with your data, assuming you’re willing to accept the terms of service (ToS).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Unity Adds Native x86 Support for Android
by Anand Lal Shimpi on August 20, 2014 4:23 PM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8409/unity-adds-native-x86-support-for-android
Intel is facing an uphill battle in the mobile space from a marketshare perspective, but there’s an additional challenge: the bulk of mobile apps are compiled targeting ARM based CPU cores, not x86. With the launch of Medfield on Android, Intel introduced a binary translation software layer to enable running existing ARM based Android apps on x86. Binary translation is a useful fix for enabling compatibility but it does come with a performance and power penalty. Enabling native x86 applications is ultimately the goal here, BT is just used as a transitional tool.
As far as I can tell, none of the big game engines (Unity, Unreal Engine) were ported to x86 on Android. As a result, any game that leveraged these engines would be ARM code translated to run on x86. This morning Intel and Unity Technologies announced a native x86 version of the Unity game engine for Android.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft ropes in Opera Mini as default Nokia dumbphone browser
Ancient browser to power ancient Redmond mobes
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/08/21/microsoft_blesses_opera_for_ancient_nokia_phones/
Opera will provide the browser for Microsoft’s last dumbphones, under a new agreement between the two companies.
Nokia’s low-cost Asha devices and its feature phones currently use a proxy-based browser, Nokia Xpress, using Nokia’s own servers. This will continue to work, but new devices will ship with Opera Mini, which uses Opera’s own proxy browser.
Opera was the first company to introduce a proxy-based mobile browser, with the proxy server compressing and reformatting the content for a small screen and low bandwidth, high latency network. Mini is used by 250m people according to Opera.
Last month, Microsoft said it would can the Series 30, Series 40 and Asha ranges it acquired with Nokia’s mobile phones division, along with the just-getting-interesting Android X range. And 12,000 jobs.
Opera was already the default browser on the X phones.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The state of Android updates: Who’s fast, who’s slow, and why
Naming and shaming (sometimes praising) the update efforts of OEMs and carriers.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/08/the-state-of-android-updates-whos-fast-whos-slow-and-why/
Android 4.4, KitKat was released on October 31, 2013, or at least, that’s what you can say about one device: the Nexus 5. For the rest of the ecosystem, the date you got KitKat—if you got KitKat—varied wildly depending on your device, OEM, and carrier.
For every Android update, Google’s release of code to OEMs starts an industry-wide race to get the new enhancements out to customers. So how did everyone do this year?
The winner for update times is, of course, the Nexus line. Stock software and a head start from being Google got KitKat out the door in just 14 days.
As for everyone else, how quickly they update seems to depend on how complicated their skin is and how much they take advantage of the update mechanisms Google has created.
In the wide world of non-Nexus devices, the then-Google-owned Motorola did great, too, coming in at an almost-Nexus-like time of 19 days. Like the Nexus program
The usual justification for skinning Android is “differentiation,” and Motorola even manages to do that better than its competitors.
Motorola is a shining example of “doing it right” when it comes to skinning Android; every other OEM should be taking notes.
HTC—Transparency that should be applauded
Samsung—A monolithic skin that takes a while to update
Samsung doesn’t take advantage of the Play Store to update apps and services outside of an OTA, because everything is so integrated with the core OS.
LG—A minimal effort
Tomi Engdahl says:
To solve Android’s update woes, Google should look to the PC
Op-ed: Android’s update model should be more like Windows, less like iOS.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/08/to-solve-androids-update-woes-google-should-look-to-the-pc/
Android updates have gotten a little faster over the last two years, at least if you invest in a flagship smartphone from a major company. We have reams of data that say so, and we can even tell you which carriers and companies you should stick to if getting updates factors heavily into your buying decisions.
Android originally followed the iOS model for software updates. iOS updates give you high-level, user-facing features, new developer APIs, new drivers for graphics and other hardware, and modem firmware all at once in big updates like iOS 7.0 or 7.1. Apple can make this model work because it has full control over most of these different software layers, because it has just a few different devices to support, and because those devices share many common components (cellular and Wi-Fi adapters, GPUs, and so on).
Android was originally built to be updated in the same way
By the time Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich and their extensive app updates and UI changes rolled around, it was clear that the monolithic approach wasn’t going to work. While things have gotten better, it’s still holding Android as a platform back.
We’ve already written about the alternate approach Google is now pursuing: many feature updates have been broken out into separate apps. Any Google-approved device that meets the minimum software requirements (usually Android 4.0 or 4.1, depending on whether they require Google Now) can grab updates for apps like Chrome and Gmail without having to wait for their OEM or their SoC manufacturer to catch up. Google Play Services can enable some new features and APIs and provide some security patches without requiring a whole new version of Android, too. Even more important pieces of the OS like the keyboard and the app launcher can now be downloaded and updated from Google Play.
Tomi Engdahl says:
So why isn’t there more app store competition?
http://www.cnet.com/news/so-why-isnt-there-more-app-store-competition/
If you want to download an app on your phone, you’ll most likely head to a marketplace owned by Apple or Google. It’ll be tough for any wireless carrier to establish an alternative.
When consumers want to download applications on their smartphones and tablets, it’s usually Google or Apple that’s assigned the role of gatekeeper.
But is that the way it has to be?
App stores are a huge element of the modern mobile technology market. They suggest what apps people should install, extract up to 30 percent of sales, and store credit-card data that makes it easier to persuade millions of users to expand from apps to other domains like music or books. But it’s hard to get customers who are accustomed to one sales channel to move to another, and it’s hard to coax developers to submit their apps to multiple app stores.
The app-discovery business is increasingly attractive as consumers continue to shift away from desktop computers to phones and tablets. With the migration, browsing the web with a general-purpose browser has become less common as people embrace apps tailored to specific functions. Both Apple’s and Google’s stores have more than a million apps each.
There are, of course, other app stores. Amazon and Microsoft have their own storefronts. And there are smaller services like Xyo or Quixey that aim to streamline app discovery. But there are no go-to alternatives to the two tech-giants.
In Google’s most recent earnings report, “other revenue,” which includes Google Play sales, accounted for 10 percent of total revenues. The figure rose 53 percent from last year to $1.6 billion.
The company has big hopes for Google Play, as it tries to expand Android to dominate more than just smartphones, but also everything from smartwatches to televisions to car dashboards. The Play store could be the place where people get all their entertainment, and it could be the seamless content library that ties all those disparate Android-powered devices together, said Sinha.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mobile apps could be abused to make expensive phone calls
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2597860/mobile-apps-could-be-abused-to-make-expensive-phone-calls.html
A security precaution skipped in mobile applications such as Facebook’s Messenger could be abused to make an expensive phone call at a victim’s expense, a developer contends.
Phone numbers often appear as links on a mobile device. That is possible by using a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) scheme called ”tel” to trigger a call.
Andrei Neculaesei, a full-stack developer with the wireless streaming company Airtame in Copenhagen, contends there’s a risk in how most native mobile applications handle phone numbers.
If a person clicks on a phone number within Apple’s mobile Safari browser, a pop-up asks if a person wants to proceed with a call.
But many native mobile applications, including Facebook’s Messenger and Google’s +, will go ahead and make the call without asking, Neculaesei wrote on his blog.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wearables Right or Wrong
Android Wear watches at IFA: Handicapping Asus, LG and Motorola wearables
http://www.pcworld.com/video-series/7971/39282/android-wear-watches-at-ifa-handicapping-asus-lg-and-motorola-wearables.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Majority Of Digital Media Consumption Now Takes Place In Mobile Apps
http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/21/majority-of-digital-media-consumption-now-takes-place-in-mobile-apps/
U.S. users are now spending the majority of their time consuming digital media within mobile applications, according to a new study released by comScore this morning. That means mobile apps, including the number 1 most popular app Facebook, eat up more of our time than desktop usage or mobile web surfing, accounting for 52% of the time spent using digital media. Combined with mobile web, mobile usage as a whole accounts for 60% of time spent, while desktop-based digital media consumption makes up the remaining 40%.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The noPhone, Because Smartphone Separation Anxiety Is Real
http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/19/the-nophone-because-smartphone-separation-anxiety-is-real/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity
The noPhone is built specifically to alleviate the anxiety that comes along with not having a phone, and/or work as a substitute for a phone during those moments when you should really be more attentive to what’s happening in your real life.
The noPhone can come with you on a first date so that you can still maintain eye contact and pay attention without having a panic attack.
Tomi Engdahl says:
FDA approves AliveCor’s heart arrhythmia-detecting app algorithm
http://venturebeat.com/2014/08/21/fda-approves-alivecors-heart-arrhythmia-detecting-app-algorithm/
While the step counters and run tracker apps of the world get most of the attention, a growing number of apps in the marketplace are serving serious clinical needs.
One is AliveCor‘s AliveECG app, which will soon run an algorithm that detects atrial fibrillation (AF), a serious type of heart arrhythmia that’s often a precursor to stroke. For people with a history or heart trouble, or atrial fibrillation specifically, the app and the algorithm could provide a life-saving early warning system.
San Francisco-based AliveCor went through a rigorous process with the Food and Drug Administration to prove the accuracy and efficacy of the algorithm. The FDA is particularly interested in reviewing apps that provide any type of actionable, diagnostic information to users, as AliveCor’s app clearly does.
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Flappy Bird’ Creator Dong Nguyen Launches New Game ‘Swing Copters’
http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/video-games/flappy-bird-creator-dong-nguyen-launches-new-game-swing-copters-n186456
The creator of the ultra-difficult game sensation, “Flappy Bird,” has released a new title — and believe it or not, it’s even harder.
One tap causes your helicopter-hat-toting character to fly one direction, another tap causes it to reverse. That’s it.
Tomi Engdahl says:
There are 18,796 distinct Android devices, according to OpenSignal’s latest fragmentation report
http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2014/08/21/18796-different-android-devices-according-opensignals-latest-fragmentation-report/
The much-maligned Android fragmentation problem has blighted the mobile operating system for years, though Google has been steadily taking corrective measures in recent times. The issue? So many different devices and form-factors, running a multitude of Android versions which purportedly cause developers no-end of pain when striving to cater for the increasingly-dominant mobile platform.
But how serious is the problem? OpenSignal sheds some light on this today, with its 2014 Android fragmentation report.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple talked HealthKit with insurance companies UnitedHealth and Humana
http://9to5mac.com/2014/08/21/apple-talked-healthkit-with-insurance-companies-unitedhealth-and-humana/
Bloomberg‘s Adam Satariano has an interesting profile out this morning regarding the usage of wearable fitness devices in work environments. The report says that some companies are offering devices, such as the FitBit, in order to track the fitness of its employees. With that information, companies are able to slice costs off of insurance plans if employees hit certain fitness data thresholds:
The companies, of course, have to partner up with insurance providers to make this happen. Interestingly for Apple users, Bloomberg’s report says that Apple has talked with two of the United States’s largest insurance providers in regards to HealthKit
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gartner Says Traditional Development Practices Will Fail for Mobile Apps
Agile Development is Essential for Mobile Application Development
http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2823619
The traditional methods used to define and develop desktop applications will not work with mobile application development (AD), according to Gartner, Inc. Gartner said that as demand from business units in enterprises puts increasing pressure on IT organizations to deliver large numbers of mobile applications, AD teams will have to to employ practices that are different from traditional AD.
“Enterprise application development teams use traditional practices to define and develop desktop applications; however, most don’t work with mobile app development, due to device diversity, network connectivity and other mobile-specific considerations,” said Van Baker, research vice president at Gartner, during a presentation to IT leaders in China this month. “Instead, AD managers should use functional, performance, load and user experience testing, as well as agile development practices.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Majority Of Digital Media Consumption Now Takes Place In Mobile Apps
http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/21/majority-of-digital-media-consumption-now-takes-place-in-mobile-apps/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Most smartphone users download zero apps per month
http://qz.com/253618/most-smartphone-users-download-zero-apps-per-month/
Mobile apps have skyrocketed in popularity and utility since Apple introduced the iPhone App Store in the summer of 2008. Apps now represent 52% of time spent with digital media in the US, according to comScore, up from 40% in early 2013. Apple boasted 75 billion all-time App Store downloads at its developers conference in June, and followed up by declaring July the best month ever for App Store revenue, with a record number of people downloading apps.
Yet most US smartphone owners download zero apps in a typical month, according to comScore’s new mobile app report.
Only about one-third of smartphone owners download any apps in an average month, with the bulk of those downloading one to three apps. The top 7% of smartphone owners account for “nearly half of all download activity in a given month,” comScore reports.
Why is this? It’s not that apps aren’t useful—more than half of US smartphone users accessed apps every single day, according to comScore. And it can’t be that they’re too expensive: Most apps are free
One possible explanation is that people just don’t need that many apps, and the apps people already have are more than suitable for most functions. Almost all smartphone owners use apps, and a “staggering 42% of all app time spent on smartphones occurs on the individual’s single most used app
Another likely reason is that it’s still not easy enough to find and download new apps.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook Rolls Out Analytics For App Links, Says 3 Billion URLs Have Been Enabled
The open-source effort that aims to make the mobile web less frustrating for users is gaining momentum. Developers will now be able to measure results better.
http://marketingland.com/facebook-rolls-analytics-app-links-says-3-billion-urls-enabled-97033
For marketers the benefits of widespread adoption of the standard are clear. Any content that uses App Links will be more accessible to mobile phone users.
“It’s a frustrating experience any time people click on a link and it takes them to Safari,” Shankar said in news briefing today in San Francisco. “People actually want to take action, they are ready to go do something, the intent is there but the experience is broken.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Announcing App Links Analytics, Windows Updates, and 3 billion links created
http://applinks.org/announcing-app-links-analytics-windows-updates-and-3-billion-links-created/
To further our commitment to building an industry standard around mobile deep linking, we’re excited to announce updates and improvements to the App Links community.
Starting today, the Bolts SDK will support sending events so that developers can measure the traffic associated with their app’s App Links integration. This will help developers understand how traffic is flowing to and from any App Links integrated mobile app.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cross-platform, open source, and simple mobile deep-linking
http://applinks.org/
Publishing App Link metadata is as simple as adding a few lines to the tag in the HTML for your content. Apps that link to your content can then use this metadata to deep-link into your app, take users to an app store to download the app, or take them directly to the web to view the content. This allows developers to provide the best possible experience for their users when linking to their content.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft Miracast dongle spotted at FCC ahead of Lumia event
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2597960/microsoft-miracast-dongle-spotted-at-fcc-ahead-of-lumia-event.html
Google’s Chromecast is a hit, and now it appears Microsoft wants to replicate something similar for Windows Phone and probably Windows PCs.
Windows Phone Daily and Nokiapoweruser did some sleuthing at the Federal Communication Commission’s website, and look what they found: a new mobile accessory from Microsoft. At first it wasn’t clear what the product was, but after checking other resources online it appears Microsoft is making a Miracast dongle for HDTVs.
Miracast is a screencasting standard for connected devices over Wi-Fi Direct. Coincidence?—Microsoft recently added Miracast support to Windows Phone via the Lumia Cyan firmware for Windows Phone 8.1.
Adding a dongle to support Miracast on TVs is key, because the technology has yet to see wide adoption despite being supported in the latest build of Windows.
The way Miracast works currently, it mirrors your display and relies on the casting device for its data—similar to Apple TV. So you can’t send a Breaking Bad episode from Netflix to a Miracast device and then start playing a game on your phone, the way you can with Chromecast.
But the advantage of mirroring a display on your TV is that you don’t have to wait for developers to add Miracast support to their apps, because it’s a system-wide feature.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cheapo Firefox OS mobes to debut in India – definitely not one for selfie-conscious users
Spicephone hopes Fire One Mi-FX 1 will heat up the market
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/08/23/spicephone_firefox_os_phone_india/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple’s iWatch? They cannae do it … they don’t have the POWER
Analyst predicts fanbois will have to wait until next year
By Jasper Hamill, 21 Aug 2014
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/08/21/apple_production_line_cannot_handle_iwatch_claims_analyst/
Tomi Engdahl says:
In our digital world, are young people losing the ability to read emotions?
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-digital-world-young-people-ability.html
Children’s social skills may be declining as they have less time for face-to-face interaction due to their increased use of digital media, according to a UCLA psychology study.
UCLA scientists found that sixth-graders who went five days without even glancing at a smartphone, television or other digital screen did substantially better at reading human emotions than sixth-graders from the same school who continued to spend hours each day looking at their electronic devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LG will reveal a circular smartwatch next week to compete with the Moto 360
http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/24/lg-g-watch-r-teaser/
Of the three Android Wear smartwatches introduced at Google’s developer conference in June, the Moto 360 was by far the crowd favorite; its circular watchface gives it a classic, elegant look, and a stark contrast to the squarish Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch. It turns out that LG wasn’t very excited about its first Wear watch either: It’s going to introduce a round-faced sequel — called the LG G Watch R — next week in Berlin, shortly after Motorola officially launches its new timepiece.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LG’s not the only manufacturer coming out with a new watch soon. ASUS will launch one at IFA as well (though its shape is square in its teaser); HTC has something in the works for later this year; Samsung could easily launch another Gear or five for the holidays; and let’s not even get into the Apple watch speculation.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/24/lg-g-watch-r-teaser/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google partnering with Rockchip to make a custom SoC for Project Ara
http://9to5google.com/2014/08/23/google-partnering-with-rockchip-to-make-a-custom-soc-for-project-ara/
It seems as if Google’s Project Ara modular smartphone project is coming along nicely, despite a few manufacturing setbacks. There was apparently a problem with manufacturing devices for those who won units at Google I/O, but Google yesterday announced some exciting developments: the third iteration of Ara is planned to sport a custom-made system-on-a-chip made in collaboration with Rockchip, which is going to be made with the unique form factor of the device in mind.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ralph Lauren taps OMsignal for sleek, connected shirts at the U.S. Open
http://gigaom.com/2014/08/22/ralph-lauren-taps-omsignal-for-sleek-connected-shirts-at-the-u-s-open/
Technology and fashion don’t often come together in elegant ways, but a collaboration between Ralph Lauren and smart clothing maker OMsignal aims to take wearable devices beyond fitness trackers and smart watches.
The current OMsignal shirts come with special conductive thread and a removable electronics pack, and cost about $200 for one.
“Everyone is exploring wearable tech watches and headbands and looking at cool sneakers,” Mr. Lauren said. “We skipped to what we thought was new, which is apparel. We live in our clothes.”
So while Google Glass may attract Diane von Fürstenberg’s fashion house and Fitbit (see disclosure) has a deal with Tory Burch, the real opportunity for mainstream wearable adoption is in making the things we already use in our day-to-day lives smart, without adding a lot of bulk and costs. That’s going to take time, but I do believe it will happen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
iPhone 6 Production Delays May Hurt Availability
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1323626&
Apple’s iPhone manufacturing partners are struggling to produce displays for the upcoming iPhone 6 after a last-minute design change caused widespread delays. The disruption may impact the number of devices available at launch, say supply chain sources, and could even delay the launch altogether. If this type of FUD didn’t show up just before the launch of every iPhone, it might be cause for real concern.
Tomi Engdahl says:
iPhone 6 Facts – Finally
Apple app developer spills the beans
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1323620&
You’ve heard it all before, but which is rumor and which is fact? Now Jordan Edelson, founder and CEO of Appetizer Mobile, one of the top 10 mobile app developers, spills the beans on what he believes are the facts about the iPhone 6.
“We’ve made a business out of analyzing advance information sources — identifying the truth in a sea of rumors — then helping our customers zero in,” Edelson tells us.
Appetizer Mobile not only develops apps for others, but helps them market and launch them
As far as size goes, the iPhone 6 itself will use a 4.7 inch sapphire screen with up to 400 pixels-per-inch, compared to 320 PPI in the iPhone 5s. “Many consumers won’t be able to tell the difference, but Apple has to keep up with Samsung, which is using 400 PPI screens on their high-end offerings…
“The switch to the A8 processor will give the iPhone 6 a 30 to 50 percent speed bump, and the internal memory will almost certainly get bumped up to 1 Gbyte over the 500 Mbytes used today. There will also likely be a model offered with 128 Gbytes of flash memory, over the 64 Gbyte maximum offered now.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Month with the iPhone 5s: Impressions from an Android User
by Joshua Ho on August 24, 2014 7:00 AM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8414/a-month-with-the-iphone-5s
Tomi Engdahl says:
Aussie Airlines To Allow Uninterrupted Mobile Use During Flights
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/14/08/25/0327210/aussie-airlines-to-allow-uninterrupted-mobile-use-during-flights
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qantas, Virgin flyers to get uninterrupted mobile device use
Passengers travelling with Qantas and Virgin Australia will imminently be able to leave their mobile phones and other small electronic devices on during take-off and landing, as part of new guidelines issued by the air safety regulator.
Both the United States and European air regulators last year expanded guidelines for the use of electronic devices after finding the radio interference signals from mobile phones and tablets on board aircraft were not a safety concern.
Read more: http://www.itnews.com.au/News/391332,qantas-virgin-flyers-to-get-uninterrupted-mobile-device-use.aspx#ixzz3BOdIBI8R
Tomi Engdahl says:
So, Apple won’t sell cheap kit? Prepare the iOS garden wall WRECKING BALL
It can throw the low cost race if it looks to the cloud
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/08/25/steps_apple_needs_to_take_to_stay_in_the_game/
It’s that time of year again, when Apple’s annual iPhone launch is looming and the mobile chattersphere becomes entirely dominated again by one handset maker.
In 2007 and 2008, that was completely justified. Since then, there have been progressively fewer reasons to define the whole smartphone sector by Apple.
Of course Apple will remain significant, and if it can pull off a genuinely innovative iPhone – after three generations of failing to do so – it will start to claw back share from Samsung. But that duel, like that of Motorola/Nokia before it, will give way to the battles of other star players. Soon it will be more important to see whether Apple can gain at the expense of Lenovo, Xiaomi and Huawei than its traditional arch-rival.
The urgency of that requirement is often masked by the fact Apple is so skilled at delighting its existing customers, and because, as a darling of the US stock market, it will always receive greater attention than a non-US company
Activist investor Carl Icahn, according to Bloomberg, is convinced that Apple is undervalued.
On the first issue, the dilemma of balancing Apple’s premium brand and pricing against the shift of growth towards entry level smartphones has been present for two years or more. It has not been convincingly addressed. The iPhone 5C was an attempt, but the device largely fell between two camps – not cheap enough to compete with Xiaomi, but a compromise compared to the full iPhone 5S.
Much of that Android growth, which resulted in shipments of 255.3 million units for the Google operating system, came from lower end models for emerging economies. “With the recent introduction of Android One, in which Google offers reference designs below $100 to Android OEMs, the proportion of sub-$200 volumes will climb even higher,” commented IDC research manager Ramon Llamas.
That brings us to the second big challenge: modernising the user experience for the cloud. Larger screens will only be a small step in that direction. The real breakthrough Apple needs, but has failed to deliver with the 5 and 5S, is a compelling transition of its famous user experience to the cloud-based world, retaining its distinctive look and feel but with a radical refresh.
Some of the new features that debuted with iOS 8 do point this way, and Apple needs to announce devices which fully harness those new functions, offering a cloud-oriented platform which maintains its seamless hardware/software integration
That leads to the third challenge for Apple – how far to pin its growth strategy on new types of devices, and whether its traditional iOS approach can translate effectively into post-PC products and wearables, the two main areas of near term consumer and business growth.
But while seamless working across iOS and OS X will be a great boon to Apple loyalists, Apple will have to face up to the fact of a multiplatform world, or risk making the same mistakes that BlackBerry did – relying for too long on users’ past love for its hardware, while the next generation of users raced towards freedom from lock-in. It is certainly opening up to multiplatform developers, but it has difficult dilemmas over multiplatform consumers.
These tensions will be even stronger in entirely new product categories such as wearables. The field is open for a new player to define the rules for smartwatches, smart coats, smart glasses and whichever of the current gimmicks evolve into serious products.
Revenues are shifting towards services and content, and that will accelerate in the cloud era. Pundits will still obsess over hardware details, and these will be important to attract users and support a strong user experience that encourages more usage.
But the revenues will come from content deals, enterprise services (hence the IBM deal), and, of course, big data.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Calif. governor signs smartphone ‘kill switch’ bill into law
http://www.cnet.com/news/calif-governor-signs-smartphone-kill-switch-bill/
Law requires security software to come enabled by default, but other than that, not much will change for most smartphone users.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Huawei Is Shaking Up the Smartphone Market
Richard Yu, head of Chinese firm’s consumer business group, talks about competing against Samsung and Apple.
http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/huawei-is-shaking-up-the-smartphone-market-1408908924-lMyQjAxMTA0MDIwNTEyNDUyWj
Huawei’s rise is an indication that growth in the mobile-phone industry is coming mainly from outside China—emerging markets where many consumers are still replacing basic feature phones with smartphones. While China’s increasingly saturated smartphone market is showing signs of slowing growth, Huawei is expanding rapidly in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
WSJ: Have you ever considered using the Tizen operating system [developed by Samsung and backed by Intel Corp. and others]?
Mr. Yu: We have no plans to use Tizen. Some telecom carriers are pushing us to design Tizen phones but I say “no” to them. In the past we had a team to do research on Tizen but I canceled it. We feel Tizen has no chance to be successful. Even for Windows Phone it’s difficult to be successful.
We have no plans to build our own OS. It’s easy to design a new OS, but the problem is building the ecosystem around it.
WSJ: For most handset makers Android is the only option. Is that a problem?
Mr. Yu: It’s difficult to say. We have tried using the Windows Phone OS. But it has been difficult to persuade consumers to buy a Windows phone. It wasn’t profitable for us. We were losing money for two years on those phones. So for now we’ve decided to put any releases of new Windows phones on hold. We have worries about Android being the only option, but we have no choice. And we have a good collaboration with Google.
Tomi Engdahl says:
EXCLUSIVE: Samsung working on circular Gear smartwatch, SIM-enabled Gear coming with Galaxy Note 4
http://www.sammobile.com/2014/08/25/exclusive-samsung-working-on-circular-gear-smartwatch-sim-enabled-gear-coming-with-galaxy-note-4/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Swift Navigation Raises $2.6 Million For Its Ultra-Precise GPS System
http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/21/swift-navigation-2-6m/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity
GPS technology is everywhere nowadays — it’s built into phones, cars, and an increasing number of industrial devices. But to date, GPS hasn’t been very precise. Conventional GPS modules have an accuracy range of about 15 feet, which is good enough for guiding you to a location but not the best if you’re building unmanned drones.
Swift Navigation hopes to improve on that, with centimeter-accurate GPS technology that can be used for a much wider range of applications. The company has developed a GPS module that comes at a fraction of a cost of competing chips with the same accuracy, which it hopes will be used in all sorts of agriculture, drones, and construction applications.
To do so, it’s raised $2.6 million in funding to get its low-cost GPS modules embedded into a whole bunch of new devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mozilla is launching its first Firefox OS smartphone in India this week
http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2014/08/25/mozilla-launching-first-firefox-os-smartphone-india-week/
Firefox OS faces stiff competition in the region, however. Nokia is still pushing its Asha and Nokia X handsets, with plans to release cheaper Lumia devices. Affordable Android handsets are everywhere and newcomers such as Xiaomi are entering the region with fiercely competitive hardware.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wearables market set to EXPLODE… Wait, is that a STRAP-ON chair?
It’s not just wrist ‘puters any more
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/08/26/wearables_market_set_to_explode/
The wrist computer market has grown by almost 700 per cent this year, the brainy bods at Canalys have claimed.
The wearable band sector grew 684 per cent in the first half of 2014 compared with the first half of 2013, according to Canalys’ latest device shipment estimates.
This could be only the start for this emerging market, because once Apple gets off its fat bum and finally releases the semi-mythical iWatch, sales of wearables are predicted to swell like a fatty on a binge.
The analysis firm said that Samsung was the “worldwide leader” in the smart wearable band market during first half of 2014, after releasing the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mozilla launches low-cost Firefox OS phone in India
http://www.cnet.com/news/mozilla-launches-low-cost-firefox-os-phone-in-india/
Smartphone shoppers in India can now buy the affordable Cloud FX for just slightly more than Mozilla’s target price of $25.
The Firefox OS-powered Cloud FX sells for Rs 2490, but it’s currently available at a 20 percent discount for Rs 1999, or around US $33 at current exchange rates.
Mozilla wants the Cloud FX, built by Indian smartphone maker Intex Technologies, to be an affordable alternative to “dumb” feature phones that will help people in developing countries gain full Internet access. By running Firefox OS, Mozilla’s mobile operating system that runs Web-based apps, Mozilla is also hoping that Firefox will thrive in a mobile world that has yet to warm up to the mobile version of the Web browser.
Overall, India is a small smartphone market now, but that’s expected to rapidly change. By the end of this year, India is expected to host 104 million smartphone users, more than double the number at the end of 2013. That’s less than one-tenth of India’s overall population, which currently stands at 1.24 billion people.
By comparison, 1.35 billion people live in China, with about 700 million of them using smartphones.
The Cloud FX has a 3.5-inch, 320×480-pixel capacitive HVGA display, a 1 GHz Spreadtrum processor, a 2-megapixel camera, and supports two SIM cards.
It runs only on the 2G GSM 900 and 1800 MHz frequencies, and it comes with 128MB of RAM and 256MB of memory that can be expanded to 4GB.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mozilla’s first low-cost smartphone on sale in India
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-28932876
Mozilla, a company best known for its Firefox browser, has launched a new low-cost smartphone in India that will retail for 1,999 rupees ($33; £19.90).
The phone is only for sale on India’s online shopping site, Snapdeal.
The Intex Cloud FX runs on Mozilla’s Firefox operating system and as such it will be the first low-cost device running that system available in Asia.
“The price point is what will grab the market’s attention,” said Bryan Ma of research firm IDC, “but that’s just one factor in all this.”
“It’s the ecosystem we look at – or what kind of applications are available on the phone. That is more worth talking about.”
Popular applications such as Facebook and Twitter will be available on the new phone
Tomi Engdahl says:
Android users have an average of 95 apps installed on their phones, according to Yahoo Aviate data
http://thenextweb.com/apps/2014/08/26/android-users-average-95-apps-installed-phones-according-yahoo-aviate-data/
A by-product of this is that Yahoo/Aviate gathers a lot of data about key activities on Android, including what apps users interact with most, average apps installed and so on. Indeed, Yahoo Aviate and Yahoo Labs have pulled together an infographic (see below) that reveals users have an average of 95 apps installed on their phones, 35 of which are used (on average) each day.
Digging a little deeper, it’s clear that certain apps appeal to users at specific times of day, which probably doesn’t come as that much of a surprise.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HTC confirms Desire 820 to pack 64-bit Snapdragon 615 chipset
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_confirms_desire_820_to_pack_64bit_snapdragon_615_chipset-news-9455.php
64-bit smartphones are already a reality with the iPhone 5s while several manufacturers are competing to be the first to bring a 64-bit Android to market. HTC might claim that title with the mid-range Desire 820.
The phone has been officially confirmed via the HTC Weibo account though details are very scarce – all the teaser images really say is “64-bit” and “September 4″. The first image lists off the HTC firsts – first Android phone, first 1080p phone, first f/2.0 camera aperture and so on.
The short text accompanying the second teaser image claims this is the “world’s first octa-core 64-bit phone” If it’s a Qualcomm chipset then it must be the Snapdragon 615
Tomi Engdahl says:
LG Reveals Details About the G3 Stylus Debuting at IFA
by Brandon Chester on August 25, 2014 10:45 PM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8428/lg-reveals-details-about-the-g3-stylus-debuting-at-ifa
Tomi Engdahl says:
Digital Light Processor Downsizes & Diversifies
TI’s evaluation module attracts new applications
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1323657&
The digital light processor (DLP) is the most mature large-screen technology for projectors but is fast becoming the most mature for small-screen projectors, too.
“DLP digital micro-mirrors deflect the light completely off the screen when off, giving them a great contrast ratio.”
The Samsung Galaxy Beam and Samsung Galaxy Beam 2 just introduced in China last month (July 2014) both contain TI’s pico-projector chips
Tomi Engdahl says:
Exclusive: Chipmaker Qualcomm may face EU antitrust probe – sources
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/27/us-eu-qualcomm-exclusive-idUSKBN0GQ14C20140827
Qualcomm, the world’s No. 1 mobile chipmaker, may face a European investigation related to a four-year-old complaint from a subsidiary of rival Nvidia Corp, three people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
An EU probe would come at an awkward time for Qualcomm, which is seeking to end an investigation by China’s pricing regulator into monopoly practices. If found guilty of breaching EU rules, the company could face a fine of up to $2.5 billion.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Obesity Action Coalition Calls for Ban on Fat-Shaming Apps
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/08/26/obesity-action-coalition-calls-for-ban-on-fat-shaming-apps
Today the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) sent letters to Amazon.com, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, calling for the removal of fat-shaming apps from their app stores and the strengthening of the app review process.
Applications such as Fatify, Fatbooth, and Fat You were all called out by OAC as examples of games that perpetuate fat-shaming and weight bias. According to OAC, 30 percent of girls with excess weight and 24 percent of boys with excess weight are bullied in schools. They fear that apps such as these exacerbate this type of bullying.
“Children are the primary users of these types of apps”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Code/red: Apple Plans to Announce Wearable in September
August 27, 2014, 10:19 AM PDT
http://recode.net/2014/08/27/codered-apple-plans-to-announce-wearable-in-september/
Remember back in June when I said Apple hoped to schedule a special event in October to show off a new wearable device?
Apple now plans to unveil a new wearable alongside the two next-generation iPhones we told you the company will debut on September 9
The new device will, predictably, make good use of Apple’s HealthKit health and fitness platform. It will also — predictably — make good use of HomeKit, the company’s new framework for controlling connected devices — though it’s not clear how broadly or in what way.