Mobile World Congress 2014 starts today and goes on this week, which means that technology news will be filled with all kinds of mobile technology releases. Mobile World Congress 2014 tries to shape Mobile trends for 2014. I will follow what different news sources say on the event, and post links to most interesting mobile news picks as comments to this post.
59 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm’s 4- and 8-core Snapdragon 610 and 615 trade CPU power for 64-bit
Cortex A53 won’t stand up to Krait, but Qualcomm adds a capable GPU to the mix.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/02/qualcomms-4-and-8-core-snapdragon-610-and-615-trade-cpu-power-for-64-bit/
Qualcomm’s first 64-bit chip wasn’t a record-breaking high-end Snapdragon, but rather the modest, mid-range Snapdragon 410. Today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company announced its next two 64-bit mobile SoCs, the Snapdragon 610 and 615.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Firefox OS getting interface overhaul in coming months
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13970_7-57619360-78/firefox-os-getting-interface-overhaul-in-coming-months/
Half a year after the first Firefox devices went on sale, Mozilla is coming up with more of its own ideas about how a mobile OS should work. Here’s what’s coming in the next year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scaling Windows Phone, evolving Windows 8
http://blogs.windows.com/windows_phone/b/windowsphone/archive/2014/02/23/scaling-windows-phone-evolving-windows-8.aspx
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tizen signs up new allies, but still no real phone
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13970_7-57619350-78/tizen-signs-up-new-allies-but-still-no-real-phone/
The Tizen bandwagon is getting bigger, but it hasn’t traveled far.
Tizen is hoping to expand its use in televisions and wearable devices, with Samsung’s Gear 2 and Gear Neo the first two notable examples.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mozilla aims for the emerging world with plans for the $25 smartphone
More devices, more form factors, and more markets are all planned for 2014.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/02/mozilla-aims-for-the-emerging-world-with-plans-for-the-25-smartphone/
In Barcelona today, Mozilla announced its Firefox OS plans for the next year. The highlight: plans for a line of smartphones starting at $25 each, bringing HTML5-powered smartphones to billions of people who can’t afford more expensive devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
$25 Smartphones on Firefox OS to Rock MWC
Spreadtrum and Mozilla target first-time smartphone users
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321112&
Spreadtrum Communications, China’s leading mobile chip supplier, and Mozilla, Firefox’s OS designer, have teamed up to storm the world’s emerging markets with a $25 smartphone — its startling low cost enabled by web technologies.
The integration of Firefox OS support into Spreadtrum’s smartphone development platform is likely to play a key role.
That $25 price tag, predictably, has raised a few eyebrows in the analyst community.
Spreadtrum’s Jovin made it clear that $25 is the retail price.
Obviously, a critical element of the price is the low memory configuration of the web-based nature of Firefox’s OS.
Spreadtrum unveiled the SC6821 WCDMA smartphone chipset Sunday, Feb. 23, at the Mobile World Congress as the industry’s first chipset for $25 smartphones.
The price points of first-generation Firefox devices are “at the $60-$100 level, on par with low-end Android devices,”
“Think of it as direct competition to the $20 Nokia 105 feature phone.”
Mozilla is gaining support from a number of operators, handset companies, and silicon vendors.
Firefox “is focusing on low-end, so it would suit chipset companies that have cost-effective, highly integrated chips,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
5 Game-Changers at MWC 2014
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1321061&
The “thing” connection
First and foremost, smartphones won’t be for long the only star at MWC.
iOS and Google world order toppled
Second, we will see the end of the smartphone mobile OS world order, totally dominated by just two companies
Brewing battle over feature phone users
The smartphone market in advanced countries is getting saturated. The industry’s attention is fast turning to that big chunk of the global population still using feature phones.
LTE broadcast coming
Verizon Wireless had a trial LTE broadcast network at the 2014 Super Bowl.
Lenovo, Huawei, and ZTE to make their presence felt
Tomi Engdahl says:
Broadcom Chip Locates Wearables
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321100&
Broadcom has packed a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and sensor hub into a 40nm SoC, targeting wearable devices.
The BCM4771 aims to more accurately track and manage data from devices like a smartwatch or fitness monitor by using both sensor data and assisted GPS.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia Forks Android In Mobile Services Push — $122 Nokia X Will Also Be Lumia “Feeder”
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/23/nokia-x/
More proof, if proof were needed, that Android won the smartphone OS wars: Nokia, the former world No.1 smartphone maker and, nowadays, the primary OEM for Microsoft’s third-placed Windows Phone platform has just announced a new family of smartphones built upon the Android Open Source Project — confirming a slew of earlier rumours that Nokia was cooking up an Android device strategy.
This is Nokia X: Android and Windows Phone collide
http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/24/5440498/nokia-x-android-phone-hands-on
It’s official, the Nokia X Android phone is here. Microsoft might be buying Nokia’s phone business shortly, but the Finnish smartphone maker is still pushing ahead with the a launch of three Android-powered handsets today
If you put the Nokia X side-by-side with the company’s Lumia 520 handset it might be hard to tell them apart.
Nokia didn’t attempt to get a Google Mobile Services (GMS) license from Google to use the Google Play store or any of Google’s Android core apps. So Nokia had to create its own application programming interfaces (APIs) to handle basic functions on the Nokia X that support consumers and developers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Check some comments on Nokia new Android product launch:
https://twitter.com/tomiahonen
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sony’s SmartBand fitness tracker will launch worldwide in March
http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/24/5441232/sony-smartband-core-fitness-tracker-release-date-march
Tomi Engdahl says:
MasterCard launches in-app purchasing model, buys digital wallet C-SAM
http://www.zdnet.com/mastercard-launches-in-app-purchasing-model-buys-digital-wallet-c-sam-7000026622/
Summary: Using MasterPass should be emulate a one-click (or one-touch) payments process across the entire device without having to leave an app at all.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Noka is the world’s bestselling phone – IN EMERGING WORLD markets (dumbphones mostly, Asha etc) – they KNOW what works. WP8.1? No. Android!
Exactly what #Microsoft didn’t want as 1st day MWC news about their #Nokia – Reuters: “Nokia succumbs to #Android”
This is pretty much the horror-scenario for Microsoft who today wanted to celebrate its Windows Phone 8.1 that was aimed for low cost range
Source: https://twitter.com/tomiahonen
Tomi Engdahl says:
Twitter account as Tomi Ahonen (@ tom ahonen) says, however, that the new collection was just what Nokia needs. Ahonen has distinguished itself in recent years Nokia Microsoft strategy, a merciless critic.
- So, 5-inch and 5-megapixel camera smartphone from Nokia. It runs on Android apps and costs 150 USD
- This is just what we wanted – Android Nokia. It is a pity that Microsoft will kill it immediately when it is received by Nokia’s smart phone business.
Nokia phones are expected to transfer to Microsoft in the first quarter.
Source: Tietoviikko
http://www.digitoday.fi/mobiili/2014/02/24/kriitikko-povaa-nopeaa-kuolemaa-nokia-xlle/20142699/66?rss=6
Tomi Engdahl says:
Messaging Giant WhatsApp, Now With 465M Users, Will Add Voice Services In Q2 Of This Year
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/24/messaging-giant-whatsapp-with-465m-users-will-add-voice-services-in-q2-of-this-year/
Today Jan Koum, the CEO of WhatsApp — acquired by Facebook last week for $19 billion — delivered another news bomb on top of last week’s milestone: he announced that the messaging giant is finally moving into voice — a move announced at MWC, the conference for mobile carriers that apps like WhatsApp are squarely disrupting.
“We use the least amount of bandwidth and we use the hell out of it,” he said. “We will focus on simplicity.” Voice will come to Android and iOS first and then following on some Nokia and BlackBerry phones, he added.
Tomi Engdahl says:
$25 Smartphones on Firefox OS to Rock MWC
Spreadtrum and Mozilla target first-time smartphone users
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321112&
The two companies said they have completed the integration of Firefox OS with several of Spreadtrum’s WCDMA and EDGE smartphone chipsets.
A number of Chinese handset ODMs — with a much better cost structure than Western mobile handset vendors — are expected to start flooding emerging markets this year with Firefox OS-based entry-level smartphones.
“A smartphone has a cost budget that usually looks like 30% for display and 45% for core electronics and 25%” for things like the battery, camera, and enclosures,”
Spreadtrum’s Jovin made it clear that $25 is the retail price.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows Phone 8.1? With the size of these updates, it’s more like Windows Phone 9
Convergence will come closer to reality with Microsoft’s next smartphone OS.
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/02/windows-phone-8-1-will-be-big-big-enough-to-be-windows-phone-9/
Microsoft isn’t yet talking about the next update to Windows Phone. Though the company has made a series of small updates to Windows Phone 8, with three delivered so far, the platform is more or less the same as it was in 2012.
But what Microsoft really wants is for developers to create apps using the Windows Runtime (WinRT). Windows Phone 8.1 will be the first meaningful iteration of Microsoft’s converged Windows platform
Just like on desktop Windows, WinRT apps on the phone will be able to use C#, C++, VB, or HTML and JavaScript.
Not all code will be common, with Microsoft estimating that perhaps 20 percent, especially around the user interface, will need to be custom work to handle the different form factors.
Microsoft’s platforms are converging, but even with Windows Phone 8.1, they still won’t be converged. They will, however, be an awful lot closer than they are right now.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Want The Android-Based Nokia X Smartphone? You’re Out Of Luck In The U.S.
http://readwrite.com/2014/02/24/nokia-x-united-states-availability
Nokia’s long-rumored Android smartphone is shipping across the globe next week. Well, with one minor exception: North America.
That’s right. Eager users in the U.S. and Canada will be missing out on Nokia’s budget-friendly smartphone.
Nokia plans to ship the Nokia X everywhere else—from emerging markets such as China, Indonesia, Thailand, Central America, India, and the Middle East to developed and developing nations across Europe. Priced at just €89 ($122 at time of writing) with no subsidy, the Nokia X aims to be a dominant player in the affordable smartphone game.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung’s Galaxy S5 is here with more power, more pixels, and a refined design
This year’s flagship doesn’t mess with a winning formula
http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/24/5441668/samsung-galaxy-s5-announcement-launch
Galaxy S5 looks and feels familiar, but offers a number of improvements over last year’s edition.
Heart-rate monitors and fingerprint scanners
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Galaxy S5 has tepid design, but plenty of specs appeal (hands-on)
http://reviews.cnet.com/samsung-galaxy-s5/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook’s Plan to Conquer the World — With Crappy Phones and Bad Networks
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2014/02/facebook-plans-conquer-world-slew-low-end-handsets/
At Mobile World Congress today, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a new Internet.org innovation lab where developers will be able to test the kinds of challenging connectivity conditions they might expect to find in the developing world–without even leaving California.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Xtraordinarily xcellent: the Nokia X family
http://conversations.nokia.com/2014/02/24/nokia-x-family/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel Announces Next-Gen, 64-Bit Merrifield / Moorefield CPUs for Smartphones
http://blog.laptopmag.com/intel-new-64-bit-atom-chips
With its next-generation Atom Z3400 “Merrifield” dual-core processor and Atom Z3500 “Moorefield” quad-core chip, the company is hoping grab market share from Qualcomm and other ARM-based CPU vendors.
Due out sometime this spring, Merrifield processors will feature two cores and be manufactured using Intel’s 22nm process, which allows it to provide more performance at lower power than the current-generation “Clover Trail” platform that’s based on a 32nm process.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Broadcom packs high-speed 5G Wi-Fi into a single chip for smartphones
http://venturebeat.com/2014/02/24/broadcom-packs-high-speed-5g-wi-fi-into-a-single-chip-for-smartphones/
Broadcom, the multibillion-dollar communications chip maker, wants to elbow its way into smartphones. And it is planning to do so by announcing the first advanced 5G Wi-Fi combination chips for smartphones.
The chip’s 2×2 MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) technology makes use of interference to improve overall bandwidth
The Broadcom BCM4354 system-on-a-chip uses the Wi-Fi 802.11ac protocol to transfer data.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wilocity uncloaks 4.6Gb/sec Wi-Fi for next year’s smartphones
Low-power ‘Sparrow’ flies into Barcelona, renamed Wil6300
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/25/wilocity_debuts_wil6300_wigig_chip_at_mobile_world_congress/
Wilocity, pioneers of high-speed “WiGig” 60GHz Wi-Fi, has used the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as the debutant ball for its 4.6Gb/sec chip for smartphones, formerly codenamed “Sparrow” and now formally dubbed Wil6300.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung flaunts new Galaxy S5: Look, folks, life isn’t about GHz and megapxiels, OK?
Fitness, fashion, colours, that’s what people want, duh
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/25/samsung_s5_launch/
MWC 2014 Samsung has announced its new Galaxy S5 smartphone, and focussed on how fashionable and fitness-friendly the thing is rather than spend time revealing specifications during its packed launch shindig.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Say WHAT? Qualcomm, MediaTek scrap over who has best ‘marketing gimmick’ octocore
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/25/ding_dong_qualcomm_and_mediatek_scrap_over_who_has_the_best_octocore_marketing_gimmick/
MWC 2014 Qualcomm launched its first 8-core processors at Mobile World Congress this week, after last year describing octocore chips as “a marketing gimmick”.
Big error, said upstart MediaTek, which is No 2 to Qualcomm in the fabless chip market, and a third of the size of the San Diego pioneer. But it still ships a mind-boggling 220 million smartphone chips into the market. MediaTek already has a number of octocore chips and announced new ones this week, too.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hey 4G bods: We need to make ‘phonecalls’ with our ‘voices’, too
And someone has to make it all work, natch
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/25/jdsu_helps_with_voice/
MWC 2014 It’s well documented that voice is little more than an afterthought on 4G. That’s now being addressed, says Paul Gowans from network tech specialist JDSU, but it will be some time before you can reliably pick up a 4G phone and make a call to another one.
When voice in 4G is working, as it is doing in South Korea on SK Telecom, it’s great. The call setup is particularly quick and the sound quality is amazing, far better than on landlines.
But a lot has to happen for the systems to work, in part because VoLTE (Voice over 3G Long Term Evolution) includes a guarantee of call quality – which means a guarantee of bandwidth, minimum lost packets or jitter.
one thing which is still a long way off is handoff.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia’s Stephen Elop On How Android Fits Into His Windows World (Video)
http://recode.net/2014/02/24/nokias-stephen-elop-explains-how-android-fits-into-his-windows-world-video/
Nokia’s Stephen Elop had a chance to go Android three years ago and opted to bet on Windows Phone instead.
So why, just as he is set to rejoin Microsoft, is Elop launching a new family of Android devices?
Nokia needs an additional way to reach first-time smartphone buyers and sees the Nokia X as a stepping stone to the Windows Phone-based Lumia line.
Nokia says the X line will give it a chance to offer smartphones below the cost of Windows Phone, even as Windows Phone drops in cost as well.
Whether consumers gravitate to Nokia X rather than one of the many alternatives using Google’s services remains to be seen.
Elop insists that Microsoft is on board with the Android strategy
“In many of growth economies where the Nokia X will generate profit, there has not been an easy way for Microsoft to generate profit,” he said. “People aren’t buying PCs or software is not readily paid for.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
LEADING MOBILE OPERATORS UNVEIL GSMA MOBILE CONNECT INITIATIVE TO PROVIDE CONSISTENT AND INTEROPERABLE APPROACH TO MANAGING DIGITAL IDENTITY
http://www.gsma.com/newsroom/leading-mobile-operators-unveil-mobile-connect-initiative/
The GSMA today announced the launch of a collaborative initiative, supported by leading mobile operators including Axiata Group Berhad, China Mobile, China Telecom, Etisalat, KDDI, Ooredoo, Orange, Tata Teleservices, Telefónica, Telenor, Telstra and VimpelCom, to develop an innovative new service that will allow consumers to securely access a wide array of digital services using their mobile phone account for authentication.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mobile Connect
http://www.gsmamobileconnect.com/
The GSMA is working with leading mobile operators including Axiata Group Berhad, China Mobile, China Telecom, Elisa, Etisalat, KDDI, Ooredoo, Orange, Tata, Telefónica, Telenor, Telstra and VimpelCom to develop an innovative new service that will allow consumers to securely access a wide array of digital services using their mobile phone number for authentication. The GSMA Mobile Connect service will simplify consumers’ lives, offering a single, trusted, mobile phone number-based authentication solution that fully respects their online privacy.
For consumers, digital identity solutions such as Mobile Connect offer privacy protection, reduce the risk of identity theft and simplify the login experience for a range of services, such as retail, government and banking, among others.
Tomi Engdahl says:
U.S. operators are MIA in the GSMA’s new Mobile Connect universal login program
The GSMA announced a new mobile identification program the group said will allow users to use their phone’s SIM card and a personal PIN number to log on to any participating service. The goal, the association said, is to create a universal identification system that would eliminate the need for users to remember the passwords they need to access every online service they use.
The GSMA said its new Mobile Connect service will work across any wireless network technology and any device with a SIM card, including phones, tablets and PCs. The association said the service will use the OpenID Connect protocol.
Read more: U.S. operators are MIA in the GSMA’s new Mobile Connect universal login program – FierceWireless http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/us-operators-are-mia-gsmas-new-mobile-connect-universal-login-program/2014-02-24#ixzz2uPLC019S
Tomi Engdahl says:
OpenX launches its mobile-first native ad exchange
http://venturebeat.com/2014/02/25/openx-launches-its-mobile-first-native-ad-exchange/
OpenX Technologies is launching a mobile-focused native ad exchange today that it says will help app and game developers and publishers make a lot more money.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Servo: Inside Mozilla’s mission to reinvent the web browser for the multi-core age
http://www.zdnet.com/servo-inside-mozillas-mission-to-reinvent-the-web-browser-for-the-multi-core-age-7000026606/
Summary: Mozilla on how its Servo engine will throw away the 20th-century baggage that holds back current browsers and harness the power of modern multi-core smartphones and tablets.
“Basically all of the browser engines you are used to using were designed before the year 2000, and hardware at that time was very different. It usually only had one core, clock speeds were lower and you had much less memory available to you,” said Mozilla platform engineer Josh Matthews at the FosDem conference earlier this month.
“Things like multi-thread programming weren’t built in from the start and they’ve been bolted on after the fact. Existing engines are giant and there are various architectural decisions built into them that are very difficult to modify.”
“Security is really big. Everyone uses a browser and therefore browser exploits are really good targets for security vulnerabilities.
“Our feeling is that, at least in Gecko [the layout engine used by Firefox], a lot of the security problems come from C++’s unsafe memory model.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
LTE Built-In GM Cars: No Smartphones Required
GM Partners with AT&T; Qualcomm Goes for 20nm LTE-A Chips
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321165&
Smartphones are no longer the only platform hotly pursued by cellular operators eager to boost their revenue. Now, it’s cars.
Many network service operators see automobiles as their next big growth opportunity.
Automakers, also seeing dollar signs in this scenario, are hyping their cars as “smartphones on wheels.”
Meanwhile, Qualcomm, the only semiconductor supplier of LTE chipsets for the automotive market, is ratcheting up its automotive LTE efforts by rolling out what the company calls “the world’s first commercial 20nm LTE-Advanced chip set for automotive.” Qualcomm’s LTE-Advanced chipset, designated Gobi 9×30
According to IHS Automotive, the current embedded modem market is still mostly 2.5G since the vast majority of telematics systems operate their services at a low data-rate.
However, the telematics industry today is migrating from 2.5G directly to LTE, mostly by skipping 3G, according to Egil Juliussen, principal analyst, infotainment and ADAS market, at IHS Automotive.
“As operators deploy the next generation of LTE Advanced networks, automakers are starting to plan out their vehicle platform upgrade and adoption for this new technology,” a Qualcomm spokeswoman told EE Times.
It remains uncertain how vehicles with built-in LTE modems will either collide or mesh with LTE-enabled smartphones on two fronts: applications and network subscription fees.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Accenture and KPN Show Google Glass Proof of Concept at MWC
http://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/News/Online-Video-News/Accenture-and-KPN-Show-Google-Glass-Proof-of-Concept-at-MWC-95051.aspx
Watch second screen content without looking away from the TV, or watch recorded shows even when away from home.
First, Google Glass works as a voice-operated remote, letting viewers change the channel and fast-forward or rewind. Next, the solution lets viewers see second-screen contextual information without looking away from the main screen. Finally, Google Glass can stream video stored in a cloud DVR, letting viewers watch even when away from their TV.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Introduces KNOX Marketplace, An Enterprise App Store Powered By AppDirect
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/25/samsung-introduces-knox-marketplace-an-enterprise-app-store-powered-by-appdirect/
KNOX allows users to keep their work apps and personal apps separate from one another, with differentiated access to try to minimize the security risks associated with using your home device at work. The KNOX marketplace gives enterprises a new, equally distinct way to control which of those apps are made available for downloading and use in a business setting. It allows corporate IT managers to search for and buy KNOX apps and other software targeted specifically at business mobiles, and buy entire preconfigured product bundles at once.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Is Working On A New Smartphone Operating System That It Hopes Will End Android
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/tizen-2014-2#ixzz2uQPhdsBc
Tomi Engdahl says:
Exclusive: Google sets roadblocks to stop distracted driver legislation
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/25/us-google-glass-lobbying-idUSBREA1O0P920140225
Google is lobbying officials in at least three U.S. states to stop proposed restrictions on driving with headsets such as Google Glass, marking some of the first clashes over the nascent wearable technology.
Some eight U.S. states are considering regulation of Google Glass, a tiny computer screen mounted in the corner of an eyeglass frame. Law enforcement and other groups are concerned that drivers wearing the devices will pay more attention to their email than the road, causing serious accidents.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Motorola plans to launch a smartwatch later this year
http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/25/5446886/motorola-plans-to-launch-a-smartwatch-later-this-year
Motorola is planning to jump back into the wearables market later this year, according to senior vice president Rick Osterloh. The company will launch a smartwatch that Osterloh claims will address “consumer issues like style and battery life.” The news was revealed at a panel discussion at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Taiwan Mobile unveils Granny-tracker smart bracelet
NFC-enabled wearable could help elderly users find their way home
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/26/taiwan_mobile_tracking_nfc_bracelet_elderly/
State-of-the-art smartwatches and wearables are garnering many of the headlines at the Mobile World Congress this week, but in Taiwan a local operator has a different idea – a smart bracelet designed specifically for the elderly.
The wearable device is fitted with NFC technology so that the user can swipe it over an NFC-enabled smartphone to send out an alert including their GPS co-ordinates,
Taiwan Mobile apparently plans to hand out 4,000 of the bracelets
At MWC in Barcelona Sony demonstrated a wearable device which integrates with its Sony Lifelog app
Chinese mobile manufacturer Huawei, meanwhile, introduced the Talkband which monitors fitness and includes a detachable headset for making and receiving calls.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IBM Wants Watson to Make Your Smartphone Apps Smarter
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2014/02/watson-mobile/
We know that IBM’s Watson supercomputer is good at trivia. It beat two Jeopardy champions on the iconic TV game show in 2011. But IBM wants far more from this machine. It wants Watson to feed the apps on your cellphone.
On Wednesday, at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty unveiled the IBM Watson Mobile Developer Challenge, encouraging the world’s software developers to build mobile applications that can tap into the supercomputer’s talent for data analysis and machine learning. This could yield a Siri-like voice recognition system or an app that translates text into foreign languages.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Fingerprint Scanner On The Samsung Galaxy S5 Will Be Accessible By Developers
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/26/the-fingerprint-scanner-on-the-samsung-galaxy-s5-will-be-accessible-by-developers/
Samsung’s Galaxy S5 includes a fingerprint scanner embedded in the home button, and that hardware will be made available to third-party devs, the company announced today at a developer-focused event during MWC this year. That move is in stark contrast to Apple’s strategy with its own fingerprint sensor tech, which is specifically off-limits to third-party devs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hands-on with Samsung’s Tizen OS: An impressively capable Android clone
Samsung’s Android backup OS is surprisingly viable. The big problem is apps.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/02/hands-on-with-samsungs-tizen-os-a-impressively-capable-android-clone/
a small booth tucked away in the last hall of MWC: a Tizen booth
Here, in the “App Planet” section of Mobile World Congress, Samsung has actual Tizen phones on display—phones with an OS that is fully under Samsung’s control.
The OS runs on “prototype” hardware that very closely resembles a Galaxy S4. Tizen is a Linux-based OS primarily developed by Samsung, and, the theory goes, Samsung’s grand plot is to eventually turn Tizen into a drop-in Android replacement, own the market with an OS of its own making, and never have to deal with Google again.
Samsung has done such a good job of replicating the Android interface that there is very little to write about—everything looks and works similarly to the way it does on Android, just without any kind of ecosystem.
Tizen uses the same button configuration as many Android Samsung phones, with Menu, Home, and Back buttons. Samsung’s OS runs really, really well
The interface isn’t everything—we still have no idea what developers think of Tizen’s development toolset versus Android’s. We were told that development could be done with either native C++ or HTML5 apps, so it doesn’t sound like expertise building Android apps in Java will translate to Tizen. There are third parties offering Android app support on Tizen, but Samsung wasn’t demoing that.
Products like Google Maps, Gmail, Google Now, and YouTube are the best parts of owning an Android device, and many users would even say that those apps are the best part of owning an iPhone. Tizen will never have those apps, and getting apps from other developers is going to be a huge challenge.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Closer Look At Blackphone, The Android Smartphone That Simplifies Privacy
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/26/close-look-at-blackphone/
One of the more interesting devices here at Mobile World Congress is Blackphone: a pro-privacy handset being developed by Spanish startup Geeksphone, in partnership with U.S. security company Silent Circle using a “security-oriented” Android build called PrivatOS.
“We modified some default behaviours of Android and some security flaws that we found and we call that PrivatOS. It’s just small modifications of the Android core,” said Geeksphone founder and CEO Javier Agüera, demoing the device to TechCrunch.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Blink once to turn right: Samsung asks software dev Teleca to talk Tizen
Because the world really needs another OS
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/27/teleca_puts_a_tizen_in_your_tank/
Teleca head of mobile and media biz, Andrew Till, explains that this has led to a lot of development work on Tizen apps – and the lack of any phones at MWC does not mean they will not appear. Teleca’s Tizen work doesn’t stop at phones though.
It is doing quite a bit of work for Intel’s automotive division and you can expect to see Tizen driving cars for the model years of 2015 or 2016.
The car industry is keen to see closer integration between phones and cars, but Tizen rather than Android is the car OS of choice because until recently Google had no clearly defined automotive strategy. The incumbent car OS, pen-source Genivi, is moving too slowly. Till expects Hyundai to lead the charge on launching cars with Tizen.
Till also sees a place for Tizen in wearables, and this is an area where Teleca sees growth – maybe not just with Tizen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
First Ubuntu phones go on sale Q3 this year
http://www.cnet.com.au/first-ubuntu-phones-go-on-sale-q3-this-year-339346762.htm?feed=rss
Ubuntu-powered versions of the Meixu MX3 and BQ Aquaris smartphones will debut in the third quarter of this year. I sat down with Shuttleworth, who’s also the head of British company Canonical, at phone and tablet extravaganza Mobile World Congress, where he revealed why Ubuntu is launching with partners Meizu and BQ.
“Our first generation of phones will be astonishingly great in some areas,” Shuttleworth explained, “but will come across as weak in others. So if we get them into the right hands, people can celebrate the things we’re really great at while we buff up the app catalogue and improve in other areas.
“We won’t have 650,000 apps in the app store, so we’ll get the phone in the hands of people who don’t care about that first.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
MWC: Kazam takes on the Galaxy S5 with £200 octa-core smartphone
The Tornado 2 5.5 has an octa-core 1.7GHz processor with a 5.5in display
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2331414/mwc-kazam-takes-on-the-galaxy-s5-with-gbp200-octa-core-smartphone
KAZAM WILL CHALLENGE Samsung’s Galaxy S5 with the launch of two octa-core smartphones at Mobile World Congress (MWC)
The Tornado 2 5.5 has an octa-core 1.7GHz processor and 2GB of RAM with a 5.5n full HD IPS display and a 13MP rear-facing snapper
Tomi Engdahl says:
MWC: Samsung adds eight-core procesor to Exynos Octa 5 line-up
Also unveils lower power NFC chip and two CMOS image sensors
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2331341/mwc-samsung-adds-eight-core-procesor-to-exynos-octa-5-line-up
SAMSUNG HAS UPDATED its Exynos processor line-up at Mobile World Congress (MWC), adding two new Octa and Hexa processors for improved display support and longer battery life for high-end and mid-range smartphones and tablets.
Launched under Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa range of chips, the Exynos 5422 has four ARM Cortex A15 “big cores” running at up to 2.1GHz for heavy workloads, and four ARM Cortex A7 “small cores” running at up to 1.5GHz for lighter jobs. This configuration is an instance of ARM’s “Big.little” microprocessor architecture.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The chip manufacturers following in the wake of Apple’s 64-bit chips arrive phones
Mobile World Congress no manufacturer have published 64-bit smart phones. The new chip sets predict the incoming in the next few months. So far, Apple’s iPhone 5s is the only 64-bit mobile device.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 615 (8 core) and 610 (4 core) models are similar to Apple’s 64-bit A7 chip. Devices using Snapdragon could be released in Q4 2014.
Intel says that its new Merrifiel chip sets (2 core 64 bit) are used in devices in the second quarter.
Low-cost smartphone chips on MediaTek announced its own 64-bit chipped, MT6752′s, to arrive.
Source: Tietoviikko
http://www.tietoviikko.fi/uutisia/siruvalmistajat+seuraavat+applen+vanavedessa+64bittiset+sirut+saapuvat+puhelimiin/a970795
Tomi Engdahl says:
Barcelona MWC fair supply raises seven phenomena that should be monitored.
1 Top phones development jammed
2 Good ideas are hidden
3 Cheap smartphones (less than 100 USD coming)
4 Smart watches become something that could be used
5 Time is not yet for virtual glasses
6 Security features are added, but privacy is reduced
7 Networks change the world – for real
Source: Tietoviikko
http://www.digitoday.fi/bisnes/2014/03/01/7-ilmiota-mwc-messuilta–nain-maailmamme-muuttuu/20142970/66?rss=6