NASA Signs $2.5 Billion Contract With HP

NASA has signed a huge contract with Hewlett-Packard for IT goods and services. The $2.5 billion, 10-year deal includes computer networks, hardware, software, peripherals and "everything that's plugged into the wall," said Michael Sweigart, as NASA spokesperson.

HP is taking over many services currently provided by Lockheed Martin. Hewlett-Packard has had an interesting year, one perhaps most significantly marked by a CEO-shakeup saga. In early August, HP ousted then-CEO Mark Hurd following sexual harassment claims. Shortly after Hurd's firing, he was hired as Oracle's new co-president.

Still, while the company's leadership saw some big changes, it finished the year strongly, reporting decent fourth-quarter revenue growth. We're sure a hefty contract from NASA will help the company's financials as well as help direct attention away from CEO issues and toward what looks to be a promising new year.

New virus 'Geinimi' threatens Android Phones

A virus infecting mobile phones using Google's Android operating system has emerged in China that can allow a hacker to gain access to personal data, US security experts have said.

A report this week from Lookout Mobile Security said the new Trojan affecting Android devices has been dubbed "Geinimi" and "can compromise a significant amount of personal data on a user’s phone and send it to remote servers."

The firm called the virus "the most sophisticated Android malware we've seen to date."

"Once the malware is installed on a user's phone, it has the potential to receive commands from a remote server that allow the owner of that server to control the phone," Lookout said.

"Geinimi's author(s) have raised the sophistication bar significantly over and above previously observed Android malware by employing techniques to obfuscate its activities."

The motive for the virus was not clear, which added that this could be used for anything from "a malicious ad-network to an attempt to create an Android botnet."

But the company said the only users likely to be affected are those downloading Android apps from China.

The infected apps included repackaged versions sold in China of Monkey Jump 2, Sex Positions, President vs. Aliens, City Defense and Baseball Superstars 2010.

"It is important to remember that even though there are instances of the games repackaged with the Trojan, the original versions available in the official Google Android Market have not been affected," said the security firm.

HTC to release First Verizon LTE Smartphone

The race to be the first smartphone on Verizon Wireless' brand-new long-term evolution (LTE) network is on, and 4G leader HTC appears determined to be first out of the gate.

Taiwan-based HTC launched the first phone designated 4G for Sprint Nextel's high-speed WiMAX network in June and a house ad on its company web site this week shows a veiled phone with the words "The first to 4G again," widely interpreted to be a promise to lead the LTE race on Verizon. HTC also makes the G2, which works on T-Mobile's high-speed HSPA+ network.

When Verizon Wireless Vice President and CTO Tony Melone announced the launch of the LTE network early this month for 38 markets and 60 airports - initially for computer modem users only - he said smartphones would be available in the first half of 2011 with announcements at the industry's biggest event, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 6 through Jan. 8. HTC has a press conference scheduled on the same day Verizon is to announce its LTE phones.

More recently, Verizon Wireless CEO John Stratton told this week that Motorola, maker of Verizon's top-selling Droid, Droid X, and, most recently, the Droid Pro, will have an LTE smartphone.

Fourth-generation network coverage is still in its infancy, and with tiered data plans making it an expensive proposition, it may be some time before adoption matches the level of 3G. So making the first LTE smartphone for the largest carrier in the U.S. is more valuable for bragging rights than for sales in the short term, said wireless analyst Gerry Purdy of MobilTrax.

"Samsung, Motorola and HTC all have the technical capability to do it," said Purdy. "The real challenge is who is going to be able to bring volume to the market when LTE is still in the rollout stage. So it has some PR value but it will make very few extra sales except for people who are very data-hungry."

Purdy suggested that adding 4G capability in refreshes of existing phones that already have some traction might be a better move than adding new devices to the crowded market.

As for Apple’s iPhone, rumored to be hitting Verizon stores around the same time that LTE phones arrive, Purdy said it's likely a 4G iPhone is about a year away.

AT&T, the iPhone's current exclusive U.S. distributor and the second-biggest carrier in the U.S., is slated to launch its own LTE network in 2012. Purdy said Apple would do well to make a smartphone that will work on both Verizon and AT&T's next-generation networks.

Android 3.0 coming In March

Weeks ago, Google took the wraps off of Android Gingerbread, the latest and greatest version of its mobile operating system. Aside from the newly launched Samsung Nexus S device, no phone even has the software yet - heck, plenty of users are still waiting for the Android 2.2 upgrade - but that's not stopping people from looking even further ahead.

They're looking, of course, toward Honeycomb - the next major stop on Google's Android development track. All signs point to Honeycomb bringing some significant changes to the Android OS; if everything goes as expected, it'll be the first version of Android to be fully optimized for tablets. And if a report published this week is correct, it'll make its way into the world in March.

The new Honeycomb release rumor comes from Taiwanese newspaper Digitimes. In the middle of a story about upcoming tablet PCs, Digitimes nonchalantly mentions a launch date for Android 3.0, which many people believe will be Honeycomb's official version number. That belief may or may not be correct, incidentally; some folks think Honeycomb will end up being Android 2.4. Google thus far hasn't given any official indication one way or the other.

Digitimes says: "MSI is prepared to sell an Nvidia Tegra 2-based model in April or May after Google releases Android 3.0 in March."

So does Digitimes know something we don't? Maybe - but I wouldn't place any wagers on it. The publication has a history of publishing tech-oriented rumors. Sometimes it's right on the money, but often, its predictions prove to be wrong.

That said, Google has confirmed that Honeycomb's coming in 2011, and an arrival sometime within the first quarter seems like a fairly safe bet. Marketing's already underway for an upcoming Motorola Android tablet, and the promotional materials make it quite clear that Honeycomb will be part of the equation. Motorola says the tablet will be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January; there's no telling, however, when it'll actually go on sale.

We've seen a prototype of a Motorola tablet up and running. Google Android chief Andy Rubin demoed the device during a mobile conference in San Francisco earlier this month. The tablet had virtual on-screen buttons in place of the hardware controls typically seen on Android phones. It was also capable of running multiple side-by-side application panes to take advantage of the larger screen space.

Sony to buy back Toshiba chip line

Sony Corp is in talks to buy a Japanese microchip production line from Toshiba Corp for an estimated 50 billion yen ($598 million) to boost its output of chips for cameras and mobile phones.

Sony sold the facility to Toshiba, the world's No.3 chip maker behind Intel Corp and Samsung Electronics for 90 billion yen in 2008 as part of its "asset light" strategy.

Through the planned buy back of the production lines in southern Japan's Nagasaki prefecture, the maker of PlayStation games and Bravia TVs aims to boost its output capacity of image sensors used in digital cameras and cellphones.

The electronics and entertainment conglomerate is now aiming to raise its CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) sensor production capacity due to brisk demand for digital cameras and smart phones.

Sony Executive Deputy President Hiroshi Yoshioka said that it was in the process of deciding how to cover a shortage in CMOS sensor output capacity.

Sony is the world's second-largest digital camera maker behind Canon Inc, and runs a mobile phone joint venture with Sweden's Ericsson.

The Nikkei business daily said the acquisition would double Sony's image sensor output capacity to the equivalent of 40,000 silicon wafers a month. Sony still owns the factory the chip line is housed in.

Cricket Communications launches music service for mobile phones

Cricket Communications is launching a new music service for wireless customers, offering unlimited song downloads as part of a monthly rate plan.

For $55 per month, Cricket - part of low-cost carrier Leap Wireless International Inc - will sell a combined voice, data and text plan, along with all-you-can-download music, starting in January.

The company said the new Muve service will offer music from the four major record labels: Vivendi's Universal Music Group; Warner Music Group; Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Music.

"Muve will always have all the major content that all the major labels have," said Jeff Toig, general manager of voice and data products at Cricket.

Unlike some other digital music services, Muve is rooted in the mobile phone itself. It will launch on the $199 Samsung Suede, which is equipped with a special card from flash memory maker SanDisk. The Suede will be able to hold between 2,000 to 3,000 songs.

The music is stored on and tied to the card, and cannot be removed. If a customer stops paying for Muve, they lose access to the music.

Toig said Muve will also be available on smartphones running Google's Android software in the future.

Leap - which plans to rename itself as "Cricket" - competes with MetroPCS and Sprint-Nextel's unit Boost Mobile, and caters to the pay-as-you-go market, which has low average revenue per user.

Cricket operates in 34 U.S. states and counts more than 5 million customers. The vast majority of its customers pay in cash and have incomes less than $50,000 a year. Around half are under the age of 35 and do not have a personal computer.

Toig said Muve represents a different approach than music services like Apple's iTunes, which are rooted in PCs and require a credit card to buy music.

He declined to say how Cricket will split sales with the music labels, but said the deal is based on the number of subscribers.

"Our models are aligned, they're paid per sub, per month," Toig said.

DoCoMo to bring Mobile TV to Indian market

According to a report by Nikkei, ‘Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc plans to transfer television broadcast technology for cellular phones to Indian partner Tata Teleservices with an eye to launching mobile phone TV service in the South Asian country in 2014.’

Once commercial service begins, DoCoMo will charge commissions to local TV broadcasters and Japanese content providers for use of the technology.

The new service will likely help Tata Teleservices sign up more subscribers.

DoCoMo expanded into the high-growth Indian mobile phone market in March 2009 by investing roughly 260 billion yen in Tata Teleservices. Unlike in the stagnant Japanese market, mobile phone users in India expand by more than 15 million a month and are currently at roughly 700 million, Nikkei said.

Tata Teleservices had about 80 million subscribers at the end of October - 40 percent more than DoCoMo has in Japan.

The Indian partner is considering issuing shares to raise funds for setting up base stations for its 3G mobile phone service.

DoCoMo will likely buy 10-20 billion yen in new Tata Teleservices shares to maintain the 26 percent stake it currently owns in the company.

If the service takes root in India, it will likely help Japanese manufacturers boost exports of their high-performance handsets, Nikkei reported.

Google unveils CR 48 - First Chrome OS Laptop

Google gave the world a first look at its new Chrome OS laptop and according to CEO Eric Schmidt it's very much like the Network Computer devices that he was pitching while chief technology officer at Sun Microsystems 13 years ago. Only this time around, the idea will actually catch on, Schmidt said.

The difference, Schmidt said, is that the Web-based development tools used to build programs for Chrome OS have had had years to mature. "Our instincts were right but we didn't have the tools," he said of the computer industry's failure to make lightweight computers that could compete with Microsoft Windows in the enterprise.

Google thinks that Web applications are finally ready to displace Microsoft's hegemony and businesses will buy computers that can't run programs such as Word or Excel.

"I think there's every reason to believe that when you go back and you look at history, not only is this the right time to build these products, but because they work and they work at scale, they'll be very successful," Schmidt said.

Google didn't say if or when it was going to start selling its own lightweight laptops. But the company did offer a sneak peak at a completely black, unbranded notebook, running the Chrome OS, that it's shipping out to developers and a limited number of lucky consumers.

Dubbed the Cr-48, the laptop has a 12.1 inch display, a regular-sized keyboard, and a battery that will last for eight hours.

Like the Network Computer (NC), the Cr-48 is designed to run software over the network. But instead of Java - which proved to be clunky and hard to develop on the NC - Chrome OS developers can use the same Web development tools they've been working with for years.

Google's system boots up in 60 seconds; after it goes to sleep, it can resume operations nearly instantly; it encrypts all data automatically; and it uses a piece of encryption hardware called a trusted computing module to digitally sign components of the operating system and check them for tampering.

And like today's smartphones, Chrome OS systems are designed to be always connected. Thanks to a deal with U.S. carrier Verizon, Chrome OS notebook users will get two years worth of free 3G wireless connectivity. Their free usage will be capped at 100 MB per month, but Verizon will offer plans for more bandwith-intensive users.

Schmdit thinks this strategy is going to work well because of mobile computing. Increasingly, mobile devices such as the BlackBerry and the iPhone are becoming critical business tools.

Google had been hoping to announce its first Chrome OS laptops by years end, but that deadline has slipped. Intel-based systems from Samsung and Acer will ship by mid-2011.

Google has also announced a new Web store for Chrome browser users and updates to its browser software.

Despite heavy promotion by enterprise vendors such as Sun and Oracle, the NC never managed to win the hearts of enterprise software developers. Google seems to understand that it will take some work to win those people over with Chrome OS computers that can't run popular Windows programs. It has already started pilot programs with enterprises such as American Airlines, Cardinal Health, Intercontinental Hotels, the U.S. Department of Defense and others.

China Unicom to half the price of 3G mobile package

China Unicom, the country's No. 2 mobile operator, has more than halved the monthly subscription of its entry-level 3G mobile package in a bid to increase its customer base.

The cheapest 3G data package will now begin at 46 yuan ($7) a month, down from 96 yuan previously, and will be launched at the end of December.

"We hope to attract more users to our 3G service, because higher prices may keep some customers away," said China Unicom spokesman Wen Baoqiu.

China Unicom added over a million 3G users in the past two months, lower than bigger rival China Mobile's 1.7 million users added in October.

Like its peers in more developed economies, China Unicom and its rivals have been trying to court higher paying 3G customers in the face of slowing growth for the broader Chinese mobile market.

Unicom has had the most difficult transition following an overhaul of China's telecoms sector two years ago that left the industry with three main players. The company reached its current form through the merger of the country's No.2 wireless and fixed-line carriers.

Motorola to release 4G Phones in 2011

Motorola in its new form, to be known as Motorola Mobility, will go the way of Acer, rather than Apple in releasing new tablets in 2011.

Apple founder Steve Jobs has jabbed at 7-inch screens, emphasizing the nearly 10 inches on iPad. Several others have said they are going with 7-inchers. But Taiwan-based Acer said last month it will offer both 10.1- and 7-inch touchscreen displays.

Motorola Mobility will follow Acer. Current co-CEO Sanjay Jha, who will lead Motorola Mobility, said, “We’re planning to participate quite fully in the tablet category. Motorola Mobility will specialize in mobile devices and set-top boxes.”

He said Moto’s research shows 10-inch tabs are for business and 7-inch tabs are “fun” devices more easily carried by consumers. According to Jha, Motorola is planning to release 4G phones in 2011.

Jha hinted a new “competitive dynamic” will disrupt Motorola's relationship with Verizon in the first quarter that will have a significant negative impact on Motorola. “Whether the comment is an indirect reference to Verizon Wireless getting an iPhone or an official 3G/4G-capable iPad that's compatible with the carrier's network out of the box is unclear. To combat the threat, Motorola will continue to focus on the mid- to high-tier smartphone market.”

Schaumburg, IL.-based Motorola, which pioneered the mobile phone and is now benefiting from its smartphone Droid with Google's Android OS, will spin-off Motorola Mobility on Jan. 4 as it creates two publicly traded companies. The rest of Motorola, which sells tech to government and corporations, will become Motorola Solutions and trade on the New York Stock Exchange as MSI.

Meanwhile, the new Motorola Mobility, which will trade on NYSE as MMI, said next year it will offer another new device with mobile capabilities. Reuters has reported that this new device will combine set-top boxes and cell phone technology. The device will be featured in January at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Daniel Moloney, president of Motorola Mobility, says the technology will allow consumers to view any content anywhere on different devices. "It's one consumer proposition that will come sooner rather than later," he told the Reuters Global Media Summit.

After being sold a separate gadget offered via service providers, the home streaming product will eventually be integrated into set-top boxes.

Moloney rejoined Motorola last summer, having served as president and chief executive officer of Technitrol, an electronic component manufacturer. He previously was executive vice president at Motorola Inc. and president of Motorola’s Home and Networks Mobility business, which evolved into Motorola Mobility. Moloney then worked with video and WiMax.

Samsung triples share of Android device market

Samsung has done well with its Android devices, having sold a million Galaxy Tab tablets, and over 3 million Galaxy S smartphones, taking up a significant chunk of all Android phones sold in the U.S. So the manufacturer has seemingly earned its bragging rights, boasting a 300 percent increase in Android market share since the fourth quarter 2009.

The numbers came from a Gartner report, and were shared at a Samsung event yesterday. The success has proven encouraging, as Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Mobile, said "the Galaxy S portfolio has played a significant role in Samsung’s success in 2010 and we are extremely excited to show you what products, services and innovations we have in store."

To keep manufacturers and end users happy, Google is making tweaks around the Android Market in particular, improving its ease of use. A new "similar" tab has been added to app details, so you can discover other apps akin to the one of interest. It’s a simple tweak, but one that shows Google is paying attention to at least some basic navigation, search and recommendation needs for filtering its growing database of mobile apps.

It’s also a move Google needs to continue to build around, with the Android Market potentially losing ground to third-party directories and search tools. Gaming platforms have been filling this gap, providing cross-promotional marketing and discovery tools for end users.

In other gaming news, Dungeon Hunter is taking a cue from other Android titles this holiday season, with an extension to its 24-hour promo. Part of Gameloft’s Advent Twitter campaign, which offers a new promo throughout the month of December, Dungeon Hunter had some extra time tacked on, due to download issues for some users.

Apple Inc buys HP land to accommodate growth

Apple Inc is expanding the size of its Cupertino, California, home base, acquiring nearby facilities from computer pioneer and competitor Hewlett Packard Co.

Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said, “The offices will give the maker of the iPhone more room for its employees as the company continues to grow”.

"We now occupy 57 buildings in Cupertino and our campus is bursting at the seams," he said.

Apple's real estate transaction was first reported by The San Jose Mercury News earlier this week, which said the deal would give Apple an additional 98 acres of land, roughly doubling the size of the company's home base in Cupertino.

Apple, which had 46,600 full-time employees worldwide at the end of September, did not disclose the price it paid for the HP real estate.

Acer unveils dual screen Iconia laptop

There's nothing all that special about a 14-inch Windows-based notebook PC these days - that is, unless we're talking about a laptop boasting two 14-inch displays, with the second screen taking the place of your standard keyboard and doing double-duty as a virtual QWERTY keypad.

Now it could be the time to meet the Iconia, which Acer unveiled at a press event in New York. Armed with an Intel Core i5 processor and powered by Windows 7, the Iconia offers the aforementioned dual displays (14 inches, 1366-by-768), not to mention an HD webcam and integrated 3G.

Engadget has a hands-on photo gallery of the six-pound laptop, and no question: The Iconia makes for an eye-catching piece of hardware, all right. Well, Engadget notes that the Iconia might be the first Windows laptop with a keyboard that's susceptible to glare, adding that the "hard-to-use" virtual keypad hampers the otherwise "clever" touch interface.

PCWorld gives much details on the Iconia and the Acer "Ring," a wheel-shaped touch UI that lets you flick and swipe between various on-screen elements, including the QWERTY keyboard, a "gesture editor," image capture and Web-clip apps, a "TouchMusic" player, and other touch-friendly applications.

The Iconia will also let you super-size your Web-browsing experience by extending pages across both of its 14-inch displays, although you'll have to put up with the gap where the laptop's hinge sits.

Other features on the Iconia include VGA and HDMI outputs, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, and three USB ports (two with USB 2.0, the other using the new USB 3.0 standard).

How much will the Iconia cost? No hard details on that yet, nor any specific word on when it'll arrive in the States.

Meanwhile, Acer also took the wraps off a pair of Android-based tablets - a 7-incher and a 10-inch model, both with 1280-by-800 displays and Flash Player 10.1 support, as well as a 10-inch Windows-based tablet.

Also on tap from Acer: an aircraft-carrier-sized Android smartphone with a whopping 4.8-inch, 1024-by-480 display, not to mention an 8MP camera, DLNA media sharing, and "immersive" sound courtesy of Dolby Mobile.

Again, pricing and release dates for the upcoming tablets and smartphone remain sketchy, with Acer saying all three of its new Android devices should arrive around April 2011, while the Windows tablet is slated for February.

Samsung Planning More Android Phones

Two more Android devices are rumored to be headed out of Samsung's factory in addition to the Continuum smartphone launched in New York City. Leaked photos and reports are keeping the Nexus Two rumor alive, only now the phone is supposedly called Nexus S.

Best Buy briefly listed the phantom phone on its site, according to several Android-oriented blogs, but withdrew it. However, fans were able to note that the device has a four-inch AMOLED screen and a front-facing camera. T-Mobile is believed to be the carrier, and a November release is rumored.

The Nexus One, made by HTC, was pulled off the market last summer after Google's attempt to market and sell it without carrier stores went horribly wrong. Some blogs speculated that the Samsung Nexus device would premier last week at the company's media event that turned out to be the Continuum launch. A Samsung executive was quoted as denying plans for a Nexus phone.

At the same time, Engadget, the site that obtained leaked photos of Apple's iPhone 4 earlier this year, published shots of what it calls Samsung's "first half flagship" for 2011, an unnamed thin Android phone with a 4.3- or 4.5-inch Super AMOLED 2 display, a 1.2-gigahertz processor, an 8-megapixel camera, and running Android 2.3, Gingerbread. Speculation is that the phone could be unveiled at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, Spain which begins Feb. 14.

Two more Android phones would bring Samsung's total to 13, tying with HTC behind the 18 offerings running Android made by Motorola, according to a 2010 list on Androphones.com. In 2009 Samsung made just four Android phones. Samsung also uses Android to power its Galaxy Tab tablet.

"Samsung is very aggressive in the mobile market and has the resources to do it," said Gerry Purdy of MobilTrax. "They realize this is a highly competitive environment and right now their products are doing well; they're growing the market. Having spoken with their management, I know they have a road map of products going into Asia, Europe and the U.S. to learn quickly what adapts to what market."

Purdy said, Samsung's careful marketing study shows "they don't plan to come in second to anyone. They're in it to win. It's a question of being sensitive to market demand and sensitive to things like hardware integration and the application environment working equivalent to what Apple has done with the App Store."

Another report on Android and Me, said the Nexus S phone had been scrapped by Samsung in favor of a dual-core phone that could compete with Tegra 2 phones that will debut early next year at the Consumer Electronics Show. The report said the dual-core phone is being held up by issues with Android 2.2.

Android is now second biggest Mobile OS

Google's Android mobile operating system has surpassed Apple's iPhone and Canada's Blackberry to become the second biggest smartphone platform after Nokia's Symbian. It has been revealed by research firm Gartner.

Gartner said Finland's Nokia sold 29.5 million smartphones during the third quarter of the year for a 36.6 percent share of the worldwide market, down from 44.6 percent a year ago.

Sales of Android-powered smartphones soared to 20.5 million units, giving the Android platform a 25.5 percent market share, up from just 3.5 percent a year ago, Gartner said.

Apple's iPhone was next on sales of 13.5 million units for a 16.7 percent market share, down from 17.1 percent a year ago.

Canada's Research In Motion, maker of the Blackberry, was in fourth position with sales of 11.9 million units. Its market share dropped to 14.8 percent from 20.7 percent a year ago.

Microsoft's Windows Mobile saw sales of 2.2 million units giving it a 2.8 percent market share, down from 7.9 percent a year ago, Gartner said.

"Smartphone providers have entered a period of accelerated platform evolution, stimulated by more regular product releases, new platform entrants and new device types," said Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner.

"Any platform that fails to innovate quickly - either through a vibrant multi-player ecosystem or clear vision of a single controlling entity - will lose developers, manufacturers, potential partners and ultimately users."

Gartner said worldwide mobile phone sales totaled 417 million units in the third quarter, up 35 percent from a year ago.

Smartphone sales grew 96 percent to 81 million units and accounted for 19.3 percent of overall mobile phone sales in the quarter.

Nokia remained the world's top handset manufacturer with sales of 117.5 million units in the third quarter but saw its worldwide market share slip to 28.2 percent from 36.7 percent a year ago.

South Korea's Samsung was next on sales of 71.7 million units but its market share also fell - to 17.2 percent from 19.6 percent a year ago.

South Korea's LG sold 27.5 million handsets. Its market share dipped to 6.6 percent from 10.3 percent a year ago.

Apple leapfrogged RIM during the quarter with sales of 13.5 million units, giving it a 3.2 percent market share, up from 2.3 percent a year ago.

RIM sold 11.9 million units. Its market share edged up to 2.9 percent from 2.8 percent a year ago.

Sony Ericsson sold 10.3 million units for a 2.5 percent market share, down from 4.5 percent, while US handset maker Motorola sold 9.0 million units for a 2.1 percent market share, down from 4.5 percent a year ago.

Gartner said Samsung was the top Android seller in the quarter with sales of 6.6 million Android phones.

The technology research company said it expects overall mobile device sales to grow 30 percent year-on-year in 2010 and for sales of tablet computers such as Apple's iPad to reach 54.8 million units in 2011.

Sharp to launch 3D Android Phones

How do you feel about the idea of a 3D display on a phone? Having to wear a pair of special glasses to be able to enjoy 3D content on a mobile phone doesn't sound very practical, but Sharp has a solution in the way of two glasses-free 3D Android handsets.

Bearing the names Galapagos 003SH and 005SH, both handsets sport 1GHz Snapdragon CPUs, Android 2.2, and a 3.8-inch 3D-capable display with 800 x 480 pixel resolution. The main difference between the two phones is the full QWERTY keyboard on the 005SH, but 003SH makes up for it with a slightly better camera, a 9.6 megapixel model capable of recording 720p video, while 005SH sports a 8-megapixel camera.

With 3D currently being all the rage in the world of video entertainment, the technology will inevitably start spilling into the world of smartphones, which - in today's world of handsets with large touch screens - are just as much mobile entertainment platforms as they are phones. While we don't know much about the 3D capabilities of Sharp’s upcoming devices, a glasses-free 3D display sounds like the right path in the context of smartphones.

And if you're wondering about the lack of 3D content for these devices, Capcom has announced the 3D versions of their games Mega Man, Ghosts 'n Goblins: Gold Knights, and Resident Evil: Degeneration for Android, and the first smartphones to feature these games will be the 003SH and 005SH from Sharp.

The 003SH is coming to Japan's Softbank this December, and the 005SH is due February next year.

LG Electronics to launch 8.9-inch tablet in 2011

World's No.3 handset vendor, LG Electronics Inc, plans to launch an 8.9-inch tablet device based on an upcoming version of Google’s Android OS.

The device, to run on Google's upcoming "Honeycomb" operating system tailored to tablet PCs, will be rolled out in South Korea and overseas early next year, the source said, who asked not to be identified as the new Google system has not been announced yet.

With the rollout, LG seeks to jump into the fast-growing tablet PC market that is becoming increasingly crowded with the likes of Samsung Electronis, Research In Motion and Hewlett-Packard Co and Dell.

Handset vendors and PC makers are rushing into the new category of devices, which Apple jump-started this year with its hot-selling iPad.

The upcoming LG device will be the first tablet PC for the company, after it dropped a plan to introduce tablets based on the Android 2.2 operating system, also known as "Froyo" citing the need for "the most reliable and suitable Android version," for tablets.

Samsung, however, launched Galaxy Tab, powered by Android 2.2 version, in South Korea after unveiling the 7-inch model in Europe and other Asian countries earlier.

"There's a controversy whether Froyo is a suitable system for tablet devices, but consumers will make the final call on the issue after using Galaxy Tab," said JK Shin, head of Samsung's mobile division.

The delay by LG could deal a further blow to the South Korean electronics firm, which is grappling to turn around its loss-making mobile unit due to a lack of competitive smartphone models to compete with Apple’s iPhone, RIM's BlackBerry and Samsung's Galaxy S.

Apple among Top-five Cell-phone Maker

Apple has for the first time outpaced Blackberry-maker Research in Motion in global smartphone sales. Thanks to the success of its iPhone 4.

Industry tracker IDC said Apple sold 14.1 million iPhone units in the third quarter while Canada's Research in Motion shipped 12.4 million Blackberry devices.

"The company's record shipment performance can be attributed to the introduction of the iPhone 4 in 17 new countries last quarter," said the International Data Corporation (IDC).

"The record performance came despite 'Antennagate,' the name used to describe the controversy around alleged iPhone reception problems, in July."

Global mobile phone sales surged 14.6 percent to 340.5 million units in the third quarter from a year earlier, driven mainly by the strong appetite for smartphones, IDC said.

Apple ranked as the fourth largest mobile phone vendor in the third quarter with Research in Motion one place behind the US giant, according to IDC's quarterly tracker of the industry.
IDC said Apple's rise to the top five showed the growth potential of smartphones.

"The entrance of Apple to the top five vendor ranking underscores the increased importance of smartphones to the overall market," said Kevin Restivo, a senior research analyst with IDC.

"Moreover, the mobile phone makers that are delivering popular smartphone models are among the fastest growing firms. Vendors that aren't developing a strong portfolio of smartphones will be challenged to maintain and grow market share in the future."

Globally, Nokia remains the world's top mobile phone seller with sales of 110.4 million units in the third quarter but the Finnish company continues to feel the pressure from handset makers in the highly competitive market.

"Nokia still leads all vendors by a significant margin for converged mobile devices and mobile phones as a whole," said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobile Devices Technology and Trends team.

"However, Nokia's grip on the traditional mobile phone market has been somewhat loosened, as multiple Chinese vendors have gained ground, especially within emerging markets.

"To bolster its overall competitiveness, Nokia has been focused on improving its smartphone offerings."

South Korea's Samsung came second with sales of 71.4 million units followed by LG Electronics, which sold 28.4 million handsets, IDC said.

Samsung to unveil new Android Device on November 8

Samsung has announced to unveil a new Android device on November 8. Details on the invitation are sparse, but it could be concluded from the iconography, the device will be media-heavy.

Engadget has speculated that the device will be the Samsung Continuum. The Continuum is said to feature two OLED screens, one of which is specially designed to scroll data like a ticker.

Another factor to consider is the recent arrival of a gingerbread man on Google's campus. He stands alongside statues of Froyo and earlier builds of Android. The arrival of the gingerbread statue can indicate only one thing: The Gingerbread Android build is coming.

3G Services to start in Nov in India

India will have private sector 3G mobile services starting in November, but it is doubted that the service will be initially targeted at high-end subscribers.

“Operators will be initially targeting about 5 percent to 7 percent of existing mobile subscribers. Most of the 3G rollouts will focus initially on denser urban markets, and move out to semi-urban and rural markets”, said Kamlesh Bhatia, a principal research analyst at Gartner.

“Most customers will be looking primarily for data access, and in this regard 3G operators may soon face competition from broadband wireless access services that will get rolled out in the country”, Bhatia added.

Operators are looking at 3G services to boost revenue even as average revenue per user on voice calls on their current 2G services are falling because of fierce tariff competition.

Tata Teleservices is expected to roll out 3G services around Nov. 5 during the Diwali festival in India. It had won 3G spectrum for nine service areas in an auction in May. It will offer new 3G service under its GSM brand- Tata DoCoMo. It is recently awarded equipment and service contracts to Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei Technologies.

India's largest mobile operators, Bharti Airtelis looking launch its 3G services before the end of 2010 in the 13 service areas in which it has won spectrum from the government in an auction in May. Bharti Airtel, which offers 2G services in 22 service areas, said it will tie-up with other 3G operators to be able to offer 3G services to customers in all service areas. Bharti Airtel has given the contracts for 3G in the country to Ericsson, Huawei and Nokia Siemens.

Vodafone Essar, the Indian joint venture of Vodafone Group, plans to roll out 3G services by the first quarter of next year.

Government companies, BSNL and MTNL, were allotted 3G spectrum by the government ahead of the auction for private operators. Their services launched last year were not a success.

Other winning bidders in the 3G auction have still to announce detailed plans.

Private operators paid 509.6 billion rupees (US$11 billion) for spectrum in the auction for 3G services. The highest bid for a service area was in Delhi where a license cost 33 billion rupees.

Airtel to launch African call centers

CEO Manoj Kohli and other officials of the world's fifth largest telecommunications company declined to put dollar figures to their plans. The company said it will create call centers with partners including IBM Corp., Tech Mahindra and SPANCO with initial contracts of five years.

Bharti announced in June, it would invest $600 million in Nigeria's mobile phone market, but the company faces a fight in its hopes to expand in the nation of 150 million people. South Africa-based MTN already holds a 50 percent market share in the country while other networks also vie for customers.

However, Nigeria's state-run telephone company's fixed-line network sits in ruins, awaiting a potential privatization deal. Estimates suggest nearly 63 million mobile phones are used in the country.

Bharti faces challenges in Indian market as a price war has driven costs down to less than 1 cent a minute. The company's most recent quarterly report saw profits fall 32 percent to $361 million.

Kohli declined to say whether he anticipated a similar price war coming to Africa, as his company tries to make a name for itself in countries like Nigeria - where more than 80 percent of people earn less than $2 a day.

"We are here to create market," the CEO said.

Bharti's other holdings in Africa include networks in Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Adobe launches Project Rome

Adobe has launched Project Rome, a new all-in-one content creation and publishing application targeted to consumers, small businesses, and educators. Designed as an easy-to-use tool for non-professionals, it provides a way for the general public to create rich multimedia documents without having to purchase or learn complicated desktop publishing, design, Web creation, or multimedia applications.

This product lets users produce printed, electronic, and Web-based documents featuring integrated graphics, photos, text, video, audio, animation, and interactivity. The cross-platform application is available both as an Adobe AIR desktop program and as a browser-based Web service. Project Rome offers output in formats such as PDF, SWF, JPG, PNG, SVG, or FXG or Web files for either an Adobe or third-party-hosted Website.

Users can create projects ranging from printed materials like flyers, business cards, and reports to interactive documents, basic Websites, and animations. Adobe envisions Rome being used in the workplace for presentations, marketing materials, online advertising, and Websites. Individuals and families can use Project Rome for vacation updates, family Websites, party invitations, digital scrapbooks, CD and DVD covers, and other personal projects. Educators can use a special version of Project Rome in classroom settings to help convey complex topics visually.

Project Rome supports cloud-based computing and the ability to share files via Adobe Acrobat.com, Google Apps, or via the Project Rome Template Exchange. Users can also publish links to their creations directly via Facebook, Twitter, and Google buzz. Project Rome does not currently work on mobile phones and devices.

There are two versions of Project Rome: one for the general public for home and business use and the other, called Project Rome for Education, targeted to K-12. Common features to both versions include working with a full range of media types and a full range of formats and projects.

The consumer version allows for Adobe ID log-in, Web hosting, and Community Exchange. Project Rome for Education requires the institution to have Google Apps for Education and/or the Moodle learning management system previously installed. Project Rome for Education also supports Internet content protection and IT infrastructure requirements.

Project Rome is available now as a free preview, and Adobe seeks feedback from users before launching the app commercially. It is currently available only in English in the United States. Pricing for the shipping version has not yet been determined. However, when it is released, Project Rome will be offered as a paid subscription service.

Sony launches Google TV

Sony is considering employing Google's Android OS in more consumer electronics devices.

The announcement came shortly after the launch of its first televisions using the software. Last week, in the U.S., Sony put on sale four models of TV that run Android and feature the Google TV platform. The sets are available in screen sizes from 24 inches to 46 inches and cost between US$600 and $1,400. A stand-alone Google TV box with built-in Blu-ray Disc player is also available for $400.

"We are thinking about using Android in more consumer electronics products," Yoshihisa Ishida, head of the company's TV division, revealed in Tokyo though he didn't specify the product line.
Android has been most widely used in smartphones. Sony Ericsson already offers an Android-based device-the Xperia X10. Some companies have also shown Android-based tablet PCs, but Sony is yet to announce development of such a device.

Sony and Google agreed in May to work together on pushing Android into consumer electronics and the recently launched TV was an initial target of the collaboration.

Google TV allows users to access Internet-based services from their televisions or while watching TV. A few clicks of a remote control can bring up Twitter so the user can tweet about the current show or read what others are saying, all while the show continues playing in a window in the corner of the screen. The Internet link also allows users to connect to on-demand video services. Free videos also can be watched via Google's YouTube service.These and several other net based functions are been provided in Google TV.

HP terms Slate 500 a Business Tablet

HP had surprised the tech world with it announcement of immediate retail availability of its Windows 7 Slate 500 tablet computer. Although the iPhone revolution has all but erased the distinction between consumer and business when it comes to mobile devices, the marketing strategy for the Slate 500 tablet seems to be to target it as a "business tablet".

That strategy automatically implies two things. First, that HP does not wish to compete with the iPad so it wants to draw a distinction between its target audience and Apple tablet. Second, that HP is suggesting that the Apple iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab are not capable of filling the role of business tablets.

Several features of HP SLATE 500 differentiate it from the iPad. The HP tablet has front and rear-facing cameras. It has a USB port and an SD memory card slot. But, then again so does virtually every other tablet that isn't the iPad, and most of those missing features are expected to show up in the iPad 2.0 sometime in early 2011.

The specs on the HP Slate 500 are impressive for a tablet. The HP tablet exceeds the minimum Windows 7 system requirements of 1 GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage capacity.

Like the iPhone before it, the iPad has defied attempts to box it with labels. It has already been widely embraced as a mobile business tool, and there are numerous apps designed to extend that functionality. Even for unique cases like those HP is targeting, tools like Array Networks DesktopDirect--which has both an iPhone and an iPad app--enable users to seamlessly work with their Windows desktop remotely and access those customized and proprietary applications.

In both form and function, it is difficult to clearly discriminate a business tablet from a consumer tablet. It does seem that the iPad, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and the Dell Streak are aimed at consumers, while the HP Slate 500, the BlackBerry PlayBook, and the Cisco Cius all have a more business angle in terms of marketing—but no clear difference could be identified.

HP unveils 799 dollar tablet

Hewlett-Packard Co unveiled its first product for the fast-growing tablet market, a $799 device that runs on Microsoft Windows 7. The tablet will be based on the webOS software that HP acquired when it bought smartphone maker Palm earlier this year for $1.2 billion.

HP's offering has an Intel Atom processor, 8.9-inch multi-touch-enabled screen, weighs 1.5 pounds and comes with 64 gigabytes (GB) of storage and a digital stylus pen. It gets five hours of battery life. It is also equipped with Wi-Fi access. The device is also equipped with cameras in the front and back, enabling video conferencing, and a USB port. It comes with a case and a docking station.

HP's Slate 500 looks to replicate the PC experience in a tablet form by providing a contrast to rivals who have brought more of a smartphone feel to their devices. It will likely be a more media-rich and consumer-friendly offering.The tablet has a bigger price tag than competing products such as Apple's iPad, which kick-started the tablet craze when it debuted earlier this year.

Carol Hess-Nickels, director of business notebook marketing at HP, said "It's really like a full-function PC. It runs Windows; it will run your office applications, it just so happens to be in a slate form factor."

Sprint unveils Dell Netbook and Notebook

Sprint and Dell has announced the first dual-mode 3G/4G-embedded netbook and notebook, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook and Inspiron 11z notebook.

Adib, Sprint's vice president of product development said "The addition of these two exciting 4G-embedded Dell products fits nicely within our current ecosystem of fixed and dual-mode devices that also includes phones, mobile broadband cards, mobile hotspots, and routers."

Both devices come with Windows Live Essentials 2011 pre-installed to help users share and sync content on the web and on their PCs and phones. Some of the products included in Windows Live are Hotmail, Messenger, SkyDrive, and Photo Gallery.

The Mini 10 netbook comes with a Windows 7 Starter. It features a 1.66-GHz Intel Atom processor, a 10.1-inch screen with 1,024-by-600 resolution, 1GB of memory, and a 250GB hard drive. The Mini 10 will be available to business customers on Oct. 31. It will hit Sprint stores and the Web on Nov. 14. The device is free with a $100 mail-in rebate for those who sign a two-year contract.

The Inspiron 11z notebook on the other hand has a 1.2-GHz Intel Core processor, an 11.6-inch screen with 1,366-by-768 resolution, 2GB of memory (expandable to 4GB), HDMI out, and a 250GB hard drive. The 11z will be available starting Nov. 14 in Sprint stores and online. It will be $149.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and two-year service agreement.

Google to launch online music in India

Google Inc plans to launch an online music service in India that would enable users to search for legal music streams and downloads.

Google is looking to add music feature in its search service, which will allow users in India to search for songs.

The top search results would be from Google's partners. The U.S. web search giant will partner with three digital music providers, who hold rights to hundreds of thousands of Indian tracks ranging from Bollywood hits to Indian classical music.

Google could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters outside regular U.S. business hours.

Apple unveils iLife 11 and new MacBook Air

A new MacBook Air, iLife 11, a sneak preview of Mac OS X Lion, and FaceTime for the Mac. Those are the new products announced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs at the company's headquarters.

Jobs also said that the Mac, not to be outdone by its younger iPod and iPhone siblings, will soon have its own application store.

The new Air uses solid-state flash storage instead of a hard drive, which the company said lightens an already lightweight laptop since solid state is as much as 90 percent smaller and lighter than a hard drive. At its thinnest point, the Air is 0.11 inches, and only 0.68 inches at its thickest.

The newest Air is available in 11.6- and 13.3-inch display models, features instant-on bootup, and has a battery life of up to 7 hours.

The latest iLife features a new look look for iPhoto, easier editing in iMovie, and new ways to improve music playing and creating in GarageBand. iLife 11 is included free in new Macs, or available as a $49 upgrade for existing users.

Sending photos to friends and family via iPhoto now includes a choice of eight themes, and the photos can be posted to Facebook with a single click. There's a new way to create books and cards using a carousel interface, intelligent book layout, and a bookshelf to keep track of projects. With new letterpress cards, photos and text can be combined with designs to create wedding invitations, birth announcements, and other announcements.

iMovie features 15 different genres such as Adventure, Romantic Comedy, or Epic Drama, each of which has its own graphics and soundtracks. A feature called People Finder analyzes video and marks clips that have faces to quickly create a trailer.

The company also announced a public beta of FaceTime for Mac, which allows Mac users to video-call iPhone 4 and iPod touch users, or other Mac users. It automatically uses the Address Book contacts on the machine, so special buddy lists aren't needed, and it works with Macs' built-in cameras and mikes.

Apple provided a peek at the Lion. Mac OS X Lion is expected to ship in the summer of 2011, and the preview included LaunchPad for Mac apps, systemwide support for full-screen apps, Mission Control, and a look at the Mac Apps Store.

Jobs said Lion "brings many of the best ideas from iPad back to the Mac" and adds some new ones, such as Mission Control. Launchpad shows all available apps on the Mac, organized as desired. With Mission Control, a user can navigate through apps that are running.

As with an iPad, the Mac app store will allow users to find and download apps via an iTunes account. It will become available within 90 days for Macs running the Snow Leopard OS.

Samsung working on a joint platform for Cellphones and Televisions

Samsung Electronics is developing a joint software platform for use on its cellphones and televisions, hoping wider audience attracts more developers to use its products.

"We have a plan to have a single platform for Samsung TV and phones," said Kyungsik Kevin Lee, vice president at Samsung's Visual Display Division.

Lee said he could not estimate when the platform would be ready as developers were still working on it.

In addition to Samsung only its local rival LG Electronics and Japan's Sony Corp, through its handset venture Sony Ericsson, are in a position to combine the two audiences.

"There is a small number of companies positioned to do this, of course, and all have holes in their stories, whether geographically, in product terms, or in terms of engaging developer communities," said analyst John Jackson from research firm CCS Insight.

"The strategic premise is that by doing this you can position yourself to participate in the revenue streams generated by the services that run on your platform," Jackson said.

Samsung's Lee said the Korean firm expects its sales of smart TV's - high-end TV sets which can be used also for Internet access - to reach around 5 million sets this year, and to more than double in 2011.

Bill Gates' successor Ray Ozzie to retire

The Microsoft Corp executive, Ray Ozzie, who took over the role of chief software architect from Bill Gates is to step down, following a tenure in which the Windows-maker lost ground to Google and Apple.

Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said Ray Ozzie would not be replaced, raising questions about the leadership and direction of the world's largest software company after a string of high-profile departures.

Ozzie, who spearheaded Microsoft's move toward providing software and computing power over the Internet - known as "cloud computing" - had achieved what he set out to do, one person close to the executive said, although others questioned whether he had had ever had much impact.

"Ozzie leaving highlights that Microsoft has been kind of lost in the woods ever since Bill Gates left," said Toan Tran, an analyst at Morningstar. "They let Google solve search, they let Apple figure out smartphones, and Apple is in the process of figuring out non-Windows PC devices with the iPad."

He is the latest in a line of Microsoft executives to exit the company in the wake of Gates' retirement from day-to-day work at the company in 2008, following platforms and services chief Kevin Johnson, Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell, phones and games chief Robbie Bach and Office unit head Stephen Elop.

It cements control of the company's direction under Ballmer, who said he did not need to replace Ozzie.

"We have a strong planning process, strong technical leaders in each business group and strong innovation heading to the market," said Ballmer in a memo to employees.

The 54 year old, Ozzie, who created the groundbreaking Lotus Notes email system early in his career, took on the role of overseeing Microsoft's software direction in 2006. His role became more visible after Gates's retirement.

He had made a splash at the company in 2005, shortly after he joined, with his now-famous "Internet Services Disruption" memo, which pushed Microsoft toward the Internet and cloud computing.

Some saw that as a challenge to Microsoft's core business of getting software installed on as many computers as possible, but the company now says it is "all in" for cloud computing, although it is still far from certain that Microsoft will ultimately realize the change of business model or benefit from it.

Ozzie's key project, the "Azure" platform for developing cloud-based applications, debuted this year to moderate success, and is now part of another unit, Microsoft's Server and Tools division.
The company is now extending beyond Azure, trying to grab a greater share of customers' tech spending by offering to handle their servers, data storage and other computing needs.

Ozzie cut a slightly detached figure at Microsoft, and never fully established himself as a force at the company's campus near Seattle, preferring to spend half his time at his home in Massachusetts.

The move signals a new focus on entertainment at the world's largest software company, where it has lost ground to Apple Inc and Google Inc recently.

According to a memo sent by Ballmer, Ozzie will focus on entertainment efforts at the company and retire after an unspecified time, which people familiar with the matter said would be a matter of months.

Ozzie's move could revitalize entertainment efforts at Microsoft. Its entertainment and devices unit, which includes the Xbox game system and the new Windows 7 phones, has been struggling to win consumers in areas like phones, TV software and tablets, where Apple and Google are charging ahead.

Knowing Nokia C7

Knowing Nokia C7

Sony unveils Google TV with web-surfing system

Sony's lineup of sleek televisions boasting Google's Web-surfing system will go on sale very soon, testing how much consumers are willing to pay to combine access to the entire Internet with their regular TV programming.

The high-definition sets unveiled recently will have LCD screens ranging from 24 inches to 46 inches, with recommended retail prices from $600 to $1,400. Sony will begin selling the new sets in its online store Saturday, and they should be available in Best Buy Co.'s US stores by early next week. Pre-orders are currently being taken at both Sony's and Best Buy's websites.

Sony's price for its Google TV sets is $200 to $400 higher than comparable TVs without the highly touted software.

The strong sales of Apple Inc's iPhone and iPad have demonstrated that people are still willing to open their wallets to buy breakthrough gadgets, but persuading them usually requires a snazzy marketing campaign that shows why the products are worth the extra money.

Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said he isn't convinced that Sony and Google will be able to make a compelling enough case to turn this new generation of TVs into a must-have item, even though he is impressed with the technology inside the sets.

"Price is going to be important," he said. "Google TV is a powerful experience, but most people aren't going to understand it unless they can see it in action. And Google isn't known for its consumer marketing experience. I think they have the right concept here, but I am not sure about the execution yet."

Sony is planning a marketing blitz to promote its Google TV sets through the holiday shopping season, although the company isn't saying how much it will spend on the campaign. Google traditionally has refrained from buying TV ads, relying instead on its ubiquity on the Internet and the marketing acumen of its partners.

Like millions of mobile phones that have been sold in the past two years, Sony's new TVs will be built on Google’s Android operating system. They will navigate websites with Google's Chrome browser and rely on Intel Corp.'s Atom chips for their processing power. The system can comb through the Internet, television programming guides and even DVRs from satellite operator Dish Network Corp. to find all video connected to a request entered into a search bar at the top of the screen.

"Finally, you can seamlessly search your favorite TV programs and websites on the same screen, at the same time," said Mike Abary, senior vice president of Sony Corp.'s home division.

The remote control for Sony's Google TVs includes a standard, "QWERTY" keyboard to enter the search requests or make other comments on the Internet while retaining the ability to watch TV simultaneously.

Logitech International SA has bundled the same Google TV package into a set-top box that can be plugged into existing TVs with HDMI sets. The Logitech boxes, already available for pre-order, are selling for $300, undercutting a similar box with a Blu-ray player that Sony is selling for $400.

Google TV devices will likely face their stiffest competition from an array of less-expensive boxes that also connect to popular Internet services such as movies from Netflix Inc. and songs from Pandora's music-streaming site.

But those enticements haven't been enough to get most people to buy Internet-connected boxes. McQuivey estimates that Apple has sold about 1 million of its set-top boxes so far. Roku Inc. has sold even fewer since it entered the market more than two years ago, McQuivey said, even though the price for its Internet player has fallen to $60.

Those relatively modest sales figures show how reluctant people have been to inject the Internet into the three to five hours they spend, on average, in the so-called "lean back" mode of watching television.

But that almost certainly will change as younger people who have grown up Web surfing on their computers while channel surfing on the TVs look for products that bring together the different media. The only question seems to be how much longer it will be until the market reaches the tipping point where Internet TV goes mainstream.

Sony's own research has identified consumers who are under 44 years old as the most likely buyers of the new Google TV sets. McQuivey thinks the market is probably even narrower than that right now, ranging mostly from people between 30 and 45 years old who have settled down into their own households and can afford fancy TVs.

Convinced the Internet TV will be the next big thing, other consumer electronics manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics, Vizio and Mitsubishi also are promoting Web-connected sets and Blu-ray players.

And after brushing off Internet TV as nothing but as "hobby" for years," Apple CEO Steve Jobs appears ready to get serious about the market. His company last month introduced a retooled set-top box that sells for just $99. The Apple TV product is still more limited than Google TV's system, but McQuivey said that may not matter to consumers who have come to love Apple's "prettier and shinier" gadgets.

There should be ample opportunity to convert more people to Internet TV, given that McQuivey expects about 22 million new TV sets to be sold in the U.S. next year.

Google Inc. CEO Eric Schmidt appears fairly certain a lot of them will be showing content from the Web. In a recent speech he said, "Instead of wasting time watching television, you can waste time watching the Internet.”

Apple getting serious about TV

There's something mysterious about the new Apple TV - a black hockey puck-size box that connects to your hi-def set. It brings some entertaining stuff right now, and maybe a lot more comes down the line.

Apple has been nibbling around the edges of the living room for years with Apple TV, originally a set-top box that stored and played purchased movies. The new Apple TV has been shrunk to a quarter of its former size, the price has been slashed from $229 to $99, and it no longer includes a hard disk to store video. Apple TV is now built around its ability to use your home Wi-Fi network to stream high-definition movies and shows, photos, and music - from online sources or your computer - to your television.

Operating the device is easy. Connect it to your set via an HDMI cable and plug in the power. Then just follow the on-screen instructions to introduce it to your Wi-Fi network and iTunes Music Store account. Instead of using Apple TV's included remote control to key in your password letter by letter on the big screen, download Apple's free Remote app for your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch, and enter your text from there.

With no way to store purchased content on the new Apple TV, you'll probably use it mostly to view movies and shows rented from the iTune Store. The movie selection has thousands of HD titles starting at $3.99. The TV selection, however, is limited: The only major U.S. networks signed on to Apple's 99 cents-an-episode menu are Fox and ABC. Once you rent something, you have 30 days to start watching it, then 24 hours for movies or 48 hours for TV shows to finish. There are a few other programming sources. Netflix customers can get access to its Watch Instantly movies and TV shows straight from the device; and Apple TV can also tap into YouTube videos, podcasts, and Internet radio. It even makes it easy to view movies and photos stored on your computer.

Apple TV's 720p-quality video provides a consistently crisp, smooth picture, with none of the stuttering that sometimes mars streamed content.

This being Apple, more slick functions are on the way. After a software update promised for next month, you'll be able to stream video to the Apple TV from an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. You can begin a movie on a mobile device, walk into your home, and have it appear on the big screen in your den.

Apple TV may turn out to be a Trojan Horse - a deceptively simple gadget that, once in the home, expands its functionality until it takes control of everything. Or it may prove to be the first step toward an Apple-branded television set.

The device allows users to stream movies, television shows, radio, music, and pictures over a Wi-Fi connection.

Apple to make iPhones for CDMA networks

According to a new report, Apple Inc. is getting ready to manufacture an iPhone that works on the cellular network operated by Verizon Wireless, though it doesn't necessarily mean it's coming to that carrier any time soon.

It has long been rumored that Verizon Wireless will eventually start selling the iPhone. But Lowell McAdam, the head of Verizon Wireless, has downplayed the possibility of an iPhone on Verizon's current 3G network. Verizon expects one to come later for Verizon's newer, faster 4G network.

The Wall Street Journal has briefed that the company will start mass-producing the iPhones that work on CDMA cellular networks by year's end.

But that wouldn't necessarily be for Verizon Wireless. Sprint Nextel Corp uses the same technology, as do some Chinese and Korean carriers.

Current iPhones only work on GSM networks, including that of the iPhone's exclusive U.S. carrier, AT&T Inc.

The Journal also said Apple is developing a fifth-generation iPhone. New iPhone designs, including ones with smaller and larger screens than the existing models, have also long been rumored to be in the works.

Motorola launches Droid Pro

Motorola has introduced the Droid Pro, an Android smartphone aimed at the BlackBerry market, along with several other Android handsets.

With the Droid Pro, which is due to come out on Verizon Wireless next month, Motorola built in features designed to appeal to enterprise IT departments. Business users are open to giving up their BlackBerry devices if there is an alternative that meets their requirements, said Sanjay Jha, CEO of Motorola Mobilty, as he introduced the phone. Motorola's event took place as this week's CTIA Enterprise & Applications event got under way in San Francisco.

The Droid Pro features a built-in QWERTY keypad and a 3.1-inch touchscreen as well as a 5-megapixel camera. It allows users to both read and edit Microsoft Office documents. If the device is lost or stolen, an administrator can remotely wipe the data from both the phone and the removable MicroSD card in the phone. In the first quarter, Motorola will add the ability to encrypt all the data on the phone and the MicroSD card. In addition, administrators can mandate complex passwords and require regular password changes.

The phone is also designed for business travel, with radios for both CDMA and GSM networks, including their 3G variants. It runs the Android 2.2 operating system, also known as Froyo.

According to analysts, “The Droid Pro may not quite displace BlackBerrys in large enterprises, but it is a step in the right direction, especially with its security features. One missing piece it should have is the ability to track changes in Office documents.”

Motorola featured several other Android handsets designed for consumers at the event. The company did well to get into Android early when it launched both the original Droid and the Cliq approximately a year ago but the company now faces stiffer competition. Introducing a wide range of devices based on the hot mobile platform is a good strategy for the company.

"Motorola is bringing Android-based smartphones to all consumers," Jha said.

Jha hailed tiered data plans as one factor that will help to drive consumers' rapid embrace of smartphones. These plans, like ones introduced earlier this year by AT&T with the Apple iPad tablet, provide a range of plan prices with limited amounts of data allowed per month. These keep average consumers from having to shoulder the cost of the most active subscribers' heavy data use, making the cost of a data plan more palatable, he said.

"That will drive the democratization of wireless broadband access," Jha said. Critics have said tiered plans could inhibit subscribers' mobile Internet use and the development of new mobile applications.

As Android smartphones proliferate, they are falling in price and coming within reach of more consumers.

Motorola unveiled low-end Android phones at its own event, though as with the other introductions, the company left it to carriers to announce pricing.

Virgin Mobile gets its first Android device

Plenty of new device news for Android fans comes out with a new MyTouch for T-Mobile users, while Virgin Mobile users get their first Android device - the Samsung Intercept.

The latest MyTouch device is the second in its line, looking a lot more like current Android devices. A 1Ghz Snapdragon processor makes the MyTouch faster than the recently launched T-Mobile G2, and has support for video chat and WiFi voice calling. The MyTouch also sports Froyo 2.2, customized by HTC and T-Mobile. You’ll get a home screen full of social networking apps and information widgets, not too different from other HTC phone experiences.

The Samsung Intercept introduces Android devices to Virgin Mobile, looping the mobile service provider into a growing industry of devices and related apps. It has a 3.2” touchscreen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and Android 2.1. The specs are dismal compared to other new Android devices, but the intro phone still has a lot to offer. Expect the Intercept in stores by mid-October.

While many manufacturers are racing to develop Android devices, LG is pulling back on its efforts. The company said Android Froyo 2.2 is not ready for tablet development, and halted the development of its own tablet. This is a setback for LG, which recently lost its CEO, and is falling behind its competitors in Android products. This news also reflects the many obstacles manufacturers have with the Android OS.

Android 2.2 on smartphones, however, is having better luck. The Car Home app Google included with the OS now has a stand-alone app, available in the Android Market. The custom home screen now has specific features for personalizing shortcuts, as well as the ability to be paired with a specific Bluetooth device. Google made a similar move with its Gmail app, offering it as a stand-alone mobile tool as well.

Google TV to come with Netflix, Amazon, Pandora, Twitter, Napster apps

Google Inc has taken the wraps off a new website promoting the upcoming Google TV platform, with a special emphasis on the TV-ready apps set to arrive at launch. Among those promising to offer pre-installed Google TV apps are Netflix, Napster, Pandora, Amazon and Twitter.

The new Google TV site comes just a couple of days before one of the first Google TV-ready products, the Logitech Revue. Sony is expected to have a Google TV-embedded HDTV on tap for the holidays as well.

One of the prime features that Google has been touting for its upcoming TV platform is support for apps.

The Netflix app, for example, will let you tap into more than 20,000 streaming movies and TV shows, while a CNBC app will offer real-time stock tickers and video clips from the cable network. Users will also get streaming music from Pandora; movie and TV show rentals and purchases from Amazon On Demand; a photo gallery for viewing snapshots; full-screen Twitter; pro basketball stats from NBA Game Time; and subscription tunes from Napster.

More interesting is the news that Google TV device will get full Android Market access "early" next year - meaning you’ll be able to install just about any existing Android app onto your Google TV box. Google has also promised an SDK for Google TV-specific apps, again "early" next year.

Meanwhile, Google has revealed a list of websites that’ll be optimized for Google TV’s Chrome browser, ranging from TBS and TNT to the New York Times and CNN. You’ll also be able to watch Web videos on Google TV-ready sites from HBO, Cartoon Network, and Adult Swim. Google TV’s Chrome browser supports Flash Player 10.1, which means Web pages with embedded Flash videos and modules will work.

The Google TV promo site also rattles through a series of features we’ve previously seen: a Google-powered search box that coughs up Web-based videos, local TV listings, or results from the Web at large; remote control apps for iPhone and Android devices, including the ability to search with your voice and "fling" a Web page from your phone to your TV; a customizable Google TV "home" screen; and picture-in-picture, including the ability to put live TV in one frame and a Web page in another.

Sony’s Google TV-enabled HDTV is also due later this year.

T-Mobile to offer new Microsoft phones

T-Mobile USA, a unit of Deutsche Telekom, has announced that it will support Windows Phone 7 software and plans to reveal details of phones based on the Microsoft Corp software at an event on Oct 11.

AT&T Inc, the No. 2 U.S. mobile service, also plans to make an announcement about phones based on the Microsoft software at the event hosted by Microsoft.

New Windows 7 phones are expected in stores in time for the holiday shopping season.

At the event, T-Mobile USA, the U.S. No. 4 mobile network, is expected to announce a Windows Phone 7 device made by Taiwan’s HTC Corp, according to a person close to the matter who asked not to be named.

HTC is a long-time Microsoft partner but has recently been heavily focused on making phones based on Google Inc's Android software. It said it would make new Microsoft phones, but declined to give any further details.

The launch of Microsoft's new phone software is being seen a test of the world's largest software company's ability to catch up with rivals Apple Inc and Google, which have vaulted past it in the fast-growing market for smartphones.

China Unicom sells 100,000 iPhone 4s in 4 days

China Unicom has sold close to 100,000 iPhone 4s in the first four days of launching he device in China.

China Unicom, which is the mobile carrier for the iPhone 4 in China, has basically sold out of its first shipment of the device, company vice president Li Gang said. Earlier in the week, the mobile carrier reported that 200,000 users had pre-ordered the product. China Unicom has already stopped online reservations for iPhone 4, and is instead asking users to come directly to retail stores to sign up for the device.

The massive demand for the product outpaces last year's official launch of the iPhone 3G and 3GS in China. During that period, it had taken over a month before China Unicom had announced it sold 100,000 iPhone units.

The iPhone 4 was officially launched in China last Saturday, with the popularity of the device causing retail outlets in the country to sell out of the product.

Apple has said more iPhone 4s will be made available in China soon and that customers should check back with their local store for updates. China Unicom expects the second shipment of the iPhone 4 to arrive in China Oct 1.

The high sales figures for the iPhone 4 come as China Unicom reports it now has 10 million 3G users.

RIM unveils the BlackBerry PlayBook

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion is taking on iPad in the table computer game with a "PlayBook" aimed to capitalize on its strength.

RIM is calling its 7-inch, camera-packing tablet the BlackBerry PlayBook. CEO, Mike Lazaridis showed off the long-rumored device during the keynote of RIM’s BlackBerry developer conference in San Francisco.

RIM says its new tablet will arrive in the U.S. in early 2011, and in overseas markets in the second quarter of next year.

Expectations are a 0.9-pound tablet that’s 9.7 mm (or 0.4 inch) thick, complete with a pair of cameras: a 5-megapixel camera in the back, and a 3MP lens in front, both capable of recording HD video.

The 7 inch display - the same size as that on the just-announced Samsung Galaxy Tab - will boast a resolution of 1024 by 600, and it’s a capacitive multitouch display, good for such multi-finger gestures as punching and zooming.

The "no-compromises" PlayBook will run on a new tablet OS designed by QNX Software Systems which RIM acquired back in April, and it’ll be powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor, complete with a whopping 1GB of onboard RAM. The PlayBook will also support multitasking and Flash as well as multimedia-friendly HTML5 Web standards.

The PlayBook will arrive with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, with both 3G and 4G versions coming "in the future”. The PlayBook will also connect to a nearby BlackBerry via Bluetooth for viewing e-mail, calendar, to-do items or contacts - meaning that you’ll be able to tap out messages on the PlayBook and fire them off from your handheld BlackBerry.

We can also expect "nonproprietary" microUSB and micro-HDMI ports, with the PlayBook capable of outputting full-on 1080p video via HDMI, RIM says.

A slick promo video for the PlayBook shows features such as tabbed browsing, an app task bar, threaded messaging, on-the-Web YouTube video, and tablet-sized e-mail and event interfaces - all very iPad-like, with the added twist of the PlayBook acting as a BlackBerry companion in addition to a stand-alone slate.

But we’ll have to wait for more details on the BlackBerry PlayBook until the tablet’s launch date which is un-announced yet.

Android based G2 to arrive on October 6

Good news for T-Mobile customers. The Android-based G2 is available for pre-order, with an October 6 delivery for orders placed by the October 4th. The offer is exclusive to T-Mobile customers, with a $50 rebate knocking the price down to $200. After October 6th, the G2 will also be available in Best Buy stores.

Running Android 2.2, the G2 is an updated nod to the original T-Mobile G1, the phone that pioneered the Android revolution in the U.S. market. It’s 3.2-inch screen and Snapdragon processor bring the G series up to speed for T-Mobile customers, which have been surpassed in many ways by devices from competing networks.

Voice search for Kindle Android app
Amazon’s Kindle app now has voice search, and Flickr’s Android app has been upgraded for 2.2 support. Kindle’s extra features include annotations and highlight text, as well as Shelfari integration for social recommendations and book clubs.

Amazon’s done well to maintain an array of apps on Android, even if some do receive such feature upgrades later than iPhone users. The Amazon Kindle is still the only Android e-Reader with such a full range of features, proving the influence of the Kindle brand.

Flickr users can get snappy, with 2.2 capabilities for direct upload. The Flickr mobile website works beautifully with Android devices running Froyo, thanks to the optimization Flickr has done. It’s quite exciting to see more interaction features for web use in more advanced phones.

Apple launches iPhone 4 in China

Apple has launched the latest version of its iPhone in China and boosted its presence in the world's biggest Internet and mobile market by opening another two stores in Beijing and Shanghai.

The new Apple stores in Beijing and Shanghai bring the company's total to four in China - two in each city. It plans to have 25 shops in the country by the end of next year.

The iPhone 4 - something of a status symbol in China - is available in Apple stores, as well as at China Unicom retail outlets for buyers who sign a two-year contract with the operator.

The 16-gigabyte version of the smartphone, which will have wireless Internet capability, will cost 4,999 yuan at Apple stores with the 32-gigabyte selling for 5,999 yuan.

China Unicom, the country's second-largest mobile phone operator, took nearly 50,000 pre-orders for the iPhone 4 on September 17, the opening day for such reservations.

With the two-year contract, the 16-gigabyte will sell for 5,880 yuan while the 32-gigabyte version will cost 6,999 yuan.

The iPhone 4 made its debut in China just a week after Apple officially launched the iPad in the country, with some customers queuing up for several days to ensure they got their hands on the tablet computer.

Both products have been available for several months on China's grey market, which has been booming thanks to great demand for Apple goods.

The earlier version of the iPhone only officially went on sale in China last October - more than two years after its US launch.

Consumers have had a shorter wait for the iPhone 4 and iPad - the latest version of the smartphone was released in June in France, Britain, Germany, Japan and the United States.
The iPad made its US debut in April.

China has at least 420 million web users and is also the world's largest mobile market with more than 800 million subscribers as of the end of June.

Toshiba launches WiMax-ready Laptops

Toshiba has announced that several of its premium laptops will have WiMax-ready chips built-in.

What's interesting is the WiMax chips are based on Intel's Kilmer Peak, a PCI-e adapter that was supposed to launch in 2011 with Intel's next-generation platform, codenamed Huron River. But because Sprint and Clearwire, the two companies betting on WiMax technology, have made good on their promise to deliver wireless 4G broadband nationwide, Toshiba is wasting no time jumping onboard.

WiMax is like a Wi-Fi connection that covers an entire city, with an average download speed of 2-3 Mbps and prices as low as $40 per month. By December, Clearwire is expected to roll out WiMax in New York and San Francisco.

WiMax wireless chips will be available in the Satellite A665 Series, the M645 Series, the Portege R705-P35, and the Satellite E205-S1908. These are portable mainstream laptops, with screen sizes ranging from 13 inches to 16 inches.

India launches mobile phone share trading

India has launched stock trading on mobile phones, hoping to capitalise on the country's position as the world's fastest-growing handset market by catering to tech-savvy investors.

Asia's oldest stock market, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), started trading in shares on mobile phones on Tuesday while the rival National Stock Exchange (NSE) plans to launch a similar service early next month.

Trading on mobile phones is picking up globally, particularly in Asia, where equity markets are on the rebound from the global financial meltdown of 2008.

The new form of trading kicked-off in India as share prices hit a near three-year high, led by strong overseas fund inflows and optimism that Asia's third-largest economy could grow at nearly nine percent in coming years.

Both the BSE and NSE have tied up with local mobile phone operators and software firms to provide a real-time data feed and trading products.

Users will now be able to buy and sell shares, view live index and stock prices, as well as get margin and net investment positions on their phones.

BSE chairman S. Ramadorai said: "We believe that this will advance the development of financial inclusion through higher penetration of capital markets by leveraging the mobile telecom infrastructure in the country."

At least 35 accredited BSE brokers are eligible to provide mobile trading to their clients while at the NSE, at least 800 brokers are lining up to do the same.

"Mobile phone trading will pick up," said Rajiv Prabhakar, an analyst with Mumbai brokerage firm Sharekhan, through which nearly one million people trade across India.

India's investor community is estimated at between 10 and 20 million but those behind the scheme hope to capitalise on the buoyant state of the country's mobile phone sector.

One in 10 of the world's mobiles is sold in India, according to technology research specialists Gartner, and the country adds 15-17 million new mobile subscribers every month. There are now an estimated 650 million subscribers.

But per capita ownership in a country of 1.2 billion people is still low at 57 phones per 100 people, offering massive growth potential in the years ahead, particularly as 3G "smartphones" become more available across the country.

Brokerages involved hailed the stocks initiative as empowering consumers. But industry experts say trading on mobile phones is unlikely to supplant online trading anytime soon and initial usage may be limited simply to viewing market data.

"A new set of investors may not emerge with the opening of a new technology channel," said Monish Shah, financial services director of Deloitte India.

Mobile phone trading has picked up in Japan and South Korea. In Seoul, it accounts for nearly three percent of trading volume, according to stock exchange data.

Mobile banking, introduced two years back in India, "is yet to pick up" a Reserve Bank of India official has said, as transaction volumes remain low.

A recent Deloitte India study suggested nearly 70 percent of mobile phone users interviewed in Indian cities do not use mobile value-added services.

In the 22 to 36 age group, only half of those surveyed said they were comfortable viewing information online and the majority of people were not willing to make purchases online.

"The active-day trader will continue to trade online, and make calls to get market sensitive information, unavailable on a mobile," said Monish.

Subho Roy, president of the Internet and Mobile Association of India industry body added: "It is in the interest of the stock markets to accept this new technology as there is a huge market base that can be tapped."

RIM Tablet to be announced next week

Sources familiar to RIM's plans, claim the BlackBerry maker could show the world its tablet as early as next week, at a developers' conference in San Francisco.

The internal name for the tablet is BlackPad; it will have a 7-inch touch screen, one or two cameras, Bluetooth and broadband connections, and it's scheduled for a launch in the fourth quarter of the year. Interestingly enough, WSJ's sources claim the device will only be able to connect to mobile networks through a BlackBerry.

As far as the OS goes - and this is the most interesting bit - the same sources claim RIM will use a new platform built by QNX, an OS maker RIM bought earlier this year, instead of BlackBerry OS. Furthermore, BlackBerry is supposed to eventually move the BlackBerry to this new platform, too.

That's quite a bit of info from the Wall Street Journal, and although RIM did not confirm or deny any of it, it paints an interesting picture for the BlackBerry maker. RIM has slowly been losing ground to iPhone and Android phones in the last year, and - if real - these moves show a determination to turn things around. If RIM's tablet really brings a taste of the new platform that all BlackBerries will share, it won't be just a competitor to iPad, it will be a major test of RIM's ability to keep up with the current trends on the market.

IBM to buy Netezza for $1.7 billion

IBM Corp has agreed to pay $1.7 billion for Netezza Corp, a company that helps businesses sort through data on corporate servers.

The deal would help IBM expand in an area known as "analytics," where the company sees a major source of growth over the next few years. IBM expects to grow annual revenue from analytics services, software and hardware sales to $16 billion by 2015, up from $9 billion last year. It estimates the total annual market now amounts to roughly $100 billion.

IBM has been pushing into the analytics business through acquisitions. The company says it has spent $12 billion on 23 separate analytics companies over the past four years. Its biggest takeover in 2009 was a $1.2 billion deal for SPSS Inc., a company that makes analytics software for predicting future trends.

Netezza's software and hardware systems are designed to help companies use data about their businesses to make strategic decisions. The British TV, Internet and phone service provider Virgin Media Inc. uses the technology to quickly assess how price changes or tariffs are affecting sales.

Netezza, which is based in Marlborough, Mass., with about 500 employees, also lists Neiman Marcus, Time Warner Inc. and NYSE Euronext Inc. among its customers.

Big tech manufacturers have been snapping up smaller companies as they compete with one another to broaden the types of products and services they offer corporate clients.

Earlier this month computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co. topped Dell Inc. in a bidding war for data storage company 3Par Inc.

Google adds extra security to e-mail apps

Google Inc. is making it tougher for computer hackers and other imposters to break into e-mail accounts and other password-protected services.

An additional security measure introduced recently will require typing a six-digit code after an accountholder's Google password is entered. The codes will be sent to user's mobile phones.

The two-step process means it will take more than a password to get into an account, at least the first time that an attempted login is made from a particular computer. After logging in, users can ask Google to remember that their identity has been verified on that device and security codes won't be required to get into the account again.

The system is similar to that employed by some banks for online account access. The extra protection initially will be offered to companies and government agencies subscribing to a Google service that provides e-mail and other office applications. Google also is offering the added security to schools that rely on Google to run their e-mail systems.

People using Google's free Gmail service will have the option of making the security codes a part of their login process within the next few months. That could turn the security codes into a mainstream staple, given that Gmail had more than 185 million active accountholders worldwide in July, according to the most recent data from the research firm comScore Inc.

To make it easier to get the codes, Google has created a free security application for Apple's Inc.'s iPhone, Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry and phones running Google's own Android software.

Google wants more companies, government agencies and consumers to feel comfortable about "cloud computing," - which involves storing vital information on remote servers reached through the Internet.

Many people pick simple passwords, which makes it easier for hackers to break into an account. Requiring a security code that's only sent to the accountholder's mobile phone erects a new roadblock.