Category: News

Apple’s (AAPL) iPad has one big advantage going for it that the iPhone can’t match: it doesn’t rely on wireless carriers to be distributors. Barron’s points us to a new note from Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi outlining the reasons why it’s “highly unlikely” that Apple’s share of the tablet market will ever fall to the level of its smartphone market share. The most important factor, writes Sacconaghi, is that “the iPad has stronger global distribution through Apple stores, carrier partners and network of resellers, including third-party retail outlets (e.g., Best Buy, Wal-Mart, carrier stores) and third-party websites (e.g., Amazon.com).” In contrast, the iPhone is distributed by just 240 carriers worldwide, which Sacconaghi notes is “significantly lower than Samsung (005930) and Nokia (NOK), which have essentially global distribution, and Blackberry (BBRY), which is distributed by >2x the number of carriers.”

Intel’s plan to enter the media biz is looking more ambitious by the day: The company applied for a series of trademarks last week that seem to be related to the TV service it is going to launch out of its Intel Media unit. Intel filed three applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for trademarks on “Intel inside & out,” and the services described in these filings all fit Intel’s plans for its TV venture.

And while looking into these filings, I also stumbled across a seemingly related filing made a few months ago in secrecy that hints at possible branding strategies, and further highlights the ambitious scope of Intel’s TV plans.

Intel goes all out for its media service

Intel filed for three trademarks for Intel inside & out at the end of March in an attempt to secure the rights for both the phrase as well as two logo renditions. The applications cover a broad and somewhat random description of devices, including everything from set-top boxes to personal digital assistants, video cameras and media players. However, the description of associated services is a little more telling, and includes “providing text, data, image, audio, video, gaming and multimedia content for a fee or pre-paid subscription.” Also covered are:

“On demand transmission and services of data, audio, video, gaming and multimedia content; broadcasting services; teleconferencing; electronic transmission and streaming of movies, music, video, gaming and multimedia content;”

And it gets even more detailed:

“Entertainment Services; providing a database featuring audio, videos, television programs, motion pictures, games, current events and entertainment news, sports, games, cultural events, social, and entertainment-related programs; electronic games services provided by means of the internet;”

All of these items seem to describe Intel’s plans for its TV service pretty well. The company has been mum on some key details, but Intel Media boss Eric Huggers said in February that he wants to launch a full-blown TV subscription service that competes with cable, offering live broadcast feeds, on-demand content and an iPlayer-like TV catch-up service.

Oh, and the company will also make its own device, which it intends to sell through retail partners as well as on its own website, which is why the trademark application also includes a mention of “online retail of consumer electronic equipment and devices.”

But wait, there’s more

The Intel inside & out trademark applications were filed by Katherine M. Basile, an attorney with Novak Druce & Quipp LLP, a Cupertino-based law firm that has been doing these kinds of applications for Intel for a number of years now. Centrino, Atom and the original Intel Inside were all registered as trademarks by Basile.

But when I looked at her past filings, I stumbled across something curious: Back in September, she filed a trademark for Arlo, which features a description virtually identical to the one that’s part of the Intel inside and out application. Whole paragraphs seem to have been copied and pasted, including key descriptions like the one defining “broadcasting services; teleconferencing; electronic transmission and streaming of movies, music, video, gaming and multimedia content.”

However, Arlo wasn’t filed for Intel, but for an entity called 12307 Company LLC. That company was incorporated in Delaware in 2007, but it never applied for any other trademarks than Arlo. A quick check with the Delaware Department of State showed that its business address is in the famous Corporation Trust Center in Wilmington, Delaware, where it shares a mailbox with some 200,000 other companies. It’s a shell company, meant to hide the involvement of another entity.

So what does all of this mean?

Before we jump to conclusions about these trademarks, it’s worth remembering that companies don’t always act on their trademark filings. It’s possible that Intel filed for an inside & out trademark, and used 12307 Company to secure the trademark for Arlo, but won’t actually use either of them once it unveils its TV service. It’s possible, but somewhat unlikely, that Intel and 12307 Company don’t have any connection at all, and just filed virtually identical trademark applications through the same lawyer by accident. (Yeah, I don’t buy that one either.)

And of course, it is also possible that we are going to see an Arlo-branded TV service, powered by Intel inside & out, emerge later this year. An Intel Media spokesperson declined to comment on Intel inside and out as well as Arlo, instead sending me the following statement:

“We haven’t shared any info on the brand beyond confirming that we will introduce a new and unique brand when our product comes to market later this year.”

However, the bigger point here is that Intel isn’t just content with building a service that streams cable channels to your TV. Huggers told me during an interview in February that he wants to target all screens, and that this is part of a bigger plan to transform Intel. Turn the chip maker into a company that delivers and monetizes services running on those chips.

TV is only one piece of that puzzle, and your TV set is only one of many screens. Some of the other offerings mentioned in the filings, like video gaming and teleconferencing or even the notion of a multiscreen cloud media platform, are the logical next steps. Intel seems to be getting ready to embark on this journey, and in the process reinvent itself — inside and out.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Who and what to watch in the new era of the living room
• Cloud computing infrastructure: 2012 and beyond
• CES 2012: a recap and analysis

In 2011 two men were arrested in England for plotting to rob and murder pop star Joss Stone.

According to a report in The Telegraph, the men, Junior Bradshaw and Kevin Liverpool, have been convicted on conspiracy to to cause grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to rob. Liverpool has been sentenced to life in prison, and will serve a minimum of 10 years and eight months. Bradshaw’s sentencing was postponed.

According to the Telegraph report, the pair were found near the singer’s home with a “samurai sword” and knives. At one point the criminals asked a mailman for directions to Stone’s house. The amateur criminals were reported to have had notes outlining a plot to behead Stone and dump her body in a river.

The motive for the men’s plot isn’t entirely clear, though notes written by the men contained references to the British Royal family. The writings referred to the fact that Stone had been invited to the Prince William’s wedding in 2011. The men also mentioned Eminem, Beyonce, R. Kelly and Chris Brown.

Stone’s mother addressed the media after the convictions, thanking supporters on her daughter’s behalf and expressing relief that the men are behind bars.

Roger Ebert, probably the most well known film critic there is, has died at the age of 70 after a long battle with cancer.

The news comes just after Ebert announced that he would be taking “a leave of presence” as his cancer returned. In his post on his blog at the Chicago Sun-Times site, Ebert wrote:

At this point in my life, in addition to writing about movies, I may write about what it’s like to cope with health challenges and the limitations they can force upon you. It really stinks that the cancer has returned and that I have spent too many days in the hospital. So on bad days I may write about the vulnerability that accompanies illness. On good days, I may wax ecstatic about a movie so good it transports me beyond illness.

Some notable remarks from the Twitterverse:

It is with a heavy heart we report that legendary film critic Roger Ebert (@ebertchicago) has passed away

— Suntimes (@Suntimes) April 4, 2013

This news is jaw-dropping. RT @yahoonews BREAKING: The Chicago @suntimes is reporting its film critic Roger Ebert has died.

— Jeffrey Ross (@realjeffreyross) April 4, 2013

We join the world in deep sadness at the loss of a true champion of film, Roger Ebert. His true love of artists was as giant as his talent.

— SundanceFilmFestival (@sundancefest) April 4, 2013

Roger Ebert was a wonderful friend for 30 years, never stopped using his brilliant mind, and made one hell of a fresh salsa

— Steve Dahl (@SteveDahlShow) April 4, 2013

“This is my happening and it freaks me out”. Roger Ebert wrote the truly incredible Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls. He is beyond a legend.

— edgarwright (@edgarwright) April 4, 2013

Ever a class act, @ebertchicago made me love movies even more. bit.ly/Y0z147 #RIP

— Seth Green (@SethGreen) April 4, 2013

RIP Ebert. You inspired my joy for film with your contagious enthusiasm and spirit.

— Josh Gad (@joshgad) April 4, 2013

I was awakened with the news that my friend Roger Ebert has died. I can not express the sadness I feel. Roger was one of a kind.

— Harry Knowles (@headgeek666) April 4, 2013

Roger Ebert. Millions of thumbs up for you. RIP

— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) April 4, 2013

RIP the inspiring Roger Ebert. One of the greats.

— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) April 4, 2013

Roger Ebert R.I.P. See you at the movies.

— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) April 4, 2013

RIP Roger Ebert. A beautiful man.

— Kevin Allison (@TheKevinAllison) April 4, 2013

All best thoughts to Roger Ebert who’s undergoing another battle. He’s been a part of my life for my whole career. marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/03/rog…

— Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) April 3, 2013

Solar thermal company BrightSource has seen two of its contracts — to sell power from its desert solar farms to utilities — cancelled since the beginning of 2013. The situation highlights the hurdles that such large solar thermal power plants face, while rooftop solar panels continue to drop in price and are increasingly being installed.

Solar thermal technology uses mirrors to concentrated the sun’s rays to a liquid-filled collector point, which heats up and produces steam and powers a steam tubine, delivering electricity. Solar panels, on the other hand, convert sunlight directly into electricity.

This week utility PG&E and BrightSource agreed to mutually terminate agreements for PG&E to buy solar power from two 250 MW planned solar power plants, called Hidden Hills, located in Inyo County, near the Nevada border. The projects are estimated to cost a combined $2.6 billion, and the companies said the contract was terminated due to “challenges associated with the project schedule and uncertainty around the timing of transmission upgrades.”

BrightSource has been focused on adding energy storage technology to its projects, which would make its power plants more robust and be able to provide energy when the sun isn’t shining. BrightSource says its Hidden Hills site is a good candidate for a solar farm with the storage technology, but that such a change would require an amendment to the permit application and a reopening of the record to go over the new layout and plan. Suspending the current application saves time and expense, BrightSource spokesperson Keely Wachs tells me.

Back in January utility Southern California Edison and BrightSource also agreed to terminate a contract for a 200 MW solar plant for its Rio Mesa 2 project near Blythe, California. The California Public Utilities Commission had denied an adjacent contract next to Rio Mesa 2 due to cost concerns last year, and BrightSource suspended permitting for both Rio Mesa 1 and 2 earlier this year.

BrightSource is completing its flagship solar thermal project called Ivanpah in the desert near Las Vegas this year. Wachs says that BrightSource is also currently focused on its Palen solar project in Riverside County, which has already been permitted by the California Energy Commission.

But still, the hurdles for BrightSource’s solar power plant contracts illustrate some of the inherent difficulties with trying to build massive solar plants, filled with mirrors and trackers and towers. Such large solar farms need transmission lines to shuttle the power to the cities that will use it, but transmission lines can be controversial, expensive and take a very long time to deploy.

Environmental reports can also take many months and a lot of money. Protests from environmentalists have derailed, and added significant costs, to solar thermal projects.

While solar thermal projects face such hurdles, solar panels continue to drop in price and are being deployed at a rapid pace. As GigaOM Pro research analyst explained this week: “3313 megawatts came online in the U.S. in 2012, a 76 percent increase over 2011 with GTM Research predicting that we’ll see continued growth up to 4300 megawatts this year.” And in particular utility-scale solar panel projects grew 134 percent last year and accounted for more than half of installed solar.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Report: Cleantech’s Third-Quarter Growing Pains
• After Solyndra: analyzing the solar industry
• How China’s troubles are affecting greentech

A common refrain is, “We have to do more with less.” A common result is feelings among employees of overload and burnout. With higher demands and fewer resources, what’s the solution?

Tony Schwartz, CEO of the Energy Project and a contributor to HBR’s Blog Network, sees the key as energizing the workplace through “sustainable engagement.” This requires that organizations shift from the traditional focus on getting more out of people to investing instead in meeting people’s core needs so they are freed, fueled, and inspired to deliver sustainable high performance.

Tune in now to hear Schwartz describe what sustainable engagement is, why it matters, and how organizations can create it.

One of the great things about attending Facebook’s events is that one gets to see Mark Zuckerberg mature as a chief executive and hone his presentation skills. And today, he didn’t disappoint in his ability to spin a large corpus of media corps. It was all claps for “four-colors on HTC First” and ideas “inspired” by the likes of Amazon Kindle (ads) and Path. But what he did most brilliantly was obfuscate the difference between an app (Home) the user experience layer and the operating system.

Zuckerberg did that for two reasons: First, to buy his company time to build a proper OS that will come to us in dribs and drabs and then will wash over us suddenly, like a riptide. And secondly, to convince people that ”Home” is just like any other app. Unfortunately, Facebook’s Home is not as benign as that.

In fact, Facebook Home should put privacy advocates on alert, for this application erodes any idea of privacy. If you install this, then it is very likely that Facebook is going to be able to track your every move, and every little action. It is a future I wrote about a few days ago, and let me explain using that very same context.

The new Home app/UX/quasi-OS is deeply integrated into the Android environment. It takes an effort to shut it down,  because Home’s whole premise is to be always on and be the dashboard to your social world. It wants to be the start button for apps that are on your Android device, which in turn will give Facebook a deep insight on what is popular. And of course, it can build an app that mimics the functionality of that popular, fast-growing mobile app. I have seen it done before, both on other platforms and on Facebook.

But there is a bigger worry. The phone’s GPS can send constant information back to the Facebook servers, telling it your whereabouts at any time.

So if your phone doesn’t move from a single location between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. for say a week or so, Facebook can quickly deduce the location of your home. Facebook will be able to pin-point on a map where your home is, whether you share your personal address with the site or not. It can start to build a bigger and better profile of you on its servers. It can start to correlate all of your relationships, all of the places you shop, all of the restaurants you dine in and other such data. The data from accelerometer inside your phone could tell it if you are walking, running or driving. As Zuckerberg said – unlike the iPhone and iOS, Android allows Facebook to do whatever it wants on the platform, and that means accessing the hardware as well.

This future is going to happen – and it is too late to debate. However, the problem is that Facebook is going to use all this data — not to improve our lives – but to target better marketing and advertising messages at us. Zuckerberg made no bones about the fact that Facebook will be pushing ads on Home.

And most importantly it is Facebook, a company that is known to have played loose-and-easy with consumer privacy and data since its very inception, asking for forgiveness whenever we caught them with its hand in the cookie jar. I don’t think we can be that forgiving or reactive with Facebook on the mobile. It is time to ask for simple, granular and easy to understand privacy and data collection policies from Facebook, especially for mobile. We need to ask our legislative representatives to understand that Facebook wants to go from our desktops and browsers, right into our home – place where we need to be private.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• The future of mobile: a segment analysis by GigaOM Pro
• Mobile 2012 and beyond
• Analyzing the wearable computing market

Today, Facebook announced Home, a deep integration of Facebook into Android that basically turns any phone that installs it into a Facebook Phone. Home, which will launch on April 12th, is a family of apps that when installed, turns your entire homescreen into one big Facebook experience.

And the main aspect of that experience is the Cover Feed. It features all the fresh content from your Facebook news feed, basically turning your Android device into a photo-oriented, swipeable Facebook hub. You can like, comment, and view notifications directly from your Facebook Home screen – with no need to launch any sort of app. It’s without question the deepest Facebook integration any mobile OS has ever seen.

And you can bet that Facebook it going to try to monetize it.

After the event, CEO Mark Zuckerberg made it clear that ads will be coming to your Facebook Home Cover Feed.

“There are no ads in this yet, I’m sure that one day there will be,” he said. He then repeated his answer when asked again about whether or not ads would be coming to the Cover Feed. According to Zuckerberg, ads are just another kind of content.

C’mon. Don’t look so sour. You didn’t think that Facebook would build a grand new Android-based user experience and leave out the ads, did you?

When Facebook Home launches, it will be downloadable on the HTC One X, HTC One X+, Samsung Galaxy S III and Samsung Galaxy Note II – and eventually the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4.

And on that same day, the HTC First will launch as the first phone the comes with Facebook Home pre-installed.

Well, the rumors were false. Facebook didn’t release a phone today, not that I’m surprised. There are reasons why we write so few rumor stories here at BetaNews — they often are false. “We’re not building a phone. We’re not building an operating system”, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said early this afternoon. But the social network has launched an OEM program for the new Facebook Home, which displaces the default Android start screen. HTC is first partner. Aptly named then, the smartphone is called HTC First.

Preorders start today, and the device will be available exclusively from AT&T, in four colors (black, pale blue, red and white), on April 12. Facebook Home, which also will be downloadable same day for HTC One X and One X+ and Samsung Galaxy S III and Note II, is First’s default experience. Essentially, the social network becomes primary user interface on top of Android.

First sells for $99.99 with 2-year contractual commitment. By the specs, the smartphone is no screamer. Modest feature set includes 4.3-inch display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 dual-core processor, 4G LTE and Android 4.1. The preorder page is, as I write, a dead link. (How can you not laugh at that?)

HTC First: 4.3-inch display with 1280 x 720 resolution. 1.4GHz Qualcomm 8930AA dual-core processor; 1GB RAM; 16GB storage; 5-megapixel front- and 1.6MP rear-facing cameras; 1080p video recording; 4G: LTE (850/1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ (850/900/1900/2100 MHz); GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz); Wi-Fi N; ambient-light and proximity sensors; digital compass; GPS + GLONASS; gyroscope; tri-axis accelerometer; 2000 mAh embedded battery; Facebook Home; and Android 4.1.

Ralph de la Vega, AT&T Mobility president, claims that the “best device for Facebook Home is the HTC First”. I look at the other supported smartphones, which include HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 when available, and wonder: “Who is he kidding?”

HTC’s listed specs are much better, and I wonder if AT&T can’t get them right or the “exclusive” is less than what other carriers will eventually get. Those specs, as HTC presents them: 5-inch 1080p display. 1.4GHz Qualcomm 8930AA dual-core processor; 1GB RAM; 16GB storage; 5-megapixel front- and 1.6MP rear-facing cameras; 1080p video recording; 4G: LTE (850/1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ (850/900/1900/2100 MHz); GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz); Wi-Fi N; ambient-light and proximity sensors; digital compass; GPS + GLONASS; gyroscope; tri-axis accelerometer; 2000 mAh embedded battery; Facebook Home; Instagram; and Android 4.1.

Those specs look pretty good for a $100 phone with or without Facebook as primary UI. I’ll update when there is clarification that AT&T’s model is less or the PR people are just incapable of getting specs right.

Update: The preorder page is now live and gives the 4.3-inch screen, and HTC lists both. Strike-outs and changes are reflected above. Features are modest compared to other smartphones capable of running Facebook Home.

As for the Facebook experience, Home runs atop of Android. Zuckerberg observes that the three-decade-old current computing puts apps first, which, he claims doesn’t make sense for personal devices like smartphones and tablets. What if they were “designed around people not apps?” he asks. “It would feel very different”.

Home presents Facebookers with Cover Feed, a bleeding edge-to-edge view into the latest posts. Users can view or interact, including tap to Like. There’s a real personal publication feel to the presentation. Cover Feed works in conjunction with Notifications.

For communications, Home features Chat Heads, which is real-time messaging available from anywhere within the UI. Not to completely dismiss apps, there also is a launcher for accessing them.

“With Home available right out of the box, you’re getting the best quality experience for connecting with your friends”, Zuckerberg asserts. But out of the box doesn’t mean out of luck everywhere else. Users of the above-mentioned other supported smartphones can download Facebook Home from Google Play starting April 12.

Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows RT platform for tablets has not been well received. The media was very critical in early looks at the new operating system, and reviews of Microsoft’s Surface tablet almost unanimously found that the stunning hardware was being held back by mediocre software. Consumer response to products doesn’t always mirror the sentiment of reviewers but in the case of Windows RT, it looks as though the mass market hasn’t shown much interest in Microsoft’s most recent tablet play.

Continue reading…

At its much hyped Android event today, Facebook unveiled Home, a custom set of apps that transform any ol’ Android phone into a Facebook phone. The event was mostly focused on what Home can do for users, but Facebook wants its stable of developers to know that Home is for them as well.

First up, the Cover Feed is advantageous for developers as it lets users access app content as soon as they turn on their phone. Here’s the list of story types that can be shared via Cover Feed at the moment:

Photos stories