Business News Holding

Tag: hardware-and-technology

  • HTC partners with Facebook for HTC Myst

    HTC has decided to collaborate once again with Facebook and AT&T, in order to create another smartphone that focuses on the use of Facebook. It will be known as HTC Myst and its rumored specs are already online.

    It's not the first time that HTC collaborates with Facebook and AT&T, since they had already cooperated two years ago, for the release of HTC status, the smartphone with its own button for quick Facebook access. This was just the beginning, since HTC Myst plans to gain an even bigger part of the smartphone market. According to UnwiredView, HTC Myst is expected during the spring with its rumored specs already being online. Thus, if we want to have a first look at HTC Myst, it will have a 4.3-inch screen, a 1.5GHz dual core MSM8960 processor, a RAM of 1GB, a 16GB storage (without microSD),a rear camera of 5MP and a front one of 1.6MP. What's more, it will have all the latest apps by Facebook already preloaded, such as the typical Facebook app, the Facebook Messenger, Instagram and others, while it will run on Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2.

    Although Facebook seems reluctant for the time being to create their own unique phone, this collaboration might be attractive for the customers that want to stay connected as much as possible. Facebook as a brand name is powerful enough to target some significant attention for HTC Myst, not to mention the power of AT&T and the decent smartphones by HTC. Hence, even though Mark Zuckerberg doesn't think it is necessary to have a Facebook smartphone, he still thinks that he can keep an eye at the smartphone market for future reconsideration. HTC Myst will not be the only phone that connects you on Facebook, but we still want to see its performance on the smartphone market. We are waiting for more details about its release, then.

  • Jabber now available for virtual desktops

    Cisco has announced that Jabber, its unified communications (UC) product, is now available for virtual desktops. Cisco says based on an estimate by research and advisory firm Gartner, there will be around 77 million Jabber users on virtual desktops by 2016.

    How does Jabber integrate with virtual desktops?

    Through a new piece of software called the Virtualisation Experience Media Engine, Jabber is now available for Cisco thin clients and will soon be rolled out to other thin platforms as well as to mobile devices.

    What is Jabber?

    Jabber is a sophisticated communication solution that builds on Voice over IP (VOIP) technology popularized by video calling products like Skype. Its enterprise users have the opportunity to access their preferred method of communication to collaborate with others anytime, anywhere. Enterprise users can take advantage of Jabber's voice, video, presence, web conference and instant messaging capabilities to get the job done and can exchange information swiftly and securely. Users can arrange virtual meetings, work collaboratively on documents or simply stay in touch, regardless of whether they are using a mobile device, virtual desktop or a traditional PC. Jabber increases productivity by linking seamlessly with Microsoft Office.

    Jabber is an ideal solution for telecommuters or businesses whose employees travel frequently – it is in many ways the closest thing to being in the office in person, and is flexible enough to adapt to all kinds of workplaces and working situations.

    Cisco has so far sold 1.4 million Jabber 'seats' or licenses.

  • Mobile World Congress 2013: Nokia launches a $20 phone – Nokia 105

    Nokia has decided to create a lower cost phone, Nokia 105, aiming at those that still purchase a phone for calls and texts.

    While we are all discussing the latest smartphones by Apple and Samsung and whether we should prefer iOS, Android, BB10 or WP8, Nokia is approaching a different type of customers, the ones that are unwilling to pay a fortune for a phone. Thus, they created a $20 device, which was presented at this year's Mobile World Congress and has already been discussed a lot..

    Nokia 105 does not impress you with its specs, but you can use it for calls, texts, alarm, FM radio and flashlight. What's more, its battery life lasts for 35 days, which is really impressive on its own, and it has a resistant keypad to endure in scratches and dust. Nokia 105 is expected during the following months in many countries, starting from China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Russia, Vietnam and other markets in Africa, Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Europe.

    As you may notice, their target audience is not the U.S., they are not even including them for now, but the emerging markets that are still not under the hype of the latest trending smartphones. Hence, they are trying to win a new territory, hoping that they will remain loyal to Nokia for their future purchases, too. After all, there are still so many people out there, even in Europe, that do not use their phones extensively and would find the price of the Nokia 105 tempting.

    According to Stephen Elop, the CEO of Nokia:

    "There's a very large number of inexpensive and largely undifferentiated devices. We believe we have to offer differentiation at each price point."

    It seems like smart move for Nokia and it could be the chance for them to rebound on the smartphone market.

  • Mobile World Congress 2013: Nokia presents Lumia 520 and Lumia 720

    Nokia has presented two new smartphones at the Mobile World Congress, the Lumia 520 and Lumia 720, aiming at customers with lower budget.

    Lumia 520 is the cheapest Windows Phone 8 for Nokia, starting at $184, with a 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of storage, a 4-inch WVGA screen and a 5MP camera. It weighs 124g, it has a 2D hardened glass and it is also ideal for touch while wearing gloves. It will be released in five colours (cyan, yellow, red, black and white) and it is expected during the next quarter. It seems like a pretty decent phone for its money, with Nokia's experience and Micorosft's ambitious Windows Phone 8 being a great combination.

    As for Lumia 720, it is a bit more sophisticated, with a 6.7MP camera, a 4.3-inch screen, a 1GHz CPU, 512 MB of RAM, 8GB of storage and it will be priced at $329. Lumia 720 will also have a Carl Zeiss lens and f/1.9 aperture, also focusing on the front camera with an f/2.4 aperture, which makes it an ideal choice for everyone that loves taking decent pictures with a smartphone.  It supports NFC and it also allows wireless charging with a snap-on cover. Lumia 720 will also be released in 5 colors and it is expected mostly in Asia and some countries in Europe. There are already some users from the U.S. that found Lumia 720 attractive, although it seems that it won't be available for them.

    Nokia is trying to recover on the smartphone market, targeting for now the low and mid budget users who used to purchase affordable Android devices. It's up to them to persuade them to trust them.

  • Apple Rumored to Acquire German TV Maker Loewe

    Loewe, a luxury German TV brand, saw stock prices soar after a trader claimed that Apple was in the market to bid 4 euros a share for the company.

    The rumor set off a chain reaction, causing stock prices to go as high as 3.93, an increase of 44.5 percent from February 12th's closing 2.72 closing price. The price fluctuated throughout the day and eventually closed out at 3.35 on February 13th, an increase of 23.6 percent in just a day.

    Rumors of Apple's interest in the company have been around since May of 2012. Despite reports on AppleInside, Loewe refuted the rumors and Apple never commented on it. With Loewe's capitalization reaching nearly $58 million, a buyout could be a smart move for Apple. However, the company would also have to persuade Loewe's executives and Sharp, a major shareholder.

    The buyout would be a way out of the difficult TV market that Loewe has found itself in. The company experienced a loss of $39 million in 2012 and is now attempting to cut 1,000 jobs to lower expenses. In an effort to expand its market, Loewe has also branched out into manufacturing Blu-ray Player, multiroom systems, speakers, racks and DVD recorders.

    But rumors are just that, rumors and we have yet to see if anything will come of all the speculation. But who knows, maybe Apple is in the market to purchase Loewe and expand into the TV market. We will just have to wait and see if all the hype that increased stock prices is just talk or fact.

  • Seagate Vows to Bring Shingles and More Storage in 2014

    Seagate hopes to deliver to its customers, shingled magnetic recording disk drives with enhanced storage set releasing later in 2013 and in 2014. They plan to introduce HAMR, or heat-assisted magnetic recording technology, which will be released two years ahead of schedule. This early release could be due to Seagate's reaction to the helium gas attack prepared by the WD division HGST.

    Shingled magnetic recording functions by overlapping data tracks to create extra space. SMR will be issued on disk drives as revealed to Rocky Pimental, primary marketing and sales executive, at Stifel Tech conference by Andy Rakers, an analyst for Stifle Nicolaus. Perpendicular Magnetic technology for disk drives is entering the final stages of development since any additional reduction of magnetized bits causes them to be unstable, which means that storage companies should proceed to a more modern technology.

    Pimental stated the new technology would give the drives an extra 20-25% raise in density. Upgrading the disk drive to SMR would increase space to 5 TB. He also mentioned Seagate will begin distributing the 5mm dense 2.5 inch dual disk drive with a hybrid form in tablet PCs and other lightweight notebooks later in 2013. Last March, Seagate talked about a decade of HAMR technology which could generate a 3.5 inch drive with storage capacities of 60TB. Western Digital and Toshiba have made no announcements about the technology they prefer, though, a contest can be expected between HGST applying helium plus SMR and Seagate using HAMR and SMR. Pimental said the premium cost will not be important for shipping over one million hard drives

  • Radvision Unveils eVident and Scopia Elite 6000 MCUs

    Unveiled by Avaya's Radvision, the software-based multipoint control unit (MCU) Scopia Elite 6000 Series, is the newest monitoring tool available for video networking and video conferences.

    This MCU supplies 1080/60fps double channels that provide content and video, with synchronized H.264 high profile bandwidth effectiveness, and H.264 video coding. The unit operates on an Intel server, and provides an interoperable, multi-stream, engaging telepresence system.

    Centered on hybrid architecture the MCU offers 40 ports with live video resolutions up to 1080p from one 1U system. Users will also be able to regulate meetings through a series of on screen menus compatible with the Scopia iPad application, and other equipment.

    Bob Romano, the global vice president of marketing at Radvision, reported to Fierce Enterprise Communications that, "there has been a real trend toward desktop mobility and BYOD" among the video conference market. Romano feels that potential customers want the ability to join a conference remotely without having to consider what type of device they have.

    Ramano goes on to say, "What we are seeing is a real desire for more capacity because as you extend video conferencing out to mobile and desktop users, that draws on a bigger user base". With Radvisions new Scopia desktop and mobile platform, plus the new MCU support, remote involvement is now possible.

    Also launched this year by Radvision is the eVident video monitoring tools set. These tools allow the administrators to ensure that their networks are ready for video conferencing preceding operation. The tools including Prevideo, RVMON, and VQInsider, provide measurement and analysis of quality monitoring, audio and video metrics, and codec parameters.

    Even though 1,000 influential firms interested in the mobile conferencing market agreed that they would embrace desktop video conferencing, the revenue produced in the market fell by 6 percent in the second quarter. Service providers must find innovative ways to encourage firms that the use of video conferencing is necessary, or these enterprises will look for other options.

  • HTC announces the 4.7-inch HTC One

    HTC has just announced a new smartphone, the HTC One, which brings additional competition for Apple and Samsung on the war of the smartphones with the bigger displays.

    There is a trend lately with bigger displays for our smartphone and that is why HTC chose to launch HTC One with a 4.7-inch 1080p display. Apart from the bigger screen, HTC One will have a new imaging sensor, UltraPixel camera as they call it, which has a f/2.0 lens, gathers 300% more light than the usual sensors, but is of only 4MP. However, they are confident enough that their brand new UltraPixel Camera will enhance the pictures taken from smartphones, featuring optical image stabilization and adding the ability to share short videos.

    Moreover, HTC is presenting BoomSound, an audio experience that they think it is the best in the market, which is justified by the two front stereo speakers. As for the technical features, it has a quad-core Snapdragon 600, running at 1.7GHz, having a 2GB RAM and allowing storage of 32GB or 64GB. Not to mention that it will support 4G connectivity, as every smartphone that is competitive nowadays. Last but not least, HTC One will sport the new Android Jelly Bean (4.1.2), called Sense 5, which makes the interface simple and nice.

    It seems that HTC is determined to get back on the track of Apple and Samsung, trying to fit in between their endless war. And they seem capable of boosting their sales for 2013 with smartphones like this one. They just have to convince the users to trust them once again, instead of choosing Apple or Samsung.

    HTC one is expected during March and it will be launched globally, with HTC having already signed with 185 carriers all over the world. We might not know about the price yet, but its launch it's not that far. If you are convinced from the first presentation, just be patient for a while.

  • Verizon names data and battery hogs

    Verizon Wireless in a relatively unprecedented move by a carrier has started a campaign of rating and reviewing of apps for both Android and iPhone. On whats grounds?

    • Respect for users' privacy,
    • User battery drain while on use,
    • Data plan usage while on use.

    Verizon has not made any friends by opening this can of worms, although its usefulness to users is relatively unquestioned among experts. The worst rated apps have been popular games (among them OMGPOPs Draw Something and Halfbrick's Fruit Ninja,) and even heavyweights like Facebook and MSN Messenger have got low grades for its persistent connection.

    It remains to be seen how this impacts users and Verizon's network. Will this be the beginning of a recommendation scheme to alleviate carriers' nightmares?

  • RIM to license its technology out to other hardware manufacturers?

    Research in Motion is thinking ahead, while the Blackberry 10 is about to hit the market. RIM CEO Thorsten Heins told Die Welt that they are examining the possibility of selling their hardware to other hardware manufacturers in the future. This means that they could license their technologies and provide them to others, leaving behind their exclusivity, which had its advantages, but also its disadvantages.

    More specifically, he mentioned:

    "There are several options, including the sale of the hardware production is as much as licensing our software. But there is no reason for us to decide in hectic. It is important first of all, BlackBerry 10 successfully putting them on the market. Then we shall see."

    Altough it is still early to predict the future of RIM, it could be a good choice, which could significantly expand their audience. Especially now with the release of Blackberry 10 that they have put all their hopes on, it could be a wise move indeed for such a thought.

    For the time being they are focusing on the promotion of BB10, enlarging its hype and raising the anticipation level. For example, RIM's stock is following the general hype that favors RIM, jumping more than 10% the last week. And BB10 has not even launched to justify the general optimism.

    If it is a success, as they wish, why not plan for bigger things?