Business News Holding

Tag: smartphones

  • 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

  • Top 10 Activities of the New Smartphone Users

    A recent study by Ericsson ConsumerLab points out 10 of the most common activities of a new smartphone user.

    In the order of popularity, the new smartphone users inaugurate the device by installing check-in applications like Foursquare, in order to let friends know their location. The next activity is installing navigation applications that provide maps and traffic information, applications that enable them to watch TV on the Internet, watch movies, or play online.

    On the sixth place are ranked the applications that allow users to watch videos live on the Internet, followed by applications that enable them to access social networking games, to use Twitter and read or write on blogs.

    In addition, 69% of respondents recognized that use applications to access the Internet on a daily basis, and 20% of them use every day large data traffic services, such as video and TV applications, maps and navigation.

    The study was conducted on markets in India, Brazil and Russia, where the use of applications is different from the model seen on developed markets. For example, two out of five users are visiting rarely or never the official platforms that markets applications and download, instead, applications from third party websites or forums. Almost half of users have firstly downloaded applications on computer and then transferred them to the smartphone.

    "These figures reveal strong interest in apps that enable consumers to deal with daily challenges and interact with people, places and things in their urban surroundings. We believe that, "Smartphones and apps will be key in transforming everyday life for people in high growth markets going forward into the Networked Society", said Jasmeet Singh Sethi, Senior Specialist at Ericsson ConsumerLab.

  • Almost Half of the U.S. Adults Have a Smartphone

    Smartphones are now more popular than conventional mobile phones among the U.S. adults, according to a study released on Thursday, confirming a trend of aggressive spread of these “pocket minicomputers”. 

    According to the study conducted by Pew Research Center University, nearly half ( 46%) Americans of at least 18 years old had a multifunction phone in February, compared with 41% who owned a normal mobile phone and 12% who never used one of the two.

    A study conducted in May last year concluded that only 35% of American adults had a smartphone, compared with 48% who used a traditional phone.

    Devices running the operating system developed by Google, Android, are the most numerous, being in the hands of 20% of the owners of this type of device, from 15% in May 2011. Apple’s iPhone is ranked second with 19% of users compared to 10% in May, clearly outpacing Blackberry produced by Research in Motion, which is in a deep fall (10% in May 2011 to 6% in February this year). Only 2% of the rest have a phone running the Windows Phone operating system, developed by Microsoft, a report unchanged compared to May 2011.

    The survey conducted by Pew Research Center showed that all demographic categories, men and women, young and middle-aged or third-aged, urban and rural, wealthy and less wealthy, they all participated at the smartphone phenomenon.

    The study was conducted between January 20 and February 19 on a sample of 2253 adults and has an error margin of plus or minus 2.7 points.

  • 2012 Brings 2.5 Million New Viruses. The Main Target: Android Smartphones

    2012 will bring a total of over 2.5 million new viruses, a marked increase in malware dedicated to mobile devices and attacks against large organizations, according to the report released by the German IT security company G Data.

    "One of the emerging issues from 2011, which will develop over the next 12 months, is malware for mobile platforms," said Eddy Willems, Security Evangelist at G Data.

    "Devices with the Android operating system will be increasingly under fire as cyber-criminals are constantly finding new ways to attack its vulnerabilities. 2011 saw a rise in social engineering, where users installed infected apps on their devices, causing many to lose money and personal data. 2012 will be the year of banking Trojans as more people migrate to mobile platforms for online banking facilities. The banking Trojan malware can be bought quite easily and created individually by the attackers, which makes it a widespread threat," he said.

    G Data also predicts an increase in attacks on companies and organizations. Duqu worm appearance in 2011 showed that criminals are interested in spying any company and are not targeting only high level companies as did the emergence of Stuxnet.

    Duqu can be used in different ways to compromise data and to infiltrate a network with specialized attacks. Thus, the possibilities of using it to steal data or key information are vast, from spam to espionage, specialized targeted attacks or sophisticated phishing attacks, the report also shows.

    Major events of the year, such as the Olympic Games, the 2012 Football European Championship or the U.S. presidential elections, will provide a perfect environment for offenders.

    "We expect to see a steep incline in fake online ticket shops, website defacements, attacks at the venue sites and much more," says Willems.

    You may also want to read:
    CES 2012: Intel Sets New Standards in Smartphones and Tablets
    LG Optimus 3D and Nokia X7: The Battle Continues!
    Top Smartphones of 2011

  • Samsung Presents New 4G Communication Solutions

    During the 4G World 2011 event, held in Chicago, Samsung made a few demonstrations of its smart solutions Smart LTE and Voice over LTE, which take full advantage of the 4G technology.

    Samsung has shown the improvement in data transition provided by Samsung Smart LTE solution, which is designed to support a large influx of mobile data traffic in congested urban areas. According to the company, applying its advanced technology of radio resource allocation, Samsung Smart LTE solution allows mobile service providers to reduce the interference that occurs inside network’s sectors and cells, making possible the efficient expansion of the signal range without reducing its intensity.

    Youngky Kim, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Telecommunication Systems Business at Samsung Electronics, said: “It’s clear that LTE is the central point of the transition from voice-service-based communication towards the one based on data service. Thus, the telecommunications industry is currently working on finding the most effective ways to satisfy user demand for multimedia and data services at a higher speed, while continuing to provide stable voice services of the highest quality.”

    Samsung has also made a VoLTE demonstration using complete solutions, including networking equipment, but also smartphones and chipsets compatible with LTE. Samsung provides a high quality of the service VoLTE (QoS), ensuring uninterrupted voice communications, even in case of overloaded network.

    Both network equipment and the smartphones used in proving the VoLTE solution are expected to hit the market in 2012.

    Samsung has also introduced SmartMBS, a multi-standard base station that brings together the LTE, 4G and 3G technologies in a single platform. SmartMBS allows quick and easy integration of the LTE technology into existing networks at considerably reduced costs. SmartMBS has a bandwidth range of 65MHz Remote Audio Unit (RRU), equipped with Software Defined Radio (SDR) capabilities.

    Samsung supported the launch of the first commercial services LTE and Mobile WiMAX in USA. Having an extensive experience in OFDMA technology, the company already created dozens of partnerships with mobile operators in order to help them implement 4G solutions, including Sprint and MetroPCS in the US, KDDI in Japan and Mobily in Saudi Arabia.

    You may also want to read:
    Samsung Launches Galaxy Note
    Nokia N9, Love at Second Sight
    Ubuntu Linux Mobile – An alternative to Google Android

  • Renewable Energy Critical to Connecting the Next 2 Billion Mobile Subscribers


    Over 800,000 base stations will utilize alternative energy solutions such as wind or solar energy in 2009, according to ABI Research.

    The forecast was made by the researchers’ new Clean Telecoms Research Service, set up to meet the growing need for detailed market information about green initiatives.

    It also estimated that nearly 70 million mobile devices will be ethically disposed of or will be recycled in 2009.

    Vice president and chief research officer Stuart Carlaw said one only had to look at the splash of solar powered mobile devices at Mobile World Congress 2009 to see that environmentally friendly solutions are becoming increasingly important to mobile consumers, service providers, application developers and OEMs alike.

    At MWC, Dutch company Intivation launched the world’s first low-cost solar-powered mobile phone that combines a single solar cell with its chip software.

    "Renewable energy will be a critical aspect in connecting the next two billion subscribers in off-grid and brown power areas," said Carlaw.

    "Not only is it environmentally friendly but it is also extremely cost effective."

    The new ABI Research Clean Telecoms Research Service covers important aspects such as:

    • energy consumption
    • renewable energy penetration
    • manufacturing and materials usage
    • corporate responsibility
    • regulatory issues
    • recycling
    • product end-of-life management

  • Acer Plans To Drive Down Price of Smartphones







    It was always on the cards from the moment Acer announced its intention to enter the smartphone arena.

    Now the Taiwanese electronics giant has made it clear that it plans to drive down the cost of smartphones – to a level where mobile operators could give them away for free.

    Acer plans to release two low-priced handsets – the F1 and L1 – in October. Both will be touchscreen devices running Windows Mobile 6.5.

    They will obviously be pitched as entry-level smartphones and will be sold as Pay as you Go models for around USD $62 after network subsidies.

    Acer’s Smart Handheld Business Group head, Aymar de Lencquesaing, speaking at CeBit, said there were four billion mobile phone users on the planet, but only 200 million smartphone users.

    He reasoned that driving down the price and enabling operators to give the phones away free – with a contract – was the "surest way to drive adoption".

  • ZTE to Unveil Range of Smartphones at MWC 2009


    ZTE Corporation is promising to reveal a full portfolio of smartphones at the Mobile World Congress 2009 in Barcelona.

    All in all, 10 different designs are to go on show, including customised handsets for Vodafone and China Mobile.

    The highlight is expected to the the VF 1231 model, which has been developed especially for Vodafone. The smartphone is based on Windows Mobile platform and has a single chip for GSM and EDGE.

    Other handsets due to be paraded in Barcelona is the ‘XIANG’ series of 3.5G super slim HSDPA/HSUPA handsets, the e760 (a

    ZTE’s e760 smartphone

    GSM-based handset custom-made for China Mobile) and the D820/D810 (a CDMA-based handset custom-made for China Telecom).

    Also expected to go on show is the U981, a top-end smartphone that was deployed by China Mobile during the Beijing Olympic Games.

    Xiong Hui, vice president of handset division of ZTE Corporation, said the demand for smartphones has reached the point where they are no longer seen as a luxury or a strictly work-related item.

    He said ZTE recognised this trend early on and invested in developing a range of smartphones.

    "ZTE is meeting the specific requirements of leading mobile operators such as Vodafone and China Mobile, and helping smartphones become a popular item worldwide," he said.

  • Smartphones To Buck Global Mobile Sales Fall


    IDC forecasts that global mobile phone shipments will fall 2.2 per cent next year, the first decline since 2001.

    However, the researchers expect smartphone sales to outperform the market next year, growing an estimated 8.9 per cent.

    This follows a 27 per cent increase in smartphone shipments this year, which helped boost worldwide growth to an estimated 7.3 per cent in 2008.

    IDC does not expect the downturn in mobile phone shipments to stretch past 2009.

    Its report states that by 2010, the worldwide mobile phone market should show signs of improvement as economic recovery plans start to take effect.

    IDC forecasts 7.7 per cent volume growth in 2010 and a return to double-digit growth in the following years.

  • Smartphones Help WeFi Pass One Million User Mark


    The growing number of WiFi enabled smartphones appears to be spurring WeFi Inc on to greater things.

    The community-based global Wi-Fi network says it has now amassed over one million users in 215 countries, with an increasing number coming from mobile devices.

    WeFi, which recently added Symbian and Windows Mobile platforms to its Wi-Fi-connection service, also reported that it now has 10 million discovered hotspots.

    A statement said this makes it the largest virtual global Wi-Fi network, and the largest worldwide map of Wi-Fi access points available today.

    WeFi offers free downloadable software that enables automatic connection to the best Wi-Fi hotspot available.

    As well as Symbian and Windows Mobile, it has versions available for PCs and Macs, and has gained in popularity as more mobile devices become Wi-Fi compatible.

    In addition to gaining access to hotspots, members of the WeFi community are invited to map and rank open hotspots in any given location around the world, forming an aggregate picture of all the available Wi-Fi connections.

    Zur Feldman, CEO of WeFi, said the one million users demonstrated the rapid growth in users, located all across the world.

    "WeFi has been successful in being able to give our users the ability to add hotspots themselves and to share them with others," he said.