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:
Leading Cause of Smartphone Theft: Careless Owners
Three million smartphones were stolen in 2013, but muggings weren’t the most common form of theft, according to new research.
http://blogs.cio.com/smartphones/18565/leading-cause-smartphone-theft-careless-owners
a new survey suggests many more smartphones are stolen because their owners carelessly leave them on café tables when they pick up their morning lattes.
That “Doh!” scenario – which obviously isn’t restricted to cafés – accounts for roughly 44 percent of all smartphone thefts, according to a survey of 2400 smartphone users commissioned by Lookout, which sells smartphone security products. The thief-grabs-phone-and-runs scenario only accounts for 11 percent of smartphone thefts, according to the research.
Most of us are attached to our expensive phones, but about three-quarters of the people who said their phones had been stolen didn’t notice for some time. That lapse that makes it that much harder to recover them
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple poaches Nokia photo guru Ari Partinen from Microsoft
Expect the next iThingie to be a much sharper snapper
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/09/apple_poaches_nokia_photo_guru_ari_partinen_from_microsoft/
Microsoft’s Stephen Elop is no doubt busy digesting the mobile remains of Nokia, but he has lost a key engineer – Lumia photography lead Ari Partinen – to the clutches of Cupertino.
Partinen, who later confirmed that Apple is indeed his new paymaster, started at Nokia working on the optics for the Finnish firm’s N8 model. He was one of the key developers of the PureView 808, a Symbian mobile with a large 41 megapixel camera sensor and a dedicated GPU that was the first handset to address what has become a key selling point for Nokia hardware: superb photography.
This focus on cameras as a differentiator has been developed by Partinen and others, and Nokia has gone to incredible lengths to develop thin cameras and the software to support them
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee Has Heart Attack
Head of Cellphone Maker Is in Stable Condition; Questions Arise Over Succession
http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/SB10001424052702303851804579555123973683460-lMyQjAxMTA0MDEwMDExNDAyWj
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Glass meets control systems
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/google-glass-meets-control-systems/17c65fe56b425b7a806d2c31a1834d22.html
Technology Update: New visualization technologies offer opportunities for hands-free computer displays, potentially useful in manufacturing, control system programming, warehousing, process operations training, and maintenance applications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Tizen rest of world with mobe launch in Russia, India
Report suggests Sammy’s OS backup plan will get a Eurasian test launch
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/12/samsung_tizen_rest_of_world_with_mobe_launch_in_russia_india/
Samsung will reportedly launch a Tizen-powered smartphone in Russia and India.
The Wall Street Journal has chatted to its usual “people familiar with the matter” and reports that an all-singing, all-dancing launch event can be expected in early June in the two target nations. Lots of noise can also be expected at the Tizen Developer Conference in San Francisco, which kicks off on June 2 and runs until the 4th.
The Journal says the Tizen mobe launch event will be on a “global” scale, and as Vulture South has experienced that can mean lighting up the Sydney Opera house. Samsung probably wouldn’t bother to launch a cheap handset with that kind of bash and there’s no hint about the price of the of Tizen handset in either nation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
4G modems strong growth continues
LTE modems are sold online this year to 338 million units. The number is expected to rise to 47 per cent, to predict Forward Concepts.
Last year, the LTE modems were sold 219,000,000 shares. Of the 73 per cent went to smartphones, and 16 percent tabletteihiin. USB sticks sold five per cent, or just under 11 million in the modem.
Forward Concepts, the next growth engine brings radio circles is the support carrier aggregation technology. In the multiple carriers may be linked together, wherein the channel width is increased.
LTE-Advanced standard, it is possible to link together five 20 MHz 100 MHz channel width of the tube. Very few, however, is the operator of such radio resources at their disposal.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1334:4g-modeemien-kova-kasvu-jatkuu&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Feast your PUNY eyes on highest resolution phone display EVER
Too much pixel dust for your strained eyeballs to handle
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/16/au_optronics_high_res_2014/
It’s trade show season in Hong Kong and the Taiwanese display manufacturer AU Optronics has trumped its rivals, principally Samsung, by producing the highest resolution phone display yet.
The AMOLED 5.7-inch display has 2560 x 1440 resolution – which gives you 513ppi (pixels per inch). This compares with the iPhone’s retina display resolution 326 ppi, and the Galaxy S5’s 432.
How useful this is depends on how close you hold the device to your face.
According to Michael Tusch, CTO of Apical, you’d need to be nearer than 18cm (7 inches) away and would need very good eyesight to see 513 pixels per inch. Tusch said that tablets are typically held 38cm (15 inches) away from the eye.
The pressure is always on handset manufacturers to make phones thinner, so AU Optronics’ 5-inch in-cell touch AMOLED panel HD720 will be targeted at them. It is just 0.57mm thick
Tomi Engdahl says:
Top Global Apps April 2014
http://www.distimo.com/blog/2014_05_top-global-apps-april-2014/
April is the first month of Q2 2014 and we were excited to take a look at the app stores, curious to find out if there were any significant changes after the mostly stable global performance during Q1 2014. In this blog post we highlight the leading free, paid, and grossing apps for the Apple App Store, Google Play, and the Amazon Appstore. The charts in this blog post are based on Distimo AppIQ data, covering the full month of April 2014 on a globally aggregated level.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Top 10 reasons to ditch your iPhone 5 or Galaxy S4 for a feature phone
http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2267226/top-10-reasons-to-ditch-your-iphone-5-or-galaxy-s4-for-a-feature-phone
In the developed world, pretty much everyone has at least one smart device and, with numerous phone makers talking about connecting the next billion, this phenomenon is only going to continue. This was demonstrated earlier this month when analyst house IDC reported for the first time in history that smartphone sales had overtaken feature phone sales.
Many have heralded this as a sign that soon there won’t be a market for basic feature phones, instead there’ll just be cheaper smartphones – an idea that many companies like Mozilla and its Firefox OS agree with. Yet, despite all the inherent perks of a smartphone, there are at least a few reasons to stick with a feature phone, at least for now
10. The cost
9. They’re idiot proof
8. Rugged
7. Reasonably sized
6. Google and Apple don’t own you
5. You can use them with gloves
4. It’s impossible to put something stupid on Twitter and Facebook
3. You’ll start talking to people again
2. The batteries are decent
1. They’re more secure
These days, smartphones are basically pocket computers, featuring powerful quad-core processors that make laptops released even half a decade ago look archaic. But for these perks, users also have to open themselves up to the dangers of the internet.
Hackers and cyber criminals are becoming increasingly interested in mobile ecosystems and the opportunities they present.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Huawei Launches Ascend P7 Based on Custom HiSilicon SoC
by Brandon Chester on May 7, 2014 12:47 PM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8000/huawei-launches-ascend-p7-based-on-custom-hisilicon-soc
Today Huawei announced the Ascend P7, its new flagship smartphone.
Huawei continues to include their own SoC in their flagship devices. The HiSilicon KIRIN 910T is a quad-core Cortex A9 design with Mali-450 GPU built on a 28nm HPM process. The Cortex A9s are clocked at up to 1.8GHz, which is quite high for a A9 design.
The KIRIN 910T features HiSilicon’s own integrated LTE modem. For a device aimed at the high-end market this is definitely something needed to be competitive. The P7 will launch with support for LTE Bands 1, 3, 7, 8 and 20. With the exception of Canadians in 2600MHz (Band 7) markets, North American users are out of luck with the international launch SKU.
In terms of software the device runs Android 4.4.2 with Huawei’s emotion UI on top.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Shortwave Shows Off Anonymous Chat As Another Consumer Use Case For iBeacons
http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/12/shortwave-shows-off-anonymous-chat-as-another-consumer-use-case-for-ibeacons/
Apple’s iBeacons are being trialled and demoed in retail settings all over the place, but they’re slowly becoming more interesting to average users, too. A new app called Shortwave offers up an everyday use case for iBeacon tech that could prove either terrifying or exciting, depending on your perspective; the software uses iBeacon protocols to turn your iPhone into a location-based anonymous messenger, letting you talk to anyone else using the app within a 70-foot radius.
“Our goal was to build something useful for concerts, conferences, and the like – but if we’ve learned anything from comments on the web, it’s that some people feel empowered by anonymity and use it for evil,”
“We’re kind of in unproven territory here – our hope is that being near the people you’re talking to will keep the conversation civil.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/05/12/yahoo-launches-mobile-first-native-ads-larger-photos-will-marked-sponsored-across-products/
Tomi Engdahl says:
G Watch promo video gives us another peek at LG’s Android-powered wristwear
http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/11/g-watch-promo-video-lg/
We’re not expecting to find out all about LG’s “G Watch” smartwatch (and new top of the line G3 phone) until the end of this month, but if you needed another teaser then here it goes.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A third of smart phones shipped in Q1 had 5″-plus displays
- The market grew 29% year on year, but fell 5% on Q4 2013
http://www.canalys.com/newsroom/third-smart-phones-shipped-q1-had-5-plus-displays
Worldwide, 279.4 million smart phones shipped in Q1 2014, representing growth of 29% on Q1 2013, but a decline of 5% on the seasonally strong Q4 2013. 81% were Android devices, with iOS and Windows Phone accounting for 16% and 3% respectively. Samsung remained the leading vendor with a 31% share, ahead of Apple at 16%. Half of the top 10 vendors were Chinese companies: Huawei (third), Lenovo (fourth), Xiaomi (sixth), Yulong (eighth) and ZTE (ninth). China, the world’s largest smart phone market, accounted for 35% of shipments, substantially ahead of the US, which managed just 12%.
97.5 million smart phones shipped in China alone in Q1, though this was down 3% sequentially. ‘The Chinese market is undergoing major change and maturing quickly, with smart phones making up 93% of total mobile phone shipments in Q1 2014,’
‘Though Samsung remained the leading vendor in China with an 18% share, the Chinese smart phone market continues to be driven by the dynamism and aspirations of local vendors,’
Smart phones with 5″ and larger screens grew 369% – a substantially greater rate of growth than the overall market. Worldwide, they represented just over a third of shipments (34%), and in Greater China the figure hit 39%, and 43% in Asia Pacific.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Optimise display performance in mobile devices with optical sensor
http://www.edn-europe.com/en/optimise-display-performance-in-mobile-devices-with-optical-sensor.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=10004006&vID=1630&from_mail=1#.U3ITVVdM0ik
ams’ integrated colour sensor drives intelligent display management in smartphones and tablets; the TMD3782 digital sensor is intended for use in mobile devices and combines ambient light, colour and proximity sensing.
The sensor integrated in the TMD3782 provides ambient light intensity (lux) and colour measurement enabling mobile devices to automatically adjust their display’s colour and brightness for the best viewing experience and power savings.
High-resolution displays on mobile devices must operate in a wide range of light sources, including fluorescent, incandescent and sunlight.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Oracle wins copyright ruling against Google over Android
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/09/us-oracle-google-ruling-idUSBREA480KQ20140509
Oracle Corp won a legal victory against Google Inc on Friday as a U.S. appeals court decided Oracle could copyright parts of the Java programming language, which Google used to design its Android smartphone operating system.
The case, decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, is being closely watched in Silicon Valley. A high-profile 2012 trial
A San Francisco federal judge had decided that Oracle could not claim copyright protection on parts of Java, but on Friday the three-judge Federal Circuit panel reversed that ruling.
“What we have is a decision that will definitely shake up the software industry,” said Samuelson.
Google had argued that software should only be allowed to be patented, not copyrighted. However, O’Malley wrote that the Federal Circuit is bound to respect copyright protection for software, “until either the Supreme Court or Congress tells us otherwise.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
We’d switch mobile networks, but we can’t be bothered – survey
But 34% of users are ‘thinking about it’ AT ALL TIMES
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/13/customers_dont_switch_mobile_networks_because_they_cant_be_bothered/
Inertia is a principle well-known in insurance and personal banking circles, but the mobile phone industry has always conducted itself as if subscriber loyalty was governed by discounts and phone upgrades.
A survey of 4,000 people across the UK, US, Australia and South Africa found that that at any one time 34 per cent of customers were thinking of switching and that only 44 per cent of people who’d not switched were truly happy with their decision.
People are happiest when the their phones are still new, though the lustre wears off after about seven months. 58 per cent of people are looking to switch device.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Motorola Introduces the Moto E: The $129 Smartphone for Everyone
by Brandon Chester on May 13, 2014 7:51 AM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8010/moto-e-cms-test
Today Motorola has continued along their new path by introducing the Moto E, the most inexpensive device in their new lineup of smartphones.
Motorola is marketing this as the smartphone to kill the dumbphone and they have set up a website which encourages users to tell their friends still using flip phones to make the switch. The website states “Life before mobile apps should be a thing of the past. Introducing the Moto E. Made to last. Priced for all.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
China’s smartphone maker Xiaomi has made a growth record.
Xiaomista have come in the first quarter, China’s third largest smartphone manufacturer. Its market share stands at ten per cent.
The reason for the popularity is the growing demand for low-cost phones (Xiaomi Hongmi phones cost from 699 yuan , or about 80 euros)
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/quotkiinan+applestaquot+tuli+maan+kolmanneksi+suurin+alypuhelinvalmistaja/a987462
Tomi Engdahl says:
Teardowns confirm Google Glass hardware is DIRT CHEAP
But that’s not what you’re paying for…
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/13/teardowns_confirm_google_glass_hardware_is_dirt_cheap_but_theres_more_to_it/
Yet another analyst firm has placed a low price tag on the hardware comprising Google Glass headsets.
Researchers with IHS said in a teardown analysis of the augmented reality platform that each headset contains a bill of materials (BOM) of $152.47.
According to IHS, Google uses parts that cost $132.47 per Glass headset, while an additional $20 charge would come from the cost of manufacturing the device. Glass is currently being offered in limited quantities at a cost of $1,500 each.
Among the costliest pieces in Glass is its frame, which IHS estimates to be a titanium casing costing $22. Other hardware includes $20 for the Glass’ LCOS panel display and $12.50 for casing, charger, USB cable, and earpiece.
IHS’s number fall generally in line with what other analysts have been estimating to be the BOM for Google Glass. An April teardown from analyst house TechInsights suggested that Glass cost hardware as little as $80, while a Taiwanese analyst believes that Google would be able to charge as little as $299 and still turn a profit.
Google, while not providing specifics on what it pays per unit, has dismissed suggestions that building Glass carries such a low cost to the company. Indeed, analysts freely note that teardown estimates fail to account for the considerable costs of research and development.
Tomi Engdahl says:
$10 Smartphone to digital microscope conversion!
http://www.instructables.com/id/10-Smartphone-to-digital-microscope-conversion/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google starts selling Glass to anyone (in the US) with $1,500 to burn
http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/13/google-glass-available-to-public/
There’s no longer a need to attend a golf tournament or carefully log on for a one-day sale, as Google has just announced it’s opening sales of the Glass headset to all (in the US). As long as they’re in stock and you have $1,500, you too can join the beta Explorer program and be part of a nearby #glassnightout. Now that Glass is more widely available, Google is saying thank you to its first Explorers with a video
Tomi Engdahl says:
Popcorn Time Is Now On Android
http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/13/popcorn-time-is-now-on-android/
Hollywood’s worst nightmare just went mobile.
A popular fork of Popcorn Time just launched its Android app. Time4Popcorn’s Popcorn Time app is now available for consumption on the developer’s website and brings all of the program’s pirating tools to the mobile ecosystem.
The Android app looks and feels like the desktop program, and sports the same access to pirated TV shows and movies. And just like its desktop counterpart, the Android version streams torrents. Your data plan is going to love it.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia Treasure Tag now available. Plus more…
http://conversations.nokia.com/2014/05/12/nokia-treasure-tag-now-available/
Now selling at all good retailers, the Nokia Treasure Tag will stop you from leaving your valuables behind.
Bold in design, the Nokia Treasure Tag can be attached to anything that’s important to you: your keys, wallet, and bag – absolutely anything.
Nokia-Treasure-Tag-app-with-HERE-Maps-LiveSight
When paired with your Lumia using either Bluetooth (4.0) or NFC, the Nokia Treasure Tag will stay in constant communication with your smartphone, telling it that it’s close by.
If you get up and leave without taking the tagged item with you, both the Nokia Treasure Tag and your Lumia will emit a tone to alert you of the fact.
You can pair up to four Nokia Treasure Tags to your Lumia at any one time
recommended retail price of €24,90 / $29.90
Introducing the Nokia Treasure Tag Mini
Connecting the Mini to your Lumia is achieved through standard Bluetooth pairing to any Bluetooth 4.0 supported device – including iOS and Android devices!
When connected but out of proximity, you’ll hear a tone on your smartphone alerting you that you’ve left something behind and should probably turn back.
price of €14,90 / $16.90
Tomi Engdahl says:
IDC survey finds “Top 10 Smartphone Purchase Drivers”
https://twitter.com/fjeronimo/status/465896917298577409/photo/1
How long battery lasts is the most important thing to consider.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Are we heading to higher than necessary specifications on high-end smartphones?
Funny comment: “Yes the phone must be 128-core processor, overclocking a minimum of 7 GHz. 8K screen has to be at least level, in case that if it is ever looking under a microscope. And do not mind that they eat’s battery in two hours. I never leave my home, so I can download my phone all the time.”
Source: http://www.digitoday.fi/mobiili/2014/05/14/akun-kesto-on-tarkein-alypuhelimen-ostokriteeri/20146798/66?rss=6
Tomi Engdahl says:
Let’s Face Facts: Mobile Wallets Are Doomed
Square is the latest example of a struggling industry segment that may never take off.
http://readwrite.com/2014/05/13/mobile-wallets-reality
A few years ago, Square was the technology industry’s darling. Founded by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Square introduced the concept of attaching a credit card reader to one’s smartphone for mainstream consumers and businesses.
Now, Square is doing what scrambling tech companies do when times are tough: kill off a product and introduce a new one based off of gimmicks and marketing ploys.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google’s Android Is Learning How To Reach Straight Into Your Wallet
You may even like it. Amazon and Apple won’t.
http://readwrite.com/2014/05/08/google-play-services-44-update-google-io#awesm=~oEdMqU52oAu100
The mobile era is gradually bringing real-world actions into convergence with our digital lives.
Amazon, likewise, is the king of digital commerce and knows just about everything about its customers. But its ability to connect to consumers in the physical world is limited because it mostly has to rely on Apple, Google and Microsoft to reach them on mobile—at least outside of its Kindle Fire tablets and, possibly, its rumored smartphone.
Google has the lead in the the convergence of digital and real world commerce because it controls all the pertinent stacks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LG: Smartwatch? Pah! We’ll measure your heart rate through your EARS
‘The other Korean chaebol’ jumps onto wearable health tech bandwagon
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/14/lg_enters_fitness_wearable_market_with_lifeband_touch_and_heart_rate_earphones/
Fitness is the new fad among mobe-makers: first Samsung started to measure your heart rate through its smartwatches and now LG has announced headphones which do the same thing.
The heartphones plug into a special module which interfaces to the LG Lifeband Touch or to a phone. The Lifeband Touch can then be Bluetoothed to a phone – and not just an LG phone: it works with any Android and even iPhones.
Lifeband Touch enables users to check incoming calls and messages and control their music playlists on their smartphones – like a smartwatch without the buckle… or the watch. What also sets the electro-bracelet apart from the smartwatches is that it has a five-day battery life and comes in three sizes.
The Heart Rate Earphones measure blood flow signals in the ear via PerformTek sensor technology, LG says,
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft may start letting customers upgrade to Windows Phone 8.1 on June 24
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/microsoft-may-start-letting-customers-upgrade-windows-phone-81-june-24/2014-05-13
When Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 8.1 at its Build developer conference in early April, the company said it would be rolled out as a software update in the next few months but would be installed in new phones starting at the end of April.
Cortana is something of a combination of Apple’s Siri and Google Now service.
The Cortana service is powered by Microsoft’s Bing search engine and gets to know users as they Cortana can access a phone’s calling, messaging and calendar functions, and can set reminders, make notes, set alarms, see what music is playing nearby, schedule appointments and answer questions about sports scores and restaurants. It can even tell a user how many calories are in certain foods.
So far, Windows Phone 8.1 has received positive reviews.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Whoa! NUDE! SELFIES! for! Marissa! Mayer’s! Blink-gobbling! Yahoo!
Trendy sexting tool is web giant’s 40th slurped startup
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/14/marissa_mayer_yahho_buys_blink/
Yahoo! has slurped its 40th startup: the Snapchat-style messaging service Blink where sent mobile missives ultimately self-destruct.
The Marissa-Mayer-led Yahoo! will wind up Blink and welcome its seven-strong team onto the Purple Palace’s own staff roster. The terms of the deal have not yet been released.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Flappy Bird to Return to the App Store in August, Will Be Multiplayer and ‘Less Addictive’
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/05/14/flappy-bird-returning-to-app-store/
Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen today announced plans to return Flappy Bird to the App Store in August in a new interview with CNBC’s Kelly Evans. According to Nguyen, the new version of Flappy Bird will be a multiplayer title that is “less addictive.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Glass Aims To Entice Travelers With New TripIt, Foursquare, And OpenTable Integrations
http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/14/google-glass-travel/
A day after Google announced that it will sell Google Glass to anyone in the United States, the company is unveiling some new “Glassware” (basically, Google Glass apps) that’s supposed to be particularly useful for travelers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google gets tougher on suspicious Google Apps logins
http://www.cnet.com/news/google-gets-tougher-on-suspicious-google-apps-logins/
Don’t lose your smartphone: To thwart unauthorized access to Gmail and other services, Google is bringing aspects of dual-factor authentication to those who haven’t signed up for it.
In an effort to block unauthorized use of its Google Apps services, Google plans to require users to verify their identity with a text message if the company detects a suspicious login attempt.
The mechanism, which will apply to logins over the Web, is in effect a form of dual-factor authentication even for those who haven’t signed up for that feature explicitly.
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Play nice and share’: OECD to spectrum owners
A shot at solving the capacity crunch
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/15/play_nice_and_share_oecd_to_spectrum_owners/
It’s a given that the world is short of radio spectrum: now, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is calling on new models of spectrum management involving license-holders sharing their spectrum for unlicensed applications, and “incentive auctions” designed to persuade licensees like broadcasters into relinquishing some of their holdings.
However, the more devices there are – and the more densely they’re packed, since in countries like Australia there are already more wireless devices than people – the available unlicensed spectrum has become crowded (so has licensed spectrum, as NBN Co found to its cost).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Phil Zimmermann’s ‘Spy-Proof’ Mobile Phone In Demand
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/14/05/14/194205/phil-zimmermanns-spy-proof-mobile-phone-in-demand
“BlackPhone was designed by Phil Zimmermann (inventor of PGP).”
“The OS is a customized version of Android called PrivatOS which offers encrypted calls, texts and emails that can’t be unscrambled even by spy agencies.”
“It’s coming out this June, and many Fortune 50 companies have already ordered the phone to protect against industrial espionage.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
First smartphone ‘kill switch’ law signed in Minnesota
http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/14/5718910/first-smartphone-kill-switch-law-signed-in-minnesota
On July 1st, 2015, it will be illegal to sell a smartphone in Minnesota without antitheft software preinstalled. That’s because Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton just signed the first so-called “kill switch” bill into law. The idea is that if smartphone owners can always remotely disable and wipe their phones after they’re stolen, it will deter criminals from stealing them at all. It’s a feature that police departments across the country have requested, due to how popular it has become for thieves to snatch the small, high-value devices. Nationally, an estimated one in three robberies involves smartphones, according to the FCC.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fluke Connect: A Cool Concept That Begs for More
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1322381&
This week, Fluke Corp. introduced Fluke Connect, a technology that not only links handheld instruments to smartphones, it lets iOS 7 or Android 4.4 phones share measurement data anywhere in the world through an app. Upon hearing of Fluke Connect, I immediately thought of how it could do more.
Fluke Connect lets you share measurements from multimeters, infrared thermometers, and AC/DC current meters. A local phone connects over BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) to a meter or over WiFi to an infrared thermometer. If the local phone has internet access through a WiFi or cellular connection, it can send the data to a remote phone through the app, assuming that phone has internet access.
Such connectivity can be a great time saver because you can see what’s happening on equipment without being there
Having remote access to measurement through your phone is a great time saver, money saver, and maybe even a job or life saver, but I immediately wondered about other possibilities.
What if you could take action remotely, even if just to change a meter setting to get better resolution? When I asked Fluke about that, a spokesperson replied that early customers had already asked about remote control, but there are issues to resolve. Many of the meters, for example, can’t be controlled remotely. You need to turn a knob or push a button to change a setting.
What else would you like to do once you have that data in your phone?
Tomi Engdahl says:
MetaWear: Make Wearables in 30 Minutes or Less!
http://techmarinade.com/2014/04/metawear-make-wearables-in-30-minutes-or-less/
A new Kickstarter by the team at mbientlab (mbientlab.com) features a device that promises to cut prototyping times and hardware development costs for hardware projects. Their device, the MetaWear, is a small development board, 17mm by 26 mm in size, that packs a Cortex-M0 microcontroller and Bluetooth 4.0. A simple API for iOS and Android makes it easy to utilize the MetaWear without writing a line of firmware.
Mbientlab wants the MetaWear to remove the hassle of hardware design so they designed it to be fully cost-optimized and production ready.
As might be derived from the name, MetaWear was designed to best be used in wearable devices. The included Cortex-M0 microcontroller is a power efficient processor (as little as 16 uW/MHz while running over 8 MIPS/MHz) well suited for use in a mobile situation. The tied-in Bluetooth Low Energy capability makes this a neat little package that can act as the centerpiece of a remote device in a number of applications. You control the MetaWear through BLE using simple API calls from an iOS or Android device
Since it relies on a smart device for control, unless you are an experienced firmware developer, we are hesitant to say that the MetaWear can be used in a standalone product.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why You Shouldn’t Trust App Ratings on Google Play
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/shouldnt-trust-app-ratings-google-play/
You need a new camera app; you open Google Play and find 50. Naturally, you install the highest-rated one. Guess what? You just got tricked. Google Play’s rating system is broken beyond repair, and you need to understand the details to make informed decisions about the apps you install.
Instead of being honest and considering what the app deserves, people associate a five-star with “good” and a one-star with “bad.”
Further, a review can be left in Google Play with stars only and no written feedback. How much can you, the user, really trust a review that was left with only a moment’s consideration?
Often, folks leave a scathing review due to problems they experience that aren’t the developer’s fault.
Tomi Engdahl says:
But Clark was more cautious about wearables.
“Devices like Google Glass may become popular, or may fail to prove their worth. But in more than 10 years, I suspect some sort of device that gives a cyber-overlay on the real world will be in use. I am ambivalent about this future,” wrote Clark.
Source: http://www.cio.com/article/752856/An_Internet_of_Things_Prediction_for_2025_with_Caveats
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rough and tumble: 8 phones for the adventurous (pictures)
http://www.cnet.com/pictures/rough-and-tumble-eight-handsets-for-the-adventurous-pictures/
Tomi Engdahl says:
GCHQ grants security clearance to Samsung’s Knox mobe security
Galaxies all round for pen-pushers… 007 will have to stick with Q’s kit
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/16/samsung_knox_gets_official_security_clearence/
The official containerisation solution for security on Samsung phones and tablets has passed muster with GCHQ. It’s now deemed safe enough for UK government employees to get a Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S3 S4 or Galaxy S5 all of which run the Korean firm’s KNOX software.
This is akin to a standard business. The typical threat profile for the OFFICIAL classification is broadly similar to that faced by a large UK private company with valuable information and services.
For SECRET levels of security, there is an approved solution which uses a special version of BlackBerry phones which show a red border in secure mode and ancient Motorola phones with Sectéra hardware encryption modules for voice. General Dynamics, which makes Sectéra, has Android solutions, but they have not been approved.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Braille phone goes on sale in ‘world first’
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27437770
London-based firm OwnFone has released what it says is the world’s first Braille phone.
The front and back of the phone is constructed using 3D printing techniques and can be customised.
Other companies have designed Braille phones in the past, but OwnFone says its device is the first of its kind to go on sale.
For those who can’t read Braille, the company can print raised text on the keypad.
The phone, currently only available in the UK, retails for £60 and according to its inventor Tom Sunderland, 3D printing the front and back of the device helped to keep the costs down.
“3D printing… provides a fast and cost-effective way to create personalised Braille buttons,” he says.
“The phone can be personalised with two or four Braille buttons which are pre-programmed to call friends, family, carers or the emergency services,” Mr Sunderland told the BBC.
“This is the first phone to have a 3D printed keypad and for people that can’t read Braille, we can print texture and raised text on the phone. Our 3D phone printing process is patent pending.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Review: Motorola’s $129 Moto E is good and cheap (but mostly good)
Motorola makes a surprisingly capable smartphone with a few notable compromises.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/05/the-best-unlocked-phone-129-can-buy-motorolas-moto-e-reviewed/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amazon’s Android Appstore is throwing free apps and credit around
Download some apps, coin it in
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2345335/amazons-android-appstore-is-throwing-free-apps-and-credit-around
AMAZON IS GETTING AGGRESSIVE with promotions for its third-party Android Appstore by giving users a way of downloading 10 free apps and ending up with as much as £24 profit on the deal.
For 24 hours users can download nine chargeable Android apps for free.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Gear 2 smartwatch review
Samsung’s sequel aims to win over users with a slimmer design and a focus on fitness
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/review/2345100/samsung-gear-2-smartwatch-review
WE WOULDN’T BE LYING if we said that Samsung’s first smartwatch, the Samsung Galaxy Gear, didn’t set the world alight when it was launched last August. With a chunky, heavy design, a 24-hour battery life and a £300 price, it was hardly the most desirable gadget to hit the market in 2013.
That’s why Samsung didn’t waste any time bringing a sequel to market and releasing the Gear 2 smartwatch earlier in April with some updated features, such as a slimmer design, a 1.63in Super AMLOED display, a 2MP camera and a focus on fitness.
In Short
For £250, the Gear 2 is cheaper than its predecessor, which retailed for £300 when it launched in the UK, but it is still rather pricey for what it does. The fitness tracking features are a nice bonus, but the Gear 2 offers a feature set limited by the Android phone it is attached to, although it saves on fishing the phone out of your pocket to take calls.
Tomi Engdahl says:
UHS-II SD Cards Await Capable Devices
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1322384&
The UHS-II bus interface for secure digital (SD) memory cards is gaining traction, but it will take some time for manufacturers to bring products to market that take advantage of the new standard. SD card vendors, meanwhile, have unveiled cards with the UHS-II interface. Last month, Toshiba America Electronic Components (TAEC) debuted what it said is the first microSD memory card to comply with the UHS-II standard, the ultra high speed serial bus interface defined in the SD Memory Card Standard Ver. 4.20.
UHS-I cards, which were specified in SD Version 3.01, can transfer anywhere from 50 MB/s to 104 m/s depending on their clock frequency and transfer mode. UHS-II raises the data transfer rate to a theoretical maximum of 312 MB/s using an additional row of pins.
All high speed interfaces of the future are serialized – maybe multi-lane serialized.”
The technology is available to 128GB or higher, but the focus has been delivering SD cards at a price point the market will support. There also other features that can be added to cards, including WiFi capability, micro payment applications for smartphones, and of course the security features offered by “secure digital” cards. “Very few people have used the features of the secure digital card,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
A small UK startup SaveSquared believes to have invented a solution to smart phones and tablet devices harassing problem : the battery runs out during the day .
The user to find an existing business smartphone application. Renting the battery pack for a day to pay five pounds, or about six euros. In addition, the user pays about 30 euro deposit which will be given back when re-charging unit is returned to any shop that has joined the movement.
Source: http://summa.talentum.fi/article/tv/uutiset/64752