Apple

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• Apple
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• Steam
• Operating system

Valve announces Steam Machines hardware beta for SteamOS

Jordan Kahn Sep 25 2013 - 10:08 am PT

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Earlier this week Valve made the first of three big announcements being teased on its website with the introduction of SteamOS: a Linux-based, open and freely licensable operating system that will run any number of devices and deliver the Steam experience in the living room. Today the company announced the second part of the puzzle with the launch of a hardware beta program for “Steam Machines” that will run the operating system:

Entertainment is not a one-size-fits-all world. We want you to be able to choose the hardware that makes sense for you, so we are working with multiple partners to bring a variety of Steam gaming machines to market during 2014, all of them running SteamOS.

Valve has designed a “high-performance prototype” and it will ship 300 of the boxes to Steam users for free in order to test the platform:

While these products are still in development, we need your help. As always, we believe the best way to ensure that the right products are getting made is to let people try them out and then make changes as we go. We have designed a high-performance prototype that’s optimized for gaming, for the living room, and for Steam. Of course, it’s also completely upgradable and open.

The company is accepting sign-ups for the beta program until October 25. Here’s how to apply:

THE HARDWARE BETA ELIGIBILITY QUEST:

Before October 25, log in to Steam and then visit your quest page to track your current status towards beta test eligibility

1. Join the Steam Universe community group

2. Agree to the Steam Hardware Beta Terms and Conditions

3. Make 10 Steam friends (if you haven’t already)

4. Create a public Steam Community profile (if you haven’t already)

5. Play a game using a gamepad in Big Picture mode

With SteamOS, it’s not just games. Valve could quickly be on its way to making a full fledged Google TV competitor with the Steam Machines it will begin testing for an expected 2014 launch. The company noted that its SteamOS operating system will also include features for other content such as music, TV shows, and movies, and Valve is already in discussions with various media companies to make that happen.

• Samsung
• Samsung Galaxy S5
• Apple
• IPhone
• iPad

As Apple launches plastic phone, Samsung plans metal one?

Ben Lovejoy Sep 24 2013 - 6:42 am PT

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Just as Apple launched a plastic iPhone, Samsung is reputedly planning a switch to a metal case for the Samsung S5 due to replace the S4 next year.

Taiwan’s Taipei Times cites supply-chain sources as saying that Samsung has been making enquiries about an order for up to 30 million metal cases for the 2014 version of its flagship handset. To add to the irony, Barclays analysts suggested that one of the manufacturers which may be in line for the contract is the same one that makes metal cases for both iPad and MacBook Pro.

Our checks suggest Catcher has been qualified as one of the major sources on the total metal casing smartphone volumes at 10 [million to] 30 million next year from Samsung. The final order allocation is to be confirmed in early first quarter 2014, subject to price bids by approved vendors.

Interestingly, a metal case would seem to rule out any plans by Samsung to take full advantage of its flexible display.

Via Gizmodo

• Android
• Samsung
• Apple
• Samsung Galaxy Note
• Galaxy Note 3

Samsung aims to be first to market with flexible screen … but in a rigid case

Ben Lovejoy Sep 24 2013 - 5:07 am PT

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Samsung is promising to be the first company to bring a flexible OLED screen to market in a special edition of the Galaxy Note 3 – yep, a device with a rigid case.

It’s not quite as silly as it seems: though the display won’t flex, it should be a little bit lighter and a whole lot tougher.

LG demonstrated a 5-inch flexible display back in May, but has not yet brought a flexible product to market. Apple has also patented a flexible screen, and it has often been suggested that the company plans to use one in the long-awaited iWatch.

IT.sohu via Gizmodo

• Android
• Apple
• IPhone
• HTC One
• HTC Corporation

The smartphone gold rush is underway: gold HTC one coming soon

Ben Lovejoy Sep 13 2013 - 4:58 am PT

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With the gold iPhone 5s a very poorly-kept secret, it’s no surprise to see other brands getting in on the action. Engadget has received photos from a previously-reliable source (Sina Weibo, who leaked the blue model) of a gold-colored HTC One.

HTC could use a bit of a boost after a series of unhappy experiences.

It’s always next to impossible to judge the shade of a color from a photo, as angle and lighting can dramatically change the appearance, so we’ll have to wait to see whether this is something close to Apple’s champagne color or something more gaudy.

While many supposed parts leaks are fake, this one looks credible, and we suspect it won’t be the last gold smartphone we’ll see by the end of the year.

• Android
• Samsung
• Apple
• IPhone
• China

Samsung responds to new iPhones: will focus on China, says 64-bit chips coming for Galaxy phones

Benjamin Mayo Sep 12 2013 - 7:09 am PT

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In an interview with the Korea Times, Samsung executives respond to Apple’s recent announcements in typical Samsung fashion. In order to better compete with Apple in China, Samsung confirmed that it would focus more on the huge Mainland market.

For example, the company says it has received clearance from Chinese authorities to sell TDD-LTE devices, to enable Samsung to offer phones that work on the world’s largest carrier, China Mobile.  As a result of “changing market situations” (i.e. Apple), Samsung is accelerating its schedule for releasing these Chinese-friendly devices. Apple is expected to announce a partnership with China Mobile to sell the iPhone before the end of the year.

In addition, Shin, Samsung’s co-CEO announced that Samsung’s next Galaxy phones will feature 64-bit architectures, to rival the A7 in the iPhone 5s.

“Not in the shortest time. But yes, our next smartphones will have 64-bit processing functionality,” Shin said, adding he followed the media coverage of Apple’s new iPhone.

Shin’s noncommittal reply indicates that although 64-bit chips are on the roadmap, they will not arrive this year. Meanwhile, the iPhone 5s ships on September 20th.

While it is easy to make fun of Samsung for stereotypically copying everything Apple, it is important to remember that they are also likely making Apple’s 64-bit A7 processors.

• Apple
• iOS
• IPhone
• glass
• Google Glass

Apple built Google Glass-like prototypes, says former Senior VP of iPod division

Ben Lovejoy Sep 10 2013 - 5:50 am PT

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Tony Fadell, the Nest CEO who was Senior VP of Apple’s division from 2006 to 2008, says that Apple built prototypes of a similar device to Google Glass but “didn’t have time” to turn them into actual products.

Interviewed as part of Fast Company‘s Oral History of Apple Design series, Fadell said:

At Apple, we were always asking, What else can we revolutionize? We looked at video cameras and remote controls. The craziest thing we talked about was something like Google Glass. We said, “What if we make visors, so it’s like you’re sitting in a theater?” I built a bunch of those prototypes. But we had such success with the things we were already doing that we didn’t have time.

From the description, the prototypes sound rather more like virtual reality headsets than Google Glass, so there may be some exaggeration going on here. But it wouldn’t be a tremendous surprise to find that Apple has toyed with almost every tech idea under the sun: it has the resources needed to experiment at will.

The notion that Apple didn’t pursue the concept for lack of time seems rather more fanciful: it’s not like the company couldn’t have run out and hired a complete team for the project had it wished to do so.

Apple has always had a philosophy of focusing all its efforts on a very small number of products. Back in 2011, iPod, iPhone and iOS product marketing head Greg Joswiak described “saying no” as one of Apple’s four keys to success.

It means saying no, not saying yes. We do very few things at Apple. We are $100bn in revenue with very few products. There are only so many grade A players. If you spread yourself out over too many things, none of them will be great.

• Android
• Samsung
• Samsung Galaxy Tab
• Apple
• iOS

Android hits 51 percent of mobile web use, while iOS grows faster

Ben Lovejoy Sep 6 2013 - 7:31 am PT

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A new report from Millenial Media, one of the world’s largest online ad networks, shows that Android boosted its share of mobile web usage to 51 percent this year, but that iOS usage is growing at a faster rate.

Android’s usage grew five points since Q2 last year, while iOS usage grew eight points to reach 42 percent. In tablets, the iPad held its lead, while the Android share was convincingly led by Samsung’s Galaxy Tab.

In the manufacturer league tables across all devices, Apple lead the way with 39 percent share, with Samsung taking second place at 26 percent.

Via Fortune

• Android
• Apple
• HTC
• IPhone
• China

HTC thinks China is the way out of its troubles, with custom OS

Ben Lovejoy Aug 28 2013 - 5:52 am PT

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Photo: foreignaffairs.com

The WSJ reports that HTC is now working on a custom smartphone operating system designed specifically for the Chinese market.

HTC Corp is developing a mobile software system specifically for Chinese consumers, people familiar with the project say, as part of a big China bet that the Taiwanese smartphone maker hopes will help revive sliding sales.

While the reality is likely to be some kind of Android variant, rather than a completely new OS like Samsung’s Tizen, it does have all the hallmarks of a somewhat desperate move by a company which somehow manages to combine a superb flagship handset with less than stellar financial performance. With morale faring no better, it had even been briefly suggested that HTC might have been planning to exit the smartphone market.

China is a juicy target for all smartphone manufacturers, as China’s emerging middle-class create a market beyond the largely budget handsets that currently make up the bulk of sales in what is now the world’s largest smartphone market. Even Apple, which has so far been content to operate exclusively at the top end of the market, appears to be eyeing China in particular with the iPhone 5C it is expected to announce on 10th September.

But it would be a gamble for HTC, ploughing resources into a country in which it is currently nowhere. A recent Canalys report into smartphone market shares in China showed that HTC was buried somewhere in ‘Other’.

The WSJ suggests thatHTC may be playing the long game, viewing the move as a diplomatic one rather than hoping for short-term financial benefit.

The project is seen by HTC insiders partly as an effort to forge political and business ties in China, since third-party operating systems have little chance of actually competing against the dominance of Android and Apple’s iOS. In the second quarter, Android held 79% of the global smartphone market, while iOS snagged 14.2%, according to market research firm Gartner. No other operating system captured more than 4%.

If so, the question remains what HTC’s strategy is to ensure that it has a long-term.

• Android
• Samsung
• Apple
• IPhone
• Super AMOLED

Samsung announces ‘Galaxy Golden’, a $700 dual-screen flip-phone for Korea

Jordan Kahn Aug 21 2013 - 7:18 am PT

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Fit for a Saudi prince, Samsung today made things official for another new flip-phone for the Korean market. While it’s unlikely to steal any of Apple’s thunder ahead of the launch of the much rumored gold iPhone expected early next month, Samsung is branding the dual-screen device as the “Samsung Galaxy Golden.” For what it’s worth, the exterior of the device appears to be closer to bronze in color than gold. It appears Samsung plans on having some success with the clamshell design in markets outside the US, as the announcement follows the launch of another new Android based flip-phone earlier this month and rumors of the ‘Galaxy Folder’ arriving soon. Specs include two 3.7-inch Super AMOLED screens, a 1.7GHz dual-core CPU, 8 megapixel camera, FM radio, and Android 4.2. The Galaxy Golden will sell for around 790,000 won, which equals approximately $700 US.

• Android
• Samsung
• Motorola
• Apple
• HTC

Samsung beats Apple in acquiring first-time smartphone owners, while Apple wins in conversions

Ben Lovejoy Aug 19 2013 - 6:49 am PT

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New figures from CIRP reported in Fortune show that both Samsung and Apple get the bulk of their smartphone sales from existing users of their respective platforms, but Samsung does better at attracting featurephone buyers while Apple does better at converting Samsung owners.

Samsung gets 43 percent of its customers from existing Android users (a mix of Samsung loyalists and customer acquisitions from HTC and Motorola), virtually identical to Apple’s figure of 42 percent for existing iPhone users.

Samsung’s low-end Android handsets helped it acquire 37 percent of its customers from featurephone owners, against 26 percent for Apple. The bad news for the company was that Apple wins three times as many smartphone customers from Samsung as Samsung does from Apple: 20 percent switched from a Samsung handset to an iPhone, while only 7 percent switched in the opposite direction.

Samsung’s Next Big Thing ad campaign, aimed specifically at younger users, also hasn’t been as successful as the company might have hoped, with Apple maintaining its younger age-profile.

• Samsung
• Apple
• BlackBerry
• enterprise
• corporate

Blackberry bows to the inevitable, seeking ‘strategic alternatives’ (buyout)

Ben Lovejoy Aug 12 2013 - 5:58 am PT

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Photo: itpro.co.uk

Trading in Blackberry shares was briefly suspended in the lead-up to the company’s announcement that it is exploring ‘strategic alternatives’.

The Company’s Board of Directors has formed a Special Committee to explore strategic alternatives to enhance value and increase scale in order to accelerate BlackBerry 10 deployment. These alternatives could include, among others, possible joint ventures, strategic partnerships or alliances, a sale of the Company or other possible transactions.

The company, which once dominated the enterprise market, was extremely late moving into touchscreen phones and found itself increasingly isolated by both Bring Your Own Device policies and aggressive pitching to the corporate market by both Apple and Samsung.

This tweet by Techmeme editor Mahendra Palsule perhaps says it best:

The time for Blackberry to explore strategic alternatives was two years ago.

— Mahendra Palsule (@ScepticGeek) August 12, 2013

In an interesting development,  the press release notes Prem Watsa CEO Fairfax Financial has resigned from the board:

With the announcement of the Special Committee, Prem Watsa, Chairman and CEO of Fairfax Financial informed the Company that he felt it was appropriate to resign due to potential conflicts that may arise during the process. Fairfax Financial is the largest BlackBerry shareholder. Mr. Watsa said, “I continue to be a strong supporter of the Company, the Board and Management as they move forward during this process, and Fairfax Financial has no current intention of selling its shares.”

Perhaps this indicates that the Blackberry’s largest shareholder is at least considering a buyout.

• Google
• Apple
• nsa

Apple, Google, and more join forces to request NSA data be made public

Chance Miller Jul 17 2013 - 5:35 pm PT

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The NSA’s $2b data centre in Bluffdale, Utah (source: businessweek.com)

After having their reputation damaged by the National Security Agency controversy earlier this year, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and many more are joining forces to demand more transparency regarding NSA requests and surveillance (via AllThingsD).

The 63 companies, investors, and non-profit organizations are pleading with the U.S. government to allow Internet, phone, and other service providers to share the requests that they receive for user data, including:

• The number of government requests for information about their users
• The number of individuals, accounts, or devices for which information was requested
• The number of requests that sought communications content, basic subscriber information, and/or other information.

The companies claim that the NSA request data should be published just like the law enforcement information has been for years.

“Basic information about how the government uses its various law enforcement–related investigative authorities has been published for years without any apparent disruption to criminal investigations,” a copy of the letter reads. “We seek permission for the same information to be made available regarding the government’s national security–related authorities.

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