Mobile Tech Today

Teen Shows Battery-Charge Breakthrough at Intel Fair

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:10:32 -0500

How many times have you headed out the door in the morning and realized you forgot to plug your phone in to charge overnight? Or spent the day exchanging important texts or e-mails, only to have your phone die in the middle of a conversation?

Imagine being able to recharge your device's battery in just seconds. If an invention recognized in Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair reaches the mass market, it could soon be possible.

Could Power Cars, Too

Eesha Khare, 18, won a $50,000 scholarship from the chipmaking giant at last week's fair in Phoenix, Ariz., for a "supercapacitor" that can not only charge a cell phone battery in 20 to 30 seconds but can last 10 times longer than a traditional battery. The supercapacitor, which sounds like a device that would power the time-traveling car in "Back To The Future," has so far only lit up an LED test light, however.

"With the rapid adoption of portable electronics, Eesha Khare, 18, of Saratoga, Calif., recognized the crucial need for energy-efficient storage devices," Intel said in a statement announcing the winners. "She developed a tiny device that fits inside cell phone batteries, allowing them to fully charge within 20-30 seconds. Eesha's invention also has potential applications for car batteries."

Battery life is a key concern of consumers who are increasingly data hungry, gearing up with apps that not only raise their bill but drain their devices' batteries. Little progress has been made in drastically increasing energy storage, which has led manufacturers to focus their efforts instead on processors that better manage how the battery is used and which cores to shut down when not needed.

The ability to quickly recharge could be as useful as extending charge life and save heavy device users from having to carry spare batteries or even spare devices...

Samsung Launches $800,000 App Development Challenge

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:23:36 -0500

Although it's unlikely that any mobile device maker will catch up with Apple's App Store in the short term, Samsung is taking another swing at it. The leading smartphone maker has launched a global contest that aims to woo mobile app developers to its cause.

The company introduced the $800,000 Samsung Smart App Challenge 2013, a competition aimed at finding new applications that make possible group communication functions on Android devices.

This is not the first time Samsung has turned to a contest to attract Android developers. Apparently, the company liked the results because it's willing to shell out big bucks in prize money to 10 winners, along with a variety of promotional benefits. This time around, Samsung Venture Investment will review the final winners for financial investment.

Focusing on Group Play Apps

"With Samsung Smart App Challenge 2013, Samsung is going to boost the mobile ecosystem," said Won-Pyo Hong, president and head of the Media Solutions Center at Samsung Electronics. "At Samsung we will continue to encourage mobile developers to develop new and innovative applications with newly launched features of Galaxy series."

Hong expects the Samsung Smart App Challenge to beef up the application choices for Galaxy S IV users. Here's how it works: The contest is open to all mobile application developers. Participating developers can sign up at SmartAppChallenge.com and register their apps from June 20 to Aug. 31.

The apps must make use of Samsung's Smart Chord software development kit. A panel of judges will decide the winning entries, which Samsung said would use group management functionality in "interesting and experiential ways." Apple Still Dominates

Michael Disabato, managing vice president of Network and Telecom at Gartner, told us contests like these attract developers who may need an economic incentive to create compelling apps up front.

"Instead of betting on an income stream in...

MeeGo-Based Sailfish Mobile OS Launches

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:20:37 -0500

Sailfish is sailing. Finland-based start-up Jolla is accepting pre-orders for its first smartphone product, which is also the first to use the Sailfish mobile operating system.

The Sailfish OS is derived from the Mer Project, which itself is an offshoot of the now-abandoned MeeGo OS that was jointly developed by Nokia and Intel. Jolla was founded by former Nokia employees. The Jolla device has a dual-core processor, 16 GB built-in storage, a microSD card slot, an 8-megapixel camera, LTE connectivity and a 4.5-inch display. The Jolla device, which currently goes only by the company's name, can run existing Android apps.

In its initial roll-out, the new phone will be available in fourth quarter in Finland, Denmark, Germany, France, the U.K., Spain and Italy, at 399 euros, or about U.S. $510, before carrier subsidies, although pre-orders come with a discount of 100 euros.

Unique Cover

One of the new device's differentiators is a smartphone cover that's embedded with a chip and available to pre-ordering buyers. Called the OtherHalf, the chip in the cover is intended to allow software customization, such as a key to unlock special content or a customized user experience provided by musicians or app developers, including limited editions. The back cover also comes in different colors, allowing for some partial color customization of the device.

Jolla has said that it will use the cover as part of a "co-creation" campaign, in which it will invite the user community to decide how the cover and the chip should be designed and used.

The screen interface shows thumbnails of opened apps on the home screen, with features accessible via side-to-side scrolling, and what the company described as "true multitasking," such as running a video in one portion of the screen while you're working on an app in another portion.

Symbian 'Moving Out'

Avi Greengart, an analyst with...

What's in Store for Apple's iOS 7?

Sun, 19 May 2013 08:19:18 -0500

There's been talk recently that Apple's products are beginning to coast on their glorious past. So, with Apple's big Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) arriving in San Francisco in three weeks, the speculation mill has been heating up about what the company might offer when it decides to unveil the new iOS 7.

Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that manufacturing of a "refreshed iPhone" was beginning in second quarter, with a possible launch during the summer, and that a less expensive iPhone could be on the market as soon as the second half of this year. The newspaper also said that Apple's next version of its iOS would be shipped by the middle of this year.

Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, has told news media that his team "can't wait to get new versions of iOS and OS X" into developers hands. This might imply some minor updates to the current version will be released at WWDC, or it could mean the company will tease or unveil the full iOS 7 redesign that is said to be under way. Senior Vice President of Industrial Design Sir Jonathan "Jony" Ive, who is known for a more minimalist style, is said to be leading a complete overhaul of the OS's interface.

Flatter, Simpler?

However, there have also been reports on the Web, attributed to "people with knowledge of the matter," that the full-scale redo of iOS may not be ready for WWDC.

Rumors have suggested a less-textured direction for the new look, which some have described as "very, very flat," cleaner, simpler, losing any shine or gloss, and bearing new icons. Some observers have speculated that users might even have a choice between displaying the new flat design or keeping the old interface.

One possible pitfall to a simpler, flatter design,...

Google Glass Raises Congressional Privacy Concerns

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:50:22 -0500

The buzz around Google Glass continues, but it's not all good. Some in Congress are raising privacy issues around the futuristic product.

Eight members of the House Privacy Caucus sent a letter to Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page. They have some questions about the privacy aspects of Google Glass. And they want answers.

"As members of the Congressional Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus, we are curious whether this new technology could infringe on the privacy of average Americans," the letter says. "Because Google Glass has not yet been released and we are uncertain of Google's plans to incorporate privacy protections into the device, there are still a number of answered questions that we share."

Congressional Questions

The caucus then puts forth eight questions:

1. How does Google plan to prevent Google Glass from unintentionally collecting data about the user/non-user without consent?

2. What proactive steps is Google taking to protect the privacy of non-users when Google Glass is in use? Are product lifecycle guidelines and frameworks, such as Privacy By Design, being implemented in connection with its product design and commercialization?

3. When using Google Glass, is it true that this product would be able to use Facial Recognition Technology to unveil personal information about whomever and even some inanimate objects that the user is viewing? Would a user be able to request such information? Can a non-user or human subject opt out of this collection of personal data? If so, how? If not, why not?

4. Would Google place limits on the technology and what type of information it can reveal about another person? If so, explain. If not, why not?

5. Given Google Glass's sensory and processing capabilities, has Google considered making any additions or refinements to its privacy policy? If so, explain. If not, why not?

6. Would [device-specific] information be collected from users operating Google Glass?...

U.S. Could Use Cyberattack on Syrian Air Defenses

Sun, 19 May 2013 08:23:42 -0500

The Pentagon has cyberattack capabilities that allow the U.S. military to help blind Syrian air defenses without firing a shot, according to military analysts.

"One of the reasons the Air Force has paid so much attention to cyberwarfare is ... for beating enemy air defenses," said James Lewis, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

U.S. abilities to defeat Syria's air defenses are central to a debate over whether to intervene in the 2-year-old civil war. Electronic methods to disable enemy air defense systems include the injection of malware, a form of computer software, into the air-defense network through a computer attack or by electronic warfare aircraft capable of jamming radar.

The radars act like wireless transmitters, and jammers can send false or destructive information into the radar, which then gets into the network, said Shlomo Narkolayev, an analyst who has worked on cyber issues for the Israeli military's cyberwarfare unit. "It sounds like science fiction. It's not," Narkolayev said. "It's not hard to do this," he said.

Syria and other nations are constantly adjusting the electronics for their air systems, and Air Force documents show the U.S. military does the same with its cyberweapons. They are constantly updated to counter changes made by enemy militaries.

A 2007 Israeli attack on a suspected Syrian nuclear power plant in 2007 provided a template for a future attack. The Israelis used a cyberattack to disable Syrian air defenses before aircraft entered Syrian airspace.

The Israeli attack was a quick strike that only required temporarily blinding air defenses. Establishing a no-fly zone would require taking down Syrian air defenses for months.

Cyberattacks can cause permanent damage, Lewis said. U.S. forces have been reluctant to use cyberattacks for fear malware could damage other networks and because of concerns that enemy nations will copy the malware once it is...

After Promoting a Wired World, Genachowski Pulls the Plug

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:45:30 -0500

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski is going unplugged. The attorney's stewardship of the agency [is over], and after more than four years dealing with issues such as broadband, wireless and media consolidation Genachowski, 50, is going off the grid for a while. He and his family are high-tailing it to a western dude ranch.

He and wife Rachel are old hands. They've ridden horses at various ports of call, including India and Peru. Along with their two youngest children, "We're just going to go do some cattle drives and learn how to lasso," says Genachowski, who attended Harvard at the same time as President Obama. After clerking at the Supreme Court, Genachowski gained valuable experience assisting past FCC chairman Reed Hundt from 1997 to 2001. His ability to wrestle with high-profile issues during his tenure drew varying reviews.

When Genachowski announced plans to step down, says Rob Atkinson, president of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, "You had all the left-wing public interest advocates complaining about him, and then he had libertarian, free-market groups [saying], 'Oh, he was too interventionist.' In that sense, I think he got it right, because he was able to win his way through that."

Consumer Electronics Association CEO Gary Shapiro dubbed Genachowski "the Spectrum Chairman" for recognizing the need for additional bandwidth to appease the growing appetite for mobile connectivity. A challenge for his successor will be to execute the auction of spectrum hoped to be regained from the return of some digital TV over-the-air broadcast airwaves.

President Obama's appointee, Tom Wheeler, awaits Senate confirmation. Meanwhile, current Commissioner Mignon Clyburn will serve as acting chair.

Genachowski's advice for Wheeler: "Learn everything, and do the right thing."

After hitting the trail, Genachowski plans to remain involved in the technology discussion. He'll become a senior fellow at The Aspen Institute, a Washington,...

Soundbars Up the Ante on TV Sound

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:39:14 -0500

The days of home theaters with multiple stereo speakers spread around a room may be numbered, thanks to the soundbar.

The soundbar is a slender collection of speakers in a single housing that connects directly to the TV -- so there's no worrying about stringing up speaker wire. The devices have been around for a while, but those in this year's crop are cheaper and more powerful, and have the ability to connect to smartphones, tablets and PCs for streaming music.

Soundbar prices range from upwards of $1,400 for multiple speaker systems from Bose and Philips to $700 for the new Sonos Playbar and $100 to $200 for lower-end units from Samsung and Sony.

This week, TV manufacturer Vizio began shipping its latest, the S4251w-B4. At $329, (street price, $299) it is $200 less than Vizio's previous model. It also has built-in Bluetooth to stream music into the living room from a smartphone, tablet or PC.

"If you have a Spotify or Pandora account, just come in, pair the phone or device with the soundbar, and you're set," says Matthew DeHamer, a Vizio product manager. "You don't have to have the TV on."

Soundbars are filling a gap in the audio quality of many new TVs. As prices continue to fall for flat-panel television sets and models get thinner and larger, manufacturers have skimped on sound. Speakers on new TVs are generally inferior.

The Consumer Electronics Association projects that soundbar sales will rise 22% in 2013.

Bringing Internet-streamed music into the living room has been a huge push for wireless speaker company Sonos, which goes beyond Bluetooth with a series of smartphone and tablet apps that let the device act as a remote control for TV and music.

Consumer response to the Sonos Playbar has been greater than expected. "We can't make them fast enough," says Sonos CEO...

Windows 8 Update Hopes To Stem Confusion

Sat, 18 May 2013 09:34:29 -0500

A planned Windows 8 update to address complaints and confusion with Microsoft's new operating system will be made available for free this year, the company said Tuesday. Microsoft also announced a name for the update: Windows 8.1.

Not charging extra for Windows 8.1 is consistent with the company's practice of offering "decimal point" updates to operating systems for free. However, when Microsoft Corp. announced the update last week, it didn't say that it would be free. The company also hadn't disclosed the system's formal name, leaving open the possibility that it would be a larger update, perhaps to Windows 9. The update had been known simply by its code name, Blue.

Tami Reller, the marketing and financial chief for Microsoft's Windows business, said the company wants to assure customers that they can buy Windows 8 now and still get the benefits of Windows 8.1 later.

Microsoft overhauled its operating system with the release of Windows 8 in October. The changes are meant to address the growing popularity of smartphones and tablet devices, which are siphoning sales from desktops and laptops -- traditional strongholds for Microsoft. The company designed Windows 8 to work with touch-screen controls popular on mobile devices, while also allowing people to use mouse and keyboard commands.

However, Windows 8 has confused a lot of users. Gone is the familiar start button that gave people quick access to programs and settings. To change settings, people must pull out a drawer of icons from the side, using a different maneuver depending on whether the control is through touch or a mouse. Windows 8 offers a new start screen filled with tiles that link to frequently used programs, but some programs work only in a desktop mode that resemble older versions of Windows -- but without the start button. Windows 8 doesn't let...

Study: Teens Who Text and Drive Take Even More Risks

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:41:23 -0500

If your teen texts while driving, chances are he or she has other dangerous habits in motor vehicles -- including failing to buckle up and driving after drinking, a new federal analysis finds.

In 2011, 45% of all students 16 and older said they had texted or e-mailed while driving in the past 30 days, according to the study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's reported in June's Pediatrics and is released online today.

Teens who texted while driving were five times more likely than those who didn't to drive when they had been drinking alcohol. And the more they texted, the worse their seat belt habits: Teens who texted every day while driving in the past month were 40% more likely to not always wear seat belts than those who texted while driving once or twice in the past 30 days.

It's not surprising that young people who take such risks in one area would do the same in other areas, says CDC director Thomas Frieden. "But the big picture is that the greatest single risk to teenagers in this country is getting hurt or killed in a motor vehicle crash," he says. "And texting while driving makes teen driving even more dangerous."

Texting while behind the wheel, he adds, "may be associated with some of the slowing or even reversal of very encouraging declines we had seen until the last year" in the number of teen fatalities, as indicated in preliminary 2012 statistics.

The new study, drawn from a survey of 8,500 high school students 16 and older, is the second this month to highlight evidence suggesting texting and driving is associated with other dangerous behaviors.

At the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting less than two weeks ago, researchers reported that teens who text while driving also are more...