Thursday 24 February 2011

Marvell and ASUS Team Up to Enable Mass Market Availability of TD-SCDMA Smartphones


Marvell, a worldwide leader in integrated silicon solutions, today announced that ASUS has chosen Marvell as a strategic partner to launch a new series of TD-SCDMA (Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) smartphones in China. ASUS' new T10 and T20 series smartphones are powered by Marvell® PXA920 platform, the first commercially available single-chip solution which supports China Mobile's latest version of OPhone OMS system.
"I am proud of the leading role Marvell has played in the development of the TD-SCDMA standard, and I am particularly excited to see the launch of the ASUS TD smartphone with the addition of mobile gaming and mobile TV features all in one device – a true breakthrough in mobile telephone technology," said Weili Dai, Marvell's Co-Founder. "The ASUS smartphones are powered by Marvell's PXA920 platform, the industry's first single-chip TD-SCDMA solution: a tiny chip which delivers gigahertz speed, dynamic multimedia for mobile TV, live video, gaming and many exciting new applications, all to be unified by Marvell's beautiful and easy-to-use Kinoma® software experience. I believe the ASUS TD smartphones will be just the beginning of mass deployment of cost effective, advanced TD-SCDMA-based smartphones throughout China." ?
"ASUS is very excited to have Marvell as a partner in developing the TD-SCDMA phones. Marvell's single-chip PXA 920 allowed us to produce thinner and lighter phones without compromising any technical performance," said Benson Lin, ASUS' corporate vice president and the general manager of its mobile devices unit.
ASUS T10 and T20 smartphones will provide consumers a high quality mobile gaming and mobile TV experience, along with best-in-class Wi-Fi connectivity, all delivered in a sleek and sophisticated ASUS design form factor. ASUS has also chosen Marvell Avastar™ 88W8787 to enable 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 and FM connectivity as a featured component inside the new TD-SCDMA smartphones, offering exceptional Wi-Fi range and throughput and delivering crisp Bluetooth and FM audio quality. Together, Marvell and ASUS are raising the technology bar in the industry, bringing consumers powerful performance, premium design and quality – all at an attractive price point.

Apple Delays 4G LTE iPhone to 2012


The iPhone 5, due out sometime this summer, will not be an LTE 4G phone, says Telecom Pragmatics analyst Sam Greenholtz, who has talked with people close to the matter.
"The next iPhone -- the iPhone 6 -- is an LTE version under development now with production aimed for a June/July launch next year," Greenholtz said, citing his sources. Checks with several industry insiders and analysts also support Greenholtz' information. Apple did not comment, and Verizon(VZ) said it had "nothing to announce."
The news comes as speculation heats up on Wall Street Thursday around the possibility of an iPhone 5 launch at AT&T(T) this summer and a separate iPhone 5 launch at Verizon later this year or next, according to a note from a supply channel research shop.
Not only will the lack of a 4G Verizon iPhone likely disappoint everyone who passed on the iPhone 4 in hopes of buying one that would run on Verizon's fastest network, it also keeps Apple in the middle of the pack behind more muscular Google(GOOG) Android phones.Motorola(MMI)HTC and LG are all prepping 4G LTE Android phones, which are among the 10 LTE devices coming to Verizon as early as this spring.
"I don't think Apple saw this level of hardware competition when they locked in iPhone 5 specs," says MKM Partners analyst Tero Kuittinen, referring to Apple's component decisions.
The iPhone 5 is expected to be a world phone designed to work on European networks, the HSDPA-Plus network that AT&T(T) has dubbed 4G, and on Verizon's 3G network.
Other improvements include a possibly bigger 4-inch screen, a dual-core processor and, as we first reported last year, an 8-megapixel Sony(SNE) camera.
"They are basically playing catch up," says Rodman Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar, referring to the features that are, or have been, common to phones from top-tier rivals.
The news comes as Apple prepares to launch a new version of its tablet, the iPad 2, next week. CEO Steve Jobs, who is out indefinitely due to illness, is not likely to be the master of ceremonies. And his absence from the event will once again revive questions of how the company can continue its phenomenal success streak without him.
The delayed LTE iPhone may be the first big test of acting-chief COO Tim Cook's persuasiveness.

Apple to host event, iPad 2 in the wings


 Apple Inc is hosting a media event next week to show off the next-generation of the iPad, as it prepares to take on new rivals in the fast-growing tablet market.
Apple, which sent an invitation to reporters on Wednesday via email, will host the March 2 gathering at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, the same venue where Apple unveiled the original iPad in January 2010.
The characteristically succinct invitation featured an image of a calendar page with a giant "2" emblazoned in the center, peeled back just slightly to reveal the familiar form of an iPad. The invite teased, "Come see what 2011 will be the year of."
Given the sheer crush of competing tablets coming on the market, Apple will face a bigger challenge to wow consumers with the new iPad, which is expected to go on sale in April.
The iPad has completely dominated the nascent tablet computer market, but literally dozens of new devices are set to launch this year, so Apple will have to prove it can stay one step ahead of its pursuers.
Apple's rivals include Motorola Mobility, Research in Motion and Hewlett-Packard Co, all of which are aggressively promoting their tablets.
Apple sold nearly 15 million iPads last year, when it had the market largely to itself. Analysts expect the company to at least double that figure this year, as the overall market explodes to more than 50 million units.
Industry watchers expect Apple to show off a thinner, lighter and faster version of the 10-inch touchscreen tablet, and also add a front-facing camera to enable video chatting using the company's FaceTime application.
Many analysts believe Apple may also add a chip that allows the iPad to run on CDMA networks like that of Verizon Wireless.
There is also the question of who will lead the event, with Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs out on indefinite medical leave. As Apple's master showman, Jobs typically presides over major product launches.
If not Jobs on stage, other potential emcees include Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook and marketing chief Phil Schiller.
With the original iPad priced starting at $499, investors will also be watching to see if Apple plans to creep farther down the price chain to broaden the iPad's appeal.
Apple's rivals has so far been unable to match the iPad on price. But Apple has pinched its own gross margins by pricing the tablet lower than its serious competitors.

Mobile Music Revenues to reach $5.5 billion by 2015


Hampshire, UK -- A new report published today by Juniper Research forecasts that music consumed on mobile handsets will generate $5.5 billion annually in 2015, a rise of $3.1 billion from 2010. The report finds that mobile music is becoming an increasingly important part of the digital music sector, which is propping up a failing industry hit by over a decade of widespread online piracy.
Since the popularisation of P2P file sharing at the end of the last century, the music industry’s sales have gone into free fall, as consumers rejected the physical distribution of music in favour of easier, but illegal means of acquiring it. The industry response was initially slow, but legal digital distribution services, such as Apple’s iTunes are now blossoming, and mobile handsets are increasingly becoming the key platform for them.
Mobile Music Opportunities report author Daniel Ashdown argues: “Initially, PC downloading and sideloading to MP3 players was the only way to go; but the development of mobile devices has now reached the point where they match the technical specs of dedicated MP3 players. Add in connectivity – just one click to buy and download – along with all the other smartphone features, and there is no competition between the two. This is why sales of Apple’s iPhone are going to outstrip its iPod in the not too distant future.”
However, the report warns that piracy still remains a significant threat – both online and on the mobile. Juniper Research finds that P2P file sharing is slowly migrating to the mobile, with BitTorrent applications now available on Android Market, for example. With the rollout of 4G networks about to increase, the report recommends that the graduate response – enacted by legislation in many countries – be strongly enforced and expanded to mobile networks.
The Mobile Music whitepaper, ‘Mobile music hits the right note’ and further details of the study ‘Mobile Music Opportunities: Market Size, Strategic Analysis & Forecasts 2011-2015’ are available to download at www.juniperresearch.com.

Smart Search Tip on Sony Ericsson Spiro


Nobody remembers phone numbers these days because our phones remember them for us. However, if you can remember the first two digits of someone’s phone number, you can take advantage of the cool Smart Search feature on the Sony Ericsson Spiro.
Enable Smart Search
  • Go to MENU.
  • Select “settings”.
  • Choose “calls”.
  • Select “smart search”.
  • Select to turn Smart Search on.
Use Smart Search
With Smart Search enabled, all you need to do is enter the first two digits of the phone number you want to call. This will bring up a list of all of the entries in the handset that start with those two numbers.

Gingerbread Update Winging Its Way to HTC Desire Phones on Three




Good news for HTC Desire users here in the UK, if you’re on the Three network, you are soon to receive the latest Android update.
Three tweeted the news today, confirming that their HTC Desire customer will be treated to an update to Gingerbread 2.3 very soon. How soon isn’t quite clear yet, as the numerical network failed to provide any dates for us to look forward to, however, they are expected to release a timescale shortly.
Although new HTC handsets like the HTC Desire S are to be released with Android 2.3 installed, it is unclear as to whether all the HTC handsets will get a Gingerbread update. If rumours are to be believed though, the HTC Desire Z and HD will also be getting a Gingerbread makeover.
There has also been speculation that customers on networks other than Three could soon be getting an Android 2.3 update, with further Desire update announcements expected from other carriers soon.

Windows Phone 7 Update Doesn’t Go As Smoothly As Hoped


Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 pre-update update is still in the process of rolling out to users, but even at this early stage, reports are coming in that a problem has occurred when trying to update the two Samsung devices using the OS.
The Focus and the Omnia 7 reportedly hang on the later stages of the update and require a reboot; however some Samsung Omnia’s would hang but then fail to reboot, becoming ‘bricked’. According to ArsTechnica, Samsung used slightly different firmware versions on its phones, and this could be the cause of the problem.
Microsoft quickly disabled the update for Samsung phones, but they have yet to issue an official statement on the situation. A post from a moderator on their support forum suggests Samsung owners should not retry the update if a notification does slip through, and that in ‘approximately three days time’ a new update will be pushed out.
While it’s very difficult to gauge the exact amount of affected phones, one must assume it’s a fair amount for Microsoft to stop sending the update out.  It’s also not the kind of press attention they needed for their first attempt at updating Windows Phone 7 either.
Have you had any problems with the update?