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HTC: the most promising ICT brand in Taiwan

October 18, 2010 6:56 pm / 2 Comments on HTC: the most promising ICT brand in Taiwan

Major updates: HTC expects business performance to bottom out in 1Q12 [Feb 7, 2012]

Taiwan-based smartphone vendor HTC expects its business operation in the first quarter of 2012 to bottom out due to a decreased average selling price along with the process of transitioning from old smartphone models to new ones, with consolidated revenues projected to decrease by 31.0-35.9% on quarter to NT$65.0-70.0 billion (US$2.19-2.36 billion) while gross margins and net operating margins are expected to slip to 25% and 7.5% respectively, according to company CFO Winston Yung at an online investor conference on February 6.

HTC expects sales to increase beginning in the second quarter of 2012 along with the launch of several new flagship smartphone models, with gross margins and net operating margins to rise to levels seen in the first three quarters of 2011, Yung indicated.

HTC has been faced with hot competition from Apple and Samsung Electronics in the US market and less competition in the Europe market, but has performed well in the Asia market, especially in China, Yung pointed out.

As smartphones are increasingly popular, HTC will cater to each market segment by launching price competitive models yet with functional differentiation to increase added value to maintain gross margins, Yung pointed out.

While sales performance of LTE (Long Term Evolution) smartphones fell short of expectation in 2011, HTC expects increased adoption of LTE models by mobile telecom carriers in the US, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea in 2012, Yung indicated.

HTC: Financial report (NT$b)

Item

4Q11

Q/Q

2011

Y/Y

Consolidated revenues

101.42

(25.33%)

465.79

67.09%

Gross margin

27.12

down 0.89 percentage point

28.30%

down 1.79 percentage points

Net operating margin

12.71

down 2.15 percentage points

14.77%

down 1.06 percentage points

Net profit

10.94

(41.40%)

61.98

56.77%

Net earnings per share (NT$)

13.06

73.32

Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, February 2012

– Mid-market Android Meltdown – HTC Warns Big Again [Forbes, Feb 6, 2012]

HTC has issued another massive revenue warning.The company is now guiding 1Q12 revenues to T$65-70 Billion, way below the T$89 Billion consensus expectation. January revenue crashed by 52% YoY. You read that right – in the overall smartphone market where at least volume growth probably was close to 50% in January, HTC sales halved year on year. Operating margins are now heading below 8% in 1Q12. What seemed like a triumphant success story just last autumn is rapidly turning into a bitter rout that has some intriguing parallels with Motorola in 2007.

This follows two major warnings from 4Q11 – warnings that should have lowered analyst expectations to realistic levels for 1Q12. Instead, many leading firms like Sanford Bernstein have continued insisting that HTC will do just fine. The size of the latest sales guidance cut clearly indicates that HTC is suffering from a post-Christmas inventory hangover that is far more serious than Wall Street expected.

…

We see once more how dangerous the impulse to protect strong operating margins can be. It demolished Ericsson‘s once so proud handset division in mid-Nineties, it killed Nokia’s innovation in mid-Noughties, it hamstrung Motorola around 2006.

In 2011, HTC refused to dive deep into low-end smartphone market in order to protect its mid-teen operating margins. It opted to compete head-to-head against iPhone at the high-end.

As a result, HTC now risks losing the handset success it spent half a decade building. Welcome to the club.

The market capitalization showing the real value of HTC, however, is just right on the spot:

End of major updates

The news 4 days ago were HTC Becomes Most Profitable Listed Company in Taiwan [Oct 14, 2010]:

Thanks to increasing popularity of smartphones worldwide, the Taiwan-based High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC), a globally leading vendor of smartphones its under own brand, reported an EPS (earnings per share) of NT$30.29 for the first nine months of this year, unseating MediaTek Inc., a world-caliber handset IC designer, as the most profitable listed company on the island in the period. Launching a couple of hot-selling smartphones, such as Desire, Wildfire, Legend and Incredible, to boost its market shares worldwide, HTC has enjoyed explosive sales growth and remained one of the most successful brands in Taiwan.

…. The firm raked in NT$27.058 billion [US$0.88B] in combined revenue for September, sharply up 129.65% from a year earlier to hit an all-time high. This pushed up its combined revenue and net profits for the third quarter of the year to NT$75.849 billion [US$2.47B] and NT$11.098 billion [US$0.36B], or NT$13.61 per share, respectively. Meanwhile, HTC`s aggregate combined revenue and net profits for the first nine months of the year reached NT$174.756 billion [US$5.7B] and NT$24.735 billion [US$0.81B] …

HTC has set an internal goal of shipping 54 million smartphones in 2011 but the goal is expected to be difficult to attain because the company will be faced with strong competition from Apple’s new generation of iPhone and Nokia’s Windows Phone 7-based new smartphones in the fourth quarter, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

Based on the ASP of US$359 recorded in the first quarter of 2011, HTC’s second-quarter shipments of smartphones will top 11.5 million units, an increase of 18.6% from 9.7 million units shipped in the first quarter, and better than the company’s projection of 11 million units, the sources indicated.

With demand for HTC’s Android-based smartphones still growing steadily and HTC set to begin selling its naked-eye 3D model, the HTC EVO 3D, in Europe in July, the company is expected to garner revenues of NT$135-140 billion (US$4.7-4.88 billion) in the third quarter with its smartphone shipments reaching 12.5-13 million units, estimated the sources.

HTC is also expected to roll out new models for the year-end holiday season and to fulfill its annual shipment target, said the sources, noting that HTC will be able, at least, to ship 50 million smartphones in 2011, double from the amount shipped in 2010.

Smartphone vendor HTC has announced that unaudited consolidated revenues for December 2010 totaled NT$33.087 billion (US$1.131 billion). Total consolidated revenues of fiscal 2010 came to NT$278.761 billion [US$9.529 billion], up 92.92 % on year. Consolidated operating income was NT$44.185 billion, consolidated net income was NT$44.696 billion before tax and NT$39.330 billion or NT$48.24 a share after tax based on 815,239,000 weighted average number of shares.

HTC has reportedly informed its suppliers that it will eventually need parts and components for the production of up to 60 million handsets in 2011 compared to shipments of 20 million units projected for 2010, according to industry sources.

… to 50 million units in 2011 from an estimate of 25 million units for 2010, according to institutional investors.

… Worth mentioning is that HTC is likely to announce its foray into the tablet PC segment soon, and will launch its first model in 2011 as its ace in the hole to drive business operations. So far, the firm has kept completely silent on the product launch plan though.

HTC has reported consolidated revenues of NT$38.484 billion (US$1.258 billion) for November 2010, hitting a monthly record for the second consecutive time. HTC’s November consolidated revenues were 4-10% higher than the originally expected NT$35-37 billion, according to investors. HTC is expected to generate consolidated revenues of NT$33-35 billion in December, resulting in fourth-quarter figures of NT$105 billion [US$ 3.49B] which is higher than HTC’s forecast NT$100 billion, the sources pointed out.

HTC’s shipments of Android and Windows Phone 7 smartphones have been short of demand and its booming shipments will continue and reach 8.5 million units in the first quarter of 2011, the sources indicated.

… The office space is to accommodate HTC’s expanded R&D staff during the construction of its headquarters building 230 meters away from the purchased property, HTC pointed out. The building, with 17 stories and five basement levels, will have a total floor area of 85,620 square meters to accommodate 2,200 employees, with completion scheduled for the end of 2011, HTC indicated. 11 floors of the new building will be used to house R&D capacity, HTC noted.

In related news, HTC is expanding its production capacity at a factory in northern Taiwan, and another in Shanghai, eastern China, with combined monthly capacity to be increased to four million smartphones at the end of 2010, HTC noted. [This will be ~48% of total Taiwan handset output capacity. See the report below.]

Taiwan’s handset shipments hit a record in the third quarter of 2010. First-tier handset vendors Nokia, LG Electronics (LGE), Sony Ericsson and Motorola all expanded JDM or ODM orders to Taiwan, and Taiwan’s own-brand smartphone vendor High Tech Computer (HTC) also saw shipments increase, spurring Taiwan’s total handset shipments to top 21 million units.

In April this year HTC was positioned among the Global 2000 ICT companies from Taiwan as follows (source: Forbes Global 2000 Country List [Apr 21]):

Global 2000 Taiwanese ICT Stocks by Forbes -- 21-Apr-2010

The market value has dramatically changed since then for most of those companies (sources: Forbes Global 2000 Country List [Apr 21] and Reuters Stocks [from which market values were taken on Oct 15]:

Global 2000 Taiwanese ICT Stocks Market Value -- 15-Oct-2010

The red line above corresponds to the ~10% average increase for those ICT stocks, so here we can also see the above the average new increased (or below the average new decreased) value of the companies by looking at the columns themselves (while the data label numbers show the percentage value as of Oct 15 vs. March 1).

It is also worth to look at the exact numbers (by clicking on the link here you will get a PDF which provides all the source data links as seen on the image by the usual hyperlink presentations, so you could have full background, including company overviews):

Global 2000 Taiwanese ICT Stock Numbers Forbes-Reuters -- 21-Apr-15-Oct-2010

One could see here that HTC became the #3 most valuable ICT company from Taiwan jumping from the #5 place to the current #3 in just 7.5 months. Meanwhile such well established Taiwanese brands as Acer and Asustek are much behind of HTC. Also all of the PC/notebook ODMs (Original Design Manufacturers), Quanta, Compal, Wistron and Inventec are much behind HTC now. Only Hon Hai Precision Industries, well known outside Taiwan as Foxconn Technologies, is significantly bigger in market value, but Foxconn Technologies is a huge contract manufacturer owning 50+% of the worldwide Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) market. And certainly Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is even more valuable, not surprisingly, because TSMC is the #1 chip foundry in the world.

Ranking (2008 ranking)

Brand

Brand value (US$100 M.)

1 (3)

Acer

12.41

2 (1)

Trend Micro

12.35

3 (2)

ASUS

12.26

4 (4)

HTC

12.03

Source: Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA)

Here is an Oct 23, 2009 ranking from Global Recession Reshuffles List of Top-20 Taiwanese Brands 2009 rankings show China`s rising [Oct 23, 2009]:

The reason? Here are two press releases from iSuppli which might somewhat explain (I will devote a whole post later to this question):

Android Drives Success in Q2 Smart Phone Market by [Oct 14] – Makers of Android-based handsets outperform the market (emphasis is mine):

Droid phone specialist HTC Corp. achieved industry-leading growth, with its smart phone shipments rising by a stunning 63.1 percent in the second quarter compared to the first.

… HTC’s Android success can be traced to wireless operators that want to showcase the capabilities of their upgraded networks by offering handsets with sophisticated features to subscribers. For example, U.S. wireless carrier Sprint Nextel Corp. is offering HTC’s EVO 4G, a feature-packed Android handset that can capitalize on the high speed of its WiMAX-based 4G network. To keep its momentum going, HTC is expected to offer an Android phone that supports Long Term Evolution (LTE)—the other major standard for 4G.

HTC’s share of global smart phone shipments in the second quarter rose to 8 percent, up from 5.3 percent in the first quarter, allowing the company to solidify its No. 4 position in the market.

HTC Intensifies Android Push, Starts Cloud Service [Sept 14]:

HTC shipped 5.4m smartphones in Q2 2010, an 80 per cent increase year-on-year. HTC owes this strong performance in no small part to its Android-based devices which were greeted with both critical and commercial success.

Initially a white label manufacturer catering to operators, HTC changed course two years ago and invested heavily in building its own brand identity, mostly on the high-to-mid end of the market. This led to the launch of Sense, which is aimed at maintaining a differentiator in a market increasingly crowded by Android devices. Screen Digest believes this strategy should prove successful in helping HTC reach 20m handsets shipped in 2010.

The move towards online services might seem surprising at first given the existing syncing options offered by Google as part of Android, but can be interpreted as a way for HTC to build further loyalty through additional complementary services.

Global Recession Reshuffles List of Top-20 Taiwanese Brands
2009 rankings show China`s rising

Microsoft to lead standards compliance and implementation? … or how Microsoft is aiming to create a radically new Windows client platform via a set of “whole computer capable rich web” standards.

September 20, 2010 2:25 pm / 12 Comments on Microsoft to lead standards compliance and implementation? … or how Microsoft is aiming to create a radically new Windows client platform via a set of “whole computer capable rich web” standards.

This is the question and the final conclusion I came to after studying all the details related to the announcement of Microsoft and Top Sites Celebrate the Beauty of the Web With Internet Explorer 9 Beta Release [Sept 15]. Let’s see the accompanying fact sheet Windows Internet Explorer 9 New Features at a Glance which has the following grouping and the related to my question major statement excerpts about the IE9 Beta (emphasis used within the excerpted text detail is mine):

Hardware-accelerated graphics

As an example of how Internet Explorer 9 takes advantage of the power of the whole computer, the rendering of graphics and text has been moved from the central processing unit (CPU) to the graphics card (the graphics processing unit or GPU), using the Direct2D and DirectWrite sets of Windows application programming interfaces (APIs). Hardware-accelerated text, video and graphics mean that your websites perform like applications installed directly on your Windows-based computer.

New DOM and new JavaScript engine

The newly optimized document object model (DOM) in Internet Explorer 9 provides dramatic speed improvements by interacting more efficiently with Chakra, the new JavaScript engine. Chakra interprets, compiles and executes code in parallel by taking advantage of multiple CPU cores. Although each of these is significant on its own, combining these changes, along with using hardware-accelerated graphics, makes the browser all-around fast.

F12 developer tools

Clean site-centric design makes sites shine and integrates them with Windows 7:

Clean browser user interface Pinned Sites JumpLists Windows Aero Snap for your websites Thumbnail preview controls
Icon overlays Notification Bar New tab page One Box Address Bar Top Result

Feel the confidence and trust that you are in control with Internet Explorer 9:

Download Manager with SmartScreen filter integration Add-on Performance Advisor Hang recovery
Compatibility View Automatic updates Group Policy support

Write interoperable markup with HTML5 and Internet Explorer 9:

Extensive support for HTML5, Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), Cascading Style Sheets Level 3 (CSS3), ECMAScript5 and DOM provides a new set of capabilities that will help enable developers to write one set of markup and know that it will work and look the same in all modern browsers. Internet Explorer 9 was designed with support for industry standards built in to help ensure that the same markup works the same across browsers.

• HTML5 support. Internet Explorer 9 builds on the work done to implement HTML5 features in Internet Explorer 8, and adds several compelling features. Support for the video and audio elements enables native, hardware-accelerated video and audio content on a Web page without the need for a plug-in. Developers can now insert a video or audio clip onto their page as easily as they do images. Plus, support for the canvas element enables easy and dynamic graphics rendering, all while taking advantage of hardware acceleration through Windows and the graphics card. In addition, support for the selection APIs enables programmatic selection of text on a page, and HTML parsing improvements help make HTML authoring more versatile.

• DOM Level 2 and Level 3. Internet Explorer 9 adds support for more of the Document Object Model Level 2 (DOM L2) and Level 3 (DOM L3), and improves DOM L2 support over existing implementations. These DOM additions are taken from several DOM specifications, including DOM L2 and L3 Core, DOM L2 Views, DOM Element Traversal, DOM L2 and L3 Events, DOM L2 HTML, DOM L2 Style, DOM L2 Traversal and Range, and WebIDL (interactive data language).

• SVG. As the SVG standard has developed, developers have been requesting native support in Internet Explorer, and it is available in Internet Explorer 9. Support for SVG in Internet Explorer 9 enables powerful, attention-grabbing visuals with incredible detail, all without the need for a separate download or plug-in. Like all the graphics, text and media features in Internet Explorer 9, SVG in Internet Explorer 9 takes advantage of hardware-accelerated graphics.

• CSS3. Building on the work that was done in Internet Explorer 8, which is fully compliant with the Cascading Style Sheets Level 2.1 (CSS2.1) specification, Internet Explorer 9 adds support for many components of CSS3, enabling even more flexibility and functionality for Web designers and developers. Internet Explorer 9 introduces features from several CSS3 modules, including the Backgrounds & Borders Module, Color Module, Fonts Module, Media Queries Module, Namespaces Module, Selectors Module, the Values & Units Module, and support for the Web Open Font Format (WOFF).

• ECMAScript 5. The JavaScript implementation in Internet Explorer 9 is enhanced with many features defined by the latest edition of the ECMAScript standard. New ECMAScript 5 features introduce significant improvements to the JavaScript language and increase developer productivity. In addition, the Internet Explorer 9 DOM is designed to natively support ECMAScript 5, providing a consistent and natural programming model for developers when programming the Internet Explorer 9 DOM from JavaScript.

With things like that it is clear that Microsoft is aiming at a radically new Windows client platform creation which is based on the latest “rich web” standards capable of taking advantage of the power of the whole computer. In that sense what has debuted now as Internet Explorer 9 Beta is not less than:

  1. the fist implementation of that new Windows client platform, and also
  2. the live laboratory of platform development alongside with the development of new “rich web” standards.

The final questions are certainly how efficient is the current implementation and how much the latest “rich web” standards are covered by IE9 Beta?

To answer those two question let’s turn to the technology media leaders on the web having the opportunity to analyze the new release not less than week before it has been released by Microsoft:

Engadget Internet Explorer 9 Beta review [Sept 15] concentrated on completely redesigned fuctionality and performance, not advancements in the standards space (btw a pretty complicated issue):

IE9 bested Firefox 3.6 in lots of the tests, but Chrome still won out in them all. … What doesn’t really come through in those benchmarks is the browser’s hardware accelerated graphics. … There isn’t all that much in terms of graphics-heavy HTML5 sites at this point in time and Flash 10.1 already relies on the GPU, but we did try Microsoft’s Test Drive suite of sites in a number of different browsers. The JavaScript-based Amazon Shelf demo … is pretty stunning; on the M11x with the GPU activated, the demo ran at 60fps (about 55fps when we turned a page in a book). With the GPU off, the experience was a bit more sluggish – it ran at 16fps and 9fps when turning a page. … How does that Amazon Shelf demo work in other browsers? Both Chrome 6.0.4 and Firefox 3.6 don’t take advantage of the GPU, so even when it was turned on it notched 6fps. The results were much better in Firefox 4 Beta 5 which is optimized for GPU acceleration — it hit the 60fps mark

ZDNet Internet Explorer 9 beta review: Microsoft reinvents the browser [Sept 15] tried to answer questions readers were typically asking: Is it fast enough? Is it compatible enough? Is it cool enough to win back former IE users who have switched to other browsers, first to Firefox and more recently to Google Chrome? And will this shiny new browser be able to rehabilitate the tarnished Internet Explorer brand? From ZDNet’s review there was again answer only to my performance question (emphasis in the quoted text is again mine):

The single biggest performance boost in IE9 comes from its support for hardware acceleration. Because IE9 runs only on Windows Vista SP2 and Windows 7, it can be tuned to offload some rendering tasks to modern graphics hardware, which often has more raw processing power than the rest of the PC. (Microsoft claims that current browsers use only 10% of a PC’s power, which might be a bit of hyperbole.) It’s clear from daily use, though, that hardware acceleration really does make a difference in rendering text, images, and graphics. As a result, Microsoft finds itself in an unaccustomed position, out in front of other browsers, which are furiously trying to play catch-up.

I tested the IE9 beta alongside Firefox 4 beta 5, which was released in September 2010 and is the first Mozilla offering to support hardware acceleration. I also tested it against the most recent beta of Google Chrome 6, which doesn’t use the GPU for rendering. (Google has reportedly placed that feature on its roadmap for Chrome 7.) … The biggest performance differences, not surprisingly, were apparent on Microsoft’s own graphics-oriented tests at its IE Test Drive site. On the FishIE Tank example, which uses the new HTML5 Canvas tag, here’s how the three browsers compared: … IE9’s frame rates stayed high as I kicked up the number of animated fish in the virtual tank. Performance remained smooth and glitch-free even when I moved the window across multiple monitors and docked it to the side of the display using Aero Snap. Firefox 4, by contrast, was able maintain high frame rates for short bursts, but moving the browser frame caused performance to plummet and even froze the display for long periods. Using Firefox, frame rates plummeted dramatically when I selected the most demanding settings (500 and 1000 fish). …

For a more independent performance test, I enabled all three browsers for YouTube’s HTML5 channel and tried playing a handful of high-definition videos at 720p and 1080p resolution. All three browsers performed admirably within a window and at full-screen resolution. IE9 and Chrome 6 were able to maintain full-fidelity playback even when tearing a tab out of the browser pane and dragging it to its own window. Firefox 4, on the other hand, failed this test, stopping the playback and starting the clip over when it landed in a new window.

The other new performance-enhancing component in IE9 is the new Chakra JavaScript engine, … ran the SunSpider benchmark using only the most recent beta releases of IE9, Firefox, and Chrome. The difference between each browser is only about one-tenth of a second, and that composite result includes dozens of complex operations. The independent JSBenchmark test produced similar results, with the IE9 beta running 21% faster than the latest Firefox 4 beta but 29% slower than the latest test build of Google Chrome 6. The conclusion? JavaScript performance isn’t a significant differentiator between modern browsers, and IE9 can hold its own with any Webkit-based browser on this score.

Based on these two indepedendent reviews (and a lot of others with similar findings) I can conclude that performance-wise Microsoft is on track to create the radically new Windows client platform. From the point of view of upcoming “rich-web” standards, however, I should do my own investigation. That will come in the next post in this blog.

SoC advances for client, server and mobile basestation level

August 25, 2010 10:48 am / 1 Comment on SoC advances for client, server and mobile basestation level

Hot Chips 22 (for now, later at Archives) has shown for the first time that System-on-Chip (SoC) technologies are moving beyond their usual realm of relatively small performance and/or dedicated applications, right into the leading edge mainstream.

Update #2:
– Acer adopts AMD CPU for tablet PCs [Nov 25]

Among Acer’s announced initial batch of tablet PCs, a 10.1-inch Windows 7-based model is believed to use AMD’s Ontario APU codenamed C-50, according to sources from notebook players.

… The dual-core C-50 APU, which consumes only 9W of power, is currently priced at about US$55-60 and includes an integrated Radeon HD 6250 graphics chip [and also UVD dedicated hardware acceleration for HD video including 1080p resolutions, see later].

– Live and interact in total mobility — Tablets according to Acer [Nov 23]:

… support of its goal to simplify content consumption – a strategy which began with the development of Acer’s multimedia sharing system, Clear.fi. Acer’s strategy is based on the concept of sharing multimedia content and enjoying it across any device, and Tablets are ideal devices for this purpose.

A 10.1” Android tablet for a superb mobile and home entertainment experience … Designed for HD entertainment, this tablet comes with a high resolution, high color contrast display, allowing you to play or share HD video with your friends wherever you are. … Available April 2011

7” Android Tablet: the epitome of mobility … On the 7” (1280×800) 16:10 aspect ratio full touch screen, you can enjoy games, photos, videos while keeping up with your emails or your favourite social networks. Video chat or record a video with the front-facing HD camera. With HDMI support, hooking it up for a big screen video experience is easyier than ever! … Available April 2011

10.1” Windows Tablet: Versatility in a tablet form factor … an extremely innovative solution that combines touch screen user-friendliness with the comfortable experience of a physical keyboard. In fact, the tablet comes with a docking device that includes a full-size keyboard and more connectivity options to enhance the user experience. … Thin and light (only 15 mm and less than 1kg), and with a 10.1”, high resolution display, it’s easy to carry around and really unobtrusive. This tablet ensures outstanding entertainment and a superior touch experience. … Available February 2011

– Acer debuts 10.1-inch Windows 7 tablet: AMD-powered, inbuilt 3G, coming February 2011 [Nov 23]

Update #1: AMD’s upcoming SoCs first described on Hot Chips 22 are hybrid CPUs/GPUs called by AMD Accelerated Processing Units (APUs)
– AMD Benchmarks Zacate APU [Sept 13]:

… the parts that will begin shipping in Q4 2010: Zacate for mainstream notebooks (18W TDP) and Ontario for netbooks (9W TDP).

Both APUs will have a pair of low-power Bobcat cores and an AMD DX11 GPU. AMD isn’t publicly confirming how many cores the GPU side will have but both will share the same die manufactured on TSMC’s 40nm process.

AMD’s 9W Ontario part clearly goes after Atom in the netbook space (and Bobcat’s out-of-order architecture should ensure performance success), Zacate is going to go after the ~$500 mainstream notebook market. To prove its point AMD setup a Core i5 notebook and a Zacate test platform running City of Heroes at the same settings …

– AMD’s Zacate APU Performance Update [Sept 15]:

… AMD gave us full access to the Zacate platform to do whatever we wanted. AMD wanted us to be completely comfortable with the Zacate comparison. We downloaded the Batman Arkham Asylum demo off of Steam and loaded it on both the Zacate and Core i5 systems.

… The actual gameplay was noticeably quicker on Zacate and the numbers show a 45% performance advantage. This is huge. To sanity check that data we fired up City of Heroes on both machines and played around with them. … On average we saw a 55% improvement over the Core i5 system. … AMD wanted to highlight the DirectCompute performance of Zacate and let us publish the first results from the platform running the N-Body Simulation benchmark: 23 GFLOPS on Zacate and 8.8 GFLOPS on Intel Core i5-520M.

… At the end of the day my take on Zacate (and Ontario) hasn’t changed: these two APUs have the potential to make the low end netbook/notebook market interesting again.

The most glaring examples of the learnings on the Hot Chips 22 were:

Lifting the veil on the hybrid processor-graphics chip in the new Xbox 360 [Aug 23]. This SoC technology has enabled the new Xbox 360 S device’s power consumption and noise significantly reduced, not to speak of the price, which is now $200 for a 4GB version. Because of this Microsoft’s new Xbox 360 S [is a] smash hit, although some are questioning the durability of this trend, attributing it rather to previous Xbox replacements and expecting the bigger trend of the video game industry being down to come into play later. See: Xbox 360 Sales Surge, but Is It an Anomaly? [Aug 16].

AMD Discloses Bobcat & Bulldozer Architectures at Hot Chips 2010 [Aug 24]. These are brand new architecture cores which soon will be integrated into different SoCs, with sub 1 W Bobcat coming into the Ontario SoC (with a yet undisclosed GPU core) aimed at netbooks, ultra-low voltage tablet (slate etc.) and notebook devices the earliest. This might happen by the end of the year, or in Q1 2011.
More information:
– AMD update from IFA 2010 [Sept 6]:

AMD plans to ramp production here in 2010, with systems available in early 2011. So here at IFA 2010, we’re both demonstrating the capabilities of low-power AMD Fusion APUs, and providing a little more information on the individual products. “Brazos” is the codename for the notebook, netbook and desktop platforms that will be built from the APU. But the APU itself comes in two flavors based on performance and (low) power draw:

  • An 18-watt TDP APU codenamed “Zacate” for ultrathin, mainstream, and value notebooks as well as desktops and all-in-ones.
  • And a 9-watt APU codenamed “Ontario” for netbooks and small form factor desktops and devices.

Both low-power APU versions feature two “Bobcat” x86 cores and fully support DirectX11, DirectCompute (Microsoft programming interface for GPU computing) and OpenCL (cross-platform programming interface standard for multi-core x86 and accelerated GPU computing). Both also include UVD dedicated hardware acceleration for HD video including 1080p resolutions.

– AMD’s Bobcat mobile architecture will play it straight [Aug 27]: “Bobcat will smoke Atom clock-for-clock in raw performance, but the performance per watt picture is a bit less clear. This is because it is quite apparent that AMD will have a harder time keeping its power consumption down than Intel does with Atom. … Bobcat is more of a threat to Atom in the netbook and laptop segments than it is in the kinds of appliance-type niches that Intel is now aiming its Atom-based SoCs at. And nobody is going to try to squeeze Bobcat into a smartphone form factor anytime soon”.
– AMD Bobcat & Bulldozer Hot Chips Presentations Online [Aug 25],
– AMD Sets New Mark in x86 Innovation with First Detailed Disclosures of Two New Core Designs [AMD press release, Aug 24],
– AMD Bulldozer and Bobcat Hot Chips Press Kit [Aug 24]
– ”Bulldozer” 20 Questions, Round One [AMD, Aug 23]
– Keeping AMD’s 2011 Code-Names Straight [Aug 24]
– AMD’s Bulldozer Architecture Preview: New from the Ground Up [Aug 24]
– AMD Heats VISION – Hot Chips 22 [Aug 24]

Mindspeed to Present Next Generation of 4G Base Station Technology at HOT CHIPS 22 Conference [Mindspeed press release, Aug 23]. Here the essence is:

“3G and 4G network operators are looking to migrate to a more flexible cellular landscape, which can accommodate compact base stations, such as microcells, picocells and metro femtocells. Mindspeed has designed the Transcede family of baseband processors to enable tomorrow’s network architects to deploy powerful 4G macrocells and ‘small cells,’ which are built on a common framework.”

Launched earlier this year at the 2010 Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain, the Transcede family of SoCs integrates an unprecedented 26 programmable processors into a single device, including two ARM(R) Cortex A9(R) multi-core symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) reduced instruction set computer (RISC) processors, ten CEVA(R) digital signal processors (DSPs) and ten DSP accelerators that support the complete wideband code-division multiple access (W-CDMA), LTE or WiMAX (Layers 1, 2 and above) processing needs of single- and multi-sector base stations.

More information:
– Transcede 4000 Series Product Brief [Jan 24]
– Documentation

SAP’s Business ByDesign SaaS to be relaunched on July 31 with mobility as one of key attractions

July 28, 2010 12:46 am / 2 Comments on SAP’s Business ByDesign SaaS to be relaunched on July 31 with mobility as one of key attractions

Yesterday’s Q2 financial report from SAP specifically mentions the expansion it made in the volume business as well as the progress in the small and midsized enterprise (SME) segment:

… said Jim Hagemann Snabe, Co-CEO of SAP. “Our success in the SME segment creates a strong foundation for the new version of our on-demand platform SAP Business ByDesign. The new version will be available on time on July 31st and is ready for volume deployment in six countries.”

The company provided a quite interesting video as well: SAP Business ByDesign Goes Mobile [July 26]. “Get an exclusive first look at the latest SAP Business ByDesign software, running on mobile devices such as iPad, iPhone, and BlackBerry. The software will be available in 2011.” There is also a related blog-entry from SAP TV: Exclusive: See what’s coming 2011 – Behind the scenes with a SAP developer [July 27]

In a later video interview given to CNBC (see SAP CEO on Earnings [July 27]) Bill McDermott, Co-CEO of SAP, was describing his company’s outlook as follows:

[2:30] Others have consolidated legacy markets to downsize companies and leverage margin. In the short-term that’s a viable shareholder strategy, no question about it.  We believe in organic growth, we believe that customers will run their business with on-premise enterprise applications, they’ll run them on-demand in the cloud, using in-memory technology with real-time analytics, and they’ll run their business on-device.

[3:00] The vision that we have is to connect the virtual boardroom to the shopfloor worker, so on an end-to-end process basis companies are run better, and they are actually managed by exception. So all these knowledge workers that are interned to the desktop can actually make decisions in real-time. So Sybase got us into a new category which is the mobile. I believe to be the new desktop. If you look at markets like China, as an example, three quarters of their knowledge workers have bypassed the desktop and gone right to the mobile.

[3:31] So we are all about innovation. We will let others have their short-term games on the margin. We think customers will appreciate that in the long run, and shareholders too. [3:41]

Mobility has indeed been the major reason why SAP has recently acquired Sybase for approximately $5.8 billion. Other reasons were being very strong in analytics and certainly its traditional database business. See: SAP to acquire Sybase Inc. [May 12]

Strategic Move to Accelerate the Reach of SAP® Solutions across Mobile Platforms, Help Companies Manage and Analyze Business Information and Processes on Any Device

… SAP will accelerate the reach of its solutions across mobile platforms and drive forward the realization of its in-memory computing vision. … For Sybase, SAP in-memory technology will provide the opportunity for dramatic performance improvements to its analytic processing capabilities. Sybase will also be able to bring its complex event processing and analytics expertise, which was built in the financial sector, to customers in other industries, markets and product areas …

“Mobile devices are becoming the preferred interaction point with business applications, whether the user is a factory supervisor, a retail manager or an entrepreneur in a developing nation,” said Jim Hagemann Snabe, co-CEO of SAP and member of the SAP Executive Board. “The combination of SAP and Sybase will give users the option of running their operations from leading mobile devices … In addition, innovation around Sybase’s established database business will pave the way for ‘real’ real-time analytics and finally remove the decade-old barrier between business applications and business intelligence.”

… John Chen, CEO of Sybase, Inc. “… by combining the market leader in enterprise applications with the market leader in enterprise mobility, companies around the world will be able to run their business from many devices. This will drive a new wave of enterprise productivity. … ”

As a new, to be operating as a separate subsidiary of SAP, Sybase has announced a much strengthened mobility offering almost immediately. See: Sybase Introduces Industry’s First Mobility Platform Empowering Enterprises to Better Enable Employees and Engage Customers in New and Innovative Mobile Ways [May 20]

The Sybase Mobility Platform is comprised of the most comprehensive new and industry-proven solutions, including:

Sybase® Mobile Sales for SAP CRM and Sybase® Mobile Workflow for SAP Business Suite have also earned Sybase an SAP award in the “Technology Innovator of the Year” category. See: Sybase Awarded 2010 SAP® Pinnacle Award [May 20]. These applications, by the way, have been jointly announced well before the acquisition. See: SAP and Sybase Deliver First Set of Applications to Millions of Mobile Workers Worldwide [March 2]

… The population of mobile workers and the number of personally owned devices entering the enterprise is growing exponentially. According to industry analyst group IDC, “The worldwide mobile worker population is set to increase from 919.4 million in 2008, accounting for 29% of the worldwide workforce, to 1.19 billion in 2013, accounting for 34.9% of the workforce.” …

  • Sybase® Mobile Sales for SAP CRM automates sales processes, increases productivity and enhances customer service by equipping sales professionals with anywhere, anytime access to SAP CRM 2007 through smartphones such as iPhones and Windows Mobile devices.
  • Sybase® Mobile Workflow for SAP Business Suite enables mobile workers to complete business processes — such as workflow items and alerts, time recording and travel requests that require immediate action — through a familiar and secure email inbox.

CNBC’s earlier Why Sybase? [May 17] interview with Bill McDermott has given more insight on whether the mobilization of  business is to propel [this] M&A:

[1:31] The main reason for acquiring Sybase was one, mobility. They are the #1 mobile infrastructure company in the world. We want to move our applications to mobile devices. #2 – they are very strong in analytics. So we were already #1 in the world in analytics, and they approach industries such as financial services and public services. And they are growing very fast, and in quick markets like China, where China has bypassed the PC generation and gone right to the mobile. The 3d reason is the database where they have a very strong core business. We believe that in-memory computing combined with their core business will give the customer just an at-a-site-solution that currently does not exist on the market from any vendor. So for all three reasons we felt this was a breakthrough to have that asset. [2:18]

[2:32] We believe very heavily that our strategy was reliant on mobility. … We participate now in a 10 billion market. We wanted to be in a 220 billion market, and to do that you had to get in-memory, you had to get mobile, and you had to get on-demand. Sybase itself touches all three priorities. [2:53]

Note: One can put here indeed press releases that prove Sybase strengths in the #1 and #2 areas. For simplicity I am just giving here the ones that are also related to the China market:

Back to the Business ByDesign SaaS! The new customer-centric innovations in the Business ByDesign solution have already been announced and demonstrated at SAPPHIRE® NOW event this year. See: New Release of SAP® Business ByDesign™ Gives Customers In-Memory Analytics, Support for Mobile Devices, and Customizable User Interfaces [May 17]. Of the new attractions mentioned in this headline one needs to mention the incorporation of Microsoft Silverlight technology into the front end. The rest is quite well understandable from the things detailed above.

One innovation mentioned just in the internal text of the press release, however, needs to be mentioned as a key attraction as well:

Single and multi-tenancy support. Customers can now choose either single or multi-tenant topologies as the solution is fully enabled to support both. Other than traditional on-demand offerings, SAP’s multi tenancy concept has been engineered for customer and partner specific business extensions, business configuration and all kind of UI, report and forms flexibility. It leverages SAP’s proven life cycle management system protecting all changes during upgrades. During the planning and engineering phases towards multi-tenancy, SAP collaborated with Intel to create an infrastructure optimized for the massively scalable ‘cloud computing’ environment of SAP Business ByDesign. The Intel® Xeon® Processor is the reference platform for SAP Business ByDesign deployments. The scalability and efficiency of Intel Xeon processors with the Next-Generation Intel® Microarchitecture will enable SAP to achieve even lower TCO for the solution’s infrastructure by delivering equal business capability with a smaller server and carbon footprint, significantly lowering energy consumption compared to previous generation processors.

The reason for full inclusion of that part is quite simple. That single functionality has been missing from this SaaS product and that was one of the major reason why SAP has not been able to enter the SaaS market in a big way so far. Another one has been the clash of its old and new (i.e. on-demand) business models. Here is some earlier information on that:

“What we did discover in the last five or six months is that while we made progress on our TCO model we’re not where we wanted to be (a 10 times TCO reduction),” says Apotheker, in a meeting with a group of Enterprise Irregulars Monday at SAP’s Sapphire conference in Orlando.

… The rumor mill has been most unkind of late: Rumors have been flying that ByD is going to miss its latest release date, that its marketing plans are DOA, and that SAP is on the verge of laying an egg of colossal size and impact.

The rancor surrounding the July 31 release date of the new ByD reflects a complex history inside SAP and the on-demand market that has clouded a lot of otherwise objective analysis about its prospects, and how important ByD’s success is not just for SAP and its customers, but for the on-demand market as a whole. …

… The other point worth addressing about ByD is that its initial entrance to the market in 2007 came in the midst of a not-so-private battle between ByD’s main advocate, Peter Zencke, and fellow board member Shai Agassi, who wanted the concepts of ByD – model-driven, on-demand ERP – to be embodied in the main SAP suite instead of in a completely new, mid-market product. That battle at the top eventually led to Shai’s departure – Zencke left shortly thereafter – but it left a bad taste in many SAPers’ mouths for the product. The fact that it failed to be economically viable as an on-demand product in its initial release further fueled the ire of its detractors. …

… This internal “polemic”, to be polite about it, reminds me of what Microsoft has been going through in the years since Ray Ozzie first discussed Software + Services as the new direction for Microsoft. Even an outsider can imagine the screaming inside Microsoft about such a radical shift and what it would mean to the king of the desktops. The fact that Steve Ballmer felt compelled three years later to give his now-famous “We’re All In” speech is testimony to how hard it’s been internally for Microsoft to grapple with this paradigm shift. …

… SAP is facing a similar dilemma with ByD. Everything about it – on-demand but not true multi-tenant, requires a major channel that doesn’t exist yet, the potential for cannibalization of other products, the sordid release history, the bad blood inside SAP – means that SAP has a similar requirement to make sure that everyone is walking the walk and talking the talk.

With so much at stake, it’s clear that ByD will be one of the great inflection points in the history of enterprise software, and in many ways its success or failure will define the future of on-demand enterprise software for some time. ByD isn’t just a gamble that SAP can create a product like ByD, it’s also a gamble that there is actually a market out there for what ByD represents. This fact is hardly a given: NetSuite’s struggles to meet its market potential has given many proponents of on-demand ERP pause, as has Workday’s slow slow progress towards a critical mass of customers. …

… If SAP can pull off ByD, that success will create a huge opportunity for others, including NetSuite, by legitimizing a market that to date doesn’t really exist as a billion-plus dollar opportunity. If SAP fails, I fear that this much-needed capability will languish on the sidelines another four or five years, and customers will be all the poorer, literally and figuratively, for that failure.

So, baring some unforeseen glitch, ByD re-enters the market in one short week. Its success or failure will hinge on a number of factors, most important of which will be the SDK that comes out at the end of the year. This is going to be one of the most closely watched software rollouts in a long time, with its repercussions felt across the industry for years to come.

So  the relaunch of SAP’s Business ByDesign product should be watched quite carefully on July 31!

Windows slates in the coming months? Not much seen yet

July 13, 2010 2:06 am / 8 Comments on Windows slates in the coming months? Not much seen yet

On the first day of the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference this week there was not much about the Windows slates. It is not surprising given that Intel has just begun real and honest marketing of its sufficiently low power SoCs (see: Intel SoC for Cloud Clients [June 25]).

… what you’ll see over the course of the next year is us doing more and more work with our hardware partners creating hardware-software optimisations with Windows 7 and with Windows 7 Media Center …

  • Even more, Mr. Ballmer is emphasizing that whatever they will be doing on Windows 7 and Windows 7 Media Center basis will still not be the real thing, and everybody should wait for Windows 8 with real “Big Button touch” — i.e. (I would add) waiting till 2012:

… Media Center is big and, when people say ‘hey, we could optimise [that] more for clients’ I think what they generally mean is ‘Big Buttons’.  Big Buttons that’s, I think, a codeword for Big Buttons and Media Center is Big Buttons not Little Buttons. I’m not trying to trivialise that – it’s a real issue.

We’re not going to do a revamp of Windows 7 over the course of the next year for that purpose.  Whether we should, or we shouldn’t, we’ve put all our energy around doing a great job on that and other issues in the next version of Windows …

  • Related post on my other blog: Windows 7 UI overlays from Microsoft and elsewhere [Aug 30]. This is clarifying the UI situation for Apple iPad competitive Windows slates.
  • Related: Compal president pessimistic about non-Apple tablet PC shipments in 2011 [Digitimes, Sept 2]. His prediction is only 15 million units at max while Apple tablet PCs ~10-12 million. Also: “Wintel netbook sales have recently been devoured seriously by tablet PCs and if the two firms do not consider dropping prices or improve performance, sales will continue to drop.”
    Notebook supply chain still has no clear visibility for December orders [Sept 6]: “First-tier notebook makers Quanta Computer and Compal Electronics have recently adjusted their third-quarter notebook shipment forecast from positive growth to an up to 10% drop; however, they still forecast to see growth in the fourth quarter and are working aggressively to bring up their shipments for the quarter.”
  • Update: Even the most Windows slate concious manufacturers are publicly admitting now their dependence on Intel’s lagging chip capabilities (finally): MSI waiting on Intel Oak Trail for Win 7 tablet, Android version will hit before end of the year [Aug 23]. See also Mary-Jo Foley’s Another Windows 7 slate dropped from this year’s Christmas list [Aug 24].
  • Update: Toshiba’s dual-screen Libretto W100 laptop on sale in America for $1,100 [Engadget, Aug 16]. Excellent price for this unique, Intel U5400 based device which has only 0.8 kg weight and 3 cm thickness (when closed). See the complete offering on the Amazon site: Toshiba libretto W105-L251 7-Inch Dual Touchscreen Laptop (Silver/Black). Look at the picture on the right (copied here for convenience). Toshiba’s characterization is nothing less than: “ultramobile companion goes beyond slates and tablets to deliver something more: a full Windows 7 experience to be enjoyed across two touch screens. So now you can enjoy many different things – games, ebooks, movies, music, TV and so on – from a single handheld device.”
  • Toshiba is, however, mum on the battery life, just stating 36 Wh with the large capacity 8-cell Li-Ion battery. Considering Intel U5400‘s 18 W max TDP this is clearly not enough for even 2-3 hours of continuous use. This is why vendors should wait for Oak Trail’s Q1 2011 arrival for their Windows slates.
  • Update: and surely we will have the notebook convertibles with full touch screen capabilities like this: New Smaller LIFEBOOK T580 Is The Gateway to Fujitsu’s Tablet Line Up — Slate-beating LIFEBOOK tablet PC combines touch screen mobility with the convenience of a keyboard [Sept 2], see also the detailed specification. Notable differentiator: “Even in direct sunlight, the screen display is bright and clear thanks to high-definition LED backlighting with an Ambient Light Sensor that automatically adjusts display brightness, while a smear-proof coating means no distractions from fingerprints.” Price, availability: “The LIFEBOOK T580 is the lowest-priced tablet PC in Fujitsu’s line-up. Exact pricing varies by region.  Fujitsu’s LIFEBOOK T580 will be available for all regions in late November 2010”
  • Update: Acer to launch three tablet PC models featuring 5- to 7-inch panels [and Android 3.0 in the first quarter of 2011] [Sept 14]: “Before the Android models are released though, Acer will launch an x86 model using an Intel processor and Windows 7 to test the water in the market”.
  • Crucial issues for the future: What if a Microsoft Surface like functionality will go into this kind of handheld design? I mean a case when one of the screens is configured to work (via software added to Windows 7) as a Microsoft Surface which is even more enhanced with a tailored very general input functionality. I came to this idea when watching the concept video on YouTube (also available on the Amazon site). Even more: What if the Microsoft Courier prototype will also be adopted to this design and brought to the market? Those two things will change the whole market by themselves! And these are “just” software additions to the existing Windows 7. The screens are already multitouch!
  • This little device has been the best what Microsoft could demonstrate at this partner event. See all the detailed information below on that Toshiba Libretto W100 as mentioned at the partner event as well as elsewhere around the web.

This is what Microsoft could tell and demonstrate on this important event:

Microsoft’s Ballmer: Windows 7 slates are coming this year [Mary-Jo Foley’s “All about Microsoft” blog on ZDNet, July 12]

I think it’s way overdue for Microsoft to tell customers what’s coming on the slate front. We’ve heard that there will be Windows Embedded Compact tablets and slates coming, but it’s doubtful (I’d think) that those will be able to run Windows apps.

Microsoft execs can’t — with any credibility — keep pooh-poohing slates, claiming they’re nothing more than PCs, given how quickly the iPad has been gaining traction. Microsoft is known to be focusing on the slate form factor with Windows 8, but that operating system is still likely close to two years away from release.

All that said, there’s more to a slate than just the physical form factor. If there isn’t longer battery life, instant on/off and some kind of app store with not just the usual business apps, but also consumer-focused apps and games, I’m not so sure users are going to bite…

So let’s see in the speech transcripts what has exactly been said today about the slates:

Steve Ballmer: Worldwide Partner Conference 2010 [July 12]

… over the course of the next several months, you will see a range of Windows 7-based slates that I think you’ll find quite impressive. Tami is going to show you some of those today. They’ll come from the people you would expect, from Asus, from Dell, from Samsung, from Toshiba, from Sony. Windows 7-based slates, they’ll come with keyboards, they’ll come without keyboards. They’ll be dockable. There will be many form factors, many price points, many sizes. But they will run Windows 7. They will run Windows 7 applications. They will run Office. They will accept ink as well as touch-based input. And they will be very good for the kinds of scenarios that all of us are going to see for knowledge workers in the business that we serve that want to have something that works super well at work, but also supports their kind of personal interests as they travel.

Tami Reller: Worldwide Partner Conference 2010 [July 12]
(Video record: select from the presspass video gallery)

[Ryan Asdourian demoing for Tami Reller, [8:05 – 11:10]: none of the devices shown in this period of time are releated to the slates or tablets, they are rather variations on notebooks and netbooks]

… [11:10] but I’ve also got some surprises. I’ve got this right here, this Sony P. It’s a beautiful machine. Open this up, this is running the full version of Windows 7 right here. And it’s just really light, it’s beautiful, easy to carry around.
[11:35] Let me hand this one out as well. Just play with this for a second. While you do that, I’m going to show you this one last machine I’ve got. This is called the Toshiba Libretto. And it’s got two capacitive touch screens. You see here, I can actually interact with it right here, and it’s got a core i5 chip so it’s actually running an HD video and I’ve got a document open at the same time. It’s a beautiful machine. [11:50]

… [32:30] seeing apps is really what brings it to life. And seeing some of the great apps that have been built by you. So, let me ask Ryan to come and show us some of the great innovation out there. Welcome back. [[32:40] Ryan Asdourian demoing for Tami Reller] … the first demo I’m actually going to show is actually on this [Hanvon] slate I’ve got here. This is the Copia Reader. And what I can actually do here — I go ahead, I click into this, and what I see is a lot of articles here. I can actually go ahead and drag these right here to my reading queue. I can go ahead, save some of these in my favorites, and this app is actually tied into a bunch of my social networks, so I can see what my friends are doing as well, and they can comment, I can comment on their stuff. It’s a really interactive, rich way to interact and this is all built with Windows, WPF, and has Azure as a back end, so it’s a great example of rich client app and putting the cloud with that. [33:20]

The Sony P-series Lifestyle PC: Just don’t call it a Netbook [Jan 7, 2009]
VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC | Sony:
Estimated Battery Life with Standard Battery6 (included)
– Default Settings: Up to 4.5 hours
– Max. Brightness: Up to 4 hours
Estimated Battery Life with Extended Battery6 (sold separately)
– Default Settings: Up to 9 hours
– Max. Brightness: Up to 8 hours
Power Requirements: 68W + 10%

Toshiba Libretto W100 resurrects the classic UMPC brand with dual 7-inch displays [Engadget, June 21]
Toshiba libretto® Dual-Screen PC:
Toshiba libretto® W100 Dual-Screen PC (coming in August): “Enjoy up to 5 hours battery life” (see here) Warning[Aug 24]: This reference is for Toshiba’s UK site. Elsewhere Toshiba is mum on the battery life, just stating 36 Wh with the large capacity 8-cell Li-Ion battery. Considering Intel U5400‘s (used in current W100/105) 18 W max TDP this is clearly not enough for even 2-3 hours of continuous use. Vendors should wait for Oak Trail’s Q1 2011 arrival for their Windows slates! No question about that.
Toshiba Libretto W100 preview [Engadget, July 1]

So, what’s our overall takeaway after spending an afternoon with the W100? It’s definitely working better than the model we saw a few months back, but even when it did work there’s not much you can do with it. It’s neat as a web surfing device, but very few things take advantage of the two screens — for instance, we’d like to see a compelling e-reading app (eh hem Toshiba Book Place). In the end — even if Toshiba gets all the hardware and software kinks worked out — we’re far from convinced that there’s a place for the W100 in our lives for $1,100.

The latest showing of the lonely Hanvon slate device was just last weekend:

Hanvon Touchpad B10 tablet computer at CES China [July 12]

… new Touchpad B10 [linking to Hanvon’s product page] tablet computer. The 9.96 x 6.61 x 0.70 inch, 1.98 pound device is powered by a 1.3GHz ULV 743 Celeron processor and GMA X4500 display chip from Intel on a GS45 chipset with 2GB DDR2 memory and a 250GB hard disk drive.

Here is an earlier report from Asia already declaring local availability and even superiority: Chinese tablet maker Hanvon throws down the gauntlet to the iPad [May 20]

To mark the availability of its first slate tablet in China, the TouchPad, Hanvon chairman Liu Yingjian smashed an Apple-shaped ice sculpture with a hammer, insinuating that his products are superior to the iPad. He claimed that the Apple slate is like a mere toy which cannot satisfy the real needs of a consumer or business user, unlike the TouchPad B10 and B20 tablets which run on Windows 7.

Quite an ambitious company! E-Reading the Market – Hanwang sells nearly all the digital readers in China. Founder Liu Yingjian knows that won’t last for long. [Forbes, May 28]
(You could see a collection of related videos as well: Hanvon’s E-Reading Market [June 1])

China-based Hanwang Technology has denied rumors that its Hanvon-branded e-book reader sales have been seriously dampened by competition from the Apple iPad and its current inventory has piled up to as high as 500,000 e-book readers, according to a Chinese-language report on sina.com.cn.

Hanwang chairman Liu Yingjian is cited saying that although the second quarter was the weak season for e-book readers, Hanvon’s sales was significant, and the company expects at least 300% growth in net profit in 2010, the report noted.

The 3d party application shown on that slate is not less ambitous: Welcome to Copia

– We’re not just changing the format.
– We’re rewriting the whole reading experience.
– Introducing Copia, the world’s first social reading experience — reading, learning and sharing all in one.

And the latest report regarding the availability: Copia Coming in July? [June 20]
(There is an embedded video demonstration [June 7] of the software as well.)

Android 2.2 (Froyo) excitement is just the tip of the iceberg for the current Android momentum

July 9, 2010 10:25 pm / 9 Comments on Android 2.2 (Froyo) excitement is just the tip of the iceberg for the current Android momentum

Ars technica had two articles in the last 3 days which have created quite an excitement on the web (66K+ hits):

  • This is, however, just “the tip of the iceberg”.
  • To understand that you could read first my two previous infonuggets on the subject if you want to grasp the extent of the current Android momentum:
    – Beyond Android 2.1 [July 4]
    – OPhone OS (OMS) 2.0 based on Android 2.1 [July 5]
  • The mobile Internet technology momentum behind the Android in general could be well understood from my another infonugget:
    – 3.9G TD-LTE rollout in 2012 with integrated 2G, 3G and 4G? [July 19]
  • In addition, Android has just joined the ranks of the 1st tier cloud client software platforms, as has been indicated recently by my another infonugget, titled:
    – E-reading SaaS wars next to e-reader wars [June 30]
  • Finally, below is the whole discussion of Android 2.2 (Froyo) significance which will make the whole “iceberg” completely visible.

Ars reviews Android 2.2 on the Nexus One [July 6], giving the following conclusion about this latest release:

Android 2.2 is an incremental update, but the performance enhancements alone make it an important upgrade for Android enthusiasts. The improved responsiveness and smoother interface transitions really boost the user experience.

Several of the new features—particularly batch updating—offer immediate and obvious benefits. Other features, such as SD storage and cloud backup, aren’t going to start delivering real value until they get broader uptake among Android application developers. I’m particularly enthusiastic about the cloud messaging service—it seems like a capability that will deeply enrich Android and open the door for some innovation in the application development community.

Google’s aggressive development efforts are moving Android forward at a rapid pace. The platform has matured considerably since its initial launch two years ago. The introduction of a JIT [just-in-time compilation] in version 2.2 has largely resolved Android’s performance problems, making it more competitive than ever. As Google works towards version 3.0 and a rumored user interface overhaul, it’s likely that we will see even more innovation.

Android 2.2 demolishes iOS4 in JavaScript benchmarks [July 8] because:

In our recent review [i.e. the previous article] of Android 2.2, we conducted some tests on the Nexus One to measure the extent of the JavaScript performance improvements. SunSpider and V8 benchmarks show that JavaScript execution in Froyo’s Web browser is almost three times faster than in the previous version of the platform.

We compared these findings with that of our tests of Apple’s mobile Safari browser on the iPhone 4. The results show that the Android device delivers significantly faster JavaScript execution than the iPhone, scoring over three times better on V8 and almost twice as fast on SunSpider.

It is worth to combine the results of those two tests in a single chart (recalculated in order to show the performance improvement vs. the performance of the benchmark on the Nexus One with Android 2.1 as the baseline):

The performance improvement is especially remarkable for v8 benchmark which is quite understandable since the V8 Benchmark Suite by Google is:

… a suite of pure JavaScript benchmarks that we have used to tune V8 [JavaScript engine brought to the Android browser as part of 2.2]. …

With this the browser in Android 2.2 (Froyo) is having the same JavaScript performance as Google’s mainstream browser since:

V8 is Google’s open source, high performance JavaScript engine. It is written in C++ and is used in Google Chrome, Google’s open source browser. [see: V8 JavaScript Engine]

SunSpider is just delivering about half of the performance improvement of the V8 benchmark suite which could be because:

This [SunSpider] test mostly avoids microbenchmarks, and tries to focus on the kinds of actual problems developers solve with JavaScript today, and the problems they may want to tackle in the future as the language gets faster [see: SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark].

Note: The main characteristics of a microbenchmark are the following:
• Small program
– Datasets may be large
• All time spent in a few lines of code
• Performance depends on how those few lines are compiled
• Goal: Discover some particular fact
• Remove all other variables
[See: slide #8 of the How NOT To Write A Microbenchmark presentation from JavaOne 2002]
The V8 benchmark suite used for tuning the engine might be more “microbenchmarkish” than the SunSpider benchmark which is explicitly trying to avoid microbenchmarking!

Developers of Android are themselves declaring that:

This has resulted in a 2-3X improvement in JavaScript performance vs. 2.1. See: Android 2.2 and developers goodies [May 10, 2010].

which seems to well correspond to the performance improvement result by the SunSpider benchmark suite.

Ars technica, however, didn’t carry out benchmarking of the Java engine used in Android 2.2 (so called Dalvik, which is not a regular JVM) albeit vast majority of Android applications are coded in Java, and:

The new Dalvik JIT [just-in-time] compiler in Android 2.2 delivers between a 2-5X performance improvement in CPU-bound code vs. Android 2.1 according to various benchmarks.

This is from the same, Android 2.2 and developers goodies [May 10, 2010] blog post which contains other significant improvements from developers’ point of view as well.

Endnote: My statement in the name of the post, that the type of Android 2.2 (Froyo) excitement shown by Ars technica is “just the tip of the iceberg” is even more true from software developers’ perspective. A lot of professional developers in technologically well established and long mature camps, like Microsoft .NET and JVM based enterprise Java / community developed application frameworks (eg. Spring), are considering the Android framework quite underperforming and immature. I’ve met even misunderstanding among them, that Android is programmed in JavaSript or even C++.

With the introduction of Dalvik JIT there are no more reasons to underrate Android (2.2 and above)! To dismiss the wrong belief of “JavaScript and C++ only” programming myth for Android I am usually providing the following links and quotes as well:

http://developer.android.com/guide/basics/what-is-android.html

Android includes a set of core libraries that provides most of the functionality available in the core libraries of the Java programming language.

… Android includes a set of C/C++ libraries used by various components of the Android system. These capabilities are exposed to developers through the Android application framework.

Since June 2009 there is also a Native Development Kit (NDK) for which it is good to know that:

Android applications run in the Dalvik virtual machine. The NDK allows you to implement parts of your applications using native-code languages such as C and C++. This can provide benefits to certain classes of applications, in the form of reuse of existing code and in some cases increased speed.
… Please note that the NDK does not enable you to develop native-only applications. Android’s primary runtime remains the Dalvik virtual machine.
http://developer.android.com/sdk/ndk/index.html

As you know, Android applications run in the Dalvik virtual machine. The NDK allows developers to implement parts of these applications using native-code languages such as C and C++.
http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2009/06/introducing-android-15-ndk-release-1.html

… the NDK is a companion to the SDK that provides tools to generate and embed native ARM machine code within your application packages. This native code has the same restrictions as the VM code, but can execute certain operations much more rapidly. This is useful if you’re doing heavy computations, digital processing, or even porting existing code bases written in C or C++.
http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2009/09/now-available-android-16-ndk.html

Finally, the use of JavaScript requires absolutely different considerations, namely: Building Android Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, extensively elaborated in a so named and actually excellent book under development (and hence available online as just linked) by Jonathan Shark, which has a Chapter 1 with the following observations (to get a feeling of difference):

What is a Web App?

To me, a web app is basically a web site that is specifically optimized for use on a smartphone. The site content could be anything from a standard small business brochure site to a mortgage calculator to a daily calorie tracker–the content is irrelevant. The defining characteristics of a web app are that the user interface is built with web standard technologies, it is available at a URL (public, private, or perhaps behind a login), and it is optimized for the specifics of a mobile device. A web app is not installed on the phone, it is not available in the Android Market, and it is not written with Java.

What is a Native App?

In contrast, native apps are installed on the Android phone, they have access to the hardware (speakers, accelerometer, camera, etc.), and they are written with Java. The defining characteristic of a native app, however, is that it’s available in the Android Market–a feature that has captured the imagination of a horde of software entrepreneurs worldwide, me included.

…

Which Approach is Right for You?

Here’s where it gets exciting. The always-online nature of the Android phone creates an environment where the lines between a web app and a native app get blurry. There are even some little known features of the Android web browser that allow you to take a web app offline if you want.What’s more, several third party projects–of which PhoneGap is the most notable–are actively developing solutions that allow web developers to take a web app and package it as a native app for Android and other mobile platforms.

For me, this is the perfect blend. I can write in my native language, release a product as a pure web app (for Android and any other devices that have a modern browser), and use the same code-base to create an enhanced native version that can access the device hardware and potentially be sold in the Android Market. This is a great way to create a “fremium” model for your app – allow free access to the web app, and charge for the more feature-rich native version.

OPhone OS (OMS) 2.0 based on Android 2.1

July 5, 2010 10:17 am / 9 Comments on OPhone OS (OMS) 2.0 based on Android 2.1

… the carrier announced on Monday it was preparing to establish its Ophone Innovation Alliance, said Bill Huang, general manager of the China Mobile Research Institute.

“Our Ophone strategy is constantly moving forward,” Huang said during in a speech at a conference in Beijing. Huang did not give any specific details about the alliance, but encouraged potential partners to participate once more information is publicized. The company has spent over a year planning the alliance.

The announcement follows China Mobile’s effort to promote its OMS in April, when Huang urged developers in Taiwan to build more mobile applications for the operating system. At the time, Huang said there were around 600 apps developed specifically for Ophones. In contrast, Apple’s App Store features more than 300,000 third-party applications.

Building less expensive smartphones without sacrificing quality is critical to China Mobile’s business strategy, Huang added. “If we can effectively make an advanced smartphone less expensive, then more users will come to use China Mobile’s services in a shorter amount of time,” he said.

China Mobile is also working to introduce more middle and higher-end smartphones for its 3G network, said company chairman Wang Jianzhou during a speech at the conference.

While China Mobile may have a relatively small number of applications for OMS, the company’s app store continues to gain in popularity. Since it opened in 2009, the carrier’s Mobile Market has recorded 70 million downloads, Wang said. The store features apps and multimedia downloads for different mobile operating systems.

  • Update: Despite of recent reports on weakening OPhone support within China Mobile (see the below update) there are newer reports pointing just to the opposite direction:
    – China Mobile to procure 6 million TD-SCMA handsets, says Chinese media [Oct 8]: “Of the total, 3.6 million will be of entry-level models and 2.4 million mid-range products. … the latest procurement effort is largely due to the fourth phase of the China Mobile’s TD-SCMA network construction. When completed, demand for TD-SCMA end-use products is expected to increase substantially.”
    – China market: Inexpensive TD-SCDMA handsets to be available in 4Q10 [Oct 13]: “Pushed by China Mobile, TD-SCDMA handsets and smartphones at retail prices of about 500 yuan (US$75) and 1,000 yuan respectively will be available in the China market in the fourth quarter of 2010. … China Mobile is setting up its fourth-phase TD-SCDMA network of more than 100,000 base stations and expects the number of TD-SCDMA subscribers to increase from 13.42 million currently to 100 million in 2012.”
    – China Mobile: 4G network coming soon [Sept 15] is stating that “4G data card is close to debut and the carrier and partners are working on the research of 4G handset chip … China Mobile is expected to launch 4G mobile communication services as early as 2011 to boost its high-margin data services, according to the GSM Association.”
    – China Mobile to set up device sourcing company [Sept 17] is telling that “The planned device-sourcing company will begin to purchase TD-SCDMA-enabled feature phones with prices below 1,000 yuan (US$148) at the end of the year and then shift to smartphones priced below 2,000 yuan in the first half of 2011“.
  • Update: OPhone fails to connect [Aug 24] which reports that with the change of leadership in June all the technology initiatives started under the previous GM and managed by Bill Huang (Huang Xiaoqing), head of  China Mobile’s Research Institute, will get less support — this is the case of OPhone — or even have been put on hold — the case of mobile payment project. Reasons are the insufficient progress. The estimations are, for example, that OPhone sales are less than half of the number of iPhones bought in China. Quite important article on what is going inside China Mobile.

• OPhone 2.0 Platform Debuts in Beijing [June 28]
• Samsung first to unveil handset for oPhone 2.0 [June 29] – important to note: “Nokia is also planning a smartphone for the carrier using the oPhone overlay and hardware specs, but running on Symbian.”
• Samsung I7680 (Oscar) parameters – Google translated from Chinese
• The world’s first mobile phone Samsung I7680 evaluation OMS 2.0 [July 1] Google translated from Chinese
• Page 3: Fusion Android 2.1, OMS 2.0 magnificent transfiguration [From Android2.1 transfiguration OPhone2.0 evaluation Samsung I7680] – [5 July] all Google translated from Chinese

The developer of the platform is the Beijing based Borqs: http://borqs.com/index.jsp. They describe the OPhone OS (short for Open Mobile Phone Operating System) platform here: About OPhone OS. See also the recent interview with their CEO: BORQS Ophone OS & more & the China mobile revolution [May 27], important to note: “Borqs is the only company that has done significant Android customization.”

But the supporter is the world largest mobile phone company: China Mobile wants Android apps for its Ophones [April 7], launching the first version of the platform last year: China Mobile Ophone hopes [Sept 1, 2009], China Mobile Launches OPhone [Sept 1, 2009], China’s first OPhone-based mobile phone hits market [16 Dec, 2009]. The last, OMS 1.5 was Android 1.5 based: OPhone SDK 1.5 New features and API changes ENG.1 [Nov 19, 2009].

Note [updated with June data on July 20]: The 3G customer base of the China Mobile is still embryonic with just 1.9% (10.46 million) of the overall number of customers (554 million) at the end of June 2010. Also this number has not been increased significantly for the last 18 month, as shown by the chart below. Meanwhile the rival China Unicom has 4.8% (7.56 million) of the 2G+3G customer base (157 million) on 3G (by end of June 2010):

Another rival, China Telecom, is not publishing 3G numbers. The MIIT* Q1’CY10 3G numbers for China Telecom (CDMA2000) were 5.57 million, i.e. 8.5% of their total CDMA subscriber base (65.45 million).
*Ministry of Industry and Information Technology

Overall 3G market share in Q1’CY10 according to the above MIIT report:  42.5% China Mobile, 30.8% China Telecom, 26.7% China Unicom. For end of May a China Telecom “official said it now has between 6 million and 7 million 3G subscribers”, i.e. about the same number as China Unicom (6.5 million).

The follow-up MIIT report for end of June 2010 is indicating 7.18 million 3G subscribers for China Telecom. When combined with the company’s July 20 stock market closing report this would be 9.6% of their total CDMA subscriber base (74.52 million). Overall 3G market share at the end of H1’CY10 corresponding to the follow-up MIIT report would be: 41.5% China Mobile (-1% vs. Q1’CY10), 28.5% China Telecom (-2.3% vs. Q1’CY10), 30% China Unicom (+3% vs. Q1’CY10). A significant gain for the W-CDMA!

The 3G numbers in China are well below of other geographies. See: Could China close the gap in mobile Internet? It should! [July 21] The Chinese government and all the three mobile operators are therefore making extraordinary efforts to close the gap between China and the rest of the world.

There is also an OPhone SDN (OPhone Software Developer Network) community site: http://www.ophonesdn.com/. Here you can find the OPhone SDK Documentation in English, currently for v1.5: http://www.ophonesdn.com/documentation/index. The rest is in Chinese.

The platform is also going out of the mainland China:
first, to Taiwan: Taiwan-based III to cooperate with China Mobile to develop OPhone [brief, June 10], China, Taiwan agree on Android, Ophone, WiMax, TD-LTE, more [detailed, June 10]
then to US and RoW: China’s OPhone to find its way to US as Android+ [May 28, 2010]

China, Taiwan agree on Android, Ophone, WiMax, TD-LTE, more

Beyond Android 2.1

July 4, 2010 7:04 pm / 3 Comments on Beyond Android 2.1

UnwiredView: Android 3.0 Gingerbread details: 1280×760 resolution, 1Ghz minimum specs, mid-Oct. release [Jun 30]
then: Revisiting Android 3/Gingerbread details post. Some corrections, clarifications [July 2]

Between these two original English posts has been an avalanche like reporting and discussion (almost half million hits!) of the Android future, all based on this source alone (directly or much more indirectly).
Note: The funny thing is that UnwiredView’s Staska (definitely a Russian speaker) has used as a trusted source the [30:36 – 38:45] time duration part of the Russian podcast Айфономания, серия четвертая, Выпуск 19 (or this one). One thing I would include here from that podcast: “As of today the number of daily Android activations has reached 160 thousands. With this Android will be #2 behind Symbian before the end of 2010”.

This is a typical reporting based on the UnwiredView source:
• Android 3.0 may ship in mid-October, carry minimum specs [Electronista, June 30] originally named: Google may fork Android 3 to guarantee experience
which – however – worth to mention here because it has a whole chain of links to previous/other posts on the pressing issues with current Android versions, and these also validate very much the original rumor (indepedent of its origin): 
• Android 3.0 to hasten the end of custom UIs? [Electronista, June 16], originally named: Android’s Gingerbread may hurt HTC Motorola
• Android Team “Laser Focused” On The User Experience For Next Release [TechCrunch, June 16]
• Android to end app fragmentation by 3.0? [Electronista, March 29], originally named: Android to detach core apps from OS updates
• Exclusive: Android Froyo to take a serious shot at stemming platform fragmentation [Engadget, March 29]
• Sprint Android 2.2 plans trigger outrage, highlight OS woes [Electronista, June 25] originally named: Evo 4G and other Sprint phones reach 2.2 soon
• Sprint expects to launch Android 2.2 in near future [Sprint News, June 25]
• Adobe posts Flash 10 for Android, leaks Android 2.2 upgrades [Electronista, June 22] originally named: Adobe outs mobile Flash 10 only for android 2.2
• HTC promises Android 2.2 updates in 2010 [Electronista, May 20] originally named: Froyo coming to company’s latest Android phones
• Samsung won’t upgrade Behold II, shows Android fragmentation [Electronista, May 28, 2010] originally named: Samsung says Behold II can’t go past Android 1.6

E-reading SaaS wars next to e-reader wars

June 30, 2010 8:08 pm / 4 Comments on E-reading SaaS wars next to e-reader wars

Monday’s announcement from Amazon, Free Kindle for Android App Now Available [June 28], has generated quite a stir on the web. My time duration (of the first 24 hours) and subject specific search brought back ~277 000 hits. From these I would just mention two which might best express the reasons for this excitement:

• With Kindle for Android, Amazon’s Winning Strategy Is Complete to which I would add the following image and acompanying text from the Amazon Kindle site to make it crystal clear:“Our Whispersync technology synchronizes your Kindle library and last page read across devices, so you can always pick up right where you left off. Buy a book once, and read it anywhere.”

• Let the e-Reader Content Wars Begin which I would rather call: e-reading SaaS wars.

This is in addition to the device wars started a week before:
• War of the e-readers: Kindle, Nook & Kobo
• Barnes & Noble Introduces NOOK Wi-Fi® and Lowers NOOK 3G Price, Giving Book Lovers Greater Choice and Even Greater Value [June 21]:
– At Only $149, Wi-Fi-Only Addition to NOOK Family is the Most Full-Featured, Low-Cost eBook Reader on the Market, Now Available Online at http://www.nook.com
– Bestseller NOOK 3G is First Dedicated eBook Reader with Free 3G Wireless and Wi-Fi Connectivity Available at $199
– Latest Software Update to Both NOOK Models Offers NOOK Customers Complimentary Access at All AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots and Improved Reading Features
• Amazon Kindle Now Only $189 [June 21]
• to which Barnes & Noble responded with a Product Comparison Chart, NOOK 3G and NOOK Wi-Fi and eBookstore factsheets, emphasizing that on $189 Kindle 2 there is no:
– color touch screen;
– Wi-Fi®/802.11b/g, Free Wi-Fi® in all Barnes & Noble stores and Free Wi-Fi® in all AT&T hotspots;
– memory expansion (via MicroSD);
– browsing and exclusive content in Barnes & Noble stores;
– EPUB and eReader formats supported;
– digital lending; and
– replaceable battery
(indicating just Word document support and text to speech as missing features)

The 3d, latecomer to this competition, Kobo has been represented in this battle by his business partner/shareholder, the US Borders Group:
• Borders Offers Best eReader Values on Market [June 22]
– Company Bundles $20 Gift Card with Purchase of Kobo eReader
– Company introduces application for the iPhone and the iPad
which were added to Borders’ previous market offensive actions:
• Borders(R) and Aluratek Partner on ‘Libre’ eBook Reader Pro [June 1], First $119 Device Featuring Link to Borders eBook Store Available for Pre-Order at Borders.com
• Borders Launches New E-commerce Site [May 27]
– Borders.com features unique Magic Shelf™ technology and exclusive video programming that brings a real bookstore experience online
– In-store kiosks will introduce Borders.com shopping option in Borders stores nationwide
for which they have secured all the necessary vendor alliances.
• Borders(R) Launches Digital Initiative [May 07]
– Pre-Orders Now Open for Kobo(TM) eReader;
– eBook Store and Apps Unveiled Next Month
• Spring Design and Borders Announce eBook Agreement [Jan 7]:
“an agreement in principle to feature the upcoming Borders eBook store powered by Kobo on the new dual display Alex(TM) eReader later this year”
• Borders Partners With Kobo to Deliver eBooks [Dec 15, 2009]:
“Through the partnership, Borders will launch a new eBook store integrated into Borders.com and powered by Kobo. In addition, Kobo will power a Borders-branded eBook store for multiple mobile devices. Sales through these Borders-branded eBook stores will be booked by Borders. Kobo’s mobile applications are device neutral, which will enable consumers to purchase eBooks from Borders on popular smartphones such as the iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm Pre and Android, as well as other devices. Borders and Kobo plan to launch these new services within the second quarter of 2010.”

Borders’ offering is therefore coming quite close to that of Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Because of the choice of e-readers it is even technically more flexible. From e-reading SaaS point of view their current [June 30] state is as follows:

It looks quite similar in concept and plan to that of current Amazon (see the picture in the beginning) and Barnes & Noble as well.
Note: from B&N’s product comparison chart it is clear that they are equal to Amazon’s offering from e-reading SaaS point of view, only the Android smartphone support is not there yet, see B&N Reader for Android Phones?.

Such a look however is deceiving. First of all the Kobo e-reader has just USB and Bluetooth connectivity (see Kobo’s eReader Device Comparison) nothing like Kindle 2’s USB and 3G, or Nook’s USB and 3G/WiFi. Also the $120 priced Aluratek‘s Libre Pro has just USB connectivity. For at least this very reason the “last page read across devices” functionality is not available in Borders’ current e-reading SaaS experience, supplied by Kobo. Competition however will force both Kobo and Borders to introduce e-readers with WiFi and/or 3G connectivity when their e-reading SaaS should also be upgraded for the smooth sharing and syncing experience provided now by both Kindle and Nook.
Note: without the WiFi / 3G connectivity – in addition – you cannot get e-books directly to your reader, your free e-reader desktop app (PC or Mac) should be used first and then the purchased e-books loaded over through the USB or Bluetooth connection. This is considered to be rather inconvenient by today’s standards.

The wars for both e-reading SaaS and e-readers is therefore very important to create a level playing field (in the US) in terms of complete experiences and affordable offerings. We should therefore welcome these wars as essential to mass adoption of e-reading (in the US, which then could be followed by other countries quite soon).

Additional information:

Kobo e-readers are already sold in other countries as well: currently in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The Canadian Indigo Books & Music Inc, Canada’s largest book retailer, is actually the 58% majority shareholder of Kobo, while – in addition to Borders’ – there are other shareholders from Australia and Hong Kong as well. This coalition is definitely aiming at taking the international market not only in e-readers but in e-reading services launched by local book retailers as well. See: Kobo Powers its First International eBook Store.

The hardware used by Aluratek in his Libre Pro is from the Chinese manufacturer, JCNIP:
JCNIP M218A e-book device coming this month [Sept 5, 2006]
JCNIP new ereader—M218B [Oct 11, 2007]
which appeared under Dr. Yi brand for their original Chinese market as: Dr. Yi-M218A — Doctor M218A + Easy — Doctor M218A + enhanced trade — Dr. Yi M218B (sources translated by Google). Their latest model, the rechargeable battery powered M218C is sold currently in China for 999.00 yuan, i.e. for ~$150.

This hardware has also been introduced into the US market much earlier by ECTACO:
New jetBook e-book reader from ECTACO set to change the way we read forever! [Mar 21, 2008]
ECTACO Inc. releases the most affordable eBook Reader – the jetBook-Lite [Oct 27, 2009]
Ectaco Jetbook – a brief review [Feb 5, 2010]
Ectaco jetBook Lite eBook Reader Now $99 [June 17, 2010]
The $99 price is clearly showing that e-reader wars will continue to that price level, which could be reached by some other e-readers eas early as by Christmas this year.

All these devices are using a really low-cost, unique and almost unknown screen:
TOSHIBA MATSUSHITA DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. STARTS MASS PRODUCTION OF 5-INCH VGA MONOCHROME REFLECTIVE-TYPE TFT LCD
[Jan 16, 2007] Features both High Resolution and High Reflectance
This manufacturer has since been renamed:
Toshiba to take over LCD joint venture with Panasonic [Apr 1, 2009]

Barnes & Noble Introduces NOOK Wi-Fi® and Lowers NOOK 3G Price, Giving Book Lovers Greater Choice and Even Greater Value

Intel SoC for Cloud Clients

June 27, 2010 10:13 am / 7 Comments on Intel SoC for Cloud Clients

While ARM system-on-a-chips (SoCs) are dominating the fast growing cloud client segment (smart phones, tablets, e-readers etc.) Intel has finally begun marketing his 1st generation Moorestown to generate design wins needed for next year’s Medfield 2nd generation SoC “product delivery en-mass” successes. Marketing in a true, positive sense by giving professional quality SoC information.

This week the CTO and Research Chief, Justin Rattner first time has given a “behind the scenes” look into their effort. See Gizmodo’s: Intel’s Chief Wizard Conjures the Cloud, Apple and a Phone That Keep Secrets. His answer to the question “Why is Intel not really in mobile phones yet?” is worth to be quoted here:

There was a lot of concern that what became Atom would cannibalize the laptop business, which didn’t materialize. Instead we created a whole new category around netbooks! But that was the big fear, and that cost us probably a good two, maybe even three years, before everybody was convinced we could introduce a cheaper, slower, more energy efficient product and not damage the main revenue.

Not by coincidence we have had this week another “behind the scenes” look given by Shreekant (Ticky) Thakkar, “father of Centrino” and lately (for years) the leading authority on Moorestown. See the interview with him in tom’s hardware: Tom’s Talks Moorestown With The Father Of Centrino. Here we have another quote worth to be included here:

[Re: Why did it take Intel until now to come out with its own SoC?]

That’s kind of a complex question. Let’s talk about the notebook, which was my last platform before I worked on this one. The notebook platform has very little motivation to shrink in size, especially in desktop replacements. Several years ago, we were trying to get the desktop side to adopt a lot of the notebook’s capabilities. [Ed.: Presumably, this refers to the mobile-on-desktop effort back from the Core Duo days.]

But the desktop industry and users had very little motivation because of the developed component ecosystem for power delivery, heatsinks—the whole nine yards needed to build a desktop. And a similar thing has evolved around the notebook. The need for space and capabilities are very different between these platforms. When not driven by the constraints of size and capability, these platforms can use existing components and programable logic to do, for example, video decode and encode. There’s little motivation for them to move to an SoC-like environment.

But when you come to such things as handheld devices, set-top boxes, and embedded systems, all of these have size and power constraints. Constraint is the mother of necessity that drove us to designing SoCs. We needed a such-and-such size chip with certain capabilities and power—high performance CPU, memory controller, graphics controller, video controller, decoder/encoder. You have to wire all of those things up into that limited real estate. That’s what drove us into building an SoC for this class of devices—need more than anything else.

When reading those articles I’m suggesting to go through the comments as well. They will give you an idea of typical external reactions to the views of these most competent Intel insiders.

And a final remark. This is first time Intel clearly communicates why Microsoft Windows (as we know it today) is not running on these x86 processors:

Ticky Thakkar: We had a great, ultramobile, PC-class device platform before. It was low power…but not low enough. So the big challenge for us was to figure out how to deliver low idle power in this kind of form factor. We have work going on in our labs with OSPM—OS Power Management. We want to use Intel’s process strength to get as much out of the process as possible in terms of performance integration and the low active power you can get from the smaller transistors. We introduced the notion of power gating at the island level. We want to use only the power needed to do the activity that you’re doing, not switch on anything else. Today, most operating systems, such as the larger Windows-style OS, do quite the opposite. It’s like opening your front door and the whole house lights up. That’s not what we wanted to do here.

Tom’s hardware: Which explains probably part of why Moorestown for phones doesn’t support PCI and thus Windows, but larger form factor Atom platform versions, including the forthcoming Oaktrail platform, do.

Ticky Thakkar: There are many factors at work here. … In transitioning from a PC to a handheld device, we don’t need to use some of the PC I/Os. We kind of got rid of PCI Express and put in handheld I/Os that are more pertinent to what we need. Things such as MIPI I/Os. MIPI is the handheld I/O organization. To give you an idea, the difference between LVDS and the MIPI interface, just the interface link power is about a 125 mW difference. All these kinds of things allowed us to get to lower power.

To understand the essence of Windows capable “Oak Trail” SoC derived from Moorestown and to be made available in “early 2011” read this Gizmodo news nugget:
Intel “Oak Trail” Is Official: Tablet Processors With Windows, Android, and MeeGo Support.

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