Mobile infrastructure must catch up with user needs and demands. Ubiquitous mobile computing is all around us, not only when we use smartphones to connect with friends and family across states and countries, but also when we use ticketing systems on buses and trains, purchase food from mobile vendors, watch videos, and listen to music on our phones. As a result, mobile computing systems must rise to the demand. The number of smart phones will exceed the number of PCs in 2014.
Some time in the next six months, the number of smartphones on earth will pass the number of PCs. This shouldn’t really surprise anyone: the mobile business is much bigger than the computer industry. There are now perhaps 3.5-4 billion mobile phones, replaced every two years (versus 1.7-1.8 billion PCs replaced every 5 years).It means that mobile industry can sell more phones in a quarter than the PC industry sells in a year. After some years we will end up with somewhere over 3bn smartphones in use on earth, almost double the number of PCs. The smartphone revolution is changing how consumers use the Internet: Mobile browsing is set to overtake traditional desktop browsing in 2015.
It seems that 4G has really become the new high speed mobile standard widely wanted during 2013. 3G will become the low-cost option for those who think 4G option is too expensive, not everyone that has 4G capable device has 4G subscription. How the situation changes depends on how operators improve their 3G coverage, what will be the price difference from 3G to 4G and how well the service is marketed.
Mobile data increased very much last year. I expect the growth to continue pretty much as projected in Mobile Data Traffic To Grow 300% Globally By 2017 Led By Video, Web Use, Says Strategy Analytics and Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2012–2017 articles.
When 4G becomes mainstream, planning for next 5G communications starts. I will expect to see more and more writing on 5G as the vision what it will be destined to be clears more. Europe’s newly-minted 5GPPP Association plans to launch as many as 20 research projects in 2014, open to all comers, with a total budget of about 250 million euros. The groundwork for 5G, an ambitious vision for a next-generation network of networks that’s still being defined, and the definition will go on many years to come. No one really knows today what 5G will be because there are still several views. Europe’s new 5GPPP group published a draft proposal for 5G. 5GPPP is not the only group expected to work on standards for next-generation cellular networks, but it could become one of the most influential.
The shifting from “dumb” phones to smart phones continue. In USA and Europe smart phone penetration is already so high levels that there will not be very huge gains on the market expected. Very many consumers already have their smart phone, and the market will be more and more on updating to new model after two years or so use. At the end of 2013 Corporate-Owned Smartphones Back in Vogue, and I expect that companies continue to shop smart phones well in 2014.
The existing biggest smart phone players will continue to rule the markets. Google’s Android will continue to rule the markets. Samsung made most money in 2013 on Android phones (in 2013 in West only Samsung makes money from selling Android), and I expect that to continue. In 2013 Apple slurped down enormous profits but lost some of its bleeding-edge-tech street credit, and I expect that to continue in 2014.
The biggest stories of the year 2013 outside the Samsung/Apple duopoly were the sale of Nokia’s mobile phone business to Microsoft and the woes of BlackBerry. BlackBerry had an agonising year and suffered one of the most spectacular consumer collapses in history, and I can’t see how it would get to it’s feet during 2014. Nokia made good gains for Windows Phones during 2013, and I expect that Microsoft will put marketing effort to gain even more market share. Windows Phone became the third mobile ecosystem, and will most probably keep that position in 2014.
New players try to enter smart phone markets and some existing players that once tried that try to re-enter. There are rumors that for example HP tries to re-enter mobile market, and is probable that some other computer makers try to sell smart phones with their brands. In the Android front there will be new companies trying to push marker (for example OPPO and many smaller Chinese makers you have never heard earlier). Nokia had a number of Android projects going on in 2013, and some former Nokia people have put up company Newkia to follow on that road. To make a difference in the market there will be also push on some smaller mobile platforms as alternative to the big three (Google, Apple, Microsoft). Jolla is pushing Sailfish OS phones that can run Android applications and also pushing possibility to install that OS to Android phone. Mozilla will push on with it’s own Firefox OS phone. Canonical will try to get their Ubuntu phone released. Samsung is starting to make Tizen powered smart phones and NTT DoCoMo could be the first carrier to offer a Tizen powered device. None of those will be huge mainstream hits within one year, but could maybe could have their own working niche markets. The other OS brands combined do not amount to 1% of all smartphones sold in 2013, so even if they could have huge growth they would still be very small players on the end of 2014.
As smartphone and tablet makers desperately search for points of differentiation they will try to push the limits of performance on several fronts to extremes. Extreme inter-connectivity is one of the more useful features that is appearing in new products. More context-aware automatic wireless linking is coming: Phones will wirelessly link and sync with screens and sensors in the user’s vicinity.
You can also expect extreme sensor support to offer differentiation. Biomedical sensors have lots of potential (Apple already has fingerprint sensors). Indoor navigation will evolve. Intelligent systems and assistive devices will advance smart healthcare.
Several smartphone makers have clear strategies to take photography to extremes. 40 megapixel camera is already on the market and several manufacturers are playing with re-focus after shooting options.
In high-end models we may be moving into the overkill zone with extreme resolution that is higher than you can see on small screen: some makers have already demonstrated displays with twice the performance of 1080-progressive. Samsung is planned to release devices with 4k or UHD resolutions. As we have seen in many high tech gadget markets earlier it is a very short journey to copycat behavior.
It seems that amount of memory on high-end mobile devices is increasing this year. To be able to handle higher resolutions smart phones will also need more memory than earlier (for example Samsung lpddr 4 allows up to 4 GB or RAM on smart phone as now high-end devices now have typically 2GB). As the memory size starts to hit the limits of 32 bit processors (4GB), I will expect that there will be some push for chip makers to start to introduce more 64 bit processors for mobile devices. Apple already has 64-bit A7 microprocessor in iPhone 5s, all the other phone-makers want one too for their high-end models (which is a bit of panic to mobile chip makers).
You will be able to keep your mobile phone during some flights all the time and browser web on the plane more widely. At some planes you might also be able to make phone calls with your mobile phone during the flight. Calls on flights have been theoretically possible, and United States has recently looked at mobile phone calls allow the flights.
In year 2013 there were many releases on wearable technologies. Wearable is a trend with many big companies already in the space, and more are developing new products. It seems that on this field year 2013 was just putting on the initial flame, and I expect that the wearable market will start to heat up more during 2014. The advent of wearable technology brings new demands for components that can accommodate its small form factor, wireless requirements, and need for longer battery life.
The Internet of Things (IoT) will evolve into the Web of Things, increasing the coordination between things in the real world and their counterparts on the Web. The Internet is expanding into enterprise assets and consumer items such as cars and televisions. Gartner suggests that now through 2018, a variety of devices, user contexts, and interaction paradigms will make “everything everywhere” strategies unachievable.
Technology giants Google Inc. and Apple Inc. are about to expand their battle for digital supremacy to a new front: the automobile. The Android vs. iOS apps battle is coming to the automotive industry in 2014: car OEMs aren’t exactly known for their skills in developing apps and app developers don’t want to develop so many different versions of an app separately (for Ford, General Motors, BMW, and Toyota). I am waiting for Google’s response to Apple’s iOS in the Car. Next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Google and German auto maker Audi AG plan to announce that they are working together to develop in-car entertainment and information systems that are based on Google’s Android software. The push toward smarter cars is heating up: Right now, we are just scratching the surface.
For app development HTML5 will be on rise. Gartner predicts that through 2014, improved JavaScript performance will begin to push HTML5 and the browser as a mainstream enterprise application development environment. It will also work on many mobile applications as well.
1,857 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
New questions in mobile
http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2014/11/20/time-for-new-questions-in-mobile
Seven years into the smartphone world, it seems like it’s time to change the questions. The questions that we asked and argued about for the last few years have now mostly been answered, become irrelevant, or both, and new problems and puzzles are emerging.
Hence, the first phase of the platform wars is over: Apple and Google both won. Apple now sells around 10% of all the 1.8bn (and growing) phones sold on Earth each year and Android the next 50%, split roughly between say 2/3 Google Android outside China and 1/3 non-Google Android inside China. Over time this will expand such that smartphones take almost all phone sales – perhaps 400m or 500m units a quarter, with Apple taking the high-end and Android the rest, and there’ll be close to 4bn smartphones on earth. And though Apple sells a minority of devices, its positioning and execution means it has a much larger share of traffic and a majority of content and ecommerce revenue in developed markets, so its ecosystem is perfectly sustainable, as is Google’s.
So Apple and Google have both won, and both got what they wanted, more or less, and that’s not going to change imminently. Within that framework, what happens next?
What happens to Android OEMs?
What is Android going to be?
Interaction models, messaging and layers of aggregation
Facebook and Amazon
Wearables – end-points both for cloud and for messaging
Scale
Tomi Engdahl says:
News & Analysis
Intel Picks Smartglass Partner
Oakley, Ray Ban may get an x86
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1324860&
Intel has announced a multi-year research-and-development partnership to develop high-end smart eyewear with Italian fashion designer Luxottica. The chipmaker also is expected to have silicon in the next generation of Google Glass. Luxottica also is a Google Glass partner.
Luxottica — which owns luxury brands Ray Ban, Oakley, and Persol, and licenses Chanel and Tiffany — hopes its partnership with Intel will create unique devices. Chief executive Massimo Vian told Reuters, “We’ve started to work on sensors which can detect, say, temperature or location.” The first Intel-Luxottica product is expected next year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung mobile executives to leave after profit slide: source
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/04/us-samsung-elec-moves-promotions-idUSKCN0JI05C20141204
Three deputies to the head of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd’s mobile division are leaving, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday, as the world’s largest smartphone maker faces a rapid decline in profit.
Samsung’s share of the smartphone market has fallen year-on-year for the last three quarters, squeezed by Chinese rivals like Xiaomi Technology Co Ltd [XTC.UL] at the low-end and Apple Inc’s iPhones in the premium segment.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm also the number one in mobile graphics
Qualcomm is a sovereign leader in mobile application processors, but the company also manages the graphic drawing of mobile devices on the screen. Research by Qualcomm’s share of the market in the third quarter by 42 percent.
Graphics processors for mobile devices market is currently held by the three companies. Qualcomm (42 per cent), Mediatek (23 per cent), and Apple (13 per cent).
Samsung’s share of mobile graphics processors is four percent.
Intel chipsets can be found in three per cent of the equipment.
Nvidia is only one percent.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2167:qualcomm-ykkonen-myos-mobiiligrafiikassa&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nintendo Patents Game Boy Emulation For Use In Mobile Devices, In-Flight Entertainment
http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/28/nintendo-patents-game-boy-emulation-for-use-in-mobile-devices-in-flight-entertainment/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity
A new patent published by the USPTO yesterday details an invention by Nintendo that would allow it to emulate its mobile game consoles, including the Game Boy line of devices specifically, in other settings, including on seat-back displays in airplanes and trains, and on mobile devices including cell phones. The patent is an updated take on an older piece of IP, so it’s not an entirely new idea, but it’s still very interesting to consider that Nintendo could have renewed interest in the idea of running its own back catalogue on many different kinds of screens.
The patent talks specifically about emulation
Already, Nintendo emulates some of its past console titles on newer systems, providing access to SNES, NES and Game Boy classics on the Wii, Wii U and 3DS. This patent would see it expand those offerings to a range of devices, including potentially smartphones.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Twitter’s Crashlytics makes its app install measurement tool Answers free
http://venturebeat.com/2014/12/04/twitters-crashlytics-makes-its-app-install-measurement-tool-answers-free/
Twitter is launching Answers, a free way for advertisers to measure promoted and organic app installs on mobile.
Answers, which allows advertisers to track for free app downloads attributed to Twitter, operates inside of Twitter’s Crashlytics Kit. The app joins Twitter’s suite of mobile development tools called Fabric, which first debuted at the company’s developer conference in October. But Twitter says it was its mobile app promotion tool that inspired advertisers to ask for app install analytics.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Meet the company that’s behind HP’s smartwatch
http://www.theverge.com/2014/12/2/7316119/meet-the-company-thats-secretly-behind-hp-michael-bastian-smartwatch
HP threw a curveball when it announced a surprisingly good-looking smartwatch earlier this year, the Michael Bastian-designed Chronowing. It doesn’t have the horsepower of an Android Wear device or the to-be-released APPLE Watch, but the Chronowing still manages notifications from your phone, has a neat subdial that simulates an analog watch face, and — this is key — actually kind of looks like a real watch.
But HP didn’t make the Chronowing, it turns out. Multiple sources familiar with the relationship have confirmed that the manufacturer behind the timepiece is Meta, the Fossil spinoff that recently launched its own M1 line of smartwatches penned by former Vertu designer Frank Nuovo.
the real evidence lies on the Chronowing’s back: the two devices share an FCC ID and connector style, a curved array of four pins unique to Meta.
The HP watch may not be a huge seller — its pricing and limited retail distribution practically ensure that it won’t be — but for Meta, the implications could be far bigger.
Granted, watchmakers don’t need smartwatches to survive just yet; Fossil itself had strong growth in its latest earnings report without a single smartwatch in its lineup.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Torque, Microsoft’s Alternative To “OK Google,” Now Works On Android Smartphones
http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/05/torque-microsofts-alternative-to-ok-google-now-works-on-android-smartphones/
Microsoft this morning has released an app for Android smartphone users called Torque that allows you to shake your phone in order to perform a voice search, similar to Google’s “OK Google.” The difference is that instead of waking up the app with a standard keyword command, it’s the shaking motion that instead does the trick. Also like Google, Torque will provide a number of “instant answers,” including things like details on local flights, stock prices, sports scores, weather, nearby restaurants and more.
Torque itself was actually released back in October, but at the time was only supported on select Android smartwatches. The app then was activated with a wrist flick. However, smartwatches are still a niche market, so it makes sense for Microsoft to expand its support to smartphones as well.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Android 5.0 Currently Runs On Fewer Than 0.1% Of Handsets
http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/02/android-5-0-currently-runs-on-fewer-than-0-1-of-handsets/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity
Google’s recently released Android 5.0 mobile operating system is currently running on fewer than 0.1 percent of handsets, according to data released by the company. The new software, code-named ‘Lollipop,’ was made generally available November 12. Carriers are currently rolling Lollipop out to consumers, according to their own schedule.
The limited uptake of Android’s fifth version so far underscores a wider problem in the mobile world: Fragmentation. It took Windows Phone 8.1, for example, nearly half a year to make it to the 50 percent market share mark. And as Wired notes, Apple is seeing slower adoption of its new iOS 8 than some expected.
Operating system fragmentation makes the work of developers more difficult. If the install base of phones that you’re building for not only have a wide array of screen sizes, but also firmware, building an app that will work for the majority of users can be difficult. This applies to all three platforms, of course.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This brazen, yet almost-perfect Apple iPhone 6 clone comes with a 64-bit SoC, 3GB of RAM; costs just $243
http://www.phonearena.com/news/This-brazen-yet-almost-perfect-Apple-iPhone-6-clone-comes-with-a-64-bit-SoC-3GB-of-RAM-costs-just-243_id63448
We’ve already seen a fair amount of Apple iPhone 6 clones, some of them were good and others were better. What’s more, we’re almost sure that there are many that will hardly make any headlines outside China. Some of these arrived months before Tim Cook had unveiled Cupertino’s latest batch of smartphones. Well, the title of the almost-perfect Apple iPhone 6 clone might easily go to Dakele Big Cola 3, which just debuted in China.
From a distance, you might easily mistake it with the real deal
Underneath the hood, the Dakele Big Cola 3 has some respectable specs, which are nothing like the hardware inside the real iPhone 6. We have a 5″, 1080p display panel at the front, which is covered with sapphire glass (reportedly). The Dakele Big Cola 3 is powered by a 64-bit, octa-core MediaTek MT6752 chipset, which is churning the gears at 1.7GHz in concert with 3GB of RAM.
Dakele Big Cola 3 is running Android, Android 4.4 KitKat
Most probably, the phone will not leave China.
Tomi Engdahl says:
4K phone screens: madness, or clearly the next big thing?
In Depth Screens are set to get crisper but it may be a needless tech advancement
http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/4k-phone-screens-madness-or-clearly-the-next-big-thing–1260691
Historically, smartphone screens have got that little bit better every season. The HTC One X had a 720p HD screen; the Galaxy S4 and HTC One both stepped up to 1080p Full HD displays, and we’re now seeing 2K displays pop up on the likes of the LG G3.
The trend would suggest, therefore, that 4K displays will be commonplace within the next two or so generations of flagship phone.
In theory, the higher the resolution, the crisper and less blurry the image.
But the gold standard of ultra hi-res is currently 4K, which offers a display resolution normally of 3840 x 2160.
It’s a standard that’s starting to creep into high-end TVs and computer monitors, and even more common services like YouTube and GoPro are starting to record or playback 4K footage.
But improvement isn’t just as simple as sticking a higher-res screen in each new generation of phone: after a while, people will stop noticing the difference.
This is because of one crucial factor: pixel density.
the human eye stops being able to make out a screen’s individual pixels after a certain point – and after that point, increasing the resolution further won’t really do anything of benefit.
According to Apple, that cut-off is 326 PPI for a smartphone.
Experts, such as DisplayMate’s Raymond Soniera, peg that number a little higher – up to 600PPI for people with freakishly good vision.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Debugging the iPhone 6
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1324889
Verification consultant Lauro Rizzatti says that if he’s correct in assuming Apple’s using hardware emulation in its verification flow, the iPhone 6 should be completely debugged and working perfectly.
The Apple technical magic and the tools that enable it are kept cloaked in secrecy. Vendors do not disclose their relationship with Apple. It’s a safe bet, however, that a range of EDA tools following a strict and production-proven methodology and tool flow was employed to design the chips powering the iPhone 6.
And, why not? Apple’s technical team is among the best there is and should have the best commercially available tools. In that mix has to be hardware emulation, a flexible, versatile, and powerful verification tool that offers an accurate representation of the design before silicon is ready. It is able to uncover well-hidden bugs in complex embedded designs or in the hardware itself. These bugs are the bane of verification engineers, the cause of missed production schedules, and — in some cases — the cause of design respins. This latter case is not an option at Apple, no doubt. Shrinking its product development cycle, not extending it, has to be an objective, especially when the volume is so high.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sweat Sensors Will Change How Wearables Track Your Health
Your sweat may bring medical diagnostics to Fitbits and Fuelbands
http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/diagnostics/sweat-sensors-will-change-how-wearables-track-your-health
Sweat, ick. It betrays our nervousness, leaves unsightly blotches on our clothes, drips down our faces, and makes us stink. Sure, it cools us when we overheat, but most of the time we think of it purely as an inconvenience.
We may soon, however, learn to like our sweat a lot more—or at least what it can reveal about our health.
Sweat contains a trove of medical information and can provide it in almost real time. And now you can monitor your sweat with a wearable gadget that stimulates and collects it using a small patch and analyzes it using a smartphone—that is, if you visit my lab.
Using sweat to diagnose disease is not new.
My group at the University of Cincinnati, working with Joshua Hagen and other scientists at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Ohio, began five years ago to look for a convenient way to monitor an airman’s response to disease, medication, diet, injury, stress, and other physical changes during both training and missions. In that quest, we developed patches that stimulate and measure sweat and then wirelessly relay data derived from it to a smartphone. In 2013 the Air Force expanded on my group’s work and that of our collaborators by sponsoring the Nano-Bio-Manufacturing Consortium, in San Jose, Calif., created to accelerate the commercialization of biomonitoring devices such as sweat sensors.
Tomi Engdahl says:
[Update] Samsung Gear VR now available for $200 at Samsung.com and AT&T
http://phandroid.com/2014/12/08/samsung-gear-vr-att/
Samsung has always listed December 2014 as the landing date for their virtual reality wearable Samsung Gear VR, and unless my calendar is bugged that window has arrived. While Samsung has yet to formally announce a solid date, AT&T seems to be preparing for it as the company has listed the device on their web store.
The listing shows the headset going for $200, but what do you get for all that dough? A virtual reality enclosure that cradles your Samsung Galaxy Note 4 to enable an immersive 360-degree view of unique content. Yes, that means you must have your own Samsung Galaxy Note 4 to use with the headset, so folks without that added bit of expensive equipment needn’t apply.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Huge, Unseen Operation Behind the Accuracy of Google Maps
http://www.wired.com/2014/12/google-maps-ground-truth/
The maps we use to navigate have come a long way in a short time. Since the ’90s we’ve gone from glove boxes stuffed with paper maps to floorboards littered with Mapquest printouts to mindlessly obeying Siri or her nameless Google counterpart.
The maps behind those voices are packed with far more data than most people realize.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wearables make hardware the new software
http://www.edn.com/design/systems-design/4437812/Wearables-make-hardware-the-new-software?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20141208&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20141208&elq=ecd75c9da2c343b79ff6ddd1b4fd8745&elqCampaignId=20560
As we turn to 2015 and beyond, however, wearables becomes an explosive hardware design opportunity — one that is closely tied to both consumer and healthcare markets, and that could pick up steam in the way software did during the smartphone app explosion. Better yet, it’s an opportunity that is still anyone’s game.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Blackphone launches privacy-aware app store in bid to reward security-conscious devs
Firm also takes on Samsung Knox with ‘Spaces’
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2385633/blackphone-launches-privacy-aware-app-store-in-bid-to-reward-security-conscious-devs
SECURITY-MINDED PHONE MAKER Blackphone has announced the launch of PrivatOS1.1, an updated version of its custom Android software that brings with it a dedicated app store for the privacy-aware.
Given the smartphone’s hard-line approach to security, Blackphone currently ships without a default app store onboard. That will change in January with the launch of PrivatOS 1.1, which will bring the Blackphone app store.
“We’re not trying to be another untrusted, third-party app store – there’s lots of those out there already,” he said.
“We’re looking to provide a selective and curated assortment of privacy-focused apps. That doesn’t just include password management and email encryption apps. It’s those that handle user details appropriately.
“We wanted to set up an environment in which developers are encouraged to store details in a safe way, and to encourage authenticity. We want to reward developers for being secure.”
“We look at an app’s permissions. If an email encryption app, for example, wants access to your camera and microphone, it’s probably not right for the Blackphone app store,” Weir-Jones said.
“As public conversation about privacy expands, we want developers to recognise that security is a good thing to invest in.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google offers Java developers free training for platform as a service
Java devs can learn to write for Android L
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2356867/google-offers-java-developers-free-training-for-platform-as-a-service?utm_source=Outbrain&utm_medium=Cpc&utm_campaign=Inquirer%252BReferral&WT.mc_is=977=obinsource
GOOGLE HAS ANNOUNCED another online training course for Android developers.
“Building Scalable Apps” is the second course announced this week on the Udacity remote learning service, following on from “Android Fundamentals”.
The course is aimed at Java developers who are looking to build apps for devices with wide user bases by leveraging Google App Engine, the company’s Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mobile payment technology reaching critical mass?
http://www.edn.com/design/consumer/4437704/Mobile-payment-technology-reaching-critical-mass-?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20141209&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20141209&elq=7e5da4660fce48d6a31d121241883e4c&elqCampaignId=20580
Long predicted but always seeming to be “just around the corner,” mobile payments may finally have arrived. While Apple’s recent Apple Pay announcement may in retrospect be seen as launching the coming mobile payment revolution, the underlying technologies – and alternative solutions – have been emerging for some time.
The fundamental technological enabler for mobile payments is of course the ubiquitous smartphone, with wearables promising to create even more, and new, opportunities. Technologies playing a supporting role in this shift include encryption advances, digital currencies, biometrics, NFC, Bluetooth, QR codes, and even the use of sound wave data transfer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Warning, This App Could Trash Your Phone
http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/09/warning-this-app-could-trash-your-phone/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity
If the idea of throwing an expensive piece of consumer electronics up in the air and watching it spin around makes your palms clammy with sweat then this app is definitely not for you. You have been warned.
Indeed, Apple won’t allow the app — a game called Gyro Skate — into iOS’s walled garden, because of the apparent risk of encouraging people to trash their i-devices. Its App Store guidelines frown on such irreverent behavior. So it’s Android only for now, and probably forevermore.
So what is Gyro Skate? As its name suggests, the app uses the hardware gyroscope built into smartphones to power a skateboard game which scores the phone owner’s trick skills
Being as it’s reliant on sensitive gyroscope hardware, Gyro Skate only works with a subset of Android devices that contain actual physical gyro hardware, so older phones may not play nice.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HERE for Android now available for free on Google Play
http://360.here.com/2014/12/10/android-now-available-free-google-play/
More than a million of you have already taken HERE for Android beta for a spin, with the most active downloaders coming from Germany and the USA. Today, the playground gets bigger with the beta version of HERE for Android arriving for free on the Google Play store across the world**.
Installing the new version from Google Play is simpler and more straightforward than ‘sideloading’ HERE for Android from here.com. Google Play will also make sure that your phone notifies you to update the app, so you can be confident that you will always have the latest version. There is no need to uninstall the existing version, and there will be no need to reinstall downloaded maps or voices.
The app you can download from Google Play brings voice-guided navigation
Getting started with HERE for Android: the basics
http://360.here.com/2014/10/08/getting-started-android-basics/
Tomi Engdahl says:
United Airlines buys iPhone 6 Plus for all its flight attendants to handle payments, manuals & more
http://9to5mac.com/2014/12/10/united-airlines-iphone-6-plus-deployment/
United Airlines announced today that its more than 23,000 flight attendants will soon be carrying the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus for company use and servicing customers. The airline says it will be rolling out Apple’s phablet to its flight attendants starting next year during the second quarter and be used for onboard retail transactions, accessing company email and the airline’s website and internal network, and viewing airline manuals for policies and procedures.
United Airlines says deploying the iPhone 6 Plus to its flight attendant staff will allow the airline to replace paper safety manuals in the future as it makes them available on the iPhone. Reporting aircraft cabin issues and receiving follow-up information on repairs will also be handled through the iPhone 6 Plus eventually, United says.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:
Google introduces support for Watch Faces on Android Wear with developer APIs and a new Play Store section offering dozens of designs at launch
Android Wear Gets Official Third-Party Watchface Support
http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/10/android-wear-watchfaces/
Google is making good on a promise it made previously to the Android Wear community today, officially opening up watchface creation to third-party developers, complete with new tools, and a dedicated section of the Google Play app marketplace.
The launch includes a collection of officially sanctioned watchface apps from high-profile artists, brands and other partners, including Hugh Turvey, Porsche, Pac Man, Red Bull, Despicable Me, Rebecca Minkoff and more. I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting Google to launch this with a branding push, but it makes perfect sense, especially given Apple’s decision to feature a Disney watchface so prominently in its launch event unveiling the wearable.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google begins notifying users of $19 million settlement with FTC over in-app purchases
http://9to5google.com/2014/12/09/google-play-settlement-notifications/
Google has started notifying users of its Play Store about a $19 million settlement it reached with the FTC in September. The company is being required to pay out refunds for in-app purchases made by children on their parents’ credit cards after one of Apple’s lawyers brought the case to the FTC’s attention.
Users will have until December 2nd, 2015 to log into their Play Store accounts and mark any in-app purchases that were made by a minor in order to qualify for a refund. The total refund isn’t limited to $19 million, as that number serves only as a minimum required by the FTC.
Cases against Apple and Amazon for the same types of transactions have previously ended with similar results.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google’s road to virtual reality begins with Cardboard
http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/10/google-cardboard/
When I first saw Google’s Cardboard VR contraption earlier this year, I laughed. I thought to myself, “This is a joke, right?” How could this piece of cutout cardboard with a phone in it possibly work as a virtual reality headset? Compared to the Oculus Rift and Samsung’s own smartphone-powered Gear VR, this Cardboard thing seemed more like a high school arts and crafts project than anything high-tech. I didn’t take it seriously.
I was wrong.
Not only is Google’s Cardboard virtual reality experience more enjoyable than I imagined (we’ll get to my hands-on experience later), but also Cardboard is much more than just a DIY toy. As silly as it seems, this combination of cardboard, Velcro strips, magnets and plastic lenses is Google’s first serious entry into the brave new world of virtual reality.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Brings ‘My Maps’ Custom Map Creation To Google Drive
http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/10/google-brings-my-maps-custom-map-creation-to-google-drive/
Google’s My Maps tool for building custom drives, trips and routes on its Maps product is now integrated into Google Drive, which means you can build custom maps just as easily as you can new documents, slideshows and spreadsheets.
Putting the My Maps tools right inside Google Drive says something about Google’s cloud-based productivity plans – this helps distance its offering from others including Office 365, giving it a broader feature set for users looking to do just more than get business done.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Death to “half-power handsets”
http://www.edn.com/design/consumer/4437892/Death-to–half-power-handsets-?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_consumerelectronics_20141210&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_consumerelectronics_20141210&elq=ebfe20fce7c942e28d21a59498884772&elqCampaignId=20604
It is one of the mobile industry’s dirty secrets, but nearly all of today’s 4G handsets do not transmit at full power. Instead, 4G handset manufacturers have been producing “half-power handsets,” due partly to limitations of RF front-end components, but more often because of the mistaken belief that reducing transmit power is the best way to maximize battery life.
For end users, battery life is still one of the key metrics when selecting a handset. This is why, as more is asked of the battery in mobile handsets, manufacturers have been so keen to pursue any strategy that reduces current consumption. As a result, handset manufacturers have looked to minimize the peak handset transmit power wherever possible.
Ironically, the fact is that in the data-centric 4G world, far from extending battery life, backing off handset transmit power as far as possible is actually increasing the drain on batteries. Not only that, but “half power handsets” also significantly reduce network coverage and data rates for all users.
A new approach is needed to overcome these significant performance limitations and consign half-power handsets to the trash can. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the best way to extend handset battery life is deceptively simple – turn the transmit power up to eleven.
In the voice-centric 2G and 3G era, the strategy of backing off transmit power made good sense and fitted neatly with network bandwidth allocation strategies.
The transition to 4G has resulted in a significant change to the network, with dynamic bandwidth allocation on a per-timeslot basis, which is much better suited to ‘bursty’ data requirements.
However, in LTE the transmit power from the handset is directly proportional to the number of Resource Blocks allocated in the frequency domain, with up to 20 dB (100x) difference between the low-data-rate voice and high-rate bursts of data. his pushes up both the average and peak transmit power of the RF Power Amplifier (PA) in the handset. For the highest data rates, the handset is also able to use highly efficient 16QAM transmissions, which push the peak power up by a further 1 dB (25%).
As a result, many handset manufacturers and chipset vendors have released 4G products that fall way short of the 3GPP specifications for transmit power, claiming that it’s not possible for them to transmit at full power.
This may make life easier for the RF front-end designer, but halving the peak transmit power requires handsets to transmit for twice as long for a given data payload – significantly degrading battery life. During those extra timeslots, the power-hungry LTE modem and apps processor have to stay awake, burning even more power.
Turning the transmit power up may not be the most obvious way to increase battery life. However, the drawbacks associated with half-power handsets are now impacting the user experience
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft acquires HockeyApp, leading mobile crash analytics and beta distribution service for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/somasegar/archive/2014/12/08/microsoft-acquires-hockeyapp-leading-mobile-crash-analytics-and-beta-distribution-service-for-ios-android-and-windows-phone.aspx
As mobile, cloud, and DevOps continue to transform the application development landscape, we are bringing together the most complete set of tools and services for highly productive mobile-first, cloud-first development – from cross-platform mobile development tools in Visual Studio to Application Insights in Visual Studio Online.
Today I’m pleased to announce that we have acquired HockeyApp, a class leading service for mobile crash analytics and app distribution for developers building apps on iOS, Android and Windows Phone. We will integrate HockeyApp into the Application Insights service in Visual Studio Online to expand Application Insights support for iOS and Android.
Based in Stuttgart, Germany, HockeyApp offers a range of mobile development services enabling developers to develop, distribute, and beta test great mobile applications. This includes:
Crash reporting. Fast and precise crash reporting with easy app integration, rich crash analysis and support for connecting directly to existing workflows and bug tracking systems.
Distribution and feedback. Beta distribution and built-in user feedback system.
Cross-platform. Support for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone provides a consistent developer experience across mobile devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Removes Amazon’s App Listing From Google Play Search Following Addition Of Appstore, Instant Video Integrations
http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/11/google-removes-amazons-app-listing-from-google-play-search-following-addition-of-appstore-instant-video-integrations/
In October, we spotted that Amazon had quietly launched a hidden and functional app store within its main Android application which was available for download on Google Play. Now, according to new reports from varying sources, Amazon’s flagship application’s listing is no longer available via search from within Google Play, though its direct link is still live. Additionally, there’s now a newly launched application called Amazon Shopping which looks much like the original application, but no longer includes the Appstore section.
We launched a new Amazon App for Android Phones on September 9 that provides an award-winning mobile shopping experience, enables customers to discover and purchase all of Amazon’s digital catalog, and provides customers access to the Prime Instant Video player and unlimited streaming of over 40,000 movies and TV episodes. Google subsequently changed their Developer Distribution Agreement on September 25. As a result, we removed the app from Google Play and published the Amazon Shopping app. Customers who want the best Amazon experience on their Android phone, including access to Prime Instant Video and Amazon’s entire digital catalog, can still get the Amazon App for Android Phones at amazon.com/androidapp
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft makes its MSN consumer apps available on iOS, Android, Amazon devices
http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-makes-its-msn-consumer-apps-available-on-ios-android-amazon-devices/
Summary:Microsoft is continuing its cross-platform push, bringing a number of its MSN-branded consumer apps to iOS, Android and Amazon devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
In Iowa, a Phone App Could Serve As Driver’s License
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/14/12/11/184212/in-iowa-a-phone-app-could-serve-as-drivers-license
Simply hand the law enforcement officer your mobile phone. That’s what you can do in Iowa rather than “digging through clutter in your glove compartment for an insurance card.” And soon your driver’s license will be available on your phone too
Iowa to launch smartphone driver’s license
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2014/12/08/iowa-digital-smartphone-drivers-license/20114979/
Iowans will soon be able to use a mobile app on their smartphones as their official driver’s license issued by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
The app, which will be provided to drivers at no additional cost, will be available sometime in 2015, DOT Director Paul Trombino told Gov. Terry Branstad during a state agency budget hearing Monday.
People will still be able to stick a traditional plastic driver’s license in their wallet or purse if they choose, Trombino said. But the new digital license, which he described as “an identity vault app,” will be accepted by Iowa law enforcement officers during traffic stops and by security officers screening travelers at Iowa’s airports, he said.
“It is basically your license on your phone,” he said.
The new app should be highly secure, Trombino said. People will use a pin number for verification.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft ready to show off Windows 10 mobile SKU on January 21
http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-ready-to-show-off-windows-10-mobile-sku-on-january-21/
Summary:Microsoft will share more about the Windows 10 ‘consumer experience’ at an event on January 21 in Redmond.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Inside Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1324976&
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 is not only a killer part, it has raised the bar on what a mobile SoC has to be in 2015.
First publically mentioned in April 2014, the Snapdragon 810 was positioned as Qualcomm’s new flagship application processor and potential king of the hill in mobile SoCs. Now, eight months later we got to see how and if the 810 lived up to such a heady promise.
Prior to the official announcement rumors said the new part was running hot and its advanced memory controller was not working. So much for rumors. Last night I held two tablets and four phones with Snapdragon 810 chips in them, and they were cool, in every sense of the word. They drove a 4K (3840 x 2160) TV, took 4K videos, ran AAA games, and had at least a 5-inch HD displays — finished, branded products just waiting to be released.
I am convinced Qualcomm is on track to deliver commercial devices with Snapdragon 810 in mid-2015. In fact, I expect you’ll see products at CES, and probably in the market before the second quarter.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Xiaomi made $56 mln profit in 2013: filing
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/15/us-xiaomi-financials-idUSKBN0JT07Y20141215
China’s Xiaomi Technology Ltd Co made a profit of 347.48 million yuan ($56.15 million) on 26.58 billion yuan ($4.30 billion) in revenue in 2013, according to new Chinese securities filings, showing the razor-thin margins at one of the handset industry’s fastest growing companies.
The regulatory document provides for the first time an official snapshot of a company that became the most popular smartphone vendor in China and the third-largest vendor in the world this year, thanks to a lineup of handsets that are considered high-quality yet relatively inexpensive.
Xiaomi has long branded itself an “Internet company” that eschews traditional marketing and sells hardware at low prices as a distribution channel for its real moneymaker: software and services. But the financial impact of its business model – and whether it can generate sustainable profits demanded by public markets – has been a subject of long-running speculation in the technology industry.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Market researcher Gartner just published figures for cell phone market tell us that Samsung is the power position, have trouble. Smartphone sales as a whole has risen from last year remain well, but this is not the case with Samsung.
The third-quarter smartphone sales grew by about 50 million, or 20 per cent. Samsung’s sales declined by 7 million device. At the same time, its market share narrowed dramatically from 32 per cent to 24 per cent.
Apple kept the second place, increasing slightly share. The third place of the taking place of intense struggle among the three Chinese. It will compete toe to toe for Huawei, Lenovo, and Xiaomi. Of these, approximately quadrupled its sales in a year and leave at this rate as soon as the other two behind.
Mobile operating systems Android ahead of increased even more: It accounted for about 83 percent of market, Apple’s iOS less than 13 per cent
Windows accounts for the past year, dropped a modest 3.6 per cent slice to exactly 3 per cent.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/kaikki_uutiset/samsung+rahmallaan+romahdus+puhelinmyynnissa/a1036675
Tomi Engdahl says:
Workflow pushes the limits of how powerful iOS can be
A new app called Workflow aims to close the divide between the power of OS X and the convenience of iOS. By offering curated and custom workflows, the app can automate just about anything you’d want to do on the iPhone or iPad — along with actions you probably haven’t thought of before, like calling an Uber car to take you to your next meeting with one tap.
It’s an ambitious undertaking for any developer, but what makes Workflow even better is that it was created by two brilliant teenagers with great aspirations for making mobile devices as powerful as they can be.
“A lot of computing is moving to mobile phones and tablets,” said Workflow co-creator Ari Weinstein in an interview with Cult of Mac. “And yet the software people are using on those devices is not nearly as capable as what you have on a desktop right now.”
“Powerful automation made simple.” That’s Workflow’s tagline. And after testing the app for the past couple weeks, I can attest that it’s true. Workflow lets you create complex actions easier than Automator on the Mac ever could.
Weinstein walked me through creating my own workflow by dragging individual actions together. I made one that inserts an extension into the share sheet of Safari for turning a webpage into a PDF and saving it to Dropbox. I took the “Made PDF” action (with “Include Margin” checked for a nice margin around the PDF’s edges), added a “Quick Look” to be able to preview the PDF, and an “Open In…” action that sends it to Dropbox. Now when I’m viewing a webpage in Safari I want to convert, I tap the “Run Workflow” extension and sit back.
That sounds like a lot of work, and it’s exactly the reason why Workflow will have a hard time gaining any traction outside of the geeky, early adopter crowd. There’s a ton of stuff in the app to wade through.
Read more at http://www.cultofmac.com/305826/workflow/#gHAuTrzptIIxehzP.99
https://my.workflow.is/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Gear VR Review: Hell Yes I Will Strap This Phone to My Face
http://gizmodo.com/samsung-gear-vr-review-hell-yes-i-will-strap-this-phon-1670312012
The Oculus Rift is an awesome virtual reality headset. Google Cardboard is an awesome one too. But what if you could have the best of both? Simple and high-tech all at once. That’s Samsung’s Gear VR. You can probably do the math for how cool that is. (It’s awesome.)
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Brings Museums To Mobile Users, Armchair Travelers With New Technology Platform
http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/10/google-brings-museums-to-mobile-users-armchair-travelers-with-new-technology-platform/
Google announced today it’s making a platform available to museums that enables them to build mobile applications that take advantage of Google technology, including Street View and YouTube, to bring their exhibits to anyone with a smartphone. Through partnerships between museums worldwide and the Google Cultural Institute, there are now 11 museums and cultural institutions that have participated in this pilot project to date; their apps are live now on Google Play.
The early adopters of this new software platform include museums and institutions in Italy, France, the Netherlands and Nigeria, such as the Museum of Arts et Métiers, MAO, GAM, Palazzo Madama, Musee Curie, Museum of Le Havre, Monnaie de Paris, MAGA, Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, and the Pan-Atlantic University app, to name a few.
Tomi Engdahl says:
7th October 2014 11:02
BIG trouble in Big China: Samsung cops it RIGHT in the wallet
XiaOW-ME – that’s gotta hurt
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2014/10/07/smartphone_slump_scuppers_samsung/
Analysis Competition from Chinese smartphone makers has mashed Samsung’s China sales, resulting in a warning from the Korean company that its third quarter earnings would drop by 60 per cent when compared with the previous year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
We are never getting back to… Samsung’s baking Apple’s 14nm ‘A9′ chips?
Promise of 14nm has Cupertino back in Sammy’s arms – reports
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/12/15/samsung_14nm_a9_processors_apple/
A new generation of smaller, faster Apple processors is now under production by Samsung, including at Sammy’s Texan facility, according to reports.
While Apple and Samsung have a rather fraught relationship (mainly conducted through lawyers) Samsung’s components division is a major supplier to Cupertino.
It’s not known what devices the new chips will go into, but there may be a mid-life kick to the iPhone 6, something Apple has done before. Or, it might be targeted at an iPhone 7.
Given the huge initial shipments Apple has to deal with whenever an iAnything goes on sale it would make sense to secure processor supply.
The new chip is a shrink on the existing A9 processor to Samsung’s 14nm process
Smaller chips run faster and cooler, and you get more of them to a wafer, but as the scales reduce they become increasingly harder to make.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Gear S is exceptionally versatile smart watch – and will flop just because of that
Samsung Gear S is able to do more or less everything but make coffee.
Samsung’s recent acquisitions become Gear S contains more or less all the features that smart watch can be.
The watch is big and eye-catching. – big
Gear S based Tizen operating system and it is clear to use. Programs open and close wipes and physical home key will always return to the initial view.
The greatest novelty clocks compared to previous Samsung is the place to watch a 3G sim card.
3g connection is to be done independent of the watch phone. This means that the clock can actually search the web or even function as a phone, if the phone is off or in Bluetooth range of reach.
Here, too, is of course a downside, if you are afraid about their personal privacy. Samsung is starting to quickly ask your age, date of birth, and other information to target their services better.
The watch will remain the same feeling as the Samsung top phones: it is stuffed full high-end features, which is why the device is so robust. Less would be still more.
It is easy to predict that the Gear S is not becoming a mass product. In part, it prevents quite infertile price (about 300 euros), but, above all, the appearance of the clock. The device is worn on the wrist as the dominant player, and especially women non-inspiring, that it is already capable of restricting sales.
Source: http://www.digitoday.fi/vimpaimet/2014/12/13/samsung-gear-s-on-harvinaisen-monipuolinen-alykello–ja-floppaa-juuri-siksi/201417162/66?rss=6
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gartner: 301M Smartphones Sold In Q3 As Xiaomi Muscles Into The Top 5 At Samsung’s Expense
http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/15/gartner-301m-smartphones-sold-in-q3-as-xiaomi-muscles-into-the-top-5-at-samsungs-expense/
Smartphones now account for 66% of all mobile phones worldwide and are on track to see 2014 sales of 1.2 billion units in 2014. But while Android appears to have “won” the so-called platform war, the two-horse race between the leading smartphone vendors — Samsung and Apple — looks like it may finally be breaking up a bit, powered by sales of handsets in emerging markets.
Gartner today published its Q3 numbers for how mobile phones fared globally. A total of 301 million smartphones sold, up 20% on a year ago. Within that, Apple’s and Samsung’s combined smartphone share totalled 37%, down 7 percentage points from the same period a year ago.
Mobile phone sales overall were 456 million — completely flat on Q3 2013.
Within the smartphone space, China’s Xiaomi made its way into the top five for the first time with a sharp rise over a year ago, while the world’s biggest OEM, Samsung, declined.
That’s not to say that Samsung is not in the lead: it is, by some margin. The Korean handset giant sold 73 million smartphones in Q3, giving it a 24.4% share of the market, although that’s down by almost eight percentage points (and 7 million devices sold) on a year ago. Overall, the company sold 94 million handsets (smart and low-end phones combined) for a 20% share of the market (down five percentage points on a year ago).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft’s Gestures Beta app brings ‘enhanced’ gestures to Lumia Windows Phone devices
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/132044-microsoft-s-gestures-beta-app-brings-enhanced-gestures-to-lumia-windows-phone-devices
Microsoft has been working on some interesting gestures for Windows Phone that will allow you to interact with your device without having to touch the display, and the company is now ready to show off those new gestures by launching an app in beta.
The app, called Gestures Beta, is sort of like downloading a gesture pack. Microsoft was expected to debut “enhanced interactions” and gestures with a second update to Windows Phone 8.1, but it appears the company thought an app just for Lumia Windows Phone was the better route.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia’s Here Will Power Maps For Baidu Outside China To Cater To China’s ‘Globetrotters’
http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/14/nokias-here-will-power-maps-for-baidu-outside-china-to-cater-to-chinas-globetrotters/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Watch out, Samsung! 3 of top 5 smartphone makers are now Chinese
Xiaomi, rivals gnawing at Korean firm’s lunch
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/12/16/gartner_q3_smartphone_sales_figures/
It was more bad news for Samsung in the third quarter of 2014, as the Korean smartphone maker saw its global market share shrink by nearly 8 per cent, year on year, with most of it going to Chinese rivals.
According to the latest figures from Gartner, Samsung remains the worldwide smartphone king, but its market share was just 24.4 per cent for the third quarter, down from 32.1 per cent a year ago. What’s more, it moved 9 per cent fewer units than in the year-ago period.
Apple, Huawei, and Xiaomi, meanwhile, all managed to both increase shipments and grow their market shares in the quarter.
But the real eye-opener was the rocketing rise of Xiaomi, which went from a paltry 1.5 per cent market share a year ago to 5.2 per cent during this year’s quarter. China’s would-be Apple more than quadrupled its shipments to 15.8 million, nearly matching Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.
Gartner’s numbers put Xiaomi in fourth place in the smartphone biz, while other sources have previously ranked the upstart at third.
Significantly, however, Xiaomi’s entry into the list means that three of the top five smartphone makers are now Chinese firms.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel could now be the king of cell phones
ntel has spent years trying to get inside the mobile phones. The project has cost the company billions and billions of dollars. A little ironic is that the company could today be Qualcomm’s location. If it had agreed to manufacture processors Apple’s iPhones.
Former general manager of Intel’s Paul Otellini revealed last year interview that Steve Jobs asked Intel is manufacturing the iPhone processors. This was around the year 2005, at a time when Apple announced the transfer to your PC x86-time.
Otellin thought that Apple was not attractive.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2206:intel-voisi-nyt-olla-kannykoiden-kuningas&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kit promotes wearable wireless designs
http://www.edn.com/design/design-tools/development-kits/4437972/Kit-promotes-wearable-wireless-designs?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20141215&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20141215&elq=e56d76a4fc9249efb0dd39e4cf9331a4&elqCampaignId=20670
QuickLogic has teamed up with Nordic Semiconductor to create the TAG-N evaluation kit for the development and testing of wearable devices with always-on sensor capability. The bundle comprises the QuickLogic ArticLink 3 S2 low-power programmable sensor hub, QuickLogic algorithms, and a direct connection to the Nordic Semiconductor nRF51, a multiprotocol development board that targets Bluetooth Smart designs using the RF51822 SoC.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Can This Gadget Help You Feel Less Stressed
http://recode.net/video/can-this-gadget-help-you-feel-less-stressed/
Spire is a new piece of wearable technology that tracks your breathing patterns and knows when you’re calm, tense or focused.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mike Isaac / New York Times:
Apple Pay now supports 90% of US credit cards in terms of purchase volume
Dozens More Companies Sign Up for Apple Pay
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/16/dozens-more-companies-sign-up-for-apple-pay/?_r=0
The list of companies working with Apple Pay continues to grow.
On Tuesday, Apple announced that in recent weeks the company had signed up dozens more banks, retail stores and start-ups to adopt Apple Pay, the company’s new e-commerce product, which allows customers to buy things with little more than a wave of their iPhone.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jason Del Rey / Re/code:
Samsung in talks with mobile payments startup LoopPay to launch Apple Pay rival in 2015
http://recode.net/2014/12/16/samsung-in-talks-to-launch-apple-pay-competitor/