Category: Mobile

Just over half a decade ago, the smartphone landscape in the United States looked absolutely nothing like it does today. Companies like Microsoft (MSFT), BlackBerry (BBRY) and Palm (RIP) dominated the market in the U.S. and even Symbian had a healthy share in 2005. A major shift began in 2007 when Apple (AAPL) debuted the iPhone, and any hangers-on were quickly dispatched over the coming years after Google (GOOG) unleashed Android. We all know the story, but a picture is worth a thousand words and comScore issued a great chart during its recent “Mobile Future in Focus” webinar that shows just how quickly and decisively iOS and Android took over the U.S. market. The chart follows below.

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Apple’s (AAPL) next-generation iPhone 5S will reportedly launch in the third quarter with several upgrades compared to the current model. Digitimes cited sources from Apple’s supply chain on Thursday when it reported that components for the next iPhone will begin shipping to manufacturers this coming May ahead of a third-quarter launch. According to the report, the iPhone 5S “will not receive a major update” and will instead be an incremental bump, as expected. The report did note that the new model will feature “a higher-end processor as well as higher-megapixel camera modules.” The launch timing aligns with an earlier report from the most reliable source yet that pointed to a late-summer launch for Apple’s iPhone 5S and its much rumored low-end iPhone.

Google’s Eric Schmidt has said Mountain View will keep its two OSes, Android and Chrome, separate after all, according to a Reuters report. Schmidt, who is in India attending an IT event called Big Tent Activate Summit, said the two operating systems will remain separate products but apparently also said there could be more “commonality” between them.

A conference attendee, @scepticgeek, also tweeted Schmidt saying Android and Chrome would be “separate & independent for a long time”:

TechCrunch contacted Google and asked it to confirm whether it plans to keep Chrome and Android separate but Google declined to comment.

What’s most interesting about Schmidt’s comments today is that his words, as reported, seem to contradict comments he made back in February 2011, when he told delegates at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow that Chrome and Android would absolutely converge.

We’re working overtime to get [Chrome & Android] merged in the right way

“We’re working overtime to get those technologies merged in the right way,” he said at the time, but added: “I learned a long time ago, don’t force technology to merge when it’s not ready, wait for the technology to mature to the point when it can be merged.”

In other words: a Chrome-Android merger is inevitable, but also won’t be rushed. So his comments today — about increasing commonality between Chrome and Android — suggest Google is still building a gradual path towards convergence (as Schmidt said it was in 2011).

Rumours that Google’s quasi-desktop OS Chrome and its touch-based mobile OS Android might be about to merge were sparked earlier this month when head of Android, Andy Rubin, was shuffled out to another role within Google — with Sundar Pichai, head of Chrome and apps, taking over. Pichai did not leave his existing duties but rather added the Android brief to his Chrome and apps portfolio, suggesting a unifying impetus for the job changes.

Chrome and Android ‘remaining separate and independent for a long time’ has much the same emphasis as Schmidt’s comments from two years ago — when he said they would merge, ultimately. Exactly what he meant by trying to ensure they are “merged in the right way” is up for debate — whatever it means, two years of Google working overtime still apparently hasn’t created those sought after, clement conditions. (It’s likely Google needs to wait for the market to mesh with its mobile centric vision — so growing the Android platform and expanding its reach is one way Mountain View may have been “working overtime”.)

Make no mistake though: the ultimate merger of Chrome and Android is inevitably since the differences between hardware categories are being eroded. Chrome OS was announced in mid 2009 — at a time when netbooks were riding high. Remember them? The launch of the iPad in 2010 created the tablet category afresh and tablets quickly pulled the rug out from under mini laptops, and started eroding the desktop computing market too — putting the emphasis squarely on touch and mobile computing. And from there it’s but a short hop to gestures and wearables.

All of which underlines that ultimately having two separate OSes — one mobile and one quasi-mobile — makes no sense for Google in the long run. It’s not a question of if Chrome and Android will merge — the big question is how soon it can be made to happen.

When Google (GOOG) announced that Android boss Andy Rubin was stepping down and being replaced by Chrome head Sundar Pichai, speculation erupted suggesting that Android and Chrome OS would eventually merge. According to Google chairman and former CEO Eric Schmidt, combining the two operating systems is not currently part of the company’s plans. Schmidt did confirm to Reuters that there will be more “commonality” between its mobile and desktop platforms moving forward, but they will remain separate operating systems. The executive also dispelled rumors that he might be leaving Google.

A new Apple patent filing describes a variety of methods to protect a dropped iPhone during a fall, lessening damage through a number of clever systems. The USPTO filing, spotted by AppleInsider, includes a rotational mechanism to change the orientation of a falling iPhone, for instance, as well as on-device thrusters, and a way to clamp down on inserted cables when a fall is detected.

The patent describes a number of ways Apple might be able to make a device that can change direction mid-flight, which would allow it to put its most impact-resistant surface forward to meet the ground. These include an internal gadget for shifting mass to one end of the iPhone, an actual “thrust mechanism” that could even include a “gas canister,” an air foil that activates in free fall, a way to contract external bits like switches within the case for protection, and a gripping system that can clamp down on charing and headphone cables to ensure those catch the falling phone.

Another aspect of the patent is a sort of on-board black box that would gather and store data about the fall and the impact, which Apple says in the patent would be used by the device manufacturer to help gather info about how devices fall, so that they can use that info in future designs. But of course such an on-board tool could also be used by technicians determining warranty repair status.

This patent contains pretty intense, innovation-heavy tech, a lot of which doesn’t have any real precedence out there on the market yet, so I wouldn’t expect to see it in any shipping devices soon. But it is a good look at how Apple is thinking about common issues such as damage to mobile device from accidental drops. And who knows? One day, this stuff could become actually practical – even positional thrusters built into your iPhone.

Google’s been awfully busy these past few weeks, but it seems that between sunsetting Reader (and pissing off most of the Internet in the process) and rolling out new services like Google Keep, the company has been working on a redesigned version of the Google Play Store for Android. That’s what the folks at Droid-Life claim, anyway. They appear to have obtained and installed the unreleased 4.0 version of the Google Play Android app ahead of a wider release.

The Play Store’s current mobile design first rolled out in July 2012, and while Google has seen fit to rebrand and tinker with a few things since then, more than a few bits look essentially the same as they did back then. If this is the real deal (and I strongly suspect that it is), then Google Play is about to get quite a facelift. Gone are the gloomy blacks and dark grays that used to permeate the app. This new version returns to a lighter color scheme that’s highly reminiscent of the old Android Market days. On the whole, the new app also looks much cleaner and more spacious than the Play Store that so many of us have gotten used to.

It’s not hard to see some similarities between the updated Play Store app and the Google Now design — there’s a more pronounced focus on bigger images and italicized text. What’s more, individual app listings are separated into little cards rather than being displayed in a more traditional list, yet another sign that Google’s Play Store developers are cribbing UI flourishes from Google Now. If anything, the unification of design between these two services makes me wonder just how far Google plans to go here. After all, Google Now and the Play Store are cornerstones of the Android experience. It wouldn’t be a huge shock to see the next version of Android take a similar approach to aesthetics.

At this point there’s no firm word on when (or if) this update is slated to go live, but it’s very possible that Google could wait until I/O to officially pull back the curtain on a redesigned Play Store app. In the meantime, major mobile players like Facebook are exploring ways to bypass the Play Store completely and push new updates to users, so here’s hoping Google pushes the update out before others follow suit.

Research from NPD Group’s latest study reveals that iPhone users in the U.S. consume more data on average than Android users, FierceWireless reported. The firm examined accounts belonging to 1,500 smartphone owners across Verizon Wireless (VZ), AT&T (T), Sprint (S) and T-Mobile from October 2012 to January 2013. The study found that Apple (AAPL) handset owners on the four major wireless providers in the U.S. downloaded an average of 1.12 gigabytes per month compared to Android users, who downloaded 0.92 gigabytes of data on average per month. Verizon experienced the most iPhone data usage at 1.55 gigabytes, followed by Sprint at 1.30 gigabytes, AT&T with 1.16 gigabytes and T-Mobile, which doesn’t officially carry the iPhone, at 0.49 gigabytes. T-Mobile and Sprint accounted for 1.28 gigabytes and 0.95 gigabytes of Android data usage, respectively, while AT&T subscribers with Android phones consumed 0.82 gigabytes compared to 0.65 gigabytes on Verizon.

Nike might not be interested in making its Fuelband fitness app Android-friendly (for now). But Jawbone isn’t going to leave Android-bearing health tracking enthusiasts in the lurch.

Four months after releasing its new Jawbone UP fitness band and iOS app, the San Francisco-based company announced on Wednesday that it had launched an app for Android.

“Everyone wants to improve upon themselves; we’ve found this to be a fundamental human desire, no matter where a person is starting from or what they want to achieve,” Travis Bogard, Jawbone vice president of product management and strategy, said in a statement. “Today marks a big step toward our commitment to help people establish a basis for behavior change by bringing UP to everyone who wants to live better lives.”

As competition ramps up among companies bringing quantified self-type gadgets to the market, it makes sense that Jawbone doesn’t want to leave Android fans (a sizeable share of smartphone users) without an app of their own. Jawbone’s UP, Nike’s Fuelband, the Misfit Shine, as well as devices from Fitbit (see disclosure below), Striiv and FitBug all promise wannabe fitness enthusiasts different levels of activity tracking and they all would love to be the stewards of the growing mounds of fitness- and health-related data. Neither Jawbone nor Nike has shared the number of people using their fitness bands but about one year after launching, Nike said that 11 million people were a part of the Nike+ community.

In addition to launching on Android, Jawbone also said that it had returned to Europe (the company offered its initial UP band in the US and Europe as well).

Disclosure: Fitbit is backed by True Ventures, a venture capital firm that is an investor in the parent company of this blog, Giga Omni Media. Om Malik, founder of Giga Omni Media, is also a venture partner at True.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Analyzing the wearable computing market
• Connected world: the consumer technology revolution
• The future of mobile: a segment analysis by GigaOM Pro

Apple (AAPL) released iOS version 6.1.3 on Tuesday to update its Maps application and fix a security vulnerability. In early February, an iOS bug was discovered that allowed unauthorized users to bypass the lock screen on a passcode-protected iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. While this particular security concern was fixed in Apple’s latest iOS update, a second vulnerability has now been discovered: the passcode security on an iPhone can be bypassed by using the voice control feature to dial a number. If the SIM card is ejected while the phone is dialing, the device will end the call and give unauthorized access to the address book and photos stored on the device. The latest vulnerability was tested on an iPhone 4 running iOS 6.1.3 and a video demonstration follows below.

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The next major addition to Samsung’s (005930) Galaxy Note lineup — the Galaxy Note III “phablet” — may be set to debut at the IFA 2013 conference, which kicks off on September 2nd this year. The report comes from SamMobile, which has a good track record when reporting details about unannounced Samsung devices. The blog also claims that Samsung’s next major Galaxy tablet iteration, the Galaxy Tab 3, will debut at IFA 2013 as well. No specs or details regarding launch timing were provided for either device.

Google’s (GOOG) mobile platform is all about freedom: the freedom to install any application on a device, the freedom to change the Android code and the freedom for companies to use the operating system at no cost. Google’s policy is much different from Apple’s (AAPL) closed approach, and it has helped Android gain significant market share. But a recent Google policy change could spell trouble for consumers, companies and app developers.

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We’ve seen some rumors flying around that Google’s (GOOG) upcoming “X Phone” will have customizable hardware options that will essentially let users pick some of the key features they want in a mobile device. While such rumblings are still firmly in the “rumor” category, former Apple (AAPL) evangelist and current advisor at Google’s Motorola division Guy Kawasaki has given them a little more life by posting a video on his Google+ page about the Porsche Exclusive program that gives customers the option of custom-designing their own Porsches from a list of given options. Just above the video Kawasaki writes that it would be “great if you could personalize your phone like this,” a hint that Google and Motorola are working on a similar “build-your-own-device” program.

In yet another curious marketing decision, Microsoft (MSFT) has decided to get in on the Samsung (005930) bashing game by releasing an ad this week that knocks the Galaxy S III, Samsung’s former flagship smartphone that’s almost a year old and is about to be supplanted by the Galaxy S 4. In the video, a Microsoft representative approaches two Galaxy S III owners — whom the ad helpfully informs us are “real people, not actors” — and shows them how the Nokia (NOK) Lumia 920 takes much better pictures than their current smartphones. At the end of the ad, the two real people decide to trade in the Galaxy S III for a Lumia 920 after viewing one picture taken with the device. The one plus side, however, is the fact that this new ad doesn’t feature any breakdancing or beatboxing. The full video is posted below.

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There has been a great deal of confusion among carriers and retailers regarding Samsung’s (005930) strangely tepid Windows Phone support over the past few months. Samsung’s supposed flagship Windows Phone device, the ATIV S, debuted in Europe in December and sank without a trace. The ATIV was simply the Galaxy S III with very minor tweaks and the Windows Phone OS slapped on. It now looks like the ATIV S will never launch in India. The U.S. launch of the ATIV Odyssey at Verizon (VZ) has been a complete disaster; the phone received no marketing support and is not even listed among the top 20 contract models at Verizon Wireless.

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One of the criticisms Android fans like to level at the iPhone is its non-get-at-able battery — meaning you can’t carry a spare (or rip the battery out to hard reset the phone). So here’s a bit of kit that proposes to help iPhone owners who have run out of juice. Gridcase’s Reactor case for the iPhone 5 will include a crank for manually charging the battery to eke a little more juice out of your device when there’s no wall sockets in sight.

Reactor doesn’t exist yet — Gridcase is kicking off a crowdfunding campaign to ”provide the funds for the final industrial design and transition of the prototype into production” — with its target goal being a rather hefty $350,000. But it has knocked up the following 3D renders of the Reactor:
Details of exactly how the Reactor works are pretty thin on the ground at this point because unfortunately for the company the new crowdfunding site it intends to use for the campaign, Crowd Supply, hasn’t launched yet (instead you get a ‘launching soon’ holding page). Update: The Reactor crowdfunding page (and Crowd Supply site) has now launched.

Here’s how Gridcase describes the Reactor in its release:

The Reactor utilizes a patent-pending, ultra-thin generator to enable users to manually charge the battery of their iPhone 5 when wall outlets are unavailable. The Reactor is designed to provide an all-important power boost when critical data must be retrieved or essential communication becomes necessary.

Since the Reactor is embedded into the phone’s case, there’s never a circumstance where the phone is without power. A small built-in battery provides enough of a boost to revive a dead phone, while manually cranking the generator can extend the battery life of the iPhone indefinitely.

The product specifications on the Reactor crowdfunding page are as follows:

• iPhone 5 Two-Piece Case with Built-in Patented Micro-Generator
• 400mAh Boost Battery
• 500mA Manual Generator
• 8.5mm Thickness
• 4.5 oz Weight

Hand-crank-powered charging is unlikely to generate a huge amount of charge, without a huge amount of effort so manage your expectations accordingly of exactly how practically useful a hand-cranked battery charger will be.

Gridcase’s wording talks of “an all-important power boost when critical data must be retrieved or essential communication becomes necessary”. So think sending a few text messages, rather than being able to finish watching that movie on Netflix. Notably the project page does not include any concrete details on how much charge an hour of cranking will earn you.

While Gridcase is starting with the iPhone 5, it says it plans to expand the range to other smartphones in future. Assuming, of course, it managed to crank up enough interest to get its project funded.

The Reactor for iPhone 5 case is expected to retail for $149, although the first 10,000 Reactors are being offered at an early-bird pledge level of $99. Deliveries are slated to begin in October 2013. As well as hosting the crowdfunding campaign, Crowd Supply will stock the Reactor once/if it’s available — acting as Gridcase’s ecommerce reseller.

Apple (AAPL) has iMessage, BlackBerry (BBRY) has BlackBerry Messenger and Google (GOOG) will reportedly soon have Babble. According to a report from Geek, Google is interested in unifying its messaging platforms into a single service. The company currently has a number of messaging services across different platforms such as Google Talk, Hangout, Google Voice, Messenger and more. Google is now said to be building Babble from the ground up to bring all of its services across Android, Chrome OS, Windows and Mac together. No timeframe has been revealed, but the company is expected to announce the service at its annual Google I/O conference in May.

The United States has outstanding LTE coverage compared to other markets, however worldwide carriers are beginning to upgrade their networks to deliver the high-speed wireless technology to their customers. According to a new report from ABI Research, the total mobile data traffic for 2012 amounted to 13,412 petabytes, an increase of 69% from 2011 when 3G data usage accounted for 46% of all traffic. The accelerated adoption of 4G LTE is expected to increase in 2013, however. The research firm estimates that LTE data traffic will grow an astonishing 207% year-over-year in 2013, compared to 99% growth for 3G traffic. The increase for LTE traffic comes as a result of added 4G deployments in developed markets throughout the world. There are still a number of markets that have not yet upgraded to the technology, though.

HTC (2498) has a lot riding on its next-generation flagship HTC One smartphone, but the company confirmed on Tuesday that the handset’s launch has been delayed. Multiple HTC executives confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that the HTC One will not launch on schedule, citing component sourcing issues as the reason for the delay. “The company has a problem managing its component suppliers as it has changed its order forecasts drastically and frequently following last year’s unexpected slump in shipments,” an unnamed HTC executive told the Journal. “HTC has had difficulty in securing adequate camera components as it is no longer a tier-one customer.” HTC’s marketing chief Benjamin Ho added that HTC expects to start filling preorders by the end of March, with a wider launch to follow “as we approach April.”

Here’s the big question Samsung (005930) needs to answer over the next few months: Has it become big enough where it can risk alienating the tech industry’s two most valuable companies? Bloomberg this week caught up with Doh Hyun Woo, an analyst for Mirae Asset Securities, who makes a strong case that Samsung is taking a big risk by releasing a high-end smartphone based on its own Tizen operating system. Although Samsung is insisting that Tizen is more of a fallback plan than a full-blown Android alternative, Woo says that may not stop Google from seeing it as a threat to its own ecosystem.

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Just because something is built with plastic doesn’t necessarily make it cheap to build. The researchers at IHS on Tuesday released their bill of materials (BOM) estimate for the Galaxy S 4 and found that the HSPA+ version has a BOM of $236 while the LTE version has a BOM of $233. When factoring in an $8.50 cost of labor per device, IHS estimates that the HSPA+ Galaxy S 4 costs around $244 to build while the LTE version costs $241 to build. The reason that the LTE version is cheaper, says IHS, is that it uses a less costly processor than the HSPA+ version. As Business Insider’s Steve Kovach notes, IHS’s Galaxy S 4 manufacturing cost estimate is significantly higher than the $207 manufacturing cost estimate the firm had for Apple’s (AAPL) 16GB iPhone 5.