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Mobile Sports Report TechWatch: Apple to Own iBook Rights?

January 23, 2012 by

Has Google lost control of Android? A piece in the Guardian is suggesting that the OS has gotten beyond the company’s control and that fragmentation will continue to loosen its grip — but it is not going so far as to say that this will harm its widespread adoption due to an uneven user experience.

The post makes some interesting observations about the difference between the Android space and Apple’s iOS market, noting that since Apple has always been fanatical about control it has a relatively minor problem in this space.

It claims that Android is suffering fragmentation in 5 specific areas: user interface, device, operating system, market place and service, and that the fragmentation is severe. However Google, not surprisingly, takes a very different view.


Does Apple own book rights to iBook creations?

That is the position that Ed Bott over at ZDNet, among others, is taking after doing what almost everyone fails to do on a regular basis — read the license agreement that appears at the bottom of the page that you must click prior to using the software.

According to his post Apple’s iBooks Author program’s End User License Agreement (EULA) gives Apple not only the usual rights to the software, but also to the output that has been created by the software, in other words all of the text books that are created using the program!

The document says that you can give a work created with the software for free but that Apple has the right to accept a book or reject any book for sale and that the author must enter an agreement with the company prior to publishing. If you go look at the blog entry, and I recommend that you do, read the responses as well.

Mobile Apps vs. Web Usage — Times are changing

Web analytic company Flurry Analytics’ latest blog post shows some very interesting changes in how people access the Internet, how much time they spend, on average, browsing, and how this relates to mobile app usage.

Using data from the last 18 months there is a growing trend to using mobile apps and away from browsing on both mobile and desktop devices. At the start of the period the average user spent an average of 64 minutes a day browsing and 43 minutes a day using apps on their devices.

Both activities have seen a strong increase, with browsing growing to 72 minutes a day, although that is down from 74 minutes just six months ago. Use of smartphones and tablet mobile apps has jumped to 94 minutes a day, with the six month ago numbers logging in at 81 minutes. I want to know how people keep their average numbers so low!

Are Windows Phones poised for huge growth?

Despite a market share that is currently miniscule at the moment, a market research firm is claiming that phones based on Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS will see huge growth and over take Apple’s iPhones by 2015.

Computerworld has a good piece using research from iSuppli that shows the analyst firm expects Microsoft’s share to grow from 1.9% of the market in 2011 to 16.7% in 2015, a share that will be good enough to bump iOS to third while both will trail the huge Android market that will encompass 58.1% of the market.

The growth will be primarily driven by new devices such as the Nokia Lumina 900, Nokia’s first 4G device and one that will sold by both AT&T and possibly more importantly, by Microsoft’s extensive sales channel.

Apple vs Motorola Patent update

A judge has narrowed the number of patents that are in dispute between Motorola and Apple. He invalidated two and said that a third was not infringed upon. He did say that five patents had issues the required a trial.

Apple has already lost a US ruling where it had accused Motorola of infringing on three of Apple’s patents and the company has suits against Motorola and others ongoing elsewhere around the globe.

Chevrolet wants you to use a tablet during the Super Bowl

General Motor’s Chevrolet division is one of many advertisers that has purchased multimillion dollar spots that will air during the upcoming Super Bowl broadcast on Feb. 5th, but plans a more interactive effort than any have done in the past.

The division is releasing an app for use with Android and iOS devices and available at their respective stores as well as at chevy.com/gametime it will have a wide range of activities including trivia contests that will enable users to win prizes.

The company said that there will be thousands of prizes, from both Chevy but also from as Bridgestone, Motorola, the NFL and NFLShop.com, Papa John’s Pizza and Sirius XM Radio. This is certainly an interesting method designed to maximize the millions the company will have spent to advertise during the game.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apple, Apps, Google, iPad, iPhone, Microsoft, Motorola, Tablets

Friday Grab Bag: People buy Kindles to read Books, Who Knew?

January 20, 2012 by

How do people use Kindle- let me count the ways
With all of the great sales news for Amazon’s Kindle platform in recent weeks one might wonder what all of these customers are using the tablets for. Well wonder no more as a survey by RBC Capital, as reported in Business Insider, comes away with a number of details on users needs

Not a huge surprise is that its primary use is as an ebook reader. That seems to show that it is hitting its target market, and by doing so will help Amazon, which reportedly is losing money on actual Kindle sales, make a net profit due to app, ebook and other add-on sales.

The second is that it is not used too much to surf the web. Many reports have shown that rival products such as the iPad are used to surf the web, often while watching television.

Panorama Sports viewing coming to a TV near you-hopefully
Every time I watch an NFL game, or for that matter many different sporting events, I often want to see something that is not in the camera-it could be following a specific receiver run their route or how the defense is lined up.

Well a company named Technicolor is working hard to rectify this issue with a technology it calls Personalized Content Rendering that it publicly showed at CES.

Using a system of six cameras at the sporting venue it can create a moving panorama view of the stadium that enables a user to personalize their viewing experience.

The company has a software program that combines the video feed from all six cameras that when used in conjunction with something like a Microsoft Kinect sensor for the Xbox 360 tracking your eyes and head movement to allow you to look around the field and even zoom in on specific spots. However it is still some time before we see a commercial offering from the company.

ZTE set to focus on US and China markets to grow smartphone sales
ZTE, one of the top handset makers in the world is looking at two of the largest markets for smartphones, the United States and China, as key targets in its efforts to continue its growth as a premium phone provider.

The company has been evolving in the consumer electronics market and this looks like the latest step as it said it will increase its sales efforts to establish its smartphone models such as the Blade and the Skate in these countries.

With a stated goal of doubling sales in 2012 it could lead to an interesting price war if the company bears down and gets serious. It is estimated that ZTE shipped 12 million smartphones last year.

Kupa breaks out its Windows Tablet
Kupa has unveiled the Kupa X11 Lux Tablet, a dual input device that can use either touch or a stylus as its primary input device. It runs Windows 7 OS and is capable of operating for 10 hours on batter power. It comes in two models, one with a 64GB solid state drive (SSD) and the other with a 128GB SSD.

Using its Pen + Touch technology with pen is sensitive to to different pressure levels which can result in different outcomes. It features Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth, USB and mini HDMI connectivity, and has a 2MP front camera and a 3MP rear facing camera.

Recon adds two new partners to lineup
Recon Instruments has expanded its partnerships for its Micro Optics Display (MOD) technology with the addition of official partnerships with Smith Optics and SCOTT Sports.

The two are the latest that have signed with the company to develop ski goggles that incorporate OD technology or are MOD compatible. MOD provides a variety of projected video feedback information for skiers including GPS and an altimeter. MOD Live boasts additional smartphone connectivity and advanced onboard apps.

Apple’s iOS to have integrated Facebook feature?
Reports are starting to surface that when Apple releases the iPad 3, expected in March, it will have an integrated version of Facebook as part of its core feature set according to iMore. The site reported that in iOS 5.1 beta release 3 that there is references to Facebook, but notes that this has happened in the past but apparently the two companies could not come to an agreement to include it.

Windows 8 tablets to have minimum hardware requirements
If you are planning on building a tablet that will run Microsoft’s Windows 9 operating system you will be required to meet some minimum standards for hardware, according to a report from eWeek. Not terrible breaking news since developers of Windows Phones also have to meet minimum requirements.

The reasoning behind this is to ensure that all of the hardware is there for the OS to operate properly. Microsoft wants to avoid an issue that has arisen in the Android space where a user might have very different experiences, and the devices different capabilities, even when running the same operating system.

Among the features that will be required to be included are a both Bluetooth 4.0 and Long Term Evolution (LTE), 10GB of storage, a minimum 1,366 x 768 resolution display and a 720p camera.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, Amazon, Android, Apple, Apps, Barnes & Noble, iPad, Kindle, Microsoft, Tablets

Apple Makes Big iPad Education Push — Sports, Social Media, Hardware Developers to Benefit

January 19, 2012 by

Apple is returning to its roots with its new education push announced today, only this time there will be no floppy drive or large beige computers on students desks with a tangle of wires connecting everything, but rather tablets and wireless communications.

While this will most likely mean great news for education content developers as well as students, it will also be a boon for other markets as well, ranging from Wi-Fi equipment manufacturers and the entire world of sports and sport content development.

The news

Apple is back in the space, but this time as a supplier of educational material, primarily books. It has unveiled iBooks 2 for iPad, and claims that it will lead to a new type of textbook for students.

The key to iBooks 2, which is available in its own section at the iTune store, is that it will enable the creation of materials that will feature interactive animations, diagrams, photos, videos and will provide an easy to use navigational system.

The company has already enlisted several educational publishers including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill and Pearson. Also teachers can create their own books for class using the iBooks Author tool.

For students the advantages are obvious, lighter backpacks since all of their text books can be carried in one small device. The cost, which Apple said will be in the $15 range for many books, will help with their expenses and they can be updated in real time to reflect current events or current ideas on a theme.

In addition to the iBooks 2 Apple has also released the iTunes U app that makes available a huge catalog of free educational materials, 20,000 educational apps as well as a wide variety of books that are used in school curriculum.

This is just the latest step from Apple in its effort to reestablish itself as one of the premier hardware and software players in the education market. It has been courting educators since it released the iPad. Apple has already seen a growing adoption of the iPad as a teaching tool in other areas including the NFL.

If Apple continues to gain share in the education field, as seems very likely at this point due to the poor showing by most of its rivals in the tablet business, this success will have far reaching implications for other companies as well.

Benefits for others

First and foremost it is most likely that the huge bulk of these iPads will only use Wi-Fi, since having two cellular bills is probably a bit much for the average student. I do not believe that most schools are prepared for a huge increase in the number of Wi-Fi users this will represent, as well as the huge increase in volume.

So hardware providers in a number of technologies from Wi-Fi hot spots to backhaul equipment providers will all see increased demand for their products

Secondly students will not just dedicate their time with the tablets to work. Aside from social media sports plays a huge role in many students’ lives. With ESPN, CBS Sports and others now streaming games a student can now be n the library and still watch the game.

The huge amount of options made available by the Australian Open for interaction with remote fans looks to be the wave of the future. Athletic, as well as theater and any other group on campus can now make interactive pitches to students as well as make video of past performances and streaming video of current games available on line.

This should lead to a demand for app and content developers to create interesting and informative programs that will grab and keep students attention. I expect that Amazon and Barnes & Noble to quickly follow suit since no one wants to leave such a huge and potentially lucrative market to Apple.

It will also spur the other Android tablet developers such as Samsung and Motorola to also develop solutions to get a piece of the pie. For customers this is great news because it will likely lead to price competition and a lowering of prices in an effort to grab market share.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apple, Apps, BCS, CBS Sports, ESPN, iPad, Live sports via mobile, Motorola, NFL, Samsung, Tablets Tagged With: ,

Australian Open 2012 Embraces Social Media

January 18, 2012 by

Do you miss the days of Evonne Goolagong and wooden rackets? Do you have no idea what the first sentence meant but like watching tennis and regret that the Australian Open is half a world away and so difficult to catch much of the action live?

Well the 2012 edition of the famed tournament has stepped up in the digital and social media space and presents a number of methods in which a fan can either catch live action or at least get a steady stream of comments and updates, easily and from a desktop or a mobile device.

As noted in Mashable this could be the most advanced use of social media in a tournament and that there is a wide variety of tournament sponsored avenues in which fans can follow the action, as well as comment on the action as it occurs. This has been a growing tradition at the tournament and one that others sports events can learn from as a tool to heighten fan engagement.

The official site has a range of tools that can meet fans needs on a variety of levels. Want to see video replays of highlights, player interviews or of the most popular players in action? They have that. Want to listen on the radio; there is a feature for that when the matches are being broadcast live.

There is a core feature called Fan Central that brings input from fans into the game. It contains what is called a ‘Social Leaderboard’ that contains a pool of 40 players that were selected due to their popularity. Fans can tweet about one of them using a hashtag that relates to their name, or ‘like’ content on australianopen.com that includes them and with every tweet or like they get points to rise in a leaderboard. You are not limited to just following these 40 as the site enables you to follow any player, popular or not.

The most active tweeters will have the opportunity to become ‘Fanbassadors’ that will be recognized on the tournaments official web site.

But it is not just fan twitters that are available. The tournament has staffed @AustralianOpen, a 24 Twitter feed. For the less serious, or more I guess, there is a feature for predicting outcomes as well as one that enables you to put captions onto photos. You can even submit a short film about the ‘Tennis Essence’ with the winner being played at the tournament.

Of course you can follow on Facebook, but if that is too static there are mobile apps for both Apple iPhones and Android based smartphones. There will also be the more traditional information you would expect-draws, schedules, how to get tickets and an overall event guide.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, Athlete to Follow, iPhone, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, Mashable, Smartphone, Twitter Tagged With: , , ,

Recon Instruments Lands $10 M in Venture Funding

January 17, 2012 by

Start-up sports analytic display company Recon Instruments recent product launch has helped it close a $10 million investment round that should help the company expand both in the sports field but also pioneer new markets.

The latest round features two investment firms, Vanedege Capital and Kopin Corp. that jointly funded the $10 million. Recon said that the money will help continue its product development. Vanedege is a new investment fund located in British Columbia while Kopin, with its voice-activated, wireless, hands-free Golden-i mobile computing headsets, ruggedized military imaging systems and other products looks much more like a future customer or partner of Recon.

The company was founded in 2006 by 4 MBA students from the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business in Vancouver and was initially funded by the founders, their friends and family, skiing enthusiast and a matching grant from the BC Innovation Council. It received bridge funding from Espresso Capital last year.

Recon’s core technology is called Micro Optics Display (MOD) and is designed for use in skiing goggles. It is an adjustable, color widescreen micro LCD that provides real-time information to the athlete such as speed, GPS location, jump airtime, vertical and total distance traveled, temperature, altitude and time, among other features.

There is a range of additional features for the devices ranging from tracking your friends to wireless connectivity to Android-powered smartphones and ability to access playlists.

A customer can either purchase integrated goggles or now buy a unit that can snap in and out of Recon-ready goggles and swapped out when needed. The company has several partners that make compliant goggles including Uvex, Alpina and Briko.

The display is controlled by a device that is strapped on the users arm and includes large buttons so that they can be easily used by owners wearing mittens with communications via Bluetooth connectivity. The company released its second generation products last Fall.

Filed Under: Android, Apps, Skiing

Garmin Connects Athletes with Ant +

January 17, 2012 by

Looking at the growing number of fitness devices available there is a thread that is increasingly running through all of them, they feature a low powered wireless technology called Ant + from Ant Wireless, that enables the athletes and others to get real time feedback from sensors such as heart rate monitors.

It is no real surprise that the technology has caught on in the market; it was designed specifically for this use by Dynastream Innovations to provide feedback from its power meters. When Garmin purchased the company in 2006 it took Ant + to a much wider market.

A look at Garmin products shows a strong presence of the technology, but it has also become firmly entrenched as a standard technology in a wide range of products from other developers in the sports market with support from an estimated 25 million devices.

The growing importance of the technology can be seen in one of its most recent partners, Sony Ericsson, which has a family of Ant + enabled phones including two that were announced earlier this month. Both the Xperia S and the Xperia ion will have native support for the wireless technology when they are released later in the first half of 2012.

Using one of these phones, which include a feature that enables the user to be always connected to the Internet a serious athlete can not only check their vital signs but have a remote trainer also get the data and so be in a position to provide important feedback. You can use Ant + with other phones but need a dongle.

At the recent CES show there was a range of fitness developers showing technology in the Ant + booth aside from Garmin. 4iiii, a developer of audio and display feedback systems incorporates it, no real surprise since 4iiii CEO Kip Fyfe was CEO of Dynastream when it developed the technology and sold it to Garmin.

Others in the fitness space that use the technology include Wahoo Fitness, Pioneer, Garmin, Nordic,CardioSport, and Fatigue Science to name a few partners.

Not just for sports
ANT+ has gained widespread adoption as the interoperable standard in ultra low power wireless communication in sports but also as a technology that is gaining ground in medical applications. It was recently adopted by Qualcomm Life’s 2net hub technology that is designed to provide wireless communications between medical devices.

There are other medical users such as Dexcom, a company that develops glucose monitoring systems and A&D Medical which develops wireless blood pressure monitors and other equipment. There are also companies developing games, bridges and hubs and other mobile applications that use the technology.

The technology is a 2.4GHz wireless network protocol and is used in wireless sensor networks that require low cost, low power, small form factor and flexibility such as being able to form ad hoc mesh networks. The devices that feature the technology have a small battery that can provide years of operational life.

It is interesting how well this, a privately developed technology has found acceptance while rival technologies such as ZigBee seemed to have struggle to find a niche, while offering much the same features.

Filed Under: Android, Apps, Cycling, iPhone, Live sports via mobile, Smartphone, Sony Ericsson Tagged With: , , ,
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