Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Strategy Analytics: Samsung topped China smartphone share in Q1

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/27/strategy-analytics-samsung-topped-china-smartphone-share-in-q1/

Strategy Analytics Samsung tops China smartphone share in Q1

Many analysts believe that Samsung led the Chinese smartphone market throughout much of 2012, and there are already signs of a repeat coming in 2013. Strategy Analytics now estimates that the Galaxy maker sold 12.5 million smartphones in the country during the first quarter of this year, or enough to stay in front at 18.5 percent market share. Others didn't come close, although there was a fierce battle for the runner up spot. Huawei (8.1 million) barely pushed past Lenovo (7.9 million) to become number two in China, while Coolpad (7.1 million), ZTE (6.4 million) and Apple (6.1 million) were locked in their own fight for fourth place. While it's true that market share isn't the only yardstick for smartphone success, having the most popular devices in the world's most populous country undoubtedly helps with bragging rights.

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Via: The Next Web

Source: The Korea Herald

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Opera desktop preview brings web clipping and other tools, splits from Opera Mail

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/28/opera-next-desktop-preview/

Opera preview for Mac and Windows brings extra browsing tools, splits from Opera Mail

Opera for desktops may be a couple of steps behind the recently finalized Android version, but it's coming along nicely. A preview build of the now WebKit-based browser (or, technically, Blink-based) is available to try on Windows and Mac with a bunch of features which in some ways look similar to other browsers and add-ons, but which also do things a bit differently:

  • Speed Dial -- a home tab that brings large tiles and folders for quick access to favorite sites
  • Stash -- a web clipping tool that follows a similar big-tile aesthetic (shown above)
  • Smartbox -- a search box that not only predicts what you're looking for but also offers to hunt for it on different search engines, such as Google or Twitter.
One thing you won't find is an integrated Opera Mail client, since that's been split from the desktop browser (due to "popular demand") and is now available as a release candidate for a forthcoming standalone product. You'll find full download linkage below.

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Source: Opera Next for Windows, Opera Next for Mac, Opera Mail

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IDC report: Samsung sold more phones than Nokia in Finland during Q1 2013

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/28/idc-samsung-sold-more-phones-than-nokia-in-finland/

IDC report Samsung sold more phones than Nokia in its Finnish homeland during Q1 2013

Nokia might have been bested by Samsung's global phone shipments for a while, but there was always one vanguard -- the Finnish public, who have patriotically stood by (and bought up) Nokia smartphones over the last few difficult years. It looks like rivals have very much broken through, however, with IDC reporting that Samsung was responsible for the highest number of phone sales in the last quarter, claiming 36 percent against Nokia's 33 percent market share. Third place was Apple, trailing with 14 percent, while other manufacturers soaked up the remaining 16 percent. According to Digitoday, the change was due to the continuing shift to smartphones, one that shows no signs of slowing down.

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Via: Android Beat

Source: Digitoday (Finnish)

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LG exec says the company won't make the Nexus 5

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/28/lg-kim-wong-we-wont-make-the-nexus-5/

Korea Times LG working with Google on another Nexus phone

Despite the ladles of praise heaped upon LG's Nexus 4, the company's European VP doesn't believe we'll see the company build the next iteration in the range. During a chat with AllAboutPhones, Kim Wong said that the Nexus 4's success means that the company "does not need such a marketing success again" -- disagreeing with the Korea Times, which said just the opposite at the start of the month. Wong added that whilst the company is still friendly with Google, it won't be entering the stock Android game any time soon, thanks to a desire to bring LG's own skin-friendly experience to users.

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Source: All About Phones (Translated)

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Monday, May 27, 2013

Scientists find that graphene can be used to build lasers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/26/graphene-lasers/

Scientists find that graphene can be used to build lasers

You already know that graphene can be used to make transistors, solar cells and even Sennheiser-quality cans. But if you think that's about as cool as the carbon material can get, listen to this: It can also be used to make ultrashort-pulse lasers. According to scientists from a smattering of institutions, the atomic-scale chickenwire material has the ability to absorb light effectively -- much like a sponge -- over a broad range of wavelengths. It can then release the light it absorbs in quick bursts that last a few femtoseconds each (with one femtosecond lasting one millionth of one billionth of a second), which is what ultrashort-pulse lasers do. With graphene as a component instead of traditional materials, scientists could develop a laser as small as a pencil that's immune to thermal damage typically caused by intense beams. The finished product, if ever someone actually concocts one, could be applied across a variety of fields -- everything from pollution monitoring to medicine. For those unafraid of technobabble, there's plenty more in the source link.

[Image credit: Michaelpkk, Wikimedia]

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Source: Nature

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Friday, May 24, 2013

A Clever Plastic Brace Turns Long-Stemmed Flowers Into Their Own Vase

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-clever-plastic-brace-turns-long-stemmed-flowers-into-509714046

Florists around the country, pay attention. If you're looking for a value-added reason for people to buy a dozen roses from your shop, then find a way to get this brilliant Crown Vase put into production and include one with every bouquet.

Designed by Lambert Rainville, a student at the Royal College of Art, the Crown Vase works as a support allowing flowers to stand via their own stems, like a simple shelter crafted by an experienced outdoors person. A shallow dish or bowl full of water is still needed to keep the flowers alive for more than a day, but when they eventually die everything can be composted and recycled, making cleanup an eco-friendly affair.

[Lambert Rainville via Notcot]

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Chrome OS updated with new panel window and launcher options, other minor improvements

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/24/chrome-os-update-stable-release/

It's fairly minor as far as operating system upgrades go, but Chrome OS users can expect to receive a new update in the stable release channel sometime in the next few days (if they haven't already). It brings with it some added panel windows for things like chat, along with a new positioning mode for the launcher, autocomplete in Drive search, a new three-finger gesture to move between tabs, and expanded support for wireless mice and touchpads, among other minor fixes and additions (including some promised memory management improvements). You can find the full rundown at the source link below.

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Source: Chrome Releases

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Gigabyte introduces BRIX, a customizable mini PC powered by Ivy Bridge CPUs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/24/gigabyte-brix-mini-pc/

Gigabyte introduces BRIX, a customizable mini PC powered by Ivy Bridge CPUs

The mini PC market isn't exactly a crowded one, but it's never a bad thing to have options. Well, if you're into the idea of adding an ultra-compact to your setup, Gigabyte's just announced its highly customizable BRIX. The palm-sized PC appears to be the very same one we saw back at this year's CES, but it's now taken on a more polished, ready-to-hit-shelves look. Gigabyte's providing interested parties the ability to load this itty-bitty thing with a vast selection of Ivy Bridge chips (Core i3, i5 and i7), plus their own SSD / RAM combo and operating system of choice. Ports-wise, there are two USB 3.0 sockets, HDMI and a Mini DisplayPort -- Gigabyte notes it can power up to two displays simultaneously. Naturally, the cost depends on the specs you choose, and the company only goes as far as to say that the BRIX covers "a range" of price points.

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Via: Fareastgizmos

Source: Gigabyte

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CHART: Teens Are Sharing More Of Their Data On Social Media

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/teens-sharing-more-on-facebook-2013-5

This news note comes from BI IntelligenceBusiness Insider's research and and analysis service. The charts and data featured here are available for download in the BI Intelligence library. Please sign up up for a free trial here.

Teens are sharing more information on social media than ever before, according to a new survey from the Pew Internet And American Life Project

In 2012, 53% of teens said they shared their email address on social networks, compared to only 29% who did so in 2006. Further, ten times more teens shared their cell phone number on social networks in 2012 than in 2006. 

Other information, such as photos, school name, and locations are also being shared more frequently on social media by younger demographics, according to the survey of 802 U.S. teens.

In other words, despite all the attention on privacy issues surrounding social ! media, t eenagers appear comfortable with sharing more data. However, they also tend to calibrate that sharing.

According to Pew, 60% of teen users keep their Facebook profiles private (so that casual Web users and non-friends can't access their profiles). Among adult users, 58%, keep their Facebook profiles private.

It's a sign that teens are just as mindful of their privacy setting as adults, even as they share more data about themselves with friends within their network (and Facebook itself). 

BII_SocialMedia_TeensData

Facebook remains by far the most popular site among social networking teens, with 94% claiming to have an account on the site. However, some teens are also using other sites: 26% of social networking teens used Twitter in 2012, up from 12% in 2011.

In contrast to Facebook, where only 14% of teens have public profiles, 64% of those teen Twitter users say their account is public. 

BII_SocialMedia_USTeens

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Thursday, May 23, 2013

Hisense Sero 7 Pro Hands On: A Promising Nexus 7 Clone

Source: http://gizmodo.com/hisense-sero-7-pro-hands-on-a-fantastic-nexus-7-clone-509516366

Contrary to some rumors, Google didn't announce a refreshed Nexus 7 at I/O a little while back, but up-and-comers Hisense just announced a pretty good alternative to the aging tab. Its new Sero 7 Pro—the companies first foray into the tablet space—is basically a Nexus 7, but at only $150.

The Sero 7 Pro has all the Nexus 7-y features you want. A 1200 x 800 resolution screen, a Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, and stock Android 4.2.2. All for $150. The compromise is that storage is capped at a meager 8GB, but to ease the blow, the Sero 7 Pro comes with an MicroSD expansion slot. And, it even has the Nexus 7 beat by including a 5MP rear-facing camera, and HDMI output. HP's Slate 7 has been pushing in on the Nexus 7 a bit too, but it's a shade more expensive at $170, and doesn't pack in some of the perks that the Sero 7 Pro has.

We got a little hands on time and the Sero 7 Pro doesn't feel like a cheap tablet. It's got a solid build, remeniscient of the Nexus 7 it's trying so hard to app. The back is hard, textured plastic that feels less than premium, but not all out bad. The performance is smooth, thanks to Nvidia's Tegra 3, and running stock on pretty much the exact specs of a Nexus 7 delivers a pretty comparable experience. The OS does come with slight modifications via a customized launcher, with a few pack-in apps (like Walmart) but those are all easily removed. It's better than you'd expect for a $150 tablet.

We're due for a Nexus 7 refresh here sometime soon, and chances are it'll be a pretty nice overhaul of the existing model, but things like a MicroSD slot are very very unlikely to ever show up in a Nexus device. HiSense may not be the biggest name, but it's first tablet offering seems pretty damn good for the low end of the spectrum. It's rolling out to a Walmart (ugh) near you tomorrow.

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Google uses computer vision and machine learning to index your photos

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/23/google-plus-image-search/

Google uses computer vision and machine learning to index your photos

Tags are so 2008. Google doesn't want you to waste time tagging your photos, except for the people in them. The web giant wants to be able to recognize more abstract concepts like "sunset" or "beach" automatically and attach that metadata without further input. In yet another post-I/O update, Google+ photos now uses computer vision and machine learning to identify objects and settings in your uploaded snapshots. You can simply search for "my photos of trees" or "Tim's photos of bikes" and get surprisingly accurate results, with nary a manually added tag in sight. You can perform the searches in Google+, obviously, but you can also execute your query from the standard Google search page. It's pretty neat, but sadly Mountain View seems to have forgotten what cats look like.

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Source: Inside Search

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Acer C7 Chromebook getting 16GB SSD option, keeping $199 price tag

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/23/acer-c7-chromebook-getting-16gb-ssd-option/

Acer C7 Chromebook getting 16GB SSD option, keeping $199 price tag

Acer's C7 Chromebook is the cheapest way to get in on Google's cloud-OS party. But, it still ships a 320GB 5,400RPM drive. Truth be told, such a large amount of local storage is counter to the whole idea of Chrome OS -- not to mention that the slow spin introduces a certain amount of unwelcome lag. Thankfully the bargain-basement $199 laptop is about to get an SSD makeover, according to a listing at Best Buy. The official specs at the Google Play store still list the standard hard drive, but the big box shop has a model featuring 16GB of solid state storage. The updated C7 keeps the same affordable price point, though we have no idea when it might start shipping. Best Buy lists the Chromebook simply as "coming soon," with no estimated delivery date. From what we can see there are no other changes to the machine, so if you weren't a fan of the cheap construction before, don't expect that to change.

[Thanks, Cody]

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Source: Best Buy

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MOBILE INSIGHTS: Will Carriers Cash In On Consumer Data?

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

Mobile Insights is a daily newsletter from BI Intelligence that collects and delivers the top mobile industry news. It is delivered first thing every morning exclusively to BI Intelligence subscribers.


AT&T chicago flagship storeBig 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 > 

!

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 >

Screen Shot 2013 05 22 at 1.34.58 PM

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 >  

BII_Juniper_CarApps

Tablets And Smartphones Leap To One-Fifth Of E-Commerce Traffi! c&nb sp;(Monetate)
First it was comScorewhich 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 >

HTC Smartphone Shipments

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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/

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

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.

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Source: CNET

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