Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Phablet Shipments Are Exploding, But They Won't Have A Huge Impact On The Overall Smartphone Market

Source: https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/welcome

Massive screens and large form factors are finally resonating with consumers in the smartphone market, according to a new report from Juniper Research.

Juniper forecasts that worldwide annual phablet shipments will hit 120 million in 2018.
That's up from just 20 million last year, which equates to roughly 43% compound annual growth between 2013 and 2018.
Lining those numbers up against our recent smartphone market forecast figures, though, shows that, despite rapid growth, phablets are unlikely to have a truly defining impact on the smartphone market. By 2018, they will only make up about 5% of smartphone shipments, according to our estimates.

Samsung is already at the forefront of the phablet movement and having an enormous impact on the market as a whole. In fact, the 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 3 may have accounted for over half the 2013 phablet sales reported by Juniper; Samsung sold a reported 10 million units in just two months on the market.

But Juniper defines a phablet device narrowly, as a smartphone whose screen is 5.6 inches or above. IDC, on the other hand, defines phablets as a smartphone with a screen size of between 5 inches to 6.9 inches. By this definition, demand for phablets in Asia-Pacific alone is accounting for a much bigger slice of the smartphone market. In the second quarter of 2013, IDC reported that phablet shipments in the region reached 25 million.

We consider Juniper's definition a fair benchmark for the phablet category, but it's still important to keep in mind that the overall trend in the smartphone market is to larger-sized phones, even if these bigger devices aren't quite phablets.

Consumers are embracing larger 5-inch screens and gravitating away from smaller 3.5 or 4-inch screens. For example, Samsung's Galaxy line of smartphones have taken developed markets by storm. In North America, the Galaxy S3 and S4, at 4.8 and 5 inches, respectively, make up over 55% of smartphone Web traffic, according to Chitika.

Click here to download the chart and data in Excel

< em>Click here to see a larger version of this chart

PhabletForecast

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drag2share: South Korea Is Building A $1.5 Billion 5G Service That Can Download Movies In A Second

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/lPE7OF3wC3U/south-korea-is-building-a-15-billion-5g-service-2014-1

Seoul south korea

South Korea, already one of the most wired countries on earth, Wednesday announced a 1.6 trillion won ($1.5 billion) plan to roll out a next-generation 5G wireless service quick enough to download full-length films in a second.

The science ministry said it aims to implement the technology -- about 1,000 times faster than the 4G services currently available -- within six years.

"We helped fuel national growth with 2G services in the 1990s, 3G in the 2000s and 4G around 2010. Now it is time to take preemptive action to develop 5G," the ministry said in a statement.

"Countries in Europe, China and the US are making aggressive efforts to develop 5G technology ... and we believe there will be fierce competition in this market in a few years," it said.

Under the roadmap, a trial 5G service will be rolled out in 2017 and a fully commercial service in December 2020.

Priority will be given to developing key features for the new network, including Ultra-HD and hologram transmission as well as cutting-edge social networking services.

Related industries will be able to rack up sales of 5G-related devices and infrastructure equipment worth 331 trillion won from 2020 to 2026, the ministry estimated.

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Google can now say if your internet connection is quick enough for YouTube

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/21/google-video-quality-report/

Many are tempted to blame stuttering YouTube streams on our internet providers, but who's really at fault? Google may shed some light on the subject now that it has launched a Video Quality Report. The tool tells surfers how well their providers typically handle YouTube in a given region, breaking reliability down by the feed quality and time of day. Services that properly load at least 90 percent of 720p videos get a "YouTube HD Verified" badge, while those that tend to choke wind up in standard definition and lower definition categories. Only Canadians have access to the report at the moment, although it should reach other countries in time. Wherever it goes, it should help viewers decide whether or not it's time to switch networks -- and it just might spur some companies into making much-needed upgrades.

Filed under: Networking, Internet, Google

Via: 9to5 Google

Source: Google Video Quality Report, Financial Post

Toshiba's ready to make better SSDs following its takeover of OCZ

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/22/toshiba-buys-ocz/

Toshiba made its first move to rescue faltering solid state drive manufacturer OCZ Technology back in November, and now that sale is final. In the deal, OCZ gets to keep its identity and independence, but will now operate as OCZ Storage Solutions. It's a slight change in nomenclature to be sure, but hopefully that won't make picking its drives out from Newegg's stock any harder. Just think: for a cool $35 million, maybe you could have bought the drive-maker for yourself.

Filed under: Storage

Source: Financial Post

Snapchat enlists its ghost mascot to thwart potential bot accounts

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/22/snapchat-ghost-mascot-captcha/

It's anyone's guess what Snapchat's done behind the scenes to patch up its data vulnerabilities, but the firm's continuing to address the issues with a new public-facing measure. For instance: the app now has a new (and surprisingly cute) security measure in place to prevent the mass creation of dummy accounts usually made to harvest users' phone numbers. When new folks sign up, they're shown nine images instead of the usual captcha, and they have to prove they're not a bot by choosing the ones with Snapchat's ghost mascot. In addition, the company now implements server-side checks to ensure that those who use the Find Friends feature are real people with verified phone numbers. In theory, this double security layer should make it hard for scammers and spammers to collect private info en masse. Those still worried about their privacy, however, can always unlink their phone numbers for their own peace of mind.

Filed under: Misc, Mobile

Source: TechCrunch

T-Mobile Will Now Give You A Free Checking Account, Complete With 42,000 No-Fee ATMs

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/t-mobile-mobile-money-2014-1

T-Mobile Score

T-Mobile isn't just content being your wireless carrier. It now wants to manage your checking account, too.

The company announced today Mobile Money, a free checking account service available to anyone with a T-Mobile phone number.

With T-Mobile's Mobile Money, your wireless carrier is your bank. T-Mobile retail stores are your banking branches. T-Mobile retail employees are your tellers. And while it sounds bizarre, it's just another example of a company trying to remove the banks from banking. (Mobile Money is very similar to Simple, another promising alternative banking service.)

Here's how it works:

You walk into a T-Mobile store and open your checking account with an initial cash deposit. T-Mobile gives you a prepaid Visa card. (You'll eventually get your own debit card with your name on it.)
You deposit cash to your account at the T-Mobile store and checks by snapping a photo of the document using the T-Mobile Mobile Money app for iPhone or Android.
To get cash, you can make withdrawals (no fees!) from a network of 42,000 ATMs that you can find using the app. There's also a network of international ATMs that you can use for free.
You can transfer money to other Mobile Money customers using the app if you have the person's T-Mobile phone number and last four digits of his or her debit card.
You pay your bills electronically using the app or T-Mobile's website. You can also have T-Mobile cut a check and send it to someone if that's your only option.

Mobile Money is totally free except for the occasional fee you might have to pay for stuff like same-day bill payments.

But it's not for everyone, of course. T-Mobile is only offering free checking, not savings accounts or any of the other premium services traditional banks offer. It's simply an option for T-Mobile customers who want to easily move money in their checking accounts around. If you need more than that, you're probably better off with your regular bank.

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Tuesday, January 21, 2014

MIT's new transparent screen may lead to cheap heads-up displays

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/21/mit-transparent-display/

Transparent screens just aren't very practical these days -- bigger models are frequently expensive and bulky, while smaller heads-up displays tend to have very narrow viewing angles. However, MIT may have solved all those problems at once with its prototype nanoparticle display. The device creates color images on a glass surface simply by 'tuning' a silver nanoparticle coating until it lets only certain light wavelengths pass through. The technique is both cheap and compact, since it requires little more than the coating and some off-the-shelf projector technology. There's also no need for beam splitters or mirrors, so you can see the picture from just about any angle. While there's a lot of work left before there's a finished product, researchers note that their display would be as easy to implement as window tinting; don't be surprised if MIT's screen shows up on a car windshield or storefront near you.

Filed under: Displays

Via: GigaOM

Source: MIT

8K (Yes, 8K) Broadcasts Just Took a Major Step Forward

Source: http://gizmodo.com/8k-yes-8k-broadcasts-just-took-a-major-step-forward-1505680131

8K (Yes, 8K) Broadcasts Just Took a Major Step Forward

Back in May of 2012 the NHK's science & Technology Research Lab in Japan successfully broadcasted an 8K, 7680x4320 signal over a distance of 2.7 miles using UHF frequencies. As a proof of concept it showed that 8K TV could be successfully delivered to televisions over the air, but it lacked the distance of traditional TV broadcasts.

Hackers Swiped 70,000 Records from Healthcare.gov in Four Minutes

Source: http://gizmodo.com/hackers-swiped-70-000-records-from-healthcare-gov-in-fo-1505786371

Hackers Swiped 70,000 Records from Healthcare.gov in Four Minutes

After the bevy of problems Healthcare.gov encountered in its first few months of life, dumping one more onto the pile shouldn't phase you all that much, right? Well, not if that hiccup is actually a gaping vulnerability—and one that can grant hackers access to over 70,0000 private records in just four minutes, at that.

Veho's new K-series action cameras have pro features, amateur-friendly price

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/21/vehos-new-k-series-action-cameras-have-pro-features-amateur-fr/

Veho is perhaps mostly known for its range of accessories -- so when we tested its entry into the (already busy) action cam market, we were pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Fast-forward to today, and it appears it's looking to build on that success with a trio of new models. The Muvi K-2 NPNG edition is the show-stealer, and offers 1080p video up to 60 fps (or 120 fps at 720p), 32 Mbps bit rate video (double the previous model), WiFi, a pre-record function, built-in 2-inch LCD and a case that's waterproof to 100 meters all for £280 (about £100 less than a top-spec GoPro or £40 short of a Drift). The two other models -- the K-2 and K-1 -- come in at £240 and £190, respectively, with the former simply coming with fewer accessories, and the latter featuring a drop in shooting options (no 60 fps at 1080p, etc.) and a dip in bit rate (16 Mbps, not 32). US pricing is still to be confirmed, but will start in the region of $199 for the base model. The K! -series launches in February, which leaves just enough time to work on that 900.

Adidas Smart Run users can now export GPS data, while firmware update improves battery life and media player

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/21/adidas-smart-run-update/

When we reviewed Adidas' Smart Run training watch, we were very fond of it. That said, it had three major niggles: the poor battery life, the low volume of the media player and the inability to export your map/run data from either the watch itself, or the companion miCoach website. Today, we can strike all three off our gripe list. Exporting of GPS data from miCoach went live today (you can now import a GPX file to your training log of choice), while the latest firmware update improves the Smart Run's battery life considerably, activates the previously inaccessible Marathon Mode and jacks up the volume limit to personal best-inducing levels. What's more, Simon Drabble, Adidas' director for miCoach told Engadget there's even more to come:

Today, we allow for the simple export of a .gpx file where a workout is recorded with GPS. The next step will be to allow platform to platform connectivity for data to be ported from miCoach to other existing communities and vice versa. Ultimately, it is no secret that we are targeting an open API in the not too distant future.

So, if you were stuck to the couch with purchasing indecision, perhaps these tweaks will be enough to get you up on the starting blocks?

Filed under: Wearables

Article: How Google's Fitness API Will Buff You Up

Google may be working on an application programming interface for fitness tracking in Android smartphones. This new API could help Android smartphones automatically detect its users' daily motion and exercise routines to provide contextual information for users, but it could also help third-party...

http://readwrite.com/2014/01/17/how-google-fitness-api-contextual-sensor-data-android-users

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Article: Google bans Chrome extensions purchased to deliver adware | The Verge

Google has removed two Chrome extensions from its store due to the way they were serving ads to users. The extensions in question, Add to Feedly and Tweet This Page, both started life as useful additions to Google's web browser, but were soon serving users pop-ups and other intrusive ads. The rea...

http://mobile.theverge.com/2014/1/20/5326582/google-bans-chrome-extensions-purchased-to-deliver-adware

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Article: China cracks down on web anonymity with new regulations

Rule requires internet users to register their real names before uploading videos The Chinese government this week passed a new rule requiring all internet users to use their real names when uploading videos to the web, as part of an attempt to crack down on online dissent. As Reuters reports, th...

http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/21/5330126/china-requires-web-users-to-use-real-names-uploading-videos

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Monday, January 20, 2014

VLC gets one-touch playback controls and a fresh new interface on iOS 7

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/20/vlc-gets-an-ios-7-native-interface-with-multi-touch-gestures/

VLC for iOS just got a much-needed coat of fresh paint. The media player's version 2.2 update has introduced an iOS 7-native interface with its own set of multi-touch playback gestures: you can tap with two fingers to pause a video, and swipes control the brightness, playback position and volume. This is more than just a skin-deep upgrade, though. VLC is now more cloud-savvy with support for Dropbox streaming, HTTP Live Streaming and downloads from Google Drive. The new app handles both lock screen privacy and TV show organization more elegantly than its predecessor, and it plays clips encoded in the more advanced HEVC (H.265) and VP9 formats. All told, there are plenty of reasons for video lovers to swing by the App Store for the upgrade.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

Source: App Store, VideoLAN

drag2share: Tadaa SLR Let's You Focus Later

source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/vip/~3/H78cAaACSfs/this-weeks-top-downloads-1504034652

Tadaa SLR Shoots Now, Focuses Later for Lytro-Like Photos

This Week's Top Downloads

iPhone: Lytro's shoot-now-focus-later feature is pretty cool and if you want something like that on your iPhone, then Tadaa SLR is what you need. It's essentially a blur-and-bokeh filter app, but the interface makes it almost foolproof.

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Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 hits the FCC with Verizon's LTE bands in tow

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/18/samsung-galaxy-note-pro-12-2-fcc-verizon-lte/

We've yet to hear more details about the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2's launch this quarter, but a recent FCC filing at least reveals that it might head to Verizon. According to the documents, a particular variant that goes by model number SM-P905V supports Big Red's LTE (4 and 13) bands. Since the 2014 refresh of the 10.1 Note Pro has also passed through the agency with Verizon LTE, the carrier might offer both sizes when the tablets hit the market. Based on the info we got from the gigantic tablet's CES debut, it'll have a WiFi version for those who have no need for mobile internet. Folks set on buying one with long-term evolution speeds, however, may want to cross their fingers for the behemoth to hit their preferred carriers.

Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, Verizon

Via: Phone Arena

Source: FCC

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Google's Chrome remote desktop app will come to iOS as well as Android

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/17/googles-chromoting-app-coming%20to-ios-as-well-as-android/

The desktop versions of Chrome make it easy to access remote PCs (and Chromebooks) linked together by your Google account, but this feature hasn't yet made the trek across to Chrome's mobile manifestations. We know that an official Android "Chromoting" app (an early build of which is shown in the screenshot above) has been in the works for a while, and now there's evidence it'll come to iOS too. Radio chatter between Chromium developers reveals that the iOS version is still at an "unpolished" design stage, but it also suggests that a good few devs have it on their to-do lists -- and although we have very little detail about how the final Chromoting app will work, these folks must believe that it'll do something different (or better, or easier) than the hoards of existing alternatives.

[Image courtesy of Chrome Story]

Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile, Google

Via: 9to5mac

Source: Chromium

Intel's Bay Trail CPU will usher Android into the 64-bit era this spring

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/17/android-tablets-64-bit-intel-bay-trail/

Sure, 64-bit support is all the rage nowadays in the mobile space, what with Apple setting off a trend with the introduction of the iPhone 5s. Now, according to Intel's CEO, tablets running Google's operating system are next and will soon be available with 64-bit compatibility. During an earnings call yesterday, Intel chief Brian Krzanich said that Android tablets using the company's new Atom-based Bay Trail processor are set to hit the market as early as this spring, bringing along a technology which so far has been limited to Windows 8.1 devices. It's also worth noting that while 64-bit slates may be arriving soon, the number of Android applications optimized to take advantage of the feature will be very low at first. Still, chances are developers will quickly take care of this as more and more 64-bit-ready phones and tablets start to become available.

Filed under: Tablets

Source: Ars Technica

Google is mapping the history of modern music

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/18/google-music-library-data/

It's no surprise that Google has been tracking music uploads, but what's unexpected is exactly what the search giant is doing with all of that info. Interactive maps of music's ongoing journey are charted through Play Music's users' libraries, found over on Google's Research Blog. You could, for example, trace the ebb and flow of a genre era by era (rock remains one of the biggies while electronica's presence is relatively new), or even identify which release from a band is the most prominent. Looking at the Deftones, their biggest album is 2000's White Pony, and they're near the top of the alt-metal heap overall. Music nerds could lose a few days poring over the various ins and outs of the soundtrack to their lives, so be careful who you share this with. Perhaps best of all, Google says this likely won't be the last collaboration we see between the research and music teams.

Filed under: Google

Source: Google Research (1), (2)

Amazon Has Patented A System For Shipping Your Stuff Before You Order It

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-anticipatory-shipping-2014-1

Cyber Monday Amazon

Amazon patented a system in December that will reduce logistics costs and dissuade customers from ever entering a physical store again by shipping your stuff before you order it, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Amazon software will predict when a customer will order an item, then push it through Amazon's shipping process. Packed orders would wait at shipping hubs until a customer's order arrives.

At this point, it can be dispatched to the customer's address far more quickly. It's a system aptly called "anticipatory shipping."

Keep in mind this is just a patent and Amazon hasn't announced any plans to implement such a service. But it does give us a hint at Amazon's thinking when it comes to getting stuff to you faster.

The 27-page patent is loaded with technical details that you can peruse at your convenience here.

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Friday, January 17, 2014

Rock mysteriously appears in front of the Mars Opportunity rover

Source: http://sploid.gizmodo.com/did-a-martian-throw-a-rock-at-a-mars-opportunity-rover-1503335556/@barrett

Rock mysteriously appears in front of the Mars Opportunity rover

Left: a photo taken 3528 days after the Opportunity rover arrival to Mars. Right: the exact same spot 12 Mars days later. Notice the difference? NASA JPL scientists did too: "It's about the size of a jelly doughnut. It was a total surprise, we were like 'wait a second, that wasn't there before, it can't be right. Oh my god! It wasn't there before!' We were absolutely startled."

This Is the World's First Working Cell Made From Plastic

Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-is-the-worlds-first-working-cell-made-from-plasti-1503338685

This Is the World's First Working Cell Made From Plastic

Scientists have long been toiling to create artificial life, managing to produce man-made cell walls and even synthetic DNA. But now, a team of chemists has produced a functioning cell made from polymers.

Article: Hershey and 3D Systems team up to make 3D-printed chocolate candy | The Verge

The chocolate in the candy aisle could soon begin to look a lot weirder. 3D Systems announced today that it will partner with the Hershey Company to develop "innovative opportunities" in 3D-printed food. The multi-year agreement will have 3D Systems working with Hershey to come up with new ways o...

http://mobile.theverge.com/2014/1/16/5315248/hershey-3d-systems-3d-printed-chocolate-candy-partnership

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Article: Skype update for iOS brings two-way HD video chat to newer Apple devices

Did you get a new iPad or iPhone this holiday? If so, Skype has a treat in store for you -- it just updated its iPad and iPhone apps to support two-way HD video chat on all A7-equipped devices. Not that Skype is leaving older hardware without an upgrade, mind you. The same update lets the softwar...

http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/16/skype-update-for-ios-brings-two-way-hd-video-chat/?ncid=rss_truncated

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Article: Google is developing smart contact lenses that monitor blood sugar

Google's latest moonshot is a smart contact lens that diabetics can use to monitor their blood sugar levels. Led by Google's Brian Otis and Babak Parviz, the project envisions a painless, non-invasive, and accurate way for people suffering from diabetes to keep their blood sugar level under contr...

http://www.androidauthority.com/google-smart-contact-lenses-336438/

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Thursday, January 16, 2014

Scientists create winged-jellyfish drone…and it's beautiful

Source: http://sploid.gizmodo.com/scientists-create-winged-jellyfish-drone-and-its-beaut-1501888852/@caseychan

Scientists create winged-jellyfish drone…and it's beautiful

Researchers from New York University recently unveiled a drone that "mimics the movements of swimming jellyfish." Designed by Leif Ristroph, an applied mathematician at NYU, the drone was presented at a fluid dynamics conference in Pittsburgh. It's tiny and adorable and I want one.

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