Business News Holding

Tag: hardware-and-technology

  • New Display Technologies Stalking LCD


    Cost remains a key factor in ensuring LCD is the display of choice for most handsets.

    But a report from ABI Research suggests a number of new and not-so-new display technologies are vying for a chunk of LCD’s vast market share.

    It points out that since LCD is a mature technology, it has a cost advantage that ensures its future as the primary display technology for some time to come.

    But while LCD displays have improved greatly over the years, their performance still falls short in a number of key areas such as power consumption and readability in bright light conditions.

    Kevin Burden, ABI’s research director, said this is where new technologies are looking to capitalize.

    He said that Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) could be the ones most suited to take on LCD.

    “Of the challengers OLEDs are among leading contenders because of the maturity of their development and their use in other devices, such as televisions, which will strengthen their supply chain,” he said.

    Samsung recently announced plans to introduce a mobile handset on the consumer market with an active matrix (AM) OLED display.

    The SCH-W690 is a clamshell design HSDPA handset that will be introduced initially in the Korean market.

    Its significance is the incorporation of a 2.6 inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 240×320 pixels and 262k colors.

    In contrast to OLEDs, the ABI report suggests that Qualcomm’s micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)-based “mirasol” display is finding its first role in secondary screens found on clamshell handsets.

    In 2009 Qualcomm will open a dedicated mirasol display factory in Taiwan which is a major step towards ramping up its supply chain.

    E-Ink, the “electronic paper” display in Amazon’s Kindle, is also targeting the handset market.

    Though it is physically robust and boasts very low power consumption, E-Ink’s current lack of color handling and low refresh rate may limit its immediate appeal, but also has opportunity as a phone’s secondary display.

    However all these displays face one big hurdle: they cost more than LCD displays.

    The enormous volumes in the mobile phone market means that even a differential of a few cents can make the difference between adoption and rejection.

    Over time, though, prices will fall and as Burden notes: “It’s a long road ahead for these new display companies, but even a niche in the handset market could prove very profitable indeed.”

  • Keyboard and Touchscreen For Palm's New Handset


    Details are emerging about Palm’s expected launch of its latest smartphone and operating system at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show.

    The new handset is to have a full QWERTY keyboard that will slide down under a portrait-oriented touchscreen.

    This, and the new Nova operating system, are to be launched Thursday, according to CrunchGear.

    Faced with mounting losses and weak smartphone sales, the success of the new phone and Linux-based operating system could very well decide the company’s fate.

    It should be clearer by the end of the week whether Palm’s offerings will enable it to succeed with its plan to position itself somewhere between RIM’s BlackBerry and Apple’s iPhone.

  • C2Call Unveils Updated Browser-based Service


    C2Call has launched a second beta of its computer-to-computer service that allows free calls around the world.

    The German startup also introduced new APIs – software tools that enable social media sites to add browser-based voice calls to any Web site.

    Martin Feuerhahn, CEO of C2Call, said a major appeal of C2C was its simplicity and the fact calls were made direct from the browser.

    He said users no longer had to download, install, configure and update special software just to make VoIP calls or just to talk only to users on the same service.

    "Instead of tapping out messages to online friends on social media sites, C2Call gets people talking – which helps to increase use of the site," he said.

    For users, computer to landline and computer to mobile calls cost from two cents (Euro) per minute, depending on tariffs – and C2Call displays rates when they apply, as that call is made.

    There are no connection charges or set-up fees.

    C2Call is platform independent. It works by temporarily loading a Java widget into Internet Explorer, Safari and Firefox when running under the Windows, Mac or Linux operating systems.

    The widget establishes a peer-to-peer voice connection that works behind firewalls.

  • G2 Software Issues Delay Launch


    There has been plenty of speculation that the launch of the next Google Android-powered handset is just days away.

    That appears to be premature according to BGR, which claims the launch has in fact been delayed until April due to "software issues".

    Among the other unconfirmed details gleaned are that the T-Mobile G2 will actually launch on another global carrier as well.

    Since the "G" names are trademarks of T-Mobile the other carrier will use its own name for the device.

    BGR also reports that the new handset will be full touch without a physical QWERTY keyboard and will have a trackball at the bottom.

  • Motorola Commits To WinMo And Android


    Motorola is to discontinue making phones for Symbian and will instead concentrate on two new platforms: Windows Mobile and Android.

    Sanjay Jha, CEO of the Mobile Devices group at Motorola, confirmed what had until now been rumors to Michael Oryl of MobileBurn.

    Motorola’s stake in Symbian was in UIQ, a part of the OS being cut following Nokia’s decision to move to an open platform.

    A leading force in the US smartphone market, Motorola has seen it position threatened of late.

    In November, Apple’s iPhone overtook Motorola’s Razr to become the best-selling consumer cellphone in the US in the third quarter of 2008.

    Motorola is now expected to postpone any product launches until the end of 2009 to allow it to prepare its new Android devices.

  • Hybrid Disc Plays On Blu-ray and DVD


    Japan-based Infinity Storage Media has launched the first Blu-ray / DVD hybrid disc.

    The disc sports a single-layer of Blu-ray (25GB) on one side and a conventional dual-layer DVD (8.5GB) on the other.

    Essentially it works by having different permeable layers for DVD and Blu-ray and different thicknesses between them.

    Since the lasers penetrate to different depths, it allows either the DVD or Blu-ray to be read depending on what player the disc is on.

    Obviously, the main benefit of the hybrid is that it’s backward compatibility.

    This means that users can switch it between their Blu-ray and DVD players without the need to have two different copies.

    The Japanese market is to be the first to benefit with the release of locally-made drama Code Blue.

  • Toshiba Announces First 512GB SSD


    The rush to release the first Terabyte SSD continues with Toshiba’s announcement of a 2.5-inch 512GB NAND-based model.

    Market analysts expect SSDs will account for 10 per cent of the market for notebook computer storage by 2010, and 25 per cent by 2012.

    Toshiba also announced a family of fast read/write SSDs built around the 43-nanometer multi-level cell (MLC) NAND used in the 512GB.

    The drives are intended for notebooks, gaming and home-entertainment systems.

    They include capacities of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB and come in 1.8-inch or 2.5-in drive enclosures, or as flash modules.

    No price was announced for the 512GB SSD but it is expected to go on sale by the second quarter of 2009.

    Toshiba will be presented the new additions at next month’s CES in Las Vegas.

  • Phone.com Offers US Businesses Foreign Numbers


    Voxbone is to supply Phone.com, a hosted IP PBX provider for small businesses, with international DID (direct-inward-dial) numbers.

    The deal allows Phone.com users in the US to select telephone numbers in foreign countries that when dialled will ring to their Phone.com Virtual Office.

    An automated receptionist then asks for the called person’s extension number and completes the call.

    Such calls are local to the caller. Voxbone carries them over its managed IP network to Phone.com, which routes them to its end customer.

    Phone.com customers pay a flat monthly rate for each DID. The numbers can also be directed to ring home phones or cell phones, and to change routing by time-of-day rules.

    DIDs can be ordered for all included cities and countries through Phone.com’s self-service web site.

    Ari Rabban, CEO of Phone.com, said theVirtual Office enabled small business customers to look big by running big-company voice applications like automated attendant and conferencing.

    Voxbone leases international DID numbers and toll-free numbers via VoIP to organizations in North and South America, Europe and Asia/Pacific regions.

  • Gizmo5 Introduces Browser-Based VoIP Application


    Gizmo5 has launched a web-based VoIP app that allows users to call 800 numbers and SIP addresses for free.

    GizmoCall is Flash-based, so it only requires a browser to use the service rather than having to download a software client.

    Users go to the Web site, sign up for a username and password, and start making calls.

    The service can also accept inbound calls to the login user name, so long as the app is running in a window or browser tab.

    You can also drop one line onto a webpage to do inbound calling from GizmoCall.

    To make outbound calls, users require a GizmoCall account.

    The Adobe Flash client should work on Mac, Windows and Linux platforms.

  • Movial Launches HD Video Calling for PCs


    Movial has announced a new software application that offers PC-to-PC, and PC-to-Mobile HD video.

    Victor Donselaar, president of Movial, said the Communicator PC 7.2 HD video calling technology significantly reduces the CPU and bandwidth utilization compared to other technologies.

    He said this enables users to run multiple applications at the same time.

    The video technology comes complete with high-quality, high-resolution, real-time, two-way video communications and advanced voice processing technology.

    It allows tight lip-synching of video and voice, which Donselaar said allows for much more natural conversation.

    “With Movial Communicator PC 7.2, subscribers can see and talk to a person as if they were sitting in front of them,” he said.

    “With high-speed Internet connectivity more readily available and video capture and display costs decreasing, users can finally enjoy a much richer multimedia face-to-face encounter."

    Movial also announced that it has signed a deal with Cyta, the leading telecommunications company in Cyprus, which has launched an IMS PC play with its broadband telephony service bundle, powered by Communicator PC 7.2.