This video would be a lot more impressive if they actually showed things working… instead of the 1970s tech-TV shots of colored cables. Just goes to show you… wireless networking is a hard thing to video.
Friday Grab Bag: Intel Disappoints, New Linux Tablet on the Horizon?
January 18, 2013 by
A half year after formally showing off its Google Glass technology at its developer show the company is now holding a pair of developer events that will center around glasses that will be held at the end of the month, according to Slashgear.
Both coasts will be represented, with one held in New York City and the other held in San Francisco. The event will center around developing for its Mirror API for the Glass technology and both will be two day affairs. The San Francisco event will be Jan. 28 and 29 while the New York one will run Feb. 1 and 2.
Other news around Project Glass involves a virtual touchpad that can be projected onto any surface and used to control the glasses. The company has applied for a patent that would call for a small laser that would be mounted on the glasses, according to Engaget.
Intel’s earnings disappoint
Intel has released its fourth quarter earnings with less than expected results and has predicted a soft year in 2013. Revenue was $13.48bn, down 3% from the same period a year ago. For the quarter it reported net income of $2.47bn, down from $3.36bn, in the year-ago period.
Revenue was $13.48bn, down 3% from the same period a year ago. Intel in October projected fourth-quarter revenue of $13.6 billion, plus or minus $500 million. Its core PC business was down 6% at $8.5bn from the previous year. It said that the PC is transitioning into tablets. The company said that it expects to increase its capital spending to $13bn in the current year.
Samsung Rumor predicts 8-inch Galaxy Note
Samsung appears ready to provide any size tablet a user could want and now the rumor mill is predicting that the company will soon be offering an 8-inch Galaxy Note as it expands that popular product family, according to Digital Trends and first reported in a Samsung News Blog called Sam Mobile.
It calls for the company to introduce the device to the world at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It is expected to have a 1280 x 800 resolution screen and be available in two models, a16GB version and a 32GB model.
DaVinci Prepares Linux Tablet
Add one more contender to the slowly growing market of tablets that are capable of running the Linux operating system as DaVinci Mobile Technology is reported to have an offering that is a month away from the market. The tablet, called ‘Kite” is expected to be a dual operating system according to PC World.
It will be capable of running either Android 4.0 or Ubuntu 12.04 and will include a 10.1-inch display with 1920 x 1200 HD resolution and will be powered by a Samsung Exynos quad-core 1.4 GHz processor. It is expected to have WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0, 2 GB RAM and 32 GB of internal storage.
Asus Goes Small With 7-inch Memo Pad Tablet
January 16, 2013 by
Asus avoided the glitter of CES by waiting until after the show had closed its doors before quietly expanding its tablet offerings with the Asus Memo Pad ME172V, a 7-inch tablet that will be priced just under $150.
The tablet will have a 1GHz processor powering the device that will include the Android 4.1 operating system and will feature 1024 x 600 dpi screen resolution and will initially be available with either 8GB or 16GB of storage. It has a 1MP front facing camera and has the ability to expand its storage by as much as double via the use of a 16GB microSD card and also includes a microUSB port for additional peripherals.
The company has not given a definitive release date for the tablet in the United States but has said that it will release it in select markets later this month. It has been speculated that this means the US, but that is not clear yet. It will be available in three colors
It will be in a very competitive space where rivals are more entrenched including the Nexus 7 which has a better screen and a more powerful processor. However the move by Asus has been long anticipated, and is just its first move into the 7-inch space. It came after a flurry of additional tablet news from earlier in the month.
A Pair of Tablets Unveiled at the Show
This follows a bigger splash from Asus at the CES show, where it took the wraps off a pair of tablets as well as an ultrabook. The first of the tablets was the Vivo Tab Smart, one of the first tablets that will be available running Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating systems and powered by an Intel Z2760 dual core Atom processor. The 10-inch tablet features a 1366 x 768 dpi display and includes an 8MP rear focus camera as well as the 2MP front facing camera. So far the company has not revealed when it will be shipping or at what price.
The company also revealed additional details of its Transformer AiO tablet, a large form devices that it has designed to run both Windows 8 as well as Android. It features a 18.4-inch screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. As befits a device designed to run dual operating systems it has both an Intel Atom and an nVidia processor, one to run each OS apparently. Delivery date is still unannounced but an entry level device is expected to start at $1,300.
Analysts predict worse than Expected Windows Surface Sales
January 15, 2013 by
Microsoft’s Surface tablets are still trying to find its footing in the market months after a steady media buildup that ended with the huge rollout event held last October. The holiday season did not bring the joy that executives might have been hoping for in terms of volume sales, according to recent analyst reports.
According to a piece in Business Insider, Brent Thill the managing director and senior analyst at UBS’s Software Group has released his latest estimation on the Surface’s sales dueling the just completed holiday quarter and the news is not good. He estimates that Microsoft sold approximately 1 million of the Surface RT devices, and that is 1 million less than he had originally estimated. . According to the piece Thill also was critical of Microsoft’s distribution effort that initially had a limited national coverage and so made it more difficult to purchase the devices.
To add insult to injury is the estimation that Apple, the company with the falling stock due to poor perceived performance, is expected to have sold 20 million iPads during that same period. Of course Apple is an established player in this space and Microsoft is trying to carve a new space for itself but that is still a telling number.
There are some issues with the Surface, some of which will be taken care of in the future and some who knows. The new operating system, Windows 8, is a big leap from previous offerings with a wide array of differences that could cause people to have second thoughts on purchasing the device. Or they could simply be waiting for the version of the Surface tablet that runs on Intel rather that ARM processors Maybe they are waiting for a larger ecosystem of apps to be available. Then again maybe consumers simply do not like the platform.
However it is not all bad news from USB. Thill said that he expects the next version of the Surface, the Surface Pro, to have a good deal more success, particularly in the business world. This platform will run on Intel processors and be compatible with existing desktop and mobile apps for Windows.
Verizon and the NFL: Pals Now, but What About the Future?
January 9, 2013 by
NFL commish Roger Goodell at CES. Credit: Paul Kapustka, Mobile Sports Report
The two areas where Verizon and the NFL seem headed in different directions are in mobile content delivery and in-stadium wireless networks, two huge matters for both entities. Currently Verizon is the NFL’s exclusive partner for providing mobile access to live NFL games, available only on Verizon devices via the NFLMobile app. Verizon currently can show live games on Thursday nights, Sunday nights and Monday Night Football, as well as the RedZone channel, which shows a lot of live content from games all around the league. Verizon paid something on the order of $700 million for the deal, which is said to expire after next season.
The unexpected appearance of Goodell during McAdam’s speech led us to initially believe there was some renewal announcement in the air — but instead Goodell left without talking about the future of NFL Mobile. Our guess for most of this season is that the NFL wants to take full control of its mobile/digital content offerings and sell them to fans at a steep cost, like Major League Baseball does. The silence in the presence of Verizon’s CEO can’t be good news for the phone carrier.
Likewise, Goodell has said he wants all stadiums in the league to install high-capacity Wi-Fi networks, to better serve fans with mobile content, social media and other connectivity options while they’re at the games. McAdam’s company, unlike its main competitor AT&T, has not made public Wi-Fi a priority and McAdam talked at CES about his hopes to use the company’s new 4G LTE video broadcast tools to help bring fans mobile coverage of events like the Super Bowl. He even made a pass at Goodell, telling the commish on stage that “we’d love to broadcast the big game [Super Bowl] in the 2014 time frame.” Goodell didn’t bite and didn’t comment. That doesn’t sound like much of a deal or even a promise. Akward stuff for a CEO to be floating, in front of thousands of witnesses.
Though we haven’t yet delved fully into how Verizon’s LTE video broadcast technology works, we’re skeptical that it can handle the big traffic demands of a full stadium of mobile users — more than half of whom are likely not Verizon customers and therefore unable to use any Verizon network technologies. Our guess is that the NFL will keep looking to Wi-Fi to solve stadium network issues — leaving Verizon on the sideline.
Just in Time for BCS, AT&T Adds 4G LTE to DAS at Sun Life Stadium
January 4, 2013 by
It isn’t Wi-Fi, but at least AT&T customers at the BCS Championship game next Monday should see an improved 4G LTE signal, thanks to an upgrade of the existing Distributed Antenna System (DAS) at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.
A local press release (no link) from AT&T’s Florida operations saluted the wireless upgrade, which was actually installed in time for the Jan. 1 Orange Bowl. According to the release, the 4G LTE upgrade was accompanied by more antennas, some facing outward from the stadium walls so that fans coming to the game wouldn’t find their signals lost. Here’s the money quote from the release:
“We know football fans at the stadium will want to use their smartphones to share photos, videos and texts during the big games with friends back home,” said AT&T Florida President Marshall Criser. “The investment we’ve made in the upgrades at the stadium will help make that possible.”
Mobile Sports Report will be watching the game in 3D in Las Vegas, courtesy of the fine folks at ESPN… drop us a line if you are at CES and want to talk Mobile Sports!
