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  • Mobile UC Deployment the Key to Higher Productivity, Says Survey

    Adding mobile technology to a Unified Communications strategy could allow the average business to recover $5,500 per employee per annum in lost productivity.

    Webtorials has collected survey responses from 200 people employed at companies which have over 500 employees, most of which are located in the United States. The survey, which was commissioned by the SIP communications company Sonus Networks, has some results that will interest business owners.

    Only one-quarter of the businesses surveyed stated that the saturation of Mobile UC in their workforce was intermediate, while another quarter said they were just starting to deploy the new technology. Another twenty-one percent said they had limited deployment of Mobile UC.

    With this technology only effectively deployed in around one-third of the businesses surveyed by Webtorials, there is a lot of room for improvement. The technology allows employees to communicate with each other on different mobile devices, such as tablets and smart phones, and can therefore boost employee productivity significantly.

    The report also stated that the shortfall in the widespread adoption of offsite UC capability could promote the development of a "productivity gap" between remote workers and onsite workers. This leads to a loss of around 2.5 hours per week per employee, a significant waste in productivity. Mobile UC allows enterprises to recover around $5,500 per annum in lost productivity.

    The use of smartphones and tablets at work is now widespread. According to the survey, two-thirds of knowledge workers in enterprise use their mobile devices at least one-quarter of the time.

    Steve Taylor, editor-in-chief of Webtorials, highlights the importance of this new technology, stating that mobility and flexibility is the key to the UC conundrum, especially for large enterprises. "Enterprises must push their Unified Communications capabilities beyond the office walls if they wish to get the maximum return on investment from their technology investments and the employees who use them."

    Wes Durow, the vice president of global marketing at Sonus, added: "Enabling mobility across the enterprise should be the first consideration as companies plan their UC deployments and that means having a robust, open-standard, SIP-based communications architecture in place that can support employees no matter where they are or what device they use."

  • Smartphones of the Future Will Be Able To See, Hear, Smell, Touch, and Taste Things

    What will the future look like? Though the answers may not be definite, IBM's annual Five in Five list does its best to answer this pressing question. The list, which enumerates five predictions about technological breakthroughs that may happen in the next five years, gives people an overview of how technology will develop in the future.

    What will the future look like? Though the answers may not be definite, IBM's annual Five in Five list does its best to answer this pressing question. The list, which enumerates five predictions about technological breakthroughs that may happen in the next five years, gives people an overview of how technology will develop in the future.

    Most of the visions that were included in the list seem impossible to achieve. But what most people don't know is that some predictions have already came true. For example in 2006, Five in Five have stated that real-time speech translation will become the norm in the near future. Fast forward a year later, IBM have started work on n.Fluent, a breakthrough technology that translates English and 11 other languages in real-time.

    This year, it's all about the senses. IBM believes that the gadgets of the future will have the ability to feel, see, hear, taste, and smell. This innovation will surely leave a huge impact on how we use devices like smartphones and tablets.

    Touch

    Through the use of infrared, vibration, and other haptic technologies, a smartphone's display will be able to render the texture and feel of physical surfaces. Imagine being able to feel the softness of a cotton sheet through a smartphone's display instead of just reading about it.

    See

    IBM thinks that today's visual recognition technologies can be taken one step further. For example, future systems would have the capability to detect minute details and anomalies in a patient's MRI scan which could help doctors do their work more efficiently.

    Hear

    Aside from merely recording audio, sensors will have the ability to analyze patterns and frequencies from the sounds that it picks up. Future audio technologies will be able to judge the structural integrity of a bridge through the use of sound data alone.

    Taste

    It may not sound that appetizing, but digital tastebuds might become a technological norm in the near future. This could help people keep up with their diets and/or everyday nutritional needs.

    Smell

    Computers might soon be able to distinguish odors from various substances. A person's breath can be analyzed for data that might reveal something about that person's health

  • Nokia Lumia 620 – Attractive Entry Level Smartphone with Windows Phone 8

    Taking the analysts by surprise, Nokia has launched a new model of its Lumia range – Lumia 620 – Nokia’s third phone that runs Microsoft’s latest version of Windows Phone, .

    Priced at $249, excluding taxes and subsidies from operators, the smartphone is a more attractive model in terms of price in the Lumia series. The new smartphone, launched during the salon Le Web 2012 in Paris, will enter the Asian market in January and will shortly be launched in Europe and the Middle East.

    Lumia 620 aims at younger customers, according to Nokia, and will be available in seven different housing colors.

    The 3.8-inch screen with 800 x 480 WVGA resolutions is more compact than the other two Lumia handsets, 920 and 820, which were harshly criticized for being too heavy and too thick.

    The screen comes with ClearBlack technology and Nokia boasts that it will be as visible in daylight as Lumia 920 and Lumia 820. The chipset is more than decent and allows HD video camera. Dual band wireless card is a plus, and the 1300 mAh battery should provide a decent range, but it will not be able to be charged wirelessly. However, the smartphone supports NFC connectivity.

    Like most advanced models, Nokia Lumia 620 comes with Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive and Nokia City Lens. Operating system offers mobile browser Internet Explorer 10, support Windows Live, Microsoft Office Mobile applications and 7 GB SkyDrive storage.

    Lumia 620 has a 1 GHz Snapdragon S4 Plus processor, with 500 MB RAM, 8 GB internal storage (expandable up to 64 GB) and a battery of 1.300mAh, according to Engadget.

    Separately, Nokia has announced on Wednesday the launch of a new smartphone, Lumia 920T, in partnership with China Mobile, the largest mobile operator in China.

    Overall, we could say that Nokia Lumia 620 is a step in the right direction. The smartphone looks good, has good facilities and has an attractive price.

  • Revealed: 4K Ultra HD Video Player as "Only Sony can do"

    Home viewers are eagerly placing advance orders for a Sony 4K HD Video Player, included with each purchase of its 84-inch XBR-84X900 LED TV for a total "One Sony" experience that incorporates all of its electronics and entertainment capabilities into one black box.

    Phil Molyneux, Sony Electronics COO, told us this is something "only Sony can do." Obtainable exclusively with this particular HDTV on a no-cost lease, this is the first-ever 4K player for the residential consumer. Finally, we have the long-awaited details of what the new video player entails. Incorporated within the workings of the 84-inch screen, the 4K player is a hard-disc server in its own right. We'll be among the earliest proud recipients of a specimen model when the product is launched.

    The 4K comes pre-loaded with a small collection full-length feature films, including Total Recall (2012), Taxi Driver, The Amazing Spider-Man (refer to press release for a complete list of titles), along with brief sports clips from Red Bull and concert footage. The package comes with a remote controller in the form of an Experia Tablet S app along the same lines as its Movies Unlimited service. Ah, that would explain at least some of the eye-watering MRSP of $24,999.99. This is the first opportunity the home viewer will have the opportunity to experience this quality of 4K video under their own roof. By "home viewer" we are clearly not referring to your average university student living away from home for the first time, but purchasers with the means to acquire high-end gear.

    You've got to ask yourself if the human eye is even capable of discerning the difference in quality between bog-standard HD and 4K, or will all but the most well-heeled viewer look at it and see a late model two-door convertible. Kaz Hirai is counting on it. Having invested in its Colorworks digital production studio in 2009, white glove task force dedicated to updating content, not to mention two mega high-spec CinaAlta 4K camcorders (complete with matching prices), we can expect more of the same from Sony.

  • Unlocked iPhone 5 available in USA

    Apple has finally decided to provide an unlocked version of the iPhone 5 in USA, targeting the clients that want to avoid the commitment of a contract.

    Just before the Christmas period, when shopping craze is more intense than ever, Apple has updated the online store, allowing the clients to purchase a contract-free version of the iPhone 5, which will be shipped in one week of the purchase, in any capacity and color. The starting price is $649 for the 16GB, with the 32GB costing $749 and the 64GB model being priced $849. Even though some customers find the price relatively high and prefer the safety of a contract, there are also contract haters among us that prefer to buy a single handset, without any constraints of the carrier.

    No matter which side you are, Apple made sure that you understand how an unlocked phone works:

    If you don’t want a multiyear service contract, or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone is the best choice. It does not come with a micro-SIM card for iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, or a nano-SIM card for iPhone 5, so you’ll need to get one from any supported GSM carrier worldwide. To start using it, simply insert the card into the slot on your iPhone and turn it on by pressing and holding the On/Off button for a few seconds. Then follow the onscreen instructions to set up your iPhone.

    Thus, Apple clarifies that the unlocked version of the iPhone 5 is great if you are a frequent traveler and want to combine different networks on your handset. However, there is a price to pay for this, as it was on the previous iPhones. If you are thinking of buying the unlocked version then, you still have time before the holidays with the shipment in a week!

  • OCZ Launches SATA III-based Vector SSD Series

    OCZ, SSD supplier, was recently saddled with a fallible CEO and is now under new direction. OCZ has launched its new consumer SSD through the use of its in-house controller technology, called the Vector.

    OCZ's tumultuous story from a promising start-up to a failing business can be found through this link (insert link). The new power of OCZ, Ceo Ralph Schmitt announced that the product was almost exclusively developed under the previous CEO by using the technology that was purchased with Indilinx in March 2011.

    Schmitt states that the product consists of a 7mm thick 2.5-inch format SSD that is shipped out with a 3.5 inch adapter. It comes in 128Gb and 512 GB capacities. It features a 6Gbit/s SATA interface. The performance numbers are pretty impressive: 100,000 random read IOPS, 550MB/sec and a sequential read bandwidth at 530MB/sec for sequential wiring. These numbers only apply to the compressed or uncompressed data. The device has a five year warranty that guarantees that it will perform 20GB of host writes per day.

    This device uses the Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller with MLC NAND, reported the CEO Ralph Schmitt. He also informed the press that these are some of the first SSD products that are delivered by the new OCZ and they offer leverage with a cutting-edge controller technology that has the ability to deliver groundbreaking levels of both sustained reliability and performance for customers who require a superior SSD for their high-performance computer applications and programs.

    Onyx 3 is a 120GB-240GB MLC SSD using an earlier Barefoot 2 controller from Indilinx and is positioned as a low cost, value product. It is well outclassed by Vector doing a maximum of 23,000 random read IOPS, 235MB/sec sequential reads and 230MB/sec sequential writes.

    OCZ will not be required to pay any license per their component fees to have the ability to use this technology as they would if they were using LSI Sandforce controllers.

    Their existing 2.5 inch consumer SSDs include the Onyx, Vertex, and the Agility product lines. The Vertex 4 uses MLC NAND and has a capacity range from 64GB up to 512GB. It has the same 6Gbit/s SATA interface. The Vertex performs up to 95,000 random read IOPS with incompressible data. It has 560MB/sec sequential reads and 520MB/sec sequential writes. The product uses the Indilinx controller and also has a 5 year warranty. Vector will be replacing Vertex 4 with a smaller amount of performance improvement.

    The Agility 4 is also another MLC, 6Gbit/s SATA and there is a SAS version as well. The Agility 4 performs 48,000 random read IOPS and 85,000 random write s at 400MB/sec on both sequential reads and writes. Vector clearly outperforms it.

    Onyx 3 is a 120GB to 240GB MLC SSD that uses an older Barefoot 2 controller from Indilinx and is a low cost valued product. It is very well outclassed by Vector, only performing a maximum of 23,000 random read IOPS at 235MB/sec on sequential reads and 230MB/sec on sequential writes.

    OCZ will probably introduce Barefoot 3 controllers into other products in its range, using SAS and they are looking forward to improving their gross margin on products using Barefoot 3. If it performs as they expect and is reliable enough, then OCZ can look to gain a better product reputation, one of their weakest areas of business.

  • Amazon Appstore Continues Global Expansion, Now Available in Japan

    Amazon continues its strong effort to corner the digital content market with the announcement that they have launched a Japanese version of the Amazon App Store, bringing forth a wealth of content for their line of tablets as well as smart phones and other mobile devices.

    In addition to a diverse library that shares some of the best selling applications and games with an entirely new market, the Amazon App Store also includes some mainstays that have helped the previous incarnations in other countries remain successful, including "Angry Birds," "Where's My Water?" and "Cut the Rope". Japanese customers now have access to the platform's personalized recommendations feature, simple ordering process and detailed order history menus.

    Amazon is also one of the only large digital application stores to feature a free application every day of the week, allowing users free access to content they would otherwise have to pay for simply as a "thank you" for their continued business.

    Amazon's standing as the world's largest retailer have made it a prime target for application developers big and small. Due to the raging success of the Kindle Fire, more and more applications that were once exclusive to other platforms have begun making efforts to get themselves in the fold. The advent of the Japanese App Store also opens the door for Amazon to open a similar feature in other markets, specifically Asian demographics that already have Amazon.com's basic services.

    Company CEO's and software developers alike have taken time to heap the praise on Amazon for the way they run their business and the ease with which people are able to begin marketing their content. Their current business structure is designed to give developers the maximum profits and is a huge reason for their continued success.

    Amazon markets itself as "the most complete end-to-end platform for developers looking to build, market and monetize their apps and games" and it's hard to argue this point based on the recent rapid growth the company has experienced. The addition of the Japanese market can only mean good things as the retail giant expands its customer base.

  • Infonetics: Cisco is the Ruler Among PBX Vendors

    According to a recent market study made by Infonetics Research, the third quarter of 2012 saw a few positive changes in the leading business PBX telephony systems. Cisco was found to be the leading PBX business phone system vendor, followed closely behind by Avaya.

    Cisco has managed to keep this top position for the last five consecutive quarters. Both Cisco and Avaya hold firm control of about 50% of the PBX business telephony market. Following in the footsteps of these two corporate giants, NEC has climb to third position with double digit growth over the quarter, and regretably, Siemens has slipped back into fourth place.

    According to further studies made by Infonetics, the high roller in the Unified Comminications (UC) market is Mcrosoft, with a rise in revenues of approximately 40% over second quarter profits. Other top UC contenders are traditional telephony vendors such as, Cisco, Avaya and Siemens. "The UC market continues to experience general growth, but Microsoft seems to outpace other vendors in the market, " says Dian Myers, a renown analyst in the VoIP and IMS industry for Infonetics.

    Other areas of enterprise telephony seem to be on a downturn with declines continuing for this third quarter.

    At the same time, the enterprise telephony market continues to struggle in some aspects, with year-over-year declines continuing in the third quarter. This slowdown comes as a result of the tough economic times which have slowed business upgrades, and caused many to hold onto existing platforms. "However, market studies show that the market will move back into positive growth over the next year," says Myers.

    The global PBX market, including TDM, hybrid and pure IP PBX systems, has seen an approximate six percent decline in this third quarterdue to continued market softness in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, bud did see a 2.8 percent increase over prior quarters, according to the Infonetics telephony study.

    Over the third quarter the average revenue seen by each new PBX line fell well below $200, an event that has not previously happened. Revenue continues to drop for now.

  • Ericsson Mobility Report – Number of Mobile Subscribers, LTE Coverage and Trends

    Now at the third edition, Ericsson Mobility Analysis Report, created by one of the greatest players in the telecom market, highlights some interesting aspects of the market in the quarter ended and makes a series of forecasts for the next six years.

    According to data centralized globally by Ericsson, 40% of all terminals sold in Q3 2012 were smartphones, they stimulating users towards using enough data to exceed the average.

    Data traffic has doubled in the last 12 months and its growth trend will lead to an increase of 14 times the amount of data transferred by 2018. This growth will be dominated by the use of video content, which already represents 25% of the traffic generated by mobile devices and 40% of the one generated by tablets.

    The total number of subscribers to mobile networks will reach 6.6 billion next year, the number following to increase by 2018 to about 9.3 billion. The most important increases are recorded in China, where operators have received an additional stream of 40 million customers in the last three months, this country being followed by Brazil, Indonesia and the Philippines. 91% of the world population currently has access to 2G/3G connections, the total number of subscribers being around 6.4 billion.

    Of this number of subscribers, about 6.5% benefit from LTE coverage, the United States having a visible advantage to Europe or the Asia – Pacific area. By the end of 2018, LTE will be available to half of the total number of customers, the leader remaining the United States, which will have a coverage of about 70%, followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific with about 28% and 18%, respectively.

    The number of LTE subscribers is currently about 55 million, by 2018 being expected to reach the fabulous figure of 1.6 billion.

  • New Rumors About The Upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4

    Galaxy S3 is still one of the most impressive smartphones released this year, so it is not surprising at all that rumors about the next step to be taken by the South Koreans have already appeared.

    The fourth iteration of the Galaxy S terminal would have a screen 4.99-inch screen and a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, which already seems to be the default standard for the top models scheduled for 2013. According to some Korean sources, Samsung is expected to show at CES 2013 the first HD Super AMOLED panel with this resolution.

    As the company did not release any panel with RGB matrix yet, we can assume that we will still be talking about a PenTile screen, but given the new arrangement of subpixels used to make the screen of Galaxy Note 2, with a density of 441 ppi, probably this inconvenience will not bother too much.

    The speculated hardware platform is Exynos 5 Quad, the quad-core version of the already-launched dual-core model Exynos 5250, which was implemented in the portable Samsung Chromebook and the tablet Google Nexus 10. Also known as the Exynos 5450, this chip will not seem to see the light of the day as simple quad-core version of the current model, but as an improved version that will also implement an ARM T658 GPU, better than the current version T604.

    The third rumor says that the next Samsung Galaxy S4 will offer a 13-megapixel camera, a rumor also heard before the launch of Galaxy Note 2, but which did not come true.

    As we all know, the new Galaxy S will be launched somewhere in late spring 2013, during which much can happen in the world of smartphones. But anyway, hopefully we will have a rich year in real flagship releases from both Samsung and the easily-left-behind competition: LG, HTC, Nokia and others.