The platform wars is over: Apple and Google both won. Microsoft wanted to be the third mobile ecosystem, and it has got clear solid third position, but quite small market share of overall smart phone market. Apple now sells around 10% of all the 1.8bn (and growing) phones sold on Earth each year and Android the next 50%, split roughly between say 2/3 Google Android outside China and 1/3 non-Google Android inside China. So Apple and Google have both won, and both got what they wanted, more or less, and that’s not going to change imminently.
Wearables and phablets will be the big device stories of 2015. I think that the wearables will be the more interesting story of them, because I expect more innovation to happen there. The smart phone side seemed to already be a little bit boring during 2014 – lack of innovation from big players – and I can’t see how somewhat bigger screen size and higher resolution would change that considerably during 2015. CES 2015 debuts the future of smartphones coming from all places – maybe not very much new and exciting.
Say good-buy to to astronomical growth in smart phone sales in developed countries, as smartphone market is nearly saturated in certain regions. There will be still growth in east (China, India etc..), but most of this growth will be taken by the cheap Android phones made by companies that you might have not heard before because many of them don’t sell their products in western countries. The sales of “dumb phones” will decrease as cheap smart phone will take over. Over time this will expand such that smartphones take almost all phone sales (perhaps 400m or 500m units a quarter), with Apple taking the high-end and Android the rest.
The current biggest smart phone players (Samsung and Apple) will face challenges. Samsung’s steep Q3 profit decline shows ongoing struggles in mobile – Customers sought out lower priced older models and bought a higher percentage of mid-range smartphones, or bought from some other company making decent quality cheap phones. Samsung has long counted on its marketing and hardware prowess to attract customers seeking an alternative to Apple’s iPhone. But the company is now facing new competition from low-cost phone vendors such as China’s Xiaomi and India’s Micromax, which offer cheap devices with high-end specs in their local markets.
Apple has a very strong end of 2014 sales in USA: 51% of new devices activated during Christmas week were Apple, 18% were Samsung, 6% Nokia — Apple and Apps Dominated Christmas 2014 — Millions of people woke up and unwrapped a shiny new device under the Christmas tree. It is expected that Apple also will see slowing sales in 2015: Tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted Apple will face a grim start to 2015 with iPhone sales plummeting by up to a third.
In few years there’ll be close to 4bn smartphones on earth. Ericsson’s annual mobility report forecasts increasing mobile subscriptions and connections through 2020.(9.5B Smartphone Subs by 2020 and eight-fold traffic increase). Ericsson’s annual mobility report expects that by 2020 90% of the world’s population over six years old will have a phone. It really talks about the connected world where everyone will have a connection one way or another.
What about the phone systems in use. Now majority of the world operates on GSM and HPSA (3G). Some countries are starting to have good 4G (LTE) coverage, but on average only 20% is covered by LTE. Ericsson expects that 85% of mobile subscriptions in the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa will be 3G or 4G by 2020. 75%-80% of North America and Western Europe are expected to be using LTE by 2020. China is by far the biggest smartphone market by current users in the world, and it is rapidly moving into high-speed 4G technology.
It seems that we change our behavior when networks become better: In South Korea, one third of all people are doing this ‘place shifting’ over 4G networks. When faster networks are taken into use, the people will start to use applications that need more bandwidth, for example watch more streamed video on their smart phones.
We’re all spending more time with smartphones and tablets. So much so that the “second screen” may now be the “first screen,” depending on the data you read. Many of us use both TV and mobile simultaneously: quickly responding to email, texting with friends, or browsing Twitter and the news if I lose interest with the bigger screen. Whatever it is I’m watching, my smartphone is always close at hand. There is rapid increase of mobile device usage—especially when it comes to apps.
The use of digital ads on mobile devices is increasing. Digital ad spend is forecast to increase 15% in 2015, with research saying it will equal ad spending on television by 2019. Mobile and social media will drive 2015 spending on digital to $163 billion, with mobile ad spending expected to jump 45%. “Almost all the growth is from mobile”
Mobile virtual reality will be talked about. 3D goggles like Sony Morpheus and Facebook’s Optimus Rift will get some attention. We’ll see them refined for augmented reality apps. hopefully we see DIY virtual reality kits that use current handsets and don’t cost thousands.
Google glass consumer market interest was fading in the end of 2014, and I expect that fading to continue in 2015. It seems that developers already may be losing interest in the smart eyewear platform. Google glass is expected to be consumer sales sometime in 2015, some fear consumer demand for Glass isn’t there right now and may never materialize. “All of the consumer glass startups are either completely dead or have pivoted” Although Google continues to say it’s 100% committed to Glass and the development of the product, the market may not be.
The other big headliner of the wearables segment was Apple’s basic $350 Watch. Apple invest its time when it released the Apple Watch last quarter, going up against the likes of Google’s Android Wear and others in the burgeoning wearables area of design. Once Apple’s bitten into a market, it’s somewhat a given that there’s good growth ahead and that the market is, indeed, stable enough.
As we turn to 2015 and beyond wearables becomes an explosive hardware design opportunity — one that is closely tied to both consumer and healthcare markets. It could pick up steam in the way software did during the smartphone app explosion. It seems that the hardware becomes hot again as Wearables make hardware the new software. It’s an opportunity that is still anyone’s game. Wearables will be important end-points both for cloud and for messaging. The wearable computing market is one of the biggest growth areas in tech. BI Intelligence estimates that 148 million wearable devices like smartwatches and fitness trackers will ship in 2019.
I see that wearables will be big in 2015 mainly in the form of smart watch. According to a survey by UBS, 10% of consumers said they were very likely to buy a smartwatch in 2015, even though so far, no smartwatches have resonated with consumers. I expect the Sales of fitness wearables to plunge in 2015 owing to smartwatch takeover. In the future you need to look at exercise and fashion products as being in the same space. Samsung, Motorola, LG, and Apple debuted or announced smartwatches in 2014, so it’s no surprise that smartwatches are expected to be huge in Las Vegas at CES January’s show.
The third mobile ecosystem Windows phone has some new thing coming as Microsoft ready to show off Windows 10 mobile SKU on January 21. But it does not well motivating to me. After all, the vision of a unified Microsoft world extending across all screens is great, and it’s what Microsoft has needed all along to make Windows Phone a winner. The problem that hits me: if you fail enough times at the same thing, people stop believing you. It’s not just that Microsoft keeps failing to integrate its mobile, desktop, and console products. But Microsoft keeps claiming it will, which starts to loose credibility.
Mobile will change on-line sales in 2015: Phones have already radically altered both the way Americans shop and how retail goods move about the economy, but the transformation is just beginning — and it is far from guaranteed that Amazon will emerge victorious from the transition (this will also apply to other “traditional” players in that space).
Mobile payment technology reaching maybe finally reaching critical mass this year. Long predicted but always seeming to be “just around the corner,” mobile payments may finally have arrived. While Apple’s recent Apple Pay announcement may in retrospect be seen as launching the coming mobile payment revolution, the underlying technologies – and alternative solutions – have been emerging for some time. Maybe it isn’t going to replace the credit card but it’s going to replace the wallet — the actual physical thing crammed with cards, cash, photos and receipts. When you are out shopping, it’s the wallet, not the credit card, that is the annoyance.
Mobile money is hot also in developing countries: ordinary people in Africa using an SMS text-based currency called M-Pesa. M-Pesa was invented as a virtual currency by mobile network provider Vodafone after it was discovered that its airtime minutes were being used and traded in by people in Africa in lieu of actual money. In Kenya, a critical mass was quickly reached, and today, over 70% of the 40 million Kenyans use M-Pesa.
Mobile security will be talked about. Asian mobiles the DDOS threat of 2015, security mob says article tells that Vietnam, India and Indonesia will be the distributed denial of service volcanoes of next year due to the profieration of pwned mobiles.
Intel is heavily pushing to mobile and wearable markets. Intel is expected to expand its smartphone partnership with Lenovo: Intel will provide both its 64-bit Atom processor and LTE-Advanced modem chips for the Lenovo phones. The 4G phones follow Intel’s announcement in October of its first 4G smartphone in the US, the Asus PadFone X Mini. Now Intel remains well behind Qualcomm — which controls two-thirds of the global mobile modem market — and MediaTek as a supplier of chips for smartphones and tablets. Intel faces tough competition trying to fight its way into mobile — a market it ignored for years. Intel in early 2015 will introduce its first 4G system-on-a-chip under the new SoFIA name. Such chips include both a processor and modem together and are sought after by handset makers because they’re smaller in size than separate processor and radio chips, and use less power (matching Qualcomm’s Snapdragon).
Mobile chip leader Qualcomm will be going strong in 2015. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 is not only a killer part, it has raised the bar on what a mobile SoC has to be in 2015. It can power devices that drive 4K (3840 x 2160) TV, take 4K videos, run AAA games and connect to 5-inch HD display. There are finished, branded products just waiting to be released. I am convinced Qualcomm is on track to deliver commercial devices with Snapdragon 810 in mid-2015. I expect Qualcomm to be strong leader throughout 2015.
More material worth to check out:
New questions in mobile
http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2014/11/20/time-for-new-questions-in-mobile
What’s Next in Wireless: My 2015 Predictions
http://newsroom.t-mobile.com/issues-insights-blog/2015-predictions.htm
1,230 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
I bought a fake Apple Watch for $27 at CES
http://mashable.com/2015/01/08/fake-apple-watch-ces/
LAS VEGAS— It will likely be at least two months before the highly anticipated Apple Watch hits shelves, but at least one company has already made a knockoff.
In the back of one of the smaller halls at CES, a Chinese company was showing off fake Apple Watches. So, naturally, I bought one.
The watch, created by Shenzhen-based Hyperdon is actually called “Smart Watch,” and it almost looks like the real deal — at least, upon first glance.
The watch’s screen only displays when it’s turned on, and many of its icons are blatant ripoffs of Apple designs. The pairing process took a few tries, but once connected to my iPhone 6, I was able to make phone calls and play music through the watch. It even vibrates when I get a call.
The Smart Watch also has a pedometer, stopwatch, alarm and something called “Anti lost.”
The watch charges via a USB cable, and a Hyperdon representative claimed the battery life is “more than 180 hours,” which I have not yet tested.
Needless to say, the whole thing was more than a little suspicious. I had to pay cash
The representative, who did not remove her sunglasses the entire time we spoke, told me that Hyperdon sells its products at retail stores in the U.S and China, but did not elaborate on locations or types of stores.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel invests $24.8M in Vuzix smartglass technology
http://www.laserfocusworld.com/articles/2015/01/intel-invests-24-8m-in-vuzix-smartglass-technology.html?cmpid=EnlLFWJanuary082015
Video eyewear and smartglass technology products company Vuzix Corporation (Rochester, NY) announced that Intel Corporation (Santa Clara, CA) made a $24.8 million investment into the Company. Vuzix wearable display technology is focused on next generation-optics and displays that have the potential to fit in fashion-based wearable glasses. Intel’s investment will be used for general working capital to accelerate the introduction of Vuzix next-generation fashion-based wearable display products into the consumer market.
Smart glasses promise fashionable, informative displays.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CES 2015: Lack Of Killer Phones Sets Up MWC
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1325260&
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mobile Security Predictions for 2015
http://www.securityweek.com/mobile-security-predictions-2015
1) The future of enterprise mobility management
In 2015, enterprise mobility management (EMM) will become commoditized and cost will decrease, as enterprises realize it does not provide much return on investment.
2) Focus on mobile app security
Secondly, mobile app security will become increasingly important in 2015. Currently, there are a number of ways to secure content on mobile devices, like MDM, MAM and EMM; however, as we continue to see an uptick in the number of mobile security threats, one method will come out on top. Protecting and securing the actual code of mobile applications
3) A “New Relic” of Mobile Security will emerge
there will be increased demand for mobile analytics that monitor the real-time security posture of apps and the data throughout the mobile ecosystem
4) iOS vs. Android
Lastly, the delta between the security of iOS and Android will continue to shrink. In 2014, we saw that the recent release of iOS 8 made the platform less restrictive and Android added more enterprise security features to its operating system, making it more secure. With the two operating systems looking more alike in 2015, enterprises will need to take a long, hard look at what they’re securing, as neither Android nor iOS will be completely reliable, or completely trustable.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Adults-only Chrome add-on grabs you by the Googlies
Chrome’s remote control features come to iOS if you’re 17 or over
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/01/13/adults_only_chrome_addon_now_lets_ithings_grab_you_by_the_googlies/
Google’s Chrome Remote Desktop app does what it says on the can: install it in Google’s browser and it becomes possible to drive the host Mac, PC or Chromebook from another similarly-equipped machine.
As of today it’s also possible to drive a machine from iOS, as Google has been kind enough to release an app for the iPhone or iPad. If you are at least 17 years or age.
it does give sysadmins another option to reach out and touch endpoints.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority:
New MDK for Project Ara released ahead of second developer conference
— Google has just released the second version of their Module Developers Kit (MDK .2) for Project Ara, which expands on how developers should go about creating new modules.
New MDK for Project Ara released ahead of second developer conference
http://www.androidauthority.com/new-mdk-project-ara-released-579906/
Google has just released the second version of their Module Developers Kit (MDK .2) for Project Ara, which expands on how developers should go about creating new modules. We weren’t planning to see anything regarding the new MDK from Google until their next developer conference, which will be held on January 14th in Mountain View, California. Google will definitely expand on the MDK during the conference, but for now, we get a sneak peek at what’s to come in a few days.
One addition to the Project Ara undertaking is a new contactless connection system between the modules and exoskeleton that save space, reduce overall cost and will increase the overall durability of the device. What’s more, the team also introduced a new software protocol called Greybus which will better handle the communication between modules and the exoskeleton.
Project Ara modules will be sold through Play Store-like online marketplace
http://www.androidauthority.com/project-ara-modules-store-542450/
Tomi Engdahl says:
10 Apps Changing Healthcare – Smartphone Innovations in the Industry
https://ssl.www8.hp.com/hpmatter/issue-no-3-winter-2015/10-apps-changing-healthcare-%E2%80%93-smartphone-innovations-industry
A new generation of smartphone apps are redefining doctor-patient relationships and giving patients greater control over their healthcare needs.
1. Flu Near You uses crowd-sourcing to quickly detect and track flu outbreaks
2. BlueStar is a prescription-only healthcare app for patients with type 2 diabetes. The patients input their glucose, diet, and exercise data into the app; BlueStar doctors review the data remotely and send patients regular feedback.
3. The MDLive healthcare app offers 24-hour virtual access to a doctor.
4. The SpotCheck app enables users to send a photo of any mole they are worried about to a team of board-certified dermatologists for free.
5. DoctorMole app helps identify potentially cancerous moles from benign ones.
6. MediCast – Top doctors come to your home, office or hotel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
7. Pager – find a local doctor for a house call any time, day or night.
8. The ZocDoc healthcare app allows users to find doctors they love, read real reviews, and book appointments instantly.
9. With HealthGrade users can find doctors and dentists based on insurance, patient satisfaction, condition, procedure, specialties & more.
10. PharmaSecure’s psVerify Mobile App allows users to verify that their medicine is real.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Broadcom CEO: Life After LTE, 5G Cellular Exit
4K UHDTV, iGrill and proliferating remotes
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325250&
If you had to guess one product category conspicuously absent from Broadcom’s CES booth this year, would you name smartphones?
If you did, you were right.
The Irvine, Calif.-based chip giant, who couldn’t hack its way into the global baseband modem market, decided to bag it all together last year. The smartphone modem market, locked up by Qualcomm for years, is now under fresh attack by a number of “must-win-at-all-cost” chip companies in Asia, according to Scott McGregor, CEO of Broadcom.
The company’s focus is now on the broadband and connectivity businesses. “Our broadband is an extremely strong and valuable business. Our connectivity business is also very strong, and is focused more on the Internet of Things now,” he said. “Frankly, these are better businesses to be in and invest in.”
Chinese fabless are also getting into connectivity
EE Times: With all the capital going into the Chinese semiconductor industry, I hear that a lot of Chinese fabless companies have money to burn. They’ve begun licensing connectivity technologies from others because they want to be in that business [of modem and connectivity] for smartphones.
Shanghai-based Spreadtrum, a successful vendor of baseband chips but with no connectivity solutions, recently licensed connectivity IP core — such as Bluetooth Low Energy – from Ceva. And Spreadtrum isn’t alone making such deals.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Leaked Apple Watch iPhone “Companion” app reveals activity reminders, monograms on clock faces, watch passcode, and ability to unlock watch from phone
Apple Watch iPhone ‘Companion’ app revealed w/ new Watch features, monograms
http://9to5mac.com/2015/01/13/apple-watch-iphone-companion-app-revealed-with-new-watch-features-monograms/
Yesterday, we reported that the latest iOS 8.2 beta reveals that an Apple Watch application for the iPhone is in the works. Now, we have some more details. Within Apple, the application is currently called the Apple Watch “Companion” app for iPhone. This application manages settings for Apple Watch applications, as well as settings for iPhone/Watch interactivity.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Launches Its First Tizen-Powered Phone, The Z1, In India For $92
http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/14/finally-tizen/
After plenty of speculation and an abort launch in Russia last year, Samsung has finally managed to release its first phone powered by the Tizen operating system. The Samsung Z1 is coming to India initially, where it is available to buy for 5,700 INR — that’s around $92 — from today.
The phone runs version 2.3 of the Tizen operating system
device has been built to “meet [the] unique, entertainment-focused needs of local Indian consumers” — that refers to its ‘Joy Box’ package that provides free access to content from Club Samsung, and trial access to Hungama.com, nextGTv and Bot TV.
The Z1 is cheaper than Xiaomi’s entry-level Redmi phones — which retail for around $150, and have been particularly popular in India, where the Chinese firm sold 1 million devices in its first five months of business.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google No Longer Provides Patches for WebView Jelly Bean and Prior
https://community.rapid7.com/community/metasploit/blog/2015/01/11/google-no-longer-provides-patches-for-webview-jelly-bean-and-prior
WebView is the core component used to render web pages on an Android device. It was replaced in Android KitKat (4.4) with a more recent Chromium-based version of WebView, used by the popular Chrome browser.
Metasploit ships with 11 such exploits, thanks to Rafay, Joe, and the rest of the open source security community. Generally speaking, these exploits affect “only” Android 4.3 and prior — either native Android 4.3, or apps built with 4.3 WebView compatibility.
“If the affected version [of WebView] is before 4.4, we generally do not develop the patches ourselves, but welcome patches with the report for consideration. Other than notifying OEMs, we will not be able to take action on any report that is affecting versions before 4.4 that are not accompanied with a patch.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Barak Turovsky / The Official Google Blog:
Google Translate mobile app auto-detects language in spoken conversations, adds instant translate in camera view
Hallo, hola, olá to the new, more powerful Google Translate app
http://googleblog.blogspot.fi/2015/01/hallo-hola-ola-more-powerful-translate.html
The Translate app already lets you use camera mode to snap a photo of text and get a translation for it in 36 languages. Now, we’re taking it to the next level and letting you instantly translate text using your camera—so it’s way easier to navigate street signs in the Italian countryside or decide what to order off a Barcelona menu. While using the Translate app, just point your camera at a sign or text and you’ll see the translated text overlaid on your screen—even if you don’t have an Internet or data connection.
This instant translation currently works for translation from English to and from French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, and we’re working to expand to more languages.
When talking with someone in an unfamiliar language, conversations can… get… realllllllly… sloowwww. While we’ve had real-time conversation mode on Android since 2013, our new update makes the conversation flow faster and more naturally.
Starting today, simply tap the mic to start speaking in a selected language, then tap the mic again, and the Google Translate app will automatically recognize which of the two languages are being spoken, letting you have a more fluid conversation. For the rest of the conversation, you won’t need to tap the mic again
These updates will be coming to both Android and iOS, rolling out over the next few days.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Huawei Revenue Increases 20% on Sales of Higher-End Smartphones
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-13/huawei-revenue-increases-20-on-sales-of-higher-end-smartphones.html
Huawei Technologies Co.’s revenue gained about 20 percent last year, aided by rising sales of higher-end smartphones.
Huawei, China’s largest maker of phone-network equipment, is widening its portfolio of mobile devices, business-computing products and cloud services. The Shenzhen-based company is working toward a goal announced in April of achieving $70 billion in sales by 2018.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ars: Samsung Gear VR Is Today’s Best Virtual Reality
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/15/01/14/0322234/ars-samsung-gear-vr-is-todays-best-virtual-reality
Samsung took a distinctly different tack from Oculus VR in developing virtual reality tech. Whereas Oculus has a dedicated device, Samsung simply has a high-tech piece of headgear that you strap a Galaxy Note 4 phone into. A review popped up at Ars Technica after a month using the device, and they say it works surprisingly well.
They still say a purchase is hard to justify, simply because the content selection is lacking. But as that improves, the price tag will become worth it.
Gear VR: For today’s best virtual reality, strap a phone to your face
While not perfect, Samsung’s headset offers impressive hardware, standout VR experiences
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/01/gear-vr-for-todays-best-virtual-reality-strap-a-phone-to-your-face/
The Galaxy Note 4′s 2560×1440 resolution screen is the bare minimum necessary for a VR experience that’s going to come off as clear and comfortable for the masses. In-app text is rendered crisply, and while you can make out a bit of fuzziness between pixels, the lens system makes it feel less like you’re looking at a phone display inches from your face and more like you’re looking down a 3D tunnel.
Despite the over-the-top warnings, prolonged use of the Gear VR hasn’t necessarily led to any negative physical effects during testing.
A fully charged Note 4 battery can last a good four to four-and-a-half hours of constant use in the Gear VR carrier.
Of the two dozen or so games currently available on Gear VR, Darknet is the closest thing to a killer app for the system.
The problem with almost all of these games at this point (aside from Darknet) is that they feel like not much more than demos.
All told, the most awe-inspiring and impressive moments with the Gear VR thus far have all come from outside of games. Simple, minimally interactive virtual reality experiences like The Deep, BluVR, and Titans of Space have become go-to apps when passing the Gear VR around a party for friends to check out. It’s incredible just sitting in place and following along with your gaze as sea life or entire planets fly by in sharp, well-rendered, 360-degree glory. Without the power of a high-end gaming rig, the 3D graphics are just passable, but the sense of being surrounded by a complete, stereoscopic 3D world just can’t be matched by a flat monitor, no matter how powerful the hardware.
The handful of live-action 360 degree videos are more of a mixed bag.
Yet even these low-resolution videos deliver a sense of presence that really shows off the value of VR. Watching a Cirque du Soleil performance high above you from the equivalent of the stage floor or looking around a Paul McCartney concert from a vantage point on top of his piano is impressive
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ritsuko Ando / Reuters:
Sony said to be open to a joint venture or sale of its TV and mobile phone operations, though no deals are currently on the table
Sony CEO eyes options as pressure mounts on weak TV, mobile
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/12/us-sony-ceo-idUSKBN0KL27F20150112
Hirai and his deputies are now open to options including sales and joint ventures for its money-losing TV and mobile phone operations, company officials familiar with the leadership’s thinking say.
Last year Sony sold its Vaio personal computer business and spun off its TV operations
But even as many analysts say further drastic action is needed
“Electronics in general, along with entertainment and finance, will continue to be an important business,” he said. “But within that there are some operations that will need to be run with caution – and that might be TV or mobile, for example.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sony reportedly mulls sale of Xperia division after slow smartphone sales
Firm also looking to offload failing Bravia business
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2390188/sony-reportedly-mulls-sale-of-xperia-division-after-slow-smartphone-sales
APPARENTLY considering a sale of its Xperia smartphone business, following reports that the division isn’t doing too well.
That’s according to Reuters, which claims that Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai is mulling a potential sale of the firm’s money-losing mobile phone and television businesses.
Sony has yet to comment on the report, but Hirai stated during CES 2015 in Las Vegas that TV and mobile would be under scrutiny in the coming year.
In a move similar to that planned by Samsung, Sony will reportedly release fewer smartphones throughout the year in a bid to cut costs by around 70 percent, if it doesn’t end up selling the Xperia business.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Chinese have the most accurate mobile phone screens
The Chinese have a predilection for the high resolution displays in their smartphones.
This year, already one-third of the Chinese smartphone owners are given in full HD screen. Popularity FullHD-based mobile phones price decrease.
According to analysts, one thousand renminbi, or about $ 164, it is a pain threshold, below which the FullHD smartphone price to be calculated. This year, such low-cost high-end models become available from a number of Chinese manufacturers.
Digitimes Research estimates that the 5.5-inch full HD screen for this year is the most common in China to sell the smartphone screen as Chinese operators to support the new top models.
The Chinese price awareness will also affect the display panel manufacturers. They are forced to reduce their prices.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2274:kiinalaisilla-tarkimmat-kannykkanaytot&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
This is Google’s latest Project Ara prototype
http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/14/7546841/google-project-ara-prototype-2015
Google’s Project Ara modular smartphone project is arriving soon, at least if you’re in Puerto Rico. At its Project Ara Module Developers Conference today, Google said that it plans to launch a pilot in Puerto Rico in the second half of this year, selling phone chassis and modules through local carrier partners, as well as through a fleet of small trucks.
Google today said there’s still lots of work to be done before you find it at stores in the US and elsewhere. The multi-phase project is currently in phase 2, or what Google calls “Spiral 2.” It’s gone from something that can connect only to Wi-Fi to one that supports 3G wireless
The Ara Configurator app is how you’ll build your custom Project Ara smartphone
http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/14/7547495/ara-configurator-app-project-ara-smartphone
Even though Google is a long ways off from selling Project Ara phones directly to consumers, the company took a bit of time to detail its go-to-market strategy, which contained some details on the Puerto Rico pilot program. Perhaps most interesting was the look we got at how users might manage the many potential phone configurations that Project Ara makes possible.
The Ara Configurator, shown off running on a standard Android phone, is the way that users can build out and order phones, and it looked like a pretty nice bit of software at first glance. It’s not entirely dissimilar to the concept of Moto Maker — it walks you through designing each aspect of the phone, from the stylized exterior “shells” to the all-important modules and “endo” frame of the device.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Is this for real or a practical joke?
You Mad You Didn’t Think of the Belfie Stick First?
http://racked.com/archives/2015/01/07/belfie-stick-selfie-living-hellscape.php
The votes are in and 2014 was the Year of the Butt. But did we expect the year of the butt to lead to this in 2015? We should have.
The Belfie Stick is a bendable Selfie Stick that you hold behind you, just as a “belfie” is a “selfie” you take of your butt like Kim Kardashian and misguided youth before you. And though the Selfie Stick was undoubtedly a sign of impending doom for all humanity, the Belfie Stick is likely the first invention from within an apocalyptic world.
Insane, truly. Are we as a culture being trolled? Probably. Are we just mad we didn’t think of it first, make bank, and careen straight into hell rich? Definitely.
http://belfiestick.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
$500 TEDDY BEAR teaches tots to spit up personal data
Huggable health monitor beams vital signs to Mumsy’s mobe
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/01/15/500_teddy_bear_helps_tots_dump_personal_data/
Babies can now enjoy the thrill of wearable health monitors, as well as giving away their personal data for free, thanks to the arrival of a $499 teddy bear called “Teddy The Guardian”.
You read that right: the teddy’s price is just one dollar shy of five hundred. You’re paying the big bucks for the bear’s “smart paw” that little ones reach out and lovingly squeeze in in order to record their heart rate, oxygen levels, and body temperature.
Just four seconds of loving hand-holding is required to measure those vital signs, which are of course beamed to a smartphone app so parents can fret more quickly and in a more informed fashion using the latest technology.
There’s also a “glowing heart that is linked directly to the sensor and beats at the same rhythm as your child’s heart. If your young ones temperature changes, Teddy’s heart changes colour, giving you instant visual feedback of your child’s well being”.
Any first-time parent-to-be can tell you that the baby-kit industry has only to raise the possibility of safety for domestic budgets to be multiplied by whatever it takes to ensure a new arrival never, ever endures less-than-optimally-non-dangerous anything.
Teddy’s inventors say they’ve banked over $700,000 in pre-orders and will put some of that cash towards a donation of 100 bears. Once those ship, the rest of us can order one for $499.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google’s Babel-fish Translate app: Does everything except CURSE
‘Eff, asterisk, asterisk, asterisk,’ it murmurs as Reg hack speaks
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/01/14/google_translate_upgrade_real_time_translation/
It’s a small, yellow, leech-like creature* that feeds on … no, wait, it’s Google’s new real-time language translation app.
Although sadly not an actual Babel fish, the Chocolate Factory’s latest upgrade to its Google Translate app does mean you can “instantly understand anything said to you in any form of language”.
From Wednesday, Android and iOS users will be able to use their smartphone to live translate conversations in a much faster, more “organic” way.
According to Barak Turovsky, product lead on Google Translate: “When talking with someone in an unfamiliar language, conversations can… get… realllllllly… sloowwww. While we’ve had real-time conversation mode on Android since 2013, our new update makes the conversation flow faster and more naturally.”
The new upgrade means the app will automatically recognise which language is being spoken,
According to Google, more than 500 million people use Translate every month. Speech mode works in 36 languages.
Don’t worry, AltaVista/Yahoo!, El Reg remembers you had a Babel Fish first, but the now-defunct precursor to Bing Translator did not provide real-time translation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Open’ SIMs, brain chips and Google’s Nest: What to expect in wireless in 2015
We look at events that will shape the industry this year
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/01/06/open_sims_brain_chips_and_googles_nest_what_to_expect_in_wireless_in_2015/
Unprecedented disruption looms for Chinese operators
As Lenovo buys Motorola, Chinese vendors take aim at the Samsung/Apple duopoly
MWC – key themes, with the network itself on centre stage
Netherlands allows open SIMs, cellco could lose the vital key to its kingdom
Tomi Engdahl says:
Steve Kovach / Business Insider:
BlackBerry shares spiked almost 30% after Samsung buyout report, back down about 15% after BlackBerry denial; claim that Samsung wanted patents appears suspect
http://www.businessinsider.com/blackberry-samsung-acquisition-denial-2015-1?op=1
BlackBerry Press Room:
BlackBerry denies it has engaged in buyout discussions with Samsung
http://press.blackberry.com/press/2015/blackberry-responds-to-media-report.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung and BlackBerry Need Something, Just Not Each Other
http://recode.net/2015/01/14/samsung-and-blackberry-need-something-just-not-each-other/
Is Samsung offering $7.5 billion to buy BlackBerry just for the patents, as Reuters reported on Wednesday afternoon?
Although Blackberry quickly denied it had engaged in discussions with Samsung over a buyout, the patent argument, however far fetched, is probably the strongest reason for a tie-up even as both companies are also pursuing strategies that are in need of some help. BlackBerry has the enterprise know-how but these days lacks the scale it once had. Samsung knows how to churn out devices, but has had a tough time standing out from a pack of Android competitors, many smaller and more nimble.
And while a Samsung takeover might be a nice exit for beleaguered BlackBerry shareholders, who bid up shares by 30 percent on the prospect of a deal, it is far from certain that a transaction would solve those larger strategic issues.
What’s clear is both have ambitions to avoid being roadkill as low-margin hardware makers.
How much of that is of interest to Samsung, beyond the patents, though, is an open question. Samsung also denied a deal was in the works. “Media reports of the acquisition are groundless,” a Samsung spokesperson said.
It’s unclear just how much Samsung wants to be in the business of tailoring its phones for governments and large businesses. Samsung operated its own enterprise effort, known as Knox, but ceded many of those capabilities over to Google in a deal last year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finnish invention revealed the murderer
Sports Tracker tracking information were the key evidence in a murder story in the United States.
The police found that the phone’s memory found in Sports Tracker application training file with a timestamp matched with the spirit of the crime at the time. Incredibly, the girl’s Sports Tracker application had been on the whole the murder of the event, and for a long time after that.
The problem was that the FBI, the authorities did not know how to extract appliques encryption, and are thus able to interpret the data deposited by the application. So after a few weeks of trying too authorities made letters rogatory Finnish police through the Sports Tracker for last September.
- Our specialists received the “decrypted” file in five minutes, says Sports Tracking Technologies Ltd’s CEO and founder Jussi Kaasinen.
At this point, the Finnish firm did not know what kind of a case related to the request, and the FBI refused to investigative reasons explain the case in detail. When the firm was demolished application information and placed the phone’s movements on the map, the reality was the first Google search result very obvious.
- Senseless thing. It is seen that each of us in your pocket every day passing technology enables all kinds, sometimes very unexpected way, Kaasinen says.
Source: http://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/2015011519026746_uu.shtml
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gadget for mobile phone:
Clockety Uses Phone Flash for Projection Clock
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/15/clockety-uses-phone-flash-for-projection-clock/
http://www.clockety.com/#about
Tomi Engdahl says:
BBC:
Google Glass to become an independent division reporting to Tony Fadell; Glass Explorer Program shutting down; production of device in current form to end
— Google calls end to Glass programme but says kit is not dead — Google is ending its experimental Google Glass programme, the BBC has learned.
Google Glass sales halted but firm says kit is not dead
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30831128
Google is ending sales of its Google Glass eyewear.
The company insists it is still committed to launching the smart glasses as a consumer product, but will stop producing Glass in its present form.
Instead it will focus on “future versions of Glass” with work carried out by a different division to before.
The Explorer programme, which gave software developers the chance to buy Glass for $1,500 (£990) will close.
The programme was launched in the United States in 2013. It was then opened up to anyone and was launched in the UK last summer.
It had been expected that it would be followed reasonably quickly by a full consumer launch.
From next week, the search firm will stop taking orders for the product but it says it will continue to support companies that are using Glass.
The Glass team will also move out of the Google X division which engages in “blue sky” research, and become a separate undertaking, under its current manager Ivy Ross.
She and the Glass team will report to Tony Fadell, the chief executive of the home automation business Nest, acquired by Google a year ago.
Google says it is committed to working on the future of the product, but gave no timescale for the launch of any new version.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ina Fried / Re/code:
Mobile Industry Generated $3.3 Trillion Last Year, Created 11 Million Jobs —
http://recode.net/2015/01/15/mobile-industry-generated-3-3-trillion-last-year-created-11-million-jobs/
A new study finds that the mobile industry last year produced more than $3.3 trillion in revenue.
That breaks down to more than $400 for every man, woman and child on earth. So everyone must be feeling a little wealthier, right?
Well, no. It turns out the mobile revolution is still benefitting some more than others, with a lot of that money going to the giants of the industry, like Apple and Qualcomm, the latter of which commissioned the Boston Consulting Group study released today. Six of the 25 most valuable companies in the world, BCG says, are companies directly making money from mobile technology: Apple, Google, China Mobile, Alibaba, Facebook and Verizon.
But, while a lot of the direct revenue has gone to a handful of key technology companies, the benefits of mobile technology have arguably transformed parts of the developing world even more than they have changed life in richer countries.
Smartphones have given people in developed countries the kinds of services they were used to getting on their PC, as well as Uber, Snapchat and Angry Birds. In emerging markets, though, the phone has brought fundamental services like banking and health care to people who previously did not have access to such things.
The path to job and wealth creation has been different in each country.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Is In Talks With Mobile Payments Company Softcard
http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/16/softcard/
Apple has Apple Pay, and now it looks like Google may be fattening up its own wallet. According to people familiar with the situation, the search giant and maker of Android is interested in buying Softcard, the mobile payments company formerly known as Isis.
The price may be under $100 million, according to our sources. That is either a huge bargain or a testament to Softcard’s difficulties as an enterprise: sources tell us that AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile — the three carriers that started Isis in 2010 — have collectively invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the joint venture.
Softcard earlier this month laid off about 60 employees and has been in a consolidation phase.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Faryaab S. / SamMobile:
Samsung to use Touch ID-like fingerprint sensor in Galaxy S6 instead of swipe-based sensor
http://www.sammobile.com/2015/01/16/exclusive-samsung-opts-for-a-touch-based-fingerprint-sensor-for-the-galaxy-s6/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finland is the leading country in the number of mobile subscriptions in proportion to the number of inhabitants. This phenomenon is not explained by Nokia or Finnish teknologiauskollisuudella the rest of Europe, but the domestic deviating contractual practices. – almost two mobile connections per person
The Finns have acquired the most mobile subscriptions throughout the European per capita basis. Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority statistics, Finland is almost two mobile phone subscriptions per person, or 170 mobile subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. In the middle of 2014, Finland had gained about 9, 37 million mobile subscribers.
Not all connections are clean mobile phone subscriptions, but also calculated according to data connections, for example, tablets, or computers.
The number has a per capita basis the highest in Europe, even if other parts of the European continent, the number of subscriptions is many times greater.
Compared to France, for example, the number is significant. GSMA Intelligence data, for example, in 2013, France had 63.6 million mobile subscribers. The amount does not even cover all of the French population (64.5 inhabitants).
Communications Agency, it is believed that one reason for the phenomenon is due to the fact that the data very rapidly became widely used in Finland in the 2000s.
- Data Usage is brought to overlapping subscriptions. The reason for this is that Finland started in 2007 at the end of the year to sell the current, such as mobile broadband. They have been unlimited and operating costs have been very predictable.
Subscriptions are also explained by the fact that one person may have a different telephone connection at work and at home.
- This is a European scale, exceptional.
Finland subscription market are saturated and subscription growth has slowed down considerably in recent years. Therefore, the Communications Regulatory Authority estimated that ten million subscriber mark does not necessarily go out, even if the transfer is constantly increasing in Finland.
- The objective in the EU is that in Europe, these connection fees could be more affordable in the same way as we do in Finland, Orkola says.
Source: http://yle.fi/uutiset/suomi_mobiililisuosiossa_euroopan_ykkonen__lahes_kaksi_liittymaa_henkilolla/7693487
Tomi Engdahl says:
CES 2015: Lack Of Killer Phones Sets Up MWC
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1325260&
With few new devices on display at CES, the major phone makers face increasing pressure to deliver at Mobile World Congress in March.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“There’s been a giant sucking sound in smartphones in the last few years of hardware engineers leaving the industry,” Thomas said. The sector is “adopting PC ecomonics — it’s all about speed to market, pushing innovation up into the apps and down into the semiconductors.”
Gross margins in smartphones have dropped from as much as 30% to as little as 10%. “That means there’s no money left to do R&D. That was the model of the PC industry where innovation was in the operating system and the processor and nowhere else,” said Thomas, who spent nearly 10 years at Intel, including three years helping manage its China business.
The smartphone situation highlights an old problem in electronics. “The problem we have is our inability to monetize anything beyond the chip. We are increasingly doing the software work for the industry and not getting paid for it.” He estimated the unrecognized software value at as much as $75 billion.
“The ambitions of the China government to succeed in semiconductors are very real,
Source: http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?piddl_msgid=334300%23msg_334300&doc_id=1325314&page_number=2
Tomi Engdahl says:
Xiaomi mocks Apple with its very own premium phablet
http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/15/xiaomi-mi-note/
There’s just no stopping for the world’s most valuable startup. After adding an air purifier, an IP camera, a smart light bulb and the affordable Redmi 2 to its portfolio, Xiaomi is now going right after the iPhone 6 Plus with its very own high-end phablet, the 5.7-inch Mi Note. While kicking off today’s keynote, CEO Lei Jun emphasized that his 6.95mm-thick, 161g-heavy phone is ever so slightly slimmer and lighter than Apple’s offering.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Xiaomi’s smartphone sales tripled in one year
http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/04/xiaomi-smartphone-sales-tripled-in-2014/
It’s no secret that Xiaomi had a banner year in 2014 and became one of the world’s largest smartphone makers, but now we know just how large. The Chinese company has revealed that it sold 61.1 million smartphones in 2014, or more than three times the 18.7 million it managed in 2013. It’s hard to compare that to rivals without getting more hard numbers, but it’s safe to say that this fledgling firm (it was only founded in 2010) is easily outperforming companies that are old hands at the smartphone game, like LG and Sony.
Xiaomi definitely isn’t making much profit on all those extra phones, though.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wearables: 2014 and Beyond
by Stephen Barrett on January 15, 2015 11:50 AM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8810/wearables-2014-and-beyond
As the year 2014 has come to a close, now is a good time to inventory changes in the consumer electronics market and project those trends forward. One of the most obvious changes was that wearable technology has, by my observation, approached the brink of the adoption chasm into the early majority. In this article we will focus on the significant business and consumer factors of wearable technology, the notable introductions in 2014, as well as future AnandTech coverage.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Here’s Proof That It Still Pays More To Develop Apps For The iPhone Over Android
http://uk.businessinsider.com/do-iphone-apps-make-more-than-android-2015-1?r=US
When an app launches, you’ll sometimes see it arrive on iPhone before Android.
That can be frustrating for Android owners, and while more and more apps are releasing simultaneously for both platforms, a staggered launch is still the norm.
London-based developer ustwo, creators of the popular Monument Valley game, recently published an infographic that helps show why this may be. It turns out that in this particular case, ustwo made a majority of their money from iPhone and iPad owners, with over 81% of their total revenue coming from iOS.
Read more: http://uk.businessinsider.com/do-iphone-apps-make-more-than-android-2015-1?r=US#ixzz3PHGughL1
Tomi Engdahl says:
Could Tizen Be the Next Android?
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/15/01/20/0520232/could-tizen-be-the-next-android
Right now, Tizen is still somewhat half-baked, which is why you shouldn’t expect to see a high-end Tizen smartphone hit your local carrier for a while yet, but Samsung’s priorities could change rapidly.
Could Tizen be the next Android?
http://www.dailydot.com/technology/samsung-tizen-future/
Last week, you probably saw the word “Tizen” a lot—and unless you’re a big Samsung fan there’s a good chance this is the first you’ve heard of it. Let’s break down exactly what Tizen is and why you should care—especially if you’ve got an Android phone in your pocket right now.
Tizen is a highly flexible operating system that can power everything from smart TVs to in-car entertainment systems, and of course smartphones. It’s based on Linux—like Android—and in terms of functionality it mimics both Android and iOS in a number of ways. It’s icon-based, built for ease of use on touchscreen devices, and utilizes apps in the same way Android and iOS do.
It’s been a hot topic this week thanks to the launch of the Samsung Z1, which is the first (or arguably second) smartphone to be powered by Tizen
Nobody outside of an emerging market really cares about the Z1 specifically, but its release is significant because of what it might mean for the future of Samsung devices.
Samsung has helped bring countless users into the Android ecosystem, and while that’s fantastic news for Google, it’s not an ideal situation for Samsung.
Google scores a cut of every sale.
Samsung remains beholden to Google’s own vision for its operating system.
Traditionally a hardware company, Samsung wants to control its own software destiny too—and at the moment it doesn’t, at least not when it comes to mobile.
Tizen could change that. Right now, Tizen is still somewhat half-baked
Samsung has two different halves to its mobile business: Samsung-branded phones and tablets are one part, while the other is the components it manufactures for other companies. Its component business—of which Apple is a huge customer—is doing quite well, while Samsung continues to lose buckets of cash on its own devices.
Competition is more fierce now than ever before
A slow-but-sure conversion from Android to Tizen may well be a good move, and if Samsung can somehow convince developers to port their Android and iOS applications over to Tizen
Samsung is the largest smartphone maker in the world, which means that there are millions and million of people who already trust Samsung from a brand perspective and like what the company offers on the hardware front. These are things Windows Phone has never had.
By Mike Wehner on January 19, 2015
Last week, you probably saw the word “Tizen” a lot—and unless you’re a big Samsung fan there’s a good chance this is the first you’ve heard of it. Let’s break down exactly what Tizen is and why you should care—especially if you’ve got an Android phone in your pocket right now.
What is it?
Tizen is a highly flexible operating system that can power everything from smart TVs to in-car entertainment systems, and of course smartphones. It’s based on Linux—like Android—and in terms of functionality it mimics both Android and iOS in a number of ways. It’s icon-based, built for ease of use on touchscreen devices, and utilizes apps in the same way Android and iOS do.
Tizen’s official debut came just over three years ago in January 2012, but the first product you could actually buy that ran on Tizen—a highly-reviewed Samsung smart camera—didn’t hit the market until late 2013. Most notably, Tizen replaced Android on the second iteration of Samsung’s Gear smartwatch, the Gear 2.
Samsung Gear 2
It’s been a hot topic this week thanks to the launch of the Samsung Z1, which is the first (or arguably second) smartphone to be powered by Tizen, and a sign of what the future could hold for one of the world’s biggest tech companies. The Z1 is a low-to-mid-range smartphone with a 4-inch screen and a 1.2GHz processor, and it debuted in India this week.
Samsung Z1
It’s about the future
Nobody outside of an emerging market really cares about the Z1 specifically, but its release is significant because of what it might mean for the future of Samsung devices.
If Tizen development speeds up a bit, the OS could become a stand-in for Android on entry-level and mid-range Samsung phones and eventually take over Samsung’s entire smartphone (and tablet) lineup.
Samsung has become one of the most successful smartphone manufacturers in the world and it’s done so by using Google’s operating system. Samsung has helped bring countless users into the Android ecosystem, and while that’s fantastic news for Google, it’s not an ideal situation for Samsung.
Customers use Samsung’s devices to download apps, music, and movies from the Google Play Store, where Google scores a cut of every sale. On iOS, Apple takes a similar cut from the devices it makes. Right now, a purchase made from a Samsung device doesn’t benefit Samsung on the software side. As Apple has demonstrated, a closed ecosystem is by far the most profitable.
Not only is Google reaping the benefits from customers who love Samsung’s mobile devices, but Samsung remains beholden to Google’s own vision for its operating system. Sure, Samsung can skin Android with all manner of add-ons but nobody actually wants that, and many simply remove it anyway. Traditionally a hardware company, Samsung wants to control its own software destiny too—and at the moment it doesn’t, at least not when it comes to mobile.
Tizen could change that. Right now, Tizen is still somewhat half-baked, which is why you shouldn’t expect to see a high-end Tizen smartphone hit your local carrier for a while yet, but Samsung’s priorities could change rapidly. If Tizen development speeds up a bit, the OS could become a stand-in for Android on entry-level and mid-range Samsung phones and eventually take over Samsung’s entire smartphone (and tablet) lineup.
The bottom line
Samsung has two different halves to its mobile business: Samsung-branded phones and tablets are one part, while the other is the components it manufactures for other companies. Its component business—of which Apple is a huge customer—is doing quite well, while Samsung continues to lose buckets of cash on its own devices.
The company sells a lot of phones, spends a lot to market those phones, and Samsung is the number one smartphone maker in the world. Despite all that, earnings guidance for the end of 2014 shows a 40 percent drop over the same point a year ago, and this trend has been going on for a while now.
Competition is more fierce now than ever before, with Apple broadening its horizons and launching iPhones in new countries and companies like Xiaomi doing their best to undercut everyone in their path. Unless all of its competitors suddenly decide to give up their smartphone ambitions, this part of the equation isn’t going to change, so Samsung needs to look at ways to maximize the profit from its existing footprint.
A slow-but-sure conversion from Android to Tizen may well be a good move, and if Samsung can somehow convince developers to port their Android and iOS applications over to Tizen, it has a fighting chance to create its own “walled garden” where customers and their money stay within Samsung walls.
This isn’t Windows Phone
I know what you’re thinking: Won’t this just be Windows Phone all over again? No, it won’t, and here’s why.
Samsung is the largest smartphone maker in the world, which means that there are millions and million of people who already trust Samsung from a brand perspective and like what the company offers on the hardware front. These are things Windows Phone has never had.
Picture this: Samsung entices a handful of popular developers—think King, Supercell, Rovio, etc.—to get Tizen versions of their best games up and running on a new, non-Android “S” phone. Maybe they’ll even work out an exclusive agreement for a specific version of Angry Birds or Candy Crush.
If a scenario even vaguely resembling this were to play out, it would likely be years before it happens.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mobile Payments To Be Hot Topic at Mobile World Congress 2015
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1325329&
NFC mobile payments will be hot at Mobile World Congress in March. Since Apple Pay launched, every US bank wants in and the market in Europe is ready.
2015 will be the year of massive adoption of NFC mobile payments. Since the introduction of Apple Pay every bank in the US is interested in deploying the system. Several manufacturers will be showing new handsets using NXP’s PN66T module for secure NFC card emulation. While Apple Pay has not arrived in Europe yet, the old world has the highest penetration of contactless POS terminals, and the market is ready.
Tomi Engdahl says:
4 Ways Samsung Is Still Copying Apple
http://wallstcheatsheet.com/technology/4-ways-samsung-is-still-copying-apple.html/?a=viewall
It’s no secret that Apple’s introduction of the first iPhone in 2007 revolutionized the mobile phone industry. Although the iPhone wasn’t the first mobile phone to feature a touchscreen interface, the popularity of the device led many other companies to ditch physical keyboard phone designs in favor of touchscreen interfaces. Perhaps the most notorious example of a company that altered its phone designs in response to the iPhone is Samsung.
Apple’s claims that Samsung was blatantly copying its products led to a long-running series of court battles that kicked off when the Cupertino-based company filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against Samsung in 2011.
Whether or not you believe that all of Apple’s patent-infringement claims against Samsung were justified, there is no question that the Korea-based company has sometimes followed Apple’s lead. On the other hand, Samsung has also made moves that Apple has followed.
Smartphone design: thinner and made of metal
Smartwatch design
Fingerprint scanner design
New lead designer
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bloomberg:
Samsung Said to Drop Qualcomm Chip From Next Galaxy Smartphone
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-20/samsung-said-to-drop-qualcomm-chip-from-next-galaxy-smartphone.html
Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) will use its own microprocessors in the next version of the Galaxy S smartphone, dropping its use of a Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) chip that overheated during the Korean company’s testing, people with direct knowledge of the matter said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
First Windows 10 mobile preview, due in February, key to Microsoft’s OneCore vision
http://www.zdnet.com/article/first-windows-10-mobile-preview-due-in-february-key-to-microsofts-onecore-vision/
Summary:Microsoft will show off Windows 10 mobile and touch-first Office for Windows at its January 21 Windows 10 event, but the first mobile preview isn’t likely until February.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung smartphones dominate global market, but margin narrows
http://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-global-smartphone-share-falls-as-apples-remains-static/#ftag=CADf328eec
Worldwide, Samsung’s market share drops from 32.5 percent in 2013 to 28 percent in 2014, while competitors, like Apple, maintain or gain ground.
Samsung had a somewhat rough 2014, as its global smartphone market share slipped almost 5 percent, new data from research firm TrendForce shows.
According to TrendForce, Samsung continued to lead the pack in 2014, owning 28 percent of the smartphone market, but that number was down from 32.5 percent in 2013.
Apple, meanwhile, maintained steady year-over-year numbers in second place, accounting for 16.4 percent of all smartphone shipments in 2014.
Lenovo and its newly purchased Motorola took the third spot in 2014 with 7.9 percent smartphone share, followed by LG at 6 percent and China-based Huawei at 5.9 percent, TrendForce says.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Glass Never Really Had A Fighting Chance
http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/16/google-glass-never-really-had-a-fighting-chance/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity_1462_-4869130951380807429
When Google announced it was ending the Glass Explorer program yesterday and handing over the reins to Nest’s Tony Fadell, it seemed to exit with more of a whimper than a scream.
Let’s face it, from its earliest days, people loved to hate Glass.
In fact, from the moment Google announced Glass, people reacted harshly to the new technology. They simply hated the idea of nerds with computers on their faces who could take photos or videos surreptitiously. A new word, Glassholes, entered the popular lexicon to describe folks who wore Glass.
It didn’t seem to matter that we were in the public eye with smartphones all around us taking video and pictures. The idea of a wearable optical device seemed to rub folks the wrong way.
The Explorer program was really a stroke of marketing genius. Google got people to pay for the privilege of beta testing their new wearable technology and reporting back to the company with their findings.
Whatever happens to Glass now, I still see it as a noble experiment on Google’s part. They tried to find out how far we could go with a wearable device and what society was willing to put up with. It turned out we weren’t terribly comfortable with it, especially the notion of the camera — even while we were seemingly fascinated with it at the same time.
People are still trying to figure out where wearables belong, and if it’s really necessary to have a machine on our wrist, or our face, or hanging off our lapels. Maybe the phone is good enough, but Google tried to push the boundaries, and even though I didn’t like the end result, I still think it was worth the effort.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung won’t use the Snapdragon 810 processor in its Galaxy S6 due to overheating, says report
http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/21/7865121/samsung-galaxy-s6-no-snapdragon-810-report
For years now, Samsung has been using a mix of its own Exynos processors — primarily in its native Korea and developing markets — and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips to power its phones, but its next flagship phone may eschew the Qualcomm option. A report from Bloomberg this morning states that Samsung will be “dropping its use of a Qualcomm Inc. chip that overheated during the Korean company’s testing,” with the part in question being the latest and most powerful Snapdragon 810 variant.
LG has already announced and is nearing the release of its own Snapdragon 810-powered smartphone, the curved G Flex 2, which has exhibited no such issues. HTC is also expected to use the 810 at the heart of its next One
Samsung has the rare luxury of being able to fall back on its own Exynos line of processors to make up for the Snapdragon 810′s absence, however that would be only a partial solution. The reason Samsung hasn’t been using Exynos exclusively up to this point is Qualcomm’s superior LTE integration, which has forced Samsung to rely on its competitor for systems-on-chip for western markets.
Tomi Engdahl says:
SDHC memory card boasts onboard NFC
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4438383/SDHC-memory-card-boasts-onboard-NFC?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150121&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150121&elq=76d9d8ab506e46bdaddd00a63e5bc411&elqCampaignId=21259
Toshiba has unveiled its line of SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) memory cards with built-in NFC (near-field communication) capability, allowing smart-phone users to see what is stored inside their memory cards. With a memory-card preview app installed on an NFC-enabled Android smart phone, users need only hold their phone over the memory card to view the available storage space, as well as 16 thumbnails of photos stored on the card.
Tomi Engdahl says:
What Will Google Glass 2.0 Need To Actually Succeed?
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/15/01/21/193257/what-will-google-glass-20-need-to-actually-succeed
As previously rumored, Google has discontinued selling Google Glass, its augmented-reality headset… but it could be coming out with something new and (supposedly) improved. T
If Google’s move indeed represents a quiet period before a relaunch, rather than an outright killing of the product, what can it do to ensure that Glass’s second iteration proves more of a success? Besides costing less (the original Glass retailed for $1,500 from Google’s online storefront), Google might want to focus on the GoPro audience, or simply explain to consumers why they actually need a pair of glasses with an embedded screen.
What Google Glass 2.0 Needs to Succeed
http://news.dice.com/2015/01/21/google-glass-2-0-needs-succeed/?CMPID=AF_SD_UP_JS_AV_OG_DNA_
The company put a positive spin on its decision: “Glass was in its infancy, and you took those very first steps and taught us how to walk,” reads a posting on the Google+ page for Glass. “Well, we still have some work to do, but now we’re ready to put on our big kid shoes and learn how to run.” Formerly a project of the Google X research lab, Glass will now be overseen by Tony Fadell, the CEO of Google subsidiary (and Internet of Things darling) Nest.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hands On With Microsoft’s Holographic Goggles
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/15/01/21/236202/hands-on-with-microsofts-holographic-goggles
Forget Google Glass — Jessi Hempel describes the amazing experience she had with the new Holographic goggles from Microsoft. From the article: “The headset is still a prototype being developed under the codename Project Baraboo, or sometimes just “B.”
“Right from the start, he makes it clear that Baraboo will make Kinect seem minor league.”
Project HoloLens: Our Exclusive Hands-On With Microsoft’s Holographic Goggles
http://www.wired.com/2015/01/microsoft-hands-on/#slide-id-1710301
In several months, Microsoft will unveil its most ambitious undertaking in years, a head-mounted holographic computer called Project HoloLens. But at this point, even most people at Microsoft have never heard of it.
The headset is still a prototype being developed under the codename Project Baraboo, or sometimes just “B.”
Translation: you used to compute on a screen, entering commands on a keyboard. Cyberspace was somewhere else. Computers responded to programs that detailed explicit commands. In the very near future, you’ll compute in the physical world, using voice and gesture to summon data and layer it atop physical objects. Computer programs will be able to digest so much data that they’ll be able to handle far more complex and nuanced situations. Cyberspace will be all around you.
What will this look like? Well, holograms.
Kipman cues a concept video in which a young woman wearing the slate gray headset moves through a series of scenarios, from collaborating with coworkers on a conference call to soaring, Oculus-style, over the Golden Gate Bridge.
Oh Baraboo! It’s bigger and more substantial than Google Glass, but far less boxy than the Oculus Rift.
Kipman’s prototype is amazing. It amplifies the special powers that Kinect introduced, using a small fraction of the energy. The depth camera has a field of vision that spans 120 by 120 degrees—far more than the original Kinect—so it can sense what your hands are doing even when they are nearly outstretched. Sensors flood the device with terabytes of data every second, all managed with an onboard CPU, GPU and first-of-its-kind HPU (holographic processing unit). Yet, Kipman points out, the computer doesn’t grow hot on your head, because the warm air is vented out through the sides.
Tricking Your Brain
Project HoloLens’ key achievement—realistic holograms—works by tricking your brain into seeing light as matter. “Ultimately, you know, you perceive the world because of light,” Kipman explains.
“You essentially hallucinate the world, or you see what your mind wants you to see.”
To create Project HoloLens’ images, light particles bounce around millions of times in the so-called light engine of the device.
“When you get the light to be at the exact angle,” Kipman tells me, “that’s where all the magic comes in.”
Project HoloLens won’t have a keyboard. If the voice and gesture controls don’t work perfectly the first time, consumers will write it off. Quickly.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wearable Apps Need Some Tailoring
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1325356&
Wearables represent a huge emerging market for app developers but require significant tailoring in what data is captured and how it is presented, according to a new white paper.
Developers need to familiarize themselves with the emerging market for wearables expected to reach $53.2 billion in sales by 2019. A new white paper from the Application Developers Alliance aims to educate developers on the tools, data collection process, and opportunities.
Despite the fact that connected wearables are relatively novel for consumers, developers can take advantage of available software development kits and APIs to innovate without relying on larger companies. App developers don’t have to jump on the bandwagon of a major supplier.
“There is a larger community and a long-tail community working together with smaller companies on open source projects and they will be able to get traction with each other where the larger players cannot,”
Collaboration of this nature will strengthen the compatibility and thus the value of the devices, making the data they collect more insightful. This is key because as one report estimates 75% of consumers with wearable devices stop using them within six months. The consumer fatigue is attributed to a lack of actionable data from the devices.
“Venture capitalists want to have ‘quantified self’ [companies] in their portfolios…we’re seeing significant investment,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
More than a billion sold smartphones in 2014
According to Trendforce last year sold 1.167 billion smartphones.
The amount is 25.9 per cent higher than the previous year.
At the same time were broken quietly billion sold smart phones ghost limit.
Samsung’s position deteriorated last year, but its market share is still by far the largest, or 28 per cent. Apple’s position is unchanged, the market share of 16.4 per cent. Lenovo grew Motorola phones clearly the market to third.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2320:yli-miljardi-myytya-alypuhelinta&catid=13&Itemid=101