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:
Facebook Messenger Fights Chat Competitors By Bringing ‘Contact Via Phone Number’ To All
http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/13/facebook-phone-number-messenger/
Facebook is continuing its assault on SMS and competitors like WeChat and Line today by expanding its “contact via phone number” feature to Messenger for iOS. The option launched on Android to a select set of testers at the end of October, and is being pushed to all Androiders as well as all iOS users. The update is rolling out now
In case you thought Facebook wasn’t concerned with these competitors, just look at the iOS screenshots in the App Store. Each tackles a specific foe.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2013 Results
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/facebook-reports-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2013-results-242637731.html
Revenue for the full year 2013 was $7.87 billion, an increase of 55% year-over-year.
Mobile advertising revenue represented approximately 53% of advertising revenue for the fourth quarter of 2013, up from approximately 23% of advertising revenue in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google sells Motorola to Lenovo for $2.91 billion
Lenovo will use Motorola’s name to enter the US smartphone market
http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/29/5358620/lenovo-reportedly-buying-motorola-mobility-from-google
Google is selling Motorola Mobility to Lenovo, giving the Chinese smartphone manufacturer a major presence in the US market. Lenovo will buy Motorola for $2.91 billion in a mixture of cash and stock. Google will retain ownership of the vast majority of Motorola’s patents, while 2,000 patents and a license on the remaining patents will go to Lenovo.
“Lenovo has the expertise and track record to scale Motorola Mobility into a major player within the Android ecosystem,” Google CEO Larry Page said in a statement.
That’s good news for Lenovo, which has been vocal about its intention to move into the US smartphone market this year.
Despite Motorola’s ongoing struggle to reach profitability, Yuanqing is extremely optimistic about what it will do under Lenovo.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Some Thoughts on Lenovo’s Acquisition of Motorola Mobility from Google
by Anand Lal Shimpi on January 29, 2014 7:55 PM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7726/some-thoughts-on-lenovos-acquisition-of-motorola-mobility-from-google
if there’s a company that knows how to successfully compete in a low margin business it’s Lenovo.
Larry’s side note above also makes sense, it tells us a lot about Google’s willinginess to play in the hardware space. In a sense, Google won’t be a fast follower but it will gladly reap the rewards of a being a first mover in any industry.
Google is absolutely an early mover in the wearables space and with its acquisition of Nest you can say the same thing for its role in the connected home.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung posts weaker Q4 2013 earnings, says smartphone and tablets still strong
http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-posts-weaker-q4-2013-earnings-says-smartphone-113012381.html
The company reported record revenues of 59.28 trillion won ($54.95 billion), but operating profit was at 8.31 trillion won ($7.7 billion) for Q4 2013, an 18% dropped compared to the previous quarter
This was the first quarterly operating profit decline for Samsung in two years, even though overall it had a record year
Samsung’s mobile division was again responsible for more than half of the company’s revenue
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smartphones to Open Doors at Some Hotels
Starwood to Begin Test of Virtual Keys Stored in Apps
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304856504579339130820876304
Guests arriving at the Aloft Hotel in Manhattan or one in Silicon Valley will soon be able to do something hotels have dreamed about offering for years: walk past the check-in desk and enter their rooms by using a smartphone as a room key.
Guests at these properties will receive a message on a Starwood app containing a virtual key, which will unlock the door with a tap or twist of their phone through the use of Bluetooth technology. The company says the iPhone 4s or newer models and the Android phones running 4.3 or newer will be compatible.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Motorola and Lenovo Become World’s 3rd Largest Smartphone Vendor
http://blogs.strategyanalytics.com/WSS/post/2014/01/29/Motorola-and-Lenovo-Become-Worlds-3rd-Largest-Smartphone-Vendor.aspx
According to our Wireless Smartphone Strategies (WSS) service, the combined entity of Lenovo and Motorola captured 6% share of global smartphone shipments in 2013.
For Lenovo, it is a good move.
For Motorola, it gains access to an ambitious sugar daddy
For Google, it divests a loss-making hardware division.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Android’s growth to slow following capture of record 80 percent market share in 2013
So says Strategy Analytics
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2325812/androids-growth-to-slow-following-record-capture-of-80-percent-market-share-in-2013
INTERNET GIANT Google’s Android mobile operating system captured a record 80 percent market share in 2013 but likely now will see its growth start to slow, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.
According to the analyst firm’s statistics there were a total of 781.2 million Android devices shipped last year,
“Android shipped four times more smartphones than Apple and Microsoft combined.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mini Games
OK Glass, play a game.
https://developers.google.com/glass/samples/mini-games
With tons of tiny sensors and a screen that fits neatly above the eye, Glass is an exciting new place to play. We hacked together five simple games that experiment with the unique features of Glass and demonstrate some of the possibilities for gaming.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook posts bumper fourth quarter financials as mobile push pays off
Revenue increased 63 percent
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2325940/facebook-posts-bumper-fourth-quarter-financials-as-mobile-push-pays-off
SOCIAL NETWORK Facebook surprised analysts with good fourth quarter financial results on Wednesday, announcing that revenue increased 63 percent year on year due to the growth of its mobile user base.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Glassholes, GET OFF our ROADS, thunder lawmakers in seven US states
Bills ask citizens to REMOVE wearables when driving
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/30/google_glass_car_ban_bills/
Seven US states are looking into banning wearable computers like Google Glass while driving, shortly after a high-profile court case in California where a Glasshole got off scot-free.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Meet “Paper,” Facebook’s New Answer for Browsing — And Creating — Mobile Media
http://recode.net/2014/01/30/meet-paper-facebooks-answer-to-browsing-and-creating-mobile-media/
Facebook wants to be a newspaper. And it wants you to be writing some of its best stories.
To that end, the social giant announced on Thursday it will soon launch Paper, a mobile application that entirely re-envisions how Facebook users discover — and create — much of the content flowing through the massive social network.
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Google patent suggests automatically sending your videos and photos to law enforcement
http://phandroid.com/2014/01/29/google-mob-sourced-video-patent
Google recently filed a patent for a system that identifies when and where a “mob” event takes place and sends multimedia alerts to relevant parties.
“law enforcement agencies” and “news organization(s)” are the first two examples provided by Google
Tomi Engdahl says:
Revenue and Profit Rise at Google, but Mobile Is a Persistent Challenge
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/technology/revenue-and-profit-rise-at-google-but-mobile-struggles-continue.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook, Parse launch code library called Bolts
http://www.zdnet.com/facebook-parse-launch-code-library-called-bolts-7000025804/
Facebook and Parse have created a library of low-level code called Bolts for iOS and Android designed to speed up developing mobile applications.
Parse is a service that provides components for developers as well as frameworks so mobile developers can do things like push notifications easily without managing back-end infrastructure.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Archos buys Logic Instrument to launch rugged business smartphones and tablets
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2326134/archos-buys-logic-instrument-to-launch-rugged-business-smartphones-and-tablets
FRENCH TABLET OUTFIT Archos has bought into the French military grade device maker Logic Instrument, acquiring almost half the company to start an enterprise and defence industrial products venture.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Motorola’s ‘Mad Science’ Department Will Stay With Google
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2014/01/google-atap/
Google is going to keep a few of Motorola’s hardware makers after all. But they won’t build the usual mobile fare.
Tomi Engdahl says:
With Paper, Facebook just blew its own iPhone app out of the water
http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/30/5360358/facebook-paper-iphone-app
This morning, Facebook is announcing a new standalone iPhone app called Paper. Contrary to earlier rumors, it’s much more than just a news-reading app — it’s a complete reimagining of Facebook itself.
It may not replicated every feature of Facebook’s main app, but it does fulfill the majority of people’s needs. Simply put, it’s much, much better.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HELLO LENOVO. Do you really, really want to make smartphones?
It’s a dog-eat-dog world in the tech industry
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/31/hello_lenovo_do_you_really_want_to_make_smartphones/
Lenovo has bought third place in today’s smartphone market by acquiring fallen giant Motorola.
acquiring a ubiquitous American brand gives Lenovo an overnight foothold in the US market
PCs are a declining market and now – whisper it – peak smartphone has come and gone. Volumes will rise but profitability becomes more elusive. The market today is over-saturated and everybody’s margins are heading south – yes, even Samsung’s and Apple’s.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple Executives Met With F.D.A. to Discuss Mobile Medical Applications
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/apple-meets-with-f-d-a-regulators-for-mobile-medical-applications/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
Apple has signaled strong interest in health-monitoring technology, which could wind up in a widely anticipated smartwatch.
A group of senior Apple executives met with directors at the United States Food and Drug Administration in December to discuss mobile medical applications, according to the F.D.A.’s public calendars that list participants of meetings.
Tomi Engdahl says:
iWatch + iOS 8: Apple sets out to redefine mobile health, fitness tracking
http://9to5mac.com/2014/01/31/iwatch-ios-8-apple-sets-out-to-redefine-mobile-health-fitness-tracking/
Apple has its sights set on another industry ripe for reinvention: the mobile healthcare and fitness world. Apple currently plans to release a new version of the iPhone operating system this year with health and fitness tracking integration as its headline feature, according to sources briefed on the plans.
Apple plans for iOS 8 to include an application codenamed “Healthbook.” The software will be capable of monitoring and storing fitness statistics such as steps taken, calories burned, and miles walked.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Major League Baseball Rolling Out Thousands of iBeacons for Opening Day
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/01/30/mlb-ibeacon-rollout/
Next week, Major League Baseball will begin rolling out thousands of iBeacons in ballparks around the country
The iBeacon deployment is one of the largest rollouts in the world, aside from Apple Retail’s 254-store effort. MLB will be using iBeacons sourced from Qualcomm.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Another Super Bowl Ad Fest, This Time on the Cellphone
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/technology/For-Super-Bowl-Personalized-Phone-Alerts.html?pagewanted=all
The Super Bowl remains the biggest mass-market advertising event in the country. But this year, a new kind of advertising — personalized and based on physical location down to a matter of feet
the National Football League has sprinkled tiny wireless transmitters that can send finely tuned messages to smartphones.
iBeacons, that displays alerts even when a user is not running an app.
Privacy advocates say they are concerned that the proliferation of beacons would add considerably to the vast amounts of data marketers are already gathering about consumers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pebble appstore to debut Monday February 3rd
http://www.slashgear.com/pebble-appstore-to-debut-monday-february-3rd-31315334/
Pebble will launch its appstore on Monday, February 3rd, the smartwatch company has announced today.
also lets users manage which apps are installed to their Pebble at any one time, since the smartwatch has an eight app limit.
Tomi Engdahl says:
iOS8, Health Data, and Open Data
http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2014/02/ios8-health-data-and-open-data.html
News is leaking out of Apple that iOS8′s primary feature will be health and fitness data. .
The key will be APIs.
I can see a button that says “auth with Healthbook” in my doctor’s office, my gym’s mobile app, my health insurers’s web app, and a host of other places.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cycloramic hits top of App Store after Shark Tank appearance, $500k investment & 100k downloads in an hour
http://9to5mac.com/2014/02/01/cycloramic-hits-top-of-app-store-after-shark-tank-apperance-500k-investment-100k-downloads-in-an-hour/
What happens when your app gets featured on ABC’s Shark Tank, the TV show where rich investors listen to pitches from wannabe entrepreneurs looking to raise funds? For app developers Egos Ventures it means shooting up hundreds of spots on the App Store charts to become the top paid app in the store overnight.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3 Google Moves Signal End of Smartphone Era
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1320834&
Connect the dots among the three big moves Google made this month to dump Motorola, snatch up Nest and make peace with Samsung, and what do you get?
I see the end of the smartphone era — or more accurately, the international consumer love affair with smartphones. The honeymoon is over. I’m calling it now.
The value here isn’t the smartphone itself, but in peripherals — the software and hardware that run Nest. The smartphone, a mere messenger for these functions, is fast becoming a commodity.
To be sure, I’m not forecasting the eclipse of the smartphone. Smartphones will still be ubiquitous for years to come, their value intact. But the smartphone’s key function will be a modem, attached to a myriad of connected devices and technologies.
The end of an era for smartphones is a difficult prospect to face. After all, the smartphone market has been the engine of the electronics industry in the last several years.
The state of the smartphone industry today bears a striking resemblance to the moment in 2005 when the novelty of notebook computers began wearing off and IBM sold its PC business to Lenovo.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MediaTek Going Wearable, Chinese & Cheap
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1320842&
MediaTek is quietly going after the emerging market of under-$50 wearable devices.
The company’s new “all-in-one” SoC, called Aster, is sampling now only to a select group of customers.
Aster integrates ARM7 ESJ, Bluetooth 4.0/Bluetooth Low Energy, power management IC, and memory (4 Mbytes of flash and 4 Mbytes of SRAM). Housed in a 5.4 x 6 mm package
MediaTek’s Aster, together with the company’s wearable “turnkey solutions,” is designed to let a thousand flowers bloom in a number of new consumer devices, ranging from a Bluetooth dialer to a smartwatch.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple Reportedly Testing Inductive, Solar and Motion Charging For Its Smartwatch
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/14/02/03/0511246/apple-reportedly-testing-inductive-solar-and-motion-charging-for-its-smartwatch
” there’s going to be a heavy focus on health and fitness, but There might also be a way to charge the wearable without plugging it in”
Tomi Engdahl says:
A first glimpse of the new ‘multiOS’ handset from Geeksphone
http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/29/geeksphone-revolution-images-boot2gecko/?ncid=rss_truncated&a_dgi=gravity
pictures of the Firefox OS/Android multiOS handset
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Challenge to Apple and Google Stumbles
Telecoms Balk at Korean Firm’s New Tizen Mobile OS
http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/SB10001424052702303743604579356243021271178-lMyQjAxMTA0MDAwMzEwNDMyWj
An ambitious effort by Samsung Electronics Co. 005930.SE -1.57% to roll out smartphones powered by a new operating system is on shaky ground.
But some of the world’s major wireless carriers are beginning to pull their support of phones slated to run the platform.
Tizen (pronounced TAI-zen) also has had trouble attracting large developers of applications
Chinese smartphone makers—including a potentially strengthened Lenovo Group Ltd. following its planned acquisition of Google’s Motorola Mobility handset unit—threaten to push down handset prices and squeeze hardware margins. That would make software and services the industry’s primary profit engine.
Prototype Tizen devices, one of which has been reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, look and feel similar to those running Android
“Samsung can’t have a future where Google owns the experience and Samsung becomes the dumb screen company,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Android Malware: Alcatel-Lucent Diagnoses Plague
Smartphone becomes cyberespionage device
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1320874&
If China is worried about the security of Android phones (so much so that it was compelled to launch a homegrown OS), Alcatel-Lucent’s latest malware report might have just made the case for all that costly angst.
The latest Malware Report put together by Alcatel-Lucent’s security team says that more than 11.6 million mobile devices are infected worldwide, and 60% of them are Android smartphones. Most of the rest are Windows computers tethered to mobile networks through USB dongles, MiFi, or mobile phones. Less than 1% of the infections affect other devices, including iPhones, BlackBerrys, and Windows Phones.
“We applied intrusion detection technologies, often used by enterprises, to carriers’ network traffic and cloud space,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Who Needs 64-Bit or 8-Cores?
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1320853&
Chinese baseband chipset vendor Spreadtrum announced a new family of single-core 32-bit SoCs for smartphones. Yes, you read that correctly, single-core 32-bit SoCs for smartphones.
It matters because it fits a critical segment of the market. The device is targeted at $35 to $55 smartphones with Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) or higher and a 3.5″ displays for emerging markets.
I mean all regions where most of the population does not have a smartphone and 4G services are not available.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook Tests Graph Search on Mobile: How It Works
http://mashable.com/2014/02/03/facebook-graph-search-mobile/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-tech-link
Tomi Engdahl says:
How in-app purchase is not really destroying the games industry
http://sealedabstract.com/iphone/how-in-app-purchase-is-not-really-destroying-the-games-industry/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook’s Paper is Facebook for people who hate Facebook
http://gigaom.com/2014/02/03/facebooks-paper-is-facebook-for-people-who-hate-facebook/
If practically everything about Facebook as a user experience on both desktop and mobile bothers you, then Paper might answer your prayers.
Paper, created by a small group of developers, strips away nearly all vestiges of Facebook in both design and function. And, in doing so, it actually makes Facebook tolerable.
Paper’s series of cards feels more like Flipboard or Pocket than anything else.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple iWatch could trigger sales as high as $17.5B — analyst
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57618292-37/apple-iwatch-could-trigger-sales-as-high-as-$17.5b-analyst/
The much-rumored smartwatch might add more revenue to Apple’s coffers than did the iPhone or iPad during their first years, says analyst Katy Huberty.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Morgan Stanley sees ‘iWatch’ ringing up $17.5B from iPhone users in first year
http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/02/04/morgan-stanley-sees-iwatch-ringing-up-175b-from-iphone-users-in-first-year
Apple’s entry into the wearables market with a so-called “iWatch” could be an extremely profitable move for the company, with one investment bank predicting that the device will add up to $17.5 billion to Apple’s coffers in its first year of sales.
Huberty believes first-year sales of the wrist-worn device would outstrip even the iPad’s impressive $12 billion debut.
Central to Huberty’s thesis is Apple’s positioning of the iWatch as a natural accessory to tens of millions of existing iOS devices
Tomi Engdahl says:
PEAK MOBILE: IT biz spending forecasts SLASHED
World has reached tablet, smartphone saturation point – analysts
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2014/02/05/idc_2014_black_book_forecast/
We’re not even a full week into the second month of 2014 and beancounter IDC has lowered its global IT spending forecasts, amid volatility in emerging markets and on fears that smartphone and slab sales have peaked.
“The inevitable slowdown in the explosive pace of smartphone and tablets is masking an underlying improvement in many areas of IT spending,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
New York Police Department is beta-testing Google Glass
http://venturebeat.com/2014/02/05/nypd-google-glass/
Google Glass may soon become a favored tool for law enforcement agencies in the United States.
The New York City Police Department’s massive and controversial intelligence and analytics unit is evaluating whether Google Glass
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amazon’s iPhone App Uses Image Recognition to “See” Real-World Products You Want to Buy
Read more: Amazon Flow: iPhone App Uses Image Recognition to See Products | TIME.com http://techland.time.com/2014/02/05/amazons-iphone-app-uses-image-recognition-to-see-real-world-products-you-want-to-buy/#ixzz2sWpEol00
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cisco: The U.S. officially enters the gigabyte era of mobile data consumption
http://gigaom.com/2014/02/05/cisco-the-u-s-is-officially-in-the-gigabyte-era-of-mobile-data-consumption/
Summary:
Average mobile data use in North America nearly doubled in 2013 to 1.38 GBs a month leading the world. The U.S. isn’t the biggest data hog — that would be Japan — but LTE is driving consumption.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Indie smash hit ‘Flappy Bird’ racks up $50K per day in ad revenue
http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/5/5383708/flappy-bird-revenue-50-k-per-day-dong-nguyen-interview
“The reason Flappy Bird is so popular is that it happens to be something different from mobile games today, and is a really good game to compete against each other,” Nguyen says.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jean Michel Jarre: Je voudrais un MUSIC TAX sur VOTRE MOBE
Music is free on the internet – therefore everyone should cough up
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/06/jean_michel_jarre_fanbois_levies_sil_vous_plait/
Smartphone owners should pay hundreds of dollars to the music industry, wrinkly French synth twiddler Jean Michel Jarre has said.
Without the ability to play music, Jarre argued, the gadget wouldn’t be worth as much as it currently is.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Point Your iPhone at Something You Like, and Amazon’s New App Buys It
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2014/02/amazon-flow/?cid=co18137934
Today, Amazon is announcing a new feature inside its mobile shopping app that lets you scan items in your home using your smartphone’s camera and quickly order all of your packaged goods online. The new feature, called Flow, will be available inside Amazon’s shopping app for iOS.
Instead of taking a photo of an item or scanning a barcode, Flow recognizes items via their shape, size, color, box text, and general appearance.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple to Hire Fitness Physiologists to Test iWatch Prototypes
http://iwatchmag.com/60/iwatch-tests
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Is Asking Olympians To Hide Their iPhones At The Opening Ceremony
http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-asking-olympians-to-hide-iphones-2014-2
Samsung Mobile has been offering Swiss Olympians free Galaxy Note 3s in their goodie bags — with a catch.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple just procured enough Sapphire Crystal furnaces to make 100-200M ~5-inch iPhone displays in Arizona
http://9to5mac.com/2014/02/06/exclusive-apple-just-procured-enough-sapphire-crystal-furnaces-to-make-100-200m-5-inch-iphone-displays-in-arizona/
it appears that Apple is planning to build sapphire-crystal displays for future iPhones.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Think wearables are the next tech boom? Cisco’s numbers beg to differ
Just 170m devices by 2018 and hardly any pushing packets
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/07/think_wearables_are_the_next_tech_boom_think_again/
Last year, according to IDC, world smartphone shipments passed the billion-unit mark, making up more than half of a global market of 1.8 billion mobile phones. By 2018 we’ll be buying 2.3 billion phones a year.
IHI Global breathlessly predicted a 2018 wearables market worth $US30 billion,
The context here is that 177 million devices is a very small market
if the Cisco prediction is correct.
inflated estimate of $US30 billion for the wearables market, at 177 million devices, we arrive at an average of around $US170 per device.
In other words, the wearables market is going to be characterised by a small handful of devices with a reasonable per-unit return (like Glass), counterbalanced by a mass of very low-value, low-margin products.
Tomi Engdahl says:
California Bill Would Require Antitheft Technology for Cellphones
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/07/kill-switch-bill/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
officials in San Francisco and New York have pressured cellphone companies to adopt a so-called “kill switch” that would render a smartphone unusable after it was stolen, which would make it difficult for a thief to sell the device