The platform wars is over: Apple and Google both won. Microsoft wanted to be the third mobile ecosystem, and it has got clear solid third position, but quite small market share of overall smart phone market. Apple now sells around 10% of all the 1.8bn (and growing) phones sold on Earth each year and Android the next 50%, split roughly between say 2/3 Google Android outside China and 1/3 non-Google Android inside China. So Apple and Google have both won, and both got what they wanted, more or less, and that’s not going to change imminently.
Wearables and phablets will be the big device stories of 2015. I think that the wearables will be the more interesting story of them, because I expect more innovation to happen there. The smart phone side seemed to already be a little bit boring during 2014 – lack of innovation from big players – and I can’t see how somewhat bigger screen size and higher resolution would change that considerably during 2015. CES 2015 debuts the future of smartphones coming from all places – maybe not very much new and exciting.
Say good-buy to to astronomical growth in smart phone sales in developed countries, as smartphone market is nearly saturated in certain regions. There will be still growth in east (China, India etc..), but most of this growth will be taken by the cheap Android phones made by companies that you might have not heard before because many of them don’t sell their products in western countries. The sales of “dumb phones” will decrease as cheap smart phone will take over. Over time this will expand such that smartphones take almost all phone sales (perhaps 400m or 500m units a quarter), with Apple taking the high-end and Android the rest.
The current biggest smart phone players (Samsung and Apple) will face challenges. Samsung’s steep Q3 profit decline shows ongoing struggles in mobile – Customers sought out lower priced older models and bought a higher percentage of mid-range smartphones, or bought from some other company making decent quality cheap phones. Samsung has long counted on its marketing and hardware prowess to attract customers seeking an alternative to Apple’s iPhone. But the company is now facing new competition from low-cost phone vendors such as China’s Xiaomi and India’s Micromax, which offer cheap devices with high-end specs in their local markets.
Apple has a very strong end of 2014 sales in USA: 51% of new devices activated during Christmas week were Apple, 18% were Samsung, 6% Nokia — Apple and Apps Dominated Christmas 2014 — Millions of people woke up and unwrapped a shiny new device under the Christmas tree. It is expected that Apple also will see slowing sales in 2015: Tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted Apple will face a grim start to 2015 with iPhone sales plummeting by up to a third.
In few years there’ll be close to 4bn smartphones on earth. Ericsson’s annual mobility report forecasts increasing mobile subscriptions and connections through 2020.(9.5B Smartphone Subs by 2020 and eight-fold traffic increase). Ericsson’s annual mobility report expects that by 2020 90% of the world’s population over six years old will have a phone. It really talks about the connected world where everyone will have a connection one way or another.
What about the phone systems in use. Now majority of the world operates on GSM and HPSA (3G). Some countries are starting to have good 4G (LTE) coverage, but on average only 20% is covered by LTE. Ericsson expects that 85% of mobile subscriptions in the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa will be 3G or 4G by 2020. 75%-80% of North America and Western Europe are expected to be using LTE by 2020. China is by far the biggest smartphone market by current users in the world, and it is rapidly moving into high-speed 4G technology.
It seems that we change our behavior when networks become better: In South Korea, one third of all people are doing this ‘place shifting’ over 4G networks. When faster networks are taken into use, the people will start to use applications that need more bandwidth, for example watch more streamed video on their smart phones.
We’re all spending more time with smartphones and tablets. So much so that the “second screen” may now be the “first screen,” depending on the data you read. Many of us use both TV and mobile simultaneously: quickly responding to email, texting with friends, or browsing Twitter and the news if I lose interest with the bigger screen. Whatever it is I’m watching, my smartphone is always close at hand. There is rapid increase of mobile device usage—especially when it comes to apps.
The use of digital ads on mobile devices is increasing. Digital ad spend is forecast to increase 15% in 2015, with research saying it will equal ad spending on television by 2019. Mobile and social media will drive 2015 spending on digital to $163 billion, with mobile ad spending expected to jump 45%. “Almost all the growth is from mobile”
Mobile virtual reality will be talked about. 3D goggles like Sony Morpheus and Facebook’s Optimus Rift will get some attention. We’ll see them refined for augmented reality apps. hopefully we see DIY virtual reality kits that use current handsets and don’t cost thousands.
Google glass consumer market interest was fading in the end of 2014, and I expect that fading to continue in 2015. It seems that developers already may be losing interest in the smart eyewear platform. Google glass is expected to be consumer sales sometime in 2015, some fear consumer demand for Glass isn’t there right now and may never materialize. “All of the consumer glass startups are either completely dead or have pivoted” Although Google continues to say it’s 100% committed to Glass and the development of the product, the market may not be.
The other big headliner of the wearables segment was Apple’s basic $350 Watch. Apple invest its time when it released the Apple Watch last quarter, going up against the likes of Google’s Android Wear and others in the burgeoning wearables area of design. Once Apple’s bitten into a market, it’s somewhat a given that there’s good growth ahead and that the market is, indeed, stable enough.
As we turn to 2015 and beyond wearables becomes an explosive hardware design opportunity — one that is closely tied to both consumer and healthcare markets. It could pick up steam in the way software did during the smartphone app explosion. It seems that the hardware becomes hot again as Wearables make hardware the new software. It’s an opportunity that is still anyone’s game. Wearables will be important end-points both for cloud and for messaging. The wearable computing market is one of the biggest growth areas in tech. BI Intelligence estimates that 148 million wearable devices like smartwatches and fitness trackers will ship in 2019.
I see that wearables will be big in 2015 mainly in the form of smart watch. According to a survey by UBS, 10% of consumers said they were very likely to buy a smartwatch in 2015, even though so far, no smartwatches have resonated with consumers. I expect the Sales of fitness wearables to plunge in 2015 owing to smartwatch takeover. In the future you need to look at exercise and fashion products as being in the same space. Samsung, Motorola, LG, and Apple debuted or announced smartwatches in 2014, so it’s no surprise that smartwatches are expected to be huge in Las Vegas at CES January’s show.
The third mobile ecosystem Windows phone has some new thing coming as Microsoft ready to show off Windows 10 mobile SKU on January 21. But it does not well motivating to me. After all, the vision of a unified Microsoft world extending across all screens is great, and it’s what Microsoft has needed all along to make Windows Phone a winner. The problem that hits me: if you fail enough times at the same thing, people stop believing you. It’s not just that Microsoft keeps failing to integrate its mobile, desktop, and console products. But Microsoft keeps claiming it will, which starts to loose credibility.
Mobile will change on-line sales in 2015: Phones have already radically altered both the way Americans shop and how retail goods move about the economy, but the transformation is just beginning — and it is far from guaranteed that Amazon will emerge victorious from the transition (this will also apply to other “traditional” players in that space).
Mobile payment technology reaching maybe finally reaching critical mass this year. Long predicted but always seeming to be “just around the corner,” mobile payments may finally have arrived. While Apple’s recent Apple Pay announcement may in retrospect be seen as launching the coming mobile payment revolution, the underlying technologies – and alternative solutions – have been emerging for some time. Maybe it isn’t going to replace the credit card but it’s going to replace the wallet — the actual physical thing crammed with cards, cash, photos and receipts. When you are out shopping, it’s the wallet, not the credit card, that is the annoyance.
Mobile money is hot also in developing countries: ordinary people in Africa using an SMS text-based currency called M-Pesa. M-Pesa was invented as a virtual currency by mobile network provider Vodafone after it was discovered that its airtime minutes were being used and traded in by people in Africa in lieu of actual money. In Kenya, a critical mass was quickly reached, and today, over 70% of the 40 million Kenyans use M-Pesa.
Mobile security will be talked about. Asian mobiles the DDOS threat of 2015, security mob says article tells that Vietnam, India and Indonesia will be the distributed denial of service volcanoes of next year due to the profieration of pwned mobiles.
Intel is heavily pushing to mobile and wearable markets. Intel is expected to expand its smartphone partnership with Lenovo: Intel will provide both its 64-bit Atom processor and LTE-Advanced modem chips for the Lenovo phones. The 4G phones follow Intel’s announcement in October of its first 4G smartphone in the US, the Asus PadFone X Mini. Now Intel remains well behind Qualcomm — which controls two-thirds of the global mobile modem market — and MediaTek as a supplier of chips for smartphones and tablets. Intel faces tough competition trying to fight its way into mobile — a market it ignored for years. Intel in early 2015 will introduce its first 4G system-on-a-chip under the new SoFIA name. Such chips include both a processor and modem together and are sought after by handset makers because they’re smaller in size than separate processor and radio chips, and use less power (matching Qualcomm’s Snapdragon).
Mobile chip leader Qualcomm will be going strong in 2015. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 is not only a killer part, it has raised the bar on what a mobile SoC has to be in 2015. It can power devices that drive 4K (3840 x 2160) TV, take 4K videos, run AAA games and connect to 5-inch HD display. There are finished, branded products just waiting to be released. I am convinced Qualcomm is on track to deliver commercial devices with Snapdragon 810 in mid-2015. I expect Qualcomm to be strong leader throughout 2015.
More material worth to check out:
New questions in mobile
http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2014/11/20/time-for-new-questions-in-mobile
What’s Next in Wireless: My 2015 Predictions
http://newsroom.t-mobile.com/issues-insights-blog/2015-predictions.htm
1,230 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel for the jackpot: the circuit to a new iPhone
Intel has done for many years-billion dollar losses with it’s mobile chips (acquired Infineon’s mobile phone circuit functions in 2010).
According to the latest market rumours, the company’s fortune would finally turning. Apple has said to have chosen Intel’s LTE modem chip in the next iPhone-phone radio solution. According to Venture Beat the site, according to Intel’s LTE modem should be a new iPhone in some markets in Asia and Latin America. Intel 7360 modem chip supports 3GPP Release 9 and 10 assays.
This would be a revolutionary design to Intel profit. At the same time, it would be a significant loss of Qualcomm.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2549:intelille-jattipotti-piiri-uuteen-iphoneen&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Android 5.1 has a major bug, beware if you’re on a Nexus 5
http://www.technobuffalo.com/2015/03/16/android-5-1-ram-usage-bug-nexus-5/
Android 5.1 improves on Android 5.0 pretty drastically, but it’s not perfect.
Threatpost recently noticed issues related to memory problems, and points to several posts on the AOSP website that suggest the issue is widespread. “Users reported seeing their RAM bloat to over 1 gigabyte and leave as little as 150 megabytes free, before their phones ultimately crashed,” the site explained.
Google has apparently already fixed the bug.
we should see a fix in a fresh update.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Counterfeit SD Card Problem is Widespread
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326059&
Individual consumers and corporate bulk buyers alike should be wary of great prices for secure digital (SD) memory cards: they will find out the hard way the cards are bogus.
The Counterfeit Report recently published its findings about the extent of counterfeit SD cards available for purchase, particularly online from dishonest sellers using eBay, Amazon, and Alibaba offering high capacity cards at deep discounts. Publisher Craig Crosby said the cards and packaging, using common serial numbers, are nearly identical to the authentic product of all major SD card brands.
Tests by the Counterfeit Report found that the cards will work at first, but generally speaking, buyers are purchasing what they think are cards with capacities of 32GB and up. Instead they are getting are cards with 7GB capacity. Counterfeiters simply overwrite the real memory capacity with a false capacity to match any capacity and model they print on the counterfeit packaging and card, Crosby explained. Users can’t determine the actual memory capacity of a counterfeit memory card by simply plugging it into their computer, phone, or camera. When the user hits the limit, the phony card starts overwriting files, which leads to lost data.
SanDisk: SDHC Micro SD Memory Cards
http://www.thecounterfeitreport.com/product/186/SDHC-Micro-SD-Memory-Cards.html
According to reports from Sandisk, one third of all memory cards on the market are counterfeit.
Many buyers of counterfeit products find that branded SanDisk cards are actually re-branded inferior quality cards or cards of smaller capacity.
All genuine SanDisk memory cards should have a serial number and a manufacturing country’s identity. You can not determine the authenticity of a Sandisk card from an internet stock photo.
You cannot determine the actual memory capacity of a counterfeit memory card by simply viewing the capacity displayed by your computer, phone or camera. Counterfeiters fraudulently overwrite the cards internal memory with a false capacity. It must be checked with a test program.
To check if your Micro SD drive has the capacity and speed stated, “H2testw” is a simple tool that is distributed for free, does not require installation and offers a very simple, easy-to-use interface. The program can be used by anyone who wants to know how their actual product compares to others, the real capacity and the amount of errors that can be detected on their device.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Forked Android: Sign of Trouble or Creativity?
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326057&
Tomi Engdahl says:
Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:
Nomad’s Pod is a $60 portable Apple Watch battery pack that ships in June
http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/17/nomads-pod-is-a-clever-portable-backup-battery-for-apple-watch/
The Apple Watch isn’t available yet, but that hasn’t stopped accessory makers from coming out of the woodwork to pre-announce a thriving ecosystem of companion devices for the wearable. Nomad, maker of the ChargeKey and the NomadClip, among many other MFI-certified power accessories, is joining the fray with the Pod, a portable battery pack for Apple Watch, and the Stand, an Apple Watch (get ready for it) stand.
Nomad’s design builds an 1,800 mAh backup battery directly into a device just a bit smaller than a hockey puck, with special port built into the top to accommodate the Apple Watch’s charging puck, so that the Apple Watch can be charged on it directly, no additional cable required.
There are multiple cable options available with the product, too, though, as it offers a new USB-C connector for in/out power transmission, as well as a micro USB charging port and a standard USB out for non-fancy, older cables.
Tomi Engdahl says:
With New Feature, Bitly Links Can Now Open Apps
Company Considers Data Licensing but Privacy, Data-Protection Obstacles Remain
http://adage.com/article/datadriven-marketing/bitly-extends-profile-data-deep-mobile/297614/
Bitly is best known as the firm that helps keep Twitter posts at or below 140-characters. But every time the link-shortening system truncates a publisher or brand site URL, it’s gathering 20 data points showing things such as location and device type and enhancing profiles of the users clicking on those mini links.
Today, the firm is set to extend its technology for mobile app “deep linking,” offering clients including Ford, Campbell’s, Amazon, Etsy, Disney and Visa otherwise-obscured insight into mobile app usage.
Put simply, the feature employs an app ID which automatically opens the appropriate mobile app to display content on someone’s device when she clicks on a Bitly link. For instance, if someone clicks a Bitly link in the Facebook app leading to a Buzzfeed story, the system will open the Buzzfeed app to display the story, or suggest that the user download the app. In addition to providing additional data on mobile app users, the system promises to help companies drive more traffic to their apps.
Bitly encodes more than 600 million links each month and around 60% of its link traffic comes through mobile devices, said Bitly CEO Mark Josephson.
Bitly technically owns its data because every time someone clicks one of its links it actually redirects to Bitly’s server, prompting a first party cookie to be installed on a user’s device.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung puts eight-core processor IN A WATCH
Brain the size of a planet and you ask me to tell the time
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/03/18/samsung_to_put_eight_core_processor_in_a_watch/
The chip which powers the Galaxy S6 is finding its way into Samsung’s next watch. It’s an eight-core beastie, with four cores running at 2.1GHz and four at 1.5GHz, with an ARM Mali T760 GPU.
The Exynos 7420 is a high-performance processor and it seems a little bit over-the-top for a device which has telling the time as its main function. Well, quite a lot over-the-top, actually.
Stepping up from the two cores in current Sammy watches to eight is a big jump. Yet it is rumoured to be the processor in a leaked watch codenamed Orbis.
The 14nm implementation of the Exynos 7420 is low power and clever code spread across the cores can reduce the heat produced.
The main reason for this choice is not CPU grunt, but power efficiency. The installation would improve battery life from the 1-2 days of rival (cough, Apple) smart watches to 3-4 days, but it still trails the E-ink Pebble’s endurance of around a week, that of a quartz watch which will last five years or a mechanical self-winder which never needs to be charged at all.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Yepzon Donates a Positioning Device to President Putin
http://yepzon.com/yepzon-donates-a-positioning-device-to-president-putin/
Recently, the Russian President Vladimir Putin was missing from the public eye for a short period of time, which caused concern and raised some eyebrows. Now, positioning service pioneer Yepzon has decided to donate President Putin his own Yepzon One positioning device.
Yepzon One is an excellent positioning tool–even for a busy head of state. In addition to Mr. Putin, a similar device will be sent to the US President, Barack Obama.
“If the president doesn’t have time to pick up the phone, his staff will be able to locate the boss nice and easy. This is how Yepzon can help prevent international commotion,” says Mr. Otto Linna, CEO of Yepzon Enterprises.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apps have to state if they’re selling/sharing your information
Apps now have to state whether they will be selling your information to third parties.
Source: https://plus.google.com/+JackUnderwood/posts/4rqy8Wbff3u
Tomi Engdahl says:
RCS will replace text messages
Traditional SMS and MMS are disappearing. OTT, or over-the-top is a dirty word for many operators. It is used for operator services offered by the web on the tube, usually with free applications. This will eventually lead to a decline in the traditional text, and I spent a large notch operator inputs.
SMS, or text messaging service was for many years an essential part of mobile phone use to consumers, and at the same time, it was a vital source of income for operators. However, change is permanent and because the basic mobile phone has largely replaced the palm-sized computer, which is known as smartphone, Internet-based instant messaging services have become common in the industry norm.
SMS and MSM MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) limit in any case blurred when the various message applications have changed the way people use messaging services. Operators hope they can replace the existing text and multimedia message systems, as well as WhatsApp and Facebook messages, with RCS (Rich Communication Services).
RCS stands for Rich Communications Service. It is an IP-based service, which will replace the current SMS and MMS messages, as well as that of their users in addition to a lot of new features.
RCS provides standard SMS and MMS message features, in addition, it supports two users and between the Group’s internal instant messaging (IM, Instant Messaging), as well as files, and video-sharing over the network. The subscriber’s point of view, the RCS will focus on the use of improved address book. It is the user’s contacts, consisting of a library, which follow from the network and the second device. RCS can show visually what all services contact will be able to participate. The functions look similar to, say, Instagram or WhatsApp, but the RCS provides some respects better services. Users can, for example, to change the media in a single message session.
When services such as Facebook or Instagram is used in mobile phone internet connection over, they are called OTT services (over the top), with the Internet data packets to be transferred to the operator’s network. The RCS is practically OTT the operator’s own service in which the bits typically moving LTE network element of an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem). Marketing reasons, RCS has been given the brand name of Joyn ( http://www.joynus.com ).
In 2011, the launch of RCS updated version of the RCS-e, which is intended for the rapid commercialization of services. Although the RCS is a standard based platform, the introduction includes problems such as the all new online services.
RCS advantage of the IMS core system, which originally was part of the 3G specifications. This service platform to implement, for example, authentication, authorization, registration, billing and routing.
RCS has received support from a wide suppliers of ecosystems. This reduces the need for operators to develop their own by a specific RCS implementations.
Such as voice calls and SMS messages, RCS terminal software can be installed on a cell phone during the manufacturing process. RCS is activated and the user is automatically detected when the phone is switched on and the SIM card is registered to the network.
The Client RCS Getting started is easy. For the operator this is a complex service which must be secured to an existing network. This requires careful testing before the introduction of the live network. RCS status of the industry-wide standard does not actually guarantee that it will work seamlessly with each 3GPP-compatible network.
At some point, the network operator wants to take a new RCS services to subscribers. Prior to that, the operator must verify that the live service provides enough high-quality user experience, that it does not slow down or undermine other online services, and that the RCS to maintain the security and privacy of users.
Sources:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2575:rcs-korvaa-tekstiviestit&catid=13&Itemid=101
http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2574:rcs-tekstiviestin-korvaaja-vaatii-tiukkaa-testaamista&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Astrid Wendlandt / Reuters:
Tag Heuer to announce Intel-powered smartwatch with a design identical to its sporty Carrera analog watch, coming next fall
LVMH’s Tag Heuer surfs wave of smartwatch partnerships
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/18/us-tagheurer-basel-idUSKBN0ME2OB20150318
Tag Heuer plans to unveil a smartwatch on Thursday among a wave of partnerships expected at the world’s biggest watch fair this week as luxury watchmakers fight back against Apple.
The Swiss watch brand, the biggest at French luxury group LVMH, will announce it is teaming up with U.S. chip maker Intel Corp to create a digital version of one of its best-selling model, industry sources have said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Apple Store retail plan for Watch: 15-minute appointments, at least 10 try-on stations, some employees dedicated to assisting Edition buyers
Apple Store retail plan for Watch: 15 min. appointments, 10+ try-on stations, Experts for Edition
http://9to5mac.com/2015/03/18/apple-watch-retail-plan-15-min-appointments-10-try-on-stations-special-experts-for-edition-sales/
Apple will introduce several major initiatives to ready its retail stores for the Apple Watch’s launch in April, according to sources briefed on the upcoming changes. Starting on April 10th, Apple will allocate 15 minutes per customer for in-store try-on appointments, using 10 or more try-on stations to manage what’s expected to be a steady flow of customers interested in having hands-on time with the Watch. While customers will not necessarily be required to have an appointment, they will be time-limited and guided during the hands-on experience.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google ‘Experts’ To Screen Android Apps For Banned Content
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/15/03/19/015247/google-experts-to-screen-android-apps-for-banned-content
Google has announced that it will start an official human-based screening process for all of the apps featured in its Google Play store, in a bid to “better protect the community” and “improve the app catalogue.” The search giant revealed yesterday that a “team of experts” would be reviewing apps and all updates offered across the Google Play platform for those which violate Google’s developer policies.
Google ‘experts’ to screen Play apps and updates for explicit and banned material
http://thestack.com/google-experts-review-play-apps-updates-180315
According to Google this human-driven review scheme began “several months ago” and that “no noticeable change” has been felt by developers during its introduction. Yesterday’s statement acts as an official announcement of the new programme.
Similarly since the launch of its App Store, Apple has a human review team which monitors third-party app submissions. However Google Play, originally the Android Market, has been more tolerant only conducting automated malware checks. This often resulted in lower-quality apps and gave rise to security issues.
While Apple’s process takes roughly a week, Google promises that its team will review the apps “within a matter of hours.”
Alongside the announcement of the review team, Google revealed that it would be working with the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the Pan-European Game Information (PEGI), and other organisations to assign age-based ratings to apps hosted in the Play Store.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook Messenger brings money transfers to US users
Facebook Messenger application receives a message feature, which allows users to transfer money to each other conversation.
The property comes Messenger US Android, iOS and desktop users within a few months. Money transfer for the application will be by tapping dollar sign or clicking the money can be transferred to a friend. Sending money and receive calls with your Facebook account connecting the bank card.
Facebook competitor Snapchat presented similar characteristic late last year.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Uutiset/2015-03-18/Facebook-tuo-Messenger-rahansiirrot-yhdysvaltalaisk%C3%A4ytt%C3%A4jille-3217644.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Times’ Attack on Wearables Is Really an Attack on Science
http://www.wired.com/2015/03/times-attack-wearables-really-attack-science/
Nick Bilton writes about technology for the Style section of the New York Times. He’s not a reporter; he does commentary, and as such nobody expects him to be right all the time. But his latest piece—which purports to outline scientific evidence that wearables like Apple’s recently announced Watch could cause diseases as serious as cancer—isn’t just wrong. Nor is it merely over-cautious, underreported, and purposefully provocative. It is dangerous.
This article is not about Nick Bilton. This article is about science, and how conspiracy-miners like Bilton misrepresent science to manufacture support for controversial ideas. The problem is not that Bilton believes that technology can cause diseases like cancer. That’s an old hypothesis, and one that science should (and does) examine. The problem is that he delivered his argument by targeting the most admirable hallmark of the scientific method: uncertainty in the face of incomplete evidence. And that makes his essay a pernicious attack on science itself.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Withdraw Cash Without a Card? There’s an App for That
BMO Harris Bank initiative gives new meaning to ‘smartphone withdrawal’ in bid to cut fraud
http://www.wsj.com/articles/withdraw-cash-without-a-card-theres-an-app-for-that-1426459107
Chicago-based BMO Harris Bank, a unit of Canada’s Bank of Montreal, on Monday will launch the U.S.’s biggest cardless ATM network, allowing customers to withdraw cash by using their smartphones.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Geoffrey Smith / Fortune:
Alibaba’s Jack Ma shows off new ‘pay with a selfie’ technology
http://fortune.com/2015/03/17/alibabas-jack-ma-shows-off-new-pay-with-a-selfie-technology/
New facial recognition software is intended to buttress the fast-growing mobile-payments business.
One thing is for sure – it’s better than having to remember another password.
Alibaba Group Holdings BABA 1.24% founder and chief executive Jack Ma Monday showed off the company’s new facial recognition tool, intended for use with Alipay mobile payments service.
Appearing at the annual CeBit tech exhibition in Hanover, Germany pulled a trick straight out of the Steve Jobs “one more thing” playbook by ending his presentation with a demonstration of “Smile to Pay”.
The app validates mobile payments by matching a photo taken by the user at the point of purchase to a stored profile photo.
The technology is being developed by Ant Financial unit, which also operates Alipay. Alipay was spun out of Alibaba before the latter’s IPO in New York last year, and Ma has hinted that he will seek a separate listing for it.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Exclusive: Nintendo CEO Reveals Plans for Smartphones
http://time.com/3748920/nintendo-mobile-games/
Nintendo’s CEO takes TIME inside the company’s surprise decision to put its historic video game franchises on smartphones and tablets
It’s official: Mario, Donkey Kong and Zelda will appear on smartphones and tablets at last—and that’s just the start.
In the digital world, content has the tendency to lose value, and especially on smart devices, we recognize that it is challenging to maintain the value of our content.
We have come to the stage where we can say that we will be able to develop and operate software which, in the end, will not hurt the value of Nintendo IP but, rather, will become an opportunity for the great number of people around the world who own smart devices—but do not have interest in dedicated video game hardware—to be interested in Nintendo IP and eventually to become fans of our dedicated game systems. Yesterday, we finally came to the stage where we were able to announce the alliance with DeNA, which plays a key role in these solutions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook plans to turn Messenger into a developer platform, eyeing pioneers Line and WeChat
Facebook Plans To Turn Messenger Into A Platform
http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/19/facebook-messenger-platform/
Next week at its F8 developer conference, Facebook will announce new ways for third parties to offer experiences through its Messenger app, according to multiple sources. Facebook hopes to make Messenger more useful, after seeing Asia’s chat apps WeChat and Line succeed as platforms that go beyond just texting with friends.
At first, Facebook will focus on how third parties can build ways for content and information to flow through Messenger.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Napier Lopez / The Next Web:
LinkedIn launches a dedicated job search app for Android
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/03/19/linkedin-launches-a-dedicated-job-search-app-for-android/
Remember the job search app LinkedIn introduced for iOS last year? Well, now Android has a counterpart.
The company says the app brings all the same features seen on iOS, but was built from scratch for Android. The interface is similar to the iOS edition, with some Android-esque touches like side tabs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tim Hornyak / Computerworld:
Samsung introduces 128GB 3-bit NAND flash memory chip aimed at middle to low-end smartphones
Samsung chip could bring 128GB storage to cheaper phones
The flash storage module is aimed at mass market devices
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2899057/samsung-chip-could-bring-128gb-storage-to-cheaper-phones.html
The new 3-bit NAND-based Embedded MultiMediaCard (eMMC) 5.0 storage is the industry’s highest-density architecture of its kind and will put larger storage capacities into mass market mobile devices, the company said Thursday.
The most expensive versions of smartphones and tablets such as the iPhone 6 or iPad Air have 128GB storage, and are currently available for about $200 more than the 16GB editions. Samsung would not say how much the 128GB eMMC 5.0 would cost and how that might affect device pricing.
The eMMC storage is already found in less expensive mobile devices.
“We expect to see that mid-to-low-end smartphones will increasingly adopt 128GB of memory storage in the near future,” a Samsung spokesman said via email.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HP:
What’s Next for China? The Chinese Telecom Industry’s Effect on its Economy — With China’s scale and ceaseless drive to innovate, telecom tech could be key to the nation’s continued growth as the world’s leading financial market.
What’s Next for China? The Chinese Telecom Industry’s Effect on its Economy
https://ssl.www8.hp.com/hpmatter/issue-no-4-spring-2015/whats-next-china-chinese-telecom-industrys-effect-its-economy
With China’s scale and ceaseless drive to innovate, telecom tech could be key to the nation’s continued growth as the world’s leading financial market.
Depending on how you crunch the numbers, China has surpassed the United States as the world’s largest economy, or is very close to doing so. Now it faces the so-called middle-income trap—the precarious step that separates economies based on cheap labor from those fueled by added value. That’s why the telecom industry, one of the country’s fastest-growing sectors, could play a key role in China’s larger economic future.
China’s Mobile Market
With close to 1.3 billion mobile-phone owners and 700 million Internet users, China is the most populous digital-telecom market in the world. But scale alone is only part of the story. In per capita terms, telecommunications spending is relatively low in China. Despite all those Internet users, for example, China only narrowly surpassed the U.S. market of 277 million users in electronic retail spending in 2013 ($295 billion to $270 billion, according to a study by the McKinsey Global Institute). And China’s total Internet economy, worth some $407 billion, was just over half the size of the U.S.’s, valued at $721 billion.
The Growth Cycle
Take, for example, China’s smartphone and tablet markets. In 2015, the number of operational devices in China is expected to exceed 900 million—an impressive step up from 700 million in 2014 and a quantum leap from 380 million in 2013, according to the McKinsey report.
The growth rate may be slowing, but it has triggered a boom for mobile apps and advertising. This market will double in size by 2018 (from $7.1 billion in 2014 to $15.7 billion), according to research by the London-based analysis firm IHS.
New Thinking
Traditionally, Chinese tech firms are famous for imitating foreign technology. There are independent Chinese versions of Facebook (Renren) and Twitter (Weibo). Even the Chinese tech firm Xiaomi has been dubbed, fairly or unfairly, “China’s Apple.” But in recent years, Chinese consumers are setting their own trends and Chinese firms are introducing their own innovations.
Challenges
Scale and ambition can move economic mountains. But China’s climb toward continued, sustainable tech growth is not without friction. The two biggest obstacles in telecom may prove to be online censorship and data security.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bloomberg Business:
Google, Intel and TAG Heuer Partner on Luxury Smartwatch
Google, Intel, and TAG Heuer Team Up on Luxury Smartwatch
Watch industry, consider yourself warned
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-19/google-and-tag-heuer-s-smartwatch-could-change-the-game-for-apple
Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer is creating a smartwatch in partnership with American technology companies Google and Intel. The watch is an attempt to compete with devices by consumer-electronics makers, particularly the much-hyped watch by Apple. While TAG is the first traditional watchmaker to pair with Google, the partnership could open the door to other collaborations with high-end brands owned by LVMH, including Hublot and Zenith. One of the questions raised by Apple’s $10,000 gold smartwatch is whether users will consider it a luxury item and wear it for status as well as convenience.
In his announcement at the Baselworld watch expo today, LVMH watches chief Jean-Claude Biver said this was his “biggest announcement ever” in his 40 years of working in the industry. He predicted the device would be the “greatest connected watch.” David Singleton, the head of Android Wear development for Google, added: “When I think about the watch, it’s always been a marriage of beauty and utility. We’re going to do that with our partnership.” TAG Heuer is set to handle design and manufacture, while Intel will provide an SoC platform and Google will lend its Android Wear platform and help develop software. The watch is set to be launched by the end of the year, at which point price and functions will be announced.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:
Android Device Manager now lets you find your lost phone using your Android Wear watch
http://venturebeat.com/2015/03/19/google-updates-android-device-manager-so-you-can-find-your-lost-phone-with-your-watch/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple’s ResearchKit: Is open source good for your and Apple’s health?
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/apple-teardown-and-analysis-collection/4438964/Will-Apple-s-ResearchKit-help-you-stay-fit-?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20150319&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20150319&elq=8537e6a5171348dd8daa78354e03b5ab&elqCampaignId=22171&elqaid=24905&elqat=1&elqTrackId=60154b0afc6c4da8ba05d00173709428
Apple’s website defines it as “an open source software framework that makes it easy for researchers and developers to create apps that could revolutionize medical studies, potentially transforming medicine forever.” As I heard the pitch, I was reminded of SETI@home, a distributed-computing volunteer project that those of you old enough (like me) and geeky enough (ditto) might also remember.
Researchers sure seem enthused; check out, for example, this recent quote from Alan Yeung, medical director of Stanford Cardiovascular Health, after having received 11,000 signups for MyHeart Counts in the first 24 hours of the application’s availability:
To get 10,000 people enrolled in a medical study normally, it would take a year and 50 medical centers around the country.
With that all said, however, I do have a few concerns:
iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and the like appeal to a demographic that skews younger and more affluent than the norm. As such, it’s not clear to me to what degree the data generated by iOS-based ResearchKit apps will be indicative of the population at large.
Speaking of data, its associated demographics are highly dependent on the honesty (and more general willingness to divulge personal information) of its users. Age, gender, ethnicity, income level, height, weight, and other similar attributes are both important to researchers and feasible to be fudged by participants.
Tomi Engdahl says:
$30 Landfill Android mobes are proof that capitalism ROCKS
Give us your tired, your poor, your phoneless masses
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/03/18/landfill_android_proves_capitalism_is_glorious/
I’ve mentioned around here before that the shipping container has been one of the most revolutionary technologies of our times. Similarly, I’ve said that the mobile phone has had a vast effect on human wealth.
The TL;DR version of mobes is that 10 per cent of the population with a mobile increases GDP by 0.5 per cent each and every year in a country without a landline network.
Which brings me to this little story in the Indian press:
Datawind is set to enter India’s competitive smartphone market this week with two Android devices under Rs 3,000, targeting first time smartphone users and existing featurephone users in the price-sensitive segment. The Canadian company, which has tied up with a leading Indian carrier, will provide free internet for one year to consumers who buy these smartphones if they surf from the UbiSurfer web browser. However, consumers will have to buy data packs for accessing audio and video streaming which are not included in the free internet.
The actual price is being reported elsewhere as being some 2,000 rupees. At current rates that’s just over $30. By Saint Steve and the Holy Toast*, isn’t this capitalist free-markety sort of thing bleedin’ glorious? Less than a decade after the Jesusmobe would cost you $1,500 for the bling and a year’s data plan, it is now $30 for a Landfill Android plus data: a price that the average citizn of the subcontinent can consider without breaking into a sweat.
Tomi Engdahl says:
[Trusted Butts] New “On-Body Detection” Smart Lock Mode In Android Seems To Be Hitting Some Devices
http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/03/20/trusted-butts-new-on-body-detection-smart-lock-mode-in-android-seems-to-be-hitting-some-devices/
Google is currently rolling out a new smart lock mode called on-body detection. The feature, described in the screens below, uses your accelerometer to figure out when your device is in your hand or pocket, and lock when it’s not. The idea being if you leave your phone sitting on a table or forget it somewhere, it will lock, preventing would-be thieves from easily accessing your data.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google, Intel, TAG Heuer Plan Smartwatch
TAG Heuer’s Android Wear-powered smartwatch is expected toward the end of the year.
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326095&
Tomi Engdahl says:
Android’s smart lock now detects when you carry your phone
http://www.itworld.com/article/2900235/androids-smart-lock-now-detects-when-you-carry-your-phone.html
Google is adding a feature to Android’s smart lock that could significantly cut down on the number of times users need to enter a passcode to unlock their phones while they are out and about.
On-body detection uses the accelerometer in the phone to detect when it’s being held or carried by a person. If enabled, the feature requires a passcode the first time the phone is accessed but then keeps the device unlocked until it is placed down.
That means, for example, that someone walking down the street won’t have to unlock their phone every time they take it out of their pocket.
The feature doesn’t appear to have been announced by Google, but it began appearing in some phones on Friday.
“If you unlock your device and hand it to someone else, your device also stays unlocked as long as the other person continues to hold or carry it,” reads a message displayed on phones with the new feature.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Alistair Barr / Wall Street Journal:
Schmidt: Google Glass is a long-term project put under Fadell to “make it ready for users” and is a big, fundamental platform for Google
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/03/23/google-isnt-giving-up-on-glass-schmidt-says/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Where Did VirusBarrier iOS Go?
http://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/where-did-virusbarrier-ios-go/
Apple has elected to eliminate the category of anti-virus and anti-malware products from their iOS App Store. As a result of this decision, our product VirusBarrier iOS is no longer available for sale.
All of our existing VirusBarrier iOS customers will continue to get their virus definition updates as they have been for as long as they own the product. These updates do not go through the App Store and are not affected.
To be clear, this wasn’t an action directed specifically at Intego, we were one of several companies affected by Apple’s decision.
Apple reportedly cracks down on antivirus apps from iOS App Store, many apps pulled
http://9to5mac.com/2015/03/19/apple-app-store-antivirus/
Apple has seemingly decided to crack down on antivirus and antimalware apps, removing them from the App Store. Although there has been no official statement from Apple on a policy change, Apple’s loose guidelines allow them to pull pretty much anything at any time, particularly something like antivirus which has questionable utility within the sandboxed iOS environment of iPhones and iPads.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Just Fixed One of Wi-Fi’s Biggest Annoyances
http://www.wired.com/2015/03/google-android-broken-wifi/
Stop me if this sounds familiar (if it doesn’t, you’re not paying close enough attention). You walk into a coffee shop, where your phone hungrily gloms onto the open Wi-Fi network—probably called something like Netgear, or AT&TWiFi—and promptly stops working. The shop forgot to update the router’s firmware, or just bought a budget hardware in 1997 thinking, “internet’s internet!” and never upgraded again. Either way, your phone just invisibly sabotaged its own connectivity.
It’s a small, but consistent (and infuriating) problem, and Google has finally taken steps to solve it. With the new Android 5.1 update, which began rolling out yesterday in the U.S., your phone will remember which networks you attempt to connect with have crappy Wi-Fi, and save you from ever hopping on their bandwidth again.
A few years ago, your phone’s Wi-Fi-hopping strategy made sense. Your 3G network was probably painfully slow, perpetually overloaded, and generally battery-crushing. You also probably had an adorably small data cap, measured in megabytes.
AT&T even made an app for Android phones that would tell you where you could find WiFi—and it was super popular! The networks offered by cable companies, fast-food joints, and one candy store
Today, though, LTE speeds are fast and efficient enough that you’re rarely better off on the sponsored connection at the train station. There’s almost never a good reason to keep stalling out on the same dud Wi-Fi networks. Android 5.1 spares you that agony, while still defaulting to reliable Wi-Fi networks when they’re available. Magic.
Most of the Android 5.1 update fixes small annoyances like this. You can connect to Bluetooth devices without plowing through three settings menus; you can access the Quick Settings from the lock screen. You can customize those settings, so you have faster access to only the things you use most (hello, Hotspot Mode; goodbye, pointless auto-rotate toggle).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Even the Guy Who Designed the iPod May Not Be Able to Save Google Glass
http://www.wired.com/2015/01/even-guy-designed-ipod-might-able-save-google-glass/
Google Glass hasn’t changed the world. Not even close. Briefly hailed as the wearable heir to the smartphone, Glass has mainly become an object of derision, confusion, and indifference. Google never really succeeded in making a convincing case for why we’d all want to wear our phones on our faces.
The iPod, on the other hand, was a device that radically changed the trajectory of personal tech. The conceptual parent of the iPhone, the iPod upended the recording industry, revitalized Apple, and ushered in the online, on-demand era of music, movies, books, and TV. And the guy who designed the iPod? He now works for Google.
Tony Fadell joined the company when Google paid more than $3 billion for Nest, the smart-home startup he co-founded.
In that light, Google’s decision today to give Fadell oversight of Google Glass makes a lot of sense. If any gadget needs a guiding hand to transform it from geek fetish to viable product, it’s Glass. But the challenge is steep, even for Fadell. The problem is that Glass’ failure doesn’t ultimately stem from people perceiving it as uncool; it’s that Glass isn’t perceived as all that useful.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Galaxy S6 long desired reform – goodbye to unnecessary Mobile Apps
Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge devices are pre-installed Microsoft applications and services. At the same time Samsung plans to deliver phones with a tool that enables users to remove your phone number of pre-installed applications and users bloatware experienced services.
Using this tool it is possible to remove Gmail, Google+ and YouTube; Samsung’s S Voice and S Health; as well as Microsoft’s OneNote, OneDrive and Skype.
Samsung’s products have previously been criticized for the fact that they are supplied with too much unnecessary Softs, which reduce the use of the storage space.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/2015-03-24/Galaxy-S6ssa-pitk%C3%A4%C3%A4n-toivottu-uudistus—hyv%C3%A4sti-turhat-softat-3217940.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Review: HTC One M9 Chooses Evolution Over Revolution
http://time.com/3754037/motorola-htc-one-m9-review/
The HTC One M9 is a crucial phone for the Taiwanese manufacturer. The One M8 and original One were fantastic handsets, arguably better than their Samsung and Apple counterparts. The competition has caught up, though. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have sold by the bucket-load and Samsung appears to have put its flimsy-design woes to rest with the glass and metal Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.
How does the One M9 compare? HTC has opted for evolution rather than revolution this time. The design closely resembles its last phone and the screen is almost the same. A new camera, processor and larger battery provide the bulk of the hardware changes, while HTC’s version of Android has had a facelift with Sense 7.
Think about the HTC One M9 like an S version of an iPhone. It shares the same basic design and screen as the One M8, but some minor tweaks differentiate it from last year’s model.
Do any of these changes make it better? Not in our opinion. The HTC One M8 has a classier air about it – it’s like comparing an understated Breitling to a gold Rolex. Both are well-made, but which one you’d grace on your wrist depends entirely on your taste.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Miguel Helft / Forbes:
How Cyanogen got started and its plans to disrupt Android, including upcoming first Cyanogen OS phone without Google apps from Blu
http://www.forbes.com/sites/miguelhelft/2015/03/23/meet-cyanogen-the-startup-that-wants-to-steal-android-from-google-2/
Ina Fried / Re/code:
Cyanogen Raises $80 Million With Backing From Twitter, Telefonica and Rupert Murdoch
http://recode.net/2015/03/23/cyanogen-raises-80-million-with-backing-from-twitter-telefonica-and-rupert-murdoch/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Alistair Barr / Wall Street Journal:
Schmidt: Google Glass is a long-term project put under Fadell to “make it ready for users” and is a big, fundamental platform for Google
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/03/23/google-isnt-giving-up-on-glass-schmidt-says/
Tomi Engdahl says:
OpenTable for Android now lets you pay for meals from your phone
http://venturebeat.com/2015/03/24/opentable-for-android-now-lets-you-pay-for-meals-from-your-phone/
Android users can now pick up the check for dinner with a little extra panache.
Restaurant booking app OpenTable has long promised a mobile payments option, and today it’s coming to Android users.
There are already a number of mobile payment players that have descended on the restaurant scene, including startups Cover and Dash. But where OpenTable stands to shine as a payment option for diners is in the seamless integration of its software at the table and in the front of house.
In addition to its reservation app, OpenTable also provides restaurants with front-of-house software that allows a maître d’ or hostess to assign reservations and walk-in diners to a seating chart.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Clever App Reveals a Snapshot of Your Location—In the Past
http://www.wired.com/2015/03/clever-app-reveals-snapshot-locationin-past/
The makers of the augmented reality app Pivot want to create a time portal—on your phone.
The app aims to bring glimpses of history to your smartphone screen, using images tied to wherever you happen to be. Users receive notifications when they’re near a “pivot” point; raising the phone brings up an image of that place as it appeared from that vantage point decades ago.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Developers and the Fear of Apple
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/15/03/25/0318242/developers-and-the-fear-of-apple
UI designer Eli Schiff has posted an article about the “climate of fear” surrounding Apple in the software development community. He points out how developers who express criticism in an informal setting often recant when their words are being recorded, and how even moderate public criticism is often prefaced by flattery and endorsements.
Critical Sharks Part IV: Fear of Apple
http://www.elischiff.com/blog/2015/3/24/fear-of-apple
Tomi Engdahl says:
Charlie Warzel / BuzzFeed:
Facebook is poised to become the gateway to the mobile internet by building an app ecosystem to rival that of Apple and Google — Facebook Is Eating The Internet — For years now there’ve been two competing versions of Facebook. It’s either an app on your phone or it’s your entire homescreen.
Facebook Is Eating The Internet
This version of Facebook is one where it is no longer just a single factor in our lives but the overarching context that consumes everything beneath it.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/charliewarzel/facebook-is-eating-the-internet#.qxvgj7yx
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook Opens Messenger To App Developers
The stand-alone messaging app is now a platform with its own developing app ecosystem.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/brendanklinkenberg/facebook-opens-messenger-to-app-developers#.yd135zy6
A year ago, Facebook forced users to download Messenger. Now we know why.
Onstage at Facebook’s annual F8 developers conference, VP of Messaging Products David Marcus explained the company’s grand vision for Messenger. It’s not an app. It’s a communication platform, and one Facebook wants developers to enrich with apps of their own.
With that in mind, Facebook today released a software development kit for Messenger intended to drive app development on the platform, and announced a slew of partners that are already making good use of it — ESPN, JibJab, Giphy, and others. In doing so, the company is positioning Messenger as the center point of a new app ecosystem, encouraging developers to enhance it with a wider array of functions based on fundamental messaging mechanics.
Messenger might have had its origins in SMS, but Facebook clearly has much grander ambitions for it. Perhaps the most significant: a vision of Messenger as new way for businesses to communicate with their customers and drive online purchases within Messenger itself.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook welcomes THINGS to its network with Parse IoT push
New SDKs link devices, mobile apps
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/03/25/facebook_parse_iot_push/
F8 2015 Facebook was founded with the goal of connecting people online, but on Wednesday the company said it is branching out into connecting stuff, too.
Speaking at Facebook’s F8 developer conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, Ilya Sukhar, CEO of the social network’s Parse subsidiary, said his firm has launched a new line of SDKs aimed at the so-called Internet of Things (IoT).
“We want to be there with you when you start experimenting with this world,” Sukhar said. “We want to be there to make sure you don’t spend your time on the wrong challenges and reinventing the wheel.”
Parse, which Facebook acquired in 2013 for an estimated $85m, provides backend infrastructure for some 500,000 mobile apps. With its move into IoT, it will now begin providing similar communications services for connected devices.
Linking up the IoT is a hotly contested area these days, with multiple companies and industry groups vying to provide a standard way for devices to talk to each other. By expanding its platform to include devices, Parse is hoping to capture a share of that market among developers already familiar with Parse for mobile apps.
Parse’s first product targeting devices, Suhkar said, is an SDK for the Arduino Yún, a Wi-Fi enabled microcontroller board, and he demonstrated how developers can get the board talking to a Parse-enabled app with just a few lines of code.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LTE smartphone growth folds this year
The fourth-generation LTE networks, smartphones sales increased last year by 126 per cent. Multi-market in the western world has matured at the same time, because this year the growth will be further 13.5 per cent.
At the end of last year was 310 million LTE users. In 2019 the number has grown to 1.1 billion, so the next four years LTE will grow really a global technique.
Also, tablets, 4G connectivity are becoming more common. Last year, the LTE modem for 18 percent of all tablets sold.
Forward Concepts that by 2019, three out of four sold in tablet includes an integrated 4G modem.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2599:lte-alypuhelinkasvu-taittuu-tana-vuonna&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Finns studied: these three means improve your Cell Phone battery life
1. Avoid weak wifi – If the wireless connection is a full four bars weaker, cell phone power consumption can increase significantly
2. Avid hot locations – heating up speeds up battery consumption
3. Use the automatic brightness – Screen brightness is one of the largest single factors that affect the smartphone power consumption
Source: http://www.iltalehti.fi/digi/2015032619423605_du.shtml
Tomi Engdahl says:
Good Sh*t
De-Nastify Your Phone With Phonesoap
http://www.ozy.com/good-sht/de-nastify-your-phone-with-phonesoap/31298
According to recent scientific studies, one of the most common contaminants of mobile devices is — wait for it — fecal matter.
That’s not to say that we’re all gross Neanderthals who wipe our backsides with the latest technology.
But this is one problem there isn’t quite an app for — just yet.
Using a disinfectant wipe is one way to get out of germs’ way — but given how sensitive today’s internal phone parts are, moisture isn’t exactly the best idea. Which is why the folks over at Phonesoap have developed a combination sanitizer and charger that uses ultraviolet rays to zap bacteria.
The Phonesoap charger looks like a miniature sun-tanning bed and holds a wide variety of smartphones.
The Phonesoap charger is available now at the official website for $60 — with a tablet version in the works for launch later this year.
https://www.phonesoap.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority:
Samsung to make devices with iris recognition in partnership with SRI
http://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-devices-iris-recognition-sri-596644/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook’s strategy: buy, build, and partner because a single app no longer meets the needs of all users
Facebook Finds Strength As A Family, Not An App
http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/25/safety-in-numbers/
“Facebook used to be this one blue app on your phone, and now Facebook is a family of apps” said its CEO as he showed off the user counts of the different family members. Facebook Groups with 700 million. WhatsApp with 700 million. Messenger with 600 million. Instagram with 300 million. And the patriarch, Facebook, with 1.4 billion.
Rather than just being a social network, Facebook sees strength as an interconnected clan of experiences — developed in-house, acquired, and tapped in from outside.
The subtext of Zuck’s “family” quote is that one app can’t do everything. On mobile, people want lean, purpose-driven experiences. Cramming everything into a one-size-fits-all can make it slow and bloated.
As mobile became the dominant way people connected, Facebook saw that its messaging system’s growth was hampered by keeping it buried inside the main app.
When people are on the go, they usually need to communicate. On desktop, messaging was a feature. On mobile, Facebook realized it’s a whole app — one people might use more than the News Feed.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ron Amadeo / Ars Technica:
Android for Work review: best dual-persona solution to date with easy account removal if you change jobs, but complicated setup and confusing dashboard
A review of Android for Work: Dual-persona support comes to Android
Google aims for the enterprise with separate work and home data on a single device.
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/03/a-review-of-android-for-work-dual-persona-support-comes-to-android/
If you work in an office environment, you probably know a few people—maybe a lot of people—with two smartphones. One is a personal phone full of pictures of the family, games, social networking, and sports stuff, and the other is a company-issued smartphone full of e-mail, appointments, contacts, and documents. With two phones, your IT department has full control over your work data and can remotely wipe it, and they never get to see your personal pictures or other information. It’s a workable setup, but the downside is all the duplication—you have two phones, two chargers, and almost no free pocket space. The other alternative is BYOD—Bring Your Own Device—in which the IT department takes over and installs a bunch of company software to your personal phone.
There is a better way, though, and it’s called a “dual-persona smartphone”—a way to have separate work and personal data on a single device. Blackberry was the first to have it baked into the OS in BB10, but in terms of OSes that users actually want to use, it’s been left up to often-clunky third-party solutions.
With Android 5.0, Google laid the groundwork for dual-persona support right in the OS with “managed profile” APIs, and now there’s a more complete solution from the company called “Android for Work.”
There are multiple ways to do a dual-persona smartphone. Android supports multiple users, so one clunky way to get separate work and personal data would be to just make two users: “Personal user” and “Work user.” You’d have separate apps, data, icon layouts, wallpapers, media—basically separate everything. You’d have to log in and out of accounts all the time to view notifications and use apps, though. No one really wants that much separation.
Blackberry 10′s dual-persona mode—called “BlackBerry Balance”—used a “spaces” interface, which was kind of like a virtual desktop for phones. You could bring up a menu and press either the “work” or “personal” button, and you would then be whisked away to a separate desktop with a new wallpaper and apps.
Android for Work does things a little differently. While it uses Android’s multi-user framework to securely separate work and personal profiles, there is no switching users. Everything lives on a single, unified interface. Through Google Apps and the Google Apps Device Policy app, it takes a personal device and adds an additional work profile that your company owns.
You can have two copies of apps on the single home screen—one personal and one for work, with the work apps denoted by a little red badge.
The project is built on technology from a May 2014 acquisition of a company called “Divide,” which made one of the best dual-persona enterprise apps for Android and iOS. There are, of course, limits to what an app can do, so Google brought the feature down to the OS level, allowing for a better integration with Android and the Play Store. Android for Work was announced at Google I/O 2014, where Google also said Samsung would be contributing code from Knox, its enterprise mobility solution, to the project. Apparently something happened between now and then because no Samsung-contributed code was used in Android for Work.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple Watch Edition perks: 24/7 support, private 1-hour appointments, no lines
http://9to5mac.com/2015/03/29/apple-watch-edition-perks-247-support-private-1-hour-appointments-no-lines/
After hiring a new team of fashion sales and marketing experts from Yves St. Laurent, Louis Vuitton, and Burberry, Apple has developed a unique Apple Store purchasing experience just for the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition, according to sources briefed on the launch plans. When a customer interested in the Apple Watch Edition enters the store, he or she will be given no-wait access to a dedicated Expert, who will provide a personalized “journey” from the beginning of the appointment until the end, as much as one hour later. There will even be a new option for at-home video conferencing rather than in-store personal setup.
Apple is describing the Apple Watch Edition to employees as:
“the ultimate expression of extraordinary craftsmanship, incredible innovation, and design driven by functionality and end use… technology becoming seductive, with desirability not necessarily defined simply by a price tag or elitism, but rather meticulous focus on usefulness and utility rooted in beauty.”