Plus Microsoft's Android patent hoard, an embedded compass?, Apple v Motorola redux, HTC's advantage, and more
A burst of 9 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology team
The design shakeup at Apple will result in Christie soon leaving the company, with all software designers now working directly under Ive with the rest of his industrial design team instead of within Federighi's engineering group. Sources say that Christie's upcoming departure is significant and stems from a falling out with Ive.
When Ive tasked Apple's Human Interface team with redesigning iOS 7 to include an entirely new look, Christie and Ive reportedly clashed over design direction, after which Ive is said to have circumvented Christie's leadership of the team during the new operating system's development.
Although the S5 is not officially released for another 2 days, we've seen numerous S5's sending us data almost 70 in fact, from 15 countries (Korea we expected to see as the S5 is already on sale there, the US, Israel, Brazil are also included). Among the data we collect is a one-off scan of device specs, this forms the basis of our Android Fragmentation reports, we also provide this data to device testing firms and OEMs.
Across all 69 Galaxy S5's, covering 9 distinct precise models (e.g. SM-G900L, SMG900V) not a single one provides humidity or temperature APIs. Unless Samsung has included these sensors but made them invisible to developers which would be perverse these sensors are not present.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Tuesday announced that it has approved our purchase of Nokia's Devices and Services business subject to certain conditions. MOFCOM's decision effectively adopts Microsoft's current patent licensing practices. In reaching its decision, MOFCOM concluded after its investigation that Microsoft holds approximately 200 patent families that are necessary to build an Android smartphone.
Last year, Apple spent about $351m on total U.S. wireless phone advertising, up 5% from $333m, according to Kantar Media. It spent more on TV ads last year than its entire 2012 budget, spending $339m on TV ads in 2013, up 15% from 2012 TV ad spending.
Samsung spent about $363m on all US mobile phone ads, down 10% from $401m, the only top device maker that cut U.S. ad spending.
We've all seen the reports. The iPhone by itself is more profitable than many of Apple's competitors are in total. iPhone is as profitable as companies with oligopoly control over fossil fuel resources. It's a singular phenomenon.
The iPad doesn't make as much money as the iPhone. And, no iWatch, iTelevision, iEspresso maker, or any other consumer electronics product is going to either.
Smartphone mapping features are great for getting directions, until you lose signal. But you could avoid getting lost in the woods with a guiding system embedded in your body.
Electronic engineer and biohacker Brian McEvoy has designed the first internal compass, and will be the first test subject. The 'Southpaw' - inspired by the North Paw bracelet - works by sealing a miniature compass inside a silicon coat, within a rounded Titanium shell, to be implanted under the skin. An ultra-thin whisker juts out, which is activated when the user faces north, to lightly brush an alert on the underside of the skin.
In the case on appeal, Apple claimed that Motorola Mobility violated that [fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory, or FRAND licensing] pledge on technology for wireless and 3G transmissions. Motorola Mobility demanded "a rate that was more than 12 times what Motorola was charging other licensees for the same technology," Apple said in a 23 July filing with the Federal Circuit.
Motorola Mobility demanded 2.25% of the sale price of the iPhone, or about $12 per phone, even though it has "only a small percentage of the thousands of patents declared essential to the relevant standards," Apple said.
Before anyone gets too excited about the results of the teen survey Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster released Tuesday, the numbers need to be put in some kind of socioeconomic context.
For one thing, American teenagers tend to be richer - a lot richer - than teenagers in the rest of the world. For another, the sample of roughly 7,500 American teens Piper Jaffray polled tends to come from middle and upper-middle class families. Inner-city teens don't go the kinds of high schools Gene Munster visits.
One of the first Android skins, Sense has come a long way from the clunky blanket it once was. Mature and sensible, there are some things we think Sense does just a bit better than Android proper.
Continue reading... Reported by guardian.co.uk 21 hours ago.
A burst of 9 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology team
The design shakeup at Apple will result in Christie soon leaving the company, with all software designers now working directly under Ive with the rest of his industrial design team instead of within Federighi's engineering group. Sources say that Christie's upcoming departure is significant and stems from a falling out with Ive.
When Ive tasked Apple's Human Interface team with redesigning iOS 7 to include an entirely new look, Christie and Ive reportedly clashed over design direction, after which Ive is said to have circumvented Christie's leadership of the team during the new operating system's development.
Although the S5 is not officially released for another 2 days, we've seen numerous S5's sending us data almost 70 in fact, from 15 countries (Korea we expected to see as the S5 is already on sale there, the US, Israel, Brazil are also included). Among the data we collect is a one-off scan of device specs, this forms the basis of our Android Fragmentation reports, we also provide this data to device testing firms and OEMs.
Across all 69 Galaxy S5's, covering 9 distinct precise models (e.g. SM-G900L, SMG900V) not a single one provides humidity or temperature APIs. Unless Samsung has included these sensors but made them invisible to developers which would be perverse these sensors are not present.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Tuesday announced that it has approved our purchase of Nokia's Devices and Services business subject to certain conditions. MOFCOM's decision effectively adopts Microsoft's current patent licensing practices. In reaching its decision, MOFCOM concluded after its investigation that Microsoft holds approximately 200 patent families that are necessary to build an Android smartphone.
Last year, Apple spent about $351m on total U.S. wireless phone advertising, up 5% from $333m, according to Kantar Media. It spent more on TV ads last year than its entire 2012 budget, spending $339m on TV ads in 2013, up 15% from 2012 TV ad spending.
Samsung spent about $363m on all US mobile phone ads, down 10% from $401m, the only top device maker that cut U.S. ad spending.
We've all seen the reports. The iPhone by itself is more profitable than many of Apple's competitors are in total. iPhone is as profitable as companies with oligopoly control over fossil fuel resources. It's a singular phenomenon.
The iPad doesn't make as much money as the iPhone. And, no iWatch, iTelevision, iEspresso maker, or any other consumer electronics product is going to either.
Smartphone mapping features are great for getting directions, until you lose signal. But you could avoid getting lost in the woods with a guiding system embedded in your body.
Electronic engineer and biohacker Brian McEvoy has designed the first internal compass, and will be the first test subject. The 'Southpaw' - inspired by the North Paw bracelet - works by sealing a miniature compass inside a silicon coat, within a rounded Titanium shell, to be implanted under the skin. An ultra-thin whisker juts out, which is activated when the user faces north, to lightly brush an alert on the underside of the skin.
In the case on appeal, Apple claimed that Motorola Mobility violated that [fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory, or FRAND licensing] pledge on technology for wireless and 3G transmissions. Motorola Mobility demanded "a rate that was more than 12 times what Motorola was charging other licensees for the same technology," Apple said in a 23 July filing with the Federal Circuit.
Motorola Mobility demanded 2.25% of the sale price of the iPhone, or about $12 per phone, even though it has "only a small percentage of the thousands of patents declared essential to the relevant standards," Apple said.
Before anyone gets too excited about the results of the teen survey Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster released Tuesday, the numbers need to be put in some kind of socioeconomic context.
For one thing, American teenagers tend to be richer - a lot richer - than teenagers in the rest of the world. For another, the sample of roughly 7,500 American teens Piper Jaffray polled tends to come from middle and upper-middle class families. Inner-city teens don't go the kinds of high schools Gene Munster visits.
One of the first Android skins, Sense has come a long way from the clunky blanket it once was. Mature and sensible, there are some things we think Sense does just a bit better than Android proper.
Continue reading... Reported by guardian.co.uk 21 hours ago.