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:
Devs: Imagine a lithe, lightly-clad, sweaty body and what you’d do with it
The Google Fit SDK wants you to take it for a ride
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/29/devs_imagine_a_lithe_lightlyclad_sweaty_body_and_what_youd_do_with_it/
Google has released the software development kit (SDK) for its Google Fit service.
Google Fit is yet another measure-your-activity-upload-it-socialise-it-track-progress-and-reward-you-for-achieving-goals service, but for Android. Google hopes the release of the SDK will spur device-makers to use Android on their gadgets, and also use Google services to store and crunch the data.
Google’s playing nice here: it’s insisting on these three conditions for developers who use the service:
Fitness apps can store data from any wearable or sensor;
Fitness apps can access data created by any app;
User’s fitness data is persisted when they upgrade their fitness devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Details Android 5.0 Lollipop’s Major Security Improvements
http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/28/android-5-lollipop-security-features/
Android’s newest update is coming soon, with devices running 5.0 Lollipop beginning to ship November 3. While the visual update might be the one that most users pay the most attention to, Android 5.0 also has a number of under-the-hood changes, including some major updates to the overall security of the platform. Google has put a lot of effort into addressing the biggest threats to Android user security, which still overwhelmingly represent lost or stolen devices, and today the company is detailing a few of these efforts.
Lollipop adds some new lock methods that make it easier to keep your device secure, which is a huge boon to the overall integrity of the platform. The biggest roadblock to mobile device security is actually user apathy, which sees people skipping basic security practices like implementing a lock screen pin code because it’s inconvenient when you’re checking your device every few minutes. Lollipop offers Smart Lock to help address this, which uses paired devices to let you tell your device it’s okay to open up without requiring a password or other means of authentication.
Face unlock is also redesigned here, and has been rebuilt to analyze a user’s image continually, as more of a background security process than a device unlocking mechanism.
“Rather than pretending to take a picture, and analyze it, it’s analyzing a user’s face on an ongoing basis,” explained Android security engineering lead Adrian Ludwig in a briefing call. “If a user’s opted in and is using this method, at the moment it detects that a user isn’t the one that it’s expecting, it locks. That’s very different from the previous model.”
Security is also more robust by default, thanks to automatic whole-phone encryption for newly activated devices. In Lollipop, when you power on a new smartphone or tablet, it encrypts all data automatically, and creates a unique key that remains on the device to decrypt the data. Android introduced its encryption features three years ago, but now it’s on by default on new devices, though anyone upgrading on an older device will still have to go into settings to enable it, should they want that additional level of protection.
“The question we’re posing is not ‘does the feature exist,’” Ludwig said. “The question is ‘how do we make sure that [the feature] is available and as easy to use as possible.”
The encryption key is also wrapped in your device unlock password
Finally, Google is pointing to its use of Security Enhanced Linux (SELinux) to enable even further clarity around the isolation of individual apps. This really just means that users have to worry less about apps containing vulnerabilities that allow them to read info from other apps – basically it offers better visibility about how sandboxing works on the platform.
“Our goal with the security model of Android is that you should never have to care, honestly,” Ludwig explained.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft to enter the STRUGGLE of the HUMAN WRIST
It’s not just a thumb war, it’s total digit war
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/20/microsoft_watch_thumb_and_wrist_war_declared_with_apple/
The battle for the future of the human wrist entered a new phase on Monday after it was claimed that tech goliath Microsoft is planning to release its own wearable computer in the coming weeks.
If true, this would mean that Redmond’s smartwatch would hit stores some way in advance of Apple’s own wrist ‘puter, which is expected to be released at some point in the early part of 2015.
According to Forbes, the new Microsoft watch will have a battery life of two days — rubbish compared with a proper watch, but way better than the daily charging required of the Apple product, Samsung Galaxy Gear, and Moto 360.
Tomi Engdahl says:
NATO declares WAR on Google Glass, mounts attack alongside MPAA
Yes, the National Association of Theater Owners is quite upset
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/30/nato_declares_war_on_google_glass/
Moviegoers will soon be asked to stash their Google Glass before taking in a flick, much like they’re asked to pocket their mobile phones today.
The National Association of Theater Owners (NATO… no, really!) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) said in a joint statement that NATO’s member theaters would classify wearable technology as recording devices, making users who wear the camera-equipped specs subject to ejection if the offending eyewear is not stowed.
The declaration was added to the groups’ joint anti-piracy policy, which the organizations hope will allow member theaters to better decide how to handle customers who wear Glass to the movies.
Studios fear that Glass wearers will take advantage of their headsets’ recording capabilities to capture and make copies of the movies they attend, and they’d like to see theater owners take a more proactive role in preventing that.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Big Retail’s Apple Pay killer CurrentC HACKED, tester info stolen
Listen for the sound of chuckling from Cupertino
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/29/apple_pay_rival_currentc_suffers_hacking_attack_tester_info_stolen/
CurrentC, the mobile payments system being pushed by some of the biggest retailers in the US, has been hacked – even though the system isn’t fully up and running yet.
“Within the last 36 hours, we learned that unauthorized third parties obtained the e-mail addresses of some of our CurrentC pilot program participants and individuals who had expressed interest in the app,” a spokeswoman for the Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) told El Reg.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mozilla releases geolocating WiFi sniffer for Android
As if the civilians who never change access point passwords will ever opt out of this one
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/30/mozilla_releases_geolocating_wifi_sniffer_for_android/
Mozilla has released a new app, Stumbler, that “collects GPS data for our location service” by detecting WiFi access points and mobile phone cells towers, then “uses these wireless network locations to provide geolocation services for Firefox OS devices and other open source projects.”
That sort of data collection has, of course, proven very controversial in the past as Google and Apple can attest after long legal battles.
Mozilla Stumbler
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mozilla.mozstumbler
Mozilla is a nonprofit project and global community building a better internet. Mozilla Stumbler is an open-source wireless network scanner that collects GPS data for the Mozilla Location Service, our crowd-sourced location database. As you move around, the app “stumbles” upon new Wi-Fi networks and cell towers. The Mozilla Location Service combines these wireless network measurements to provide geolocation services for Firefox OS devices and other open source projects.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Today’s Apps Are Turning Us Into Sociopaths
http://www.wired.com/2014/02/outsourcing-humanity-apps/
While I am far from a Luddite who fetishizes a life without tech, we need to consider the consequences of this latest batch of apps and tools that remind us to contact significant others, boost our willpower, provide us with moral guidance, and encourage us to be civil. Taken together, we’re observing the emergence of tech that doesn’t just augment our intellect and lives — but is now beginning to automate and outsource our humanity.
But let’s take a concrete example. Instead of doing the professorial pontification thing we tech philosophers are sometimes wont to do, I talked to the makers of BroApp, a “clever relationship wingman” (their words) that sends “automated daily text messages” to your significant other. It offers the promise of “maximizing” romantic connection through “seamless relationship outsourcing.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft’s health revolution is here, starting with a $199 fitness tracker
Microsoft Health, the Microsoft Band, and a plan to unite the world
http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/29/7118533/microsoft-health-band-hub-for-fitness-data
Microsoft’s fitness tracking ambitions are not small.
Yusuf Mehdi is sitting at a conference table at the company’s campus in Redmond, WA, crossed legs revealing the sneakers he’s wearing, talking to me on Skype as he swipes through a presentation on his Surface. Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Devices and Services is explaining Microsoft Health, the company’s sprawling new project: a multi-platform system for compiling and analyzing all the world’s health data. Throughout our conversation, he keeps touching his right wrist. He’s wearing the new Microsoft Band, a black $199 wearable that tracks your steps, heart rate, and stride length, all while showing you text, email, and Twitter alerts. It will be available from Microsoft Stores in the US tomorrow.
“It’s the most advanced band we’ve seen in terms of technology on the wrist,” he says, “and it’s really designed to do two things: have people live healthier, and be more productive, by having a band that can serve on the opposite side of your watch, worn 24 hours a day, and get some of the most accurate data that you can possibly get.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft Health, a platform including a cloud service announced, works with Jawbone UP, RunKeeper, more; app available for Android, iOS
Introducing Microsoft Health
http://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2014/10/29/introducing-microsoft-health/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Baidu profit up 27 percent as mobile grows
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_EARNS_BAIDU?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-10-30-00-53-23
Chinese search engine Baidu Inc. said Thursday its quarterly profit rose 27 percent as user traffic for its mobile operation surpassed passed its desktop computer-based search business.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wal-Mart’s Answer To Apple Pay Has Already Been Hacked
http://www.businessinsider.com/currentc-hacked-2014-10?op=1
Here’s a bad sign for CurrentC, the fledgling mobile payment system in development by a consortium of retailers.
CurrentC is sending emails to people who signed up for the beta version of the app warning them “that unauthorized third parties obtained the e-mail addresses of some of you.”
It doesn’t sound as if it’s the worst breach in the world, but it’s definitely not good for CurrentC, which is just getting started.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple exec: Don’t expect Apple SIM to show up in iPhones
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/apple-exec-dont-expect-apple-sim-show-iphones/2014-10-28
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) decided to put its Apple SIM card inside its new iPads because it didn’t know which wireless carriers its customers would choose and because the company wanted to give its customers more choice, according to an Apple executive.
Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president iPhone, iPod and iOS product marketing
Joswiak
Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president iPhone, iPod and iOS product marketing, said that the Apple SIM makes more sense for the iPad than for the iPhone because “most iPhones, by far, are sold through carriers.” He said Apple sells more iPads through its own retail channels than it does iPhones.
“It’s about the customer experience,” he said during an appearance here at Re/code’s Code/Mobile conference. “We ultimately don’t know who you are going to use as the carrier, [and] we want to make it as easy as possible.”
The Apple SIM for the company’s new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 lets customers switch between different carriers’ service plans on the tablets. However, there are numerous caveats to that premise.
“Anything that’s new, people want to stop and evaluate it,” Joswiak said. Apple has indicated more carriers will likely support its Apple SIM in the future.
Joswiak said Apple has “no shortage of developers or customers,” that Apple is rapidly approaching 1 billion iOS devices sold, and that customers have downloaded 85 billion apps from the App Store.
the company generated more than $100 billion of revenue from iPhones in its fiscal 2014 year
Tomi Engdahl says:
Making Wearables Fit
http://issuu.com/eeweb/docs/10-2014_pulse_1_pages/11?e=7607911/9904566
Power & form challenges
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apps help identify mobile code ‘energy hotspots’
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4436438/Apps-help-identify-mobile-code–energy-hotspots-?elq=86a5fe3fe668409daa2f1e71b45af093&elqCampaignId=19905
A software startup company based on a Purdue University innovation is helping to extend the life of smartphone batteries by helping application developers identify code that drains batteries quickly.
Y. Charlie Hu, CEO and co-founder of Mobile Enerlytics LLC, said smartphone batteries drain faster when users interact with the phone, including when they touch the screen to manipulate mobile applications. Smartphones usually are suspended when a user has not interacted with the phone over a certain amount of time, which means little energy is used.
“There are two ways to address the problem of smartphone batteries draining quickly: the first is to invent a better battery. Battery capacity, which is the amount of energy that can be packed into a fixed form factor, is reaching its limit,” said Hu. “The other option is to make smartphone apps more energy efficient so they drain less of the battery. Mobile Enerlytics is developing software to make that happen.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coin-sized security solution sends smartphone alerts to protect valuables
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/tech-edge/4436412/Coin-sized-security-solution-sends-smartphone-alerts-to-protect-valuables
Three-year-old connected security and home automation product provider Pilot Labs, based in San Diego, announced the October 7 Kickstarter launch of CoinGuard, an Internet of Things solution for personal home security.
The simple, cloud-based system comprises battery-powered half-dollar-sized sensors that are placed on or in any items the user wants to protect. If a sensor detects movement or vibration, it transmits a notification to the accompanying network hub, which in turn will notify a designated smartphone or other Web-connected device.
Suggested applications for the CoinGuard sensors include placement inside jewelry boxes and camera bags as well as on windows and doors, televisions, gaming consoles, and gun safes–even the cookie jar.
The system has a range of up to 100 meters from the gateway and is able to penetrate furniture, floors, and walls, and can even work outdoors. Each CoinGuard system can consist of up to 256 wireless sensors and works in conjunction with the company’s iHomeWare smartphone app, which is also capable of controlling other home automation devices, including lighting and temperature. The iHomeWare app is currently available only for iOS, but an Android version is planned.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft fitness bands on wrists at last: All YOUR HEALTH DATA are BELONG TO US
Wearable will deliver ‘actionable insights for healthier living’
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/30/microsoft_joins_the_fitness_tracking_wearables_peloton/
Microsoft has joined the wearables market with “band”, a fitness-monitor-slash-smartwatch, which is accompanied by a suite of online services dubbed “Microsoft Health”.
There’s more than a hint of raised middle finger directed at Cupertino in the dual announcements, as Band is on sale now for US$199 and is said to have enough power to be worn 24 hours a day.
Apple’s famed watch won’t see the light of day until 2015 and will need daily charging.
The combination of Health and Band delivers the set-your-goals-tick-them-off-monitor-your-progress-online affair that will sound utterly familiar to those with knowledge of Google Fit, other fitness gadgets and the Galaxy Gear.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nintendo to develop ‘quality of life’ device to track sleep, fatigue: CEO
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/30/us-nintendo-products-idUSKBN0IJ04J20141030
Japanese video game maker Nintendo Co Ltd will develop a device to measure a user’s fatigue and map their sleep, Chief Executive Satoru Iwata said on Thursday, the first offering from the company’s newly created healthcare division.
The device will be developed with U.S. firm ResMed Inc, which currently makes products to treat sleep disorders, and will be available in the financial year ending March 2016.
“By using our know-how in gaming… to analyse sleep and fatigue, we can create something fun,” Iwata said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Xiaomi overtakes LG to become world’s third-largest smartphone maker
http://9to5google.com/2014/10/29/xiaomi-third-largest-smartphone-maker/
The latest numbers from Strategy Analytics reveal that Chinese handset maker Xiaomi has surpassed Huawei and LG to become the third-largest smartphone maker in the world. Xiaomi has been making impressive strides since recruiting former Google executive Hugo Barra and more than doubling its sales following international expansion.
Xiaomi shipped 18 million smartphones during the third quarter, compared to 5.2 million smartphones in the year-ago quarter.
Samsung and Apple maintained their positions as the first and second largest smartphone vendors worldwide respectively
A contributing factor to Xiaomi’s continued growth has been its success at selling entry-level devices in emerging markets such as China and India, regions where more premium companies like Apple have had less presence. Xiaomi plans to expand its footprint in Asia and Europe to further bolster its growing smartphone business.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows Phone Shrinks In Android-Dominated Europe, As New iPhones Boost iOS’ Share
http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/29/kantar-september-2014/
Spare a thought for Microsoft, a relative newcomer to the mobile making business, after Redmond completed its $7.2BN+ acquisition of former European mobile making powerhouse Nokia earlier this year. If Microsoft was hoping to see quick marketshare wins in Europe once its hands were fully on the levers of production that has not come to pass.
Android of course remains the dominant mobile OS, with a 73.9 per cent share of smartphones sales across the five major European economies in the three months to September, followed by Apple’s iOS with 15.4 per cent.
Kantar also noted that around 16% of smartphones sold in China over the past three months had a screen size of 5.5 inches or larger – aka the phablet category — which it described as a “positive indicator” for Apple’s large screen iPhone 6+, when that device arrives in the market.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MCX Says QR Payments App Will Pivot To NFC If Necessary, Won’t Fine Retailers Who Break Exclusivity
http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/29/mcx-press-conference/
In a virtual press conference today, MCX‘s CEO Dekkers Davidson said “We’re agnostic about technology. We started with QR code-based technology that allows us to go to market broadly. If we need, we can pivot to NFC.” That means if retailers strongly prefer the NFC system used by Apple Pay to MCX’s mobile payment app CurrentC’s QR code system, CurrentC could switch to the more popular and graceful near field communication protocol.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google will discuss ‘major changes and advances’ for its modular smartphone in January
http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/29/7089539/project-ara-second-developers-conference-january-2015-announced
Google plans to update developers on the state of its Project Ara modular smartphones at a series of conferences held early next year, where it’ll discuss “major changes and advances” to the tools it provides for making swappable components for the phone. “We have been hard at work maturing and improving the Ara platform,”
The conferences will be held on January 14th in Mountain View with satellite sites in New York City, Buenos Aires, and London, and on January 21st in Singapore with satellite locations in Bangalore, Tokyo, Taipei, and Shanghai. The conferences are supposed to present identical content, but their broad reach suggests that Google really wants to get developers on board with Ara. Google hopes to have the first Ara devices on the market starting next year, and having components ready for Ara is a critical part in being prepared. In addition to detailing changes to Ara, Google plans to share its initial plans for releasing Ara phones.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung seeks smartphone revamp to arrest profit slide
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/30/us-samsung-elec-results-idUSKBN0II2N120141030
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) on Thursday said it would revamp its smartphone line-up to take on competitors in the rapidly growing mid-to-low range segment, after third-quarter earnings set it on course for its worst year since 2011.
The global smartphone leader’s market share declined in annual terms for the third straight quarter in July-September
Samsung spent most of the quarter without launching a new flagship device, and continued to struggle in the mid-to-low tier markets against cheaper and value-packed offerings like Xiaomi’s Redmi 1S.
“The mid-to-low end market is growing rapidly, and we plan to respond actively in order to capitalise on that growth,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung’s steep Q3 profit decline shows ongoing struggles in mobile
http://www.cnet.com/news/samsungs-q3-financials-show-ongoing-struggles-in-mobile/
The Korean electronics giant posts a 74 percent drop in its mobile business operating profits during the September period.
Overall, the South Korean electronics giant on Wednesday reported a 60 percent drop in company-wide operating profit — its fourth consecutive decline and its lowest since the second quarter of 2011. The company also recorded a 20 percent decline in revenue for the September quarter.
Samsung earlier this month warned its third-quarter operating profit would tumble as much as 62 percent and its sales would fall as much as 22 percent. The company blamed higher marketing costs and competition for its problems.
Tomi Engdahl says:
GSM is lost, Qualcomm wins
Cell Phone IC business has taken place in the last year or two a lot of time. From nearly a dozen manufacturers we have come to a handful of companies in which Qualcomm is right in his class.
Renesas Mobile, Broadcom, Ericsson and STMicroelectronics have given up, and next year Nvidia will stop the development of modems.
Qualcomm’s position will be strengthened as a consequence of the GSM begins to quietly disappear from the market.
LTE chipsets Qualcomm’s market share of over 90 per cent. The challenge at the moment really only Taiwanese Mediatek, which has managed to increase its market share in 3G circles and is becoming increasingly LTE area.
According to Linley Group’s mobile chipsets were sold last year to 35.7 billion dollars, or about 28 billion euros. The sum will increase to 44.9 billion dollars, or just over EUR 35 billion in 2018.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2000:gsm-katoaa-qualcomm-voittaa&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wearable electronics to talk a lot. In the past, this meant, for example, to measure the temperature of the clothes, now more smart watches.
American company Bebop Sensors has introduced smart fabric with sensors that can measure all the physical movements. Fabric change into an electrical signal to bend, place, movement, rotation, angle, and torsion.
Example Bebop smart fabric implemented product is a one-millimeter-thick sole of the shoe. It can be used to measure the number of steps, pressure, stepping, the condition and position of the foot and toes while moving.
Bebop smart fabric can be to coat, for example, a car steering wheel.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1996:uusi-alykangas-mittaa-kaikkea-liiketta&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lenovo Completes Motorola Deal
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/14/10/30/1223231/lenovo-completes-motorola-deal
If somehow you missed the reports of Lenovo buying Motorola – which was also bought by Google for $12.5 billion back in 2011 – then you should know that the deal is now complete.
Lenovo Completes Acquisition of Motorola Mobility from Google
http://news.lenovo.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=1860
Lenovo will operate Motorola as a wholly-owned subsidiary. Motorola’s headquarters will remain in Chicago. With the completion of the acquisition, Lenovo welcomes the addition of a new portfolio company with nearly 3,500 employees around the world – including about 2,800 in the U.S. – who design, engineer, sell and support Motorola’s outstanding devices.
Google will maintain ownership of a majority of the Motorola Mobility patent portfolio, while Motorola will receive a license to this rich portfolio of patents and other intellectual property. Motorola will retain over 2,000 patent assets and a large number of patent cross-license agreements, as well as the Motorola Mobility brand and trademark portfolio.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lenovo ousts Xiaomi as world’s third-largest phone maker following Motorola takeover
Just a day after Chinese firm entered top three for the first time
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2378546/xiaomi-now-third-largest-smartphone-maker-behind-samsung-and-apple
LENOVO HAS OVERTAKEN Xiaomi as the world’s third-largest smartphone maker, just a day after the Chinese firm entered the top three for the first time.
Figures from IDC on Wednesday revealed that Xiaomi bagged 5.3 percent of the global smartphone market in Q3, up from 2.1 percent this time last year, making it the world’s third-largest phone maker. This was due to a 211 percent year-on-year rise in smartphone shipments from the firm.
IDC said: “Xiaomi jumped into the top five list for the first time at the number three position thanks to its focus on China and adjacent markets, which resulted in triple-digit year-over-year growth.”
However, just hours after IDC published its report, Lenovo announced that its $2.91bn acqusition of Motorola Mobility was complete, pushing it ahead of Xiaomi in the rankings.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Material makeover meets many Android apps as Lollipop launch looms
Plus new Bookmark Manager, and Google Now knows your bank balance
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2378660/material-makeover-meets-many-android-apps-as-lollipop-launch-looms
AS THE DUST SETTLES from the Android 5.0 Lollipop announcement, the updates are coming thick and fast as stock apps move towards the new Material design standards. It’s time for the week in Google.
First off, the new bookmark manager in Chrome, previously dogfooded as ‘Stars’, is now available in the Chrome Store as Bookmark Manager.
It replaces the native bookmarking capability in Chrome with some seriously fancy-pants new functionality, adding in thumbnails, some cheeky hints of Pocket and Instapaper, and shared folders, allowing you to create a collaborative bookmark folder with other users – great for workplaces and other groups.
For Android there is a veritable glut of updates that brings Material to stock apps.
Even though it will be months before everyone has Lollipop, the Material design is going to be increasingly prevalent throughout the Android and Chrome ecosystems in the coming weeks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apps help identify mobile code ‘energy hotspots’
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4436438/Apps-help-identify-mobile-code–energy-hotspots-?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20141030&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20141030&elq=192325cf30f142a49b18623d0e0021d4&elqCampaignId=19924
A software startup company based on a Purdue University innovation is helping to extend the life of smartphone batteries by helping application developers identify code that drains batteries quickly.
“There are two ways to address the problem of smartphone batteries draining quickly: the first is to invent a better battery. Battery capacity, which is the amount of energy that can be packed into a fixed form factor, is reaching its limit,” said Hu. “The other option is to make smartphone apps more energy efficient so they drain less of the battery. Mobile Enerlytics is developing software to make that happen.”
Purdue researchers have developed the technology that could help mobile app developers analyze millions of lines of code to identify ‘hotspots,’ or sections of code that drain most of the energy. The technology has been exclusively licensed to Mobile Enerlytics through the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization.
“As mobile apps become more feature-rich, code easily reaches more than one million lines,” explained Hu. “My colleagues and I have found that a single line of code can create an energy hotspot. Sometimes simply changing the data structure or moving around a single line of code drastically reduces the resulting energy drain.”
“When a smartphone user starts Estar, it provides two options: to find energy-efficient apps in the app market or to stop power-hungry apps running on the phone,” said Hu. “When the first option is chosen, Estar provides a color-coded, five-star rating system that shows how fast a smartphone app will drain the phone battery, in the foreground and in the background, relative to other apps in the same category. Estar also makes a daily recommendation of apps based both on popularity and energy ratings.”
Mobile Enerlytics; http://www.mobileenerlytics.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Exec Andy Rubin Leaving Google
https://www.theinformation.com/Google-Exec-Andy-Rubin-Leaving-Google1
Long-time Google exec and former Android boss Andy Rubin told his team today that he’s leaving Google, according to people close to the company.
Mr. Rubin has been working on a slew of secret robotics projects over the past year, after handing over the reins at Android to Sundar Pichai.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Apple Watch Is Really a Regression In Watchmaking
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/14/10/30/1733217/how-apple-watch-is-really-a-regression-in-watchmaking
Apple design chief Jony Ive has spent the past several weeks talking up how the Apple Watch is an evolution on many of the principles that guided the evolution of timepieces over the past several hundred years. But the need to recharge the device on a nightly basis, now confirmed by Apple CEO Tim Cook, is a throwback to ye olden days, when a lady or gentleman needed to keep winding her or his pocket-watch in order to keep it running.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lenovo completes Motorola purchase for $2.9bn – $10bn less than Google paid for it
Ah, but the patents Google keeps were worth every penny
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/30/lenovo_completes_motorola_purchase_for_29bn_10bn_less_than_google_paid_for_it/
Three years ago, Google splashed out $12.5bn for struggling mobe manufacturer Motorola, and on Thursday the Chocolate Factory completed its sale of Motorola’s physical assets to Lenovo for just $2.91bn.
Not all of the money will be going into Google’s coffers right away, however. Lenovo is paying $660m in cash plus $750m in newly issued stock, and has signed a promissory note to deliver the remaining $1.5bn sometime in the next three years.
“Motorola is in great hands with Lenovo, a company that’s all-in on making great devices,” said Google boss Larry Page.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HP unveils MB Chronowing smartwatch with buttons instead of a touchscreen, and an estimated 7-day battery life, on sale Nov. 7 starting at $349
Gear
Michael Bastian Creates a Smartwatch That Looks Like a Watch
High-tech meets high-style in the MB Chronowing from Michael Bastian and Hewlett-Packard.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/michael-bastian-creates-a-smartwatch-that-looks-like-a-watch-1414776232
THE MOST NOTEWORTHY thing about the MB Chronowing—the unabashedly guy-size smartwatch by designer Michael Bastian and Hewlett-Packard—is what’s missing: The timepiece has no touch screen to swipe, no microphone to speak into. It can’t track your steps or measure your heart rate. It doesn’t even beep.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google’s Copresence Looks Like A Contactless, Cross-Platform Version Of Android Beam
http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/10/31/googles-copresence-api/
Several months ago, we discussed something called Nearby, a project that – at the time – seemed to be Google’s effort to let “people, places, and things” know when a user is, well, nearby. It seems that Google is still hard at work on its effort to connect various devices to each other and their surroundings, but Copresence (an internal name for this functionality) may have a more specific scope in this effort than we first estimated, apparently including iOS devices in the fun.
Copresence, which we saw a glimpse of in a recent teardown, appears to be aimed at letting nearby Android and iOS devices communicate with one another in a variety of ways, exchanging files, photos, directions, messages, or other content, essentially making Copresence a sort of contactless, cross-platform version of Android Beam.
To authenticate with one another, the two devices would apparently be able to use location information or Bluetooth, perhaps along with a functionality similar to “whisper,” the ultrasonic authentication method Google has used for the Chromecast to allow devices to connect from different networks. Actual information would be transferred using Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi direct.
Tomi Engdahl says:
David Pierce / The Verge:
Microsoft Band first impressions: clunky hardware, useful software; tile interface works well
Wearing the Microsoft Band, the next big thing in fitness tracking
http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/30/7132901/wearing-the-microsoft-band-is-this-the-next-big-thing-in-fitness
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung says Microsoft deal invites ‘charges of collusion’: filing
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/31/us-microsoft-samsung-elec-lawsuit-idUSKBN0IK1X720141031
(Reuters) – Samsung said its collaboration with Microsoft on Windows phones raised antitrust problems once Microsoft completed its acquisition of Nokia’s handset business, according to a court filing.
The filing late on Thursday stems from Microsoft Corp’s (MSFT.O) lawsuit accusing Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) of breaching a business collaboration agreement.
Samsung, meanwhile, said the April Nokia acquisition violated its 2011 deal with Microsoft.
In a court filing late on Thursday, Samsung said it agreed in 2011 to pay Microsoft royalties in exchange for a patent license covering Samsung’s Android phones. The Android operating system is developed by Google Inc (GOOGL.O).
However, Samsung also agreed to develop Windows phones
Microsoft’s Windows phones have failed to take significant market share from iPhone maker Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and devices running on Android.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Top ten uses for a mobile phone? Calls come SIXTH! 40% of smartphone users say they could manage without call function on their device
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2815114/Top-ten-uses-mobile-phone-Calls-come-SIXTH-40-smartphone-users-say-manage-without-call-function-device.html
Making a call is now the sixth most common use for a mobile phone
Texts, emails and the alarm clock are more popular than calls, study shows
Four in 10 smartphone users say they could manage without call function
The average person uses their mobile for an hour and 52 minutes a day
Survey says around 20 minutes of this is spent making three phone calls
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2815114/Top-ten-uses-mobile-phone-Calls-come-SIXTH-40-smartphone-users-say-manage-without-call-function-device.html#ixzz3Hv9CYdhe
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple Retail SVP Angela Ahrendts: Apple Watch launching in “Spring,” after Chinese New Year
http://9to5mac.com/2014/11/02/apple-retail-svp-angela-ahrendts-apple-watch-launching-in-spring/
The Apple Watch’s launch is scheduled to occur in the “spring,” according to Apple Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores Angela Ahrendts, later in 2015 than some had originally anticipated.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Royalties are a big part of the price of the smartphone
When the smart phone using a variety of techniques, they will have to pay royalties for technology developers. About 350 eruon pluralistic device for royalty payments can account for the order of hundred euros, or nearly a third.
For example, the baseband circuitry is paid royalties on all 3G and LTE technology development. Depending on the size of the royalties from the modem can grow up to more than $ 50, or more than 40 euros. Wi-Fi chipset royalties account for nearly as high as that cell network modem.
The phone’s operating system is paid royalties for an average of 5-8 US dollars, ie 4-6 EUR per phone. It is evident that Microsoft nets with Android phone royalties more money than the Windows Phone smart phones.
In addition, the smartphone will raise the price of the mandatory video codecs, without listening to music or watching videos would not be possible. They royalty payments, however, vary greatly.
AAC codec is paid royalties only about twenty cents. MP3 royalty is less than a dollar class, but H.264 codec royalty payments are already over 10 dollars, or about 8 euros.
Source: http://www.elektroniikkalehti.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2021:rojaltit-iso-osa-alypuhelimen-hintaa&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
LG G Watch R review
“9 degrees, Mostly Clou…”
http://www.theverge.com/2014/11/4/7149011/lg-g-watch-r-review
The G Watch R is LG’s Android Wear watch. It’s the product of a three-year development program to produce a perfectly round OLED display and tens of thousands of hours of design research. Whereas the original G Watch was essentially a proof-of-concept device, the G Watch R looks like a legitimate contender. To justify its $299 price, however, this watch must first rely on Android Wear’s appeal as a desirable complication before proving itself as something more than a dress watch with a techie side — which is a position already occupied by the cheaper and classier Moto 360.
To like the LG G Watch R, you must like chunky watches. It also helps if you’re into analog watch faces since digital ones fit awkwardly with the roundness of the watch and its permanent minute markings.
The good news is that that particular watch face came as part of a recent software update from Google and LG, and the two companies are committed to aggressively keep improving and enhancing their collective offering. So while the present state of this watch’s software can be considered resolutely incomplete, there’s good reason to anticipate that it’ll keep getting better as time wears on. The universality of the Android Wear platform across manufacturers and the G Watch R’s strong basic hardware make it a good bet to remain a relevant device for some time to come.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google and LG will license each other’s patents for the next decade
http://www.engadget.com/2014/11/04/google-and-lg-cross-licensing-deal/
Samsung isn’t the only Android device maker getting cozy with Google’s patents, apparently. LG has just entered into a cross-licensing deal with Google that will let the two companies use each other’s patents (including new ones) for the next 10 years.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple Watch Pricing to Reportedly Start at $500 for Stainless Steel, $4,000 for Gold
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/11/04/apple-watch-steel-500/
French Apple website iGen.fr is reporting that pricing for the stainless steel Apple Watch may start at $500, while the gold Apple Watches’ pricing could start between $4,000 and $5,000.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jawbone Joins Pre-Holiday Wearable Race, With $50 Up Move and a New Up3 Wristband
http://recode.net/2014/11/04/jawbone-joins-pre-holiday-wearable-race-with-50-up-move-and-a-new-up3-wristband/
Get ready for yet another activity-tracking device.
Make that two more.
Jawbone, maker of Bluetooth audio products as well as the Up health-and-fitness system, is introducing two new products the company thinks will address both ends of the wearable technology market.
The first product is called Up Move. It’s a little sensor-filled nugget made of anodized aluminum — okay, I am supposed to call this a pod — that can either be worn in a lightweight polymer wristband or in a clip-on casing. It tracks all of the same metrics that the earlier Up24 activity wristband measures — your steps, sleep and calories burned — with the exception that it doesn’t do “idle alerts.”
Most notably, though, it costs just $50 for the clip-on Move, making it Jawbone’s least expensive tracker to date. The wrist straps are $15. It’s available for preorder today and begins shipping November 7.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Softcard brings NFC payments to Windows Phone
http://www.windowscentral.com/softcard-brings-nfc-payments-windows-phone
Windows Phone users looking for contactless payments can now use Softcard to pay at over 200,000 outlets in the US. The service, which is formed out a joint venture between AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, lets you easily pay at eligible locations via NFC.
To pay, all you need to do is login to the service with your PIN, select a card and hold the back of your phone over the NFC logo at the terminal during checkout.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smartphone App To Be Used As Hotel Room Keys
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/14/11/03/1811234/smartphone-app-to-be-used-as-hotel-room-keys
Starwood Hotels and Resorts has became the first chain to let guests unlock doors with their phones at 10 Aloft, Element and W hotels. They hope to expand the program to 140 more properties in those brands by the middle of next year.
“The technology’s developer says that it uses its own encrypted secure channel to ensure thieves cannot abuse the innovation.”
Smartphone app to be used as hotel room keys
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29869249
The technology’s developer says that it uses its own encrypted secure channel to ensure thieves cannot abuse the innovation.
But one expert had reservations.
“Nothing is 100% secure, and once this technology is in widespread use it will make a very tasty target for hackers,” said Prof Alan Woodward from the University of Surrey’s department of computing.
“It may be more secure than a standard hotel swipe card lock but use of strong security features such as AES encryption and ‘rotating keys’ does not mean someone won’t find an alternate way in.”
“I don’t know why companies think they can do encryption better than a vetted standards body with significant peer review,” Joshua Wright told the BBC.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Shirt Could Save Your Life
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1324485&
For heart attacks, a rapid response to any danger signs can make the difference between a full recovery and permanent damage.
Those of us who remember the time before cellphones also remember the time when we saw commercials for devices that allowed people living alone to get help by pressing the button on a pendant.
Fast-forward some 35 years to this video and see how things have changed. Today’s seniors are no longer depicted as helpless characters tripping over their walkers, but are instead seen as active individuals. They are aware that they need to monitor their health and be in contact with health professionals, but instead of having to press a button, they can wear an “hWear” shirt from HealthWatch, an Israeli startup with the slogan, “Weaving Health Into Everyday Life.”
Woven into the fabric used in hWear shirts are very thin electrocardiogram sensors that take in the data associated with the wearer’s vital signs and upload this information via Bluetooth or a WiFi connection. The collected information can be reported to a doctor or back to the wearer via a mobile device. If there are any danger signs in the data, the patient can be alerted to seek medical attention without having to first come into an office just to get the ECG.
According to MobileHealthNews, the estimated cost of the hWear shirts is $200, which seems reasonable.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung is in trouble? Nokia’s curse?
Samsung is in second place in China for the second quarter in a row, and the company’s current position seems weak.
Xiaomi supplied to China in the third quarter, a total of 17 million smartphones, the Samsung 15 million. The third blow, Lenovo, Samsung was only one million sold behind.
Xiaomi is currently the world’s third-largest mobile phone manufacturer.
The Chinese market is important to Samsung. During the third quarter of the world’s total supply of 34 percent of smart phone sales was made in China.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/kaikki_uutiset/samsung+on+vaikeuksissa++iskiko+nokian+kirous/a1026278
Tomi Engdahl says:
Can you really run your business on a smartphone?
We face the challenge
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/05/mobile_working/
We have all seen them: people who wander around with a phone glued to their ear as if their entire world depended on it. And we have all worked with people for whom eye contact means sitting with head stooped peering at texts, emails or, occasionally, videos of real people.
This got us wondering: can normal people actually run their companies entirely from their phones? So I set out to see if it is possible.
So, can you run your company from your phone? Damn right, you can.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mozilla and GSMA partner to bring the mobile Web and content creation tools to the next 4 billion
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/11/05/mozilla-partners-gsma-bring-web-next-4-billion-people/
Mozilla has announced today that it is entering a partnership with the GSMA to help enable internet access and local content creation and delivery in geographies with poor Web connectivity.
In a recent white paper, Mozilla described the challenge involved in getting the remaining four billion people of the world online: Web-enabled smartphones and mobile networks need to become easily available and affordable, and locally relevant content needs to become easier to create and access. The organization believes allowing for such content in local languages, is ‘the key to unlocking the value of the Web’ for users worldwide.
About 40 percent of the world’s population currently have access to the Web via desktops and mobile devices, and over half of all online sites and content are in English. That’s odd, because only 5 percent of the global population speak English as a first language and 21 percent are estimated to have a basic grasp of the language.
Unlocking relevant Web content for the next 4 billion people
https://wiki.gsmaintelligence.com/gsma_kb/images/5/5f/Mozilla_GSMA_LocalContentSmartphones.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Xiaomi Makes a Profit on Its Cheap Smartphones
Chinese Tech Firm’s Earnings Rose 84% Last Year
http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/smartphone-maker-xiaomis-2013-profit-nearly-doubled-1415195999-lMyQjAxMTA0NzAzNTMwMjU5Wj
Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Inc., which was founded just four years ago, already is among the world’s largest smartphone makers.
Now a confidential document viewed by The Wall Street Journal shows that Xiaomi’s net profit nearly doubled last year, making it a lucrative business in an industry where most players selling cheap handsets struggle to break even.
Xiaomi, which a few months ago surpassed Samsung Electronics Co. as the biggest smartphone vendor in China by shipments, presented the document to banks in its recent pitch to raise $1 billion in loans for overseas expansion or acquisition.
The document also provided some details on how Xiaomi earns its revenue. Even though the company sells smartphone applications, other software and services, 94% of its revenue came from handset sales last year, according to the document. Sales of services such as mobile games accounted for only 1% of its revenue.
“Xiaomi has done a great job of growing smartphone shipments and profits simultaneously,”