Mobile infrastructure must catch up with user needs and demands. Ubiquitous mobile computing is all around us, not only when we use smartphones to connect with friends and family across states and countries, but also when we use ticketing systems on buses and trains, purchase food from mobile vendors, watch videos, and listen to music on our phones. As a result, mobile computing systems must rise to the demand. The number of smart phones will exceed the number of PCs in 2014.
Some time in the next six months, the number of smartphones on earth will pass the number of PCs. This shouldn’t really surprise anyone: the mobile business is much bigger than the computer industry. There are now perhaps 3.5-4 billion mobile phones, replaced every two years (versus 1.7-1.8 billion PCs replaced every 5 years).It means that mobile industry can sell more phones in a quarter than the PC industry sells in a year. After some years we will end up with somewhere over 3bn smartphones in use on earth, almost double the number of PCs. The smartphone revolution is changing how consumers use the Internet: Mobile browsing is set to overtake traditional desktop browsing in 2015.
It seems that 4G has really become the new high speed mobile standard widely wanted during 2013. 3G will become the low-cost option for those who think 4G option is too expensive, not everyone that has 4G capable device has 4G subscription. How the situation changes depends on how operators improve their 3G coverage, what will be the price difference from 3G to 4G and how well the service is marketed.
Mobile data increased very much last year. I expect the growth to continue pretty much as projected in Mobile Data Traffic To Grow 300% Globally By 2017 Led By Video, Web Use, Says Strategy Analytics and Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2012–2017 articles.
When 4G becomes mainstream, planning for next 5G communications starts. I will expect to see more and more writing on 5G as the vision what it will be destined to be clears more. Europe’s newly-minted 5GPPP Association plans to launch as many as 20 research projects in 2014, open to all comers, with a total budget of about 250 million euros. The groundwork for 5G, an ambitious vision for a next-generation network of networks that’s still being defined, and the definition will go on many years to come. No one really knows today what 5G will be because there are still several views. Europe’s new 5GPPP group published a draft proposal for 5G. 5GPPP is not the only group expected to work on standards for next-generation cellular networks, but it could become one of the most influential.
The shifting from “dumb” phones to smart phones continue. In USA and Europe smart phone penetration is already so high levels that there will not be very huge gains on the market expected. Very many consumers already have their smart phone, and the market will be more and more on updating to new model after two years or so use. At the end of 2013 Corporate-Owned Smartphones Back in Vogue, and I expect that companies continue to shop smart phones well in 2014.
The existing biggest smart phone players will continue to rule the markets. Google’s Android will continue to rule the markets. Samsung made most money in 2013 on Android phones (in 2013 in West only Samsung makes money from selling Android), and I expect that to continue. In 2013 Apple slurped down enormous profits but lost some of its bleeding-edge-tech street credit, and I expect that to continue in 2014.
The biggest stories of the year 2013 outside the Samsung/Apple duopoly were the sale of Nokia’s mobile phone business to Microsoft and the woes of BlackBerry. BlackBerry had an agonising year and suffered one of the most spectacular consumer collapses in history, and I can’t see how it would get to it’s feet during 2014. Nokia made good gains for Windows Phones during 2013, and I expect that Microsoft will put marketing effort to gain even more market share. Windows Phone became the third mobile ecosystem, and will most probably keep that position in 2014.
New players try to enter smart phone markets and some existing players that once tried that try to re-enter. There are rumors that for example HP tries to re-enter mobile market, and is probable that some other computer makers try to sell smart phones with their brands. In the Android front there will be new companies trying to push marker (for example OPPO and many smaller Chinese makers you have never heard earlier). Nokia had a number of Android projects going on in 2013, and some former Nokia people have put up company Newkia to follow on that road. To make a difference in the market there will be also push on some smaller mobile platforms as alternative to the big three (Google, Apple, Microsoft). Jolla is pushing Sailfish OS phones that can run Android applications and also pushing possibility to install that OS to Android phone. Mozilla will push on with it’s own Firefox OS phone. Canonical will try to get their Ubuntu phone released. Samsung is starting to make Tizen powered smart phones and NTT DoCoMo could be the first carrier to offer a Tizen powered device. None of those will be huge mainstream hits within one year, but could maybe could have their own working niche markets. The other OS brands combined do not amount to 1% of all smartphones sold in 2013, so even if they could have huge growth they would still be very small players on the end of 2014.
As smartphone and tablet makers desperately search for points of differentiation they will try to push the limits of performance on several fronts to extremes. Extreme inter-connectivity is one of the more useful features that is appearing in new products. More context-aware automatic wireless linking is coming: Phones will wirelessly link and sync with screens and sensors in the user’s vicinity.
You can also expect extreme sensor support to offer differentiation. Biomedical sensors have lots of potential (Apple already has fingerprint sensors). Indoor navigation will evolve. Intelligent systems and assistive devices will advance smart healthcare.
Several smartphone makers have clear strategies to take photography to extremes. 40 megapixel camera is already on the market and several manufacturers are playing with re-focus after shooting options.
In high-end models we may be moving into the overkill zone with extreme resolution that is higher than you can see on small screen: some makers have already demonstrated displays with twice the performance of 1080-progressive. Samsung is planned to release devices with 4k or UHD resolutions. As we have seen in many high tech gadget markets earlier it is a very short journey to copycat behavior.
It seems that amount of memory on high-end mobile devices is increasing this year. To be able to handle higher resolutions smart phones will also need more memory than earlier (for example Samsung lpddr 4 allows up to 4 GB or RAM on smart phone as now high-end devices now have typically 2GB). As the memory size starts to hit the limits of 32 bit processors (4GB), I will expect that there will be some push for chip makers to start to introduce more 64 bit processors for mobile devices. Apple already has 64-bit A7 microprocessor in iPhone 5s, all the other phone-makers want one too for their high-end models (which is a bit of panic to mobile chip makers).
You will be able to keep your mobile phone during some flights all the time and browser web on the plane more widely. At some planes you might also be able to make phone calls with your mobile phone during the flight. Calls on flights have been theoretically possible, and United States has recently looked at mobile phone calls allow the flights.
In year 2013 there were many releases on wearable technologies. Wearable is a trend with many big companies already in the space, and more are developing new products. It seems that on this field year 2013 was just putting on the initial flame, and I expect that the wearable market will start to heat up more during 2014. The advent of wearable technology brings new demands for components that can accommodate its small form factor, wireless requirements, and need for longer battery life.
The Internet of Things (IoT) will evolve into the Web of Things, increasing the coordination between things in the real world and their counterparts on the Web. The Internet is expanding into enterprise assets and consumer items such as cars and televisions. Gartner suggests that now through 2018, a variety of devices, user contexts, and interaction paradigms will make “everything everywhere” strategies unachievable.
Technology giants Google Inc. and Apple Inc. are about to expand their battle for digital supremacy to a new front: the automobile. The Android vs. iOS apps battle is coming to the automotive industry in 2014: car OEMs aren’t exactly known for their skills in developing apps and app developers don’t want to develop so many different versions of an app separately (for Ford, General Motors, BMW, and Toyota). I am waiting for Google’s response to Apple’s iOS in the Car. Next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Google and German auto maker Audi AG plan to announce that they are working together to develop in-car entertainment and information systems that are based on Google’s Android software. The push toward smarter cars is heating up: Right now, we are just scratching the surface.
For app development HTML5 will be on rise. Gartner predicts that through 2014, improved JavaScript performance will begin to push HTML5 and the browser as a mainstream enterprise application development environment. It will also work on many mobile applications as well.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Launches Chrome Remote Desktop On Android, Allowing Mobile Access To Your PC
http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/16/google-launches-chrome-remote-desktop-on-android-allowing-mobile-access-to-your-pc/
Google this morning launched a mobile client application called “Chrome Remote Desktop app for Android” (whew!) which allows for remote access to your Mac or PC from your Android device, whether smartphone or tablet. The new app is an extension of Google’s previously launched Chrome Remote Desktop screen-sharing service, which allows you to share your desktop’s screen with other Chrome browser or Chromebook users.
As with its big-screen counterpart, to use the Android application you first have to install a helper application on your desktop or laptop computer. That app is here in the Chrome Web Store and works on Windows (XP and above), Mac (OS X 10.6 and above) and Linux computers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google’s ‘Project Tango’ Smartphone Uses Apple’s PrimeSense Technology
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/04/16/project-tango-primesense/
Earlier this year, Google unveiled “Project Tango,” an experimental smartphone that incorporates 3D sensors to allow users to map indoor and outdoor environments.
Reports suggested that the smartphone’s 3D capabilities were powered by the Movidius Myriad 1 3D-sensing chip, but as it turns out, Project Tango is also powered by Apple technology. Alongside two Myriad 1 vision co-processors, Project Tango utilizes a PrimeSense Capri PS1200 3D imaging system-on-a-chip, technology that Apple acquired when it purchased PrimeSense late last year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Texas Instruments adds iBeacon support to its Bluetooth LE chip and dev kit products
http://9to5mac.com/2014/04/16/texas-instruments-adds-ibeacon-support-to-its-bluetooth-le-chip-and-dev-kit-products/
The company is adding support to its $25 SensorTag Bluetooth development kits that aims to speed up Bluetooth development for mobile developers alongside an updated app for it with iBeacon support.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google I/O To Elevate Focus On Design
http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/16/google-design/
For Google to win, it needs to attract the best designers to its team and get beautiful third-party apps built for its platforms. Yet right now it’s Google’s rival Apple and the iOS ecosystem that are known for their style. So this year, Google’s Jon Wiley tells me it’s “doing a really big push around design” at its 2014 I/O developer conference
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung’s Galaxy S5 BOM Tops $250
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321962&
Take a peek under the hood of Samsung’s Galaxy S5 smartphone and it will become clear why the handset carries a heavy bill of materials (BOM) price tag.
The upgraded design yields a BOM of $251.52, plus another $5 for manufacturing costs, which is significantly more expensive than other high-end smartphones, according to a preliminary estimate by the Teardown Mobile Handsets Intelligence Service at IHS Technology.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Contact Lens Patent Points to More Wearables
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321957&
The US Patent and Trademark Office has published a pile of Google patent applications describing a contact lens with embedded microchips that operate a microcamera, chemical sensors that detect changes in the makeup of tears, interfaces that would allow the contacts to connect with Android devices or smart cars, and command protocol that would let users tell the contacts what to do using a pattern of blinks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google’s new Android Camera app arrives on Google Play Store
http://9to5google.com/2014/04/16/googles-new-android-camera-app-arrives-on-google-play-store/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lens Blur in the new Google Camera app
http://googleresearch.blogspot.fi/2014/04/lens-blur-in-new-google-camera-app.html
One of the biggest advantages of SLR cameras over camera phones is the ability to achieve shallow depth of field and bokeh effects. Shallow depth of field makes the object of interest “pop” by bringing the foreground into focus and de-emphasizing the background. Achieving this optical effect has traditionally required a big lens and aperture, and therefore hasn’t been possible using the camera on your mobile phone or tablet.
That all changes with Lens Blur, a new mode in the Google Camera app. It lets you take a photo with a shallow depth of field using just your Android phone or tablet. Unlike a regular photo, Lens Blur lets you change the point or level of focus after the photo is taken.
Lens Blur replaces the need for a large optical system with algorithms that simulate a larger lens and aperture.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Raspberry Eye Sees All
http://hackaday.com/2014/04/20/the-raspberry-eye-sees-all/
[Roman Rolinsky] wanted to try to do something interesting with his Raspberry Pi and a 2.8″ LCD he had laying about… So he made a rather bulky version of Google Glass.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Nokia Devices and Services acquisition close date
http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_blog/archive/2014/04/21/the-nokia-devices-and-services-acquisition-close-date.aspx
The transaction will be completed this Friday, April 25, when we’ll officially welcome the Nokia Devices and Services business as part of the Microsoft family.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google to refund buyers of ‘fake’ anti-virus app
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/22/google_to_refund_buyers_of_fake_antivirus_app/
Google has decided that a smallish (for The Chocolate Factory) wad of cash is a trivial price to pay for maintaining its reputation, and has begun refunding punters who fell for the fake “virus shield” scam.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A premium smartie lump: Oppo N1 CyanogenMod Edition
Monster phablet rooted at the factory for your pleasure
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/22/review_oppo_n1_cyanogenmod_edition_android/
Now the N1 can be bought with a factory-fitted CyanogenMod ROM, combining Oppo’s highly individual hardware with what, by general agreement, is the best community Android ROM currently available. Sort of a CyanogenMod Nexus device, then.
Measuring up at 171 x 83 x 9mm and weighing 213g the N1 makes the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 look like a child’s toy
The ability to take 13Mp selfies should provide sufficient instant gratification to have the N1 personally recommended by irredeemable narcissists everywhere.
The O-Click is a little Bluetooth button that can act as a remote shutter command, thus reducing camera shake.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rounded corners? Pah! Amazon’s ’3D phone has eye-tracking tech’
Now THAT’S what we call a proper new feature
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/15/amazon_3d_phone_rumours_and_technology/
Amazon is reportedly planning to launch a smartphone with an active 3D display. It is claimed the device has been shown to developers in California ahead of an official unveiling in June, and that the tech will go on sale in September.
Mobile phones (and devices like the Nintendo 3DS) that use lenticular 3D have been around for the best part of 20 years, and were popular in Japan in the late 1990s.
Toshiba spent around $100m to develop a technology which tracks the position of the eyes and dynamically moves the sweet spot to maintain the 3D image.
The project was abandoned after a few prototypes and the (discontinued) Qosmio F750 laptop had been made, but not before a few Tosh engineers who had worked on the project formed a company called Liquid 3D. The firm produces a 15.6-inch 1080p glasses-free monitor with a built-in camera that motion-tracks the viewer’s eyes.
If the new Amazon phone does indeed use the same technology, it could be a spectacular differentiator for the mobe-maker, and would explain why Amazon is courting games developers
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft’s Nokia buyout will close on 25 April
Redmond will also grab Nokia.com
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2340811/microsoft-nokia-deal-will-close-on-friday
MICROSOFT WILL TAKE OVER Nokia’s devices division on Friday 25 April, having received all regulatory approvals.
“The completion of this acquisition follows several months of planning and will mark a key step on the journey towards integration,”
The Nokia.com website and social media efforts will be looked after by Microsoft “for the benefit of both companies and customers”, but only for a year.
That memo said that the Nokia name is on its way out. “The name of Nokia Corporation/Nokia Oyj will change to Microsoft Mobile Oy,” said the letter that has been sent to suppliers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
iOS 8 shown on an iPhone 5S and iPad, reveals iWatch app
Leak also reveals Preview, Textedit and iTunes Radio applications
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2340838/ios-8-shown-on-an-iphone-5s-and-ipad-reveals-iwatch-app
SOFTWARE HOUSE Apple’s iOS 8 operating system has been shown running on both an iPhone 5S and an iPad, images which seem to confirm that an Apple iWatch is coming.
Perhaps the most interesting takeaway from the leak is that iOS 8 apparently will feature an app named the “iWatch Utility”, adding weight to the rumours that Apple will unveil its first smartwatch this year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Doctor, doctor, my RING is leaking bits … Yes, how else will it unlock your backdoor?
New NFC jewellery – why, what were you thinking of?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/22/nfc_ring_tested/
An NFC Ring does exactly what it says on the tin: it’s a piece of jewellery with two NFC tags embedded in it that pass information to nearby phones, tablets and other gadgets by radio.
Tap the ring against the phone and you’re in: the code to unlock the device is sent wirelessly from the ring.
An NFC ring can, in theory replace a contact-less payment card, but these things are never quite that straightforward.
Other applications include NFC door locks. There are a few around, principally targeted at the hotel market, but Yale has shown off a domestic version.
With two chips in the ring, one can be used for public functions, such as handing over a Bitcoin wallet address, while the other can be private.
it’s a pair of NXP NTAG 203 chips, especially made for the NFC Ring
McLear’s NFC Ring supports Android and Windows Phone
Jewellery is a very different market to technology. It’s attractive because the margins are so much higher but brings other issues
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Is Planning A $100 Smartphone [Report]
http://www.businessinsider.com/google-100-smartphone-2014-4
Google is planning a low-budget smartphone that may retail for as little as $100, according to rumors coming from Taiwanese supply chain sources.
Only Apple and Samsung actually make profits selling phones. So a $100 Google phone would be a money-loser for Google.
the buzz at Mobile World Congress back in March was about the $35 Chinese Android business.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google’s Project Ara Could Bring PC-Like Hardware Ecosystem To Phones
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/14/04/23/0116230/googles-project-ara-could-bring-pc-like-hardware-ecosystem-to-phones
Tomi Engdahl says:
Three Big Ideas in Google’s Modular Phone That No One’s Talking About
http://www.wired.com/2014/04/google-ara-new-deal/
Project Ara, Google’s modular smartphone concept, could reshape the entire mobile landscape. As conceived, modules could be hot-swapped from phone to phone, including different size endoskeletons.
f it works, Ara could reshape the smartphone landscape dramatically. Its modular design could reshape not just how phones are used but how they’re made, too. It’s an audacious undertaking, and we’ll see if Ara will deliver on its promise. But it’s potential goes well beyond fixing broken screens.
That third-party ecosystem is one of the most radical aspects of the Project Ara concept. The plan is to let anyone offer up any type of hardware they want, leaving the people who own the phones with the decision of what modules to buy for their own device.
By opening up hardware decisions to outside players, Ara could effectively wrest the future of smartphones away from entrenched smartphone makers. “It’s a huge burden of proof for innovators today to get into one of the main phones, whether it’s Samsung or Apple or whomever,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
50 years later and still no one is video calling
Analysis The zeitgeist you have dialed doesn’t exist
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/feature/2340954/50-later-and-still-no-one-is-video-calling
FIFTY YEARS AGO this week, AT&T demonstrated the first video calls at the World’s Fair in New York. In 1964, the demonstration was more of a curiosity than anything else
Fifty years on, and most of us still would rather not see and be seen on a video phone. But why?
The concept of video telephony stretches back as far as the telephone itself, with theoretical systems being recorded as far back as the 1870s.
On mobile phones, the idea of reliable video calling arrived with 3G bandwidth, but the gulf between conceptually and actually reliable proved frustrating.
Apple’s Facetime attempted to get around the issue
Of course it’s very difficult to mention video calling without mentioning Skype, the service that has brought the idea as close to mainstream as it has come to date. But even though 40 percent of Skype’s calls are video, according to 2012 figures, Skype’s small share of the overall world telecoms market makes the volume involved relatively tiny.
Historically there had always been cost as a barrier.
with Skype, Google Hangouts, and Facetime, cost has become trivial, though these services do raise another consideration – that of compatibility.
Proprietary technology is one of the biggest challenges affecting the market.
The voice network is universally compatible and cross-platform, and while video and chat are both capable of being universal, all the players have chosen to keep their protocols proprietary just in case they can get leverage in the race to be number one.
Non-verbal communication accounts for two-thirds of what we communicate.
Most recently, Edward Snowden became the highest profile user of a telepresence device
But is society changing? Is video calling becoming more acceptable? Not really.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LookFor Kickstarts A Colored Flashing Light For Your Smartphone Screen – Seriously
http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/22/lookfor-kickstarts-a-colored-flashing-light-for-your-smarphone-screen-seriously/?source=gravity&cps=gravity
If you want to find someone at a big event, it’s difficult.
The LookFor project is seeking a meagre $1,000 in funding, but honestly it probably doesn’t even need that much to meet its basic design requirements. The app as it stands offers users the ability to select a color from a range of some of the more basic hues, which it then displays full-size while flashing your smartphone’s screen. The idea is that you use some other means (i.e., SMS, or email ahead of time if you know you’re going to be out of cell service in some dank basement bunker for a super secret show) to tell your friend what color to look for, open the LookFor app, pick said color and hold up your phone to show them where to find you.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Super Shoes Lead The Way
http://hackaday.com/2014/04/23/super-shoes-lead-the-way/
Super Shoes, a pair of enhanced insoles that let your toes do the navigating while you enjoy the sights. Each insole has a Bluetooth radio and a microcontroller. Three coin cell vibrator motors act as an output device under the small toes, while a capacitive touch pad under the big toe handles input.
You would set the destination on your smartphone. The shoes would then tie in to your smartphone’s GPS and maps application. From there, it’s simply a matter of following your toes.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Look behind you, ‘declining’ sub-$5bn iPod. The iWatch has come… to EAT YOU
Apple’s baby set to kill its big brother, says analyst
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/24/iwatch_set_to_cannibalise_the_older_ipod/
The semi-mythical iWatch is set to make the iPod extinct, an analyst has predicted.
Christopher Caso, an analyst with Susquehanna Financial Group, prophesied the death of the iPod, which will be supplanted in Apple’s product range whenever the new wearable computer comes out.
These are likely to replace the iPod because the watches offer similar functionality.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Much Data Plan Bandwidth Is Wasted By DRM?
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/14/04/23/174208/how-much-data-plan-bandwidth-is-wasted-by-drm
“If you watch a movie or TV show (legally) on your mobile device while away from your home network, it’s usually by streaming it on a data plan. This consumes an enormous amount of a scarce resource (data bundled with your cell phone provider’s data plan), most of it unnecessarily, since many of those users could have downloaded the movie in advance on their home broadband connection — if it weren’t for pointless DRM restrictions.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Xiaomi plans to expand sales to 10 new markets, but the US isn’t one of them
http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/23/xiaomi-10-markets/
Looking forward to the day you can buy a Xiaomi smartphone in the US? Keep waiting. The company’s founder announced the first ten countries in Xiaomi’s international expansion today, and the United States didn’t make the cut.
The newly christened Mi.com
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sony Xperia Z2: 4K vid, great audio, waterproof … Oh, and you can make a phone call
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/23/sony_xperia_z2/
The latest premium phone to hit the market is Sony’s Xperia Z2.
Sony has cribbed some knowledge from its TV boffins to create what’s called Live Colour LED. Instead of the over-saturated colours found in some OLED screens, this gives more faithful, realistic hues. It’s worlds away from the previous phone’s screen quality.
This time, it’s very nearly on a par with the stunning display on the Samsung Galaxy S5 and it looks more natural than Samsung’s does.
The camera is a 20.7MP model, again.
Like the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Xperia Z2 can shoot in 4K resolution, which as you know is four times that of HD and unusable on all but the most expensive of TVs. Sony calls it future-proofing your memories, a clever phrase to get us to buy into a technology we can’t really use yet. Still, if we don’t mislay the footage before buying a new-fangled 4K telly, the future really will be bright
Waterproofing is a great extra, and one that should be on every phone and gadget.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Here’s Proof You’re More Addicted to Your Phone (and Tablet) Than Ever
http://time.com/73033/mobile-addiction-rising/
The number of people who launch apps more than 60 times per day on phones or tablets doubled in the past year
The average mobile user only launches an app 10 times per day, but a mobile addict, as defined by analytics firm Flurry, launches them more than 60 times each day.
Mobile addicts skew female — there are approximately 15 million more women than men who fit the description — and they’re also young. Teens and college students make up a significant portion of the mobile addicts segment (cue anxieties about selfie-taking millennials).
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIY Wearable Pi With Near-Eye Video Glasses
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/14/04/24/1455254/diy-wearable-pi-with-near-eye-video-glasses
“Noe & Pedro Ruiz at Adafruit have created a pair of open source near-eye video glasses combined with a Raspberry Pi. Their 3D Printed design turns a pair of ‘private display glasses’ into a “google glass”-like form factor.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple’s Cook on New Products: ‘Take the Time to Get It Right’
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/04/24/apples-cook-on-new-products-take-the-time-to-get-it-right/
Tim Cook, AppleAAPL +8.20%’s chief executive, said its strong fiscal second-quarter might silence chatter that the company is in decline. He paused before adding: “Maybe it will take some new products.”
Cook knows that’s the biggest question hanging over the company: whether it can repeat the innovative success with a new product category – as it did with the iPhone in 2007 and iPad in 2010. He has promised that Apple will break into new product categories this year, but so far has revealed nothing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hulu adds Chromecast-like mobile remote control features to Xbox One, PS3 and PS4
http://gigaom.com/2014/04/24/hulu-adds-chromecast-like-mobile-remote-control-features-to-xbox-one-ps3-and-ps4/
Hulu is adding the capability to cast videos to game consoles to its mobile apps. This makes the company the third major publisher to take multiscreen beyond Chromecast.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Driven to distraction: Apple patents automatic lockout system to stop drivers sending messages while at the wheel
Integrated system works by linking a smart car’s display with an iPhone
It will be rolled out to Ferrari, Mercedes and Volvo customers
Other car makers including BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, and Hyundai will be shipping CarPlay-compatible cars later this year
Patent will be able to tell when driver is moving -and lock them out
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2612690/Dont-text-drive-Apple-patents-lockout-stop-drivers-distracted-new-car-system.html#ixzz2zsy7TzSS
Tomi Engdahl says:
With App Acquisition, Facebook Enters Fitness Tracking Market
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/04/24/with-app-acquisition-facebook-enters-fitness-tracking-market/
Facebook is leaping into the fitness tracking market by buying a Helsinki-based maker of a mobile app that can track users and automatically determine whether they’re walking, running, biking or riding public transportation.
Facebook is announcing plans Thursday to acquire ProtoGeo Oy, maker of a mobile app called Moves. The app works in the background, quietly gathering loads of data from the phone’s accelerometer, then displaying the results in a minimalistic fashion, with each activity represented by a colored circle.
The Moves app is an “incredible tool for the millions of people who want to better understand their daily fitness activity,” Facebook said in a press release Thursday.
Facebook said Moves, which launched last year and was called a “Surprise Hit” by Apple’s App Store, has been downloaded more than four million times by iPhone and Android users and has millions of users, Facebook said.
Moves and other apps use sensors already built into most modern smart phones to mimic the capabilities of stand-alone wearable devices like Fitbit, Jawbone Up and a new product Apple is rumored to be developing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
That’s right, MICROSOFT is an ANDROID vendor after Nokia gobble
Ex-Nokia CEO Elop says Redmond is ‘committed’ to Nokia X, Asha
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/26/yes_microsoft_is_an_android_vendor_now/
“We are committed to continuing our support for feature phones, the Asha family, and the Nokia X family of devices, announced at the Mobile World Congress in February,” Elop wrote.
The Finnish firm stunned the world at MWC when it announced the Nokia X line, its first devices running a variant of Google’s Android OS, mere months before its acquisition by Microsoft was expected to close.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DOJ Whines That A Warrant To Search A Mobile Phone Makes It More Difficult To Catch Criminals
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140423/15081827008/government-argues-that-warrant-requirement-cell-phone-searches-does-nothing-keep-cops-catching-bad-guys.shtml
The government argues that impartial technological advancements somehow favor criminals. As it sees it, the path to the recovery of evidence should not be slowed by encryption or wiping or even the minimal effort needed to obtain a warrant. The police are presented as forever behind the curve, despite evidence otherwise. Without a doubt, there’s an ongoing arms race between deletion technology and recovery technology, but the gap between the two isn’t nearly as large as the government portrays it.
But what really deserves attention here is the government’s antipathy towards encryption and other protective technology.
Criminals might use these methods. That’s a given. But what about anyone worried about their phone being stolen, especially considering the wealth of information stored on it? Does the government plan to take a stance against law enforcement’s push for cell phone “kill switches?”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kantar: Windows Phone ‘Stutters’ Amid Android Price Competition, iPhone 5S Is Apple’s Buffer
http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/27/kantar-windows-phone-stutters-amid-android-price-competition-iphone-5s-is-apples-buffer/
Last Friday, Microsoft finally took control as the new owner of Nokia’s devices business, but it’s coming into its new position as a mobile hardware maker with no less a challenge than Nokia has had for the last couple of years.
According to the latest 12-week figures from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech — a market research division of WPP — Windows Phone accounted for 8.1% of smartphone sales in the 12 weeks to the end of March across the top five markets in Europe (the UK, France, Spain, Italy and Germany), with Android taking 70.7% of sales and iOS 19.2%.
And Europe seems to be Windows Phone’s best market at the moment. In the U.S. Windows Phone took 5.3% of sales, while in Australia it took just under 6%; in China it was 1%; and in Japan, just under 1%.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Japanese watchmakers have no time for smartwatches
The fad of wearables-on-the-wrist doesn’t resonate with Casio, Seiko and Citizen
http://www.itworld.com/416115/why-japanese-watchmakers-have-no-time-smartwatches
The crowdfunded watch is truly massive: 8 centimeters wide, with a 3-inch touchscreen, Wi-Fi, GPS and other features that make it seem like a smartphone strapped to your arm.
From grassroots campaigns to big manufacturers like Samsung, Sony and possibly Apple, smartwatches are starting to compete with traditional timepieces for wrist real-estate. The smartwatch industry was worth about $700 million in 2013 and is expected to reach $2.5 billion this year, according to Zurich-based research firm Smartwatch Group.
The idea of having to recharge a smartwatch’s battery for it to tell the time doesn’t sit well with Casio, which launched its first wristwatch, the digital Casiotron, 40 years ago.
Swiss watchmakers have also scoffed at power-hungry wrist computers, with TAG Heuer CEO Stéphane Linder telling The Financial Times, “The idea of having to charge luxury watches kills the dream a bit.”
Current smartwatches on the market are smartphone wannabes and are trying to copy their functions, Casio’s Saito said. He believes their ultimate goal is to become a smartphone for the wrist
Tomi Engdahl says:
United Airlines to Google Glass wearer: Take off high-tech specs
http://www.cnet.com/news/google-glass-wearer-told-to-take-it-off-on-united-airlines-flight/
Woman who was ticketed for wearing Glass while driving says airline’s request that she remove the device is a “reptilian reaction at its best.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple patents Wi-Fi access point location lookup
Cupertino turns world into 50m x 50m grid
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/28/apple_patents_access_point_location_lookup/
Apple has once again demonstrated that it’s no slouch as a patent troll, applying for and receiving a patent to tell you where you are, by performing a database lookup of WiFi access points.
US Patent 8700060, “Determining a location of a mobile device using a location database”, covers a phone-stored location database that Apple can remotely update from its servers.
That’s too simple and obvious, so Cupertino has kindly added some extra wrinkles
“The mobile device can calculate a current location of the mobile device using current access points that are within a communication range of the mobile device
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung’s Galaxy K Zoom smartphone packs a 20 megapixel camera and 10x zoom lens
http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2014/04/29/samsungs-galaxy-k-zoom-smartphone-packs-a-20-megapixel-camera-and-10x-zoom-lens/
Samsung made the leap into high-end camera smartphones when it launched the Galaxy S4 Zoom last year, and now it is adding to that range after it announced the Galaxy K Zoom, a smartphone that sports a 10x optical zoom and 20.7 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor.
Aside from the two aforementioned headline features, the handset includes an Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) that helps with low-light conditions and stabilizing scenes with movement, and a Xenon Flash which Samsung says provides a more natural light for shooting imagery than an LED alternative.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HTC admits it needs better marketing, says bloggers will be a big part of the puzzle in Asia
http://thenextweb.com/asia/2014/04/25/htc-admits-it-needs-better-marketing-says-bloggers-will-be-a-big-part-of-the-puzzle-in-asia/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung forecasts revenue growth despite profits declining for a second straight quarter
http://thenextweb.com/asia/2014/04/29/samsung-forecasts-revenue-growth-despite-profits-declining-for-a-second-straight-quarter/
Samsung is the world’s top seller of smartphones, but even that fact couldn’t stop its profits from declining for a second successive quarter. Samsung posted its latest (Q1 2014) results today, which saw operating profit fall 3.3 percent quarter-on-quarter to 8.49 trillion KRW ($8.2 billion) while revenue slipped 9 percent QoQ to 53.68 trillion (KRW).
Tomi Engdahl says:
29 April 2014
Samsung’s mobile phone sales decline
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-27185556
Samsung Electronics has reported a 4% fall in sales at its mobile phone unit.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows Phone: Just as well Microsoft bought an Android maker, RIGHT?
Can nothing halt little green robot’s march over mobes?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/29/microsoft_nokia/
If you believe those who are less than impressed by “Nokiadroid” offerings, Nokia’s Android phones are an embarrassment for their new owner.
The Microsoft-made mobile OS’s share of the big China and US markets fell, and while it added to gains it made in Europe
What if Nokia’s Android X range starts to sell serious numbers?
With his services background, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella shouldn’t really care what is accessing his cloud. Sure, it would be nice if it was a Microsoft device, but if there’s one thing worse than a Microsoft cloud accessed mostly by iOS and Android consumer devices, it’s a Microsoft cloud that consumers don’t want to use at all.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft’s naughty Cortana NOT ALLOWED NEAR CHILDREN
But she’s not alone…
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/25/windows_phone_cortana_not_allowed_near_children_but_its_not_alone/
Microsoft’s new Cortana personal assistant platform carries privacy concerns that prevent it from being used by children – but Redmond appears to not be alone in its pre-pubescent banishment.
Redmond said that the voice-activated search tool in its mobile platform currently carries a minimum age requirement of 13 years, which is checked against the age data in user profiles. If the current user is under 13, Cortana will refuse to answer queries.
Redmond declined to say whether it plans to change the policy or implement additional parental controls by the time Cortana reaches general availability.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IDC: Samsung shipped more smartphones in Q1 2014 than Apple, Huawei, Lenovo, and LG combined
http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2014/04/30/idc-samsung-shipped-smartphones-q1-2014-apple-huawei-lenovo-lg-combined/
Apple may be smartphone king in the US, but Samsung is absolutely undisputed worldwide. In Q1 2014, the South Korean company shipped more smartphones than the next four vendors combined: Apple, Huawei, Lenovo, and LG.
IDC says it expects total smartphone shipment volumes to reach 1.2 billion units in 2014, up 19.3 percent year-over-year from the 1.0 billion units shipped in 2013.
Tomi Engdahl says:
That’s right, MICROSOFT is an ANDROID vendor after Nokia gobble
Ex-Nokia CEO Elop says Redmond is ‘committed’ to Nokia X, Asha
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/26/yes_microsoft_is_an_android_vendor_now/
Nokia won’t be changing its strategy now that it’s been gobbled up by Microsoft, its former CEO Stephen Elop has said.
“We are committed to continuing our support for feature phones, the Asha family, and the Nokia X family of devices, announced at the Mobile World Congress in February,” Elop wrote.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Really, Why Are Smartphones Still Tied To Contracts?
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/14/05/01/173213/really-why-are-smartphones-still-tied-to-contracts
Tomi Engdahl says:
Unmasked: The world’s first clear look at Amazon’s smartphone
Following a series of exclusive reports, BGR has now obtained the first unobscured image of Amazon’s debut smartphone
http://bgr.com/2014/05/01/amazon-smartphone-photos-kindle-phone-images-exclusive/
Amazon is still more than a month away from unveiling its first own-brand smartphone, but there isn’t much mystery that remains. BGR gave the world its first look at the unannounced handset in mid-April, and we followed up with exclusive details surrounding the phone’s unique 3D interface and gesture-based controls. Then, we revealed that “Prime Data” will be one of the device’s key weapons in the crowded U.S. smartphone market.
Now, BGR has exclusively obtained a new image of Amazon’s smartphone that reveals the handset’s design for the first time ever.
One of the handset’s key selling points will be a special data plan Amazon refers to as “Prime Data.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google uses secret Android deals for illegal search monopoly, lawsuit claims
http://gigaom.com/2014/05/01/google-used-secret-android-deals-for-illegal-search-monopoly-lawsuit-claims/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A look into the future of Foursquare, including a new app called Swarm
http://blog.foursquare.com/post/84422758243/a-look-into-the-future-of-foursquare-including-a-new
We spend a lot of time talking to people about Foursquare, and we constantly hear they use Foursquare for two things – to keep up and meet up with their friends, and to discover great places.
But, as it turns out, each time you open the app, you almost always do just one of those things.
In the near future, the Foursquare app is also going to go through a metamorphosis
Swarm will be available on iOS and Android in the coming weeks