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.
1,857 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Aftersex Selfies Make Intimate Moments Public.. Very Public
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/04/02/aftersex-selfies_n_5079155.html
From the moment the term “selfie” made its way into the dictionary last year, we should have known this was coming.
more than 80 per cent of people aged 18 to 44 sleep with their phones in their rooms — though it’s not clear why they would want to document their sex lives publicly.
part of the millennial generation’s problem with documenting every moment of their lives and making it appear as though everything is fabulous at all times.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Inside Wearables
How the Science of Human Behavior Change Offers the Secret to Long-Term Engagement
http://endeavourpartners.net/assets/Wearables-and-the-Science-of-Human-Behavior-Change-EP4.pdf
In the last 18 months, wearable devices, such as wristbands, smartwatches, eyewear,
wearable bio-monitors, and the complementary services that support them have become
the focus of much speculation and anticipation. Companies as varied as large original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs), mobile network operators (MNOs), health insurers and
service providers are circling a huge potential market alongside tiny startups, all vying for
a stake. Yet the path to consumer adoption and sustained long-term engagement is far
from clear.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finnish banking applications as users change more slowly than the rest of the world
Things soon as the bank managed primarily on mobile devices. Ireland, for example, this has already happened.
Danske Bank to a survey by the Finns have left the change, the more slowly than the other Nordic countries. Bank of Finland forecasts for mobile banking, the most important way to the end of 2015 onwards.
September at a slower transition is partly historical: the Finns have been using online banking for a long time and are used to treat his case through the browser. Ireland and Estonia jumped this step, directly to mobile app online bank.
The rest of the Nordic mobile applications signups are about half compared to the browser-based online banking. In Finland, the use of mobile applications in January was 28.5 per cent of online banking usage volumes.
Source: Tietoviikko
http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/suomalaiset+vaihtavat+pankkisovellusten+kayttajiksi+hitaammin+kuin+muualla/a979704
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Project Ara video highlights customization, modular functionality
http://www.slashgear.com/new-project-ara-video-highlights-customization-modular-functionality-03323716/
The Project Ara team have released a new video, showing a bit of their progress with getting the modular smartphone concept up and running. In it we find the team’s use of magnets to hold components in place, and even get a glimpse as to the size and variety we might find with the modules we use for Ara.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google plans significant overhaul of many of its native and web apps in ‘Google 2.0′/wearable push
http://9to5google.com/2014/04/03/google-plans-significant-overhaul-of-many-of-its-native-and-web-apps-in-google-2-0wearable-push/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google teases more modular smartphone details in run-up to dev meet-up
Project Ara/Phonebloks handset preparing for debutant ball later this month
By Rik Myslewski, 4 Apr 2014
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/04/google_teases_more_modulebased_smartphone_details_in_runup_to_dev_shindig/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Is Having Trouble Trying to Trademark the Word ‘Glass’
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/04/03/cracks-in-googles-bid-to-trademark-glass/?mod=WSJBlog
Google is trying to register the word “Glass” as a trademark for its computer-powered glasses. But so far, the company and the U.S. trademark office aren’t seeing eye to eye.
Google, which has successfully trademarked the term “Google Glass,” submitted an application last year for a trademark on just the single word “Glass,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
From Sexting to Sacraments: How Mobile Apps Are Taking on Religion
http://gizmodo.com/from-sexting-to-sacraments-how-mobile-apps-are-taking-1558074212
At this point, our entire lives could be boiled down into a series of apps. Schedules, diets, friends, family, play—it’s all there in a set of brightly colored, easy-to-digest icons that have come to define the way we see ourselves. And though it may be hard to reconcile, even religion is no more than a Google Play or App Store click away. The salvation of your eternal soul is now downloading.
As unlikely as it might seem today, religion was once inextricable from one of the most progressive and impactful technological advancements in human history—the printing press. Obviously, things change. Whereas the Bible was the first text to experience widespread mass production, it’s taken it a bit longer (along with other religious texts and religions in general) to latch onto today’s hot, new medium: mobile apps.
Of course, that’s not to say such apps aren’t being made in droves—they are.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft unveils Windows in the car, battles Apple CarPlay
http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/5/5585148/microsoft-windows-in-the-car-concept
Microsoft has been powering a lot of different car entertainment systems over the years. Ford, Kia, BMW, Nissan, and Fiat have all used special versions of Windows to create their own interfaces and systems, but Microsoft is also focusing on its own “Metro” user interface for its Windows in the car future. At the company’s Build developer conference this week, Microsoft’s Steve Teixeira revealed what that future will look like. It’s actually a lot like Apple’s idea of CarPlay, a method to project what’s on your phone screen directly onto a car’s infotainment system display.
Microsoft has created a concept that it’s currently testing in real cars, and the idea allows Windows devices to mirror what’s shown on screen into a touch- and car-friendly interface. The current prototype uses the connectivity standard Mirrorlink
Tomi Engdahl says:
The decline of the mobile web
http://cdixon.org/2014/04/07/the-decline-of-the-mobile-web/
People are spending more time on mobile vs desktop:
This is a worrisome trend for the web. Mobile is the future. What wins mobile, wins the Internet. Right now, apps are winning and the web is losing.
Moreover, there are signs that it will only get worse. Ask any web company and they will tell you that they value app users more than web users. This is why you see so many popups and banners on mobile websites that try to get you to download apps. It is also why so many mobile websites are broken. Resources are going to app development over web development. As the mobile web UX further deteriorates, the momentum toward apps will only increase.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The #1 New Paid App In The Play Store Costs $4, Has Over 10,000 Downloads, A 4.7-Star Rating… And It’s A Total Scam [Updated]
http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/04/06/the-1-new-paid-app-in-the-play-store-costs-4-has-over-10000-downloads-a-4-7-star-rating-and-its-a-total-scam/
However, you should be just as wary of security software as any other app. Case in point: there’s a slick new app in the Play Store called Virus Shield. It’s got a cool look and it’s easy to operate. Just press a single button and your virus shield is activated.
There’s just one problem: it’s a complete and total scam.
We mean it’s literally a fake security app: the only thing that it does is change from an “X” image to a “check” image after a single tap. That’s it. That’s all there is, there isn’t any more.
Update April 6, 2014 11:50pm PT: The app has now been taken down.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Gear Fit Review: The Smartwatch Gets in Shape
Gear Fit Takes a Step in the Right Direction by Combining Fitness with Phone Functions
http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/SB10001424052702304819004579487393809401188-lMyQjAxMTA0MDAwODEwNDgyWj
The $199 bracelet, which goes on sale this week, has a beautiful curved touch screen and uses Bluetooth to connect to one of 18 Samsung Galaxy phones or tablets. It puts text-message, email and other smartphone notifications on your wrist while logging your steps, heart rate and even your sleep patterns. All of that and it tells time.
While the Gear Fit offers plenty of fitness features, I can’t help thinking Samsung has spread itself too thin.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Galaxy S5 Review: Watertight Yet Still Not Quite Right
A Water-Resistant Phone That Doesn’t Make a Splash
http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/SB10001424052702304819004579487392797543028-lMyQjAxMTA0MDAwODEwNDgyWj
Here’s what you need to know about the new flagship smartphone from Samsung: It can swim, but it won’t make any waves.
In most other ways, this update to Samsung’s top-selling Galaxy S4 barely moves the needle. Aside from the waterproofing, the Galaxy S5′s most original new feature is a heart rate sensor that works well only if you hold very, very still. It also has a fingerprint reader more versatile than that in Apple’s iPhone 5S, but a camera that still doesn’t take great pictures in low light.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Galaxy S 5 Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi & Joshua Ho on April 8, 2014 12:00 AM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7903/samsung-galaxy-s-5-review
Samsung is now the undisputed king of the Android smartphone space. It was only a few years ago that the general public referred to every Android phone as a “Droid”. Now, it’s not uncommon for people to refer to every Android device as a “Galaxy”, and it speaks to the level of market penetration that Samsung has achieved with their Galaxy line-up.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Market for apps processors is exploding: ARM gives way
http://www.electronics-eetimes.com/en/market-for-apps-processors-is-exploding-arm-gives-way.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=222920720&vID=209
According to Strategy Analytics’ latest forecast, the global smartphone applications processor market will exhibit a 10.8 percent CAGR in revenues from 2013 to 2018 to reach $30.0 billion in 2018.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung expects Q1 operating profit of $8B, down 4.3 percent
South Korean electronics giant’s guidance is largely in line with analyst predictions.
http://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-expects-q1-operating-profit-of-8b-down-4-3-percent/
Samsung’s current flagship handset — the Galaxy S4 — wasn’t considered a major leap over its predecessor, and many gravitated toward the discounted, but still popular, Galaxy S3. While sales of the Galaxy S4 popped immediately, it struggled to maintain that momentum.
In recent quarters, profits from Samsung’s mobile division, which typically accounts for two-thirds of its revenue, have been buoyed by sales of cheaper handsets in emerging markets such as China, South America, and Eastern Europe.
Tomi Engdahl says:
hereO: The first GPS watch designed for young kids
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/hereo-the-first-gps-watch-designed-for-young-kids
The coolest, smallest GPS watch truly designed for kids with a great family locator app.
The hereO GPS watch is the world’s smallest real-time connected GPS tracking device, created specifically for children three years and up. For the first time, tracking technology has been miniaturized to fit in a trendy kids watch.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Book Review: Mobile HTML5
http://books.slashdot.org/story/14/04/07/1222224/book-review-mobile-html5
This title was published on 14 November 2013 under the ISBN 978-1449311414, by O’Reilly Media
Suffused with the author’s honest writing style — as well as her obvious experience and enthusiasm — Mobile HTML5 is a substantial and instructive treatment of the primary new techniques for building mobile-ready websites and web apps.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Shows A Glimpse Of How Its Modular Phone Moonshot Is Progressing
http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/04/project-ara-video-update/?source=gravity&cps=gravity
Google has released a video
showing a glimpse of what’s going on behind the scenes at Project Ara, one of the hardware shunkworks projects coming out of its Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP).
Tomi Engdahl says:
A 2560×1440 VR Headset That’s Mobile
http://games.slashdot.org/story/14/04/08/2323252/a-2560×1440-vr-headset-thats-mobile
“GameFace Labs may very well be the furthest along in the quest to create a mobile VR headset. It’s based on Android, and their latest prototype is the first VR headset (mobile or tethered) to include a 2560×1440 display, with 78% more pixels than 1080p based VR headsets like the Oculus Rift DK2. CEO Ed Mason said”
Tomi Engdahl says:
GameFace Labs Has the First VR Headset on the Block with a 2.5K Display—And It’s Mobile
http://www.roadtovr.com/gameface-labs-first-vr-headset-block-2k-display-mobile/
GameFace Labs may very well be the furthest along in the quest to create a mobile VR headset. Based on Android, GameFace Labs has been working hard to iterate on their prototypes, their latest is the first VR headset (mobile or tethered) to include a 2.5K display, with 78% more pixels than 1080p based VR headsets like the Oculus Rift DK2. And they’ve got even more surprises up their sleeve.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google woos enterprise developers with ‘Glass at Work’ program
Early adopters get increased tech support
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/08/google_woos_enterprise_developers_with_glass_for_work_program/
Google is making a push to get its Glass headsets into the workplace with a new program, “Glass at Work”, to entice coders to build enterprise applications for companies wanting to get into the wearable computing platform.
Google has set up a forum for developers building specifically for enterprise, and will post regular code updates and technical support advice for businesses and the coders who sell to them.
Tomi Engdahl says:
NORKS’ own smartmobe pegged as Chinese landfill Android
Fake kit in the hermit kingdom? That’s just Kim Jong-un-believable!
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/09/kim_jong_un_arirang_smartphone_china_uniscope/
North Korea’s first “home-grown” smartphone, revealed with much pride and hyperbole by state media last year, appears to be little more than a made-in-China piece of landfill Android.
a Japanese blogger (via GSM Insider) managed to get hold of the Arirang AS1201 and photographed it side-by-side a Uniscope U1201.
Both handsets look identical, aside from the logo, the network and the slight variation on Android.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 & 808 Chips Boost Network Capabilities
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321827&
Qualcomm has announced a pair of Snapdragon mobile processors designed to let one mobile device combine three LTE network connections to boost theoretical download speeds as high as 300 Mbit/s. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 818 and 808 chips are 64-bit multicore processors built on a 20-nm process that support the company’s latest version of the Cat 6 LTE Advanced multimode networking protocol with carrier aggregation — a feature that allows one device to combine more than one cell-network radio link into a single broadband network connection.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm’s 2015 chips may make you regret getting a new phone this year
http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/07/qualcomm-snapdragon-810/?ncid=rss_truncated
Thanks to Moore’s Law, anybody can predict that even the most powerful smartphones and tablets coming out right now (the HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5, for instance) will be made obsolete by whatever flagships get announced in 2015. These predictions fortunately don’t have to be based off of speculation anymore, since Qualcomm just revealed the Snapdragon 810 and 808, a pair of 64-bit high-performance chipsets slated to show up in flagship Android devices early next year.
Qualcomm claims that both 20nm chips will be smaller, lighter and more power efficient. The octa-core 810 is the more appealing of the pair. It’ll sport four Cortex-A57 cores for power-intensive tasks and four lower-power Cortex-A53 cores for those times you don’t need the extra oomph. Additionally, it will come with support for 4K displays, LPDDR4 RAM (which is faster and more efficient than LPDDR3), voice activation and dual Image Signal Processors for better imaging.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jasper is an open source platform for developing always-on, voice-controlled applications
http://jasperproject.github.io/
Use your voice to ask for information, update social networks, control your home, and more.
Tomi Engdahl says:
BlackBerry may consider exiting handsets, eyes investments
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/10/us-blackberry-ceo-idUSBREA3822M20140410
BlackBerry Ltd would consider exiting its handset business if it remains unprofitable, its chief executive officer said on Wednesday, as the technology company looks to expand its corporate reach with investments, acquisitions and partnerships.
“If I cannot make money on handsets, I will not be in the handset business,” John Chen said in an interview
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hands on with Laster SeeThru, a direct augmented-reality challenge to Google Glass
http://www.techhive.com/article/2105865/hands-on-with-laster-seethru-a-direct-augmented-reality-challenge-to-google-glass.html
Google’s vision told us that all our science-fiction dreams were coming true, but as the company released more information about its smartglasses’ true capabilities, we learned that Glass offers none of the full-screen information overlays portrayed in the original video. It was a blow for augmented-reality enthusiasts, but now a small French company called Laster Technologies is gearing up to launch SeeThru, a head-mounted wearable that attempts to make good on the original Google promise.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Laster SeeThru: A $350 camera-free Google Glass alternative for the privacy-conscious
http://venturebeat.com/2014/01/15/laster-seethru-a-350-camera-free-google-glass-alternative-for-the-privacy-conscious/
Laster CEO Zile Liu says that devices like Google Glass don’t need cameras to be effective. And he’s creating his own Glass alternative to prove it.
The device, dubbed the SeeThru, offers a feature set that should be pretty familiar by this point: Users wear the device to get real-time information — directions, GPS data, etc – about the world around them, which they can see on the SeeThru’s small embedded display
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook Is Forcing All Users To Download Messenger By Ripping Chat Out Of Its Main Apps
http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/09/facebook-messenger-or-the-highway/
Facebook is taking its standalone app strategy to a new extreme today. It’s starting to notify users they’ll no longer have the option to send and receive messages in Facebook for iOS and Android, and will instead have to download Facebook Messenger to chat on mobile.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Do Free-To-Play Games Get a Fair Shake?
Snobbery and fear drive criticisms of free-to-play games and ethics
http://www.polygon.com/2014/4/9/5597062/snobbery-and-fear-drive-ethical-criticisms-of-free-to-play-games
The game industry has long been accused of unethical behavior from the outside, such as the decades-long ban on pinball to avoid its corrupting influence on youth, but the latest attack on the ethics of gaming is coming from within.
Games are in a state of rapid growth and tumultuous change, driven by new platforms like Facebook, iOS and Steam, and new ways of funding projects like Early Access and Kickstarter.
Of all these new business models, one in particular has emerged as being subjected to the most ethical questions and criticism — free-to-play.
This is snobbery; evidence that the old guard is scared of where the industry is headed.
One criticism of free-to-play games suggests that it employs a time-honored sales technique called “bait and switch.” Innocent players are ‘baited’ into downloading a game which advertises itself as free only to find out later in the experience that it is impossible to actually proceed without spending money, hence the switch.
Another ethical critique of free to play focuses on the concept of “whales,” the small proportion of players of a game who may spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on virtual items, enabling the vast majority of players to play the game for free.
The third issue I want to tackle is the marketing of free-to-play games at children. Some critics of free-to-play think that children are the root of the problem, pointing to a study from EEDAR that shows a significant proportion of mobile gamers in the US have kids who had made unauthorized purchases on mobile games.
Tomi Engdahl says:
WiFi Chip Tracks Indoor Location
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321718&
Broadcom announced today an 802.11ac SoC designed for indoor positioning applications. The BCM43462 SoC will be demonstrated at Interop, April 1 through April 3 in Las Vegas.
“Venue operators — from stadiums and malls to campuses and dense urban areas — are all looking for ways to provide indoor location tracking capability and monetize their WiFi infrastructure,” Mike Powell, director of product marketing for Broadcom’s Infrastructure and Networking Group, told EE Times.
Analysts at ABI Research expect location-based technology installations to reach 25,000 this year, with over 100 million mobile devices supporting indoor location within two years. Indoor location technology could be used to provide better mapping applications and targeted advertising.
Tomi Engdahl says:
BlackBerry not afraid to throw its mobe biz under a bus, says CEO Chen
‘We are not going to go up against WhatsApp’
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/10/blackberry_may_sell_handset_if_unprofitable/
BlackBerry has said that it will finally consider selling off its smartphone-making business if it continues to be unprofitable.
“If I cannot make money on handsets, I will not be in the handset business,” chief exec John Chen told Reuters in an interview.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tag Heuer’s Meridiist Infinite phone offers “infinite” power via a solar panel
http://www.gizmag.com/tag-heuer-meridiist-infinite-perpetual-power-reserve/31553/
In 2008, Tag Heuer introduced its first mobile phone, the US$6,200 Meridiist. Well, as if a luxury phone made by a company usually associated with premium watches isn’t eyebrow-raising enough, the just-announced Meridiist Infinite offers a little something extra: a built-in photovoltaic panel that keeps it powered up and charging as long as there’s light.
The transparent panel is built into the phone’s display, sandwiched between its sapphire outer surface and the LCD screen itself.
Although Tag Heuer hasn’t stated exactly how much electricity can be generated in this fashion, it’s reportedly at least enough to allow the phone to remain in stand-by mode as long as it’s receiving sufficient natural or artificial light – even if the battery is empty. It’s being called the Perpetual Power Reserve.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook claims 100 MEEELLION active users in India
Who needs China when you’ve got the next billion in your sights?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/10/facebook_india_100_million_users/
Mobile is key to the future success of Facebook in emerging markets like India, where fixed line connections are relatively scarce compared to the number of users signing up to the service on their handsets.
That’s why it’s pushing its internet.org initiative
“The first device that people will have to enter a connected world in India is a low-end mobile phone,” said Olivan on a call attended by ET. “If you go to review a product and start with a desktop version, Mark will kick you out. Everybody has to think mobile.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google selling Glass to anyone in the US on April 15 for a limited time
http://gigaom.com/2014/04/10/google-selling-glass-to-anyone-in-the-us-on-april-15-for-a-limited-time/
Google is expanding the Glass Explorer program to those who want in. For a limited time on April 15, anyone in the U.S. over the age of 18 and willing to spend $1,500 can get Google Glass.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amazon app store grows to 200,000 app
http://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-app-store-grows-to-200000-apps/
CEO Jeff Bezos says the store has nearly tripled in size in the past year. But it still trails Apple and Google.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nike FuelBand — out of gas already?
http://www.cnet.com/news/is-nike-fuelband-out-of-gas-already/
The sportswear company could be close to ditching its fitness hardware efforts, but don’t sound the death knell for Nike technology. Consider, for one thing, the Apple connection.
Will your Nike FuelBand soon be a collector’s item?
Nike, which expanded its focus from sportswear to technology with its wrist-worn FuelBand fitness tracker two years ago, has held serious discussions about exiting the market for wearable hardware, a person familiar with the matter told CNET.
Nike currently sells its flagship device, the Nike+ FuelBand SE, for $150 alongside its Nike+ sports watch for $140. Nike has never disclosed sales figures for the devices.
However, the nascent fitness tracker market was estimated to be worth just $330 million in 2013, with competitors — from Fitbit and Jawbone to Withings and Garmin — all scrambling for a slice of that pie. The FuelBand accounted for 10 percent of sales of all wearable fitness trackers from brick-and-mortar stores and large online retailers last year, according to The NPD Group.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Firefox OS 2.0 starts emerging from its cocoon
http://www.cnet.com/news/new-features-and-appearance-for-firefox-os-2-0-emerge/
Mozilla’s modernized mobile OS is catching up to Apple and Google rivals with improvements necessary to carry Firefox OS beyond its bare-bones roots. Copy-paste and find-my-phone tools patch significant shortcomings.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Devices Business is an Important Part of Our End-to-End Strategy
http://blogs.blackberry.com/2014/04/not-leaving-handsets/
John Chen clarifies a recent Reuters article and reiterates that BlackBerry is Not Leaving the Handset Market
Tomi Engdahl says:
Here are some of the crazy phones you can build with Google’s Project Ara
http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/9/5598622/project-ara-module-development-kit-explains-how-to-make-parts
Google is starting to show developers what they need to do to create swappable parts for its upcoming modular smartphones, currently called Project Ara. On Ara’s website, it’s just posted the Module Developers Kit, which contains the information that manufacturers need to get started creating modular parts. “Ara’s success is predicated on a rich, vibrant, and diverse ecosystem of modules from a myriad of developers,” one document in the kit reads.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IAB: $43 Billion In 2013 Digital Ad Revenue, Mobile Doubles
Apr 10, 2014 at 11:26am ET by Greg Sterling
http://marketingland.com/iab-43-billion-2013-digital-ad-revenue-mobile-doubles-79687
The IAB has just released its annual report on US digital advertising. The trade association said that Q4 2013 revenues hit $12.1 billion, and full year revenues were $42.8 billion, beating broadcast TV (though not TV in total) for the first time.
One of the highlights, mobile ad revenue hit nearly $7.1 billion, doubling from last year’s $3.4 billion.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Following Spotify, Deezer Goes Freemium On Mobile
http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/10/following-spotify-deezer-goes-freemium-on-mobile/
Music streaming startup Deezer just revamped its free offering across the board in order to become more competitive with Spotify, Rdio and others. Mobile users will now be able to listen to smart radios for free. Like on the web, your music will be interrupted by audio ads every now and then. The company also dropped its listening cap of 10 hours per month on all platforms.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nike+ Fuel Lab opens to expand fitness tracking platform to third parties starting w/ RunKeeper, Strava, MyFitnessPal
http://9to5mac.com/2014/04/10/nike-fuel-lab-opens-to-expand-fitness-tracking-platform-to-third-parties-starting-w-runkeeper-strava-myfitnesspal/
Nike announced today that it is opening a Nike+ Fuel Lab in San Francisco that will help it grow what has become one of the leading fitness tracking platform among iPhone and mobile device users.
The new Nike+ Fuel Lab will see the company working with app developers and other companies to integrate the NikeFuel platform into their products. That means Nike’s hardware— like the FuelBand fitness tracker and SportWatch— will then work with the partner apps and syncing data between the apps will become seamless.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple eyes virtual reality goggle game with patent filing
Proposed headset sounds a lot like something Facebook just bought..
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/10/apple_eyes_goggle_game_with_patent_filing/
Apple has filed for a patent which suggests the company is looking into developing its own head-mounted virtual reality system.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The truth about mobile games: “Most of players the stop in 24 hours”
Swrve has published a report dealing with the popular freemium mobile games.
According to the report spoke of players is short. Almost one-fifth of the players will drop out of the game after the first playing. After five game plays left is only half of the game players.
The greater surprise to find the exit of the length of the players. Swrven, only 34 percent continue to play even the next day. In other words, 66 percent of the players left out in the first 24 hours.
Freemium model can earn a considerable income.
Swrven report, the money comes from a very small minority of players. According to the results of previous 0.15 percent of the players brought in more than 50 percent of income.
Swrven says that that game companies should rethink its strategy. In particular, freemium games, it is important to focus on the high quality of the gaming experience, so that the players do not go away too quickly.
Source: Tietokone
http://www.tietokone.fi/artikkeli/uutiset/totuus_mobiilipeleista_suurin_osa_lopettaa_24_tunnissa
Tomi Engdahl says:
The April 2014 New Players Report
http://landingpage.swrve.com/0414-new-players-report.html?utm_source=Recode&utm_medium=Article&utm_campaign=NewPayers
In this special report we’re sharing the results of some unique research into the behavior and spending patterns of new mobile game players.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smartwatch sales off to a very slow start
Singaporean data suggests they’re not yet an awristing proposition … yet
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/11/smartwatch_sales_off_to_a_very_slow_start/
Singapore is home to just over five million people and market-watcher GfK says 94 per cent of whom bought a PC or accessories in the last two years and 95 per cent of whom acquired telecommunications technologies in the same period.
But the first count of smartwatch sales in the island nation, conducted by market-watcher GfK, found that “in first two months of 2014” sales of smartwatches reached “nearly 1,400”. Even if we annualise that figure to 8,400 sales we get to only a fraction of one per cent of the population slapping something smart on their wrists.
Which isn’t very much at all.
Of course the smartwatch market is in its infancy. But Singapore is among the world’s more wired and affluent nations. If anywhere was going to get excited about smartwatches it would be Singapore.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Galaxy S5 Teardown
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung+Galaxy+S5+Teardown/24016
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Strengthens Android App Security With Continuous Post-Install Scans
http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/10/google-strengthens-android-app-security-with-continuous-post-install-scans/
Google is making a change to its Android security systems today that is meant to ensure that users who install apps from outside of the Google Play store are a bit safer from malicious apps.
Currently, Android users can have Google scan their apps for malicious code at the time of installation. Going forward, Google will expand this program with a more service-based system that will continuously check the device to make sure that apps are “behaving in a safe manner, even after installation.” This means that as Google learns more about mobile malware, it can now check for this kind of code even after you’ve installed an app. Until now, once a malicious app had made it through Google’s security systems, there was no way to detect it later.
It’s no secret (PDF) that Android accounts for the vast majority of mobile malware. Very little of it (0.1 percent according to some reports) comes from Google’s own Play store.