Mobile infrastructure must catch up with user needs and demands. Ubiquitous mobile computing is all around us, not only when we use smartphones to connect with friends and family across states and countries, but also when we use ticketing systems on buses and trains, purchase food from mobile vendors, watch videos, and listen to music on our phones. As a result, mobile computing systems must rise to the demand. The number of smart phones will exceed the number of PCs in 2014.
Some time in the next six months, the number of smartphones on earth will pass the number of PCs. This shouldn’t really surprise anyone: the mobile business is much bigger than the computer industry. There are now perhaps 3.5-4 billion mobile phones, replaced every two years (versus 1.7-1.8 billion PCs replaced every 5 years).It means that mobile industry can sell more phones in a quarter than the PC industry sells in a year. After some years we will end up with somewhere over 3bn smartphones in use on earth, almost double the number of PCs. The smartphone revolution is changing how consumers use the Internet: Mobile browsing is set to overtake traditional desktop browsing in 2015.
It seems that 4G has really become the new high speed mobile standard widely wanted during 2013. 3G will become the low-cost option for those who think 4G option is too expensive, not everyone that has 4G capable device has 4G subscription. How the situation changes depends on how operators improve their 3G coverage, what will be the price difference from 3G to 4G and how well the service is marketed.
Mobile data increased very much last year. I expect the growth to continue pretty much as projected in Mobile Data Traffic To Grow 300% Globally By 2017 Led By Video, Web Use, Says Strategy Analytics and Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2012–2017 articles.
When 4G becomes mainstream, planning for next 5G communications starts. I will expect to see more and more writing on 5G as the vision what it will be destined to be clears more. Europe’s newly-minted 5GPPP Association plans to launch as many as 20 research projects in 2014, open to all comers, with a total budget of about 250 million euros. The groundwork for 5G, an ambitious vision for a next-generation network of networks that’s still being defined, and the definition will go on many years to come. No one really knows today what 5G will be because there are still several views. Europe’s new 5GPPP group published a draft proposal for 5G. 5GPPP is not the only group expected to work on standards for next-generation cellular networks, but it could become one of the most influential.
The shifting from “dumb” phones to smart phones continue. In USA and Europe smart phone penetration is already so high levels that there will not be very huge gains on the market expected. Very many consumers already have their smart phone, and the market will be more and more on updating to new model after two years or so use. At the end of 2013 Corporate-Owned Smartphones Back in Vogue, and I expect that companies continue to shop smart phones well in 2014.
The existing biggest smart phone players will continue to rule the markets. Google’s Android will continue to rule the markets. Samsung made most money in 2013 on Android phones (in 2013 in West only Samsung makes money from selling Android), and I expect that to continue. In 2013 Apple slurped down enormous profits but lost some of its bleeding-edge-tech street credit, and I expect that to continue in 2014.
The biggest stories of the year 2013 outside the Samsung/Apple duopoly were the sale of Nokia’s mobile phone business to Microsoft and the woes of BlackBerry. BlackBerry had an agonising year and suffered one of the most spectacular consumer collapses in history, and I can’t see how it would get to it’s feet during 2014. Nokia made good gains for Windows Phones during 2013, and I expect that Microsoft will put marketing effort to gain even more market share. Windows Phone became the third mobile ecosystem, and will most probably keep that position in 2014.
New players try to enter smart phone markets and some existing players that once tried that try to re-enter. There are rumors that for example HP tries to re-enter mobile market, and is probable that some other computer makers try to sell smart phones with their brands. In the Android front there will be new companies trying to push marker (for example OPPO and many smaller Chinese makers you have never heard earlier). Nokia had a number of Android projects going on in 2013, and some former Nokia people have put up company Newkia to follow on that road. To make a difference in the market there will be also push on some smaller mobile platforms as alternative to the big three (Google, Apple, Microsoft). Jolla is pushing Sailfish OS phones that can run Android applications and also pushing possibility to install that OS to Android phone. Mozilla will push on with it’s own Firefox OS phone. Canonical will try to get their Ubuntu phone released. Samsung is starting to make Tizen powered smart phones and NTT DoCoMo could be the first carrier to offer a Tizen powered device. None of those will be huge mainstream hits within one year, but could maybe could have their own working niche markets. The other OS brands combined do not amount to 1% of all smartphones sold in 2013, so even if they could have huge growth they would still be very small players on the end of 2014.
As smartphone and tablet makers desperately search for points of differentiation they will try to push the limits of performance on several fronts to extremes. Extreme inter-connectivity is one of the more useful features that is appearing in new products. More context-aware automatic wireless linking is coming: Phones will wirelessly link and sync with screens and sensors in the user’s vicinity.
You can also expect extreme sensor support to offer differentiation. Biomedical sensors have lots of potential (Apple already has fingerprint sensors). Indoor navigation will evolve. Intelligent systems and assistive devices will advance smart healthcare.
Several smartphone makers have clear strategies to take photography to extremes. 40 megapixel camera is already on the market and several manufacturers are playing with re-focus after shooting options.
In high-end models we may be moving into the overkill zone with extreme resolution that is higher than you can see on small screen: some makers have already demonstrated displays with twice the performance of 1080-progressive. Samsung is planned to release devices with 4k or UHD resolutions. As we have seen in many high tech gadget markets earlier it is a very short journey to copycat behavior.
It seems that amount of memory on high-end mobile devices is increasing this year. To be able to handle higher resolutions smart phones will also need more memory than earlier (for example Samsung lpddr 4 allows up to 4 GB or RAM on smart phone as now high-end devices now have typically 2GB). As the memory size starts to hit the limits of 32 bit processors (4GB), I will expect that there will be some push for chip makers to start to introduce more 64 bit processors for mobile devices. Apple already has 64-bit A7 microprocessor in iPhone 5s, all the other phone-makers want one too for their high-end models (which is a bit of panic to mobile chip makers).
You will be able to keep your mobile phone during some flights all the time and browser web on the plane more widely. At some planes you might also be able to make phone calls with your mobile phone during the flight. Calls on flights have been theoretically possible, and United States has recently looked at mobile phone calls allow the flights.
In year 2013 there were many releases on wearable technologies. Wearable is a trend with many big companies already in the space, and more are developing new products. It seems that on this field year 2013 was just putting on the initial flame, and I expect that the wearable market will start to heat up more during 2014. The advent of wearable technology brings new demands for components that can accommodate its small form factor, wireless requirements, and need for longer battery life.
The Internet of Things (IoT) will evolve into the Web of Things, increasing the coordination between things in the real world and their counterparts on the Web. The Internet is expanding into enterprise assets and consumer items such as cars and televisions. Gartner suggests that now through 2018, a variety of devices, user contexts, and interaction paradigms will make “everything everywhere” strategies unachievable.
Technology giants Google Inc. and Apple Inc. are about to expand their battle for digital supremacy to a new front: the automobile. The Android vs. iOS apps battle is coming to the automotive industry in 2014: car OEMs aren’t exactly known for their skills in developing apps and app developers don’t want to develop so many different versions of an app separately (for Ford, General Motors, BMW, and Toyota). I am waiting for Google’s response to Apple’s iOS in the Car. Next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Google and German auto maker Audi AG plan to announce that they are working together to develop in-car entertainment and information systems that are based on Google’s Android software. The push toward smarter cars is heating up: Right now, we are just scratching the surface.
For app development HTML5 will be on rise. Gartner predicts that through 2014, improved JavaScript performance will begin to push HTML5 and the browser as a mainstream enterprise application development environment. It will also work on many mobile applications as well.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook Lures Developers With Mobile Ads and a Promise of Riches
http://www.wired.com/business/2014/03/facebook-ad-network-at-f8/
Facebook has been testing a new mobile advertising service since at least late January, delivering ads directly to a select few smartphone and tablet apps, and now, the company is hinting that it may launch the service next month at its F8 developer conference, offering all app makers a new source of revenue.
Tomi Engdahl says:
700m smartphones & tablets in China
http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2014/3/12/700m-smartphones-tablets-in-china
There were 700m active smartphones and tablets in China at the end of 2013, and this almost doubled from 380m in Q1
High-end phones are a big market: 27% of the total active base, and 80% of those are iPhones
55% of the top 1000 apps include links to the major Chinese social platforms
The Android market remains fragmented
Tomi Engdahl says:
Class action suit filed against Google over children’s in-app purchases
In-app purchases by minors led Google to pocket millions of dollars, according to a complaint
http://www.itworld.com/it-management/409178/class-action-suit-filed-against-google-over-childrens-app-purchases
Tomi Engdahl says:
MS offers Windows Phone OS free to Indian players
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/MS-offers-Windows-Phone-OS-free-to-Indian-players/articleshow/31924651.cms
Desperate times call for desperate measures. With Windows Phone failing to make a significant dent in the market share of Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS in the last four years, Microsoft is waiving the licence fee and offering it to at least two Indian phone makers for free.
Last month at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Microsoft announced that more phone makers, including two from India — Lava and Karbonn — will produce Windows Phone devices in the coming months.
the agreements were clinched only when Microsoft agreed to remove the licence fee it charges from phone makers for its OS.
It reportedly charged Nokia between $20 to $30 for each Lumia device the Finnish company sold.
Historically, licensing the software has always been bread and butter for Microsoft. “For our planned Windows Phone handsets, we are not paying Microsoft a licence fee”
Tomi Engdahl says:
It’s a mobile data world: In 2013 voice stopped being U.S. carriers’ main revenue driver
http://gigaom.com/2014/03/13/its-a-mobile-data-world-in-2013-voice-stopped-being-carriers-main-revenue-driver/
The fourth quarter was the turning point in which the U.S. mobile industry started making more money off of data than from voice
Tomi Engdahl says:
Starting Today, Jealous Lovers Can Buy NSA-Like Monitoring Powers
http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamtanner/2014/03/12/starting-today-jealous-lovers-can-buy-nsa-like-monitoring-powers/
the phone records everything that happens on the device and sends the details to a remote website. Every call is recorded, every keystroke logged, every email seen, every SMS chat or photograph monitored. Whenever the boyfriend wants, he logs online and reviews the trove of information.
This is not some dystopian nightmare. It’s possible right now using commercially available software from mSpy, which cheerily advises potential buyers: “And they won’t find out.”
The phone’s proclaimed target markets are employers and parents who have the legal authority to watch what their children do on their smart phones.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Steve Jobs Got the iPhone Into Japan
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-12/how-steve-jobs-got-the-iphone-into-japan.html
The iPhone, it’s safe to say, is big in Japan. Toward the end of last year, three out of every four smartphones sold in Japan were iPhones, according to market researcher Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. Tim Cook said during Apple’s most recent earnings call that its phone sales in the country shot up 40 percent after it signed a deal with NTT Docomo.
Breaking into Japan was no cheap trick.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Desktop Search to Decline $1.4 Billion as Google Users Shift to Mobile
http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Desktop-Search-Decline-14-Billion-Google-Users-Shift-Mobile/1010668
Overall desktop ad spending set to decline in 2014 while mobile grows 83.0%
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Play Store update lets you require a password for every purchase
http://androidcommunity.com/google-play-store-update-lets-you-require-a-password-for-every-purchase-20140313/
Google has just started rolling out an update to the Play Store app on Android that, among other things, now offers more fine-grained control when making purchases. This change could very well be related to the class action suit that the company is now facing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung’s new smartphone case uses ultrasound to detect people and objects
http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/14/samsung-galaxy-core-advance-usability-accessories/
Samsung’s Ultrasonic Cover: a specialized case that uses sound waves to detect people or objects (in a two-meter radius), helping users navigate new surroundings by sending vibration or spoken alerts.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia’s Refocus camera app is now available to all Lumia owners on WP8
http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/14/nokia-refocus-camera-app-lumia-update/
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Nokia’s “shoot now, focus later” photography app, Refocus, required PureView hardware to run, because until now it’s only been available on PureView-branded phones.
he app has just been made compatible with all Lumia phones running Windows Phone 8, including ones with down-to-earth camera modules. It works by means of a “focus sweep” — you hold your phone steady for a couple of seconds while the camera scans the scene ahead at a range of different focal lengths and then combines these into a single dynamic image
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dual-lens smartphone cameras are coming, and this is why we want one
http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/26/corephotonics-dual-lens-smartphone-camera/?a_dgi=gravity&cps=gravity
a startup called Corephotonics, which is currently pitching precisely such a dual-lens concept to smartphone makers
The big trick here is Corephotonics’ use of two lenses with two different focal lengths. One lens is wide-angle, while the other is at 3x zoom. This means you can switch lenses to magnify more distant subjects without resorting to digital zoom.
By contrast, Nokia’s PureView cameras rely solely on digital zoom such that outputting a 3x magnified image entails a drop in resolution down to five megapixels.
The second benefit to using two parallel lenses, each with its own sensor, is improved low-light performance.
Tomi Engdahl says:
On your permanent record
Anonymity, pseudonymity, ephemerality & bears omfg!
https://medium.com/p/f5ab81f9f654
Anonymity seems to be all the rage in Silicon Valley and startups lately.
But despite the recent investor interest in anonymous apps, some investors like Marc Andreessen have pointed out that just because something is profitable doesn’t mean it is socially redeeming or moral.
Techcrunch summarized the Twitter conversation and some of the recent problems that have emerged with the anonymity apps that are causing discussion amongst venture investors.
FALSE EXPECTATION OF ANONYMITY: The security model for both these applications is horrendous and irresponsible. The give the user an illusion of privacy, encourage users to say things without the burden of identity (both in good or bad cases) — but then provide no real anonymity or privacy is deceptive.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Has Indoor Navigation Lost Its Way?
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321441&
Indoor navigation, which has been a driver for at least some MEMS developments in smartphones, doesn’t work well and is not really needed by phone users.
As such, pressure sensors, along with other sensors, could be omitted from some handsets in the future, according to Teemu Ramo, senior manager of audio hardware for Nokia Lumia Technology.
The pressure sensor is there to distinguish between floors of multi-level shopping mall, but the question is: for whose benefit?
“Human beings do good sensor fusion and tend to know where they are,”
It is part of what could be a coming trend to focus on what smartphone users actually want rather than gimmicks intended to wow technophile early adopters, according to Ramo.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ex-Nokia Designer Leads Shenzhen Media Lab
Coolpad to launch his new smartwatch prototype this month
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321444&
Wearable devices — especially smartwatches — are all the rage in China. Coolpad, too, had its own smartwatch in development, but had to scratch it. When Yan came to Coolpad, Coolpad jumped on Yan’s design.
“Innovations can’t happen in the office,” said Yan. A lot of companies in Shenzhen are too busy keeping up with what their competitors in the rest of the world are doing
One problem in Chinese companies is a shortage of people with the talent to define a product and design it.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The smart phone can do just about anything these days, but if the user wants to know if he’s healthy, he should see a doctor. The researchers plan to eliminate this particular need.
University of Houston researchers have developed a smartphone connected feature that allows the phone to diagnose illnesses in real-time user.
This feature requires a less than 20 dollar-priced additional equipment to be connected in the usual smartphone.
The result is a glass strip with a light-permeable holes in a grid format.
The holes (size 600 nm) are set for Disease antibodies.
A camera phone accessory allows a sufficiently accurate sample under a microscope to read the strip.
Source: Tietokone
http://www.tietokone.fi/artikkeli/uutiset/sairaudet_selville_alypuhelimella
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple, HP, Intel may be hit by slowdown in growth of smartphone sales
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_25347385/apple-hp-intel-may-be-hit-by-slowdown
The smartphone business has generated staggering wealth for companies such as Apple and triggered a recent scramble by Hewlett-Packard and Intel to try for a piece of the action.
But it now looks like its best days may be behind it, a troubling trend for companies here and elsewhere that have hitched their fortunes to the smartphone juggernaut. Although smartphones remain wildly popular, their sales — about $338 billion last year — are growing at a slower pace and their prices are dropping fast, making it harder to wring a profit from them.
That comes at the worst possible time for Intel, HP and other Silicon Valley companies whose businesses heavily depend upon the personal computer. With PC sales dwindling, they’ve been urgently seeking ways to tap into the smartphone boom, but some analysts think they may be too late. Even mighty Apple is considered at risk because it gets the vast majority of its revenue from the iPhone.
However, Intel officials say they’re confident the business can be profitable.
“Cost decreases in computing devices are, and have always been, a fact,” company spokeswoman Cara Walker said. “This is a good thing for consumers and for us as a manufacturing leader. We focus on what we can control, and that’s innovating and leveraging our manufacturing advantage.”
No one suggests the smartphone business will vanish — at least not anytime soon.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Inside The IPO Of Candy Crush Maker King Digital
http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/13/inside-the-ipo-of-candy-crush-maker-king-digital/
This post is not investment advice. Instead, it’s a meditation on the dynamics of the mobile gaming market in the context of an IPO which grants us raw data into a company in the space.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Europe approves common charger standard for mobe-makers
Apple and its proprietary Lightning rig may yet wriggle out of this one
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/17/europe_approves_common_charger_standard_for_mobemakers/
The European Parliament has signed off on its proposal to force mobile phone makers to adopt a common charging standard.
The new regulation means that if mobe-makers’ want to meet European standards for “radio equipment” they’ll have to ensure their products will have to be chargeable using micro-USB.
The vote also means that European Union members have two years in which to implement the regulation, with 2017 the target date for compliance by mobe-makers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Yandex buys Tel Aviv’s KitLocate for low-power location service technology
http://gigaom.com/2014/03/18/yandex-buys-tel-avivs-kitlocate-for-low-power-location-service-technology/
The Russian web giant Yandex has bought an Israeli geolocation firm called KitLocate for its energy-saving location technology.
While services like mapping and navigation require a mobile device to constantly check in with GPS satellites, location-based recommendation services for example do not. KitLocate provides a software development kit full of location capabilities for apps – geo-fencing, motion detection and “social location” – that request the user’s coordinates less frequently, saving on power consumption.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Legislation abolishing roaming charges goes through European parliament
Mobile phone operators say that domestic charges may increase as a result of ban, which will come into force in December 2015
http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/mar/16/legislation-abolish-roaming-charges-european-parliament
Roaming charges for using a mobile phone abroad will be abolished from December 2015 in proposals expected to be voted through the European parliament on Tuesday, but operators have warned that bills could rise domestically to pay for the change.
Operators will no longer be able to charge travellers to the European Union’s 28 member states extra for calls, texts and internet use, a practice that telecoms commissioner Neelie Kroes has described as a “cash cow” for the industry.
These charges are already set to fall from €450 (£376) per gigabit to roam on the internet to €200 in July as a result of recent European legislation. But abolishing roaming charges completely will make a big difference for consumers – meaning they will pay the same rate as at home, currently around £10 per gigabit in Britain.
Receiving a shockingly high bill will remain a risk for those travelling outside Europe, however, because there are no price controls.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple’s Healthbook will reportedly analyze your blood: 90 Seconds on The Verge
http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/17/5519864/crimea-votes-to-secede-healthbook-reportedly-analyzes-blood-satoshi-nakamoto-fights-newsweek-90sotv
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sharing what’s up our sleeve: Android coming to wearables
http://googleblog.blogspot.fi/2014/03/sharing-whats-up-our-sleeve-android.html
Most of us are rarely without our smartphones in hand. These powerful supercomputers keep us connected to the world and the people we love. But we’re only at the beginning; we’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible with mobile technology. That’s why we’re so excited about wearables—they understand the context of the world around you, and you can interact with them simply and efficiently, with just a glance or a spoken word.
Today we’re announcing Android Wear, a project that extends Android to wearables.
LG G Watch to launch next quarter with Android Wear
http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/18/lg-g-watch-android-wear/
LG’s latest piece of handywork, known as the G Watch, features Google’s new wearables platform called Android Wear. LG’s keeping quiet on the specs and other details of the new device
Moto 360: It’s Time.
http://motorola-blog.blogspot.fi/2014/03/moto-360-its-time.html
It’s time for Moto 360, a truly modern timepiece, designed by Motorola, powered by Android Wear.
Moto 360 also responds to your voice. Just say “Ok Google” to ask questions like who won the Stanford vs. New Mexico game or what time your flight leaves, or to get stuff done like scheduling an appointment, sending a text, setting an alarm or taking a note.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Android Wear
http://developer.android.com/wear/index.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Android’s New OS for Wearables Is Like Google Now for Your Body
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2014/03/android-wearables/
Google clearly knows what time it is. Today it announced Android Wear, a project to bring Android to wearable computers. The company is starting with smartwatches and rolled out a slick demo video showing how notifications and speaking commands will work. If Google Glass is Google Now for your face, this is pretty much Google Now for the rest of your body.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Android Wear, Moto 360, and LG G Watch: Initial Thoughts
by Joshua Ho on March 18, 2014 9:53 PM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7877/android-wear-moto-360-and-lg-g-watch-initial-thoughts
At its most basic level, Android Wear will be centered upon Google Now, which is a way of presenting predictive information in a card format. It will also serve as a touchless control device like the Moto X for voice searches, along with notifications and the abAndrility to act on specific notifications without taking out a phone, such as dictating a text message.
Android Wear isn’t just borrowing the Android brand name either, it seems that Android Wear is actually based on Android proper. The big part that Google hopes developers will use is the Wear SDK, which allows for custom UIs, sensor data collection, communication between wearable and phone, and hooking into the touchless control feature.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dual-screen Android Yotaphone arrives in the UK for £419
Firm says it’s ‘the next big thing’ in smartphones
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2334999/dual-screen-android-yotaphone-arrives-in-the-uk-for-gbp419
RUSSIAN PHONE MAKER Yota Devices launched its Yotaphone handset in the UK today, the first smartphone to arrive in Blighty featuring an always-on e-ink display.
The secondary screen can be used to deliver information such as real-time social media notifications, RSS feeds and custom displays.
Besides its quirky e-ink display, the Yotaphone also features a 4.3in LCD screen
Tomi Engdahl says:
In-depth with Android Wear, Google’s quantum leap of a smartwatch OS
We take a look at how Android Wear works, and even manage to break some stuff.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/03/in-depth-with-android-wear-googles-quantum-leap-of-a-smartwatch-os/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google wearables: A solution looking for a rich nerd
Some revolutions never happen. This might be one of them
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/20/google_the_world_and_wearables_why_its_still_a_solution_looking_for_a_rich_nerd/
Google’s Android Wear is the biggest deal in wearable computing since Microsoft’s abortive SPOT 12 years ago.
And Google hasn’t waited for technology to get smaller or better or cheaper – it’s forging ahead, creating a platform while others hesitate. It wants to tame the Wild West that is wearable computing today – or, more accurately, own it.
No doubt it’s good for Google, as the world’s largest personal data collector, for us all to convert to Android Wear. It will be another gold mine for the spooks. The data industry finds another part of the analog world to record and analyse. But there’s no sign of any significant demand, or pull.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Oculus and Sony Throw Down With Competing VR Headsets at GDC
http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2014/03/project-morpheus-oculus/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Leef Bridge 3.0
A USB Drive That Makes Transferring Your Mobile Files Faster — Kinda
http://www.wired.com/reviews/2014/03/leef-bridge-dual-usb-drive/
Anyone who’s had to move files from an Android phone or tablet to a Mac or PC knows the dance: call it the Three-Step Drag.
First, you e-mail the file or upload it to a cloud storage site like Dropbox or Google Drive. Next you open the email and download the attachment, or get the file from the cloud server. And finally you open the file on your computer. It’s all fine and good if you have an Internet or network connection. But for those times when neither are available, Leef’s Bridge 3.0 flash drive provides a flexible, if somewhat frustrating, alternative.
So while the Leef Bridge 3.0 itself works well, users still need to overcome the clumsiness of the file manager apps the drive typically needs to operate.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google’s Android Studio vs. Eclipse: Which Fits Your Needs?
http://slashdot.org/topic/bi/googles-android-studio-vs-eclipse-fits-needs/
Google’s Android Studio is a development tool for Android based on the IntelliJ IDEA platform, one that managed to attract a lot of hype when it rolled out in mid-2013. Roughly a year later, the platform is still in “early access preview,” and work on it is ongoing.
Eclipse, on the other hand, is the granddaddy of IDEs; although it doesn’t offer native Android support, it does have some nice tools to help you build Android applications—one such tool is the Google Plugin for Eclipse, made by Google.
Should you switch from Eclipse to Android Studio? I say try it. Use it, see what you think, and make your decision
Tomi Engdahl says:
Last year was the first for which an application processors for mobile devices were sold over a billion units. A large part of them went to the smart phones, which account for cellular phone market rose more than 50 per cent.
This year, Mediatek is to challenge seriously for a long time dominated the cell phone circuits maker Qualcomm.
Source: Elektroniikkalehti
http://www.elektroniikkalehti.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1061:mediatek-haastaa-qualcommin&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple’s iPhone 5 S’s from inside the processor found in the A7 was the world’s first 64-bit mobile phone application processor. ABI Research predicts now that, by 2018 for 64-bit processors are sold to smartphones and tablets 1.12 billion units.
After three years of 64-bit processors share of the mobile market should therefore 55 per cent. Of these devices is forecast that 60 percent run Android, iOS devices less than a third, and a Windows-based less than 9 per cent.
This year, the 64-bit mobile processors are expected to be sold 182 million. Among those the Android devices will go only 20 per cent because Android need to be updated for 64 bit processors.
In February at Mobile World Congress started a 64-bit processors avalanche: Intel, Marvell, Mediatek, Qualcomm and Nvidia
Source: Elektroniikkalehti
http://www.elektroniikkalehti.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1073:64-bittisyys-valtaa-alypuhelimet&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wearable technology will bury the password, says Symantec
Just don’t forget to put your watch on
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2335399/wearable-technology-will-bury-the-password-says-symantec
WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY could eventually eliminate our need for cumbersome and hard to remember passwords, according to security firm Symantec.
Speaking at the Wearable Technology Show, Symantec technical specialist Sian John said that passwords are “frankly rubbish”, adding that we only continue to use them because they’re easy to use.
She said that with a bit of collaboration in the information technology industry around security standards, it will be feasible to have devices from different brands all talking to each other and a central security system to verify that a person is who they say they are. “If you’ve got collaboration, you can end up with a sort of personal area network. If you’ve got your phone, your Fitbit and your Google Glass all in the same place, the actual proximity of those things can help us know that it’s you,” she explained.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Flappy Bird to return, says creator Dong Nguyen
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26659933
Addictive mobile game Flappy Bird will return to Apple’s app store, creator Dong Nguyen has confirmed – although he declined to give a specific date.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chinese PC giant Lenovo aimed at the mobile market – to buy patents for $ 100 million
China’s Lenovo to buy a 3G and 4G patents from the American Unwired Planet from a total of 100 million dollars, or about 73 million Euros. Shopping for an additional increase of its weight in January, Motorola Mobility acquisition (for $ 2.9 billion). Lenovo’s patents will help it to increase its position in the smartphone and mobile markets.
Source: Tietoviikko
http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/kiinalainen+pcjatti+tahtaa+mobiilimarkkinoille++ostaa+patentteja+100+miljoonalla+dollarilla/a976134
Tomi Engdahl says:
After FOIA, Homeland Security Releases Social Media Monitoring Guides
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/14/03/20/2113227/after-foia-homeland-security-releases-social-media-monitoring-guides
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Snappy Approach to Low-Cost Wearable Displays
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321541&
Marketed as the SnapWatch to surf on the overhyped smartwatch wave, the wristband comes with a bistable electrochromic display developed by Swedish supplier Acreo.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HeadWatch
http://headwatch.com/
A smartwatch and headset as you never seen
iPhone, Android, or Windows 8 smartphones compatible
Tomi Engdahl says:
Oppo’s New Phone Hits 538 PPI
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/14/03/22/0330229/oppos-new-phone-hits-538-ppi
“The Find 7 is a 5.5″ phone and is the first to support 2560 x 1440 resolution [538 PPI] “
Tomi Engdahl says:
iBeacon Technology Begins Moving Into the Home and NBA Arenas
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/03/21/placed-personal-sport-ibeacons/
Apple’s iBeacon technology is poised to influence the retail sector by offering a personalized shopping experience to customers, but it may also have personal benefits by interacting with apps when a user is at home.
As spotted by TechCrunch, new iOS app Placed gives us a glimpse into personal iBeacon usage, linking an incoming iBeacon signal to apps associated with common household activities. With appropriately placed iBeacons, you could enable the remote when you sit on the couch or start a timer when you step up to the oven to cook.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wearable tech for tracking when cows are ‘in heat’? Sure, why not?
http://thenextweb.com/gadgets/2014/03/24/wearable-tech-tracking-cows-heat-sure/#!A7VCQ
2014 might be the year for wearable tech, but there’s no reason for it to stop at humans. Or dogs. Is there?
Silent Herdsman collar has various sensors that continually track a cow and trigger an alert (on a phone, tablet or computer) if there’s a change in the usual pattern of behaviour.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Music Piracy Goes Mobile
http://recode.net/2014/03/24/music-piracy-goes-mobile/
The music industry faces a new front in its long-running battle against piracy: The smartphone.
Mobile applications have eclipsed file-sharing services, online storage sites known as “digital lockers” and stream-ripping software as the most widely used source of free music downloads, according to a new study from researcher NPD Group, whose results have not previously been made public.
Some 27 million people in the U.S. have used mobile applications to get at least one song in the past year, much of it believed to be unauthorized, NPD found in research that seeks for the first time to quantify the phenomenon. That’s more than the 21 million people NPD estimates use peer-to-peer sites such as isoHunt to download music.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Justice Department lands first ever convictions against mobile app pirates
http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/24/5543782/mobile-app-pirates-convicted-by-justice-department
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Two men accused of operating a popular Android piracy website have pleaded guilty to charges filed by the Department of Justice. This marks the first time the DOJ has secured convictions for the distribution of counterfeit mobile apps.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fitbit Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Over The Force Fitness Tracker
http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/20/fitbit-faces-class-action-lawsuit-over-the-force-fitness-tracker/?source=gravity&cps=gravity
Fitbit now faces a class-action lawsuit over rashes caused by the Fitbit Force. The company previously issued public statements and recalled the product after 1.7% of Force users had reported an irritation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LG Smart Lamp: Lighting, Meet Smartphones
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321605&
LG today announced the Smart Lamp, an LED light bulb that can be controlled by Android and iOS smartphones. The bulb offers a number of different functions and promises to change how we think about lighting.
The LG Smart Lamp uses Bluetooth or WiFi to connect to devices running either Android 4.3 and up or iOS 6.0 and up. A companion application allows smartphone users to perform functions such as turning the bulb on or off and dimming it.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Can we have an open phone please? The case of the Ubuntu Phone
https://www.privacyinternational.org/blog/can-we-have-an-open-phone-please-the-case-of-the-ubuntu-phone
For some time, many in the privacy and security community hoped for a completely open-source mobile phone, one that would allow for code to be examined and strengthened to prevent malicious attacks to a user’s privacy.
So when Canonical, the company that primarily funds Ubuntu GNU/Linux, announced it was entering the mobile phone market, we were among the many who hailed this development.
However, despite hopes of a totally open mobile handset platform, Privacy International has learned from Canonical that their new phone will suffer from the same problems as their competitors by leaving the baseband closed. While the operating system of the phone will be open, without the ability of the security community to examine the baseband software of the new Ubuntu Phone, the open-source nature of the remaining element may provide no more assurances than other open-source phone operating systems such as Android.