Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Windows Phone gaining market share: Survey

WASHINGTON: Google's Android mobile operating system extended its dominance in smartphones in the US and other major markets in early 2013, according to a survey published on Monday.
Kantar Worldpanel ComTech said Android was used on 49.3% of smartphones sold in the US market in the first quarter, compared to 43.7% for Apple's iOS, the operating system for the iPhone.
 Android has thus boosted its lead from a year ago, when it was ahead of Apple by a margin of 47.9 to 44.6%.
 In other major markets, Android was even more dominant -- with 93.5% of smartphones in Spain, 73.6% in Germany, 69.4% in China, and 63.3% in France.
 Japan was the only country in the survey where Apple was in the lead, with a 49.2% market share to 45.8% for Android.
 But the survey also showed gains in several countries for a relative outsider, Microsoft's Windows Phone, following the upgraded platform introduced in late 2012.
 In the United States, Windows boosted its share to 5.6% from 3.7% a year ago, Kantar said. Windows grabbed 10.9% of smartphone sales in Italy, 7.2% in France and 7% in Britain.
 "As iOS and Android continue to battle it out for top selling smartphone OS, we have seen Windows steadily grow over the past year and is now at its highest sales share figure so far," said Kantar analyst Mary-Ann Parlato.
 "Windows' strength appears to be the ability to attract first time smartphone buyers, upgrading from a feature phone," she said, adding that this means prospects are positive for Windows, especially in the United States.
 "With over half of the US market still owning a featurephone, it's likely that many will upgrade over the coming year, which will ultimately contribute to more growth for the Windows brand," Parlato said.

Apple's iOS 7 said to be visually different, flat

A new report says Apple's next version of its iOS will look very different from previous iterations, though stay largely the same.



It's no secret Apple plans to show off the next major version of iOS at its annual developers conference in June, though what exactly will be different about the new software has been fuzzy.
Citing multiple people who have actually seen Apple's next iOS endeavor, 9to5Mac says Apple's making big changes in the look and feel of the software. Specifically making everything -- from app icons to interface features -- "very flat," as opposed to the bubbly and oftentimes realistic interfaces that have stayed mostly unchanged since 2007.
On top of this, the report adds that Apple is looking into additional ways to access basic information with gestures, similar to what it currently uses with a one-finger swipe to bring up Notification Center, and a four-finger swipe on the iPad to pull up the multitasking menu.

Apple is viewed as being at a point of transition when it comes to its own design. The company reshuffled its top management last October, ousting iOS software chief Scott Forstall, and putting both iOS and Mac software under the guidance of former Mac software chief Craig Federighi. Those moves were underscored with hardware designer Jony Ive taking on "leadership and direction for Human Interface" across all of Apple. A report last month claimed the industrial design and software teams were already working more closely, as a result.Design changes are nothing new when it comes to Apple software. OS X in particular, has undergone major revamps every few years. That includes a storied history of pinstripes, brushed metal, and glassy windows, which -- at various points in the last few years -- could be seen right next to one another in different apps, in the same major release. iOS, on the other hand, has seen plenty of changes in interface elements, but not the look and feel of the home screen itself.
In taking a flat approach to its system software, Apple would join Microsoft and Google, which have gone that route with their Windows Phone and Android software. In both of those cases, the changes reflect part of a larger design language that can be found in other products and services.
Apple's WWDC, where the software is expected to debut, begins on June 10. The show, which is typically attended by about 5,000 developers, sold out in two minutes last week.


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Canon India eyes 300 retail stores by 2015


Electronics major Canon India plans to expand its retail stores to 300 by 2015 as it looks to double the revenues from the vertical to over Rs 340 crore in the next three years.
The company, which currently has 100 'Canon Image Square' stores in around 50 towns across the country, plans to add more in order to display its entire camera product range.

"We are planning to create 300 stores in three year's time. We can go to 100 more towns during this period," Canon India Executive Vice President Alok Bharadwaj told PTI.
The company, which expects the vertical to clock Rs 172 crore in 2013, aims to double the revenues in the next three years.
"We expect that in next three years revenues from this vertical would double and clock around Rs 340 crore," Bharadwaj said.
Canon, which today launched 12 new camera models in the Indian market, is eyeing a turnover of Rs 2,125 crore in the current year, from Rs 1,850 crore in 2012.
"This year with new initiatives, we should be able to increase market share in both DSLR and compact camera categories by 5 per cent each," Bharadwaj added.
Currently, Canon has a market share of 40 per cent in the DSLR category and 20 per cent market share in digital compact camera vertical, he added.
In order to achieve the desired results, the company would be spending Rs 100 crore on marketing initiatives in 2013, Bharadwaj said.
Meanwhile, the company today expanded its wi-fi enabled compact digital camera range with the launch of five more models, taking the total number of models to nine.
"With the launch of these models, almost 40 per cent of our compact digital camera range has become wi-fi enabled... We expect one-third of total compact digital camera business to now come from wi-fi models," Bharadwaj said.
The company also launched two new DSLR and two new camera models to shoot movies.
"We sold 24 cinema cameras last year. This year we are confident to sell 100 cameras," Bharadwaj said.

HP launches world's fastest desktop printer

Nitin Hiranandani, Director, Printing Systems PPS, HP unveiles the world's fastest HP desktop printer in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: Kamal Narang


Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday launched for business in India its latest range of Officejet Pro X 500 series printers that are recognised as world's fastest desktop printer by Guinness Book of Records.
"HP's Officejet Pro X 500 series is recognised as the world's fastest desktop printer by Guinness World Records. It is powered by HP PageWide Technology and can deliver professional documents at up to 70 pages per minute,” HP Printing Systems PPS Director Nitin Hiranandani told reporters here.
The series includes four devices and HP claims that they deliver high-quality documents at up to twice the speed and half the cost of colour lasers.
These devices are targeted at work-teams with up to 15 users printing up to approximately 4200 pages a month. Users can also print from virtually anywhere with the latest mobile printing technologies such as HP ePrint.
The HP Officejet Pro X Series is priced in the range of Rs 31,499-50,499.
The company also introduced its Officejet Pro Black & White series on Wednesday, priced in the range of Rs 7,999-11,999.
In 2012 HP sold about 3 million printers in India, which included 1.2 million inkjet printers and 1.8 million laser printers. The company controls more than half of the market for both the printers in India, Hiranandani said.

Here comes 'WhatsApp phone'

Nokia Asha 210: The 'WhatsApp phone' with a QWERTY keyboard


Nokia has released a mobile phone with a dedicated WhatsApp physical button.
The feature triggers the cross-platform messaging app which offers a free alternative to SMS texts.
HTC and Nokia have previously released handsets with Facebook-devoted buttons, but this marks a first for WhatsApp.
Analysts suggested the move would make WhatsApp the text app of choice on the handsets, but suggested it would have limited impact on the wider mobile phone market.
Nokia's Asha 210 runs on the firm's proprietary Series 40 operating system and will be targeted at consumers in emerging markets looking for a cheaper alternative to the Finnish firm's Windows Phone range and other companies' smartphones. The OS supports third-party web apps and software written in the Java programming language.
To achieve a targeted retail price of £47 ($72) Nokia decided that the device's 2.4in (6.1cm) screen would not be touch-enabled.
Users have to use its built-in Qwerty keyboard and navigation button to launch and operate apps, so having a dedicated key gives WhatsApp an edge over alternatives on the handset.
In addition owners of the phone are offered a subscription to the app for the device's lifespan rather than having to pay the normal annual fee.
Nokia refused to reveal the financial terms of the arrangement and said it would monitor customer response before deciding whether to include the feature on any of its other devices.
Room to grow
Silicon Valley-based WhatsApp launched in 2009.
Its chief executive Jan Joum recently told the AllThingsD tech site that his firm had more active users than Twitter which claims more than 200 million people use its service at least once a month.
Asha 210Nokia said it had not yet decided whether to offer the WhatsApp key on other handsets
Mr Joum did not give an equivalent figure of his own. However, he did say that WhatsApp processed about eight billion inbound messages and 12 billion outbound messages a day.
According to a study published by tech consultancy Ovum, WhatsApp is the world's third most popular social messaging service after Facebook Chat and Google Chat.
Reports earlier this month suggested the firm was in talks to be taken over by Google in a $1bn deal - however, they were later denied.
A survey by Ovum suggested that 51% of WhatsApp users reduced the amount of SMS messages sent after downloading the app.
That threat has prompted some telecom operators including Telefonica to launch their own rival services, while others such as India's Reliance Communications have preferred to sign formal partnerships with WhatsApp itself.
Since Nokia's Asha range is predominantly targeted at consumers in Asia, Africa and the Middle East any benefits from the tie-up will come from those territories.
"WhatsApp is doing quite well in emerging markets, but you have local players who are outstripping it simply because they are more culturally specific and can therefore outshine the US firm," said Neha Dharia, an analyst at Ovum.
"The most prominent example is in China with WeChat.
"But the emerging markets still offer huge potential for all the social messaging apps to grow because the amount of mobile internet available is still lower than in mature markets."
However, another industry watcher questioned what impact the move would have.
"Having a dedicated hard key is a nice touch and it might help differentiate Nokia's Asha line," said Roberta Cozza, research director at tech analysis firm Gartner.
"But I don't think it will make a big difference for either of the firms involved because there are already lots of affordable low-end full-screen touch-enabled Android phones out there which can be customised to offer quick WhatsApp and other messaging software."

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Can Nokia survive ?

In Greek mythology, there were two Titan brothers: Prometheus and Epimetheus. Prometheus means "fore-thinker," and Epimetheus "after-thinker." Prometheus, who gave humans fire, represents the progress of civilisation, while Epimetheus represents backward thinking, staleness and indecision. Nokia used to be, and can be again, a fantastic example of what Prometheus symbolises.
 Nokia originated in 1865 as a pulp-making enterprise, far removed from its present occupation. But you will appreciate the foresight of its founders. Nokia entered the sphere of modern technology in 1902 with electricity generation. In 1992, it redesigned its logo to include the iconic words "Connecting People." This is when they exited from all other businesses except one — telecommunications, which they pioneered.
Low-priced Lumia?
For the next 14 years, Nokia ruled the globe as the leading mobile phone manufacturer. In 2000, its market cap touched a staggering $245 billion, but unfortunately that marked the end of the Prometheus phase for Nokia. It is hard to believe that the current market cap of Nokia is just $11.95 billion.
 If it had changed its orientation from being a "product company" to a "services company" in the early 2000s, as it is attempting now, then perhaps the current crisis could have been avoided. An obsession with cost reductions and rapid growth helps explain how Nokia, long revered for quality and foresight, got itself hijacked by number oriented management and lost the character necessary to maintain a customer-first focus.
 Under Stephen Elop, who joined Nokia as its CEO from Microsoft in September 2010, Nokia commenced the migration from Symbian to Microsoft's Windows (Lumia) not a day late. After losing money in six previous quarters, Nokia finally delivered an operating profit of $557 million in Q4 2012. It slipped into losses again in Q1 2013 but it narrowed down its operating loss to $196 million from $1.7 billion a year earlier — not out of the woods yet, but not sliding into oblivion either.
 The fact that the Lumia sales grew by 27% in Q1 2013 over Q4 2012 and the mobile phones sales declined by 30% for the same period indicate that MS-based Lumia is not growing fast enough. An inability to be guided by a healthy fear of bad consequences is a disastrous flaw and Nokia needs to come out of it by launching low-priced, Android-based Lumias and thus grow their business by two to three times. Even as Nokia is fighting the touchscreen smart phone battle, it probably realises that future competition might not be with other device manufacturers, but with, hold it, Google. But first Nokia has to address its continued loss of market share in emerging markets like India and China.
 India is Nokia's second largest market but the company's revenues have declined by 25% since 2010. More worrisome is China, where its revenues have declined by 65% in the same period. These markets need best-in-class talent, long-tenure leadership teams and consumer understanding to manage the changing demographic profile. The resignation of D Shivkumar as Nokia India MD could negatively impact the execution.
 Nokia can regain the consumer franchise it lost, all it needs to do is to manage five contradictions:
1) Global Integration vs Local Adaptation,
2) Efficiency vs Creativity,
3) Control vs Autonomy,
4) Explicit vs Tacit Knowledge,
5) Economies of Scale and Scope vs Economies of Speed and Persistence
What Nokia needs is "both/and," not "either/or." As NassimTaleb writes in Antifragile, when someone has more upside than downside in a certain situation, he is anti-fragile and tends to gain from randomness, errors, uncertainty. This does seem the case for Nokia — it has the advantage of hindsight as well as the much needed foresight. 
 The writer is a partner in a PE firm

Samsung Galaxy S4 scratch test


samsung galaxy s4 top side aa


What’s the first thing you would do with your brand new Galaxy S4? Why test out just how scratch-resistant the screen is of course, by assaulting it with an assortment of common household items. Youtube user Szabolcs Ignacz has uploaded a video of just such a test, so all thanks go out to him for this one.
Fortunately the Galaxy S4’s display is built using Corning’s new tougher Gorilla Glass 3, which should give it a fighting chance.
All of the important tests are included; common pocket-bound items such as keys and coins, as well as a more deliberate attempt to damage the screen with a steak knife.
Let’s watch.
Looks like the Samsung Galaxy S4’s screen holds up very well, it’s really quite impressive. Hopefully we’ll see a few more top of the line smartphones and tablets outfitted with these super strong protective displays in the near future.

HTC One vs Galaxy S4: by the numbers


There are several 1080p full HD smartphones vying for the top spot in the increasingly crowded high end Android handset market. Among them are the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4. But how do they compare? Here is a “by the numbers” look at these two flagship phones.
1.6 mm
How much narrower the HTC One is compare to the Samsung Galaxy S4. The HTC One is 68.2 mm wide while the S4 is a fraction wider at 69.8. This difference is minimal and is unlikely to be a deciding factor for trying to choose between the two!
0.8 mm
The difference in length. Although the HTC One is slightly narrower, the S4 is a hair width’s shorter. However, like the width, this is unlikely to be a deciding factor for purchasers.
1.4 mm
Is how much the S4 is thinner than the HTC One. With large 1080p screens the width and length of the devices are almost predetermined with only the bezel width left to tweak. However the thickness of the device is something that manufacturers can work with and the S4 is thinner than the HTC One. The Samsung is just under 8 mm thin, quite an achievement, while the HTC One is no brick, but does add an additional 1.4 mm making it 9.3 mm thin.
6.35%
The HTC One has a pixel density 6.35% greater than that of the S4. The HTC One has a 4.7-inch 1080p display with a pixel density of 469 ppi, while the S4 uses a 5-inch 1080p display. That gives the Samsung a slightly lower pixel density. A key factor for potential owners is the difference in the screen size. Does the extra 0.3 inch make the Samsung a better phone?
130 g
The total weight of the Samsung Galaxy S4. The HTC One is just a few grams heavier at 143 g. A noticeable difference? According to Android Authority’s Kristofer Wouk, “At 143 grams, it’s not the lightest phone we’ve seen, but the solid feel on such a thin device is worth the trade off.”
13.04%
More battery for the Galaxy S4. Samsung’s flagship uses a 2600 mAh removable battery. The S3 had a 2100 mAh battery and the HTC One is sandwiched between the two at 2300 mAh. Battery life is certainly going to be important. Our tests have shown that the S4 provides a more than adequate battery life, plus it has the advantage that the battery can be removed, something that can’t be done with the HTC One.
Zero
The number of SD card slots in the HTC One. The amount of internal storage is often a crucial factor for those buying a smartphone, but the ability to add more is, to some, an even more important element. The S4 has an SD card slot which allows you to add an additional 64GB of storage. Although you might not need this extra space at the beginning having the option to add more later could be useful.
200 minutes
The time it takes to cut and process the HTC One’s aluminum unibody frame. The Galaxy S4 still uses plastic at a time when others, like HTC, have moved to more luxurious materials for their flagship offerings. Some consumers will reject the S4 because of its plastic build and could prefer the HTC One because it looks more high quality.
10 million
Is the number of S4 units that Samsung plans to ship in the first month after the device’s international release. By the end of June Samsung plans to have shipped 30 million devices and is estimating that the S4 will become its most popular phone. In comparison HTC is thought to have shipped 300,000 HTC One units in March and will make a further 1.2 million units in April. By May the company hopes to send out an additional 2 million units. If the phones sell as expected it looks like Samsung will outsell the HTC One by a factor of at least 5!
???
What number is key for you in deciding which Android smartphone you will get next? To help you decide check out our video reviews of both phones:

Flexible screens coming, but not as soon as you would like

mobile-display-635.jpg

The touted arrival this year of wearable gadgets such as computer displays strapped to wrists and in wrap-around glasses is just a step towards a bigger revolution in screens - those that can be bent, folded and rolled up.
Once freed from today's relatively heavy, breakable and fixed glass displays, tomorrow's devices may look very different, with screens that can be rolled out, attached to uneven surfaces, or even stretched.
But there's still some way to go.
"It becomes a product designer's paradise - once the technology is sorted out," says Jonathan Melnick, who analyses display technology for Lux Research.
There is no shortage of prototypes South Korea's Samsung Electronics this year showed off a display screen that extends from the side of a device but obstacles remain: overcoming technical issues, figuring out how to mass produce parts cheaply, and coming up with devices compelling enough for gadget buyers.
Screen technology and the global small display market is seen more than doubling to around $72 billion by 2016, according to DisplaySearch is still dominated by liquid crystal displays (LCDs), which require a backlight and sit between two sheets of glass, making the screen a major contributor to the weight of a device, from laptops to tablets.
"Most of the weight in a tablet is the glass structure in the display and the support structure around it to prevent it from cracking," said Kevin Morishige, a former engineer at Cisco Systems Inc, Hewlett-Packard Co and Palm.
LCD's dominance is already under threat from lighter Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) that don't need backlighting, are brighter, offer a wider viewing angle and better colour contrast - and can be printed onto a few layers.
From gorilla to willow
Glass, however, is getting lighter and more flexible.
Corning Inc, whose toughened Gorilla glass became the screen of choice for many smartphones, will provide phones with curved glass edges as soon as this year. It is also now promoting Willow Glass, which can be as thin as a sheet of paper and is flexible enough to be wrapped around a device or structure. Initially, Willow will be used as a coating for products like solar panels, but it is eventually expected to create curved products.
A key selling point for Willow is more efficient production which involves so-called roll-to-roll manufacturing, like a printing press, rather than today's more costly batch manufacturing. But the commercialization of Willow as a flexible product is some way off, James Clappin, who heads Corning's glass technology group, told Reuters.
And glass has its limits.
"You can bend it, but you can't keep flexing it," said Adrian Burden, a UK consultant who has worked on several start-ups related todisplay technology, and holds patents in the field. This means that while glass is likely to continue to play a leading role in devices with curved displays, screens that users can bend, fold and roll will likely be plastic.
But plastic is not as robust as glass. "As soon as you introduce plastic substrates you have all kinds of issues with sensitivity to the environment," says Burden.
Barrier films, nanoparticles
So while OLED and plastic would seem to be companion technologies they create an extra problem when laid together: they need so-called barrier films to prevent the various layers from leaking oxygen and moisture.
"There are barrier films in all sorts of products, for example food packaging, but the challenge is that OLED is one of the most sensitive materials we follow, and so creates huge challenges," says Lux Research's Melnick.
Singapore-based Tera-Barrier Films, for example, has developed a way to plug leaks in the layers using nanoparticles. DirectorSenthil Ramadas says that after years of delays the company last month started production in Japan and aims for mass production by end-2014. "You have several challenges in the value chain," he said. "All these things need to be established, and only now is it coming out."
And there's another problem: all the materials in a bendable display need to be bendable, too - including the transparent conductors that drive current through the display. Several technologies are vying to replace the brittle and expensive Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) used in most fixed displays, including nanowires, carbon nanotubes, graphene and conductive mesh.
Some of these technologies are close to production. Another Singapore-based firm, Cima Nanotech, for example, rolls a coating of silver-based conductive ink on a sheet which then self-aligns into a web of strands a few microns across that forms the conductive layer.
It's unlikely such shifts in the underlying technologies will yield products immediately. For one thing, "prototypes can be made," says Melnick, "but that's a long way from mass production as many of the processes and material in these devices face big yield and scaling issues."
On a roll
This is gradually changing, some in the industry say, as production shifts from making parts in batches of sheets to the more efficient roll-to-roll process. "Batch is more expensive and slower than roll-to-roll, which needs new equipment and design - and takes time," said Ramadas at Tera-Barrier.
All this requires money, and manufacturers have to be convinced to invest in the new equipment.
Even after the success of Gorilla Glass, popularized by the Apple Inc iPhone, Corning is having to work hard to prepare customers for Willow displays. Clappin said customers want thinner devices and easier to produce glass, but Willow requires a completely different manufacturing set-up.
"When we talk about commercialising Willow a big part of our development activity is enabling the ecosystem to handle what is essentially a brand new material," Clappin added. "Nobody's accustomed to working with glass that bends and moves. It's a new material. The ecosystem needs to be trained to handle it."
He sees demand, particularly from video gamers, for Willow-based curved screens, but remains less convinced about rollable or foldable screens. "Conformable is in the near future. As far as flexible, bendable, fold-upable goes, I see that further out and I'm not even sure that's a viable product," he said.
That in turn requires figuring out what end users might want. "For us and for our clients it's not so much about the flexible display technology," says Brandon Edwards, Shanghai-based executive creative director of frog, a design company owned by India's Aricent. "That's a huge part of it, but what are the practical ways we can bring products to market and how fast, and what's the right cadence? What are consumers going to be responsive to?"
What do people want?
For companies with deep pockets, like Samsung, this can mean building prototypes such as those displayed at international technology shows. But that doesn't guarantee success in selling products. Sony Corp, for example, promoted flexible OLED displays back in 2007. "Six years later they've not come up with anything," says Zhang Jie, senior scientist at Singapore's Institute of Metals Research and Engineering. "If Samsung's going to really drive this the application really needs to drive people and make them want it."
This slows down the process. In late 2011, Samsung told analysts it planned to introduce flexible displays into handsets "some time in 2012, hopefully the earlier part than later", but a year later the company said the technology was still "under development." In an investment note last month Jefferies said that while Samsung may introduce "unbreakable" screens this year, it didn't expect to see flexible displays in Samsung devices until 2014-15.
Ultimately, teasing out the technical problems may be only half the battle.
"This is the eternal question of the speciality materials industry," says Lutz Grubel, Japan-based head of marketing for German glass maker Schott's Xensation Cover 3D glass. "You have something, a material, and you're looking for an application. That's the game."

Samsung to use flexible OLED screen on Galaxy Note 3?

samsung-flexible-amoled-bendy-display-01


Samsung is getting closer to commercializing the first devices featuring a plastic-based (flexible) display. According to a report from the OLED Association, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will be on show at the IFA 2013 Berlin show in September, and its plastic screen could be one of the phone’s most talked features.
According to OLEDA’s research, the screen of the Galaxy Note 3 will be made out of a thin plastic material that is not only shatterproof, but also lighter and thinner than current glass substrates.
The screen of the Note 3 is supposedly going to be similar to the Youm displays showed off at CES back in January. However, that doesn’t mean that the Note 3 will necessarily feature a curved screen like the prototypes we’ve seen so far. The screen is more likely to maintain a flat shape.
Whilst the screen of the Note 3 is said to be around half an inch larger than the Note 2, a plastic substrate would make it much thinner and lighter than its predecessor. According to a diagram by the OLEDA, a plastic-based screen would be half the weight of a glass-based OLED panel and an amazing less than a third the weight of a similarly sized conventional LCD display. Needless to say, moving to plastic would enable massive weight reductions, potentially enabling manufacturers to pack heavier batteries without making phones cumbersome to hold.
NOTE 3 article_FPD panel structure comparison
However, there’s a warning in the report that makes us wary. OLED A doubts that Samsung will be able to deliver full HD RGB resolution on plastic, and, even if it is, low yields are likely to limit the number of units that Samsung is going to be able to sell. The Note 3, while not as popular as the Galaxy S4, is likely to sell tens of million of units, making it crucial for Samsung to ensure a steady supply of displays. Therefore, it’s possible, says the report, that Samsung will only sell the plastic-based display version of the Note 3 in certain markets, offering versions with a conventional, glass-based display in most markets.
With about five months until IFA, Samsung still has time to iron out the kinks. All eyes will be on the Koreans to see if they can kick-start the next revolution in mobile displays.

ASUS Cube Google TV review

ASUS Cube Google TV review

The past year has been a busy one for Google TV -- in fact, with the big I/O conference right around the corner, we're sitting down to review our fifth such device in the past 12 months. The ASUS Cube naturally does everything one would expect from a Google TV set-top box, but it also has a few tricks of its own, like a mic for voice search and a unique "Cube" main menu interface. At $129, it's priced just above the Vizio Co-Star and far below the Sony NSZ-G57. So how does it stack up? Let's see.


HARDWARE

ASUS Cube Google TV review
Obviously, when you name your device after its shape, your intent is to draw attention to what you believe is a unique differentiator, so let's start there. The ASUS Cube is of course a cube, with every edge measuring just under five inches. Judging by the fact that it is bottom-heavy, we suspect the top half of the device is empty and wonder why the extra space wasn't used to house an internal power supply -- but we do appreciate the decision to go with a power-brick style over a wall wart.
Like every Google TV, there are two HDMI ports so you can pass through your cable or satellite provider's set-top box and share the coveted input-one. That's the only audio or video output, though; there aren't any for older TVs or even a digital audio out for those without a free HDMI port on their AV receiver. There's also a USB port on the side and one around back, which you can use for external storage or to quickly watch content off a flash drive. The 10/100 Ethernet port is readily available for those lucky enough to have a wired connection near the TV, while 802.11b/g/n should handily suffice for everybody else. The last port to speak of is for connecting an IR emitter, which comes in the box and is required if you wish to control your TV or AV receiver via IR using the Cube's remote, which doesn't emit IR on its own. This is useful, no doubt, but we do wish the Cube included internal IR emitters too, especially after seeing how well the Logitech Revue's integrated IR system works.
ASUS Cube Google TV review
Inside, the Cube shares the same Marvell Armada 1500 chipset as its more recent Google TV competitors. Although there's technically 4GB of flash storage, only 2GB are actually available for use. The HDMI port supports just about every HD resolution and frame rate you might want, but there's no mention of 4K. It's also able to natively pass the Dolby Digital Plus signal from the likes of Netflix and Vudu if your AV receiver can accept it. The last trick the HDMI port features, that we are always pleased to see, is the inclusion of HDMI-CEC. Basically, this enables the TV and receiver to automatically turn on or off when the Cube does with more reliability than IR can provide, but volume control via CEC wasn't something we were able to test.

REMOTE

ASUS Cube Google TV review
In contrast to most home theater gear, where you don't even put batteries in the included remote and use a universal remote instead, the remote that comes bundled with a Google TV box isn't easily replaceable. We're happy to report, though, that the Cube's remote makes the box stand out in a good way. The overall fit and finish is solid thanks to a grippy texture, solid feel and well-placed buttons. The highlight, however, is the trackpad located on the opposite side. It performs reliably as a pointing device and you can quickly toggle it into a push-button d-pad (via an accessible button on the side) for standard up-down-right-left navigation. The good news, if you can call it that, is that the trackpad works so well that you really miss it in apps that don't support point-and-click, like Netflix. The other miss here is the lack of a backlight, which you'll find on at least one other Google TV box.
The remote does stand out in another way that ASUS is happy to point out -- no, not motion-control gaming, the Vizio On-Star has that as well -- it features a mic and buttons to activate Google's Voice Search. The Hisense Pulse also features a mic, but previously only the LG G2 Google TVs could use the remote's mic for Voice Search. This worked as you might expect -- so no, not perfect -- except that we had to have the remote a little closer to our mouth than we might normally prefer.
Overall the remote is a reason to buy the Cube, and aside from some range problems we had when trying to use the keyboard, we really like it. That said, it isn't the be-all, end-all remote and the lack of macros will mean you'll probably keep your programmable remote around.

SOFTWARE

ASUS Cube Google TV review
The Cube is a solid Google TV set-top box but it isn't going to change anyone's mind about Google TV.
The Cube's name doesn't only describe the box's shape; it also covers the design of the main menu. The user interface is a three-dimensional hexahedron with only two sides exposed. The left side is used to indicate which of the 11 main sections is currently selected (Favorite, Photo, Education, News, Music, Sports, Social, Games, TV & Movie and Home) and the right offers up six sub-menus to drill into. We suppose this will be a matter of personal preference, but this particular editor isn't a fan. Overall, you're left with a bunch of white space and a less-than-awe-inspiring effect. Happily, though, you can easily select the All Apps tile from the Home menu and still have access to the familiar Google TV grid of applications. At least the box has the power to pull off the fancy menus without any noticeable slowdowns, though.
Speaking of applications, the typical offerings from Google are here, including HBO Go, Netflix, Chrome, Google Play, Google Music and PrimeTime. But ASUS does add a few of its own to distinguish the Cube. The two most notable, and perhaps unique, are the Whiteboard to turn your TV into a huge collaboration device, and ASUS Web Storage, which comes with a free 50GB account for easily accessing your content in the cloud. Some of your media is probably still hanging around the house and so ASUS also included apps for accessing your movies, music and photos. These can grab content via DLNA, FTP, SMB or an external, USB-attached hard drive -- most typical codecs and containers are supported, but check the full list on the support site to be sure your favorite is there. The last app you won't have to hunt for on the Play store for is a task killer, as one is included too.
ASUS has done a good job of setting the Cube apart from its Google TV competitors with its software -- again, judge the Cube user interface yourself -- but at the end of the day it's still Google TV 3.2. So all the good (and bad) things we've said about itpreviously still apply here. The only other bit we'd add is that there should be a screen saver or dimmer feature for those with displays susceptible to burn-in. Also, other Google TV boxes have done a better job adding menu overlays to facilitate multi-tasking while in apps (the Vizio Co-Star's App tray comes to mind).

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ASUS Cube Google TV review
From the very beginning, Google TV has offered the best browser experience for televisions, but a good browser experience alone can't win over mainstream consumers. In almost three years, Google has continued to iterate its TV offering through both software and hardware (via partners). The Cube has a strong place in that lineup, bringing new features and a competitive price. Sure, the Vizio Co-Star is still less expensive, but the Cube's remote is closer to that of the much more expensive Sony NSZ-G57's in both ergonomics and usefulness. The added software from ASUS will surely help set this device apart from the competition, but the Cube interface? Not so much. In the end, the Cube is a solid Google TV set-top box but it isn't going to change anyone's mind about Google TV. More than anything, though, our biggest hesitation in recommending the Cube is a matter of timing. With Google I/O right around the corner, we can't help but worry that the time to buy a new Google TV isn't now



PSA: First Firefox OS developer phones on sale now, open standards start at $119




As promised, Geeksphone is offering both of its Firefox OS smartphones starting today. While the Firefox orange-tinged Keon will set you back $119, the slightly more upmarket Peak is priced at $194 -- check out both of them in action after the break. The online retailer is willing to send both developer devices to anywhere in the world, so if you're looking to be part of the next billion smartphone users, place your order at the source.


SONY XPERIA ZL REVIEW




AN AVERAGE SMARTPHONE WITH STIFF COMPETITION.




→ APRIL 22, 2013 At CES in January, Sony sparked renewed interest in its Xperia smartphone line with the introduction of the Z, a sleek, ultra-thin handset with a staggering 1080p 5-inch display, waterproof casing, 13-megapixel camera with HDR video, and powerful quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor. But while the Z racked up accolades, its sibling, the Xperia ZL, got lost in its shadow. The ZL shares many of the same specs and features of the Z, but trades glass paneling for a rounded textured back and a slightly heftier design. Can the ZL stand on its own and, more importantly, compete with other heavyweights like the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4?
The answer, unfortunately, is decidedly no. While the ZL has inherited many of the Z's strengths under the hood, the exterior design is unremarkable. The front features an edge-to-edge glass panel with a very thin bezel, while the back is encased in a textured plastic. While the white and red variants might help the ZL stand out, the design lacks any distinguishing flair. Although Sony has put a few small touches on the shell, like its Cylon-esque indicator light and mirrored silver trim on the sides, the Xperia ZL not only fails to separate itself from the deluge of similarly nondescript handsets on the market, it's lightyears away from many of the year's top contenders.
For the less design-conscious, the ZL ranks competitively on the latest features and specs of current and upcoming smartphone hardware. Sony is keeping up with the recent trend of larger-than-life smartphone displays with the ZL's 5-inch 1080p TFT screen, which produces amazing color and brightness. With a pixel density of 441ppi, it leapfrogs over the iPhone 5's 326ppi display, but falls shy of the HTC One's 469ppi Super LCD3 screen. But the screen isn't without its problems. While it looks incredible from a straight-on view, the quality diminishes from a wider viewing angle — colors become dull and drab and black tones look washed out. I also noticed that the ZL's built-in light sensor can be somewhat slow and temperamental. When indoors and the display's brightness should have been toned down, the ZL had the screen maxed out, causing unnecessary drain to the battery.
Click for high-res version.
Sony is also putting its camera technology to work with the ZL's integrated 13-megapixel sensor with Exmor RS, allowing the phone to capture high dynamic range (HDR) high-definition video. The camera app comes loaded with Sony's Superior Auto mode, which combines HDR and noise reduction technologies to capture more detailed and balanced photos. But because the ZL is measuring several light sources and using multiple processing methods at once, the end result can be hit-or-miss. With ample natural light, the ZL can produce some of the clearest, most vibrant photos I've seen on a mobile device, but when conditions start to vary, image quality dwindles. In most cases, I was forced to take multiple photos of the same subject with drastic variation in white balance, color representation, and focus. HD video, on the other hand, is much more stable.
And then there's the battery life. Between checking email before getting out of bed in the morning and scrolling through RSS feeds on the train to work, the ZL's battery would drop by nearly 20% by the time I got to my desk — only about an hour and a half of semi-active use. In most cases, I found the ZL running almost on empty in less than 5 hours, forcing me to develop a twice a day charging schedule — juicing up while at work and again when I got home in the evenings. Sony has included power-saving features like Stamina mode, which disables data use while your phone is on standby, but that also limits your capacity to receive push notifications from apps and email.
In terms of processing prowess, the ZL is powerful, but isn't setting any speed records. Geekbench 2 scores place it heads-and-tails above the iPhone 5 and outpacing the Nexus 4, but short of the HTC One and Galaxy S4. Graphics scores follow a similar trend. In terms of real-life gameplay, the ZL runs the most graphically intense Android titles with ease, but once again, at the cost of battery life.
The ZL runs Android 4.1.2 — a version behind the most recent release of Google's mobile OS. Like all Xperia handsets, the ZL ships with Sony's unique UI layer, which gives icons their own distinctive look and feel, as well as adding new tools, like Sony's mini apps and custom multitasking view. Compared to other Android skins, Sony's is fairly subtle, offering only subtle tweaks over the stock build. But the software isn't without its flaws. Keyboard performance is notably lackluster, falling behind screen taps, entering the wrong letter, and making questionable auto-corrections.
Onboard storage is also limited. The ZL ships with only 16GB of storage space, which isn't much to work with when you're downloading large game files or taking a lot of photos. Obviously you can expand the overall storage via microSD, but that comes at additional cost.

The First Elevated-Pin Braille Smartphone Gets A Prototype


Incoming text gets translated into braille through little pins, constantly moving up and down to convey what's happening in the phone.

Braille Phone
With smartphone interaction mostly relying on sight, since there's no tactile difference to what's on the screen, some blind people have turned to apps to make up the difference. These apps can do some pretty impressive things, like determine the denomination of currency or read text out loud, rendering braille unnecessary for some tasks. But those were workarounds, to make up for the inability to create an actual braille interface. For about three years, a team of inventors in India have been working on a smartphone that can turn apps and text into braille. Now they've got a prototype.
The phone, from the Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship in Ahmedabad, translates text into braille by elevating pins: after the text or email or webpage comes in, the pins form a braille version that the user can touch to read. It's not clear what operating system the phone will run on--Android? Something else?--but according to the Reports, it'll feature "all other elements" that your more traditional smartphone would have.
The creators, led by inventor Sumit Dagar, are shooting for a release by the end of 2013. Starting price? Just less than 10,000 rupees, or about $185.

Asus FonePad tablet to be launched in India on April 24


New Delhi: Taiwanese technology giant, Asus will launch its 7-inch Android tablet- FonePad in India on April 24. 

The first Asus Android tablet to run an Intel processor was unveiled back in February at the Mobile World Congress in Spain. 

An Android 4.1 Jelly Bean powered tablet will have a 1.2-megapixel front facing camera & 3.15-megapixel rear camera.

The new tablet also comes with voice-calling and 3G data connectivity features.

It is expected to be priced at around Rs 15,500 excluding taxes.

Key Specs of the device: 

Display: 7-inch display with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels

OS: Android v4.1 OS (Jelly Bean)

Processor: Intel Atom Z2420 processor with 1.2GHz CPU speed

Camera: 1.2-megapixel front facing camera & 3.15-megapixel rear camera

Battery: 4,270-mAh battery

RAM: 1GB

Memory: 8GB and 16GB. Extendable 32GB memory

Apple’s iPhone does not violate Google’s patents, rules US trade panel


Apple Inc scored a win on Monday when the US International Trade Commission ruled that it did not violate a Google patent to make the popular iPhones.
Apple had initially been accused of infringing on six patents for iPhone-related technology covering everything from reducing signal noise to programming the device’s touchscreen so a user’s head does not accidentally activate it while talking on the phone.
If Apple had been found guilty of violating the patent, its devices could have been banned from being imported into the United States.
Google can appeal the decision to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. “We’re disappointed with this outcome and are evaluating our options,” the company said in a statement. A spokeswoman for Apple declined comment.
iPhone 5 is seen in this file photo. Getty Images
iPhone 5 is seen in this file photo. Getty Images
The smartphone industry has seen dozens of lawsuits on several continents as Apple vies for market share with companies that make smartphones that use Google’s Android software.
Google acquired the patents in the case – and the lawsuit – when it purchased Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in 2012, partly for its library of telecommunications patents.
Google’s Android software, which the company lets handset makers use for free, has become the world’s No 1 smartphone operating system, ahead of the iOS software used on Apple iPhones.
The ITC, a US trade panel that investigates patent infringement involving imported goods, is a popular venue for patent lawsuits because it can bar the importation of infringing products and because it issues decisions relatively quickly.
Motorola Mobility, which has since been acquired by Google, accused Apple in 2010 of infringing on six of its patents. Two were terminated from the case, and the ITC said last August that Apple was innocent of infringing three others.
But the commission had also asked its internal judge, Thomas Pender, to reconsider its finding that Apple did not violate a fourth patent, which is for a sensor to monitor the location of a user’s head to keep it from maneuvering on the touch screen. Pender found that patent obvious in December, and the full ITC came to the same conclusion on Monday.
The case in the ITC is In the Matter of Certain Wireless Communication Devices, Portable Music and Data Processing Devices, Computers and Components Thereof, 337-745.