Category: Mobile

After reading about WeatherSignal, a new project from London startup OpenSignal which makes use of the latest sensors in smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 to crowdsource weather information, I was reminded that I recently caught wind of Shaka, an Estonian startup that has built a wind meter accessory for iOS.

Due to start shipping next month, the battery-free Shaka Wind Meter plugs into an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad’s headphone socket, and combined with the existing onboard sensors of Apple’s hardware and the startup’s own app/service, measures, records and displays wind-specific weather data such as current and average wind speed, maximum wind gust, ambient temperature, and wind direction — all mapped to a location via GPS.

The device’s inspiration and intended use-case was to enable people who take part in wind-related sports, such as windsurfers and kitesurfers, to find good wind conditions. “Forecasts are often inaccurate and the coverage with stationary and connected stations is not good enough,” says Shaka co-founder Raigo Raamat. “We wanted to simplify the process of sharing good wind conditions inside the community.”

But when he and his two other co-founders — Jens Kasemets and Mihkel Güsson — embarked on the project as far back as 2011 they soon realised “many more communities” could benefit from a device that enabled a smartphone or tablet to be transformed into a “connected weather station” for either private use or for contributing to and accessing real-time crowdsourced weather data. These range from academia, agriculture, emergency services, to golfers and motor sports. “The problem for all these use cases differ, but all need local weather measurements as input,” says Raamat.

To that end, Shaka has gustier ambitions beyond just a wind meter. Longer term, the startup and graduate of the harware-focused accelerator HAXLR8R (which also provided seed funding), plans to build what Raamat’s calling a platform for the world’s smallest weather station. “We’ll add barometric pressure and humidity sensors to achieve that and also support Android devices,” he says. The startup’s ultimate target is expensive and non-connected legacy handheld weather stations.

Today the company is monetizing on the hardware only — the accompanying app is free — but in the future it will offer additional paid-for services, along with opening up the platform to partners who want to develop apps on top of Shaka that target various weather-related communities.

Samsung is constantly knocked for launching smartphones and tablets that feel cheap and flimsy compared to rival devices, but just because something feels cheap doesn’t mean it is cheap. A teardown analysis of Samsung’s Galaxy S4 performed by market research firm IHS iSuppli found that the 32GB version of the new flagship phone has a bill of materials (BOM) of approximately $237 per unit, AllThingsD reported. That figure comes in almost 10% above the $217 BOM that IHS iSuppli previously reported for Apple’s 32GB iPhone 5. Of course, much of the Galaxy S4’s component cost is funneled back to other Samsung companies, giving the company a nice advantage over rivals. “Samsung’s strength is this ability to in-source to itself,” IHS analyst Vincent Leung said. “They just keep adding to the list of components that they can supply to themselves.”

Nokia has given its Series 40-based range of touchscreen Asha smartphones another push to try to keep up with the low end reach of Google’s Android platform today. The mobile maker has announced a new addition to the range — the Asha 501 (pictured left & below) — which also ushers in a new version of the Asha touch UI that’s designed to be quicker and slicker, and has a focus on swiping gestures to make it feel more fluid.

The three-inch capacitive screen Asha 501, which has Wi-Fi but no 3G and costs $99 before taxes & subsidies, is expected to start shipping in June, via some 60 carriers in more than 90 countries worldwide. Nokia’s Asha range typically targets emerging markets in Africa, Asia and South America but Asha devices have also been ranged in Europe.

Although Nokia has retired its other in-house platform Symbian, to concentrate its smartphone efforts on Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS, it has continued to expand its portfolio of low end Android alternative S40-based devices — adding in a variety of new hardware and software features to devices in the range, including full Qwerty keyboards; dedicated keys for Facebook/WhatsApp; refreshed industrial design; its Bluetooth sharing technology Slam; its Xpress browser to lighten the data consumption load; preloaded social networking apps; free games downloads; and a focus on long battery life.

But keeping up with low end Androids also means improving Asha’s usability — and that’s what its latest platform refresh is all about.  The Asha 501 is in fact the first fruit of Nokia’s 2012 acquisition of Smarterphone, a Norwegian company that made mobile OSes for feature phones designed to give them smartphone looks and capabilities.

Nokia said the new Asha platform is faster and more responsive. It also introduces a touchscreen UI refresh — with a dual homescreen view: the Home screen is a “traditional icon-based view for launching individual apps or accessing a specific feature”, while the new Fastlane view changes based on device usage, showing things like “recently accessed contacts, social networks and apps”.

Fastlane “provides a record of how the phone is used, giving people a glimpse of their past, present and future activity, and helping them multi-task by providing easy access to their favorite features”, according to Nokia’s press release. The feature sounds a lot like certain portions of Motorola’s Android skinning software — such as the widgets deployed on 2012 devices like the Motorola Motosmart.

The overall idea of the design refresh is to make it easier for Asha users to get to the apps and features they’re after, according to Nokia – with the two main screens accessible by a “simple swipe”. ”Fastlane is integral to the whole Nokia Asha 501 experience, but so is the ‘swipe’ motion,” a spokeswoman told TechCrunch. “With swipe as you experience it on the device, we were able to make optimal use of screen space, so you see just what you need. You swipe to everything else, including pull-down menus and of course, Fastlane. The whole user experience is faster and more responsive.”

New Asha, New Apps

So what about apps? The new Asha platform does require developers to rework apps for it — either by writing them afresh or porting them over. Which does mean Nokia is pushing the reset button yet again, but the company would probably argue that at this price point with these price-conscious consumers, users aren’t expecting hoards of apps — just select key apps. It’s also added in-app purchases to the new Asha platform, offering developers a new way to monetise Asha apps, along with its Nokia Advertising Exchange and carrier billing network.

“A good percentage of existing apps can be ported to the new platform,” said Nokia’s spokeswoman. “We already have many developers working on this. Going forward and with the new Nokia Asha Software Development Kit, developers can write an app once, and it will be compatible with future devices also built on the new Asha platform, with no need to re-write code.”

Apps that are already available for the new Nokia Asha platform include CNN, eBuddy, ESPN, Facebook, Foursquare, Line, LinkedIn, Nimbuzz, Pictelligent, The Weather Channel, Twitter, WeChat, World of Red Bull and games from Electronic Arts, Gameloft, Indiagames, Namco Bandai and Reliance Games. Nokia said its HERE location software will also be available as a download, starting in Q3 this year — and will “initially include basic mapping services”.

Messaging giant WhatsApp is noticeably absent from the list but Nokia’s spokeswoman suggested that may change in future, noting: “WhatsApp and other key partners continue to explore new Asha.”

In select markets, certain carriers are also offering data-free access to apps including the Facebook app and mobile website on the 501 for a limited time, offering another hook for the target cost-conscious consumers.

The 501 comes preloaded with Nokia’s cloud-based data compressing Xpress browser. Nokia has also created a new web app, called Nokia Xpress Now, which ”recommends content based on location, preferences and trending topics”. It said this will be available via the Browser homepage or as a download from the Nokia Store.

“Nokia has surpassed expectations of what’s achievable in the sub-100 USD phone category with a new Asha handset that is unlike any other, with design cues from Lumia and a mix of features, services and affordability that is valued by price-conscious buyers,” said Neil Mawston, executive director, Global Wireless Practice, Strategy Analytics, in a supporting statement.

Commenting on the launch via Twitter, Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi added: “Asha 501 shows what you can achieve when you design bottom up rather than strip down features to hit the right price point.

“Asha 501 Dual SIM with hot swap very important to users but what is most striking on this device is the user interface.”

The full device specifications for the Asha 501 are as follows:

• Dimensions:  99.2 x 58 x 12.1 mm; 98 grams

• Camera: 3.2 MP

• Single SIM standby time: up to 48 days

• Dual SIM standby time: up to 26 days

• Talk time: up to 17 hours

• Additional memory of 4GB (card included in box), expandable up to 32GB

• Forty free EA Games worth €75 downloadable from Nokia Store

• Available colours: Bright Red, Bright Green, Cyan, Yellow, White and Black

• Suggested pricing is 99 USD before taxes and subsidies.

A new leak suggests that Huawei is planning to release a super thin flagship smartphone with a metal frame. Images published by Engadget reveal that the handset, code-named P6-U06, features a metal chassis similar to the iPhone and an ultra-thin 6.18mm body. The device is said to be equipped with a 4.7-inch 720p display, a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and an 8-megapixel rear camera. Huawei is expected to announce its latest flagship smartphone at a press event on June 18th in London. Additional images follow below.

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Tired of seeing Samsung and HTC hog the limelight for Android handsets this spring, LG is planning to launch a new smartphone of its own on May 30th. Per Techradar, LG has sent out press invitations for a May 30th event in Macau for the unveiling of an unnamed smartphone that in all likelihood will be the sequel to the Optimus G. The tagline on the invitation is “ImaGination Begins,” with an emphasis on the “G,” so it’s almost a sure thing that the device will be some new variation of its Optimus G series that includes both the original Optimus G and the new Optimus G Pro. We got our first glimpse of what could be the Optimus G2 in leaked pictures last week, although we still have no idea what kinds of specifications the phone will have.

Kevin Smithen of Macquarie Capital has become more optimistic about BlackBerry’s future, Barron’s reported. The analyst believes the QWERTY-equipped BlackBerry Q10 could be a bigger seller than the company’s first BlackBerry 10 smartphone, the BlackBerry Z10. Smithen notes that the Q10 will appeal to enterprise customers, who account for 13.4 million of the company’s total subscriber base. He estimates that as a whole the company will ship 4.3 million BlackBerry 10 devices in May but only 2.7 million in August, although he added that the “August estimate could prove to be conservative based on stronger enterprise demand for the Q10.” Smithen reiterated his Neutral rating on shares of BlackBerry with a price target of $17.

Whether or not you think that Google Glass is something that you’d wind up using one day, you have to admit that the technology is impressive. Packed inside of the pair of specs is a computer running android, camera and all of the wireless capabilities you’d need. The idea of wearable computers is nothing new, and a team that explored Antarctica actually had their own pair of “Glass” long before it was en vogue.

In a blog post chronicling the team’s experience, Tina Sjogren fondly remembers what it was like to pull together a wearable computer running Windows 98, paired with a “finger” mouse for controls and a glass screen as its display. It sounds a lot like an early version of Google Glass, but this was truly a technological marvel, considering that it was built and used at the South Pole in 2001.

The specs of the device, which was called “South Pole Wearable,” are nothing short of amazing, including custom built software to share information and post photos. It was also solar powered, something that Google Glass could really use. It didn’t use 3G, 4G or WiFi, relying on satellites:

Finger Mouse
Wrist Keyboard
HUD (VGA Heads Up Display, Eye-trek Glasses by Olympus)
Wearable Windows 98 computers
Daylight flat panel display
Customized Technology vests
Shoulder Mounted Web Camera
Bluetooth near person network
Iridium data over satellite
Power converters
Solar cells
Control and Command voice software
CONTACT blogging software
Image editing, word processing

The entire kit weighed 15 pounds, which is almost double what the original Google Glass prototype weighed, about 8 pounds. It now weighs about as much as an average pair of sunglasses.

Tina and Tom Sjogren set forth to build something that allowed them to transfer all types of information as they skied through the snowy South Pole. Sharing this type of information in real-time was not something that many could wrap their brains around, therefore the pair didn’t get the type of attention for their device that Google is getting for Glass today. Tina says:

We wore a computer on our hips, a mouse in our pocket, and the glass was our screen. We did it not to show off but because we had no other choice.

She also sees a future for Google Glass and regular consumers: “New technology often needs time to catch on and I can see a future for Google glass today. It will come down to how sleek and useful they are. A stylish design paired with all the wonders of augmented reality – what’s not to love?”

“Cool, maybe the time has come for this tech”

Wearing Google Glass wasn’t the experience that Tina and Tom had back in 2001, as Tina refers to their display as “too bulky to wear all of the time.” The eye piece on their device had greenish text which, much like Google Glass, didn’t obstruct your view. It even had voice commands. The two even slept in their gear at nights, to keep it warm and protect it from the elements. In 2002, they became the first to broadcast live photos and sounds from the Antarctic ice cap.

The trekkers counted on Ericcson as their sponsor during the mission, and here’s a drawing they made of a “future explorer” wearing their device:

I spoke with Tina Sjogren today and she told me that the reason for building the device was based on their love of exploration: “Our specialty is to find and marry software and hardware for unique situations such as extreme expeditions, military, security and other.” The purpose of building the device was simple, yet profound: “We had a story to tell. There had never been live dispatches done from a skiing expedition on the continent before. We also helped General Dynamics with feedback on how this could work on aircraft carriers.”

Twelve years after the Sjogren team set out on their adventure, Google is trying to make the world around us equally as interesting with Glass. It’s too soon to know whether it will catch on with consumers once they’re made available to people other than developers.

If we’ve learned anything from Tina and Tom Sjogren, it’s that good ideas have this way of coming back year after year, getting better and more polished each time:

As Google Glass has gotten more publicity, Tina summarized her feelings about it succinctly, capturing the true mentality of someone who loves to see new things, explore new places and share experiences: “Cool, maybe the time has come for this tech.”

HTC’s “First” smartphone received mixed reviews from critics when it was released last month. The handset received praise for its affordable price — $99 with a new two-year agreement — and critics liked its decent internal hardware as well as the fact that it was running a nearly stock version of Android. Reviewers were less enthusiastic about the device’s rear camera and integrated Facebook Home software, however. BGR noted in a review last month that while Facebook Home is appealing for the frequent social network user, it is still a long way off from being a finished product. But despite the sizeable advertising budget, sales of the HTC First appear to be off to a slow start. AT&T this week slashed the price of the smartphone from $99 to $0.99 with a new two-year agreement and reduced the off-contract price from $450 to $350. Although no sales data has been released, the recent price cut suggests that Facebook may be in the midst of its First big mobile flop.

Samsung is reportedly prepping three new variations of its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone and they will begin launching in early June, according to a new report. SamMobile has a good track record with details surrounding unannounced Samsung devices, and the blog reports that Samsung’s first Galaxy S4 variation will be the Galaxy S4 Zoom, which is set to debut in Europe during the first week of June. The Galaxy S4 Zoom reportedly features a 16-megapixel camera, a 4.3-inch qHD display and Android Jelly Bean.

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Verizon Wireless CEO Dan Mead firmly believes that both Windows Phone and BlackBerry play a crucial role in the mobile industry. The executive noted that it is important for there to be more than just two dominant operating systems. Mead revealed during a called with investors on Wednesday that the carrier has received good engagement from handset manufacturers and he is encouraged by what he has seen thus far.

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The rumors that Apple is preparing several different new iPhone models for release this fall gained more steam on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty said in a research note that Apple suppliers are planning to start building the new models in June and July. Per AppleInsider, Huberty reports that after meeting with multiple Apple component suppliers in Asia, she believes Apple will start manufacturing both a low-cost iPhone and the iPhone 5S over the summer for a likely release date in September. Huberty also says that carriers expect Apple to increase its iPhone shipments over the long haul not only with a low-cost iPhone in the fall but eventually also with a larger 5-inch model that would pit Apple against such noted phablet vendors as Samsung and LG.

Apple’s iPhone 5S is still eagerly awaited despite the expectation that it will be an iterative update similar to the bump from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4S, and now we’re one step closer to seeing the handset launch. According to a report from Japan’s Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Apple supplier Sharp will begin mass production of the iPhone 5S’s display next month. LG Display and Japan Display will supply Apple with next-generation iPhone displays as well, according to the report.

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Nokia continues to tease the upcoming Lumia 928 smartphone ahead of its official debut. The company on Wednesday posted marketing images of the device and confirmed that it will be equipped with an 8.7-megapixel PureView camera and Carl Zeiss optics. Nokia also released a video showcasing the Lumia 928’s low-light camera performance as compared to the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III.

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As tablet ownership and usage continues its upward trajectory, little surprise that more people are expected to be paying for more stuff on tablets in the coming years. But analyst Juniper Research has put out a new mobile content revenue forecast predicting that purchases on tablets will be the primary engine for growth — ergo: beating out smartphones — in the mobile content market over the next three years.

The analyst expects annual revenue generated from content delivered to mobile handsets and tablets to rise by nearly $25 billion over the period — climbing from more than $40 billion this year to $65 billion by 2016. Music and video now account for nearly half of all mobile content revenues, according to Juniper.

The analyst says growth in the mobile content market will “primarily” be fuelled by an upsurge in tablet users buying games, videos and ebooks on their slates. But it also flags up “increased opportunity” for content monetisation via direct carrier billing on smartphones as another factor helping to drive the market. “While the availability of direct carrier billing is patchy, the various benefits which the mechanism offers — higher conversion rates, opportunities to monetise unbanked customers — suggest that deployments will rise significantly in the medium term,” notes report author Dr Windsor Holden in a statement.

Returning to tablets, the report found that ebooks are currently the largest revenue stream on slates, thanks to e-reader applications from the likes of Amazon, Kobo and Nook, but goes on to add that tablets are experiencing a sharp increase in both paid and free video applications. The analyst also expects consumer gaming spend to migrate to tablets from dedicated portable gaming devices such as the Nintendo 3DS and the Sony PS Vita — something Juniper has delved into before in a separate report.

The mobile content report also notes that the convergence of gaming and social networking has been “one of the major drivers” behind the post-download monetisation opportunity — i.e. via in-app purchases.

Nokia is teasing the Lumia 928 — a phone it has not officially announced yet, despite all the leaks, rumours and, er, magazine ads – in a camera comparison video posted on its U.S. website. All this teasing smells like a new strategy for Nokia to try to manufacture a little hype for the forthcoming Windows Phone 8 flagship, which is apparently heading to Verizon.

The camera comparison pits the Lumia 928 against two of the most hyped smartphones in the tech world: the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5. Although the Lumia device is not identified by name in the actual text or video on the page, the URL is far less coy: http://www.nokia.com/us-en/lumia928

The page does confirm the device will have an 8.7MP PureView camera with Carl Zeiss optics and the optical image stabilization first seen on the Lumia 920. The camera specs are in fact exactly the same as the 920′s. The design, however, looks rather more slab-like — with what look like blunted sides, vs the 920′s rounded edges.

According to Nokia’s low light camera test — conducted at a fairground in New York — the Lumia has greater colour saturation and sharper image focus than the iPhone 5, and less video noise and sharper image focus than the Galaxy S3. But then Nokia would say that, wouldn’t they?

It’s certainly interesting to note  Nokia has picked on last year’s flagship Galaxy for the comparison, rather than pitting it against Samsung’s latest flagship: the Galaxy S4 (which has a 13MP rear camera).

The battle continues between two chief executives and their ambitions to acquire the third-largest wireless carrier in the United States. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and Dish chairman Charlie Ergen have taken shots at one another as they continue to fight for Sprint. Son previously claimed that Dish would ruin Sprint because it had no mobile experience, while Ergen said Sprint would be better off with a U.S. company that can speak English and not a foreign one like SoftBank.

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In move that Sigmund Freud would certainly approve of, T-Mobile has released a new ad that claims its network “pipes” are able to gush out more data at a faster rate than AT&T’s, which can apparently only muster a slow trickle. The point of the new ad seems to be that T-Mobile’s network can give iPhone 5 users faster data service despite having very limited LTE availability because it’s not as “overcrowded” as AT&T’s, which is just a nifty way of saying that AT&T has tens of millions more subscribers. T-Mobile has made AT&T its biggest target for ridicule in its “UNcarrier” campaign where it’s been trying to redefine itself as a more consumer-friendly wireless carrier. AT&T so far has responded to T-Mobile’s barbs with a one-word response of “whatever.” A video of the ad is posted below.

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According to data from Canaccord Genuity, Apple and Samsung managed to capture 100% of the mobile industry’s profits last quarter. In the first quarter of 2013, Apple took home 57% of the global smartphone industry’s profits, while Samsung grabbed almost 43% to leave nothing for BlackBerry, Nokia or HTC. In fact, the only company that managed a mobile profit share above 0% was LG with its 1% share. Even at nearly 100%, however, Apple and Samsung’s share of mobile profit has actually declined from last year. The research firm previously reported that the two companies captured 103% of handset industry profits in 2012.

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AT&T nabbed the exclusive rights to carry the LG Optimus G Pro smartphone in the United States, however new information suggests a similar handset could debut on Sprint later this year. A User Agent Profile on Sprint’s website has revealed that the two companies are working on an Optimus smartphone with a full HD 1080p display, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and an upgraded quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor. The device also carries the model number LS980, which is in line with the Optimus G Pro’s identification (E980) on AT&T. The Optimus G Pro is scheduled to arrive on AT&T on May 10th for $199 with a new two-year agreement. The smartphone is equipped with a 5.5-inch full HD 1080p display, a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM, a micro SD slot and a 13-megapixel rear camera.

BlackBerry’s market share at Verizon has crashed below 0.5% even as the Windows Phone share ticked up above 5% during the first quarter of 2013. If Verizon does not back Nokia’s Lumia 928 over BlackBerry models this summer, then Nokia’s chances of thriving on America’s largest wireless carrier are finished. Right now it looks like the next iPhone may not debut until August or September. If Nokia cannot convince Verizon to give major marketing support to the new Lumia flagship when Apple’s share at Verizon is falling by 6 percentage points a quarter, it is never going to happen. This is it. The extent of Verizon’s support for the Lumia 928 will be a key tell about whether Nokia can ever crack the 10% market share barrier in the United States smartphone market.

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