MOBILE INSIGHTS: Will Carriers Cash In On Consumer Data?

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Big Phone Companies Begin to Sell Consumer Data (Wall Street Journal)
Carriers are opening up their enormous troves of data, and that is expected to draw pushback from privacy advocates. The carriers counter that they are selling aggregated data about groups of users, not individual subscribers. Given their comprehensive data sets, especially with regards to location, it is sure to draw interest from marketers, advertisers, and other businesses interested in consumer behavior. Carriers, worried about becoming "dumb tubes," or providers of raw bandwidth, likely view data as a potentially huge new revenue source, especially as other revenue drivers like SMS dry up. Read >        

Sephora Chief Marketing Officer: Women And Tech Do Mix (Business Insider)
Julie Bornstein, Sephora's chief marketing officer, seeks to debunk the myth that women aren't technology adopters, and aren't Internet-savvy. To reach women via tech, she says, it's important to make experiences mobile and social. Read > 

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Millennials Prefer Webrooming to Showrooming (Urban Land Institute)
U.S. consumers aged 18 to 35 are much more likely to "do research online, but buy in a store" than "do research in stores, and then buy online," suggesting that showrooming isn't yet as widespread as some retailers fear. Read >

Juniper Sees 120 Million 'Connected Cars' Globally By 2017 (Juniper Research)
The research firm also believes revenue from in-car apps will rise ten-fold by that year. The rise of cars with apps creates a new arena for the globe's hardware and software giants to battle in — with legacy car manufacturers meanwhile also seeking to keep tight control of what's on the dashboard of their vehicles. Read >  

Tablets And Smartphones Leap To One-Fifth Of E-Commerce Traffi! c&nb sp;(Monetate)
First it was comScore, which reported that U.S. mobile commerce grew 31% in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same quarter in 2012. That's in contrast to desktop e-commerce that grew 13% year-over-year and traditional offline retail which only grew a paltry 1%. Total retail spend via mobile devices for the quarter was $5.9 billion. Now, Monetate is reporting that tablets and smartphones accounted for 21% of all e-commerce traffic in the U.S., compared to only 2% two years ago. Tablets actually had a slight edge over smartphones in generating e-commerce traffic (11% versus 10%), despite there being far fewer tablets in circulation than smartphones. Read > 

2013 Mobile Trends for Marketers (Forrester)
In a new report, Forrester thinks that smart apps connected to ! CRM syst ems will be a big trend for mobile marketers this year. It also cites indoor location, cross-channel attribution, responsive design, analytical solutions, and mobile "big data" as interesting technological innovations, but not yet "game-changers." Read >  

HTC Is in Disarray (The Verge)
After the disastrous launch of the Facebook-branded First, the faltering handset manufacturer has seen a talent drain as employees head for the exits. Although the HTC One handset was well-received, critics point to the absence of long-term strategy and Samsung's dominance of Android as contributing factors to its ills. Read >

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This Is HP's Take on the Retina MacBook Pro

Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-is-hps-take-on-the-retina-macbook-pro-509466199

HP has just announced a big overhaul of its Envy and Pavilion ranges, and most of the updates are fairly uninspiring—apart from the company's take on Apple's Retina MacBook Pro.

The Verge has taken a peek at the new laptops, and the Envy 14 TouchSmart Ultrabook sure looks like it could be a winner. The new range features "recessed hinges, revamped touchpads, and slim wedge designs" that combine to make a slew of laptops which, well, look a little bit like Macs.

In its basic form, the Envy 14 TouchSmart Ultrabook seems pretty uninspiring—$700 gets you a basic laptop with a low-res 14-inch, 1366 x 768 screen. But while firm prices and specs for higher-end models are as yet unannounced, HP has let slip that the laptop will be available with a 3200 x 1800 resolution screen some time over the summer.

The computer will likely lack the polish of Apple's offering, but you can also expect it to be a damn sight cheaper. Of course, it remains to be seen if performance will stand up—but we'll have to wait and find out. [Verge]

Images by Verge

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First Haswell gaming laptop revealed: MSI GT70 Dragon Edition 2 with GTX780M graphics

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/23/msi-gt70-with-next-gen-chips/

With Computex just around the corner, MSI has taken the wraps off what can truly be described as a next-gen gaming laptop. According to CNET, the 17.3-inch GT70 Dragon Edition 2 will pack a yet-to-be-announced Haswell chip alongside an equally mysterious NVIDIA GTX780M GPU that is claimed to deliver a 3DMark Vantage score of 36,000 -- in other words, roughly equivalent to the benchmark stat you'd get from a desktop rig containing an Ivy Bridge Core-i5 and a full-size GTX670, if the boast happens to be true. A SteelSeries-branded keyboard is in attendance, alongside multiple SSDs in Raid 0 config and three video outputs, all contained within a 21.8mm-thick package that weighs 2.9kg (6.4 pounds). Lesser variations will bring the weight down to 2kg (4.4 pounds) by reducing screen size to 14 inches and switching to a less frenetic GTX760M. Expect pricing and availability details once the big Taiwanese expo gets underway.

Filed under: Gaming, Laptops, Intel

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Source: CNET

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HTC Desire 600 announced: quad-core processor, dual-SIM and BlinkFeed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/23/htc-desire-600-snapdragon-200/

It didn't take long for HTC to go official with the Desire 600. Interestingly, it picks up on several of the new Sense 5 features revealed alongside the HTC One, including its fingertip-baiting BlinkFeed for social network and news updates. BoomSound and the ability to craft video highlights from your photos and clips also make the transition, although apparently not the burst-capture Zoe mode. Hardware-wise, there's a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 200 quad-core processor, with a 4.5-inch Super LCD2 display (at 960 x 540 resolution), an 8-megapixel primary camera capable of up to 720p video capture and a front-facing 1.6-megapixel shooter. The Desire 600 picks up the same dual front-facing speaker setup of the One, although rather than a global appearance, it's currently headed to Russia, Ukraine and the Middle-East for now, landing early this June in white and black options. However, we've already spotted a China-bound version for China Unicom's WCDMA network, the Desire 606w, and if we're honest, we'd probably be happier to see the rumored M4 make an official showing. Now, where's that Desire 200?

Gallery: HTC Desire 600 press shots

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC

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Google Voice Users Can Answer Phone Calls in Hangouts

Source: http://lifehacker.com/google-voice-users-can-now-answer-phone-calls-in-hangou-509395930

Gmail users got a taste of Google's new Hangouts featurethis week, but it turns out it has a little bit of Gmail's voice calling baked in as well.

If someone calls your Google Voice number and you're signed into Hangouts, you'll be able to answer the call right then and there. It'll open up in its own window, just like a video hangout, and you'll be able to talk to them as if you were talking to them on the phone. It doesn't look like you can make outbound calls yet (typing in someone's phone number just opens up a text chat with them), but it seems like Google's trying to integrate the Voice features we had in the old chat. Head on over to Gmail to give it a try!

You Can Now Call Into Google+ From Regular Phones | Disruptive Technology

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These Brand New AMD Processors Could Be Your Next Laptop's Brain

Source: http://gizmodo.com/these-brand-new-amd-processors-could-be-your-next-lapto-509442127

Intel's new 4th-gen chips may be on the horizon, but AMD is taking the opportunity to strike first and get out their with its new family of third-generation A-series processors ahead of time. Enter the "Temash," "Kabini," and "Richland," processors that will make themselves at home in upcoming tablets, midrange notebooks, and powerhouse ultrathins soon.

With the new trio of processor families, AMD is aiming to each the very middle of Intel's lunch. Temash is pointed reasonably high-performance, almost-a-computer tablets, Kabini mostly at convertibles, and Richland at 10 and 11-inch clamshell Ultrathins with a bit more power under the hood.

AMD's "Temash" APU's—which are gunning for the space between Intel's Atom chips and the bottom regions of Core i3-land—consist of a trio of 1GHz APUs: the dual-core A4-1200 and A4-1250, and the quad-core A6-1450. No exactly powerhouses in the grand scheme of things (nor are they intended to be), they offer hefty increases in performance power for high-functionality tablet devices while requiring less than half of the wattage of 2012 offerings, while pushing better battery life.

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AMD's convertable-bound A-Series "Kabini" chips—the 1.5GHz A4-5000, and the 2GHz A6-5200 (both quad-core)—are boasting similar improvements: namely around 50 percent performance increases even with wattage requirements dropping by half. The second generation E-series chips—E1-2100 E1-2500 E2-3000—are seeing an even bigger jump in performance. And all of the "Kabini" class chips are picking up sweet battery life bonuses, offering lifetimes of about 10 hours on a charge.

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And lastly there's AMD's top-shelf "Richland" family which encompasses the upper end A8 and A10 models. The leaps in performance-per-watt aren't quite as high over here, but the increases are still respectable. And once again, power-management features are enabling battery lives than can come up on 10 hours. With the A8 and A10 though, you're also looking at seriously good graphic performance for integrated graphics. Probably the best you'll see without bolting in a discrete card.

In total, the new class of chips promise nice performance increases, and paired with decreased wattage requirements and all-around power efficiency increases to boot. Features like smart sleep states (which, in fairness, isn't going to be functionality exclusive to AMD chips) are going to boost your battery life, and even with Intel's integrated graphics taking a big step forward, AMD is bound to keep the integrated graphics crown.

Of course, how AMD's chips stack up against Intel's 4th gen cores is mostly a guessing game at the moment. We know that Intel's new Iris graphics are a peak for the company, but integrated graphics are AMDs strong-suit. When it comes to everything else, the details are hazy. AMD's new chips come out on top of Baytrail and 3rd gen Intel cores handily, sure, but that's not really a fair matchup at all.

Head-to-head comparisons aside, AMD is gunning for the spaces in Intel's armor, the places where different flavors of Intel chips line up against each other. AMD could gain a lot by being just slightly better than the best Atom processor, if not quite as good as a Core i3.

For now AMD's got the jump on Intel, but the leap into the next generation looks good from both fronts. Now it's just a matter of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

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eTrak GPS+ melds WiFi, cellular and GPS tracking, launches at CTIA 2013 (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/22/etrak-gps-melds-wifi-cellular-and-gps-tracking-launches-at-ct/

We've come across a number of GPS-based tracking devices over the years but most are rather bulky and difficult to setup. eTrak's attempting to remedy this here at CTIA 2013 with GPS+, a fob-like product that combines WiFi, cellular and GPS tracking in a small, light and easy-to-use package. The device, which is about the size and weight of a box of licorice-flavored Tic Tacs, features a panic button, multicolor status LED and charging contacts,. It's meant to be attached to a keyring, and comes with a matching charging base which includes a standard micro-USB connector. Battery life is about 5 days per charge -- not too shabby for a product that packs WiFi, cellular and GPS radios. Speaking of which, eTrak's partnering with Verizon Wireless for CDMA-based network positioning. The company provides a web-based interface which supports geo-fencing with SMS and email notifications, along with iOS and Android-compatible apps. GPS+ will retail for $129 and be available soon (production's been under way since May 1st). Two plans will be available: $10 per month with a one-year subscription and $15 per month commitment-free. Don't miss our gallery below and follow the source link for more info.

Gallery: eTrak GPS+ tracking device hands-on

Filed under: Misc, Wireless, Mobile

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Source: eTrak

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ASUS K005 tablet hits the FCC, Snapdragon S4 Pro hints at top-tier performance

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/22/asus-k005-tablet-fcc-snapdragon-s4-pro-/

Although ASUS recently delivered the $150 7-inch MeMo Pad and PadFone Infinity combo device, it's been a while since a premium Android tablet graced the lineup. A recent FCC filing from the company, however, reveals an unannounced K005 model equipped with the venerable Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) SoC clocked at 1.7GHz. Further details are light, but G4Games notes that it reveals AT&T-compatible GSM, CDMA and LTE connectivity and the model number suggests a 10-inch frame. Check out the FCC filing for yourself below and rest assured that we'll fill you in when we hear more.

Filed under: Tablets, ASUS

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Via: G4Games

Source: FCC

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HP refreshes its laptops for back-to-school season, prices start at $399

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/23/hp-refreshes-laptops-for-back-to-school/

With back-to-school season upon us and Intel's Haswell launch just around the corner, now's a great time for PC makers to start unveiling their summer lineups. Two weeks ago we heard from Sony and today it's HP's turn: the company just refreshed everything from its mainstream notebooks to its high-performance machines. Heck, even the pint-sized dm1 got a makeover. With the exception of that machine (now called the Pavilion TouchSmart Notebook), everything here will be offered with Haswell. There's a little something for everybody, and it's all waiting for you in a neat summary after the break. Join us as we break it down.

Filed under: Laptops, HP

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Innodisk outs embedded SATA nanoSSD, nets 480MB per second from one chip

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/22/innodisk-unveils-embedded-sata-nanossd/

While single-chip SSDs are clearly known quantities, they usually run at a much more leisurely pace than their larger counterparts. Innodisk doesn't think size and speed have to be contradictory -- it just unveiled an embedded version of its nanoSSD that performs almost as well as its much bigger counterparts. The µSSD-based SATA chip has a tiny footprint (0.63 x 0.79 inches) and draws just 1W of peak power, but can still read at up to 480MB/s and write at 175MB/s. As such, it's one of the few SSDs that can theoretically stuff desktop-class storage into a smartphone or tablet. Whether or not it will is another matter. Innodisk hasn't named customers for the nanoSSD so far, which leaves us guessing just where or when we'll see the drive in a finished product.

Filed under: Cellphones, Laptops, Tablets, Storage

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Source: Innodisk

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LG's 5-inch HD Oxide mobile display has a 1mm-slim bezel, we go eyes-on at SID

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/22/lg-hd-oxide-display-eyes-on/

LG's flexible OLED display is just one of the company's many panels on show here at SID. Our next stop in the booth tour is a 5-inch HD prototype, which uses TFT Oxide technology for low power consumption and a super-slim profile. Like the 5-inch flexible panel, this guy sports a 1mm bezel, and a rep told us it utilizes IPS technology to offer wide viewing angles. The model you see here is rated at 250 nits, though LG expects a significantly higher brightness count by the time the panel makes it to market. As for when that will happen, "ASAP" is the only answer we received. Hit up our photo gallery below for a closer look.

Gallery: LG 5-inch HD Oxide mobile display eyes-on

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, LG

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Hands-on with Kwikset and UniKey's Kevo keyless entry system

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/22/kwikset-and-unikeys-kevo-keyless-entry-system-hands-on/

Kwikset and UniKey are set to update their home entry systems, which have remained largely unchanged since they were first invented more than a hundred years ago. Using a Bluetooth daughter card in the lock mechanism, a couple Bluetooth antennas and a clever app this lock opens by simply touching a finger to the outside of the housing when you approach the door.

At its simplest, the companies' Këvo system isn't too unlike a keyless car entry system, though it takes advantage of your iPhone's Bluetooth LE -- Android and BB10 versions will arrive as soon as those platform's stacks are sorted -- or the included keyfob for the proximity technology. Security is handled through the phone or desktop app enabling you to share keys with your family as administrative users, normal users, one-off entry or even scheduled access. For those concerned about leaving your phone too near the door and thereby allowing anybody access, the system actually uses two antennas, one on the inside and one out. So should you stand behind the closed door the system won't trigger access to those outside. Battery life for the four AAs is rated for a year, and you've no need to worry about being surprised by an outage, either: the system will notify you well in advance using the lock's eight RGB LEDs or through the app. Pricing will be somewhere in the $199 range when it hits the shops, though sadly we don't have an exact date to share. We're pretty stoked to get a chance to check this system out for ourselves but until that time, check out the quick video of it in action below.

Gallery: Kwikset and UniKey's Kevo keyless entry system hands-on

Filed under: Wireless

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NVIDIA enables full virtualization for graphics: up to eight remote users per GRID GPU

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/22/nvidia-grid-vgpu-virtualization/

You probably won't have noticed the following problem, unless you happen to be the IT manager in an architecture firm or other specialist environment, but it's been an issue nonetheless. For all our ability to virtualize compute and graphical workloads, it hasn't so far been possible to share a single GPU core across multiple users. For example, if you'd wanted 32 people on virtual machines to access 3D plumbing and electrical drawings via AutoCAD, you'd have needed to dedicate eight expensive quad-core K1 graphics cards in your GRID server stack. Now, though, NVIDIA has managed to make virtualization work right the way through to each GPU core for users of Citrix XenDesktop 7, such that you'd only need one K1 to serve that workforce, assuming their tasks were sufficiently lightweight. Does this mean NVIDIA's K1 sales will suddenly drop by seven eighths? We couldn't tell ya -- but probably not.

Filed under: Networking, Software, NVIDIA

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Here's What It Looks Like Inside The Space Station Control Room

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-mission-control-iss-2013-5

Joanne Manaster, a biologist at the University of Illinois-Urbana, tweeted this image of the mission control room that runs the International Space Station.

In the picture, you can see a video link into the station, the video feed from an outer camera on the station, and the station's route, which you can also find online. Look at all those screens — four each!

You can see the Flight Director, who monitors the technical aspects of the space station's flight in real time; the CAPCOM, who is the capsule communicator that talks directly to the astronauts on the space station; and the MOD, the mission operations dictorate, who plans, directs, manages, and implements overall mission operations.

Manaster is visiting the Johnson Space Center as a part of a NASA Social event — which anyone can attend. She even got to wander around a mock up of the ISS:

SEE ALSO: 23 Unforgettable Moments From Astronaut Chris Hadfield

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Samsung buys 10 percent stake in rival phone maker Pantech

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/22/samsung-buys-stake-in-pantech/

Hang around these pages long enough and you're bound to come across Pantech, the South Korean purveyor of everything from giant 1080p handsets down to... giant 720p handsets. Samsung has noticed this rising star too and, so says Yonhap News, has now made a $50 million investment in the smaller company in return for a 10 percent stake. Implicit in that is that the Korean government has allowed Samsung's ever-expanding influence to infiltrate a potential rival, since Pantech is now the No. 3 phone maker in that country and only Qualcomm and a state-run bank possess larger stakes than Samsung's. As a result, the acquisition could have an anti-competitive aura to it -- but then, Pantech has actually been struggling of late, not least with large debts, and it has relied on big backers to bail it out.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: The Next Web

Source: Yonhap News

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