France launches 4G mobile license auction

France has kicked off auctions for frequencies to build high-speed fourth generation mobile telephone networks needed to keep up with the explosion of Internet-capable smartphones.

Bandwidth in the 800 megahertz and 2.6 gigahertz range are on the block, with minimum bids set at 2.5 billion euros.

Bids for 2.6 gigahertz frequencies close on September 15, with the licenses to be awarded before the end of the year.

Bidding for the 800 megahertz frequencies closes on December 15, with licenses awarded in early 2011.

Winners of 2.6 gigahertz frequencies have to cover 75 percent of the French population within 12 years, and winners of 800 megahertz frequencies have to reach 98 percent coverage within 12 years.

Acer introduces Windows desktops, 23-inch touchscreen display

Notebooks, netbooks, and tablets might be the must-have items in today’s computing market, but there are still plenty of places a desktop computer system makes the most sense -particularly if you’re after screen real estate. To that end, Acer is introducing new M- and X-series desktops designed to easily work in a home, office, dorm room, or other location, while the new 23-inch T231H touchscreen monitor brings Windows 7′s touchscreen interface to anyone who wants it without breaking the bank.

“Our newest desktop models and touch screen display provide our customers with leading technology in very practical form factors that can serve as an entertainment center for the entire household,” said Irene Chan, Acer America senior business manager for consumer desktops.

First up, the Acer M-series offer expansion capabilities in a more-or-less traditional desktop mini-tower. The systems are built around Intel Core i3 or AMD Athlon II X4 quad-core processors, support up to 6 TGB of RAM, super multi DVD drives, and tome with 1 TB hard drives for media storage. Some models are available with discrete graphics, but they all sport two open PCI-E ×1 slots and a PCI-E ×16 slot for a video card: perfect for folks who need RAIDs, add-on audio hardware, or advanced graphics. There’s an open 3.5-inch hard drive slow, and a total of 12 USB ports for peripherals.

The Acer X-series desktops are about one-third the size of a traditional PC tower, and are powered by Intel Dual Core or AMD Athlon II X4 processors and 4 GB of RAM. The systems ship with one open PCI-E ×1 and ×16 slot and either 512 or 1 TB hard drives; there are also six USB 2.0 ports for hooking up peripherals.

The Acer M-series desktops start at $499.99, while the X-series starts at $398. Both are available now.

The New Acer T231H Ergonomic touchscreen display integrates Microsoft’s Touch Pack is designed to bring Windows 7′s touch-based interface to desktop PCs: with it, users can tap into capabilities of touch-enabled applications to turn pages, rotate images, pinch-to-zoom, play games. and even draw and write on the screen with gestures. The monitor sports a native 1,920 by 1,080-pixel resolution perfect for HD entertainment and games, a 2ms response time, and a 50,000:1 contrast ratio. One downside might be that it offers a DVI (with HDCP) input rather than DisplayPort or HDMI, but it does feature an ergonomic base that can be tilted backward and adjusted from 5 to 60 degrees - and the stand can be folded out of sight for wall-mounting and other applications. The T231H is available now for a suggested price of $329.99.

Mobile developers prefering Android

According to new survey from Vision Mobile and Bluevia, Android is the most popular mobile platform amongst developers, with 67 percent of mobile developers indicating they’re developing for Android in 2011 - that’s an 8 percent improvement over 2010. However, Apple’s iOS was in a solid second place with 59 percent of mobile developers saying they’re targeting the platform and that’s up 9 percent from last year. However, the real surprise in the survey might just be the number-three spot: apps developed using HTML and browser technologies specifically aimed at mobile devices. In 2010, 40 percent of mobile developers said they were making mobile Web apps; for 2011, that number has shot up to 56 percent.

Java ME managed a fourth-place finish with 46 percent (down four percent from 2010), and RIM’s BlackBerry platform finished fifth with 45 percent of developers saying they’re targeting it this year - and that’s an increase of five percent over 2010. Symbian and Windows Phone took sixth and seventh place, with 38 percent and 36 percent of developers aiming at the platforms this year- both those figures represent net declines, with Symbian off 8 percent from last year. Interesting, Flash and Flash Lite took eighth place with a 34 percent share, but that’s a big increase from 22 percent last year - even though Apple’s iOS famously eschews Adobe Flash, platforms like Android are trying to make bank on supporting the platform.

The study found developers experiment, supporting an average of 3.2 mobile platforms at the same time.

According to Vision Mobile and Bluevia, Android’s popularity rests on it being the “easiest” platform for developers’ experimentation, because Android has fewer restricted APIs, the Android Market is essentially unregulated as opposed to the mysterious “curated” experience of Apple’s App Store, and its easier to sideload Android applications, which simplifies testing and ad-hoc distribution for beta testing.

However, things shifted then Vision Mobile and BlueVia looked at developers’ “Intentshare,” or where developers plan to invest going forward. There, Android was still out in front, but Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform captured the number two spot, apparently on the strength of its XNA and Silverlight development tools and the potential market momentum that could be achieved with its broad deal with Nokia to make Windows Phone devices. Number three in “intent” was actually Google’s Chrome OS, followed by a tie between iOS and MeeGo.

The study is based on an online survey of more than 850 mobile developers.

Apple recalling some Verizon iPad 2 tablets

Apple Inc is recalling some of its iPad2 tablets that is designed to run on Verizon's network for connectivity issues.

"Duplicate MEID codes were flashed onto an extremely small number of iPad units for the Verizon 3G network," an Apple spokeswoman has said.

MEID, which stands for mobile equipment identifier, is a unique number that is used to identify a mobile device when it connects to the network. Two devices cannot have the same MEID code.

Apple is replacing the affected units that were already sold with new ones.

Doordarshan DTH platform to Expand

With the Prasar Bharati board approving the expansion of DD Direct Plus to 200 channels, many popular television channels will be available to viewers on Doordrashan’s free-to-air direct-to-home platform.

The board had Tuesday approved the working plan for immediate expansion of the Doordarshan’s DTH platform to 200 channels by the end of the year.

The ministry of information and broadcasting said that several broadcasters were interested in airing programmes through Doordrashan’s DTH platform due to low cost of distribution and wide reach. The platform has 59 channels at present.

The clearence of the detailed proposal for e-auction of channels in the DTH platform was also cleared by the board.

It also approved cross channel advertising from other broadcasters and DTH operators on Doordarshan channels.

The board cleared the way for out of court settlements of the more than Rs.400 crore worth of arbitration issues involving Prasar Bharati. The task will be taken up by a special high-level empowered team.

Apple becomes largest chip buyer

Driven by the success of the iPhone and iPad, Apple Inc. has become the world's largest buyer of chips for computers and phones.

Apple bought $17.5 billion worth of chips last year, surpassing computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co. as the largest consumer, IHS iSuppli said. That was an increase of 80 percent from the year before, reflecting Apple's continuing sales surge.

An iPhone contains about $80 worth of chips, according to iSuppli. The chips include the central processor that acts as the brains of the device, radio chips that let it talk to cell towers and the audio chip that converts the owner's voice into a stream of data.

The finding that Apple is the No. 1 buyer cements its standing as a company that has the clout, and the cash, to buy chips and other crucial components such as touchscreens when other companies struggle because of supply constraints.

Apple said in January that it had spent $3.9 billion on long-term contracts to secure supplies for the next two years of a "very strategic" component it wouldn't name. Few other companies are able to commit that much money.

Last summer, high-tech manufacturers were scrambling to buy chips as sales started reviving after the recession and chip-makers had yet to ramp production back up. But Apple reported no chip supply problems; it blamed shortages of iPhones and iPads instead on limited assembly-line capacity.

IPhones and iPads use large amounts of expensive flash memory, accounting for much of Apple's chip consumption. Apple sold 48 million iPhones last year, up 89 percent from the previous year. Meanwhile, PC industry sales grew 14 percent, iSuppli said. IPads went on sale for the first time last year.

Samsung, Micron Technology Inc. and Intel Corp. are leading makers of flash memory.

The $17.5 billion figure means more than a third of Apple's "cost of revenue" - expenditures excluding corporate overhead - went toward chip purchases last year.

Samsung Electronics Co., which makes a wide variety of electronics, and PC maker Dell Inc. were the No. 3 and 4 chip buyers. No. 5 is Nokia Corp., the world's largest maker of phones. However, its output is dominated by cheap phones that don't use as many or as pricey chips as the iPhone.
ISuppli expects Apple to extend its lead this year by buying chips for $22.4 billion, compared with $14.8 billion at HP.

Siemens sues Samsung and LG

German industrial giant Siemens has filed suit against both South Korea’s LG and Samsung in Germany and the United States, alleging the companies are infringing on Siemens LED patents in both back-lit flat-panel LCD displays and in LED lighting. Similar suits are expected to be filed in China and Japan this week.

LED lighting applications are particularly in-demand, with the technology being applied to everything from conventional and automobile lighting to mobile phones, televisions, computer displays, and digital signage -industry watchers are seeing Siemens’ suits as a move to defend its technology from low-cost manufacturers in China and East Asia that are looking to undercut its business.

Philips and other large LED lighting makers license patents from Osram to manufacture their products; LG and Samsung do not.

The lawsuits also come just a few months before Siemens is scheduled to sell off a majority stake in Osram Opto Semiconductors, which is currently the second-largest lighting technology manufacturer in the world, following Philips. The lawsuits might be a tactic to pump up Osram’s value before the company goes on the public stock market in September.

Best HTC phones and devices

HTC has delivered some of the very first Android-based phones and they continue to produce well-reviewed devices with the latest versions of Google’s phone OS. At the recent Mobile World Congress, HTC described some of their upcoming Android releases, which includes new phones and a new Android-based tablet.

The company created a customized user interface for Android that they call “Sense”. And, for many users it makes more sense than the stock Android interface. Best of all, Sense makes it easy to find your apps.

The Best HTC Phones:

HTC Desire S

The follow-up to the popular Desire model, the Desire S sports the same 1GHz processor but features a new aluminum unibody case with rubber grips at the top and bottom, a 5-megapixel camera and flash, and the ability to record in 720p HD. Like HTC’s other phones, the Desire S runs their Sense UI. The Desire S supports DLNA technology that lets you stream content like video directly from your phone to DLNA-capable TVs and gaming consoles.

HTC Evo Shift 4G (Sprint)

Sometimes “best” means inexpensive like with the HTC Evo Shift 4G, currently only $99 with contract at Sprint. True, the phone doesn’t offer the highest end hardware – only 800MHz not a 1GHz processor and no front facing camera for example – but it still delivers great features.

The Evo Shift 4G features a sharp and bright screen with a slide out full QWERTY keyboard, a 5-megapixel camera and flash, 4G-network support and the phone will run as a Wi-Fi hotspot. As with other HTC Androids, this phone runs their friendly Sense UI.

HTC Thunderbolt

This powerful device boasts 4G capabilities to offer blazingly fast connectivity. It features a very large 4.3 inch LCD screen, front and rear cameras, and runs the latest version of HTC's Sense UI. But all that muscle comes at a cost: With all this technology and fast speed, the battery can become depleted quickly, so bear that in mind before buying. It's also a bit heavier than many of its bretheren, but its giant display and 32GB of storage space will certainly keep power users happy.

HTC Droid Incredible 2

The follow up to the hugely successful Droid Incredible, its new incarnation is more of a refresh of an older device rather than something groundbreaking. Still, it's a great choice for Verizon users until something new comes along. The Droid Incredible 2 has a smart, unibody design, improved camera, a slightly larger display, and a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 Snapdragon processor which is also used in the HTC Thunderbolt. No 4G/LTE capabilities does set this device back a bit though, but it might work as a nice upgrade for many.

Magic Tablet Ride

HTC has launched into the Android tablet market with their new “Flyer” device. It features a seven-inch screen, a 1.5GHz processor, and HSPA+ wireless for high-speed Internet access. The Flyer supports Flash version 10 and HTML 5 so that you can browse all the fanciest websites without any issues.

Special to the Flyer is HTC’s new Scribe Technology for pen input. HTC says people will “rediscover the act of writing” by using the Flyer to sign contracts, take notes, draws pictures, even write on web pages. Also, the Flyer has debuted a new service called HTC Watch that allows you to download TV and movie content to your tablet. The tablet also supports an online gaming service called OnLive. OnLive promises the ability to play gaming console-class games on your TV by using the service’s “cloud” without any set-top box. Bestselling games like Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, NBA 2K11, and LEGO Harry Potter are on tap. The Flyer was released in the spring so is still relatively new to the market.

Making “Sense” of Android

HTC’s Sense UI tries to make Android’s overall look and feel, as well as app downloading, easier to use. First, with Sense, your Android’s home screen widgets pop and even animate in cool 3D. Next, there’s a tight integration between commonly used apps. For example, when you make a new calendar appointment – everything you do before selecting ‘Done’ will become part of the appointment, like extra notes or web links.

On many Android phones, newly downloaded apps just appear on your screens, usually in alphabetical order by title by default. It can be confusing and you may need to scroll around before finding an app you just downloaded. With Sense, you have special folders for Favorites and Recently Downloaded Apps. This is a great addition to the standard Android UI that allows you to find newly downloaded apps with just a couple of taps.

You’ll still use the Android Market to download all that apps you want. Just find the Market icon, tap it, then use the categories or search bar to find apps that interest you.

All in all, HTC produces exciting Android products that are available at several major carriers and retailers. HTC continues to innovate with their Sense user interface and groundbreaking new elements like the pen-input Scribe Technology.

Samsung and Toshiba to launch Honeycomb 3.1 tablets

News about the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 spread across the web yesterday, leading to more questions about the upcoming tablet’s actual release date, its supported Android OS version, and its interface. The Galaxy Tab is expected to hit some Best Buy stores on June 8, with widespread availability on June 17. With Wi-Fi and 4G versions, an NVIDIA dual-core processor and an even thinner design than the iPad 2, Samsung’s upgraded quite a few features in its latest tablet offering. But questions still linger around its support of Honeycomb 3.1, Google’s most recent version of Android, as rumors surface that the platform upgrade may be facing delays, and whether Samsung incorporated its own TouchWiz skin in order to ship the Galaxy Tab with Honeycomb 3.1.

Either way, it seems a series of last-minute changes were made to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 release, emphasizing manufacturers’ dilemmas in producing Android-based devices for the masses. It boils down to fragmentation and consumer demand for OS upgrades, whether they occur before or after purchase. For Google, Android’s had a bumpy road in executing its smartphone and tablet platforms, delaying product releases in the past.

Toshiba wants it on Honeycomb 3.1
Samsung has been a supporter of Android’s platform for some time, among the first to launch a tablet for Google’s mobile OS. But Honeycomb 3.1 is encouraging other manufacturers to jump into the tablet game as well. Toshiba is seeking a smooth diversification beyond the laptop market with plans to release the Thrive, a 10.1-inch tablet running Honeycomb 3.1. The Thrive will feature a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, though it’s on the thicker side at 0.6 inches. You have a built-in HDMI out port, USB, mini USB and an SD card slot to blame for the thickness of Toshiba’s tablet, incorporating many laptop ports into the Thrive.

Toshiba’s aiming the Thrive at laptop lovers and mobile workers, including a number of cloud-based services pre-installed on the tablet. It’s reportedly to come with Log Me In software, providing access to home computer desktops, along with a file manager built on top of Android for browsing files stored on a USB device or SD card. There’s PrintShare software also installed on the Thrive, enabling users to print directly from the tablet, a feature competitive with iPad’s AirPrint and Samsung’s MobilePrint. Expect three sizes for the Thrive, indicating Toshiba’s immediate ambitions to appeal to the entire range of consumers.

There will be an 8GB, 16GB and 32GB tablet, priced at $429, $479 and $579 respectively. One major downside is all versions of the Thrive are Wi-Fi only.

Sprint and LightSquared nearing $20 bln LTE deal

With AT&T and T-Mobile looking to merge to usurp Verizon Wireless as the top mobile provider in the United States, it’s no secret that number three Sprint is going to have to make some serious moves if it hopes to remain a major player in the mobile industry. Sprint recently inked a $1 billion deal for wholesale access to Clearwire’s WiMax network and now Bloomberg is reporting Sprint may be on the verge of a 15-year deal that will see billionaire Philip Falcone’s LightSquared pay up to $20 billion in a broad network sharing and built-out plan.

Citing “two people familiar with the talks,” LightSquared could pay Sprint up to $2 billion a year in the early stages of the contract to help pay for build-out of network services to support LTE 4G mobile broadband; once the network is built out, LightSquared would pay Sprint for access based on the number of customers LightSquared brings to the network, as well as their overall usage patterns.

Reports of Sprint and LightSquared talking about an LTE partnership have been circulating for months. Sprint has committed to investing $5 billion over the next three to five years to upgrade its network of terrestrial base stations to support 4G services on multiple frequencies; the result may be that Sprint’s network could support both LTE and WiMax services with a single set of equipment on a cell tower.

LightSquared has been planning to launch wholesale 4G LTE services in the United States, and claims it is on scheduled to introduced commercial services in early 2012. The company agreed last year to FCC conditions that require the company to offer service to 100 million Americans by the end of 2012 as part of the Obama administration’s national broadband initiative. By 2016, that number needs to climb to 260 million. LightSquared’s existing network design involves using high-powered signals between satellites and ground-based stations, and has drawn criticism from the likes of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the U.S. Air Force Space Command over concerns it will interfere with low-power GPS systems that use nearby frequencies.

Industry reports have also had LightSquared in discussions with AT&T about leasing LTE network capacity.

T-Mobile to offer Low-Cost Samsung Smartphones

T-Mobile is rolling out two new Android-powered Samsung smartphones, the Exhibit 4G and the Gravity SMART, with post-rebate prices of less than $100 with a new two-year contract.

So T-Mobile will soon have two products that specifically target customers looking for rich connectivity and unique entertainment experiences at affordable prices. The wireless carrier also recently introduced new voice, text and data plans that let price-conscious consumers realize further savings, noted T-Mobile Senior Vice President Andrew Sherrard.

"T-Mobile is continuing to help families easily make the move to smartphones with these new Android-powered handsets, together with data plans as low as $10 per month, all running on America's largest 4G network," Sherrard said.

The Samsung Smartphones:

The Exhibit 4G integrates a one-gigahertz processor, a three-megapixel camera with flash and a camcorder, a front-facing camera for video chats, and a Wi-Fi radio. Powered by Google's Android 2.3, Gingerbread, the Exhibit is primarily aimed at consumers looking to access free entertainment programs from broadcasters such as ABC News Now, FOX Sports, PBS Kids, and Azteca America via T-Mobile TV as well as premium TV content and games.

The Gravity SMART is the latest addition to Samsung's Gravity portfolio of devices featuring social-networking and premium-messaging options. Powered by Android 2.2, Froyo, the smartphone has a spacious slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a three-megapixel camera with LED flash, digital zoom, and a camcorder.

Sporting a full web browser, the SMART has a 3.2-inch touchscreen with a simplified text-input technology called Swype, which enables the user to send messages even when the keyboard is closed. Another feature called pin-it notes enables users to retain important messages on the home screen for quick reference.

Both smartphones have access to Google's family of mobile services as well as the myriad applications available from the Android Market, and are slated to become available from T-Mobile later this month.

The new HTC Sensation 4G that T-Mobile previewed earlier this week is expected to be available beginning June 15 at a post=rebate price of $199.

Low-Priced Data Plans:

The low-cost Samsung smartphones are a big part of T-Mobile's subscriber growth strategy, along with a new suite of plans for families and individuals. Earlier this month, T-Mobile introduced high-speed data plans in 200MB, 2GB, 5GB and 10GB increments as well as an unlimited data plan.

For example, T-Mobile's new entry point for price-conscious consumers is priced at $10 per month for 200MB, while its family plan offers unlimited talk, text and data for $139.99 per month. The goal is to attract the 80 percent of U.S. wireless customers who don't have smartphones, noted T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman.

"We're providing customers with the 4G coverage they need, an exciting portfolio of 4G smartphones, and the value and flexibility to meet the diverse desires of their entire family," Brodman said.

Google launches +1 button, hits the Android Market

Google +1 has gotten a little more interesting, as the Digg-like recommendation button gets prime placement beyond search results. Yesterday Google announced the roll-out for Google +1 to websites, listing a series of destinations, including YouTube, Blogger and the Android Market. A mix between the Facebook “Like” button and Twitter’s “retweet” button, Google +1 is a great promotional tool for Android app developers. It’s another way in which Google is not only hoping to improve recommendations and discovery within the Android Market, but also encourage social sharing, as its own search endeavors still lack community appeal.

While Google continues to update the Android Market for usability and exploration, the Android OS continues to dominate the mobile scene. Nokia blamed Android’s success for its own demise, noting Android’s explosive growth in Europe.

Apple too, is seeking ways to circumvent Android’s dominance, possibly with a low-cost iPhone. The working class phone, most likely the 3GS, would compete with Android’s array of tiered devices, which have made Android the most accessible mobile OS in the world. Apple’s been content to keep iOS in the confines of its own devices, but tiering some of those devices even further would also widen Apple’s profits.