Bendable, Foldable Samsung Smartphone by Next Year; In-Flight Wi-Fi to Become Much More Useable
Posted: June 7, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: American Airlines, Folding screens, Gogo, in-flight Wi-Fi, phablets, Samsung, Skype, Smartphones, Viasat Leave a commentSamsung has developed the tech for folding screens to the point they may roll out smartphones with it next year. Engadget.com picked up a story from Bloomberg saying that a couple of devices will have flexible OLED screens- one folding like a cosmetic compact and another that transforms from a 5-inch smartphone-sized screen to a roughly eight inch screen …basically, converting from a phablet to a tablet. If the rumors hold up, we could see these by Mobile World Congress next February!
If you’ve tried it, you know in-flight Wi-Fi is more like in-flight dial up…but that’s about to change. According to bgr.com, American has signed a deal with Viasat, and is ditching Gogo. Where Gogo has relied on ground stations, Viasat use satellite tech to get Wi-Fi to travelers. They are claiming 12Mbps to every passenger, which would be enough to stream movies, make Skype calls (with some lag) or surf the web without feeling like you want to commit homicide. Gogo is also rolling out a satellite system, but it only gives 70 Mbps to the entire plane to share, which won’t be much better than what they already offer. American’s fleet should be equipped with the Viasat faster internet by September 2017.
Xiaomi Getting Ready to Bring Their Smartphones to the US; Apple’s WWDC Starts June 13th
Posted: June 2, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, China, iOS 10, iPhone, Mac, Microsoft, Samsung, Smartphones, Watch, WWDC, Xiaomi Leave a commentAfter following the lead of Samsung and shamelessly aping Apple’s iPhone in their home country of China, it looks like maker Xiaomi is ready for their US closeup. Bgr.com reports that they have become the fastest growing smartphone maker, and now they’re coming to the US. Their latest crop of phones barely resemble the iPhone now, and they’ve purchased about 1500 patents from Microsoft. Xiaomi is known now for selling affordable smartphones with designs and specs that rival much more expensive ones, so if you’re on a budget but want a top flight phone, this could be the real deal.
We knew it was coming soon, and now we have a date. Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference will kick off in San Francisco Monday, June 13th, with the keynote at the usual 10 am Pacific. Bill Graham Civic Auditorium will be crammed to the rafters with tech reporters and developers. By noon that day, we should have lots more details about the next version of Apple’s iPhone/iPad software — iOS 10 — as well as news on Apple Watch, Apple TV and Macs. Cnet.com says they’ll have live coverage, as will a number of other tech sites. We’ll recap things right here. Stay tuned…
Future Fuel Cell Powered Macbook Could Run Days or Weeks
Posted: September 4, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, ComScore, Facebook, Fuel Cell, Google, Instagram, Macbook, Messenger, Pandora, Smartphones, Yahoo, YouTube Leave a commentWe just reported about 10 days ago about a British company called Intelligent Energy working with Apple on a fuel cell battery case that can keep your iPhone going for a week. Now, businessinsider.com says Apple has a patent for a fuel cell battery that could run some of its devices for days or even weeks. This one describes a “portable and cost-effective fuel cell system for a portable computing device,” and it joins others Apple already had on the books. This one seems to be aimed at MacBooks…the filing mentions the ‘MagSafe’ connector, but not the Lightening connectors used on iPhones and iPads. Apparently, you would just replace a fuel cartridge ‘detachably affixed to the fuel cell system’ when the fuel runs out.
It seems like everyone has a smartphone now…and that perception isn’t far from reality. According to an analysis by ComScore picked up by marketingland.com, US smartphone penetration hit 77% in July. In the social media race on smartphones, Facebook dominates more than ever. They stay #1, and Facebook’s freestanding Messenger app is now #2, bumping YouTube to third place. Don’t shed a tear for Google though…their apps hold down slots 3, 4, 5, and 6! Pandora radio, Gmail, Instagram, and Yahoo stocks round out the top 10.
Office for Android Now Available on Phones & Roost Battery Opens Orders
Posted: June 24, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, iOS, Kickstarter, Microsoft, Office for Android, Roost Smart Battery, Smartphones, Smoke Alarm, Tablets, wi-fi Leave a commentAfter being dropped for Android tablets in January, theverge.com says Microsoft has released Office for Android smartphones. It’s just about identical to the iOS version…not as robust as the tablet app, but great for quick drafts and edits on your smartphone. It has full Dropbox and OneDrive support for file storage.
Last fall, we covered a Kickstarter for the Roost Smart Battery. Thenextweb.com reports they’ve gone live to the public for preorders. The Roost battery turns your existing smoke alarm into a smart connected one. A 9 volt battery pack is $34.99, and a twin pack is $64.99. You can order through Amazon or GetRoost. They ship in September. The Roost batteries connect over WiFi to your home network, and they have Android and iOS apps for monitoring when you’re away.
New Samsung Chips for the Internet of Things
Posted: May 13, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Artik, Border exception rule, Intel, Internet of things, laptop, Samsung, Search, Smartphones, Supreme Court Leave a commentSamsung has unveiled a new family of chips designed for the internet of things. Cnet.com says The Artik line has 3 versions, ranging from 10 bucks to 100 dollars, and can be expected to power trackers, drones, smart hubs, and more. Intel has new tiny processors coming by the end of the year, so Samsung is getting a head start by rolling out their line now. The chip family uses the same tech as Samsung uses in their smartphone processors.
Basing a decision on a Supreme Court ruling that smartphones taken by police from an arrested individual can’t be searched without a warrant, a federal district court judge has ruled that this extends to laptops going through customs, putting a crimp on the ‘border exception rule’ that has allowed authorities to seize and search items at the border or at airports. According to Arstechnica.com, the decision points out that a laptop contains much more private information than a mere container or even a briefcase.
Sony Pressing Ahead On SmartEyeglass Wearables
Posted: February 18, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Google Glass, Hulu, Ray, Secondary market, Smart Playlist, SmartEyeglass, Smartphones, Sony, Universal Remote, Watchlist Leave a commentDespite GoogleGlass being gone for now, Sony is getting ready to ship a developer edition SmartEyeglass wearable March 10th. Appleinsider.com says they can be preordered now for $840. Unlike GoogleGlass, these need to talk to an Android smartphone via Bluetooth.
Hulu is getting smart. Engadget.com reports that they’ve added Watchlist…a smart playlist that will bump shows up in the que it notices you tend to watch first. It’s a coming trend…Ray has a universal remote now that tracks your habits for $199.
How many people upgrade smartphones to get the latest and greatest? A report by Gartner picked up by techcrunch.com says 60% in the US & Germany. This also means a big 2nd hand phone market. Gartner says it will go from 56 million last year to 120 million in 2017.
Bye, Bye ‘Feature Phones’
Posted: May 7, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: CardMunch, Evernote, Feature phones, iBeacon, Smartphones Leave a commentThe so-called ‘feature phone’ is all but gone. Anandtech.com says ARM expects a billion entry level smartphones by 2018- twice as many as are shipping now- and $20 Android smartphones coming later this year! They don’t expect manufacturing scale to allow anything much cheaper…but that ought to be cheap enough!
9to5mac.com reports that Walgreens and retail giant Walmart are testing Apple’s iBeacon indoor positioning system. Walgreens already has them in 10 test stores. Walmart says 90% of retail still happens in store, and has to do with proximity.
Thenextweb.com says LinkedIn has shut down its CardMunch business card scanning app, and has partnered with Evernote for card scanning. Just a month ago, Evernote added the ability to reach out to LinkedIn connections without leaving the Evernote app. The updated Evernote app is already out for iOS, but Android is still ‘coming soon.’
How Much Do Two Companies Dominate Smartphones?
Posted: March 19, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: NFC, Smartphones, Smartwatch Leave a commentIf you’ve wished for more variety in the smartphone market, good luck…it’s tough for manufacturers to compete. Bgr.com reports that for the last 6 years, Apple and Samsung have accounted for 88% of all mobile phone profits!
Best Buy and 7-Eleven are making waves in mobile payments. Gigaom.com says they are shutting down near field communications used by Isis and Google. Both are part of a group of big retailers called Merchant Customer Exchange, that uses bar code readers like Starbuck’s.
Samsung is rumored to be working on a Gear 2 smartwatch with a sim card, according to techcrunch.com. It would initially be exclusive in their native Korea. With this Gear 2 you could make calls without being tethered to a smartphone. It’s been a long time coming, but if Dick Tracy were around, he’d finally be getting something even better than his 2-way wrist radio or TV!
How Much Do Two Companies Dominate Smartphones?
Posted: March 19, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: NFC, Smartphones, Smartwatch Leave a commentIf you’ve wished for more variety in the smartphone market, good luck…it’s tough for manufacturers to compete. Bgr.com reports that for the last 6 years, Apple and Samsung have accounted for 88% of all mobile phone profits!
Best Buy and 7-Eleven are making waves in mobile payments. Gigaom.com says they are shutting down near field communications used by Isis and Google. Both are part of a group of big retailers called Merchant Customer Exchange, that uses bar code readers like Starbuck’s.
Samsung is rumored to be working on a Gear 2 smartwatch with a sim card, according to techcrunch.com. It would initially be exclusive in their native Korea. With this Gear 2 you could make calls without being tethered to a smartphone. It’s been a long time coming, but if Dick Tracy were around, he’d finally be getting something even better than his 2-way wrist radio or TV!
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