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  • ASUS PadFone – a hybrid between smartphone and tablet

    ASUS PadFone, the latest product of the Taiwanese company, has been officially launched. PadFone, the first model of what appears to be a new class of portable devices, lures features borrowed from both smartphone and tablet.

    The tablet serves as a dock for the phone, providing an interface optimized for a larger screen of the same applications present on the phone. Being embedded in the tablet, the phone can be charged through its internal battery. Also, if it is connected to a 3G network, the tablet can also use the network to connect to the internet.

    The two devices are as one, each complementing the other. In times when the speed and the mobility are needed, the phone is the preferred device, but when it comes to productivity and media, the tablet wins.

    Among the benefits obtained by using ASUS PadFone include a significantly improved battery life and extended desktop display.

    The idea of creating two devices able not only to “discuss”, but also to integrate, represents a new concept, which opens new horizons for the technologies in this sector.

    The body of the tablet in which ASUS PadFone is housed, seems to have similar size with the ASUS Transformer tablet, but the weight is probably slightly bigger because of the carcass.

    Among the visible enhancements on the tablet include a set of stereo speakers, front camera and a 5MP camera, mounted on the back of the PadFone. Currently weren’t disclosed any technical details, but it seems that will have HDM and micro-USB ports.

    ASUS’ choice regarding the version of Android that the new PadFone will run on is currently unknown, but certainly the future Ice Cream Sandwich is among the favorites, being the first version of Android adapted for both tablets and smartphones.

    Even if it wouldn’t please everyone, ASUS PadFone may be a good compromise for those who want to enjoy the functionality of a smartphone and of a tablet, without spending an exorbitant amount of money for purchasing two separate products.


  • Carrier router and switch market Back on Track, Up 10% Year-Over-Year

    Infonetics Research has released excerpts from its first quarter 2011 Service Provider Routers and Switches preliminary vendor market share report.

    According to the report, the global service provider router and switch market, including IP edge routers, core routers, and carrier Ethernet switches, totaled $3.2 billion in 1Q11, down 14.7% from the previous quarter, up 10.4% from the year-ago quarter.

    In the IP edge router and carrier Ethernet switch market, which represents about 3/4 of the total market:
    – Cisco gained 1.3 revenue share percentage points sequentially in 1Q11 to 34.6%, and is down 8.5 percentage points year-over-year;
    – Alcatel-Lucent dropped a few percentage points in 1Q11, maintaining 2nd position; they are up 3.1 percentage points year-over-year;
    – Juniper’s revenue is up both quarter-over-quarter (+2.5 points) and year-over-year (+3 points), and holds the #3 spot;
    – Huawei is down a couple points sequentially and up a tad year-over-year.

    “Although carrier router and switch revenue was down sequentially in Q1 (as it usually is in the first quarter), the market is up year-over-year, and the last three quarters represent the three all-time highest-revenue quarters ever, a good sign that the market is back on track,” said Michael Howard, co-founder and principal analyst for carrier networks at Infonetics Research.

    In 1Q11, Infonetics made adjustments to how it tracks the carrier router and switch market, which moved some edge router revenue to the carrier Ethernet switch segment (principally for Alcatel-Lucent, Tellabs, and Juniper), both in current and historic data for accurate comparisons over time; these adjustments affected some vendor share standings.

  • Apple iOS 5 May be Credited with Widgets and Revamped Notifications

    The latest version of Apple’s iOS – iOS 5 – is almost ready and planned to be introduced at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference. It is already rumored that the upcoming OS is featuring many advancements along with widgets and revamped notifications.

    Last year June was the first time to rumors floats all around about the improved notifications for the latest iOS. This was started through Apple’s recruiting a designer to create notification system for Plam’s WebOS. The widget issue came into light when Apple started filing patent for the always-in-sync widget for touchscreen devices.

    Some sources already revealed that the Apple is more into pushing journalists for the introduction of iOS 5 and planning this announcement in a big way. It is also informed that the latest iOS changes are designed to make up the hardware deficiencies and this will be the highlight of the software announcement from Apple.

    It is also presumed that the Apple may make announcement about cloud storage for their both operating systems iOS and Mac OS X  Lion. In fact, Apple blog mentioned in March that they may not release cloud-based iOS 5 until this fall.

    Earlier we mentioned about the Nuance deal with Apple for Voice Recognition. Surprisingly, some of the reliable sources confirmed that the “voice control” feature with the latest Apple mobile operating system got nothing to do with the licensing deal with Nuance.

    It looks like Apple is not interested in taking chances as the current feature is doing pretty well with the customer base. Also, iOS 5 is still under test, and perhaps planned changes might take place at a later stage. Also, it seems to be the planned “Voice Navigation” feature through Nuance Technologies might have taken a back seat and some core aspects might have considered for this time.

    In fact, ignoring “Voice Navigation” feature definitely will be a greatest disappointment for the Apple’s customer base as most of the Android based smartphones overtaking the iPhone success just because of this only feature. Already many experts are clearly indicating this feature as a major drawback for the popular iPhone to maintain its ruling in the market. Everyone expected this feature from the latest iOS 5, but looks like still further wait is needed for this feature.

  • Google Wallet, Launch Followed by Trial

    Google faces a trial, just few hours after the launch of a free application designed to replace the classic credit cards and which turns a smartphone into an "electronic wallet".

    In the trial issued against Google in a Californian Court, the company was accused of using PayPal and eBay’s technology for the newly launched Google Wallet application. Google officials did not comment on these allegations.

    In the document filed in court states that PayPal specialists working for about three years at a technology that allows payments using smartphones with operating system and that the people at Google have mastered the technology illegally, hiring the Head of the project, Osama Bedier.

    Bedier has worked in online financial services unit owned by eBay as the Vice-President of the mobile platform until he was hired (in January) by Google. He played an important role at the official launch of Google Wallet, which took place Thursday in New York, during which he stated that the service is being tested and will be available this summer.

    What is Google Wallet?

    Google Wallet will be available initially only for Google Nexus S 4G terminals from Sprint and will be extended later to other phones equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC).

    The NFC chip embedded in mobile device allows a user, who previously entered his bank card details, to use his terminal to make purchases via the PayPass payment systems from Citi MasterCard.

    Customers can also use a Google prepaid card to pay for purchases, benefiting from Google Offers advantages – the online system of coupons of the American company, which claims that Google Wallet will be accepted by more than 124,000 U.S. merchants and more than 311,000 worldwide.

    The application will require a PIN for each transaction. Payment credentials will be encrypted and stored on a chip, the safety feature of the phone. The application itself will be free for the users.

    Stephanie Tilenius, Vice-President for Trade and Payments Division at Google, describes Google Wallet as "the next generation of mobile commerce”: “We are building an opened trading ecosystem that will bring, in premiere, the opportunity to pay with a NFC wallet and to announce the consumers all promotions – all of them with just a touch, while the user will make his shopping offline," said Tilenius, who added that the system will first expand in Europe and then Asia.

    Who and what betrayed

    PayPal says that Tilenius (who was also an employee of eBay, from 2001 until October 2009 as a consultant) helped Bedier’s recruitment by Google and quoted both company’s executives as defendants in a civil lawsuit based on the misuse of trading secrets.

    Bedier was accused that he would revealed Google certain secrets on PayPal projects. PayPal and Google have collaborated over the past three years to establish a technology developed on the PayPal platform that would serve as payment option using the mobile apps from the Android smartphones.

    NFC – the future wallet

    Mobile payments are already tested and used by several countries, notably France and Japan, but Google Wallet is the first service that brings NFC in U.S. stores. NFC technology uses short-range wireless communications action to allow the exchange of encrypted information between devices at short distance.

    Three of the largest providers of mobile communications in the U.S. – AT & T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless – have announced in November 2010 that have joined forces to establish a national network called "Isis" to allow the payments via mobile phones, the service being introduced in the next 18 months. Google executive, Eric Schmidt, said shortly before the launch of the Nexus S, in December 2010, that the NFC technology it’s expected to take the place of the classic credit cards.

  • Microsoft Announces Windows Phone Mango

    Microsoft has announced the new version of Windows Phone, Mango, which is said to bring over 500 new features to Microsoft’s mobile OS users. The new version will be available from this fall and will be downloadable for free.

    Windows Phone Mango, will be present on the first Nokia smartphone that will end the partnership with Symbian. It seems that Nokia already has mobile phones with Windows Phone in their "laboratory" and a small selection of smartphones with Mango will be launched by the end of this year.

    "Seven months ago, we started our mission to make smartphones smarter and easier for people to do more. With Mango, Windows Phone takes a major step forward in redefining how people communicate and use apps and the internet, giving you better results with less effort,” said Andy Lees, President of Mobile Communications Business at Microsoft.

    Among the most important features Mango brings to the users are:

    • Threads. Switch between text, Facebook chat and Windows Live Messenger within the same conversation.
    • Groups. Group contacts into personalized Live Tiles to see the latest status updates right from the Start Screen and quickly send a text, email or IM to the whole group.
    • Deeper social network integration. Twitter and LinkedIn feeds are now integrated into contact cards, and “Mango” includes built-in Facebook check-ins and new face detection software that makes it easier to quickly tag photos and post to the Web.
    • Linked inbox. See multiple email accounts in one linked inbox. Conversations are organized to make it easy to stay on top of the latest mail.
    • Hands-free messaging. Built-in voice-to-text and text-to-voice support enables hands-free texting or chatting.
    • App Connect. By connecting apps to search results and deepening their integration with Windows Phone Hubs, including Music and Video and Pictures, “Mango” allows apps to be surfaced when and where they make sense.
    • Improved Live Tiles. Get real-time information from apps without having to open them. Live Tiles can be more dynamic and hold more information.
    • Multitasking. Quickly switch between apps in use and allow apps to run in the background, helping to preserve battery life and performance.
    • Internet Explorer 9. A browser based on the powerful Internet Explorer 9 and including support for HTML5 and full hardware acceleration.
    • Local Scout. Provides hyperlocal search results and recommends nearby restaurants, shopping and activities in an easy-to-use guide.
    • Bing on Windows Phone. More ways to search the Web, including Bing Vision, Music Search and Voice so it’s easy to discover and decide.
    • Quick Cards. When searching for a product, movie, event or place, see a quick summary of relevant information, including related apps.

    According to Jo Harlow, Vice President of Nokia, Mango is the perfect operating system for use on the first Nokia mobile phones that are making the switch to Windows, and both developers and consumers will benefit from the new selection of phones.

  • The Future Smartphone Designs Presented

    Changing trends and interests got a lot of influence over the smartphone design and features. This kind of situation is asking all the techies a question "How the future smartphone will look like?" What kind of role these future smartphone going to occupy in people’s lives? There are many astonishing and interesting answers to summarize. Some of the creative minds come up with more imaginations in this aspect.

    One creative idea mentioned that the future smartphone should be simple and small. It should be thinner to fit all the needs like in the above picture.

    Another creative imagination said this future smartphone should be a central device in the all people’s daily routines. Functionality is needed to be improved more than what it is now. It should replace successfully the tablet PC, smartphone and PC. It should also serve as a passport, credit card and universal key .

    There are many ideas to list out, a few of them are mentioning the necessity for the smartphones to be eco-friendly and a few suggest that the future smartphone should be a transparent tool for all the daily routines.

    Already some of the popular mobile phone manufacturers such as Ericsson and Nokia are on the latest designs and prototypes, but failing to reach the breakout products and endeavors of few such as Apple through their prototypes.

    There are two promising ideas that are truly captivating and promise something exciting for all the smartphone enthusiasts. Let us see whether Apple or some other manufacturer will come up with such kind of idea in the nearby future.

    There are two winning concepts we are interested to share with you. This first idea is showcasing a “Roundphone” concept which uses holographic projections as a screen.

    The device is described as "the future perfect smartphone idea for us all". We have to admit this is truly captivating to call through hologram.

    The second concept video is showcasing a “Flexphone”, which is a complete folding screen device. Flexible OLED technology would be most ideal for this concept.

    [via: eyeka]

  • Google Movies Blocked on Modified Versions of Android

    Google has decided to block the access to Google Movies for all devices running on any unofficial versions of the Android operating system, modified through the process known as Android root.

    This type of intervention provides users with administrative rights on the operating system installed on the phone, thus removing all the restrictions which protected the Android platform against any unauthorized interferences on system’s components.

    From the explanations given by Google Support results that the Google Movies is blocked for all unofficial versions of the Android operating system, due to restrictions imposed by the terms of copyright licensing for media content distribution. Thus, users who have modified their smartphone or tablet devices by installing an unsupported version of Android, will be welcomed by the error message "Failed to fetch license for [movie title] (error 49).", every time when trying to watch content distributed via Google Movies.

    The position taken by Google is somewhat ironic, considering the fact that Android is an open source, which, by definition, should have fewer restrictions than the alternatives of the competition. In contrast, Apple iPhone devices which passed through the jailbreak process can now easily download movies from iTunes.

    The users of Motorola Xoom tablet, running on the 3.1 version of the Android Honeycomb operating system, continue to have access to Google Movies as long as it does not interfere with the Android root process.

    Once the Google Movies service will also be released for the users of the Android 2.2 – 2.3 platform, during the coming weeks, the access will only be allowed for the devices running on the OEM version of the Android operating system, such as the one delivered when buying a smartphone or tablet.

  • Speedflow Offers Multifunctional Software for VoIP Providers

    Softswitch is a central device in a telecommunications network which provides management of voice, fax, data and video traffic and connects telephone calls from one phone line to another.

    Softswitches used for transit VoIP traffic between carriers are usually called Class 4 softswitches, whereas softswitches intended for work with end-users are called Class 5 softswitches.

    Speedflow Communications now offers a wide range of carrier-grade software products, including class 4 and class 5 softswitches. The company’s highly innovative and full-featured VoIP software solutions are designed for VoIP carriers and other IP telephony-related companies.

    Speedflow’s flagship solutions are MediaCore, proprietary Linux-based multifunctional carrier-grade class 4 Softswitch intended for transit VoIP traffic, and CallMax, multifunctional class 5 softswitch designed for VoIP companies providing services for end users.

    Among the main features of the MediaCore softswitch are:
    – Dynamic routing mechanism with high system capability;
    – Integrated billing module with advanced tools;
    – Guardian – revenue assurance system for traffic quality estimation;
    – Transcoding which supports all popular codecs used in the field of VoIP.

    According to Speedflow, user friendly and functional web-interface of the system is understandable even for the beginners.

    MediaCore Softswitch supports full signaling proxy and handles more than 30.000 concurrent calls/lines.

    Among the wide range of services available for CallMax customers are:
    – Residential/ Hosted IP PBX platform;
    – SIP-trunking;
    – Calling Card platform;
    – Authorization by PIN, ANI, SIP, etc.

    Both MediaCore and CallMax softswitches are available for rent and purchase. Speedflow Communications offers free trial period before buying the product.

    The company also guarantees 24/7 support for all the products.

    Get more information about MediaCore Softswitch and CallMax Softswitch.

    ***
    Speedflow Communications has focused on delivering quality services and products to the VoIP market since its inception in 2004. Their success in this field has resulted in an opportunity to service over 600 reliable customers varying from Tier-1 national and global carriers to ISPs, Corporate carriers and residential VoIP providers. Speedflow presents exceptional range of Carrier-grade products and solutions. Single Point of Control solutions from Speedflow include: Mediacore (Class 4), Callmax (Class 5), Guardian (Revenue Assurance), Routing and Billing. Each of these products will make your management extremely efficient and your business become more profitable with less effort from your side.

  • Nokia, At the Lowest Rate in 14 Years, on a Growing Market

    Nokia mobile phone market share dropped from 30.6% to 25.1%, reaching its lowest level since 1997, selling in the first quarter of 2011 107.6 million units, according to a study made by the research firm Gartner.

    At the same time, Samsung’s sales increased from 64.9 to 68.8 million units, and the producer has a market share of 16.1%.

    The list is completed by LG, which has sold in the first quarter of 2011 27.2 million mobile phones, representing 7.6% of market.

    Apple is ranked four in the mobile phones top, but also in the operating system top, with 16.9 million iPhones sold worldwide, double value than in the first quarter of last year. The company’s market share, both in smartphones and operating systems, increased from 2.3% to 3.9%.

    The sales of the Canadians from Research In Motion, the Blackberry manufacturer, have increased in the same period from 10.8 to 13 million units, the company having a market share of 3%.

    In the operating systems, Android has become the most popular platform in the world, increasing its last year market share from 9.6% to 36%.

    The market share of Symbian, at which Nokia will renounce in favor of Windows Mobile, has decreased in the last year from 44.2% to 27.4%.

    In total, in the first quarter of 2011 were sold 427.9 million mobile phones, an increase with 19% over the number recorded in the first three months of 2010. Gartner says that, despite this 19-percent increase in sales, would have been sold even more smartphones, but several companies have announced the launch of new terminals for the current quarter, and many customers have waited them and haven’t bought any phone in the first three months of the year.

    Smartphone sales have doubled up in the period mentioned, to 100.8 million units, according to the source.

  • Video Conferencing Becomes More Common Among U.S. Physicians

    Seven percent of U.S. physicians use online video conferencing to communicate with any of their patients, according the new Taking the Pulse study of physician digital adoption trends from pharmaceutical and healthcare market research company Manhattan Research.

    This year’s study of 2,041 U.S. practicing physicians includes a focus on how physicians are using technology in the practice, such as for electronic health records, electronic prescribing and interaction with patients.

    As video chatting becomes more common, this type of communication is emerging as a way for physicians to consult with patients about non-urgent issues, such as follow up questions from an office visit, or to connect with geographically dispersed patient populations that may not have nearby access to specialists. The study also found that certain specialties, such as psychiatrists and oncologists, are more likely to be using video conferencing with patients.

    “Telemedicine has the potential to open up consultations with top specialists, regardless of your location,” said Meredith Ressi, Manhattan Research President. “Combined with the impending shortage of primary care physicians, the implications of these technologies for how healthcare is delivered in our country are remarkable.”

    However, the study found that physician concerns regarding reimbursement, liability and HIPAA are still major barriers to communicating online with patients. Some of these issues are starting to be addressed as telemedicine solution providers such as American Well partner with insurance companies to facilitate payment and increase their security measures. “Despite these hurdles, we still expect to see more physicians use this model to improve practice efficiency and expand their patient base, without the overhead associated with only in-office visits,” Ressi said.