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iOS feature wish list
-Fix the issues with Notification center not fitting in with the rest of the transitions in iOS.
After I read this from a site (can't remember where though), it bugs
me every time I use Notification Center. Every os transition is about
sliding objects, revealing things behind it. The multitasking tray
slides up, revealing the apps behind it. The folders split, revealing
the apps in the folder behind it. What does the Notification Center do,
it slides ON TOP OF your current screen. Why does it depart from
the rest of the ui? What it should do is provide the current "handle" as
you slide down, pulling the current screen down, revealing the
notification center behind the screen. I don't know why it bothers me so
much, but it does. It is one of those things that I can't unsee (sorry
for all those that read this and are like me, and now are annoyed by
it).-Add widgets to Notification Center.
If they ever implement widgets, they should NOT do it on the
springboard. The home screen is about opening apps, widgets are about
seeing information. When I go to the homescreen, I already know what I
am going to go to next. I don't need to see info about something that I
will not open, or am already going to open since I am already headed
there. It makes more sense to put it in Notification center, which is
focused on feeding info to you. If they had seperate pages for
notifications and widgets, I don't care. Because Notification center is
available everywhere, you can see that info everywhere, rather then
seeing it on the home screen in the few seconds that you are there. I
know some people will counter this logic by saying "coming from the
lockscreen, you need to be able to see all the info in a second". This
point is moot, since the lockscreen has all your notifications, so why
would you need widgets after seeing all your notifications.-Add functionality to the Music app.
I recently discoverd some annoyances with the music app. I find it
irratating of how little functionality the quick access music controls
are on the lock screen. First, why can't the music controls always be
there when music is playing? Why do I have to double click the home
button to get these features. Second, why can't they put shuffle and
repeat toggles there, even if it is revealed by a double click, I would
be happy. It is stupid that it shows album art and controls, just to
shuffle around a tiny bit when unlocked. If the repeat and shuffle
toggles flanked the album and song name, it wouldn't clutter things too
much.Next, I have a playlist that consists of all the songs I have from
three bands, OneRepublic, Death Cab For Cutie, and Coldplay. I have them
grouped by artist, which then groups each artist by album. I find it
frustrating that there is no tracker on the side, which is normally
letters because in "songs" it is in Alphabetical order. Because it is
organized by album, it would help a lot to find songs by having some
sort of thing on the side. I realize this is farfetched because of the
amount of different songs some people have, but it would help a lot for
having some kind of slider on the side (just wishful thinking).I think that is all the features I am wishing for right now on my
iPod Touch. I hope that at least some of these could be implemented.http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/29/3126534/ios-feature-wish-list
Ex-Apple Employee Reveals The Biggest Complaints Developers Have About Working With Apple
Nobody really understands how the app approval and rejection process works.
Some developers resent the 30% cut that Apple takes out of subscription apps.
Apple's entire app process is just too opaque.
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AUO has 4" flexible...yay.. (not sure if it's ready for production or not. they are not saying)
AUO's 4" flexible AMOLED on video
Back in November 2011 AUO unveiled a 4" flexible AMOLED prototype.
Today the same panel won the "Outstanding Photonics product award" at
the Display Taiwan 2012 conference. Here's a video showing the display.
You can skip to 2:43 if you want to see a closeup footage of the AMOLED
panel, showing how AUO setup a nice mechanism that keeps bending it:
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Two new Archos tablets with Google certification on the way
French tablet maker Archos plans to launch a number of new Android tablets
this year, and it looks like at least two of them will be Google
certified devices. That means that unlike all of the tablets Asus sold
until last year, the new models will come with the Google Play Store,
Gmail, YouTube, Maps, and other apps preloaded.------
believe it or not, archos is the biggest tablet maker in the world by volume (outside apple)
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My first day with Google Now left me speechless.
I flashed Jelly Bean on my GNex last night and was playing around with it and was very impressed, but what really amazed me was this morning I woke up checked my Google Now it it gave me the time it would take to get to my part time job in traffic.
Doesn't sound very amazing right? Read on.
The interesting thing is that I have my "work" location saved on my phone as my University which I attend during the week. The location of my part time job isn't saved anywhere on my phone at all and I can only assume that Google knew to give me this information on Sunday morning because it noticed a trend that every Sunday I go to this location to work. Didn't expect this feature to work this well in Australia.
I've had JB for less than 24 hours, this thing is really smart and I hope it serves as a valuable platform for them to build upon in the coming Android releases.
*Edit: I'm happy to answer any Q's about JB but I will be going to bed soon, will answer all Q's that I miss first thing in the morning.
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Fiberglass-reinforced cases expected to be adopted for ultrabooks in 2H12
In order to maintain thinness, and decrease retail
prices for ultrabooks, fiberglass-reinforced plastics are expected to be
adopted for cases in the second half of 2012, according to Taiwan-based
supply chain makers.Fiberglass-reinforced plastics
have been used to make the bottom but not top cases for notebooks due to
technical difficulties decorating the surface, the sources said.
However, Taiwan-based MiTAC Precision Technology indicated that it has
made a breakthrough enabling IMR (in-mold roller) technology to apply
decorative coatings on fiberglass-reinforced plastics and has talked
with clients to make cases for ultrabooks, the sources indicated.Cases
made from fiberglass-reinforced plastics are more rigid and thinner
than ones made from conventional plastics, the sources noted. To
minimize thickness, unibody aluminum-alloy cases are the first choice,
but total production capacity is not enough to meet growing demand. In
addition, the saleability of ultrabooks hinges on price, and
fiberglass-reinforced plastics are essential in this regard because
aluminum-alloy cases costs US$60-100, while a fiberglass-reinforced
plastic case using RHCM (rapid heat cycle molding) costs only US$15-20,
the sources said.In addition to MiTAC, Taiwan-based Ju
Teng International Holdings and Catcher Technology as well as
subsidiaries of Quanta Computer and Wistron in China have been
developing fiberglass-reinforced plastic cases, the sources indicated. -
Until now. What happened is that Posner, in an unusual move, got
himself assigned to a lower court to hear a case in which Apple was
suing Google (which had purchased Motorola in order to get its hands on
the phone company's patent portfolio) over alleged infringement of
Apple's smartphone patents. Posner listened to the lawyers and then
threw out the case. But what was really dramatic was the way he
eviscerated the legal submissions. At one point, for example, Apple
claimed that Google was infringing one of its patents on the process of
unlocking a phone by swiping the screen. "Apple's argument that a tap is
a zero-length swipe," said Posner, "is silly. It's like saying that a
point is a zero-length line."Posner's formal judgment was issued on 22 June. He dismissed the case,
writing in his opinion that neither side had proved any damages caused
by the other party. More significantly, his ruling came "with
prejudice", which means neither side can reopen the case to attempt to
prove damages for a second time.This is a landmark judgment, one
of those moments when someone – in this case an eminent judge rather
than a small child – points out that the emperor is indeed stark naked.
Patent wrangling between technology companies has become both
pathological and pointless. It is also a gross abuse of intellectual
property law that uses the courts as tools for gaining competitive
advantage. The people who should be deciding whether Apple's phones are
better – more functional, reliable, easier to use – than Motorola's are
consumers, not judges. By striking a blow for common sense in what had
become a madhouse, Posner has set a really encouraging precedent. The
only downside is that he will now probably write a book about it. And I
bet it will be a bloody good read too. Some people are just too
annoying for words.http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jul/01/apple-google-patent-case-john-naughton-comment
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Apple Files Patents for GarageBand, Multiple Camera Sensors & New Optical Display Coatings
Every single music software outfit now dies... EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.
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Apple Wins Patents for Inductive Charging & iOS Scrolling, Rotating & Resizing on Displays
The
US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 27
newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our first patent report
of the day we cover a pair of Apple patents that could be fuel for
future litigation regarding iOS functionality relating to scrolling
lists, rotating and resizing content on multi-touch displays. Another
patent win covers an iOS docking station based on inductive charging
that has yet to surface. Perhaps this granted patent opens the door for
its release in the not-too-distant future. To wrap up our report, we
list eight other patents in our final wrap up section that covers such
things as an uninterrupted virtual private network (VPN) connection
service and a light sensitive display.--------------------
This is the shittiest patent ever. This is like having patent of transmitting electricity through metallic wire... (wtf?)
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Nokia chairman: there is a Windows Phone back-up plan
http://www.rethink-wireless.com/2012/07/02/nokia-chairman-windows-phone-back-up-plan.htm
Nokia retaliate against microsoft, osborning their main product. Now they are saying they have back up plan (eg. we are ready to ditch microsoft) ...nice.
Setback to Lumia 900 sale in Germany
A road block on the sale of Lumia 900 Windows
phone has been set up by the German T-Mobile company. Its decision to
not stock the phone is assumed to be due to its incapability of
delivering quality to the user experience. Nokia has already experienced
customer wrath by Lumia 900 users in other countries for denying them
an upgrade to the latest mobile operating system.Is Microsoft Sabotaging Nokia?
Microsoft could Buy Nokia
There is another
possible outcome to the Nokia/Microsoft drama that is getting more and
more likely. Microsoft might simply try to buy Nokia now that its stock
values have sunk to incredible lows. On June 28, 2012, Nokia was
actually trading at $2.11 a share. That sure sounds like a bargain for
somebody.A purchase of Nokia would make a lot of sense for
Microsoft, which would get Nokia's patents and design and manufacturing
capabilities. It would also get the Nokia brand to market products under
and the relationships that Nokia has with telecoms. Those relationships
would give Microsoft marketing channels for Windows 8 smartphones and
tablets.http://seekingalpha.com/article/697081-is-microsoft-sabotaging-nokia
What Now? Microsoft Throws Nokia Under the Bus
I was the most accurate forecaster of how badly the Elop Effect would
damage Nokia sales last year. I hit the end-of-year market share and
this Q1 market share within one percentage point. Since then, I also gave my forecast for 2012's Nokia market shares by quarter.
That has now again been destroyed, so I will have to revise (and thus
downgrade) my forecasts for 2012. But yes, I predicted Nokia would end
in Q4 of 2012 with 3% market share in smartphones (it was 33% when Elop
took over less than two years ago). Now that number will need to be
downgraded. I will return with those numbers as soon as I have them.
If
you thought you knew how bad Nokia would be this year - with globally
collapsing sales, two reseller boycotts, one directly hitting Nokia due
to the Elop Effect, and the other aimed at Microsoft but hitting Nokia's
new Windows and Lumia strategy - and that together pushed Nokia's
smartphone unit from strong profits to big losses last year, and bigger
losses now - that all got worse. Now there are THREE boycotts hitting
Nokia: one on all things Nokia (due to Burning Platforms and Elop
Effect). One due to Microsoft’s buying of Skype. And now, the third,
courtesy of Ballmer's Osborning of the Lumia line with no upgrade to
Windows 8.
Nokia smartphone market share was collapsing. The
speed of collapse is increasing. Nokia's handset unit is generating a
loss. Those losses will now get bigger. Nokia's market share was in
freefall in smartphones and dumbphones. That was before Elop's emergency
measures of 'increasing sales by reducing sales' and means Nokia's
market shares will shrink even faster. The Nokia brand is badly burned
by the past year, and this latest Lumia upgrade disaster burns Nokia's
brand even more, causing even more of traditionally loyal Nokia carrier
partners to bail.
The Lumia line is now dead and cannot be
resurrected. Even if Nokia were to try to reuse the Lumia line with
Windows 8, it would be badly damaged branding, and Nokia is better off
creating a totally new brand. The most expensive handset launch of all
time has been a total fiasco, mismanaged from day one by incompetent CEO
Stephen Elop. The Lumia handsets will be laughingstocks and sit in
discount bins in stores, polluting the Nokia brand. -
http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/07/02/android-platform-distribution-updated-10-9-on-android-4-0-22-7-still-on-2-2-and-below/
http://www.asymco.com/2012/07/02/rims-tailspin/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2012/jun/28/europe-smartphone-phones-samsung-appleAndroid grew by 500% in India in one year
"Android is a truly global phenomenon. We now have 400 million Android devices. In countries like Brazil, India and Thailand we have seen it grow by 500% in the last one year," said Hugo Barra, director of product management, Android.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-28/telecom/32456734_1_android-devices-hugo-barra-smartphone-market
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Microsoft Surface killing Windows 8 RT prospects
Other manufacturers have to fork over licence fees to Microsoft to
use Windows 8 -- fees Microsoft doesn't have to pay itself, of course.
That means it can charge the same or less than rival tablets, which will
have tighter profit margins. Faced with that choice -- and potential
bugs with the new software -- other manufacturers are turning their
noses up at Windows RT.
The alternative to Windows 8 RT is the full version, running on tablets
that use more powerful Intel chips. One major difference between the two
is that the Intel-based system has more backward compatibility. Without
a wide base of manufacturer support, software developers may shun RT in
favour of its big brother. Click here for our guide to the different versions of Windows 8 in the pipeline.
HP, for one, is reported to have scrapped its Windows 8 RT tablet. Bloomberg reports HP will instead focus on full-blown Intel x86-powered Windows 8 slates.Our buddies at CNET
in the US also report that manufacturers are concerned there'll be
technical problems with Windows 8 RT devices. Nvidia makes the chips in
the Surface and has plenty of experience with Windows, but other
chip-makers may face early bugs. Whether that's related to the chips,
the software or the hardware is unclear.http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/microsoft-surface-killing-windows-8-rt-prospects-50008464/
According to a new report, Microsoft's ARM partners are running into
issues with Windows RT, likely delaying many devices featuring the
ARM-powered version of Windows. Of Microsoft's three ARM partners
– NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments – NVIDIA is the furthest along
because of its previous history developing Windows drivers for its other
products.http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-rt-devices-to-see-slow-rollout
Instead of taking the professional approach, Microsoft picked a
scapegoat and took his scalp. Surface was a top secret project at
Microsoft, and the few OEMs that were told about its existence were told
late on Friday before the Monday launch. The majority of OEMs however
tell SemiAccurate that they had no warning, and most found out about it
via the press, not from Microsoft.Surface is not an OEM product, it is specifically not going to be
licensed or sold through OEMs. It is the antithesis of an OEM device, in
fact it is their direct in-house competition. Anyone want to bet the
CVP of the OEM division either didn’t know, or found out about it very
late in the project development process? Do you think he was allowed to
tell his OEM contacts that it existed, or that Microsoft was about to
take their most innovative features and then undercut them on price?
Neither do I.Basically, Steven Guggenhiemer was either not told about or not
allowed to mention the Surface project to the OEMs he managed. When they
found out about it, OEMs understandably went ballistic and pulled back
from Microsoft, hastily kissing up to Google en masse. It was a
disaster, and instead of punishing those responsible, Microsoft picked a
scapegoat. Those responsible are still in power, a ludicrous cover
story has been floated, and purchased press lapped it up. How
professional.According to SemiAccurate’s checks with OEMs during Computex, WART
was plastered all over every booth simply because Microsoft was funding
its presence there. Absolutely no vendor questioned thinks it will be a
success, but Microsoft is paying handsomely to fund design work and
lavishing advertising co-op money on anything that moves. All this
however did not convince the OEMs that WART had a chance to succeed in
the market, in private none were even mildly positive.http://semiaccurate.com/2012/07/02/microsofts-scapegoating-explanation-doesnt-hold-water/
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Sony acquires cloud-gaming company Gaikai for US$380 million
"By combining Gaikai's resources including its technological strength
and engineering talent with SCE's extensive game platform knowledge and
experience, SCE will provide users with unparalleled cloud entertainment
experiences," head of SCE, Andrew House said in a statement.http://www.gizmag.com/sony-acquires-cloud-gaming-gaikai/23153/
creating online gaming system is hard... google better get going, they got nothing...
Sony to open library to Japan Apple users: report
http://articles.marketwatch.com/2012-07-01/industries/32492813_1_open-library-sony-iphone
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Nokia claims Nexus 7 treads on its WiFi patents, wants a little dough for that Jelly Bean
The 3 are taking turn suing...(Microsoft - APPLE - NOKIA)
- Microsoft is dead in the water. HP is gone. Wonder what Dell is thinking (but they suck anyway). Asus and Acer left in the boat for WART. Windows phone is zombie. So Google has to play smart with tablet. (declare, we gonna conquer the market, with us or not? we are rolling with Nexus 7. 10 inch next. We will improve some service/OS for 10" tablet... end of story.
- Nokia is dying. But they gonna sue anything that moves. So best is to let Microsoft keep sucking Nokia's blood, making deal with carrier, and luring best insider nokia out.
- Apple. This puppy is about to get very nasty. total litigious bastard, since they are behind in technology and their sale is slowly cratering..(UK June number will be out soon) Personally, I think industry wide death match against apple is the best. (I think they are bribing the patent officer and the inside of CA legal system. something smell fishy in that snake pit. corrupt mofo's)
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Google Now already impressing me - Jellybean
So I wiped my Galaxy Nexus and put jellybean on here this morning to play with.
As I left my office this afternoon Google Now popped up the weather on card for my current location.
Not bad... although I could have just looked out the window ;-)
However GN just gave me an interesting surprise...
I searched for my local cinema just now to check on film times. A few minutes after that a notification appeared with the estimated time to travel to the cinema in current traffic levels with a button to navigate.
Information before you need it was the claim and in this instance google delivered i must say i'm impressed.With Google Now, Android Puts Apple's Siri To Shame
Jobs was mostly right. Siri launched on the iPhone
4S in October as more of an intelligent virtual assistant than a
searching tool. Siri is designed to set reminders, send text messages,
make appointments, etc. Search is kind of part of Siri, but it relies
heavily on Wolfram Alpha,
a "knowledge engine" that usually does a great job at answering oddball
questions like "What's the GDP of Greece?" but not so great at pulling
up queries normal humans need.That's why I was so excited when Google announced Google Now, a search-centric, voice-powered digital assistant for the upcoming version of Android called Jelly Bean.
http://www.businessinsider.com/google-now-better-than-siri-2012-7?op=1
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Google Nexus 7 tablet coming to India in September
New Delhi: The recently unveiled Google-Asus Nexus 7 tablet
will hit the Indian market by the end of September this year. "We are
still in the process of finalising the roadmap, but in any case, the
tablet will not come to India before September," said Asus'
spokesperson, adding, Indian consumers can expect the Nexus 7 tablet by
the end of September.However, the company has not revealed any pricing information for the Indian market yet.
The tablet will initially be available in the US, Canada and Australia, and customers can start ordering it online.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/google-nexus-7-tablet-to-hit-india-in-september/268961-11.html
-------------------
after US-UK...
Priority #1. Germany!!!! to consolidate current android win. This is very important. has to happen before apple introducing anything new (september, definitely) (france second, but not sure if it will be as important. Archos is in france. should work with them instead. They have plenty of good models)
Then comes India, this to quickly gain marketshare since apple is non compete in India. After that Canada (hard, rim's home) OZ, NZ, etc. naturally, asus and acer have to win taiwan, their home market. (they lack local content service tho')
Then rest of western europe. ireland, spain, portugal...(proportional to google play store size.) China will takes care of itself once the low cost instal 4.1. As with the rest of asia. Korea is samsung home market. Japan is hard, Google needs a local strategy (digital TV on low cost tablet definitely.)
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Leaked RIM roadmap suggests first BB10 devices in early 2013, Nashville and Naples later in the year
http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/3/3134285/rim-blackberry-10-roadmap-leak
RIM is over, they got nothing for two big buying seasons. fall and christmas. If Android mid range doesn't gain market share, heads must roll. Mid range/blackberry is android strength.
Maybe Google should roll a mid year "business" app of some sort that will appeal to blackberry user.
http://www.blackberryos.com/content/exclusive-leaked-blackberry-10-2013-roadmap-3646/
With the help from an anonymous source, we have gotten our hands on what
appears to be a BlackBerry 10 Roadmap for 2013! Boo-ya!! I'll explain
more below, but first, here is a quick overview of the roadmap dates:- 4G PlayBook - Q4, 2012
- BlackBerry 10 London/Nevada - Q1, 2013 - Europe launch before N. America
- BlackBerry 10 Upgrade for PlayBook - Q1/Q2, 2013
- BlackBerry device codenamed "Nashville" - Q2/Q3, 2013
- BlackBerry 10 inch PlayBook "Blackforest" - Q3, 2013
- BlackBerry device codenamed "Naples" - Q3/Q4, 2013
Before we go into what the roadmap is showing us, we were also told that
RIM will be launching BlackBerry 10 in Europe 3-4 weeks prior to
launching BlackBerry 10 in North America. Don't worry though, both
launches will still take place in Q1. The BlackBerry 10 Europe launch is
suppose to take place within the first week of January, while the North
American launch to follow in the first week of February. The reason
behind this, is because the European markets and media outlets have been
better receptive to BlackBerry than the "doom and gloom" repetitive
bullshit of the North American media outlets. RIM has also had much
better success with BlackBerry in general in these other markets. This
should give the global market more time to become accustomed to
BlackBerry 10 and create the hype it needs to make it's way to the
shelves of N. America and elsewhere.
- 4G PlayBook - Q4, 2012
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Android needs high performance app.........Hey google, like this.... how about topping it with mixing 3 loops ..? just to introduce real time rigor to the OS. heh...now that's some serious computer science business worthy of exploration.... (is not like you guys need to build controller for femto second oscilloscope or anything).
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Nexus 7 Teardown
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus-7-Teardown/9623/1
New vendors
Among the
chip suppliers in the Nexus 7 are familiar companies like Maxim,
providing the main power management IC (MAX77612A), and Texas
Instruments with two design wins also related to the power management.
Hynix also won a socket for memory with its 2 Gb DDR3 SDRAM modules on
the main board. We also found a 8-Gb memory module from Kingston
manufactured by SanDisk/Toshiba and a PN65 NFC secure module from NXP.
The latter device was recently found in the Samsung Galaxy S3.
Broadcom was another notable design winner with it BCM4330 802.11n with
Bluetooth wireless transceiver and BCM4751 integrated GPS receiver. The
BCM4330 is paired with an AzureWave AW-NH665 802.11n Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM
radio module.
Among the chip makers not usually seen in tablets is ELAN
Microelectronics, which provided controllers for the Nexus 7’s
touchscreen. We have previously seen ELAN microcontrollers in handsets
manufactured for the Chinese market, so the Nexus 7 represents a major
design win for the Taiwanese vendor.
The combination of a high-end processor, a multitude of applications
optimized for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and a $199 price tag for the 8 Gb
model give Google a chance to make a dent in the tablet market. Early
indications are that the pre-orders for the Nexus 7 are substantial. If
Google succeeds with Nexus 7, the pressure will grow on Apple to
introduce its own 7-inch model, the protests of the late Steve Jobs
notwithstanding.
http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4376737/Teardown--Google-s-Nexus-7-?pageNumber=1
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Galaxy S III took 18% of UK smartphone market in launch week, iPhone 4S sales down as a result
The arrival of Samsung’s Galaxy S III was every bit as popular as the pre-launch hype anticipated, with GfK sales figures quoted by the FT
claiming Samsung’s new flagship took 18% of the entire phone market in
its launch week. Which is extra impressive considering the messy stock
situation, which saw the blue S3 variant delayed and the white model
rather hard to find as well.
Apple’s iPhone 4S has been suffering as a result of Samsung’s launch,
with Apple’s latest model dropping from holding a 25% share of the
market in March, to a 20% share in June.
http://eurodroid.com/2012/07/03/galaxy-s-iii-took-18-of-uk-smartphone-market-in-launch-week-iphone-4s-sales-down-as-a-result/
Apple will turn nasty, litigious bastard and all. They are very much behind in technology. And now theey are not in position to catch up quickly (iPhone 5 is already dated before launch)
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Android 4.1 Jelly Bean review
Do UI refinements, Google Now, and a few new features add up to a must-have smartphone OS?
Google Now stands out as an example of what smartphones are capable of
when you don't silo information into disparate apps. Location, identity,
history, and personal preferences are all combined into an organic
information system that's as promising as it is ambitious. I don't think
that Google Now quite achieves what it's aiming for yet, but it's
exciting to see a company try to do it.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/3/3134347/android-4-1-jelly-bean-review
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Quality of customization design has improved a great deal, specially image resolution and icons coloring ...
yay high resolution screen...!
http://mycolorscreen.com/popular/
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Wintek's sales plunge hints at Apple's switch to in-cell iPhone touch panels
Touch panel
maker Wintek on Tuesday announced that its June sales were down an
unusually high 33.6 percent month over month, signaling that the company
may have lost out on key orders for Apple's next-generation products,
namely a new iPhone rumored to have in-cell touch panel technology.Apple's 'iPad mini' rumored with 7.85" IGZO display for $250-$300
Rumors of a
smaller iPad with a 7.85-inch display continue to crop up, with one new
report out of the Far East claiming the device will feature a Sharp
IGZO display and will cost under $300.
----------------------
won't 8 inch screen be too big for "baggy pants" pocket? (soft cover, pocket book size) which is the exact point of 7 inch screen. It is not arbitrary size. too big, then it'll be just a smaller size full tablet.
There is a reason why PSP or any handhelds have that size (to fit in pocket)
(Igzo plus in-cell all for $300? a little ambitious aren't we? it's downright fantasy. which company has shown such product? Samsung is the only one with in cell amoled, thin enough and believable enough for reasonably low cost production. The rest is normal resolution TFT in cell)
IGZO hasn't been shown in quantity yet. maybe apple can be the first one to show it can be made in huge batch.
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CMI may manufacture IGZO at Chengdu 6G fab in China
Hon Hai Precision Industry and its subsidiary
Chimei Innolux (CMI) will jointly build a 6th generation (1500x1850mm)
LCD fab in Chengdu, Sichuan, designed to manufacture both
low-temperature polysilicon and IGZO TFT panels, and the negotiations
between Hon Hai and Sharp on licensing IGZO technology for the fab are
at the final stage.
Hon Hai has a production base for Apple's iPad in Chengdu and the new
LCD fab's mission is to supply LCD panels to the iPad plant.
CMI envisages manufacturing both LTPS and IGZO panels at the Chengdu fab, according to a materials supplier.
The fab is likely to have a monthly capacity of about 60,000 glass
substrates. It will start with LTPS production, subsequently taking on
IGZO panel production, too.
Hon Hai has already built an LTPS line at its affiliate Century Display
in Shenzhen and is about to begin production this month. Hon Hai is
applying its own LTPS technology at the new fab in Chengdu, but intends
to license IGZO technology from Sharp, having formed a capital alliance
with the Japanese company in March.http://www.semiconportal.com/en/archive/news/news-by-sin/120615-hon-hai-igzo-chimei.html
-
Renesas starts offering 16-megapixel-camera SoC for smartphones
Renesas Electronics Corp. has started sampling of a system-on-chip LSI
dubbed the CE150, which enables 16-megapixel image processing and full
HD (1920x1080 pixels) video shooting on a smartphone or a high-end
camera phone. The CE150 is compliant with the MIPI CSI-2 (mobile
Industry Processor Interface-Camera Serial Interface-1) standard and has
a 4-lane configuration, the standard' maximum configuration, with 2
lanes for input and another 2 lanes for output. Each lane has a speed of
800Mbps. -
http://macdailynews.com/2012/03/02/wow-sharp-sure-is-ramping-up-igzo-display-production-for-some-reason/
Sharp Corp announced April 13, 2012, that it has started volume
production of a high-resolution LCD panel using IGZO (In-Ga-Zn-O) TFTs,
which are oxide semiconductors, as driver elements at Kameyama Plant No.
2.
Sharp started the volume production in March 2012 and plans to start
full-scale volume production in April 2012. So, what the company claims
is the world's first volume production of IGZO TFT-based high-resolution
LCD panel will begin three months behind schedule (within 2011).
The high-resolution LCD panel is targeted at tablet computers. When
asked about the purchaser and specifications of the panel, Sharp said,
"We do not comment on customer information." And the company did not
answer any questions about Apple Inc's iPad, for which the LCD panel is
rumored to be supplied.
Sharp is currently planning to provide IGZO TFT-based LCD panels not
only for tablet computers but for "Ultrabook" computers, high-resolution
medical monitors, etc.
This time, Sharp showed 32-inch 3,840 x 2,160-pixel (4k, resolution:
140ppi), 10-inch 2,560 x 1,600-pixel (resolution: 300ppi) and 7-inch
1,280 x 800-pixel (resolution: 217ppi) panels in addition to the 11-inch
1,366 x 800-pixel panel that was announced in April 2011. The 32-, 10-
and 7-inch panels are targeted at high-resolution monitors, Ultrabook
computers and tablet computers, respectively.http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20120415/212790/
-
The industry is faced with over capacity and huge operating losses. Unfortunately, the new applications, smart phones and iPads, though timely and growing have smaller displays and do not use enough capacity to support the new fabs. Sharp believed they could overcome the downturn by building bigger fabs, enabling larger TVs, but the volume was not high enough to use all of the new capacity. So they looked to Sony as a partner to buy the capacity, but Sony’s TV business was even more under water and Sony wants to walk away from their commitment. A second approach employed by Samsung was to bet heavily on OLEDs, which offered higher performance and potentially less cost. But Samsung could not move fast enough and has a number of legacy LCD fabs that are suffering from losses. LG Display is in the same category as Samsung, but has been slower to adopt the OLED technology. AUO and CMI, which invested heavily in Gen 7 and Gen 8 fabs now have large loans, very poor capital to loan ratios and are suffering from large losses and an inability to repay the loans. AUO and CMI are trying to adopt the OLED technology but have not had the capital to move quickly. The Chinese operating in the only TV market that is growing invested in new LCD fabs, but have not been able to yield quality panels and the Chinese brands are returning the inventory and looking to the Taiwanese and the Koreans for supply. And in Japan, Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi and Toshiba have essentially exited the FPD industry turning their capacity over to Japan Display Inc., a government backed entity designed to salvage jobs and knowledge. Panasonic also has an alliance with Sumitomo and is planning an entirely new process to print OLEDs for display purposes.
The business models are very different:
· Apple, Hon Hai and Sharp – distribute the work to the best in class operation
· Samsung – Vertically integrated, do as much in house as possible, control the sources of supply; similar to the IBM mainframe model in the 60s and 70s. Create an independent entity to maintain leadership in displays
· LG – follow Samsung when possible
· AUO/CMI – move from low cost fast follower to low cost slow followers
· Chinese and Japanese – Look to government and other sources to bail them out
· Microsoft/Nokia – alliance of struggling giants; OLEDs from Samsung a differentiator. Can they buy apps fast enough?
http://www.oled-a.org/news_details.cfm?ID=759 -
Samsung, LG lose secret panel knowhow
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2012/06/117_113978.html
Key display panel production technology of Samsung and LG has been leaked overseas through a subcontractor, presumably to a Chinese display giant.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office arrested and indicted three Korean workers at the Korean branch of Orbotech, an Israel-based company supplying display testing equipment, Wednesday, on charges of leaking the technologies of Samsung Mobile Display and LG Display.
The technologies were for Samsung’s active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) and LG’s White-OLED (WOLED) displays, including circuit diagrams. They are designated core national industrial technology according to the law on industrial technology leak prevention and protection.
Prosecutors charged another three employees of the subcontractor without physical detention on the same charges. The six were also charged with violating a contractual agreement with Samsung and LG to keep any secrets obtained through business. -
Chimei to mass produce AMOLED technology followed by In-Cell technology "Chimei-Innolux
will focus on mass producing touch-screen panels that use white AMOLED
during the second half of 2012 followed by In-Cell technology during
2013, according to the company's chairman, Hsing-Chien Tuan. ...However,
in 2013 In-Cell technology is expected to become more widespread in
touch screen panels as Windows 8 and ultrabooks gain more popularity,
said CMI. In-Cell technology eliminates the middle layer of glass in a
device, combining the LCD and touch components of the display into a
single layer. The technology will reportedly be used in Apple's next
generation iPhone and will be adopted by other touch-screen makers in
the future, said sources."
Wintek Garners Google’s Big Order for OGS Touch Panels "With
its efforts on developing OGS (one glass solution) technology paying
off, Wintek Corp, a Taiwan-based maker of touch panels, has garnered a
big order from Google for OGS touch panels for use in its Google Nexus 7
tablet, confirmed the chairman Hyley Huang. ...Huang stressed that OGS
touch panels are expected to replace traditional models using two pieces
of glass in the coming years, considering that the trend is being
driven by Intel and Microsoft, both of who have actively promoted
next-generation laptops that feature use of touch panels computable with
new chipsets and Windows 8. He furthered that his company is optimistic
about market outlooks for OGS, which is likely to become the mainstream
in the global touch panel industry starting in 2013, and will step up
development of the technology to ride on the trend.
http://www.displayalliance.com/news/the-display-industry-news-source-for-722012.html
not fucking bloody likely Apple will be able to produce 7 inch tablet using in cell this year. Nobody is making in cell in required quantity yet.
-
The judge is from palo alto? bahahaha.......
probably just about everybody and anybody knows her. what's her relationship history with apple anyway?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_H._Koh
From 1997 until 2000, Koh served as an Assistant United States Attorney
in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Central District of
California. From 2000 until 2002, she worked as a Senior Associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, a Palo Alto, California law firm. From 2002 until 2008, Koh worked as a litigation partner at the Silicon Valley office of the law firm McDermott Will & Emery representing technology companies in patent, trade secret and commercial civil matters.[4]
-
I guess the usually iPad swooning large newspaper are all into Nexus 7 now.
Nexus 7 tablet is best of its kind
Apps look great
But the
http://www.sfgate.com/technology/article/Nexus-7-tablet-is-best-of-its-kind-3684448.php
Android tablet apps that do exist look great here. Flipboard, Rdio, and
travel search app Hipmunk were among my first downloads for the Nexus,
and they performed well. And the hit game "Temple Run," which makes
great use of the Nexus' graphics chip, is an impressive showcase of the
tablet's power.
If you’ve been on the fence about Android, or tablets in general, this is the tablet you’ve been waiting for.
http://www.wired.com/reviews/2012/07/lucky-number-7/Review: Google's Nexus 7 is the budget tablet to beat
http://www.freep.com/article/20120703/NEWS09/120703071/Google-Nexus-7-review-iPad-Kindle-Fire
----------------
I wonder what the stooges at NYTimes has to say....lol... (bla bla.iPad..bla iOS...bla bla nexus not revolutionary... bla bla retina screen...)
--
now...all we need to do is wait for the horde of cheap chinese quad cores to flood the entire planet with jelly bean. sub $150, next generation amoled. ... probably before summer next year. It'll be reenactment of mongolian horde sweeping across the eurasia
-
In any case, if you want to check out how this all works in more detail, you can find out hands-on video of photo and video transfers over Android Beam after the break.
http://www.androidcentral.com/jelly-bean-feature-sending-photos-and-videos-over-android-beam
-
Apple granted patent for head-mounted display tech
huh? seriously, there is something very wrong with patent office and apple. Is this insider corruption? Apple just send in bunch of cartoon drawing with vague words, and then they got to control entire class of product? WTF?
I shall file a patent forglass sandwich structure having optically active material in between that is controlled by micro electronic means. Each illuminating elements as a whole can display electronically processed data...
okay all you display makers..better pay up.
-
Most damaging of all, there are precious few tablet-specific apps in
Google’s store. There are hundreds of thousands for the iPad.
But the Nexus tablet is sweet. Its hardware and software smoothness
rival Apple’s, and its luxury humiliates the Kindle Fire. In short, it’s
possible that this tablet may finally help solve Google’s
chicken-and-egg problem. Maybe once it becomes popular, people will
finally start writing decent apps for it, and more movie and music
companies will come to the Google Play store.
Until then, the iPad still makes a far more compelling total package
(hardware, software, store). But at 9.7 inches, you’ll never fit that
puppy into your breast pocket. If something smaller and lighter and far
less expensive appeals to you, you’ll be thrilled by the Nexus 7, even
if you have to wait awhile before you can find everything you want to
read, watch and play on it. -
15 Best Android Apps For Tablets From The Last 6 Weeks (5/18/12 - 7/4/12)
Discoid FT (For Tablets)
If you love graphs and keeping track of media, this app is for you. It makes graphs. LOTS OF GRAPHS.
----
Tabstagram brings you the Instagram experience with an interface
specifically tailored to utilize the screen estate on your tablet.
Browse through the latest images in your feed, or check out the most
popular images currently on Instagram. Tabstagram fully supports
commenting and liking images, all with a sleek, good looking Ice Cream
Sandwich inspired interface.
-
US smartphone market: Android revives as RIM flatlines
ComScore
monthly data show that RIM and Microsoft have stemmed losses of users,
but as the market approaches 50% point it's still between Android and
Apple - and Samsung has top place overall
iphone 4S hype was very damaging to everybody, apple got hit bad. android imploding (compounded by OS 4.0 anticipation.) I hope Android 5.0 will not repeat 4.1 experience... WORK on it google. osborne effect is very nasty. This is the reason why upgradability is very important. To all OEM, the harder you make for people to upgrade, the worst osborne effect you get. The less predictable sale you receive.
-
Taiwan government asks PC makers to be wary of Apple patent
Apple’s arsenal in the world of intellectual
property is truly impressive, and so far, they have dealt a fair number
of blows to one of its biggest rivals, Samsung, who has had an
injunction filed against it, where there was a request for the stop
of the Galaxy Nexus’ sales. According to the Ministry of Economic
Affairs in Taiwan, they have warned hardware manufacturers to prevent
designing Ultrabooks which resemble Apple’s MacBook Air. After all,
Taiwan is a hotbed of innovation, so this is a cautionary note in order
to prevent any future patent disputes.http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/07/taiwan-government-asks-pc-makers-wary-apple-patent/
Apple is a threat to taiwan's national security. There should be a special committee to assess Apple's danger to taiwan's medium term economic stability. their behavior is very corrosive. their litigation move will affect entire computer industry. (frankly, it's time to unplug Apple. the sooner the better. time for the economic team to have a chat with foxconn head.)
Next asshole move by apple, their entire supply chain should be mapped, evaluated and destroyed. nothing flows. everybody just going to play dumb. Apple should also be removed from any access to advance manufacturing process and put on national watch list. Let their lawyers create their next generation handset.
(btw, CA legal system, specially patent office is very corrupt. And apple is pouring a lot of money. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the so called "patent" is nothing more than children drawing on top of legal mambo jumbo. So the best is to control access to technology altogether. amoled, sub 20nm, micro sensors, connectors, thin motherboards, everything. They can keep their rounded corner, glowing fruit logo, and liquid metals.)
incidentally, not even Globalfoundry wants to do business with apple. So.. there is that.
-
Just look at the tragic story of Palm,
which went from darling of CES 2009 to legendary failure in just 31
short months. The company initially wanted to ship its Pre smartphone on
Verizon, but the carrier backed out and Palm was forced to languish on
Sprint, where it was unable to compete directly against the iPhone. When
Verizon finally picked up the Pre Plus the next year, the carrier
ordered millions of devices and then flippantly refused shipment and
decided to focus on the Motorola Droid, leaving Palm sitting on millions
of unsold units that couldn't be used on any other carrier in the
world. The decision cost Palm hundreds of million of dollars and led
directly to the company selling itself to HP — and the once-promising
webOS platform slowly dissipated into a puff of mismanaged open-source
smoke.Even powerful and established companies like Google and Microsoft are
now avoiding the carriers as they scramble to compete with Apple.
Microsoft is radically upending the entire PC market with its Surface
tablets, but they're Wi-Fi-only for now, and Redmond refuses to discuss carrier partnerships. Same with Google, which just announced the Nexus 7 tablet; it's designed for on-the-go content consumption, but it lacks a mobile broadband connection.Google won't comment about a 4G version of the Nexus 7 on the record,
but it's fair to say relations between the search giant and carriers
are strained: multiple sources say that Verizon purposefully delayed shipment on the LTE Galaxy Nexus after announcing the Motorola Droid RAZR, forcing Google to send US journalists unlocked HSPA+ review units to be used on AT&T when the phone launched internationally. And when Verizon did eventually release the Nexus, it was stripped of Google's Wallet functionality — forestalling the growth of Google's mobile payment system while Verizon works on its own solution.are you STUPID google. Noone is going to buy 7" tablet with built in carrier specific radio... (send your engineers to walmart... get those "pay-go wireless modem, and see if you can develop driver for those... this is the fastest, cheapest way to provide wireless data to tablet.)
AVOID the temptation to make LTE tablet. (They don't sell. Look at the number, of all previous tablets. nobody wants them.) the only way I want 3G/4G is if I can have it without contract, pay as I use, possibly anonymous.
PS. whatever happens to all those "whitespace" wifi?
-
And because success in the wireless marketplace can only come with
carrier support, innovation is stunted as companies design their future
products around what they think carriers might want, not where the
market or consumer behavior is heading. "Companies build phones that the
carriers ask for instead of taking risks and testing new concepts in
the marketplace," says Vizio's McRae. "The result is a collection of
handsets that are fairly homogenous from a small number of brands." -
Carriers subsidies allow cutting-edge technology to hit the mass market
years ahead of schedule. "I have no idea how you can make a $199 product
with embedded data without subsidies," says one source with years of
experience in the industry.
------------
This is bullshit statement.
Next generation all integrated GSM device (ie. iphone 4S type of crap) will be sub $200 handset. LTE will reach that price too in late 2014. (It's all a question of 20nm availability)
-
Qualcomm, Samsung to team up for chip
As part of efforts to solve a supply shortage Qualcomm will soon sign a
deal with Samsung Electronics to produce chips used in the Korean firm’s
smartphones, according to industry sources.
Industry and Samsung officials said Thursday that Samsung Electronics
has ``tentatively agreed’’ with Qualcomm to produce the latter’s
Snapdragon S4 chipsets using Samsung’s 28-nanometer technology from the
first half of 2013.
“The two companies have agreed in principle on chip production and are
now trying to iron out details, including production volume,” an
industry source said.
Samsung expects that the latest partnership will help the company
strengthen its capabilities for non-memory chip management. The Korean
technology giant plans to invest more in non-memory chips this year than
in conventional memory chips for the first time since it started its
chip-making business.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2012/07/133_114534.html
Qualcomm’s
new Snapdragon S4 processors, built on a 28nm process, have proven so
popular that TSMC has said that it’s struggling to manufacture the
chips. Qualcomm has recognized that it needs to keep up with demand, and
has signed an agreement with an unlikely partner: Samsung.
The terms of the deal with Samsung haven’t been disclosed, but an
additional partner, United Microelectronics, will begin making 28nm
chips by the fourth quarter of this year.
http://www.slashgear.com/samsung-signs-deal-to-produce-qualcomms-28nm-chips-04237030/
-
Pre-Rooted and Deodexed Jelly Bean for the GSM Galaxy Nexus
Previously, we reported on Jellybean being ripped for the GSM Galaxy Nexus. Naturally, the firmware was promptly given root access. Next, XDA Senior Member bigxie released JRN84Din pre-rooted and deodexed form for the world to enjoy.
The system apps and framework are deodexed for easy modding and
theming, and the updated superuser app comes from ChainsDD. As one would
also expect, the ROM comes packaged with Busybox for increased
root-enabled functionality.Full Tablet UI on the Google Nexus 7
When the Google Nexus 7 tablet was revealed at Google I/O just days back,
many were disappointed to see Google’s flagship Android 4.1 JellyBean
tablet running the phone interface for portions of the OS, rather than
the tablet-optimized interface seen on all Honeycomb and Ice Cream
Sandwich tablets. Luckily, this can be fixed with a quick hack, provided
your device is rooted. -
Honey...look, they put dense fps game on 3 inch screen...and it's unbelievable, you are barely able to see the zombies with over 30% screen covered with thumbs ... I guess you don't need a lot of details and effects with thumbs covering so much screen area...
Gaming experience!!! Retina display!!! APPLE WINS!
(anybody who says iOS offers superior gaming experience should be laughed off stage from now on.) -
5 years ago.... (how time has changed)
http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/w3cl9/what_a_difference_5_years_makes_skip_to_1003/
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