Here is some aggregating of the data and then throwing out some predictions:
Mobile is eating the world also in 2017. As we pass 2.5bn smartphones on earth and head towards 5bn, and mobile moves from creation to deployment.
IHS research institute of the market next year will be 139 million a flexible screens, most of which are in smartphones. Vivo and Xiaomi have already released smart phones with flexible AMOLED screens. Progress has been slowed by the capacity of the display manufacturers, but Samsung Display and LG Display are already building new factories. It is expected that in 2020 the number of flexible screens will be 417 million.
Today’s smartphones utilize a wide array of sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes and various other). New sensors will be added in 2017. Barometric pressure sensor, which measures air pressure, is currently being integrated into premium-grade smartphones and IoT applications. Air pressure sensors in smartphones are useful in navigation and fitness tracking applications but also in weather forecasting.
Rumors surrounding the next iPhone 8 keep coming in 2017. Analysts and market researchers have also predicted a big iPhone update from Apple. Let’s wait to see if this is evolution or revolution. A brief report in The Korea Economic Daily claims that Apple is working with LG on a new dual camera module “which enables 3D photographing. I would be surprised if Apple could come up with something that really revolutionary in 2017.
Virtual Reality Will Stay Hot in 2017. VR is the heaviest heterogeneous workload we encounter in mobile—there’s a lot going on. VR requires high refresh rates with new content every frame. It also needs to calculate data from multiple sensors and respond to it with updated visuals in less than 18 ms to keep up with the viewer’s head motions. To achieve these goals, the phone needs a fast-switching AMOLED display at nearly full brightness running constantly. The skyrocketing popularity of augmented reality (Pokemon Go) and virtual reality (Google VR) may be the boost microelecromechanical systems (MEMS) projectors into the mass market. Integrating micro-lidar (3-D imaging system using invisible infrared beams) to smart phone can become feasible.
Smart phone markets will be still almost completely be in the hands of Apple (iOS) and Google (Android) also in 2017. Microsoft’s Windows phone OS is practically dead in. But that does not stop other player trying to get their spot. For example Samsung wants developers to build apps for its homegrown Tizen mobile operating system, and it is offering cash prizes to do so. Samsung will launch further Tizen-powered smartphones in 2017, but the company is unlikely to swap Android for its home-grown software on high-end devices.
Mobile Video to Grow 50% a Year also n 2017. According to Ericsson’s Mobility Report, mobile data traffic continues to grow, driven both by increased smartphone subscriptions and a continued increase in average data volume per subscription, fueled primarily by more viewing of video content. Ericsson forecasts mobile video traffic to grow by around 50% annually through 2022.
Even though smart watch market has done much worse than expected in 2016, is not forgotter in 2017. Companies need to put effort to convince consumers that wearables — smartwatches specifically — are still in demand. For this Google says it will launch two flagship OEM-branded smartwatches and Android Wear 2.0 in early 2017. The new platform brings a number of new features.
Smartphone is already widely used mobile payment, a person identifying itself and a wide range of services in place, so it is only a matter of time until the driver’s license is transferred to smart phone. In fact, the trend is already on the move, as piloted by Gemalto digital driver’s license in Colorado, Idaho, Maryland and Washington. In the early stages of the digital card functions as a conventional physical card partner.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
App stores saw record revenue and downloads in Q1 2017
https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/27/app-stores-saw-record-revenue-and-downloads-in-q1-2017/?ncid=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&utm_content=FaceBook&sr_share=facebook
Mobile applications saw a record number of downloads and revenue in the first quarter of the year, according to a new report from app store analytics firm App Annie out this morning. Across both iOS and Android, downloads grew by 15 percent year-over-year to reach nearly 25 billion worldwide – a figure that includes only new downloads, and not re-installs or downloads from prior quarters.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm: Apple’s Real iPhone Competitor
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1331661
Apple has identified who its toughest foe is and is taking action.
If you ask knowledgeable people about competition for Apple’s iPhone, most will say it’s Android mobile phones, especially Samsung. This response is acceptable but fails to identify the more prominent aggressor.
Yes, Android mobile phones are, worldwide, the largest sellers, but from a profit standpoint, the Apple iPhones pick up the major share. There is one other player that doesn’t directly compete with Apple but holds the edge for Android capability: Qualcomm.
Profitability
Both Apple and Qualcomm are formidable profit machines. Thus, both companies have plenty of economic weapons at their disposal
Tomi Engdahl says:
Anya George Tharakan / Reuters:
Qualcomm lowers revenue and profit forecasts for the current quarter as Apple withholds royalty payments until the legal dispute between companies is resolved — Qualcomm Inc slashed its current-quarter profit and revenue forecasts on Friday, amid an escalating legal battle between the chipmaker and Apple Inc.
Qualcomm warns of profit hit as Apple battle intensifies
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-lawsuit-qualcomm-idUSKBN17U1QS
Tomi Engdahl says:
Neil Hughes / AppleInsider:
Google Maps, Amazon, and eBay have pulled support for Apple Watch from their iOS apps — In recent months, major companies that offered dedicated Apple Watch apps have since abandoned the platform, quietly removing support for watchOS in updates submitted to the App Store.
Major apps abandoning Apple Watch, including Google Maps, Amazon & eBay [u]
By Neil Hughes
Monday, May 01, 2017, 11:15 am PT (02:15 pm ET)
http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/05/01/major-apps-abandoning-apple-watch-including-google-maps-amazon-ebay
In recent months, major companies that offered dedicated Apple Watch apps have since abandoned the platform, quietly removing support for watchOS in updates submitted to the App Store.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MediaTek Losing Market Share in Smartphones
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1331674&
MediaTek, the second-ranked smartphone chip supplier after Qualcomm, said it’s been losing market share after nearly four years of strong gains in the 4G segment.
MediaTek has slowed the pace in product upgrades for its flagship Helio product line, offering nothing better than an LTE Cateogry 6 modem, while rival Qualcomm early this year raised the bar with the world’s first 10nm processor, the 835 Snapdragon, including a Category 16 modem.
“We have been losing market share for the Helio X and P series products,” said MediaTek Senior Vice President David Ku on a conference call to announce the company’s first-quarter results. “Based on our design wins, we expect to gain back some market share by the second half.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple Stops Royalties to Q’comm
Figures suggest that Apple pays ~$8 per device
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1331662&
Qualcomm is lowering its third-quarter guidance by about $500 million, claiming that Apple said it will not pay patent royalties. The disclosure suggests that Qualcomm receives a whopping $2 billion a year, or roughly $8 per device, in royalties for Apple products.
Specifically, Qualcomm lowered its third-quarter guidance from a range of $5.3 to $6.1 billion to a range of $4.8 to $5.6 billion. Apple said that it will withhold Qualcomm royalty payments starting in the first calendar quarter until the patent dispute between the companies is resolved, Qualcomm said in a press statement.
Tomi Engdahl says:
What Is Android Pay And How Does It Work?
A behind-the-scenes look at what’s needed to adopt this technology.
http://semiengineering.com/what-is-android-pay-and-how-does-it-work/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Huawei Consumer Business Group has announced that it delivered 34.55 million smartphones in the first quarter of the year. Growth compared to the corresponding period of the previous year was 21.6 per cent. According to IDC, Huawe’s share of the world’s top three smartphone manufacturers is 9.8 percent in the global smartphone market.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6255&via=n&datum=2017-05-03_15:01:18&mottagare=30929
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm to demand US iPhone import ban
Snapdragon designer furious over Apple halting royalty payments, wants revenge
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/04/qualcomm_pushes_for_iphone_import_ban/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Imagination puts two-thirds of itself up for sale as Apple IP fight rumbles on
They’ve gone to formal arbitration with the fruity firm
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/04/imagination_puts_two_thirds_of_itself_up_for_sale_as_apple_ip_fight_rumbles_on/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
App Annie report: smartphone owners launch an average of 9 apps per day, 30 per month; iPhone owners use more apps, but Android users play 30% more games
Report: Smartphone owners are using 9 apps per day, 30 per month
https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/04/report-smartphone-owners-are-using-9-apps-per-day-30-per-month/
Smartphone users are spending more time in apps than in years past, and now access over 30 apps on a monthly basis, according to a new report from App Annie out this week. These 30 apps work out to being roughly one-third to one-half of the apps users have installed on their smartphones. And using those apps is a daily habit, as people now launch an average of at least 9 apps per day, the report found.
The countries leading this app usage on a monthly basis include India, Brazil, China, South Korea, the U.S., France, the U.K., Japan, and Mexico.
iPhone users tended to use slightly more apps than Android users, the report also noted, but Android users used over 30 percent more games.
App Annie’s new numbers back up a prior Nielsen report which claimed there was an upper limit as to how many apps consumers can manage on a monthly basis. Also back in 2015, Nielsen said the consumers used 26 to 27 apps per month. App Annie is noting that trend largely continues, with an average of 30 apps being used monthly.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pebble Time Round vs Moto 360: face off
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/brians-brain/4458360/Pebble-Time-Round-vs-Moto-360–face-off
Pebble is no more, as I noted at the conclusion of that past piece, but I still decided to proceed with a product review given that acquiring entity Fitbit has promised no disruption of service through at least the end of 2017, and given that I’ve found Pebble Time Round to be so radically different than the Android Wear-based first-generation (2014) Moto 360 smartwatch I’ve been consistently using of late.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Oukitel K10000 Pro smartphone goes two weeks on one charge
Ten times the battery life for one third the price
http://www.techspot.com/news/69253-oukitel-k10000-pro-smartphone-goes-two-weeks-one.html
The Oukitel K10000 Pro can confidently say that it has the longest battery life of any smartphone currently on the market. Its enormous 10,000mAh is said to be able to go 10-15 days on a single charge. In fact, the battery is so big that its predecessor, the K10000, which has the same battery, could be used to charge other devices. The original could fully charge three iPhone 7s and still have 10 percent of its juice left. That feat is likely to hold true for the Pro as well.
Charging the massive battery is not a long waiting game either. Thanks to Oukitel’s 12V/2A “flash charger,” the battery does not take any longer to charge than most other smartphones. The company claims that the K10000 Pro only takes 3.5 hours to charge. In practical tests of the K10000, a charge time from empty to full in four hours was reported. That is only little longer than advertised, but still good for such a large battery.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Data-rich 3.5mm jack vies with USB-C for headsets
http://www.edn.com/design/analog/4458279/Data-rich-3-5mm-jack-vies-with-USB-C-for-headsets
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mark Sullivan / Fast Company:
Announcements at Build show Microsoft is fully embracing iOS and Android’s domination on mobile by focusing on extending Windows experiences to those platforms
Microsoft Is Surprisingly Comfy With Its New Place In A Mobile, Apple, And Android World
https://www.fastcompany.com/40420419/microsoft-is-surprisingly-comfy-with-its-new-place-in-a-mobile-apple-and-android-world
An awful lot of people own a Windows PC and an iPhone or Android phone. Rather than being unhappy with that, Microsoft now sees it as an opportunity.
There were iPhones on the stage here at Build. Big graphics on the screens showed Surface computers lined up side by side with iPhones. Microsoft developer tools are coming for iOS and Android. And Apple’s iTunes is coming to the Windows Store.
The company that once held a mock funeral for the iPhone—complete with dedicated “iPhone trashcans”—now has a very different attitude about the company of Jobs.
Microsoft talked a lot here at its Build 2017 developer conference about extending Windows experiences over to iOS and Android devices. And it’s not just about fortifying Windows. Microsoft says it not only wants to connect with those foreign operating systems, but by bringing over functionality from Windows 10 (along with content) it hopes to “make those other devices better,” as one Microsoft rep said in a press briefing yesterday.
The developers here at Build cheered when Microsoft announced XAML Standard 1.0, which provides a single markup language to make user interfaces that work on Windows, iOS, and Android.
For now, Microsoft is all about playing nice with the Android and iOS worlds. It’s no longer the biggest dog in personal computing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Paul Thurrott / Thurrott.com:
Microsoft announces Xamarin Live Player, which lets developers run and debug iOS apps directly from Windows, instead of using a Mac
Microsoft Announces Xamarin Live Player Preview
http://www.thurrott.com/dev/115828/microsoft-announces-xamarin-live-player-preview
Today at Build 2017, Microsoft announced a preview version of Xamarin Live Player, which is in some ways the final piece of the mobile development puzzle.
“Today we’ve released the preview of Xamarin Live Player, a live coding environment to make development and debugging faster,” Microsoft’s Nat Friedman explains in a bit of under-selling. Folks, Xamarin Live Player is huge. It lets you develop iOS apps on Windows—without a Mac—for the first time.
If you’re familiar with Xamarin development today, you know that you can use Visual Studio to create mobile apps that run natively on Windows, Android, and iOS. And that you can even create solutions that create separate apps for each platform, sharing code when possible.
To date, this process has typically involved using Android virtual machines and, for iOS, a remote connection to a separate Mac that needs Xcode, Apple’s development environment, installed and properly configured.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smartphone with 32 gigabytes of memory? You are lagging behind in development
Does your smartphone have 32 GB of memory? In that case, you are left shortly after development. Now, the smartphone has an average of 42 GB of storage space. The number is growing rapidly.
Counterpoint has investigated the size of the NAND memory of the 20 largest smartphone manufacturers. Sampling covers virtually 80 percent of the entire smartphone market in the world.
At the end of 2013, the smartphone had an average NAND memory of 13.4 gigabytes. A year later the number had increased to 21.3 gigabytes and at the end of 2015 to 26.3 gigabyte.
At the end of last year, memory averaged 41.5 gigabytes. According to Counterpoint’s forecast, memory will grow to an average 51.3 gig at the end of this year and to 60.8 gig at the end of next year.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/6305-alypuhelimessa-32-gigaa-muistia-olet-jaamassa-jalkeen-kehityksesta
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Finnish firm Bedditi’s sensor technology sales to Apple were confirmef on Tuesday. Companies have been cooperating in the past. At the same time, Apple is going to run more extensively with Nokia in health and wellbeing technology.
Beddit is a Finnish company who started his career ten years ago on the subject of clinical research on sleep. The Beddit 3 sensor, which was introduced under the bed, was published last October.
With Beddit, Apple will build a new growth area with the smartcards on the health and wellness area. The same is also the case with Nokia, who bought over a year ago French health products from France. The company is about to use the Nokia product name.
Source: http://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2017/05/12/suomalaisantureiden-kauppa-applelle-varmistui/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Screens become speakers, smartphones can lose micro-speakers
http://www.eedesignnewseurope.com/news/screens-become-speakers-smartphones-can-lose-micro-speakers
Redux (London UK) has followed earlier announcements of its surface-wave-based haptics technology with a version specifically targeted at the smartphone, with which it aspires to “kill off smartphone micro-speakers”.
The company’s surface audio tech from Redux transforms a smartphone screen into a loudspeaker, and also provides haptic feedback. This will, Redux believes, open new design options for phones and change the way users currently interact with mobile devices.
Redux’s ‘bending-wave’ technology vibrates the screen of a smartphone to turn it into a high-quality loudspeaker — removing the need for low-quality micro-speakers. The same technology also delivers haptic sensations exceeding what consumers are used to with existing haptics. Redux’s approach gives the feeling of pressing a mechanical button or moving a slider control underneath your fingertips on the screen with button click effects coming directly from the display.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mikey Campbell / AppleInsider:
Study by UCSF and Cardiogram app shows Apple Watch paired with deep neural network detects atrial fibrillation, which can lead to stroke, with 97% accuracy — New research conducted by the University of California, San Francisco, in collaboration with Apple Watch app Cardiogram …
Study uses Apple Watch heart rate sensor to detect serious heart condition with 97% accuracy
http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/05/11/study-uses-apple-watch-heart-rate-sensor-to-detect-serious-heart-condition-with-97-accuracy
New research conducted by the University of California, San Francisco, in collaboration with Apple Watch app Cardiogram, shows Apple Watch’s heart rate sensor can aid in the detection of atrial fibrillation, a common heart arrhythmia that can lead to stroke.
When compared against a 12-lead electrocardiogram reference, the resulting Apple Watch and DNN solution was found capable of identifying AF with an accuracy of 97 percent, sensitivity of 98 percent and specificity of 90.2 percent, all high marks compared to past detection algorithms.
“Our results show that common wearable trackers like smartwatches present a novel opportunity to monitor, capture and prompt medical therapy for atrial fibrillation without any active effort from patients,” said the report’s senior author Gregory M. Marcus, MD, MAS Endowed Professor of Atrial Fibrillation Research and Director of Clinical Research for the Division of Cardiology at UCSF. “While mobile technology screening won’t replace more conventional monitoring methods, it has the potential to successfully screen those at an increased risk and lower the number of undiagnosed cases of AF.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jerry Hildenbrand / Android Central:
Google’s Project Treble in Android O tries to make vendor and carrier updates easier by separating vendor specific implementations from the higher levels of OS
How Google’s Project Treble will help fix one of Android’s oldest problems
http://www.androidcentral.com/project-treble
In March 2016, when the Android N developer preview was released, we noticed something was different. With Android Marshmallow, Google had inserted a new partitioning structure that included a vendor partition. This held some files that had previously lived in the “regular” core OS folders in the system partition, as well as some files from the company who made the phone itself. But in the Android N developer preview, things changed even more and there were also files in this new partition that duplicated and overwrote pieces of the core OS when the phone was booted up.
At the time, we put our heads together and did some extra digging and came to the conclusion that this was the first step towards making Android easy to update by giving companies like Samsung or Qualcomm a place to call their own and splitting the system into two parts: a vendor area and an Android core area.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ian King / Bloomberg:
Samsung and Intel file amicus briefs against Qualcomm, supporting FTC’s antitrust action — Samsung says Qualcomm stops it from selling modems to others — South Korean firm is one of biggest users of Qualcomm chips — Samsung Electronics Co. and Intel Corp. weighed in with their own gripes …
Photographer: Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
Intel and Samsung Gang Up on Qualcomm, Backing FTC Monopoly Suit
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-12/intel-to-add-its-support-to-ftc-lawsuit-against-qualcomm
Samsung says Qualcomm stops it from selling modems to others
South Korean firm is one of biggest users of Qualcomm chips
Samsung Electronics Co. and Intel Corp. weighed in with their own gripes about Qualcomm Inc. while cheering on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit accusing the chipmaker of trying to corner the market for semiconductors used in smartphones.
The South Korean company, one of Qualcomm’s largest customers, and Intel, one of its biggest competitors, filed arguments Friday in support of the FTC’s case against Qualcomm. Both contend the San Diego-based company stops them from competing fairly against it by leveraging patents that cover the fundamentals of modern phone systems.
“Intel is ready, willing, and able to compete on the merits in this market that Qualcomm has dominated for years,” Intel said in a posting on its website. “But Qualcomm has maintained an interlocking web of abusive patent and commercial practices that subverts competition on the merits.”
Samsung claims its in-house chip unit is artificially held back by Qualcomm’s unwillingness to license its technology.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Prices of mobile DRAM are up. “The sharp upswing in prices of mobile DRAM products is expected to hold back the growth of average per device memory content for smartphones this year,” according to TrendForce. “Furthermore, TrendForce has lowered the estimated average memory content of smartphones for 2017, from 3.7GB to 3.2GB. The revised average memory content figure represents an increase of 33.4% compared with the 2016 figure.”
Source: http://semiengineering.com/the-week-in-review-manufacturing-163/
More:
Average Memory Content for Smartphones to Grow 33.4% Annually to Reach 3.2GB in 2017, Says TrendForce
http://press.trendforce.com/press/20170502-2847.html
The sharp upswing in prices of mobile DRAM products is expected to hold back the growth of average per device memory content for smartphones this year, says the market intelligence firm TrendForce. Furthermore, TrendForce has lowered the estimated average memory content of smartphones for 2017, from 3.7GB to 3.2GB. The revised average memory content figure represents an increase of 33.4% compared with the 2016 figure.
TrendForce smartphone analyst Avril Wu stated that smartphones’ average memory content was around 2.4GB in 2016, and its growth for this year was initially expected to be significantly larger due to LPDDR4 becoming the market mainstream.
Wu noted that smartphone brands, especially vendors of Android phones, have increased the memory content of their products in the recent period because of performance necessity and consumer preference. “Android phones tend to become sluggish after a period of usage because of performance issues associated with the open source nature of the operating system,” said Wu. “The problems are dealt with during the product design as smartphone makers expand the built-in memory to improve computing speed and ensure satisfactory user experience.”
“Hardware specifications also have a strong influence over purchase decisions, particularly for the Chinese consumers,”
Memory for next iPhone devices to cap at 3GB; consumers might have to wait until 2018 for a 4GB iPhone
Tomi Engdahl says:
Here comes Treble: A modular base for Android
https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/05/here-comes-treble-modular-base-for.html
On the Android team, we view each dessert release as an opportunity to make Android better for our users and our ecosystem partners. One thing we’ve consistently heard from our device-maker partners is that updating existing devices to a new version of Android is incredibly time consuming and costly.
With Android O, we’ve been working very closely with device makers and silicon manufacturers to take steps toward solving this problem, and we’re excited to give you a sneak peek at Project Treble, the biggest change to the low-level system architecture of Android to date.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mobile Ecosystem Vulnerable Despite Security Improvements: DHS
http://www.securityweek.com/mobile-ecosystem-vulnerable-despite-security-improvements-dhs
Mobile security is improving, but unprotected communication paths leave the ecosystem vulnerable, according to recent report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
The study details five primary components of the mobile ecosystem (mobile device technology stack, mobile applications, mobile network protocols and services, physical access to the device, and enterprise mobile infrastructure), as well as the attack surface for each of them. The report provides Congress with a view of the mobile security threats government workers face, while noting that defenses must cover the entire threat surface, not only the categories these threats fall into.
According to DHS’ Study on Mobile Device Security (PDF), mobile operating system providers have made advances, mobile device management and enterprise mobility management systems offer scrutiny and security configuration management, and best practices guides issued both by NIST and private industry further improve the landscape. Despite that, communication paths that remain unprotected create vulnerabilities, and further new fifth generation network protocols require additional hardening, and research still needs to be done, the report says.
https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/DHS%20Study%20on%20Mobile%20Device%20Security%20-%20April%202017-FINAL.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ian King / Bloomberg:
Desmos’ graphing calculator app for mobile and PC looks to upend TI’s dominance in the market, integrates with standardized testing software
Startup Targets The TI Calculators Your Kid Lugs to Class
Desmos says online graphing calculator better for today’s students
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-12/startup-targets-the-ti-calculators-your-kid-lugs-to-class
Silicon Valley startup Desmos Inc. is going after one of the oldest names in technology, Texas Instruments Inc., in an area not normally associated with cutting-edge innovation: handheld calculators.
Founded in 2011, Desmos has developed a free graphing calculator program that runs on smartphones and computers, eliminating the need for a separate device. The downloadable app has won users and the endorsement of the same testing organizations and textbook publishers that approved Texas Instruments products for tests such as the SAT college entrance exam. Just this week, a group called the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium gave Desmos its blessing. The organization oversees some standardized testing for middle- and high-school students in 15 states, including California, Connecticut and Michigan.
Calculators such as the TI-84 are a staple for most college-bound students in the U.S. They retail for about $100, with fancier models going for more than twice that. According to Desmos, they’re made with old, underpowered technology that’s no match for the capabilities of even a mid-range smartphone or low-end laptop.
Their limitations are a good thing, according to Dallas-based Texas Instruments, which debuted its first pocket calculator in 1967.
While online apps can be free, they require a connection and devices to access them, he said. That’s an expense that can add up for schools or individuals.
Desmos’s software racks up 300,000 hours of use by students in 146 countries every month, the startup said. While it offers the software free to individuals, it charges organizations such as publishers that use it, providing the San Francisco-based company with its revenue.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nintendo Developing ‘The Legend of Zelda’ Smartphone Game
The smartphone app would follow the release of ‘Animal Crossing,’ expected during the second half of the year
https://www.wsj.com/articles/nintendo-developing-the-legend-of-zelda-smartphone-game-1494820189?mod=e2tw
Tomi Engdahl says:
Behold, auto-completing Android bug reports – because you’re not very thorough
People can’t be bothered to recount crashes, so machines are here to help
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/15/autocompleting_bug_reports_because_youre_not_very_thorough/
Auto-completion systems that attempt to finish your sentences when typing text messages or search queries can be a mixed blessing. Often, they save time. But they can also get in the way when they make incorrect guesses about intended input.
In the context of software bug reporting, however, auto-completion – adding additional information to bug report filings – doesn’t have much of a downside.
augmenting bug reports with additional data gleaned through static analysis, dynamic analysis, and auto-completion prompts can make the bugs in Android apps easier to reproduce and fix.
Software bugs cost the US economy somewhere between $22.2 to $59.5 billion annually, according to a 2002 study conducted by the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology. And since then, software has become far more widespread. So there’s ample incentive to produce higher quality code.
The paper, “Auto-completing Bug Reports for Android Applications,” explains that bug tracking systems such as Bugzilla, Mantis, the Google Code Issue Tracker, the GitHub Issue Tracker, and products like JIRA depend mainly on bug descriptions written by people – unstructured natural language.
Auto-completing Bug Reports for Android Applications
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1705.04016.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bloomberg:
Google partners with Audi and Volvo for Android-based infotainment systems including Google Assistant; live demos to be on display at Google I/O this week
Google Wants Android and Its Assistant to Power Your Car Too
The search giant is partnering with Audi and Volvo to ship car systems running the Android operating system.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-15/google-wants-android-and-its-assistant-to-power-your-car-too
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/15/samsung_z4_tizen_3_0/
Tomi Engdahl says:
HTC’s 2017 flagship U11 woos audiophiles and bundles Alexa
But is it enough?
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/16/htc_u11_flagship_hands_on/
It made everyone’s favourite Android just three years ago, the “Alfa Romeo of phones”, but today finds HTC like Sony, hanging on in the market despite shareholder pressure to bail out.
The wraps came off HTC’s flagship for 2017, the U11, this morning. Don’t expect too much change from previous years, which provided a solid premium Android geared for for audiophiles. And at £649, it matches the market’s flagship inflation. But for discerning ears, it looks a decent prospect.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kellex / Droid Life:
Verizon cancels its LG Watch Sport variant, which had just launched in February
LG Watch Sport Cancelled at Verizon
http://www.droid-life.com/2017/05/16/lg-watch-sport-cancelled-verizon/
Verizon flat out told us that the LG Watch Sport has been cancelled. In other words, they are no longer carrying the LTE-equipped Android Wear 2.0 device.
In an attempt to make up for the cancellations after all this time, Verizon is offering customers $100 off other connected watches.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ted Greenwald / Wall Street Journal:
Qualcomm sues iPhone manufacturers Compal, Foxconn, Pegatron, and Wistron for failing to pay royalties, broadening its legal battle with Apple
Qualcomm Sues iPhone Manufacturers Over Royalties
The suit against Foxconn, Wistron and others broadens Qualcomm’s legal battle with Apple
https://www.wsj.com/articles/qualcomm-sues-iphone-manufacturers-over-royalties-1495023167
Tomi Engdahl says:
Christina Farr / CNBC:
Source: Tim Cook was spotted at the Apple campus test-driving a prototype glucose-tracker connected to his Apple Watch — – Tim Cook has been test-driving a glucose monitor to understand how his blood sugar responds to factors like food and exercise — CNBC reported last month that Apple …
Apple CEO Tim Cook test-drove a device that tracks his blood sugar, hinting at Apple’s interest in the space
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/18/apple-ceo-tim-cook-test-drove-glucose-monitor.html
Tim Cook has been test-driving a glucose monitor to understand how his blood sugar responds to factors like food and exercise
CNBC reported last month that Apple has a team dedicated to the “holy grail” in diabetes: Non-invasive and continuous glucose monitoring
Cook iterated in a discussion with university students in February that Apple is “really excited” about its potential in health care
Tim Cook has been spotted at the Apple campus test-driving a device that tracks blood sugar, which was connected to his Apple Watch.
A source said that Cook was wearing a prototype glucose-tracker on the Apple Watch, which points to future applications that would make the device a “must have” for millions of people with diabetes — or at risk for the disease.
As CNBC reported last month, Apple has a team in Palo Alto working on the “holy grail” for diabetes: Non-invasive and continuous glucose monitoring. The current glucose trackers on the market rely on tiny sensors penetrating the skin. Sources said the company is already conducting feasibility trials in the Bay Area.
He didn’t say if it was a medical device from a company like Medtronic or Dexcom, or an Apple prototype.
Cook explained that he was able to understand how his blood sugar responded to foods he was eating. He made modifications to keep his blood sugar more constant.
In Silicon Valley, a huge health trend is low-carb, high fat diets. Increasingly, venture capitalists and executives are finding that if they cut down their sugar consumption, they see dramatic results including increased productivity and weight loss.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LeEco employees are being called to a Tuesday meeting, and massive layoffs are expected
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/22/leeco-massive-layoffs-expected-tuesday-meeting.html
LeEco, a Chinese company that made a big splash in the U.S. last fall, is preparing for a round of layoffs that may happen as soon as Tuesday, according to sources.
Two people told CNBC the company is planning massive layoffs in the U.S., with one source saying that only 60 employees will be left after the cut. The company’s current headcount in the U.S. is over 500, according to this person.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Relevant agreement for both” – Nokia and Apple agree their long-haired dispute
Nokia and Apple have long argued for patents and their use. The companies now report that they have agreed on patent licenses and waive all claims.
“This agreement is significant for both Nokia and Apple. Our relationship with Apple is changing the trial of the parties to the business partners who work together for the benefit of its customers,” said Nokia’s Chief Legal Officer Maria Varsellona release.
According to the agreement, Nokia will provide Apple with certain network infrastructure products and services. The companies will also explore future opportunities for cooperation in digital healthcare projects.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/merkityksellinen-sopimus-molemmille-nokia-ja-apple-sopivat-pitkaksi-venyneen-riitansa-6651447
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nick Statt / The Verge:
Profile of Anker, manufacturer of cables, battery packs, chargers, and more for mobile devices, as it expands into the smart home and auto markets
How Anker is beating Apple and Samsung at their own accessory game
https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/22/15673712/anker-battery-charger-amazon-empire-steven-yang-interview
Steven Yang quit his job at Google in the summer of 2011 to build the products he felt the world needed: a line of reasonably priced accessories that would be better than the ones you could buy from Apple and other big-name brands. These accessories — batteries, cables, chargers — would solve our most persistent gadget problem by letting us stay powered on at all times. There were just a few problems: Yang knew nothing about starting a company, building consumer electronics, or selling products.
Anker has since become the most popular brand of portable battery packs on Amazon.
The market for portable battery packs generated $360 million in the 12 months ending in March 2017 in the US alone. The brands behind these packs are largely anonymous — Kmashi, Jackery, and iMuto — and they often stay that way.
Except Anker. The steady rise of the company’s profile is proof that it’s possible to meet one very specific consumer need and ride that wave as it continues to ripple out to other markets. A majority of Anker’s sales come from cables and wall chargers, and it’s now moving into the smart home and auto market — anywhere a plug and a cable can solve a problem.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chinese people take over the mobile market
According to Gartner, nearly 380 million smart phones were sold in January-March. The figure is 9 percent higher than a year earlier. Clearly over a quarter of the market already belongs to Chinese
Samsung sold 78.7 million smartphones in the first quarter. The volume is 2.5 million less than a year earlier and, as a result, the market share fell to 20.3 per cent.
Apple managed to increase its sales volume by over 360,000 iPhones a year. The market share fell by about a percentage point to 13.8 per cent.
Big Chinese builders Huawei, Oppo and Vivo go the other way. HUawei sold 32.4 million units and increased its market share to 9%. The oeuvre doubled its sales and rose to Huawe. 30.9 million units sold means 8.1% of the market.
Vivo also nearly doubled its sales volume during the previous year. 25.8 million units sold means a market share of 6.8%.
If the current trend continues, all Chinese manufacturers can grow past both Samsung and Apple.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/6363-kiinalaiset-valtaavat-kannykkamarkkinat
Tomi Engdahl says:
More Ways To Connect with Friends in Facebook Live
https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2017/05/more-ways-to-connect-with-friends-in-facebook-live/
Live Chat With Friends
One of the best things about Live is that you can discuss what’s happening in the broadcast in real time. In fact, people comment more than 10 times more on Facebook Live videos than on regular videos. When it comes to compelling public broadcasts — such as a breaking news event, a Q&A with your favorite actor or behind-the-scenes action after a big game — watching with the community and reading comments is an exciting part of the experience. We know sometimes people also want the option to interact with only their friends during a public live broadcast, so we’re rolling out Live Chat With Friends.
Live Chat With Friends lets you invite friends to a private chat about a public live broadcast. You can invite friends who are already watching or other friends who you think may want to tune in. You’re able to jump back into the public conversation at any time, and you can still continue chatting with your friends via Messenger after the broadcast ends.
Last year we started rolling out the ability for public figures to go live with a guest. Now available for all profiles and Pages on iOS, Live With lets you invite a friend into your live video so you can hang out together, even if you’re not in the same place. Sharing the screen with a friend can make going live more fun and interactive — for both you and your viewers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia 3310 review: No matter how much you think you want it, you don’t want it
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/05/nokia-3310-review/
Overpriced and underpowered, the Nokia 3310 is a feature phone for the hipster elite.
The bad
Overpriced
2G only
Atrocious camera, even by budget phone standards
Typing on a T9 keyboard
OTHER PERKS A really bad version of Snake
Tomi Engdahl says:
Joe Rossignol / MacRumors:
iPhone SE tops smartphones in American Customer Satisfaction Index, based on interviews with 36K+ US customers, Galaxy S6 edge+ and iPhone 7 Plus tied for 2nd
iPhone SE Tops Customer Satisfaction Survey Despite Shift Towards Larger Screens
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/05/23/iphone-se-tops-customer-satisfaction-survey-despite-shift-towards-larger-screens/
Despite a shift towards smartphones with larger screens, the iPhone SE has topped all other smartphones in the annual American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).
Apple’s four-inch smartphone received a customer satisfaction score of 87 out of 100 to finish just ahead of Samsung’s 5.7-inch Galaxy S6 edge+ and the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus.
20 other smartphones, mostly including other iPhone and Galaxy models, received customer satisfaction scores of between 70 and 85
ACSI Telecommunications Report 2017
http://www.theacsi.org/news-and-resources/customer-satisfaction-reports/reports-2017/acsi-telecommunications-report-2017
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wearables suck at tracking calories burned, study shows
https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/25/wearables-suck-at-tracking-calories-burned-study-shows/?ncid=rss&utm_source=tcfbpage&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&utm_content=FaceBook&sr_share=facebook
New data out of Stanford is lending credence to common wisdom that fitness trackers suck at counting calories. Heart-rate monitoring, on the other hand, fared surprisingly well in the school’s Medical Center studies.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Selina Wang / Bloomberg:
How apps like De Dao, fewer entertainment options, and widespread adoption of mobile payments are fueling a paid content boom in China — For years, China was known mostly for copying U.S. innovations. Now, the copy-catting is flowing the other way. — Back in early 2016 …
Why the Chinese Will Pay for Content That Americans Won’t
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-23/why-the-chinese-will-pay-for-content-that-americans-won-t
For years, China was known mostly for copying U.S. innovations. Now, the copy-catting is flowing the other way.
Back in early 2016, Li Xiang was just another overworked magazine editor in Beijing. Then along came an opportunity to produce a business newsletter on a brand-new app called De Dao. In just a few months that app—which means “I Get” in English—had attracted millions of users looking for daily advice and to learn everything from music to economics. And Li? Within months, he had close to 100,000 subscribers paying about $30 a year—which works out to almost $3 million in annual revenue.
It’s the kind of story that couldn’t happen in the United States, where many people believe content should be free. In China, meanwhile, companies and individuals alike have managed to monetize smartphone apps, making money from news, entertainment and social media—by making people directly pay for it, instead of relying on advertisers.
Paying for online content goes way beyond just education. Video livestreaming is also huge. All over China, millions of people watch anything from people singing, telling jokes, or just going about their daily lives. Think of those random videos you can find on YouTube, but happening live. People can watch for free but show the hosts their adoration by sending them virtual gifts, like a digital car or rose. The streamers can then exchange those gifts for cash.
Another factor driving this trend: widespread adoption of mobile payments. For millions of people in China, a smartphone was their first internet-connected device.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smartphone Sales Grew 9% in Q1
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1331789&
Smartphone sales improved in the first quarter as the Chinese handset makers increased their market share and consumers continue to demonstrate that they would spend more for a better phone, increasing average selling prices (ASPs), according to market research firm Gartner Inc.
Smartphone sales totaled 380 million worldwide in the first quarter, up 9.1 percent compared to the first quarter of 2016, Gartner (Stamford, Conn.) said.
Chinese brands Huawei, Oppo and Vivo combined to capture nearly 24 percent of the market in the first quarter, up from about 17 percent in the same period of 2016, according to Gartner.
“The top three Chinese smartphone manufacturers are driving sales with their competitively priced, high quality smartphones equipped with innovative features,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fooling Samsung Galaxy S8 Iris Recognition
http://hackaday.com/2017/05/24/fooling-samsung-galaxy-s8-iris-recognition/
We have a love-hate relationship with biometric ID. After all, it looks so cool when the hero in a sci-fi movie enters the restricted-access area after having his hand and iris scanned. But that’s about the best you can say about biometric security. It’s conceptually flawed in a bunch of ways, and nearly every implementation we’ve seen gets broken sooner or later.
Case in point: prolific anti-biometry hacker [starbug] and a group of friends at the Berlin CCC are able to authenticate to the “Samsung Pay” payment system through the iris scanner. The video
shows you how: take a picture of the target’s eye, print it out, and hold it up to the phone. That was hard!
Chaos Computer Clubs breaks iris recognition system of the Samsung Galaxy S8
http://www.ccc.de/en/updates/2017/iriden
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Andy Rubin’s Essential debuts phone with 5.71″ edge-to-edge display, Snapdragon 835, dual camera, 3,040mAh battery, no 3.5mm jack; preorders open today for $699
Exclusive: This is the Essential Phone
Another stab at making phones modular
https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/30/15711170/essential-phone-announcement-price-android-andy-rubin
The Essential Phone, brought to us by the person who created Android, is finally ready for the spotlight. It’s an incredibly audacious and ambitious project, with an outlandish screen and the beginnings of a modular ecosystem.
First, the Android phone basics. The Essential Phone costs $699 with top-of-the-line specs and features.
It’s a unique take on a big screen that makes the phone stand out — and it’s smart too.
Essential is launching the phone in the US to start, and it’s filled the phone with radios that should make it work on all major carriers, alongside usual Android flagship internals like a Qualcomm 835 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Stephen Chen / South China Morning Post:
Mobile payments in China reached $5.5T last year, more than half the nation’s GDP and 50x that of $112B in US, as the country sees an increase in QR code use — It’s being used to encourage tipping at restaurants, receive cash gifts at weddings…even beggars are using it to collect handouts.
The rise of the QR code and how it has forever changed China’s social habits
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2095576/rise-qr-code-and-how-it-has-forever-changed-chinas-social-habits
It’s being used to encourage tipping at restaurants, receive cash gifts at weddings…even beggars are using it to collect handouts. The little barcode is driving China’s rapid shift towards a cashless society
A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode with a random pattern of tiny black squares against a white background, capable of holding 300 times more data than a traditional one-dimensional code. According to internet consulting firm iResearch, payments made via mobile devices by Chinese consumers last year reached 38 trillion yuan (US$5.5 trillion, HK$43 trillion), more than half the nation’s GDP.
Thanks to QR code’s rapidly increasing usage at off-line shops, the amount of mobile payments on the mainland is now 50 times greater than that of the US. Mobile payments in the US totalled US$112 billion in 2016, according to Forrester Research.
To consumer behaviour researcher Chen Yiwen, we are witnessing the dawn of “codeconomy”.
“China has started the transition to a cash-free economy faster than anyone could have imagined, largely because of the viral spread of two-dimensional barcode,” said Chen, a professor and researcher with the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. “It creates a new economy based on scannable codes.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple to begin testing 5G wireless technology: Report
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2017/05/apple-to-begin-testing-5g-wireless-technology-report.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cimdatacenternewsletter_2017-05-30
Apple has filed an application with the FCC to begin testing 5G wireless technology, Business Insider reports. The application for an experimental license for the new technology was filed by Apple and made public by the FCC earlier this week
“While it’s not entirely clear what Apple’s goals are for this testing, the technology has the potential to significantly increase the speed and bandwidth of iPhone cellular connections, however the 28GHz band that Apple intends to test has also been allocated for earth-to-space transmissions, suggesting a possible connection to Apple’s rumoured move into satellite communications research.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel rises on smartphones
Last year, Intel’s share of mobile phone baseband was only three percent. This year the share will rise significantly as Intel’s modem circuit is sold with several iPhone 7 handsets. Qualcomm Snapdragon is still in his own class.
According to Forward Concepts, Qualcomm’s share of the $ 26 billion mobile phone market was 59 percent. The figure includes such integrated circuits, in which the modem and the application processor are in the same package as the so called ” “Thin” modems, which are delivered to the equipment manufacturer separately.
Qualcomm sold last year modems with $ 15.4 billion. Mediatek, with its $ 5.9 billion sales, was equally clear. Its market share was 23%.
Samsung’s modems are not used by other manufacturers’ smart phones, but its modem credibility still rose to $ 1.9 billion. Spreadtrum’s net sales were $ 1.1 billion, Huawei’s own HiSilicon’s $ 894 million, and Intel’s sixth-largest Intel $ 731 million.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/6393-intel-nousee-alypuhelimissa
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rani Molla / Recode:
Mary Meeker’s 2017 internet trends report: smartphone sales and internet growth are slowing, Google and Facebook own 85% share of growth in online ads, more — The most anticipated slide deck of the year is here. — Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner Mary Meeker is delivering …
Mary Meeker’s 2017 internet trends report: All the slides, plus analysis
The most anticipated slide deck of the year is here.
https://www.recode.net/2017/5/31/15693686/mary-meeker-kleiner-perkins-kpcb-slides-internet-trends-code-2017
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner Mary Meeker is delivering her annual rapid-fire internet trends report right now at Code Conference at the Terranea Resort in California.