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The guys at ASUS pulled out all the stops on their massive booth at CES this year and brought with them tons of new netbooks, notebooks, motherboards, graphics cards, and even some conceptual products from their Waveface line.       [http://www.pcper.com/] |
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As Google started selling its long promised Nexus One phones early users of the product are flooding the Internet with numerous complaints on the performance and other issues related to the mobile device use. Meantime, Google turned to be incompetent when solving such kind of problems with mobile users. As long as in most cases people buy subsidised phones from a mobile operator, they turn to the operator when they have problems. But this time Google is selling the phone direct to end-users. As a result people are turning for help to Google first but it has no qualified customer support that mobile-phone users are accustomed to. Google appears to be only accepting email customer queries, to which it pledges to reply in one to two days - far too long, say most people who are complaining online. [http://ecommerce-journal.com] Many people are also turning to T-Mobile and HTC, but getting little help there. T-Mobile is often referring people back to either Google or HTC for answers to questions. HTC is often referring people back to T-Mobile, according to complaints online. |
The best of the blogs on the smart-phone showdown. Andrew R. Hickey: ChannelWebGoogle played it smart unveiling the Nexus One smart phone, the latest Google Android offering, while [the International Consumer Electronics Show] is in full swing in Las Vegas. Why not take the opportunity to steal a little thunder away from all of the other device makers looking to make a splash on one of the world's biggest consumer-technology stages? ... But here's the rub: The Google Nexus One smart phone is a flavor of the week. The hype is going to die and the device, despite how cool and powerful [it is], will crawl back under the shadow of the all-encompassing Apple iPhone.Bill Gurley: abovethecrowd.comSome will argue that the best product will win the market and that Apple will still dominate the smart-phone market. The history of the personal computer market is no omen for this thesis. If you think about it, the people that know this better than anyone are the exact Apple loyalists who have been frustrated for years at Apple's lack of dominance in the PC market. Disruptive business strategies can and have trumped better products. And with no change to the current market, the Android leveraged position in the market could result in staggering unit share gains. This is not to say that the Google Android is better than or as good as the Apple iPhone. The key point is that it does not have to be. It only needs to be dramatically better than the current feature phone. Which it is.Paul Kedrosky: Infectious GreedGoogle's support of Apple's iPhone helped make a great and innovative Apple product more successful, and now Google is doing a Microsoft and driving its Android environment hard with new hardware and a more open approach that will create an entire ecosystem of hardware makers, software providers and carriers to make Android successful. The two products will appeal to different constituencies, to some degree, but Apple is going through the same experience it did in the early days of the PC industry: It legitimized a more elegant approach, and now looks set to stake out a somewhat marginalized position, if a highly profitable one.Preston Gralla: Seeing Through WindowsGoogle's Nexus One is certainly a nifty device, and has generated more than its share of hype. But ultimately, Google's mobile strategy isn't about flashy hardware--it's all about generating money from advertising, just like in the traditional Internet. Google's multibillion dollar empire is built on something rather humble--those simple text ads you see whenever you do a Google search. Google's move into mobile with Android and Nexus One isn't being done primarily to generate profits from hardware or software. Instead, it's to make sure that Google search and services dominates the mobile Internet in the same way it dominates the Internet now--and displaying ads on the mobile platform.[http://online.wsj.com/] |
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A U.S. software giant Microsoft has been struggling over the freefall of its Windows mobile operating system hit by a ``monstrous’’ jump in demand for open-based Android-equipped ``smart’’ phones. Major handset vendors such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are planning to hike the portion of contents-featured Google-powered phones in 2010 attracted by such skyrocketing consumer interests. Unlike Windows Mobile, the platform developed by a massive cross-industry alliance led by Internet giant Google, is based on open source Linux software and enables greater flexibility for programmers building applications and features tailored to handsets. ``Android-backed handsets will account for 50 percent of LG Electronics’ smartphone lineup by the end of this year and the remainder will go into with other platforms,’’ Nam Yong, CEO of the world’s No. 3 handset maker said on the sidelines of the International Consumer Electronics Show (ICES) in the U.S. desert city of Las Vegas. Nam said operating system itself doesn’t necessarily guarantee the competitiveness of mobile contents as contents development and easier accessibility from general consumers are ``more important.’’ ``For the time being, riding on contents provided by Google would be the right answer to secure an competitive edge,’’ the top company executive added. The runner-up of Nokia in the handset industry Samsung, which is planning to sell 20 million units of smartphones in 2010, has also been set to increase the portion of Android-equipped phones by over 30 percent due to greater consumer preferences for the gadgets, Samsung officials say. Samsung has been known to drop the stakes of the Windows Mobile-launched devices by 50 percent in 2010 ― a drop from 80 percent in 2009. In South Korea, the world’s most wired country and the crucial spot for Microsoft, the nation’s top mobile carrier SK Telecom plans to introduce 12 models of smartphones next month ― all of them are Android-equipped operating system. ``This puts a lot of pressure on Microsoft. Windows Mobile has to worry about Android’s numbers,’’ Ha Joon-du, an analyst at Shinhan Financial, a local brokerage, said. ``More drastic measures will be needed for Microsoft in coming months if it wants to revive its sagging fortunes in the mobile operating arena,’’ he said. Ha added Google’s first ``own-brand’’ Nexus One smartphone, which runs its latest version of 2.1 Android software, is expected to have a bumpy ride for a while, however, predicted the changes will maintain a steady momentum. According to the recent report released by a market research firm Gartner, Windows Mobile’s market share fell to 7.9 percent in the third quarter of 2009 ― down from 11.1 percent the same quarter of last year. A latest survey conducted by another research firm ― ChangeWave Research ― showed that interest in Android had risen by 15 percent in the past three months, making it the second most popular operating system just behind the iPhone. Of the people who told the firm in a mid-December survey that they planned to buy a smartphone in the next 90 days, 21 percent said they expected to purchase a handset powered by Google’s Android operating system. ``That number represented a 250 percent increase over the 6 percent that pegged Android as their mobile operating system of choice when ChangeWave last queried consumers’ plans in September,’’ it said, adding that the sudden surge in consumer interest in Android had ``roiled’’ the market. According to IDC’s research, Android is the sixth-most popular platform in the Asia-Pacific region, with just 1 percent market share last year, compared to the iPhone’s third place with 5 percent. But by 2013, the Android is expected to have 8 percent of market share, moving to third place, behind only Symbian and Windows Mobile. Upgraded Windows Mobile? To partly calm down such challenges to its dominant position in computer software, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the company will closely work with its bigger clients to put more features of its upcoming Windows Mobile systems. MS is also expected to release a new operating system for smartphones later this year. When contacted by The Korea Times over the launching timing of the Windows Mobile 7 operating system, a spokeswoman for Microsoft Korea said; ``Nothing has been decided yet.’’ Analysts say the upcoming upgraded version would make it possible to install advanced programs for PCs to Windows Mobile. They say the coming new operating system is being targeted at Android and will reportedly get both a revamped touch-screen interface as well as a lower price to lure phone designers that would otherwise pick an often free or low-cost Android license instead. ``More specifications will be put,’’ a high-ranking industry source said, referring to fast processors, high resolution screens, multi-touch and other key smartphone features. [http://www.koreatimes.co.kr] |
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At the Consumer Electronics Show, Microsoft was showing off a Toshiba TG01 with Windows Mobile 6.5.3. This seemingly minor (and previously unconfirmed) update to Windows Mobile brings significant changes to the user interface. Video tour of WinMo 6.5.3 included! Windows Mobile 6.5 devices hit retail shelves back in October. It was widely panned as not going far enough to make the mobile smartphone platform from Microsoft competitive with iPhone OS and Android. The problem with WinMo has been its user interface, which often requires users to break out a stylus. WinMo 6.5.3 is a big step in the right direction. The biggest changes to WInMo include new enhancements to the user interface that make it more finger friendly. There are new software buttons placed at the bottom of the screen that are much easier to find and interact with than before. There is a drop down dock that provides easier access to a number of system tools. The software QWERTY keyboard has also been somewhat updated with better access to alternate characters and key configurations. The best way to convey these changes is to check out the video below: Posted by Eric Zeman |
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Microsoft and HP have partnered together to unveil their new product - HP Slate PC. The new device, which is powered by Windows 7, was introduced by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2010 in Las Vegas. Although three new slate devices where showcased during the event from Microsoft, Ballmer divulged very little details about it. And also Microsoft was tight lipped about the release date of the product. The aim of the device is to bridge the gap between laptops and smartphones according to Ballmer. “We're talking about something that's almost as portable as a phone and as powerful as a PC running Windows 7,” Ballmer said. Hinting that Slate PC is just a model on which something is yet to come, Ballmer, during his keynote address at CES, said, “This device from HP is sort of a prototype of the coming HP Slate PC later this year.” New HP Slate device closely resembles Amazon Kindle DX in size. According to Ballmer, running Kindle PC software along with games-playing features would excite the customers. He said, “I think many customers are going to be excited about this PC. This particular demonstration runs the Kindle software.” Ballmer also explained that the device has multitouch capabilities along with virtual keyboard in it. Rumours from different sources suggested that the device is expected to have a 10-inch display as well. “You can flip through it and experience the book full colour and can download more content from Amazon right from within the application,” he said. However, HP Slate PC is likely to face intense competition from the iSlate, a tablet PC expected to be launched later this month by Apple Inc. In fact, most analysts believe that the iSlate will take away significant market share from the current range of e-book readers, netbooks and from other web tablets though the iSlate may not replace the iPhone. 
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Google has jumped right into the middle of the technology arena with its Nexus One smartphone introduced on Tuesday. Actually it is called a "Superphone" that's in a higher class of devices. But it's going to be difficult for any company to set its device apart nowadays from the iPhone and other Android phones on the market. By now, you're probably already sick of reading about the Nexus One, but a couple of talking points jumped out at me. It has a processor rated at 1 gigahertz, which should be one of the fastest mobile phones around. Other smartphones are in the 400 to 800 megahertz range. I'm also curious as to what Google has in mind, as it tries a new approach at connecting with consumers. And the company has indicated that are more products coming to its Google-branded online store. In case you missed the debut of the Nexus One this week, it's available at Google's Web site for $529 without service or $179 through T-Mobile. Verizon will come onboard later this year. New gadgets at CES During the Consumer Electronics Show that kicked off Thursday, there has been plenty of technology news coming from the Las Vegas Convention Center. All the major electronic and gadget players are there - pumping out news about the latest technology, such as 3-D television, e-book readers, and get this, smartbooks now join netbooks in the mini laptops arena. The smartbooks will bridge the gap even more between mobile phones and full-size laptops. As expected, the Android platform continues its march forward, with AT&T announcing five new devices from Dell, HTC and Motorola. But a car company also muscled its way into the spotlight with some pretty impressive technology. Ford shows its vision The keynote speech was given by the CEO of Ford Motor Co., who shared some of the vision for the automaker's SYNC technology in Ford vehicles and rolled out the MyFord Touch interface. The Ford SYNC technology has been around since 2008 and is now in its second generation of improvements for connecting your mobile phones and MP3 players to your vehicle. The MyFord Touch technology will add Internet capability to select vehicles with an in-car Wi-Fi receiver. After borrowing your wireless modem from your laptop and inserting it into a USB port in the vehicle, your passengers can be surfing the Internet and checking e-mail while you're driving. If you're parked, you'll be able to use the vehicle's touchscreen display and to do your browsing. If you don't have a wireless modem, just pull up outside a Wi-Fi hotspot. The other twist is that you'll be able to access applications on mobile devices such as the iPhone, the Blackberry and Android-powered phones. So if you're using apps like Pandora Internet radio, Twitter and Stitcher on your mobile device, get ready to do it all in the car. I'm sure other automobile manufacturers will have their own version of SYNC technology. On the General Motors front, Chevrolet and OnStar have rolled out a smartphone application to work with the upcoming Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle. Some of the Volt app functions will include setting the charge time and displaying mileage information. I wonder if purchasing a vehicle in the future will be based on technology instead of the usual criteria. Ford would want you to think the driving experience is going to be like being in the cockpit of a fighter jet. We also can look forward to radar-controlled collision avoidance systems. But this will open up a new pop culture for these computers on wheels. I can hear the conversations now. The car is locked up. I think it has a virus. It needs rebooting. [http://www.clarionledger.com/] |
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Hewlett-Packard Co, Microsoft Corp, Dell Inc, Motorola Inc and Lenovo Group Ltd are among a barrage of companies showing off thin, touchscreen, multimedia devices at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. The sprawling show floor was flooded with prototype and concept devices in an array of sizes, as vendors test the waters of an as yet unproven market. These wireless gadgets can stream video, download music, surf the Web and play games, aiming to win over consumers by bridging the gap between smartphones and laptops. They are jockeying for attention ahead of Apple's widely expected announcement of a 10- to 11-inch tablet computer in late January, which could redefine the category much as the iPhone did for phones. But some analysts doubted if consumers would take to tablets or slates, which join a market crowded with netbooks, e-readers, smartphones and laptops of all configurations. Gartner analyst Van Baker is skeptical of the category as a whole, saying he doesn't understand what functionality tablets offer that would compel consumers to shell out hundreds of dollars for them. "Apple could pull it off," Baker said, however, noting that the iPhone, iPod and Macbook maker already charges premium prices for its products so it may be able to persuade consumers to buy a tablet priced in the $500 to $800 range. Most of the tech vendors that showcased prototypes at CES were coy about pricing or potential launch dates. Apple itself has yet to publicly discuss any tablet. But HP, the world's largest PC maker, did confirm on Thursday that it would roll out a slate computer this year that will have multitouch capability, runs Windows 7, and has WiFi and 3G wireless connections. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had demonstrated the device at a keynote speech on Wednesday. "We've been looking at this space for quite some time," Phil McKinney, chief technology officer of HP's computer division, told Reuters. "The difference between a good idea and great idea is timing. We think 2010 is the right timing." Citing one potential use of what he called a rich media device, McKinney said HP has been working with magazine and newspaper publishers in connection with the slate. TABLET VS SLATE The distinction between a slate and tablet at this point seems semantic. Motorola Co-CEO Sanjay Jha said the company was considering making a tablet. Another Motorola executive, Don Schoch, showed a prototype "media tablet" with a 7-inch screen running Google Inc's Android operating system, a modem by Motorola and a chip from Nvidia Corp. Schoch said the tablet could sell for around $300 and be ready commercially by the fourth quarter, but whether it actually comes to market would depend on factors including the successful deployment of an advanced mobile network by Verizon Wireless. Dell said it could bring a 5-inch slate, which resembled a large smartphone, to market this year, and that it was studying a number of different screen sizes. "There's going to be tablets of every form and kind coming," said Jen-Hsun Huang, chief executive of Nvidia, whose graphics chips are found in many multimedia gadgets. Huang said a number of new devices based on Nvidia's Tegra chip are forthcoming and called 2010 the beginning of a "tablet revolution." Thomas Weisel Partners analyst Doug Reid estimated the overall tablet hardware market in 2010 at $3.5 billion to $5.3 billion, rising to $30 billion by 2014, driven by Apple. But he said tablets could cannibalize sales of netbooks and laptops, estimating average tablet selling prices at $700. "We view the re-invigoration of tablet product development now underway and related growth opportunity in 2010 as a near term positive for the PC industry," he wrote in a note issued on Thursday. Tablets have been tried a number of times over the years by various companies, without much success. For now, tablets appear to be distinct from electronic readers such as Amazon.com Inc's Kindle, which are best used for books and periodicals and have little multimedia functionality. E-readers are also growing in popularity, with a stack of new models hitting the CES show floor. "The tablet phenomenon is an opportunity," said Robbie Bach, head of Microsoft's entertainment and devices unit. "The truth is those (different types of screens) are all going to blend at one level. Over time, the distinction between screens from the user perspective, that's going to blur a little bit. The service delivery is going to be critical." |
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In August 2009, Google announced that it had agreed to acquire On2 Technologies for ¿ then ¿ roughly $106 million. At the end of last year, On2 ¿ not for the first time postponed a meeting at which it had hoped to get shareholder approval for its purchase by Google. A new shareholder meeting is scheduled for February 2010, but this morning Google and On2 released a joint press release announcing a deal to amend the merger agreement. Under the revised terms, each outstanding share of On2 common stock will receive 0.0010 of a share of Google Class A Common Stock for each share of On2 common stock, as previously announced, plus an additional $0.15 per share in cash. This would increase the deal size to roughly $133 million, or about $26.5 million on top of the previous offer. Google and On2 had initially said they expected the merger to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2009. If the deal is not completed by March 31 2010, either party can terminate it. Right after the initial announcement was made, several On2 investors sued the company, alleging that management had not shopped the company around to get the best price and that it had sold at a discount of what it was actually worth. The lawsuits were settled by On2 in late October 2009. The companies say the revisions to the terms serve to address the fact that the market value of Google?s Class A Common Stock has increased significantly since the initial merger announcement was made last August, while the value of the acquisition has remained fixed for On2?s stockholders. By increasing the consideration by an additional $0.15 per share in cash, On2?s stockholders are to receive additional value for their On2 common stock. [TechCrunch.com] |
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The trend to smaller connected devices will continue this year, as the likes of Nokia, Google and Apple deliver their new products Desktop computers are so last decade. 2010 is shaping up to be the year when internet users move decisively away from bulky machines to the mobile web. The trend towards portable, mini-laptops and devices that allow you to surf the web on the go will accelerate in 2010 as companies slug it out in the key battleground of smartphones, analysts predict. The recession barely dented the appetite for smartphones in 2009 and the handset market will once again capture the imagination of many consumers as Apple's iPhone competitors try once more to retake the high-ground. We are now in the "early innings" of the development of the mobile internet, according to a recent report from investment group Morgan Stanley, after the evolution of the PC and the desktop internet. The extensive report found that mobile internet - browsing the web from your handheld device - is ramping up faster than the desktop internet did a decade ago, as the key trends of 3G wireless connectivity, online social networking, video on handsets, voice calling on the internet and smartphones come together. "As 3G adoption hits inflection points in many markets, consumers are flocking to a broad range of IP- based usage models over powerful mobile Internet- enabled devices. We predict that smartphones will out-ship the global notebook and netbook market in 2010E and out-ship the global PC market (notebook and netbook and desktop) by 2012E," the report's authors said. First into the smartphone battle in 2010 will be Google and its Android operating system next week with the much-vaunted launch of the Nexus One smartphone. Google is expected to launch the handset in the US, made by manufacturer HTC to the company's specifications. The smartphone is expected to optimise Google's growing choice of applications for mobile devices and could present a credible rival to the iPhone. Google will reportedly sell the phone direct to consumers, bringing the internet search giant into the handset hardware business for the first time. Analysts said that Apple was leading mobile innovation with its iPhone and iPod Touch but in the next year or two the Google Android open operating system allied to device manufacturers could pose challenges to Apple's market share. The report said that RIM and its BlackBerry smartphones could maintain their lead in the enterprise market but could face difficulties longer term. Research firm Gartner predicted that worldwide mobile device sales to end users will have climbed to 1.214 billion units in 2009, only a decline of 0.67 per cent from 2008. Gartner and other analysts had forecast much steeper falls earlier in the year. The company now predicts sales in 2010 will show a 9 per cent increase from 2009. The Morgan Stanley report said: "Make no mistake, Apple and others are not just trying to upset the cell phone market. They are aiming to transform how communications works, how entertainment and news are distributed, how goods and services are purchased... and how we control all this stuff from the ever-expanding, rechargeable remote controls we carry in our hands." 2010 will be the year of the handset, according to Ilja Laurs, chief executive of GetJar, a company which provides more than 50,000 mobile applications across all major handsets and platforms to consumers in more than 200 countries. "If this year was all about apps, next year is all about handsets. Spurred on by the success of the iPhone, other manufacturers are focusing on features, design and the cool factor," he said. Some of the mobile phone sector's biggest players hope to start 2010 with a bang. Nokia's flashy N900 will hit the shelves in the UK in January as the Finnish company has yet another stab at reclaiming the high ground in its core market. The launch of the device, which is based on the Maemo open source operating system, will also provide some stiff competition for the iPhone when Vodafone offers it for free on a £35-a-month tariff in January. Meanwhile Samsung, which sold 200 million phones in 2009, looks set to take on Apple with a series of top-end phones based on Google's Android and its own Bada operating system. Mr Laurs said the importance of global mobile billing platforms will also increase as the sophistication of the paid-for services on the mobile internet increased. "For the ultimate growth and survival of the apps business - synchronised, global mobile billing is essential to ensure consumers can purchase content quickly and easily," he added. Tom Alexander, chief executive of Orange in the UK, expects mobile payments to become a reality over the coming decade, starting in 2010. "Today you pay for things by cash or on your credit card. Tomorrow, you'll use your mobile to buy the things you want, whether that's on the high street or the internet," he said. Yet even if the mobile payments market fails to blossom next year, the rise of near-field communications technology that allows contactless payments will gain pace, particularly with the London Olympics - a major showcase for that type of service - fast approaching. To start, consumers may start to swipe their phones to pay for bus or train tickets during 2010, with some trials of micro payments to buy one-off items like coffee also in the pipeline. However, perhaps the biggest breakthrough will revolve around a technology that has been around for well over a century. Orange will launch high-definition voice services in 2010, an improvement that has been described as echoing the leap from vinyl to CD in terms of quality. "Just as the current digital calling system we use superseded analogue, so will Hi Def supersede digital, with its crystal clear, superior sound quality - its introduction will herald a new era for mobile communications, and we'll be quick to forget what life was like before it," said Mr Alexander. The biggest event of the consumer tech year is expected to be Apple's launch of its tablet device. The company has declined to comment on multiple rumours about the device but it is thought to be similar to a enlarged iPod Touch, with a large, perhaps 10-inch colour touchscreen and wireless connectivity. Its price might be in the region of $900. [via: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk] |
