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Huawei’s IDEOS U8150 smartphone for US$86 in Kenya: 350,000 units sold in 8 months
The current KShs7,999 [US$86 as of today’s rate] price is a heavy discount of its original price of KShs14,999 [US$161 as of today’s rate]. Note that in non-African countries the phone is sold at near the list price, e.g. the list price in India is Rs 8,499 [US$188 as of today’s rate] while a street price is Rs 8,237 [US$182 as of today’s rate].
The original pricing was between US$100 and US$200, depending on the market and it was celebrated as the achievement of their goal from early 2010 of developing a US$150 smartphone (see the Sept’10 announcement below for both). The heavy discount used in Kenya therefore could be still a little higher than their cost.
Update: Considering all that and after PCs and cloud clients are not parts of Hewlett-Packard’s strategy anymore [Aug 19, 2011] there is no wonder that a blogpost has appeared with apt headline of Has “Wintel” been replaced by “Quadroid”? [Aug 19, 2011] in which an excerpt from a 9 months old CCNMoney article called Android and Qualcomm are the new Wintel [Nov 12, 2010] has been included. Here it is worth to cite just this part from that:
At least a dozen handset makers have brought to market more than 90 different smartphones that run Android, and more than three quarters of those handsets have Qualcomm chips embedded in them, according to a new study by consultancy PRTM.
The Qualcomm-Android standard, or “Quadroid” as PRTM calls it, is becoming a parallel to the Windows-Intel, or “Wintel,” standard that developed in the 1990s.
Like with Wintel PCs, Quadroid devices’ software and hardware is essentially a commodity — they’re very similar on every phone, making differentiation a difficult task. Form factor is still a battleground — some people want keyboards, some don’t — but drop past the top-tier of the very newest devices and the distinctions are tiny. Kickstands, dual screens, very high resolution cameras and OLED touchscreens are among the features Quadroid smartphone makers are using to set themselves apart.
With Huawei’s smartphones we are witnessing exactly this:
A slightly modified version, Huawei U8160 (see the picture on the right) is sold since May under Vodafone brand as Vodafone 858 Smart (see the specs as well where HSPA (3.6Mbps) only is indicated although using the same Qualcomm MSM 7225 SoC announced in Feb’07 and first delivered in 3G phones in June’07). It is sold at around rock bottom US$120 (22,290.00 HUF in my country). See also: Huawei U8160 is rebranded to the budget friendly Vodafone Smart [May 16, 2011] as well as the Vodafone 858 Smart review [Aug 1, 2011].
There is also a this year version called IDEOS X1 which is according to T-Mobile Rapport with Android coming soon (it’s a re-branded Huawei U8180) [July 21, 2011]:
Already released in the UK as Orange Stockholm, the Huawei U8180 X1 [also called Gaga] will be available via T-Mobile, too. Apparently, T-Mobile will sell the handset under the T-Mobile Rapport name – that’s what the Bluetooth SIG is suggesting anyway.
The specification is the same but its design is improved. Already sold in Australia for $99.
Taiwan market: China-based Huawei Device to launch IDEOS X1 smartphone [Aug 23, 2011]
Huawei Device, a China-based vendor and subsidiary of Huawei Technologies, and Taiwan mobile telecom carrier Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) on August 22 jointly unveiled IDEOS X1, the former’s smartphone model, for launch in the Taiwan market later in August through the latter’s retail network at a contract-free price of NT$4,990 (US$172) or zero price bundled with a 24-month contract, according to FET.
IDEOS X1 features a Qualcomm MSM7227-1 600MHz processor, Android 2.2, WCDMA/GSM/GPRS and HSDPA 7.2Mbps voice/data communication standards, a 2.8-inch QVGA 262,000-pixel screen, a 3.2-megapixel rear camera, video formats of H.263/H.264 and MPEG4, a dimension of 104 (H) x 56
x 13 (D)mm and a weight of 100 grams.
Huawei announced the IDEOS X3 smartphone at MWC’11 as well (but only delivered since June’11, for around US$240 in Singapore and for around US$200 in Malaysia). This is using the 7225 follow-up Qualcomm MSM7227 SoC (announced in Feb’09 for sub-$150 smartphones).
Qualcomm chips kernel ARM – from phones to laptops [Feb 17, 2009]
MSM7227 is an evolution of the two years ago, MSM7225, repeating its size (12 x 12 mm) and maintaining consistency of contact, which provides designers the opportunity to further develop the existing developments. Working frequency ARM11 core in MSM7227 increased to 600 MHz (against 528 MHz of the predecessor), the core of the signal processor (DSP) operating at 320 MHz, and the nucleus of the communications processor – at a frequency of 400 MHz. As before, there are features hardware acceleration of graphics and coding/decoding video WQVGA with frequency 30 frames per second and support for GPS, but now supported by the camera modules with up to 8-megapixel (v. 5), and the realization had grown up with a Bluetooth version 2. 0 to 2. 1.
There is only on exception from this Quadroid dominance even for Huawei:
For the mainland China Market there is also the Huawei T8300 which is the TD-SCDMA specific redesign of X3 since the MSM7227 was not able to support TD-SCDMA so the only available SoC was Marvell’s PXA920/918 SoCs family available since Sep’09 (although capable of passing the rigorous TD-SCDMA tests only almost 2 years later). For more info on China specific TD-SCDMA entry-level smartphones see: Marvell’s single chip TD-SCDMA solutions beaten (again) by two-chip solutions of Chinese vendors [July 11, 2011].
Update: The PXA920 opportunity was realized widely only in September 2011, two years later than the September 2009 launch. See:First real chances for Marvell on the tablet and smartphone fronts [Aug 21, 2011]
End of Updates
This is — according to Singularity Hub — opening huge opportunities for African app development as well:
The Android app business is a tough one, but keeping in mind that the smartphone is Africa’s laptop killer, it’s also one of the most exciting platforms for the continent’s developers.
Case in point. An entrepreneurial conference in Nairobi called Pivot25 showcased some of the most innovative Android apps in East Africa. Among these include M-Farm, an app that allows farmers to broadcast product prices and locations to the world via SMS. Another agri-app developed by Makerere University helps diagnose and track the spread of crop diseases via crowdsourcing. In a nation where agriculture accounts for nearly a quarter of GDP, apps like these could prove invaluable in maximizing harvests and facilitating the spread of precision farming.
While agri-apps are well-suited for the developing economies, the winner of Pivot25 was Medkenya. It’s the functional equivalent to WebMD in that it puts a library of health information at the user’s fingertips and performs other helpful tasks like guiding the ill to hospitals. However, I have a hunch that this is just the beginning of healthcare-related apps in Africa. We’ve seen smartphones adopt all kinds of medical technology, from digital stethoscopes to cancer diagnosis, and I’m hopeful that we’ll see similarly stunning med-tech reach even the remotest areas one day. An app that tracks mosquito outbreaks or a smartphone with an HIV-testing peripheral would work wonders to address persisting healthcare challenges of the developing world. Who knows? Maybe one day they’ll be able to carry a doctor around in their pocket.
Cheap Android phone selling fast [IT News Africa, Aug 17, 2011]
When Huawei assistant director for African expansion, Wang Liu, talked about developing a cheap Android phone for the African market, he knew it would be successful. But after the Chinese company launched the IDEOS phone earlier this year via Kenya’s Safaricom, the results were better than they could have imagined.
“We knew it would be successful and thought it would take some time to get moving, but the statistics coming in are amazing,” Liu said.
According to Safaricom, the $80 Android phone has been sold to over 350,000. That is a staggering statistic considering nearly half of Kenya’s population lives on less than two dollars per day.
Liu said the key to the success was to bring the price down so it would be affordable to the growing middle-class in Kenya. When they were able to do that, joining with Safaricom was the solution to their distribution needs.
“We knew that if we could get the price down and make it cheap enough for people to get, lots would get out there because Android and smartphones are the future and people want the latest technology,” Liu said from Shanghai.
Kenya’s mobile market is booming and with the economy growing at some five percent annually, Huawei expects more and more Androids to be purchased in the coming months.
Huawei IDEOS is Top Smart Phone in Kenya [Huawei in Africa press release, May 17, 2011]
Huawei, a leader in providing innovative telecommunication solutions for operators around the world has today announced that the Huawei IDEOS is the most popular smart phone in Kenya for the first quarter of 2011.
This is also according to a report by GFK Retail and Technology, one of the world’s leading independent market researcher tracking sales data in technical consumer goods and entertainment in over 80 countries worldwide. The IDEOS was launched during the 2010 Christmas period with the phone gaining wide acceptance in the market.
Mr. Herman He, CEO Huawei announced that, “Since the IDEOS launch five months ago, so far over 60,000 pieces have been sold and we are moving towards the 100,000 piece mark with its share of the local smartphone market at 45% in the first quarter of the year, making it the top selling device with February alone reaching 73%.”
“We are delighted by the IDEOs’ outstanding performance and we hereby affirm our commitment to continue providing quality and affordable products to Kenyans”. Mr. He added.
Mr. He also said that Delivering connectivity for users’ thorough smart devices was one of Huawei’s core objectives for 2011, with the IDEOS devices designed to provide smart and efficient connectivity to deliver a simple and premium end user experience .
The success has partly been attributed to a strategic partnership with Safaricom as the main distributor and marketer of the smart phone, Google for their Android 2.2platform, and QUALCOMM for the chipsets.
Safaricom Head of Retail Morris Maina said the partnership was a major win for Kenyan consumers and presented a strategic fit for Safaricom in its quest to drive up data uptake by availing affordable internet enabled devices. The phone retails at KShs8,499 [US$91 as of today’s rate], a KShs6,500 discount on its original price of KShs14,999 [US$161 as of today’s rate]. It also comes with free 600MB Safaricom data and Kshs1,000 worth of Safaricom airtime.
“Safaricom believes that innovations and value proposition will be key in winning consumers as the market becomes increasingly competitive. We are thus happy to be in a partnership that subscribes to these tenets and understands that affordability is key in a market like Kenya. The availability and increased take-up of this device opens a new world of immense possibilities to our subscribers and greatly increases the utility they can derive from our network, the only one with 3G capability in the market,” said Mr Maina.
Information and Communication Permanent Secretary Dr. Bitange Ndemo noted that the mobile phone has permeated every sphere of life in Kenya.
“In the beginning of the 21st century, the mobile telephone was the reserve of an elite few and the gadget’s sole purpose was to make phone calls and send text messages. Today, all this has changed and the mobile phone is no longer a luxury but a necessity,” said Dr. Ndemo.“By morphing and adopting into various aspects of our lives, the mobile phone has gone beyond its original purpose of phone calls and text messages and it now serves as a bank, a computer a radio and a television set among other things. In a nutshell, it has penetrated every aspect of our lives,” he added.
Huawei Device is affiliated with Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. and is one of Huawei’s four business units. Huawei Device products cover a wide range of series, including mobile phones, Mobile Broadband, Convergence Terminal, Fixed Network CPE, and Video Products. Huawei Device now serves 48 of the world’s top 50 telecom operators, and it has established strategic partner relationship with world-leading operators.
In 2010, Huawei Device sold more than 5 million Android phones ranking the world’s Top 5.Star products: Avatar U8850 (Flagship, high definition, high speed, super slim, 9.9 mm thick, 3.7″ LCD) Blaze U8510 (Elite, first Android Gingerbread phone, 3.2″ LCD) Boulder U8350 (Elite, the thinnest QWERTY touch screen Android phone, 9.9 mm thick)
Huawei Launches World’ s First Affordable Smartphone with Google Called IDEOS [Sept 2, 2010]
Huawei, a leader in providing next-generation telecommunications network solutions for operators around the world, today announced the launch of IDEOSTM, an affordable smartphone powered by the latest iteration of AndroidTM 2.2 (also known as ‘Froyo’ ). The smartphone is priced between US$100 and US$200, depending on the market. IDEOS redefines the “entry-level” concept by combining high-quality hardware and software with a high price-to-performance ratio. IDEOS will be released in a number of countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America and Latin America.
The ergonomically designed IDEOS provides a variety of ways to access the Internet, as it boasts downlink speeds of more than 7.2Mb/s, offers WCDMA + WiFi dual network support, and offers ubiquitous mobile broadband services. The device also doubles as a WiFi router for up to eight devices at a time, making IDEOS an all-in-one solution for a range of wireless connectivity options.
Available in black, yellow, blue, and purple, the IDEOS, with Android 2.2 pre-installed, not only runs fast, but also supports functions such as voice dialing, voice navigation, and the ability to run applications off the SD card. With more than 70,000 applications available in the Android Market, IDEOS provides a wide range of communication, entertainment, office, and financial management applications.
Kevin Tao, CEO of Huawei Device, said, “The popularity of the smartphone is one of the key tools to bringing people into the ‘Golden Age of Mobile Broadband,’ which is linked to Google’ s mobile Internet strategy.
“We are proud to have already achieved our goal from early 2010 of developing a US$150 smartphonewith an excellent user experience. The IDEOS is an affordable option, designed to lower barriers to entry to allow easy mobile Internet access.”
The name “IDEOS” embodies creativity and inspiration: the “ID” represents the industrial design-centric hardware platform, the “OS” represents the operating system as the core software platform, and the “E” symbolizes the evolution to mobile Internet.
See the official specification of the IDEOS U8150 on Huawei’s site.
The processor [rather SoC] used there is Qualcomm MSM 7225 (announced in Feb’07 and first delivered in 3G phones in June’07), with a single 528 MHz ARM1136EJ-S core and embedded QDSP5000 DSP (GSM, GPRS/EGPRS Multislot Class 12, EDGE, UMTS Release 6, 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps, MBMS baseband).
Huawei brings entry-level Android smartphone to Africa [IT News Africa, Nov 17, 2010]
Huawei launches IDEOS for African marketLeo Wang, Managing Director Eastern and Southern Africa Region, Terminal Business Development at Huawei Technologies, talked to ITNewsAfrica.com about Huawei’s partnersip with Google and the latest additions to its IDEOS smartphone range.
ITNewsAfrica.com: What is the latest addition to the Huawei device range?
Leo Wang: We launched our own brand IDEOS in the African market, with the latest addition an entry-level touch screen smartphone with Google’s Android 2.2 OS and 3G connectivity. We had previously launched IDEOS in rural markets in Germany in September this year and in UK, USA, China, with Africa and India being now the next targets. Worldwide, since September we have promoted IDEOS in 30 countries, with over one million units already soldthrough local operators.
ITNewsAfrica.com: What are your expectations of IDEOS in the African market for next year?
Leo Wang: This is the first entry-level 3G smartphone in Africa that offers a true smartphone experience thanks to the Google Android’s interactivity. We expect 5-7 percent of the African market to benefit directly from this, but now quantity is not as important to us as establishing the IDEOS brand. We have continuously launched smartphones and tablet devices under IDEOS brand and we have offerings for every segment of the market, be it entry-level or middle and high income. As an example, for high-end markets we have included touchscreen devices with QWERTY, multi-point touch controls and HD video output. Most of our smartphones have Android OS, through our partnership with Google.
ITNewsAfrica.com: How do you justify Android OS as your first choice for IDEOS?
Leo Wang: We are among the top three Google partners in the device market. Our close partnership is not exclusive, but offers access to the Android OS, which is an open platform with a rapidly growing application market, something we found attractive. Also, Google branding takes IDEOS to a completely new level and ensures the device’s quality and operability is of high standards.
ITNewsAfrica.com: Will Huawei develop LTE devices in the near future? And if so, when will they get to Africa?
Leo Wang: We will launch LTE devices in the next quarter for the international markets. We have already been testing LTE and WiMAX technologies globally. In Africa, discussing and testing with main operators such as MTN and Vodacom will be a starting point.
Supply chain battles for much improved levels of price/performance competitiveness
Current snapshot:
Intel rejects 50% Ultrabook CPU price cut demand from notebook players [Aug 16, 2011]
Intel’s Oak Trail platform, paired Atom Z670 CPU (US$75) with SM35 chipsets (US$20) for tablet PC machine, is priced at US$95, already accounting for about 40% of the total cost of a tablet PC, even with a 70-80% discount, the platform is still far less attractive than Nvidia’s Tegra 2 at around US$20. Although players such as Asustek Computer and Acer have launched models with the platform for the enterprise market, their machines’ high price still significantly limit their sales, the sources noted.
As for Ultrabook CPUs, Intel is only willing to provide marketing subsides and 20% discount to the first-tier players, reducing the Core i7-2677 to US$317, Core i7-2637 to US$289 and Core i5-2557 to US$250.
As for Intel’s insistence, the sources believe that Intel is concerned that once it agrees to reduce the price, the company may have difficulties to maintain gross margins in the 60% range and even after passing the crisis, the company may have difficulty in maintaining its pricing. Even with Intel able to maintain a high gross margin through its server platform, expecting Intel to drop CPU prices may be difficult to achieve, the sources added.
Update: ASUStek seems to maneuver by far the best among them (special early ultrabook engagement with Intel, with popssible higher discount, in addition to exploiting the Tegra 2 opportunity best via the only successful so far EeePad Transformer):
– Asustek expects better business performance in 2H11 [Aug 17, 2011]
Asustek Computer expects its performance in the second half of 2011 to be better than that of fellow Taiwan-based companies, according to CFO David Chang.
Asustek is likely to hit record quarterly revenues in the third quarter and is optimistic about business operation in the fourth mainly due to the launch of second-generation Eee Pad Transformer tablets and ultrabook notebooks, Chang said.
Asustek aims at a 14% market share for notebooks in China, and
became the largest vendor in Eastern Europe’s notebook market in the second quarter. In addition, Asustek is poised to make forays into Latin America, especially Brazil and Mexico.Asustek expects to ship 14 million notebooks and 4.5-5 million Eee PCs in 2011, Chang indicated. Asustek shipped 11.4 million motherboards in the first half and expects to ship 22.5-23 million for the year.
Tablet players expected to cut price to digest inventory overstock [Aug 16, 2011]
Non-Apple tablet PC players, facing the fact their devices are having weaker sales than their order volumes, while demand from the retail channel has been quickly shrinking, are expected to start cutting their tablet prices by the end of September to digest inventory and minimize losses, and the decisions are expected to trigger a new price war within the tablet industry, according to sources from notebook players.
The sources pointed out that most non-Apple tablet players had weaker-than-expected performances and Asustek, which had a rather better performance, had shipments of 700,000 tablets from May to July with actual sales only reaching 500,000 units.
RIM and High Tech Computer (HTC) are already placing their hopes in 2012 with Samsung and Motorola both seeing their tablet demand weaker than expected, while some other players such as Acer are gradually reducing their orders.
Motorola, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Asustek and Acer have all recently reduced their tablet prices with the lowest price currently at US$370; however, with their inventory will become harder to digest, the sources believe there will be at least two waves of price cuts from the end of September to the year-end holiday, reducing the tablet average price level to US$350 and may even drop further to US$300 in the future.
More: Acer & Asus: Compensating lower PC sales by tablet PC push[March 29, 2011 with updates upto Aug 2, 2011]
AMD’s Bright Outlook Likely to Boost Taiwan’s Supply Chain [Aug 16, 2011]
Taiwan’s IC supply chain is expected to benefit from good business performance of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), which is projected to outperform archrival Intel Corp. in the third quarter with increased shipment of accelerated processing units (APUs).
The Taiwan supply chin is mainly composed of manufacturers including foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), packager Siliconware Precision Industries Co., Ltd., tester STATS ChipPAC Taiwan Semiconductor Corp., and substrate maker Nanya Printed Circuit Board Corp.
AMD estimates its revenue for the third quarter to rise 8-12% from the second quarter, compared with Intel’s projected 8% revenue growth. According to AMD, it has enjoyed robust APU shipments since the second quarter, with both its PC and laptop APU shipments hit new highs.
AMD has contracted TSMC, currently the world’s No.1 pure foundry, to make its Ontario [C-series], Zacate [E-series], and Desna [Z-series, specific for tablet PCs, a power optimized version of C-series, which are also for ultra-thin notebooks: Z-01 of 5.9W vs. C-50 9W in both cases with two 1 GHz “Bobcat” CPU cores + 6250 GPU] processors using 40-nanometer process technology as well as its Hudson chips using 65nm process technology.
While increasing foundry outsourcing to TSMC, AMD has augmented packaging and testing contracts to Taiwan’s providers as well. Nanya is also expected to land contracts via Japanese partner NGK Spark Plug, which has directly received substrate contracts from AMD.
In the second quarter, AMD saw its revenue slightly dip 2% from the first quarter to US$1.57 billion, while its gross margin was 46%, up from 45% recorded in the first quarter this year.
AMD Llano processor shipments reach 1.3-1.5 million units in July [Aug 4, 2011]
AMD shipped about one million Llano [A-series, for mainstream notebooks, all-in-one PCs and desktop PCs: with up to four up to 2.9 GHz x86 CPU cores and with an integrated DirectX 11-capable discrete-level graphics unit that features up to 400 Radeon cores along with dedicated HD video processing on a single chip] APUs in June and 1.3-1.5 million units in July, and with the appearance of the company’s new Llano APUs in the fourth quarter, annual shipments of Llano in 2011 should reach 7.5-8 million units, according to sources from motherboard players.
The sources pointed out that AMD is pushing its 40nm-based C series (Ontario) and E series (Zacate) APUs for the entry-level market, while it is pushing 32nm-based Llano-based APUs for the mid-range to performance and mainstream markets, and is pushing 32nm AM3+ FX series (Zambezi) processors for the high-end market in the fourth quarter.
In 2012, AMD will launch a new APU series codenamed Krishna using a 28nm process from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), targeting mini PCs, and all-in-one PCs with an APU series codenamed Trinity to replace Llano for the mainstream market, adopting a 32nm process from Globalfoundries. For the high-end market, AMD will launch an APU series codenamed Komodo.
AMD shipping Llano APUs; prices leaked [May 23, 2011]
AMD has started shipping its Llano APUs to notebook clients and will begin to market the APUs to channels in July 2011, according to sources from notebook makers.
AMD targets to ship one million notebook-use Llano APUs in June, 1.5 million in July, and a total of 8-9 million for the whole of 2011, revealed the sources, citing AMD’s internal estimates.
If the shipment goals are realized, AMD will be able to boost its share in the notebook CPU segment to 15% by the end of the year, the sources commented.
Additionally, AMD will also launch six Llano and four Bulldozer APUs for desktops.
AMD: Llano and Bulldozer APU prices (k unit) Core Model Price Competing Intel model Llano/quad-core A8-3550P US$170 Core i5-2300 Llano/quad-core A8-3550 US$150 Llano/quad-core A6-3450P US$130 Core i3-2120/2010 Llano/quad core A6-3450 US$110 Llano/dual-core A4-3350P US$80 Pentium G6960/6950 and Sandy Bridge G800/600 Llano/dual core E2-3250 US$70 Pentium G620 Bulldozer/octo-core FX-8130P US$320 Core i7 2600K/2600 Bulldozer/octo-core FX-8130 US$290 Bulldozer/6-core FX-6110 US$240 Core i5 2500K/2500 Bulldozer/quad-core FX-4110 US$220
More: Acer repositioning for the post Wintel era starting with AMD Fusion APUs[June 17, 2011]
Apple cancels supply schedule of iPad 3 for 2H11 [Aug 16, 2011]
US-based tablet PC players Apple has recently canceled its iPad 3 supply schedule for the second half of 2011, forcing other tablet PC brand vendors that are set to launch same-level product to compete, to follow suit and delay their launch; however, supply of the iPad 2 in the second half will still be maintained at 28-30 million units, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.
Apple was originally set to launch its iPad 3 in the second half of 2011 with a supply volume of 1.5-2 million units in the third quarter and 5-6 million in the fourth quarter, but Apple’s supply chain partners have recently discovered that the related figures have all already been deleted, the sources pointed out.
The sources believe that the yield rate of the 9.7-inch panel that feature resolution of 2,048 by 1,536 may be the major reason of the supply delay since such panels are mainly supplied by Japan-based Sharp with a high price and Apple’s other supply partners Samsung Electronics and LG Display are both unable to reach a good yield. Since Apple is unable to control a certain level of supply volume, the iPad 3 is unlikely to be mass produced as scheduled, the sources added.
Sources from panel players also pointed out that the 9.7-inch panel with high resolution requires a much larger backlight source and a single edge light bar is hardly able to reach satisfaction levels. Due to iPad 3’s requirements over the physical thinness, rich color support and toughness will all conflict with the panel’s technology restrictions; therefore, this could cause a delay in the launch.
In June, LG Display supplied three million panels for the iPad 2 with Samsung supplying 1-1.5 million units and Chimei Innolux (CMI) 10,000-20,000 units. In July, LG’s supply volume dropped to 2.8 million units with Samsung maintaining its same levels, and CMI’s volume increased to 450,000-500,000 units.
Update: CMI fails to become iPad 3 panel supplier, say sources [Aug 19, 2011]
Chimei Innolux (CMI) has failed to become a LCD panel supplier for the Apple iPad 3 due to technological hurdles, according to industry sources.
CMI has cut into the supply chain of iPad 2, which uses IPS panels, but the new Apple tablet is more demanding in terms of resolution, the sources said. The iPad 3 will feature a 9.7-inch panel with resolution of 2,048×1,536 compared to the iPad 2’s 1,024×768.
CMI has been developing panels trying to meet the iPad 3 specifications, but problems with transmittance and yield rates of the panels have resulted in its failure to receive certification for the iPad, the sources said.
CMI began developing IPS panels last year after receiving license from Hitachi in July 2010. The license covers IPS, Super-IPS, Advanced-Super IPS, IPS-Pro, and IPS-Pro-Prolleza.
CMI previously scheduled mass production of IPS panels to begin as early as the end of 2010 or early 2011. But low yield rates delayed the mass production until recent months. The maker’s IPS panel monthly output in July 2011 reached nearly 500,000 units. It is looking forward to an output of one million units in August 2011, the sources said.
The sources noted that the iPad 3’s resolution requirement of 2,048×1,536 pixels is also a challenge even for iPad panel regular suppliers such as LG Display (LGD) and Samsung Electronics. Apart from the two Korea makers, Japan’s Sharp has als been selected to supply panels for the iPad 3, the sources said.
They noted that CMI still stands a chance of becoming a regular supplier for iPad 3 if it can improve its panel quality to meet Apple’s requirements. The maker recently invested NT$800 million to NT$1 billion [US$28 million to US$35 million] to improve manufacturing facilities, the sources said.
Chimei Innolux Continues Suffering Loss in Q2 [Aug 16, 2011]
Chimei Innolux Corp., the largest maker of thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panels in Taiwan, reported a loss of NT$13 billion (US$448.3 million) in the second quarter, deeper than institutional investors` forecast.
Industry sources said that the four major makers of large-sized TFT-LCD panels, i.e. AU Optronics Corp. (AUO), Chimei Innolux, Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd. (CPT) and HannStar Display Corp., together reported total loss of about NT$120 billion (US$413.8 million [US$4.15 billion]) in the past about one year.
Some institutional investors said that the all-size panel prices are expected to fall slightly, implying that makers` losses in the third quarter would not be less than second quarter`s.
At its recent half-year online shareholder meeting, Chimei adjusted down its capital spending to NT$50 billion to NT$60 billion (US$1.7 billion to US$2.1 billion) from NT$75 billion to NT$70 billion (US$2.6 billion to US$2.4 billion) lowered previously and NT$100 billion (US$3.4 billion) announced in early this year. Chimei said that this year the company would focus mainly on high-level equipment and R&D projects for touch-panel technology.
AUO, Chimei Innolux`s major rival and the No. 2 panel maker in Taiwan, recently also adjusted down its capital spending goal to under NT$70 billion (US$2.4 billion) from NT$90 billion to NT$95 billion (US$3.3 billion to US$3.1 billion).
Chimei Innolux is a merger between three companies, including Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp. (CMO), Innolux Display Corp., and TPO Displays Corp. (TPO), formed in the second quarter of 2010, and began reporting loss starting the third quarter of last year that has continued for four seasons.
AUO reported an accumulated loss of NT$36 billion (US$1.24 billion) in the past three quarters.
Eddie Chen, Chimei Innolux`s chief financial officer, said that his company focused on shipments of core businesses and cut many system assembly works in the second quarter. The company`s second-quarter shipments of large-sized panels increased about 10% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ), but its revenue generated from small/medium-sized panels fell 18.4% QoQ due to the falling panel prices. J.C. Wang, president of Chimei Innolux`s Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP) branch, pointed out that his company decided to cut system-assembly business because it takes too many labor forces and that`s not his company`s core competitiveness.
Wang said that the third quarter is a traditional high season, but the market now seems relatively weaker than it should be. In the second quarter, Chimei Innolux`s capacity utilization rate was about 80%, the company said that it would adjust according to market conditions.
LCD maker CPT still deep in red in second quarter [July 30, 2011]
LCD panel maker Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd (CPT, 中華映管) yesterday reported its 12th consecutive quarterly loss as prices for slim-screen panels for televisions and computers dropped on sluggish end demand.
The company added that outlook for the third quarter remained sluggish, with demand expected to fall below the seasonal norm.
However, Chunghwa Picture said it has no plans to cut its capital spending this year of between NT$2 billion (US$69 million) and NT$2.5 billion, which would be used to improve its equipment to produce high-definition flat panels used in tablet devices and smartphones.
Earlier this week, its bigger local rival, AU Optronics Corp (友達光電), said it planned to slash capital spending by 30 percent.
In the quarter ending June 30, Chunghwa Picture’s losses widened to NT$3.13 billion [US$108 million] from losses of NT$2.33 billion [US$80 million] in the first quarter. The Taoyuan-based company posted losses of NT$1.5 billion in the second quarter of last year.
“Market demand, especially for TVs and IT products [computers], slumped in the first half. Oversupply caused panel prices to drop further,” company president Lin Sheng-chang (林盛昌) said during a teleconference with investors.
“As the visibility for IT panels is unclear, we will make inventory management our priority,” Lin said.
Days of inventory increased to 37 days last quarter from 31 days in the first quarter, the company said.
The fragile economic recovery in the US and Europe is expected to curtail demand for consumer electronics, while demand for notebook computers should pick up slightly after new models hit the shelves, Chunghwa Picture said.
To combat these difficult times, Lin said the company would have to accelerate its shift to high-margin products, such as tablet panels, touch sensors and smartphone screens, in the second half.
Its newly formed strategic partnership with the world’s biggest e-paper display supplier, E Ink Holdings Inc (元太科技), will help it reach this goal, Lin said.
Last week, E Ink agreed to spend NT$1.5 billion [US$52 million] to subscribe to Chunghwa Picture bonds. Chunghwa Picture agreed to supply LCD panels to E Ink.
Besides e-paper displays, E Ink also supplies high-definition flat panels to LG Display and tablet device makers.
Shipments of LCD panels used in smartphones, tablets and consumer electronics should grow by 20 percent to 25 percent in the second half, from 200 million units shipped in the first half, Lin said.
Last quarter, revenues from small-and-medium LCD panels used in tablets and smartphones accounted for a larger share, 42 percent, of Chunghwa Picture’s total revenues of NT$15.93 billion, from 37 percent in the prior quarter, according to the company’s financial statement.
Chunghwa Picture also said it would terminate its money-losing cathode-ray-tube (CRT) business. The company plans to revamp its CRT factories in Malaysia and in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, and shift to touch panel assembly.
HannStar posts operating loss [Aug 15, 2011]
HannStar Display has announced unconsolidated results for second-quarter 2011, with total sales rising 10% sequentially to NT$1.15 billion (US$387.4 million). But it recorded an operating loss of NT$1.04 billion and a net loss of NT$ 1.57 billion [US$54 million], which was translated into a loss per share of NT$ 0.27.
Gross, operating, and net margin in the second quarter were 7%, -9%, and -14% respectively. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was 1%.
HannStar said the operating loss in the second quarter was the result of an effort to enlarge its manufacturing capacity in Nanjing, China, which cost it an extra NT$1.88 billion [US$65 million] in operation.
Capacity utilization of HannStar was nearly full in second-quarter 2011. Small- to medium-size panels under 10-inch took up about 45% of its total revenues. Notebook panels accounted for 10% and monitor panels 45%.
HannStar is expected to enhance notebook panels’ share to 15% and small- to medium-size panels to 55% in third-quarter 2011. Monitor panels’ share will be lowered to around 30%.
HannStar expects small- to medium-size panels’ share to reach 60% by end of 2011 and notebook panels to grow to 20%.
Explanatory excerpts from Pixel Qi’s first big name device manufacturing partner is the extremely ambitious ZTE [Feb 15, 2011, with updates up to June 3, 2011]
… to engage some of the largest factories that have ever been made, and for that to work their economics need very high volumes. We need to have customers who really commit to large purchase orders almost before we start to design.”
…
The display business can be considered to be the worlds biggest non-profit industry, the 5 biggest LCD makers who produce 90% of the worlds LCDs, produce for $120 Billion in screens every year but can only make small profit margins out of that because of the strong competition and the large volumes shipped. Those companies that produce the worlds LCD screens have very high costs, very high risks, little flexibility.
Nokia feature phones (S40) are losing market more than Nokia smartphones (S60, Symbian)
and look what entry level Android smartphones are destroying Nokia’s w/w market:
– Huawei’s IDEOS U8150 smartphone for US$86 in Kenya: 350,000 units sold in 8 months [Aug 17, 2011]
Gartner Says Sales of Mobile Devices in Second Quarter of 2011 Grew 16.5 Percent Year-on-Year; Smartphone Sales Grew 74 Percent [Aug 11, 2011]
Table 1
Worldwide Mobile Device Sales to End Users by Vendor in 2Q11 (Thousands of Units)
Vendor 2Q11 Units 2Q11 Market Share (%) 2Q10 Units 2Q10 Market Share (%) Nokia 97,869.30 22.8 111,473.70 30.3 Samsung 69,827.60 16.3 65,328.20 17.8 LG 24,420.80 5.7 29,366.70 8 Apple 19,628.80 4.6 8,743.00 2.4 ZTE 13,070.20 3 6,730.60 1.8 RIM 12,652.30 3 11,628.80 3.2 HTC 11,016.10 2.6 5,908.80 1.6 Motorola 10,221.40 2.4 9,109.40 2.5 Huawei 9,026.10 2.1 5,276.40 1.4 Sony Ericsson 7,266.50 1.7 11,008.50 3 Others 153,662.10 35.8 103,412.60 28.1 Total 428,661.20 100 367,986.70 100 “Smartphone sales continued to rise at the expense of feature phones,” said Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner. “Consumers in mature markets are choosing entry-level and midrange Android smartphones over feature phones, partly due to carriers’ and manufacturers’ promotions.” However, replacement sales in Western Europe showed signs of fatigue as smartphone sales declined quarter-on-quarter.
In smartphones, Nokia’s sales into the channel in the second quarter of 2011 were low. This was partly due to a very competitive market that deflated demand for Symbian [S60], but also to inventory management issues in Europe and China in particular. The channel bought less and worked hard to reduce stock levels, partly by cutting prices on older products. These factors reduced Nokia’s average selling price for smartphones, compared to the first quarter of 2011. “The sales efforts of the channel, combined with Nokia’s greater concentration in retail and distributors’ sales, saw Nokia destock more than 9 million units overall and 5 million smartphones, helping it hold on to its position as the leading smartphone manufacturer by volume,” said Ms. Cozza. “However, we will not see a repeat of this performance in the third quarter of 2011, as Nokia’s channel is pretty lean.”
Before continuing the Gartner press release let’s see a recalculated diagramm based on Gartner data but showing more precisely the change in the market from Nokia point of view (Nokia S60 = Symbian = Nokia smartphones, Nokia S40 = Nokia feature phones):
| Operating System | 2Q11 K Units | 2Q11 Market Share (%) | 2Q10 K Units | 2Q10 Market Share (%) | Y/Y (unitwise) |
| Nokia S60 | 23853.20 | 5.56% | 25386.80 | 6.90% | -6.04% |
| Nokia S40 | 74016.10 | 17.27% | 86086.90 | 23.39% | -14.02% |
| Apple | 19628.80 | 4.58% | 8743.00 | 2.38% | 124.51% |
| RIM | 12652.30 | 2.95% | 11628.80 | 3.16% | 8.80% |
| Android | 46775.90 | 10.91% | 10652.70 | 2.89% | 339.10% |
| Total: | 176926.30 | 41.27% | 142498.20 | 38.72% | 24.16% |
| Others | 251734.90 | 58.73% | 225488.50 | 61.28% | 11.64% |
| Grand total: | 428661.20 | 100.00% | 367986.70 | 100.00% | 16.49% |
Samsung achieved strong growth in sales of mobile devices. For example, the Galaxy S II sold well, and this model went on to chalk up 5 million sales by the end of July. A strong performance in the smartphone market helped Samsung increase its market share, to become the third-largest smartphone vendor. However, its overall share dropped year-on-year, and grew only marginally quarter-on-quarter, mainly due to Samsung’s weaker presence in more price-sensitive market segments.
Apple continued to exceed expectations, even though the iPhone 4 will soon be replaced by a new model. Part of its growth came from the 42 new carriers and 15 new countries that it entered in the second quarter of 2011, which brought its total coverage to 100 countries. This expansion caused its inventory to grow a little by the end of the second quarter of 2011, when sales to end users stood at 19.6 million units. In mainland China, Apple is the seventh-largest mobile phone vendor and the third-largest smartphone vendor.
Research In Motion’s (RIM’s) share of the smartphone market declined to 12 percent in the second quarter of 2011, from 19 percent a year ago. Also, the company lost its No. 5 position in the worldwide ranking of mobile device vendors to ZTE. Demand for RIM’s devices in the second quarter was impaired by an ageing portfolio and delays in shipping products. In the coming quarters RIM will have to deal with increased competition to its messaging offering and manage a platform migration from BlackBerry 7 to QNX.
Google and Apple are the obvious winners in the smartphone ecosystem. The combined share of iOS and Android in the smartphone operating system (OS) market doubled to nearly 62 percent in the second quarter of 2011, up from just over 31 percent in the corresponding period of 2010 (see Table 2). Gartner analysts observed that these two OSs have the usability that consumers enjoy, the apps that consumers feel they need, and increasingly a portfolio of services delivered by the platform owner as well.
Table 2
Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users by Operating System in 2Q11 (Thousands of Units)
Operating System 2Q11 K Units 2Q11 Market Share (%) 2Q10 K Units 2Q10 Market Share (%) Android 46775.90 43.4 10652.70 17.2 Symbian 23853.20 22.1 25386.80 40.9 iOS 19628.80 18.2 8743.00 14.1 RIM 12652.30 11.7 11628.80 18.7 Bada 2055.80 1.9 577.00 0.9 Microsoft 1723.80 1.6 3058.80 4.9 Others 1050.60 1 2010.90 3.2 Total 107740.40 100 62058.10 100
Nokia’s own report is first shown in a diagramm form:
Nokia Q2 2011 net sales EUR 9.3 billion, non-IFRS EPS EUR 0.06 (reported EPS EUR -0.10) [July 27, 2011]
Devices & Services5
| EUR million | Q2/2011 | Q2/2010 | YoY Change | Q1/2011 | QoQ Change |
| Net sales | 5 467 | 6 799 | -20% | 7 087 | -23% |
| Smart Devices net sales | 2 368 | 3 503 | -32% | 3 528 | -33% |
| Mobile Phones net sales | 2 551 | 3 190 | -20% | 3 407 | -25% |
| Mobile device volume (million units) | 88.5 | 111 | -20% | 108.5 | -18% |
| Smart Devices volume (million units) | 16.7 | 25.2 | -34% | 24.2 | -31% |
| Mobile Phones volume (million units) | 71.8 | 85.8 | -16% | 84.3 | -15% |
| Mobile device ASP6 | 62 | 61 | 2% | 65 | -5% |
| Smart Devices ASP6 | 142 | 139 | 2% | 146 | -3% |
| Mobile Phones ASP6 | 36 | 37 | -3% | 40 | -10% |
Note 5 relating to Devices & Services reporting structure: Effective from April 1, 2011, our Devices & Services business includes two new operating and reportable segments – Smart Devices, which focuses on smartphones, and Mobile Phones, which focuses on mass market mobile devices – as well as Devices & Services Other. Prior period results for each quarter and the full year 2010 and Q1 2011 have been regrouped (on an unaudited basis) for comparability purposes according to the new reporting format. The regrouped financial information can be accessed at: http://www.nokia.com/investors
Note 6 relating to average selling prices (ASP): Mobile device ASP represents total Devices & Services net sales (Smart Devices net sales, Mobile Phones net sales, and Devices & Services Other net sales) divided by total Devices & Services volumes. Devices & Services Other net sales includes net sales of Nokia’s luxury phone business Vertu and spare parts, as well as intellectual property royalty income. Smart Devices ASP represents Smart Devices net sales divided by Smart Devices volumes. Mobile Phones ASP represents Mobile Phones net sales divided by Mobile Phones volumes.
…
– In Smart Devices, those who already have viewed our early Windows Phone work are very optimistic about the devices Nokia will bring to market and about the long-term opportunities. Step by step, beginning this year, we plan to have a sequence of concentrated product launches in specific countries, systematically increasing the number of countries and launch partners.
– In Mobile Phones, early results of the Dual SIM product launches are very encouraging, and we are on track to deliver more products this year.
…
At the end of the first quarter 2011, our sales channel inventories were slightly above normal levels given then anticipated volumes. During the second quarter 2011, distributors and operators purchased fewer of our devices across our portfolio as they reduced their inventories of Nokia devices. The second quarter 2011 ended with our sales channel inventories near the midpoint of our normal range of 4-6 weeks.
…
Nokia Crashing in China, Distributors Refusing Nokia Products [Aug 15, 2011]
Nokia faces challenge in China market [China.org.cn, Aug 15, 2011]
Nokia has a crisis on its hands as vendors in China, its biggest market, are facing a huge pile-up of inventory and have refused to place new orders, Caixin Century reported Monday.
“Our (sales) channels collapsed in the second quarter because of the inventory overhang,” said a mid-level sales manager with Nokia China. Nothing like this has ever happened before, said the manager, who refused to be identified.
Nokia shareholders clamour for answers on Microsoft cooperation [HELSINGIN SANOMAT, May 4, 2011]
The Annual General Meeting of Nokia saw a record turnout on Tuesday.
More than 3,000 shareholders appeared at the Helsinki Fair Centre to listen to President and CEO Stephen Elop address the shareholders for the first time, in what many of them said was an inspiring speech.
The meeting chose a number of new members for the company’s Board of Directors, including paper manufacturer Stora Enso CEO Jouko Karvinen, Finance Company Sampo CEO Kari Stadigh, oil company Statoil CEO Helge Lund, as well as Stephen Elop himself. Chairman Jorma Ollila said that the search is already on for his successor. Ollila has said that he will leave the post at next year’s AGM.: Nokia’s Windows phones are very important. How does Nokia plan to press the gas pedal and change engines at the same time?
“Our cooperation has gone well. We are very enthusiastic about our family of products, which we will publish soon. With the help of our cooperation with Accenture we will see to it that we will have the Symbian operating system available after the change. We are increasing investments into the operating system of cheap phones, and in technologies of the future”, says Nokia CEO Stephen ElopAnalyst Ben Wood says that Nokia has been wandering aimlessly for years as in a dream, and done only what it has done before. Why is this?
“First of all, Nokia’s management has not wandered in a dream. Nokia’s strategy has been quite clear, because we saw this change, and we have the steps for how to move ahead. As far as Symbian is concerned, we saw the forthcoming change on the basis of the demands of our customers, but we are not able to influence it as quickly as we should have”, says Chairman of the Board Jorma Ollila.Did you consider using the Meego operating system along with other manufacturers?
“We discussed Meego with HTC, RIM, Samsung, LG, and Motorola. One manufacturer was fairly interested in Meego and the others have their own plans, and they were not particularly interested in Meego. They were afraid that Nokia had too much power in Meego”, Elop says.There have been extensive reports in the media about the security breach affecting the Sony PlayStation. Microsoft Windows has been very vulnerable in data security. How will Nokia protect its telephones and its services with many credit card transactions?
“Data security and privacy are very important for us, and we need to take care of it in all of our business activities. We have comprehensive means for securing the privacy and data security of our consumers. Our phones have a completely different operating system than the Windows that is in a computer.”Nokia pays Microsoft for the use of Windows, and gets payments in return. Can you say how many billions in profit are involved, and what is the schedule for payment?
“We do not give any details on compensations and fees. If we would tell them now, our competitors would get information which would cause problems for all of us. The payments [software licences] that we pay to Microsoft are very competitive, because we aim to sell a significant number of Windows phones.”Will the Meego product that comes on sale at the end of the year be a touch-screen computer?
“No, it is not a tablet computer. There are 200 touch-screen computers on the market, and the only one that is a financial success is the Apple iPad. There is no point in us imitating it, like all of the others are doing without success. We need to make different kinds of products.”Competition in China is intense, and they copy almost anything there. How can Nokia secure its competitiveness in China?
“Our industrial rights are our most important asset right after our personnel. It has long been predicted that officials in China would start taking a more serious attitude toward industrial rights, now that their own industry is starting to produce patented inventions. We are approaching this moment, and we are starting to defend industrial rights in China.”When Nokia announced its new strategy, investors were not immediately excited. The share price fell sharply. Is this because Nokia has failed in assuring investors or is this cooperation simply bad news?
“Big investors understand and support our strategy. The first reason for the uncertainly was that in February we had no binding contract. In addition, we could not initially report on savings in costs, and we have still not revealled precisely when the first Windows phone will be available. The message from investors was clear to us: Nokia needs to show that changes will be implemented, and that they will bring results.”
First Nokia WP7 in Q4 via an ODM route from Compal
Follow-up:
Nokia Lumia (Windows Phone 7) value proposition [Oct 26, 2011]
Note: the “affordable” Nokia Lumia 710 is the one produced by Compal (the 800 is by Nokia itself)
Update [Aug 17, 2011]:
– @mechaghost Elbert Perez [his website: http://www.occasionalgamer.com/ see also: here]
I caught you Nokia 800 and Acer M310 on my reporting page. #wp7
3 hours agovia Twitter for Windows Phone
– Why Nokia coming to Windows phone is a huge deal [Aug 14, 2011]
– Nokia Teams Up With Polar to Launch Over 300 Mobile Apps for Major Media Brands Globally [Aug 17, 2011]:
Nokia (www.nokia.com) has entered into an agreement with Polar Mobile (www.polarmobile.com) to launch over 300 mobile apps for Nokia smartphones over the next 12 months. Polar Mobile will be launching apps on Nokia smartphones for over 300 top tier media brands globally, including the likes of Wired UK, Kompas, Advertising Age, Globe and Mail, Shanghai Daily and 7DAYS. The apps will be made available to consumers of Nokia’s Symbian smartphones, the recently announced Nokia N9 and future Nokia with Windows Phone devices.
– DroidUser999 says: … What happened to Nokia-MS Party on Aug 17th. Did they announce anything?[August 17, 2011 at 12:42 pm]
Taigatrommel says: August 17, 2011 at 6:38 pm
It was said they’d have a “small portfolio of devices” ready this year for small launch on limited regions.
I think they talked about a touch-only phone as well as one with a keyboard. So this small portfolio would include two different devices.
– More information: Nokia’s North America centric approach for Windows Phone 7 [Aug 11, 2011]
– More information (for the gaming and entertainment space): Nokia Windows Phone to debut on August 17 at the huge gamescom 2011 event [Aug 3, 2011 with updates up to Aug 20, 2011]
End of update
@dnystedt Dan Nystedt
Nokia supplier, Compal, to start shipping Windows Phone 7 smartphones to Nokia in September, total 2 million in Q4, Taiwan media say.
12 Augvia web
Mango phones to compete with new iPhone in September [July 29, 2011]
Branded handset vendors including HTC, Samsung Electronics, and LG Electronics all plan to launch Microsoft’s Mango-based smartphones in September, competing neck and neck with the forthcoming iPhone which is also slated for the same month, according to industry sources.
Other vendors to unveil Mango phones at the recently concluded Microsoft’s 2011 WPC (Worldwide Partner Conference) included Acer, ZTE and Fujitsu Toshiba, the sources indicated.
In cooperation with Fujitsu Toshiba, Japan-based mobile carrier KDDI has unveiled its first Mango phone, the IS12T, which features a Qualcomm MSM 8655 processor, 3.7-inch touch screen and 13.2-megapixel camera.
HTC is expected to roll out a number of Mango phones, powered by Qualcomm 1.5GHz single-core CPUs with display sizes ranging from 3.8- to 4.7-inch, the sources noted.
Nokia is expected to unveil its first batch of Mango phones at Nokia World 2011 to be held in October, at a time when fellow vendors have already heated up the market for Mango phones, which will probably be a good strategy for the handset vendor, commented the sources.
Nokia, China Mobile open the Windows [Aug 13, 2011]
Colin Giles, executive vice-president of Nokia Corp, who is in charge of the company’s global sales, said Nokia has always been committed to China Mobile’s Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) technology – the first globally recognized 3G telecommunications standard, led by China.
Giles made the remarks at a news briefing in Beijing on Friday, when China Mobile, the world’s biggest telecom carrier by users, officially launched the commercial version of Mobile Market-Nokia store, a joint-brand mobile application outlet, for Chinese TD-SCDMA mobile-phone users.
However, Giles did not reveal further details of Nokia’s TD-SCDMA Windows phones and the launch date was not disclosed.
…
Nokia is winding down its use of the Symbian operating system to focus on developing Windows phones with Microsoft at the US-based company’s facility in San Diego, California. It plans to deliver the first batch of Windows Phone 7 smartphones in the second half of this year.
“We will continue to introduce a diversified portfolio of TD-SCDMA devices and services,” Giles said, referring to the relationship with China Mobile as one between the world’s leading operator and leading mobile phone manufacturer.
Compal Communications smartphone shipments to be boosted by Nokia orders [June 28, 2011]
Taiwan-based ODM maker Compal Communications shipped only 3.91 million smartphones in 2010 and has downward adjusted 2011 target shipment volume from 6.0 million smartphones to 4.5 million, but stands a chance of shipping 10-15 million smartphones through reliance on Nokia, according to industry sources in Taiwan.
Compal’s shipments of Android, WebOS and Windows Phone 7 (WP7) smartphones to Nokia, Motorola, Hewlett-Packard (HP)and Acer in the first quarter of 2011 accounted for 70% of total shipments and 85% of total revenues, the sources indicated.
Compal has relatively strong R&D capabilities among Taiwan-based handset ODM makers as well as supporting resources from the Compal Group, but many ODM orders for smartphones are in too small volumes to reach an economy of scale, the sources said.
As Compal will begin shipping Mango (an update edition of WP7) smartphones to Nokia in the fourth quarter of 2011, Compal is likely to see a large increase in ODM orders from Nokia in 2012 if Mango smartphone models sell well in the global market and Nokia keeps downsizing its in-house R&D staff and strengthen ODM partnership with Compal, the sources analyzed. If so, Compal is expected to obtain orders for Mango smartphones from other vendors as well, such as Acer and LG Electronics, the sources indicated.
Compal has signed with Microsoft for licensed use of the Mango platform and Tango, a platform to succeed Mango, the sources noted.
Compal Communications lowers 2011 handset shipments target; signs WP7 licensing agreement with Microsoft [June 24, 2011]
Compal Communications has lowered its handset shipments target for 2011 to 4.5 million units from six million projected earlier due to adjustments in product strategies by its clients, according to company chairman Ray Chen.
However, Compal will continue moving forward with its ongoing policy of migrating to the production of smartphones, stated Chen.
Compal shipped 3.9 million handsets in 2010, with smartphones accounting for 43% in shipment volume and 72% in total revenues. In the first quarter of 2011, handset shipments totaled 760,000 units, with smartphones accounting for 70% in volume and 85% in revenues.
Smartphones will make up nearly 100% of the company’s handset shipments by the fourth quarter of 2011, making Compal the largest smartphone ODM in Taiwan, Chen stated.
In other news, Compal has signed a licensing agreement with Microsoft for the use of Windows Phone 7. Prior to reaching an agreement with Compal, Microsoft had signed similar licensing agreements with seven companies: Nokia, HTC, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE, all brand vendors.
Compal will build up a foundation based on the WP7 platform that will enable it to shorten time to market for customized smartphoneswhile expanding the pool of Windows Phone-based clients, Chen commented.
Actually, Compal has already landed some orders for Windows Phone 7-based smartphones from Nokia with shipments to begin in the fourth quarter of 2011, according to industry sources. Compal will also solicit Windows Phone orders from Acer.
Nokia’s North America centric approach for Windows Phone 7
Follow-up:
– Nokia Lumia (Windows Phone 7) value proposition [Oct 26, 2011]
– Designing smarter phones–Marko Ahtisaari (Nokia) and Albert Shum (Microsoft) [Nov 23, 2011]
Note: Both Lumias come first to countries other than North-America where a portfolio of Lumias will be introduced just the first half of 2012.
Update 2:
– Nokia US President Chris Weber: Why Lumia’s a hit [Nokia Conversations, Dec 20, 2011]
Chief explains why the 710 is right for America and hints: you ain’t seen nothing yet
I got a few minutes with Chris Weber, President, Nokia North America, after the smartphone sales announcementlast Wednesday. Without further ado, here’s what went down…
Chris, what excites you particularly about the Nokia Lumia 710 coming to the US on T-Mobile?
First of all, this is a world-class smartphone that is aimed at converting current feature-phone owners over to the exciting world of smartphone ownership. Our numbers show that more than 150 million Americans don’t have smartphones currently. Many are on the fence because of high phone costs or high monthly plan costs.
The Lumia 710, with T-Mobile, will cost only $49 and monthly plans will cost around $50 per month.
What sets the 710 apart from the competition?
The Lumia 710 has a great hardware offering with a 1.4 Ghz SnapDragon processor, a color-popping ClearBlack display, and Nokia’s exclusive Nokia Drive, which offers great point-to-navigation so you can leave your GPS behind when traveling. Not to mention, you get Nokia’s amazing industrial design all backed by the amazing usability of Windows Phone.
This is the first look for Nokia fans in the US at Windows Phone – what’s cool about it?
Windows Phone is amazingly fast and usable right out of box. Because Windows Phone integrates popular social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter – users can easily sign in and utilize these without installing apps for them.
It’s known that first-time smartphone owners hate setting up their devices and installing loads of apps just to get started on their networks of choice. On Windows Phone, you do a simple set up process and you’re good to go.
My favorite uses for Windows Phone are the People Hub, Live Tiles and the amazing Open Table integration that helps you find reservations all within the Local Scout utility – this is very cool.
Tell me more about the custom offerings for the Lumia phones, specifically Nokia Maps and ESPN – what can we look forward to?
Nokia Maps and ESPN will come pre-loaded on the phones at purchase. Rest assured that Nokia Maps is a huge platform for us that we see a lot of potential for. There will be exciting announcement and additions in the near future, but I can’t say more now.
As for ESPN, our partnership with them has yielded unique experiences and custom content to the Nokia Lumia 710. Again, we have some awesome features that sports fans will just eat up coming in the near future, we are iterating fast and news will be coming in the coming months.
So, this is the start of a set of Nokia phones, can you elaborate?
I can say that we have been talking to a number of carriers and we’ve been astounded at their overwhelming support. We will be launching more phones on other carriers. The Lumia 710 is the start of a portfolio of products aimed at the United States.
We like to call our Windows Phone Portfolio rollout “rolling thunder”. What this means is that we will have numerous announcements spread throughout the coming months that will offer something for everyone. In our view, this is a marathon, not a sprint, and we anticipate being a major player in the US market by this time next year.
More information:
– T-Mobile brings Nokia Lumia 710 to the U.S. [joint press release, Dec 14, 2011]: “Nokia and T-Mobile deliver a leading entry-level Windows Phone experience to the nearly 150 million Americans still to make the transition to smartphones.” [expected to be available starting Jan. 11]
– Nokia Lumia 710 now shipping [Dec 9, 2011]: “Second Windows Phone smartphone from Nokia reaches stores today [in Taiwan]”
Update 1:
– DroidUser999 says: … What happened to Nokia-MS Party on Aug 17th. Did they announce anything? [August 17, 2011 at 12:42 pm]
Taigatrommel says: August 17, 2011 at 6:38 pm
It was said they’d have a “small portfolio of devices” ready this year for small launch on limited regions.
I think they talked about a touch-only phone as well as one with a keyboard. So this small portfolio would include two different devices.
– More information (for the gaming and entertainment space): Nokia Windows Phone to debut on August 17 at the huge gamescom 2011 event [Aug 3, 2011 with updates up to Aug 20, 2011]
– @dnystedt Dan Nystedt
Nokia supplier, Compal, to start shipping Windows Phone 7 smartphones to Nokia in September, total 2 million in Q4, Taiwan media say.
12 Aug via web
– More information: First Nokia WP7 in Q4 via an ODM route from Compal [Aug 13, 2011, with updates up to Aug 17, 2011]
End of updates
Exclusive: Nokia to Exit Symbian, Low-End Phone Businesses in North America [AllThingsD, Aug 9, 2011]
In an interview with AllThingsD, the head of Nokia’s U.S. subsidiary [Chris Weber] said that the company will also focus exclusively on sales through traditional wireless carriers. In the past, Nokia has sold its smartphones at full price to consumers, after finding carriers unwilling to significantly subsidize or market the products. It has also had a significant — if low margin — business selling low-cost feature phones.
…
North America is a priority for Nokia, Weber said, in part because it is a key market for Microsoft and also because Nokia sees it as a key to winning in the smartphone battle globally.
“We’ll develop for North America and make the phones globally available and applicable,” Weber said. “In fact, evidence of that is that the first Windows Phones that will ship are being done by our group in San Diego.”
[where the headquarters and main engineering sites of Qualcomm are]Nokia plans its biggest-ever marketing pushfocused on reestablishing its presence in the U.S.
“Without getting into numbers, it is significantly larger than anything we have done in the past and the most we will invest in any market worldwide,” Weber said. “They are putting their money where their mouth is.”
Nokia exec: Android and iPhone focus on the app is “outdated” [VentureBeat, Aug 9, 2011]
Weber … cited an effort to consolidate many of Nokia’s U.S. operations in Sunnyvale, a project he says resembles running a start-up [with a challenger mentality]. Since Weber joined Nokia in February, he’s already changed 80 percent of his leadership team, noting that he has “10 to 11 new direct reports” out of a total of 14. Weber had left Microsoft in December, after running enterprise sales for the software giant.
…
Weber called Android and the iOS phone platforms “outdated.” While Apple’s iPhone, and its underlying iOS operating system, set the standard for a modern user interface with “pinch and zoom,” Weber conceded, it also forces people to download multiple applications which they then have to navigate between. There’s a lot of touching involved as you press icons or buttons to activate application features. Android essentially “commoditized” this approach, Weber said.
Nokia, by contrast, will offer a more seamless and efficient interface with its “live tiles and hubs” approach. It does this via Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system, where applications will be integrated into everything you do. For example, if you want to communicate with a business contact, you select the contact from your address book, and then communicate in any way you want — via LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter — without having to open those individual applications. That’s because everything is built around contacts, not applications. And your profile and most important contacts are represented by tiles on your home screen, which update dynamically as you or your contacts make status updates. On the iPhone and Android, by contrast, the home screen icons remain static.
…
Here’s one killer feature afforded by Mango: Using it, Nokia phones will be able to use voice commands to complete tasks without ever touching the phone. Weber demoed this feature for me (but unfortunately, wouldn’t let me shoot video of it), but here’s how it worked: When I texted him, his phone received the text and then automatically read the message out to him. He then directed his phone — again, using only voice — to reply to me with a spoken message. It arrived on my phone promptly. He did all this without ever touching his phone. And he’s said he’s used the voice feature to conduct scores of phone conversations, too, answering and hanging up without ever touching the phone. That’s pretty cool, indeed.
In fact, we’ve previously referenced this technology. However, Weber said the feature is much better than Android or Apple equivalents, because with those competing phones you have to touch the phone each time you want to initiate their voice-to-text features.
It’s a certainly a good feature to showcase, but its also not a game-changer, that massive overhaul that could give Nokia a decisive lead.
It’s not clear exactly how Nokia plans to distinguish itself from the host of other manufacturers — HTC, Samsung and LG — who are also committed to building phones on Mango.
Weber kept stressing Nokia’s superior hardware. And Nokia will also benefit from its relative leadership in location-based services via its ecommerce and maps offerings, which it owns directly, and therefore can monetize more effectively.
Qualcomm’s new partnership with Nokia
Follow-up:
Nokia Lumia (Windows Phone 7) value proposition [Oct 26, 2011]
Note: The “affordable” Nokia Lumia 710 is the one produced by Compal (the 800 is by Nokia itself). Snapdragon S2 MSM8255 @ 1.4GHz is used in both models.
From being an enemy to being a partner [China Daily, Aug 4, 2011]
Paul Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Qualcomm Inc, said the biggest challenge for him since he took over the company in 2005 was to turn Qualcomm from an enemy disliked by many industry players to a popular and amiable partner.
The company, which was founded by his father, Irwin Jacobs, in the United States city of San Diego in 1985, had been known for providing support for a digital wireless technology named Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA).
Unlike his father, who closely focused on CDMA technology, the son has a much broader vision and he strongly believes in the upcoming mobile Internet, in which cell phones are going to be the devices that everybody uses and connects to the Internet.
The idea has driven Jacobs junior to expand his father’s business into two major parts – mobile phone chipset production and patent licensing. The patent licensing includes CDMA technology and European-adopted technology Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA).
Jacobs said he has witnessed some critical changes in the past six years. Instead of being caught up in lawsuits concerning intellectual rights, which used to be a common occurrence, companies have begun to regard Qualcomm as a good partner.
“Partnership was the thing we were missing,” he said in an exclusive interview with China Daily. It was great that Qualcomm had been known for two things – innovation and execution– because the company would come up with new things and would deliver qualified chips on time.
However, many companies didn’t like Qualcomm because it imposed high intellectual property royalties on its products. “They felt like they were our hostages. They didn’t like us. They resented us,” Jacobs recalled.
So in the first all-hands meeting after the son took the helm in 2005, he got up and said: “We are going to be known for three things – innovation, execution, and partnership.”
The company seemed to benefit from the decision and win back partners. Qualcomm and Nokia Corp, the world’s biggest mobile phone maker by volume, had fought for years over intellectual property disputessince Jacobs started to act as CEO.
Now the two companies have settled the lawsuits and are working together in San Diego to develop Nokia’s first smart phone running on a Windows platform.
Nokia Corp’s chief executive officer, Stephen Elop, said Qualcomm would be “an important partner” as his company is about to enter the Windows phone era.
“But Nokia still has a general strategy that we would like to have multiple partners for critical components,” Elop said at the Nokia Connection 2011 event in Singapore in June.
Jacobs said he is “very excited about that opportunity”, as Nokia eventually paved the way to adopt Qualcomm’s chips. “Our relationships are good and I think they will be even better when the first batch of Nokia phones starts to come out.”
Currently, all nine Windows phone models in the world’s markets are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, said the company.
“Qualcomm has the lead position on Windows Phone and it will take its competitors time to get up to speed on that operating system,” Jon Erensen, research director of Gartner’s mobile handset and consumer electronic semiconductors, wrote in an email to China Daily.
Qualcomm also sees good partnerships growing in the Chinese market, as China contributed the biggest revenue share of 29 percent in the company’s 2010 fiscal year, surpassing South Korea.
In China, the most important strategic alliance for Qualcomm is China Telecom Corp Ltd, the smallest telecom carrier of the country. The operator took the 3G license in 2009and runs a CDMA network in China.
China’s CDMA industry chain has flourished since 2009. Wang Xiaochu, general manager of China Telecom Corp Ltd, said the toughest time for China’s CDMA terminal industry chain had passed, since the market volume grew to 41.9 million units in 2010 from 7.67 million mobile phones in 2008.
China Telecom expects to sell more than 60 million CDMA mobile phones in 2011 and, by mid-June, about 25 million units had already been shipped.
“China Telecom is really where the center of the CDMA universe is now. It used to be more North American focused. Now I think it’s much more about China and Asia,” Jacobs said.
Qualcomm could be one of the companies that benefits most from China’s booming CDMA industry, since the company dominates the world’s CDMA chip market.
Meanwhile, the company has also cooperated with China Unicom to help produce WCDMA handsets.
Qualcomm’s relationship with China Mobile Ltd, the world’s biggest telecom carrier with more than 600 million subscribers, was relatively weak in the past. China Mobile adopted GSM technology in the 2G era and home-grown TD-SCDMA technology in the 3G era. Qualcomm had few products supporting these standards.
But Jacobs said his company’s latest chips, such as dual-core MSM 8960, are about to support various international telecommunication standards, including TD-LTE technology, which China Mobile is actively promoting.
Since China is now the world’s biggest mobile phone production country and mobile phone market, Qualcomm would really like to build up its partnerships with Chinese carriers and mobile phone makers here, the CEO added.
Wang Yanhui, secretary-general of the China Mobile Phone Alliance, said Qualcomm had signed patent licensing agreements with more than 50 mainland handset manufacturers and is setting up a research and development team of roughly 1,000 people in Shanghai.
Domestic handset makers, such as Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp, are all in good relationships with Qualcomm. Jacobs expected these Chinese companies to achieve a similar success with South Korea companies such as LG Corp and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.
Jacobs said it was very interesting in China that because China issued 3G licenses relatively later than other countries, Chinese mobile phone makers had built up an export market first.
“Then they come back to China’s 3G market with rich experience. That’s going to help them to achieve a greater success.”
In addition to providing high-end chips, which run at a fast speed and have rich functionality, Qualcomm also focuses on low-end mobile chips aimed for the mass market.
“We are driving the price down at that low endto get the mass market smart phone because we really believe that providing mobile broadband very widely to a lot of people is important, not just because of the good business for us, but because it also improves people’s lives,” he added.
Qualcomm’s move to further cut the low-end mobile phone chips could apply more pressure on some Taiwan-based chip makers, such as MediaTek Inc, but the hundreds of small- and medium-sized mobile phone manufacturers in China would benefit from the competition.
…
Qualcomm’s global annual revenue rose to $11 billion in fiscal year 2010 from $7.53 billion in 2006. The company shipped 207 million MSM chips in fiscal year 2006, and the figure increased to 399 million in fiscal year 2010.
Qualcomm Signs MOU with China’s Ministry of Information Industry for CDMA [Dec 4, 2000]
The MOU confirms MII’s support of Qualcomm’s Framework Agreement with China Unicom dated January 28, 2000, pursuant to cooperation between China and Qualcomm in developing CDMA technologies. This MOU also supports the deployment in China of a nationwide network based on CDMA technology with continued migration to advanced CDMA technology supporting higher data rates. With over 70 million mobile communications subscribers, China has become the second-largest and fastest-growing mobile market in the world. Qualcomm’s MOU with MII has laid down the foundation of long-term cooperation between Qualcomm and China’s information industry.
Qualcomm Announces Signing of Commercial License for CDMA Network Products with Huawei Technologies [Nov 1, 2001]
Under the terms of the royalty-bearing license agreement, Qualcomm has granted Huawei a license under Qualcomm’s CDMA patent portfolio to develop, manufacture and sell cdmaOne™ and third-generation (3G) CDMA2000 1X/1xEV network equipment. The license grants Huawei the right to use Qualcomm’s patented technology and chipsets to make and sell cdmaOne and CDMA2000 1X equipment in China and worldwide.
Qualcomm Enters into CDMA Subscriber Unit and Infrastructure License Agreements with 11 Chinese Manufacturers [Jan 23, 2002]
… making a total of 17 domestic Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturers that are now licensed by Qualcomm. Under the terms of the worldwide royalty-bearing license agreements, Qualcomm has granted these Chinese manufacturers licenses under Qualcomm’s CDMA patent portfolio to develop, manufacture and sell cdmaOne™ and third-generation (3G) CDMA2000 1X/1xEV-DO subscriber unit and/or infrastructure equipment.
China Unicom Announces the Signing of a Detailed Agreement with China Telecom on the Disposal of its CDMA Business [July 28, 2008]
Previously, on 2 June 2008, Unicom announced that it had entered into a CDMA Business Framework Agreement with China Telecom. On that same day, Unicom announced that it planned to merge with China Netcom Group Corporation (Hong Kong) Limited (“Netcom”) (HKSE: 0906, NYSE: CN).
The total consideration, payable in cash to Unicom by China Telecom, remains unchanged at RMB43.8 billion (approximately HK$50.1 billion [US$6.3B]) and Unicom expects to realise an estimated net gain before tax of approximately RMB37.6 billion (approximately HK$42.9 billion). The net proceeds from the disposal are expected to be used by Unicom for the expansion of its GSM network coverage, the improvement of GSM customer service and the enhancement of IT support systems and platforms for value-added services, in order to lay a solid foundation for the introduction of 3G services. The net proceeds will also fund the Unicom’s working capital and other general corporate purposes.
Upon completion of the Transaction, Unicom will focus on the operation of its GSM network and prepare for the introduction of 3G services. As of 30 June 2008, Unicom had 127.6 million GSM subscribers and 43.17 million CDMA subscribers. As part of the Transaction, 29.3% of Unicom’s employees will be transferred to China Telecom.
After that restructuring – however – Qualcomm had no China Telecom related press releases at all showing clearly that the company’s focus moved elsewhere on the China market (CDMA/EV-DO tech. manufacturing or other technologies), e.g. ZTE to Develop CDMA2000 Femtocells Based on Qualcomm System on Chip Solutions [March 23, 2010] or Qualcomm Now Demonstrating Products Based on LTE TDD Technology [Sept 8, 2010].
The Changes in the Nokia relationship
– Qualcomm Initiates Patent Infringement Proceedings in the UK against Nokia [May 24, 2006]
– Qualcomm Files Complaint Against Nokia with International Trade Commission [June 12, 2006]
– Nokia’s Announced Plan to Ramp Down its CDMA2000 R&D and Manufacturing Will Not Impede the Continued Growth of CDMA2000 [June 23, 2006]
– Qualcomm Responds to Nokia’s Latest Maneuver to Delay Judicial Determinations that Nokia’s GSM Handsets Infringe Qualcomm’s Patents [March 20, 2007]
– Qualcomm Files Additional GSM Patent Infringement Suits Against Nokia [April 3, 2007]
– Qualcomm Files Arbitration Demand Against Nokia to Resolve Dispute Over License Agreement [April 5, 2007]
– Nokia and Qualcomm Enter Into a New Agreement [July 23, 2008]
Companies Agree to Settle All Litigation
Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM) today announced that they have entered into a new agreement covering various standards including GSM, EDGE, CDMA, WCDMA, HSDPA, OFDM, WiMAX, LTE and other technologies. The agreement will result in settlement of all litigation between the companies, including the withdrawal by Nokia of its complaint to the European Commission.
Under the terms of the new 15-year agreement, Nokia has been granted a license under all Qualcomm’s patents for use in Nokia mobile devices and Nokia Siemens Networks infrastructure equipment. Further, Nokia has agreed not to use any of its patents directly against Qualcomm, enabling Qualcomm to integrate Nokia’s technology into Qualcomm’s chipsets. The financial structure of the settlement includes an up-front payment and on-going royalties payable to Qualcomm. Nokia has agreed to assign ownership of a number of patents to Qualcomm, including patents declared as essential to WCDMA, GSM and OFDMA. The specific terms are confidential.
“We believe that this agreement is positive for the industry, enabling the market to benefit from innovation and new technologies,” said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO of Nokia Corporation. “The positive financial impact of this agreement is within Nokia’s original expectations and fully reflects our leading intellectual property and market positions.”
“I’m very pleased that we have come to this important agreement,” said Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, CEO of Qualcomm. “The terms of the new license agreement, including the financial and other value provided to Qualcomm, reflect our strong intellectual property position across many current and future generation technologies. This agreement paves the way for enhanced opportunities between the companies in a number of areas.”
Nokia and Qualcomm Plan to Develop Advanced Mobile Devices [Feb 19, 2009]
Nokia and Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM) today announced that the two companies are planning to work together to develop advanced UMTS mobile devices, initially for North America. The companies intend for the devices to be based on S60 software on Symbian OS, the world’s most used software for smartphones, and utilize Qualcomm’s advanced Mobile Station Modem™ (MSM™) MSM7xxx-series and MSM8xxx-series chipsets for cutting-edge processing performance and ubiquitous mobile broadband capabilities. The first mobile devices based on this collaboration would be expected to launch in mid-2010 and be compatible with the forthcoming Symbian Foundation platform.
“Nokia is very pleased to be in discussions with Qualcomm around designing mobile devices that can benefit from the high level of integration found on MSM chipsets,” said Kai Oistamo, executive vice president, Devices, Nokia. “We are eager to demonstrate to the industry the possibilities that exist when innovative and open software is combined with advanced hardware solutions.”
“Nokia and Qualcomm are leaders in advanced wireless technologies, and this new level of cooperation would bring exceptional leaps in mobile performance to people around the world,” said Steve Mollenkopf, executive vice president of Qualcomm and president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. “We are very excited about the possibility of the substantial synergies between S60 software and MSM chipsets.”
Qualcomm Innovation Center Joins the Symbian Foundation [Oct 29, 2009]
Qualcomm Innovation Center, Inc. (QuIC) and the Symbian Foundation today announced that QuIC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, has joined the Symbian Foundation and has been appointed to the Symbian Foundation board of directors. QuIC will support the Symbian Foundation with active participation on the board of directors and each of the four councils that govern the development of the Symbian platform.
QuIC’s charter is to focus on optimizing open source software for use with Qualcomm technology. QuIC brings to the Symbian Foundation a wealth of knowledge and expertise in open source and, as a Symbian Foundation board member, QuIC is committed to working with its fellow board members for Symbian’s continued commercial success. QuIC joins wireless operators AT&T, Vodafone and NTT DOCOMO; silicon providers ST Microelectronics NV and Texas Instruments; and handset manufacturers Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Nokia on the Symbian Foundation board.
The Symbian platform comprises a complete, open source mobile operating system, user interfaces, middleware and key mobile applications used in more than 300 million smartphone devices worldwide. It includes the critical software elements a manufacturer or operator needs to build a mobile device. Symbian was built for mobile and enables mobile developers to use open SDKs to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all Symbian-based handsets.
“QuIC joining the Symbian Foundation and the Symbian Foundation board demonstrates our commitment to provide expertise and to optimize technology with the Symbian platform,” said Rob Chandhok, president of QuIC. “High-level operating systems offer the potential to unleash tremendous innovation and we are excited to help advance that process on the Symbian platform. Working as part of the Symbian Foundation, QuIC looks forward to participating in technology innovation in areas such as multi-core CPU support, Web browser and application enhancement, and CDMA and LTE support.”
“The Symbian Foundation welcomes QuIC, whose membership and board participation brings us significant wireless technology expertise and whose leadership will act as an important catalyst for the growth of the Symbian ecosystem,” said Lee Williams, executive director of the Symbian Foundation. “On behalf of the Symbian Foundation board, we look forward to collaboratively evolving and rapidly expanding the Symbian open source software platform with QuIC.”
Qualcomm, HP, HTC and Nokia Executives to Keynote at Uplinq 2011 [April 28, 2011]
Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), the leading developer and innovator of 3G and next-generation wireless technologies, products and services, today announced the general session keynote speakers for the Uplinq® 2011 conference, hosted by Qualcomm on June 1-2 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. Speakers will include Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, chairman and CEO of Qualcomm, Jon Rubinstein, senior vice president and general manager, Palm Global Business Unit, Hewlett-Packard Company, Peter Chou, CEO of HTC and Stephen Elop, CEO of Nokia.
Dr. Paul E. Jacobs will open the conference on June 1 with his keynote, “Mobile Computing: The Next Great Frontier,” which will focus on the continuing evolution of mobile and expanding opportunities for developers to take the mobile experience to new levels. In addition, Dr. Jacobs will share insights about how advances in mobile computing and other technology enablers are breaking down barriers for developers and empowering them to change the lives of people everywhere. HP’s Jon Rubinstein will follow Dr. Jacobs with a fireside chat on the opening day of Uplinq.
On June 2, the second day of Uplinq, HTC’s Peter Chou will give the opening keynote. Rounding out this lineup of wireless industry leaders will be Nokia’s Stephen Elop who will give the second keynote on Day Two of the conference.
Key message: transition from device-to-device battle to ecosystem-to-ecosystem battle
Uplinq 2011: Nokia Stephen Elop Keynote Highlights [June 17, 2011]
The Uplinq Daily Show on Qualcomm LIVE! Interview with Nokia’s Stephen Elop [June 2, 2011]
Stephen Elop’s keynote at Qualcomm’s Uplinq [June 10, 2011]
… There is an opportunity for a third and competitive ecosystem to emerge. …
It is not just the device, or the software on that device. These ecosystems that I described are so much more than what you are holding in your hand. Nokia will be contributing mapping, navigation and various location-based services… and you know what… all the manufacturers of Windows Phone will be taking advantage of that… I want HTC and Samsung to be successful with Windows Phone because our principal competitor is not each other, but Android. So we are contributing service elements for the benefit of everyone in the ecosystem.
…
Equally, Microsoft is contributing a number of services and capabilities… for example: Bing, AdCenter, Xbox, Office productivity experience, unified communications (voice, video etc.) You will have heard about the acquisition of Skype ten days ago, clearly that will be part of the Windows Phone ecosystem.
…
Parts of the ecosystem, as well, are the chipset and other hardware contributors. Which is why Qualcomm, ourselves, Microsoft, are all working together to deliver the best experiences for this ecosystem.
…
How do we take the ecosystem beyond the mobile experience? We believe that, fundamentally, we are just at the beginning of the mobile revolution. The mobile platform, with a variety of sensors and capabilities associated with a device, is giving opportunities to create entirely new and extended experiences that are only possible on that mobile device. So we are only at the beginning of mobility and have an opportunity to extend the ecosystem in different directions to make that even more compelling.
…
Of course, this ecosystem is not just about mobility and the smartphone, it is also about tablets, it’s about television sets, gaming platforms, automobiles and all the different places where people expect to have a fully connected digital experience.
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And so we at Nokia definitely recognise the importance of delivering on this broader promise of the larger connected digital experience.
…
Perhaps the first and most notable of these today relates to tablets. So there’s a lot of activity and hype about tablets in the marketplace. But the market conditions are not yet optimised… Say there are 201 tablets being sold today, only one of them is being sold out a furious rate… and being very successful. The other 200 tablets… are not really landing with consumers. For Nokia, when I get asked about our tablets strategy, the first thing I say is that I don’t just want to be tablets number 202. Because, really, if we cant differentiate from that pack… then we’re not going to be successful. So as we look at it, we believe we have to do something that is fundamentally differentiated. And we have some options to do that, given our market penetration, our strengths in emerging markets… so watch this space, you will see some interesting things.
…
We do have the ability to reach out to very large numbers of well identified consumers. With our existing smartphone operating system we have, today, over 200 million registered users, 60 million of whom are active in our apps and store environment on a [rolling] thirty day basis. … Around the world we have tremendous reach. It is today that we are adding 140,000 new registered users [every day]… and they are downloading 5 million items a day [now 6 million]
Now part of the reason, in many parts of the world, that this has been attractive is because of the focus we have had on monetisation enablers. I mentioned earlier the operator billing relationships – we are able to measure the uplift for developers in areas where there is operating billing, compared to those where there is not. You get a three and half times uplift in the volume of money you can make when we have an operating billing relationship. The reason is simple… it is much easier for consumers to just click the button.
A lot of other things we are doing for developers: removing the registration fees to participate in Windows Phone development, all sorts of thing to make it easier to publish and distribute your application. We are also hoping you will recognise the extended opportunity, even beyond Windows Phone, to monetise your application on other platforms [Symbian, Series 40] that reach into China, India and Russia.
Nokia picks Qualcomm for Windows phone, seeks others [Reuters, May 20, 2011]
Nokia said on Friday it was negotiating with several chipset suppliers for its future Windows Phone models after deciding to use Qualcomm in its first smartphones using Microsoft’s software.
Nokia announced in February it would use Microsoft’s Windows Phone software in all of its smartphones.
Microsoft Windows Phone operating system (OS) is available only on Qualcomm’s chips, but the U.S. software giant has said it was expanding the supplier base.
“The first Nokias based on Windows Phone will have the Qualcomm chipset,” said a Nokia spokesman.
“Our aim is to build a vibrant ecosystem around Nokia and the Windows Phone OS and with that intent we are naturally continuing discussions with a number of chipset suppliers for our futureproduct portfolio,” he said.
He said one of the companies involved in the talks was ST-Ericsson.
Nokia To Use ST-Ericsson Chips For Windows Phone 8 Handsets [May 19, 2011]
In an interview at STMicroelectronics’ annual Analyst Day, [Carlo] Bozotti [the Chief Executive of the European semiconductor maker] told Forbes that ST-Ericsson will be one of two chip suppliers for Nokia’s upcoming Windows Phones.
…
The first ST-Ericsson chipset that will appear in a Nokia Windows Phone is the U8500, a sophisticated dual-core system-on-a-chip that has been favorably compared to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon line because it offers multiple wireless technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and a fast, built-in HSPA+ modem, all in a compact format. Some later Nokia Windows Phones – the company has previously said it is planning to release 12 Windows Phone devices over the course of 2012 – will run on future versions of the U8500, said Bozotti.
The 5-years long experience of close partnership with Microsoft
– Microsoft and Qualcomm to Revolutionize the Next Generation of Smartphones [May 4, 2006]
– Qualcomm’s Collaboration with Microsoft Reshapes the Smartphone Market [Oct 23, 2007]
– Qualcomm [Snapdragon] Powers Next-Generation Windows Phones [Windows Mobile 6.5] Launching Around the Globe [Oct, 2009]
– Qualcomm Becomes the First Chipset Company to Support Microsoft Windows® Phone 7 Series [Feb 15, 2010]
The Company is working with Microsoft and multiple device manufacturers on smartphones powered by its Snapdragon™ platforms and running Windows Phone 7 Series software, currently scheduled to begin launching in time for the 2010 holiday season. Snapdragon chipsets integrate high-performance, custom CPUs with 3G and powerful multimedia capabilities in a single chip.
The latest version of Windows Phone software, announced today, is distinguished by its smart design and delivery of truly integrated experiences. Combining the capabilities of Windows Phone 7 Series software and Qualcomm’s industry-leading chipset solutions will enable a new generation of devices that redefine the possibilities of mobile experiences.
“People’s lives are not a set of discrete tasks and their phones should not be either. Windows Phone 7 Series software offers a fresh approach that integrates the Web, applications and content and brings new services such as Zune and Xbox LIVE to the phone for the first time,” said Andy Lees, senior vice president, Microsoft. “We’ve worked closely with Qualcomm on Windows Phone 7 Series software and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipsets are an integral partof bringing to life the rich, integrated experiences on a Windows Phone in a way that conserves battery life and provides always-on connectivity.”
“Qualcomm has a long history of working closely with Microsoft on Windows Phone, and we are continuing this collaboration to support the launches this year of exciting new Windows Phone 7 Series devices based on our Snapdragon chipsets,” said Steve Mollenkopf, executive vice president of Qualcomm and president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. “We are very excited about the next generation of devices that will leverage the synergy of our highly integrated system on a chip solutions and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Series software.”
Microsoft Tellme cloud service for WP7 ‘Mango’ and other systems
Microsoft Tellme Vision for Future Interactions [Aug 9, 2011]
Four Reasons We’ll Love Talking to Our TVs [Zig Serafin, General Manager, Microsoft Tellme, Aug 9, 2011]
Microsoft is making big bets on speech NUI. Microsoft Tellme is driving that forward, powering the speech experiences in Kinect for Xbox 360, Windows Phone, Bing Mobile and Microsoft Tellme IVR. Because speech fits well with NUI across devices of all screen sizes, Microsoft Tellme is truly at the center of the NUI evolution.
…
In developing the speech NUI, we’ve designed the Microsoft Tellme speech service as a system that continuously learns and adapts. The more you use it, the more it learns and improves — we hope meeting and often exceeding your expectations. It continually gets smarter through a natural feedback loop that spans mobile, entertainment, customer care and other interactions. It learns from the great diversity of ways people speak across these interactions. The Microsoft Tellme speech service currently processes more than 11 billion voice interactions a year; each one helping to improve the service and, along with it, your experience. It’s the ultimate crowd-sourcing example.
That the Microsoft Tellme speech service gets better with each interaction is important. But that’s not the coolest thing about the future of speech. We aspire to deliver services that are just as natural and easy as human conversation. We see a future where the service will know you: know your intent, your social and business connections, your likes and dislikes, your privacy preferences, and the things that define the context that’s important to you. The result will be a speech NUI service that helps you accomplish everyday tasks in a more natural and conversational manner. This service will simplify tasks that used to be tedious or impossible on a TV or other device, by combining an understanding of language and intent with a deep knowledge of you, the user. We envision a future where we build on the experiences we deliver today with Kinect for Xbox 360, Windows Phone, or Bing for iPad or iPhone apps, by enhancing the speech NUI experience to understand more layers of context: what you are doing, where you are doing it, the kinds of devices you are using and your historical preferences. Because this is a cloud-based service, your interactions will be able to persist over time, enabling you to pick up where you left off, regardless of what device you may be using. That is a pretty exciting future, and one where your TV experience will be as helpful and intuitive as it is natural today with Kinect for Xbox 360. In other words, you may never have to see another remote control on your coffee table again!
Look who’s talking: Speech in Mango [Bill Pardi, senior consumer writer in Windows Phone Engineering, Aug 3, 2011]
On a recent run around town with my wife to grab dinner and pick up one of the kids, a text message came in from my son. Not an unusual event in itself, but what made this message interesting is that my phone read it aloud to me — and I replied back with my voice.
Meet Voice-to-text, a new hands-free messaging feature coming this fall in Mangoand one that’s quickly become a personal favorite. And after seeing it in action on my test phone on our drive, my wife looked at me and said, “I want that for my car.”
Voice-to-text works for both text and instant messages, and it’s handy even when you’re not driving since it can slash the time you spend typing—a good thing at times even considering the fantastic keyboardon Windows Phone.
But the feature really shines when being hands-free is a necessity, like when I’m driving. My car has Bluetooth built in, and my Windows Phone is paired with it. When I’m driving and a message comes in, Windows Phone uses the Bluetooth connection and car’s sound system to narrate the message and record my response (pausing and resuming music or the radio if needed). The “conversation” goes something like this:
WP: [music pauses]You have a text message from Cody Pardi. You can say read it or ignore.
Me: Read it.
WP: “When will you be home?” You can say reply, call or I’m done.
Me: Reply.
WP: Say your message.
Me: “In about 20 minutes.”
WP: [The phone transcribes and repeats the message] You can say send, try again, or I’m done.
Me: Send. [music resumes]My initial thought when I used it for the first time was “this is a game changer” because it felt natural to use while driving without being a distraction. And it all just worked. In fact, I was so impressed with the technology I decided to sit down with Alex Perez Avila, a program manager for many of the voice features in Windows Phone, to get an inside look at how it all happens.
Speech dialog box
Alex works in the Microsoft Tellme team, which develops the voice recognition and text-to-speech technology found in a growing number of Microsoft products including Office, Windows, and Xbox. He told me that competing smartphones are adding some voice features, mostly for existing phone options. Alex and his team, meanwhile, wanted to create something seamless that felt natural for completing everyday tasks such as calling someone in your contacts list or finding a local restaurant. “We think this will set Windows Phone apart,” he said.
Windows Phone taps the Microsoft Tellme cloud service for voice recognition and transcription. “No one else has it,” Alex said, “and we think customers are really going to like it.” The service, he notes, has built-in ways to learn from itself and improve recognition and transcription accuracy over time–all without putting additional software on the phone. The feature, he says, “will just get better and better as more people use it.”
I mentioned to Alex that I noticed my Mango phone can speak modern-day abbreviations such as TTYL (“talk to you later”), LOL (“laugh out loud”), and even
(“happy smiley face”). I asked him if Windows Phone could translate those back if I spoke them while composing a text message. “Yep. We understand a limited set of key phrases and will transcribe them as abbreviations.” He demonstrated—and indeed it worked as advertised.
In addition to Voice-to-text, Alex walked me through several other Speech-related improvements on the way. In Mango, for example, Speech can be triggered even when the phone is locked by pressing and holding the Start button. You also have control over how and when text messages are read. By default, the phone reads messages aloud when connected to Bluetooth headset or stereo (which is how Windows Phone knows to read my text messages in the car).
Speech Interface: Windows Phone Mango Preview [July 25, 2011]
While you may have already seen some of the new speech interface features in our Ultimate Windows Phone 7.5 Mango Preview, we thought it would be fun to give you an even more in-depth demonstration of what exactly you can do without having to touch or look at your phone. While you may have already seen some of the new speech interface features in our Ultimate Windows Phone 7.5 Mango Preview, we thought it would be fun to give you an even more in-depth demonstration of what exactly you can do without having to touch or look at your phone. Windows Phone Mango’s updated speech interface is finally capable of performing all commands via a Bluetooth headset. This was not true with the original version of Windows Phone 7 which could only use a Bluetooth headset to make calls.There are some great new accessibility-related Speech features coming in Mango—using voice to forward calls and setup a speed-dial list. When Alex showed me these, I was impressed. In one very cool example, he stored a number in a speed dial location and then dialed it, hands-free. Other things you can use Speech for in Windows Phone include:
- Making a phone call by name or nickname
- Redialing a number
- Calling voicemail
- Searching Bing
- Turning on the speakerphone
- Starting an app while in a call
- Navigating Maps
All these features put together makes voice an incredibly integrated part of Windows Phone in Mango, and I think will it set the bar for voice-recognition technology in a smartphone. To finish the story I started this post with, I told my wife that if she wanted that voice feature in her car she’d have to get a Windows Phone because her smartphone doesn’t do that.
“OK, fine with me,” she said.
Now that was something really worth hearing.
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Windows Phone around the world: Language support in Mango [July 6, 2011]
- Voice-to-text and Voice-to-dialis available in 6 countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, and the Unites States.
- Voice search is supported in 4 countries: France, Germany, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Compare this to the previous speech capability:
How To Use The Speech Feature | Windows Phone 7 [Oct 11, 2010]
Learn more about using the Speech Feature: Use Speech on my phone [Oct 9, 2010]
Speech Recognition Integration in Windows Phone 7 [July 24, 2010]
OTHER SYSTEMS
TVs (via Kinect and Xbox)
E3: Xbox Kinect Voice Control [June 6, 2011]
Microsoft E3 2011 – Kinect Voice Control Dashboard [MS press conference, June 6, 2011]
Tellme and the Voice of Kinect [Aug 1, 2011]
There’s a great article on Microsoft News Centertoday that provides some interesting context around the development of the Kinect.
Back in the early 2000s, Bill Gates and other Microsoft execs had been talking a lot about enabling a connected media center for people’s homes, alluding at that time mostly to the Media Center PC. The problem? The traditional PC interface wasn’t widely accepted by people in their living rooms. Perhaps people didn’t want a keyboard on their coffee table.
At a certain point, the Xbox team realized they had a foothold in the living room like no other device, so their product was the natural one to bring Bill’s vision to reality. They built an entirely new kind of interface so people could access their entertainment in a more natural way – the result of that work was the Kinect, a big part of which is the audio or speech capability.
What’s interesting is the collaboration involved to create a device “that feels like Star Trek.” The underlying technologies powering Kinect’s speech interface had actually been in development at Microsoft for a long time, but no one had put them together in such a seamless way.
The Xbox team worked with one of the company’s senior researchers, Ivan Tashev, to “purify” the audio signal and allow our speech-recognition platform to do its job despite the often spacious and noisy characteristics of many people’s living rooms. As Tashev says in the article, “Basically in Kinect I have technologies that are a summary of the research I did for seven years.” You can read more about Tashev’s contribution to the project in this related article published by Microsoft Research and in a post here on Next.
The speech-recognition technology used in Kinect is provided by Microsoft Tellme, a flexible speech service also used to power the speech experiences in Windows Phone, Bing Mobile and other key Microsoft products. Microsoft acquired Tellme in 2007to add to the company’s already robust research efforts in speech recognition and to gain valuable expertise in running cloud-based speech services.
These guys make it sound easy, but applying chalkboard-sized algorithms to cancel out random noises in a microphone audio stream is an epic challenge, and just one of many the team had to overcome in building the first Kinect. This is kind of the technology version of a quest story, like Jason and the Argonauts. You have heroes like Microsoft Tellme and Tashev overcoming villains like ambient conversations and echoes. Fortune steps in, in the form of the keyword “Xbox,” which ends up being a unique phonetic construction and thus the perfect choice for an aural “push to talk” button. In the end, three separate technology threads have been woven together in a way that advances the entire industry.
This is what I love about technology — it may be geeky, but it’s never dull.
Listening to Kinect [Apr 25, 2011]
I’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen recently that Natural User Interfacesare more than just touch, gesture and speech – though Kinect, perhaps the hottest NUI tech around, does two of these exceedingly well. Much of the focus of tinkering with Kinect has been with gesture, using the skeletal tracking capability. The speech capability of Kinect has had less focus and a recent post by Rob Knies on the Microsoft Research site reminded me that it was perhaps time to give speech the spotlight for a moment.
The story starts with Ivan Tashevwho has been working for the majority of his career in Microsoft Research, always focused on the sound. He knew someday, we’d be talking to computers but didn’t quite know when the call would come. A few years ago, Alex Kipman from our Xbox team was looking for an audio capability that could be listening 100% of the time and didn’t rely on a button being pressed to signal “listening mode”. Added to this, Alex was looking for a system that could detect distinct voices in a noisy environment….oh and do this at 4 meters. Regular readers will know that Alex was the driving force behind Kinect. Ivan’s call had arrived.
He figured most of the above as possible but one big challenge remained. Stereo acoustic-echo-cancellation is a longstanding research problem that would be required to filter out the loudspeaker sound and zone in on user who were talking to the system. It turned out that acoustic-echo canceller 10 times better than normal industrial devices have.
In his MIX talk, Ivan talks about preferred modalities for input – noting that the combination of speech and gesture can deliver a powerful multimodal interface. You issue one command with speech (for example a search) and select from a short result set with gesture.
Many months of works ensued on the development of the audio pipeline with our Tellmegroup involved in building a solution that many thought was impossible. As Alex has reminded me on a few occasions, the development of Kinect is a story of making improbable (perhaps even impossible) things possible. Ivan says that Microsoft didn’t get in this position by accident – testament to the many years of investment in something we didn’t quite know what it would be used. That’s the risk, and reward of basic research and something I’m personally proud that Microsoft continues to invest in.
34 days before Kinect shipped to the public, the audio work was complete. That’s some high risk, high reward timing!
The story doesn’t end there. Very soon, the Kinect for Windows SDK betawill include the ability to take advantage of the four-element microphone array with the acoustic noise and echo cancellation that Ivan and the team developed. Right at the end of the talk, Ivan gives some insight in to the future capability of Kinect audio.
I’m looking forward to seeing what the tinkerers do with this audio wizardry.
‘Xbox: Play.’ — Microsoft Tellme and the Voice of Kinect for Xbox 360 [Microsoft feature story, Aug 1, 2011]
For years leading up to the launch of Kinect for Xbox 360, Microsoft was blending technologies for the connected living room, working toward its vision of a natural, powerful center for home entertainment.
At the same time, millions of people around the world had invited the newest iteration of video game consoles into their homes — the Xbox 360video game and entertainment system, which was capable of handling games, movies, TV, music and photos — and it opened a world of Internet-connected possibilities.
“Bill Gates spoke about Microsoft’s strategy for the living room, with an intelligent entertainment center to enable amazing experiences,” says Thomas Soemo, principal program manager lead for the Xbox platformat Microsoft. “We knew that the Xbox 360 system was going to be a prime component of this vision.”
The challenge was that no one had ever really found an interface that worked well in the living room. Other industry attempts featured a keyboard to input commands on screen, which never resonated with consumers. The Xbox 360 Controller was great for games but limited for searching media — and unfamiliar territory for nongamers. There had to be a better way to interact.
“How do we solve this problem?” Soemo says. “How do we enable a very natural form of interaction with this device that also fits the social atmosphere of the living room? How do we achieve what feels like Star Trek? That’s the challenge we took on.”
With that challenge in front of them, the Xbox team set out to create the next-generation human-machine interface, capable of understanding requests and commands the way humans do — through speech and gesture. The resulting product, Kinect, has brought speech service beyond the telephone voice prompt and into millions of homes worldwide.
“We are witnessing the beginning of a revolution today,” Soemo says. “Speech recognition is entering the mainstream and redefining how people find, consume and interact with their media content on the Xbox 360.”
The Living Room Challenge
In creating the Kinect, one of the biggest engineering challenges was the living room itself. Living rooms tend to be larger rooms, leading to an unprecedented design requirement for the Xbox team — the Kinect’s microphone array would need to work seamlessly up to four meters away from the couch, much farther than other speech-recognition systems in the industry could comfortably handle.
Another complication was the fact that living rooms are social gathering places and are often filled with ambient noise, such as conversations, movie soundtracks and music.
“Imagine if everything you said could be interpreted by the Xbox 360 as a command,” says Keith Herold, a senior program manager lead with Microsoft Tellme, the company’s speech-recognition service that also powers Windows Phone 7 devices and appears in an array of other products. “That’s the big problem in the living room — how do we get the device to ignore everything but actual commands?”
To solve this, the Xbox team reached out to Ivan Tashev, a Microsoft Research principal software architectwith more than a dozen patents related to helping machines capture and interpret sound.
Tashev had been prototyping technologies for speech enhancement, audio processing, microphone arrays and echo cancellation. For the Xbox 360 system, he went to work purifying the audio signal so the Kinect could understand what it was being told. He used his expertise in echo cancellation to subdue everything coming out of the console — soundtracks, movie dialogue, game audio — as well as room noise the microphone would pick up. This was an immensely challenging problem based on advanced mathematics, but Tashev relished the task.
“Basically, in Kinect I have technologies that are a summary of the research I did for seven years,” he says. “We know what’s coming out of the console — it’s a constantly shifting, dynamic signal. The trick was to remove that outbound signal from the incoming signal. And to do it in real time.”
Another challenge was to help the Kinect determine who is talking, focus on that source and ignore everything else. To solve this, Tashev used “beamforming” technology, which spotlights the person giving commands to the system.
“If there are four people in the room and one is talking, the spotlight goes to him or her, and if that person says ‘Xbox,’ then we start listening,”Tashev says.
In the end, the Kinect’s audio enhancement chain consists of six major stages that consecutively improve the quality of the speech signal, removing clutter, noise and reverberation from the room to help the speech recognizer do its job.
Making the Natural Interface Natural
With the audio pipeline in place, the next step was to integrate that signal with the Microsoft Tellmespeech service. For this phase of the project, the Xbox team turned to Herold’s team to bring Microsoft Tellme to the Xbox 360 platform.
The living room presents unique challenges for voice technology. Kinect’s microphone array needs to work seamlessly up to four meters away from the couch and contend with ambient noise such as conversations, movie soundtracks and music.
“Our job was to take the remaining audio, now at this point just a player’s commands, and do something rational with it,” says Herold. “This project required us to step up and push our boundaries well past telephony voice response and desktop speech, into a much more human environment. We needed to put ourselves in the mindset of the living room environment and all of the interactions that are possible there. We wanted to change the way people thought of speech technology.”
Adding to the challenge was the Xbox team’s allowable error rate, which seemed impossibly low for a system with so many variables.
“We never want a command to trigger random actions on the console,” Herold says. “The idea of ‘never’ is not achievable of course, but we picked a suitably small number for never.”
The solution to this problem was the software equivalent of a concept first developed for backpack-sized walkie-talkies in the 1940s — the transmit, or “push-to-talk,” button. This was embodied as the keyword “Xbox.”
“When you say ‘Xbox,’ the system knows you’re talking to it and what’s coming next is a command. If you don’t say it first, you haven’t pushed the virtual ‘push-to-talk’ button, and the system won’t listen,” Herold says.
Since the Kinect supports both speech and gestures, the combined Xbox and Microsoft Tellme team spent considerable time determining how to enable both forms of interaction in a way that was complementary and intuitive. Their guiding principal was the concept of the Natural User Interface(NUI), in which people communicate with machines in the most human way possible.
For example, speech might be the best modality to search through thousands of songs, since gesturing to scroll through such a vast list could be tedious. Telling the machine, “Xbox: Bing, The Beatles” allows the user to get what they want in the most natural way possible from the vast collection of content available through Xbox LIVE.
Once the list is narrowed, using gesture to select a specific song may be the most natural interaction. Graphics, text and sounds on screen help cue users to make the interface more intuitive and easy to use.
According to Herold, this is the strength of “multimodal” interfaces, which combine speech with touch, gesture or other forms of input: Each modality is used where it is stronger, and the combination becomes much more powerful.
Advancing the Platform
For the first iteration of the device, the Xbox team prioritized the commands that would resonate most with people in their living rooms. They decided that simple navigation functions and media playback controls— “Xbox: play. Xbox: pause.” — gave people something valuable, while also demonstrating the system’s potential.
“When you’re building a new product on new technology, you can try and do everything and it may work most of the time, or you can stay laser focused on the key scenarios and make them amazing,” Soemo says. “The first release of Kinect was about shipping a product that handled those key speech experiences extremely well.”
From the start, however, the team was thinking long term. When the Xbox team announced the next round of Kinect functionality at the recent E3 conferencein June 2011, it was the next step in a vision that began years ago.
“For the launch of Kinect, we leapt over some major technology hurdles on our way to ‘Xbox: play.’ and ‘Xbox: pause.’,” Soemo says. “Nobody had ever done highly accurate speech recognition from up to four meters away, without a physical ‘push-to-talk’ button, in an environment filled with ambient noise, all while playing in 5.1 surround sound. Because of the collaboration among the Xbox, Microsoft Researchand Microsoft Tellme teams, we were able to take science fiction and make it science fact.”
Soemo says the functionality announced at E3 is just the second iterationin the journey toward the Xbox 360 system becoming the entertainment hub for the home — redefining how people discover and use the range of media content available on Xbox LIVE and making the remote a thing of the past.
“We are laying a foundation that will transform how people interact with devices,” Soemo says. “We are at that cusp. With Kinect, we’ve put speech into the living room. Now, Microsoft will continue to push the boundaries of NUIs to enable seamless experiences that span devices and platforms.”
With that foundation in place, the Kinect’s latest functionality goes well beyond simple navigation and allows people to use voice commands to traverse very large media catalogs with ease, and the team doesn’t plan to stop there.
“What are the most amazing experiences with speech we can imagine?” Herold says. “Can we create technology that is as natural as talking to a friend? This is where we want to go, and it’s happening in front of our eyes.”
No keyboard necessary.
Autos
Ford SYNC
The driver’s seat just became a lot more powerful – now, get information on the go simply by asking. With Ford SYNC, drivers can ask for traffic reports, directions, local business, weather, sports scores, movies and more without taking their eyes off the road to look at a screen. Say the name of a business and Ford SYNC will tell you directions, turn by turn. Say “Home,” and Ford SYNC directs you back home.
Using Microsoft Tellme cloud-powered speech services, Ford SYNC connects you with the world outside your car.
Ford and Microsoft SYNC Up in Europe [Microsoft feature story, Feb 28, 2011]
Ford launches SYNC powered by Microsoft at CeBIT 2011.
More than three years ago Ford introduced SYNC, its award-winning connectivity technology built on the Windows Embedded Automotive platform to deliver rich, interactive experiences for drivers. Initially available only in North America, SYNC quickly became one of the industry’s most advanced voice-controlled connectivity and infotainment systems. At the end of 2010, Ford celebrated the installation of SYNC in more than 3 million vehicles.
This week at CeBIT, Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally will take to the stage to unveil the company’s global plans for SYNC. He will announce that, next year, European drivers will be able to benefit from a smarter, intuitive and simplified way of interacting with in-car technologies and their digital devices. The system will debut in the new Ford Focusnext year with the goal of being in more than 2 million vehicles in the region by 2015.
Microsoft and Ford have spent more than five years building innovative functionality into SYNC. Since Bill Gates first announced the partnership at CES in 2007, both companies have continued to work together closely to develop new experiences to surprise and delight Ford customers. This includes the addition of the MyFord Touch interface, the Microsoft Tellme voice-activated app for SYNC Traffic, Directions and Information (TDI)Services, and other new features.
MyFord Touchpowered by SYNC makes it easier to make phone calls, listen to music and get directions while in the car, while the voice-activated TDI system in Microsoft Tellme expands Ford SYNC’s cloud-based voice-command capabilities.
“We are pleased to announce that SYNC will soon be available to customers around the world,” Mulally said. “It is a smarter, safer and simpler way to connect drivers with in-car technologies and their digital lives. At Ford, we have always believed that the intelligent application of technology can help us deliver the very best customer experience and help us contribute to a better world, so we challenged ourselves to build technologically advanced cars that make driving greener, safer and smarter for all.”
MyFord Touch and the latest features of Ford SYNC demonstrate the flexibility of the Windows Embedded Automotive platform to offer Ford and third-party developers the opportunity to develop new and innovative features, such as mobile applications, an open API and Wi-Fi capability, while supporting the latest must-have consumer devices that are brought into the car.
Besides being able to play music the old-fashioned way — through CDs — users can also listen to all their favorite tracks via their smartphone, MP3 player and USB flash drives. They will also benefit from Internet “on the go” with SYNC’s Wi-Fi “hot spot” capability via a USB dongle or smartphone tether. Drivers are able to manage everything including climate control, mobile phone calls, satellite navigation and radio adjustments through voice control or an 8-inch, touch-screen LCD color display. They can even have e-mail messages read aloud and compose text messageresponses through voice command while on the move.
Some of the other features users will benefit from when SYNC launches in Europe include a voice-control system able to recognize 10,000 commands in each of 19 different languages.
Ford SYNC to be More Multilingual as Vocabulary Expands to Industry-Leading 19 Languages [Feb 27, 2011]
- Ford SYNC® to expand its vocabulary from three to 19 languages, as Ford announces global rollout of the in-vehicle connectivity technology
- New languages will be available first in Europe in 2012 with introduction in the Ford Focus
- SYNC language expansion sets an industry benchmark for automotive voice recognition capability
Ford is expanding the reach of Ford SYNC globally with the European launch of its popular voice-controlled connectivity system, with the capability of now offering 19 languages.
SYNC was originally launched in North America in 2007 with three languages. With the additional 16 vernaculars, Ford will offer voice recognition capability, powered by Nuance Communications, in more languages than any other automaker offering voice control.
The expansion brings the convenience of SYNC to a much larger audience of potential customers, said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally, who kicked off the global launch of SYNC this week at the 2011 CeBIT technology show in Hanover, Germany.
“We are pleased to announce that SYNC will soon be available to customers around the world,” Mulally said. “It is a smart and simple way to connect drivers with in-car technologies and their digital lives.”
Teaching a car to speak
At the heart of SYNC is the speech engine, and Ford is working with its speech technology partner, Nuance Communications, to deliver a similar experience across the multiple languages.Ford leverages significant investments made by Nuance to support the broad dialect coveragerequired in larger regions such as the United States. Additionally, regions such as Europe present unique challenges, in part because of the proximity of different countries and the resulting need for multilingual solutions.
For the customer, that means SYNC can recognize 10,000 voice commands in any one of the available 19 languages, and can cope with variances in accents, vocabulary and local dialects.
If a German customer, for example, is driving in Italy, the system can provide directions in German but will use the correct Italian pronunciation for street names.
Within each international market, a unique set of abbreviations for text messaging also has been identified. For example, “cvd,” short for “Ci vediamo dopo,” was added for SYNC to read aloud, which basically means “See you later” in Italian.
“We had to make sure the system would behave as people expect in different countries and different cultures,” said Mark Porter, supervisor, SYNC Product Development. “That means we had to solicit local, native-speaking input for common abbreviations used in SMS messages as well as support different units of distance and date formats.”
Song titles and artist names posed further challenges. A German owner, for instance, may have songs by artists of German, American, Spanish and other nationalities on an MP3 player. Due to phonetic differences between the languages, the system must be able to recognize a name whether it’s pronounced in German or deep southern American English.
“The in-car experience needs to be global in nature, supporting a variety of languages to ensure all commands, addresses and song titles are recognized, whether you’re from Germany, Portugal or France. Localization should not equal limitations,” said Arnd Weil, vice president, Nuance Automotive. “Working closely with Ford, we’ve customized the SYNC experience across multiple languages to ensure drivers in all regions experience the simplicity and convenience that in-car voice technology has to offer.”
With the language expansion, SYNC with MyFord Touch will be available in:
- U.S. English
- U.K. English
- Australian English
- European French
- Canadian French
- European Spanish
- U.S. Spanish
- European Portuguese
- Brazilian Portuguese
- German
- Italian
- Dutch
- Russian
- Turkish
- Arabic
- Korean
- Japanese
- Mandarin Chinese
- Taiwanese Mandarin (supported through Mandarin Chinese)
Software, rather than hardware, solutions
As with many SYNC advancements over the years, the expanded language capabilities leverage the system’s flexible, software-based platform for a cost-effective and efficient solution.Using a single, common hardware module equipped with Wi-Fi®, SYNC can be easily configured for language on the assembly line. An on-the-line server connects with the SYNC module wirelessly, determines the appropriate software installation – including language – and downloads the information to the vehicle.
Using a common module and Wi-Fi installation avoids the logistics of stocking unique modules with every possible combination of language and capability offered by SYNC. In fact, Ford would have had to produce more than 90 different hardware modules to accommodate all of the different languages installed at assembly plants around the world.
Voice poised to become primary in-car communication interface
With independent research firms such as Datamonitor predicting that advanced speech recognition in the mobile world will triple by 2014 with similar growth for speech recognition in vehicles, Ford is ahead of the curve with the SYNC global language expansion plan.“Ford is committed to making voice recognition the primary user interface inside the car throughout the world, helping all drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel,” said Jim Buczkowski, a Henry Ford Technical Fellow and director of Electrical and Electronics Systems for Ford Research and Advanced Engineering. “This expansion of SYNC language capabilities is a huge step forward in bringing voice technology to every market Ford serves.”
The Ford Focus will be the first vehicle to launch with SYNC in Europe in 2012.
2012 Ford Focus – MyFord Touch voice command tour [Feb 25, 2011]
FORD AND NUANCE ADVANCE VOICE RECOGNITION OF SYNC: NOW FASTER, FRIENDLIER, MORE PERSONAL [July 15, 2010]
- With the introduction of MyFord Touch™ driver connect technology, Ford makes it easier to control in-car systems with fewer steps and more natural language; customers can now speak more than 10,000 first-level commands, up from only 100 in first-generation SYNC®
- Working with voice control leader Nuance, SYNC will recognize more direct voice commands such as “Call John Smith,” “Find ice cream” and “Add a phone,” allowing users to do more with fewer steps
- Innovative features boost recognition accuracy and provide “Samantha,” the voice of SYNC, with smoother, more natural speech patterns
- Consumer acceptance of voice control is increasing; the Harris Interactive® 2010 AutoTECHCAST survey found an 8 point year-over-year improvement, and industry analysts predict continued segment growth
Ford SYNC Voice Recognition(PDF)
Video:
MyFord Touch – Faster, Friendlier Voice Recognition Control
DEARBORN, Mich., July 15, 2010 – Ford made in-car voice activation a reality for millions of drivers with SYNC, first introduced in 2007. Now, Ford engineers – working with voice technology pioneers Nuance Communications (NASDAQ: NUAN) – plan to once again raise the bar with the next generation of SYNC, a system that can understand 100 times more commands than the original, thus delivering a more conversational experience between car and driver.
The voice upgrades will be available on the next generation of SYNC powering the new driver connect technology, MyFord Touch, launching this year on the new 2011 Ford Edge. The system will make it easier for drivers to use voice control and get what they want more quickly using more natural phrases.
“Ford is committed to making voice recognition the primary user interface inside of the car because it allows drivers to keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel,” said Jim Buczkowski, director of Ford electronics and electrical systems engineering. “The improvements we’ve made will make it easier for drivers to use and interact with it, even those customers that have never used voice recognition before.”
Improved vocabulary
At the heart of SYNC is the speech engine, and Ford is working with speech technology leader Nuance to create and integrate a vast library of possible driver requests. This library will enable the SYNC speech engine to listen for and respond to more voice commands directly, recognize different words that mean the same thing (aliases), and integrate a vast number of point-of-interest (POI) names and business types into its navigation system.“With this latest generation of SYNC, users can control the system without having to learn nearly as many commands or navigate as many menus,” said Brigitte Richardson, Ford global voice control technology and speech systems lead engineer. “As we’ve gained processing power and learned more about how drivers use the system, we’ve been able to refine the interface. Customers can do more and say more from the top-level menu, helping them accomplish their tasks more quickly and efficiently.”
Examples of some improvements to SYNC powering MyFord Touch-equipped vehicles include:
More direct, first-level commands
- “Call John Smith” dials the phone number associated with John in a connected phone’s phonebook directly – the user isn’t required to say “Phone” first
- Direct commands related to destinations, like “Find a shoe store” or “Find a hotel,” place users in the navigation system menu where they will be walked through the POI search process
- The command, “Add a phone,” will enter the phone pairing menu and walk users through the connection process – users don’t have to enter a phone submenu to initiate the pairing process
Quicker, easier entry and search
- Navigation entries can be spoken as a single one-shot command; for example, “One American Road, Dearborn,” instead of requiring individual city, street and building number entries
- Brand names are recognized by the navigation POI menu, allowing drivers to look for chain restaurants, shoe stores, department stores and more, as well as regional and local favorites
- Direct tuning of radio stations by simply saying “AM 1270” or “FM 101.1,” or using SIRIUS station names or numbers such as “21” or “Alt-Nation”
Use of aliases
- Within the climate menu, users can voice-request the same function using several different phrases, such as “Warmer,” “Increase temperature” or “Temperature up” – helping reduce the need for drivers to learn specific commands
- When requesting a specific song from an MP3 player, users can now say “Play song [title]” in addition to saying “Play track [title]”
Personalized access
- If an occupant’s USB-connected device, such as an MP3 player, has been named, users can simply say the device name, such as “John Smith’s iPod,” rather than the less personal “USB” command
More friendly and adaptable
Ford voice engineers refined SYNC beginning with the two features customers interact with first: the voice recognition system and Samantha, the digital voice behind system commands.To help SYNC react to driver commands more quickly and accurately, the team integrated Nuance’s Unsupervised Speaker Adaptation (USA) technology. USA learns the voice of a driver within the first three voice commands, quickly creating a user profile and adapting to tone, inflection and even dialect for a 50 percent improvement in recognition performance. USA then continues to learn during that same trip, even picking out another user and creating a second profile if the voice is markedly different. Currently SYNC can actively adapt to voices in English, French-Canadian and Mexican-Spanish – with more languages on tap.
“The power of the SYNC voice control system is its ability to understand and respond to more natural language commands – and the advanced adaptability of the speech recognition technology enables the system to train itself with each successive use,” said Michael Thompson, senior vice president and general manager, Nuance Mobile. “The adaptability of SYNC is pretty remarkable – a feature functionality Nuance and Ford worked hard to develop to ensure seamless customer interaction with the system every time it starts up. So even if the car owner has a cold or someone borrows the car, SYNC will adapt to the changed voice and process spoken commands without missing a beat.”
Initial interactions also involve Samantha, the “voice” of SYNC. In an attempt to help Samantha sound less computerized, Ford boosted the size of her speech profile approximately fivefold. The additional speech units will help Samantha speak in a smoother, more human voice as she helps vehicle occupants accomplish their in-car tasks such as making phone calls, playing songs from a connected digital device and getting directions.
Voice poised to become primary in-car communication interface
With smart phones expected to replace desktop and laptop PCs as the primary web access point by 2015, some industry analysts believe voice control will replace touch devices like keyboards and screens as the primary method of search. Dr. Philip E. Hendrix, Ph.D., founder and director of immr and analyst with GigaOM Pro, says that a majority of smart phones will have optimized a Voice User Interface by the end of 2012.Research trends show strong consumer acceptance of voice recognition technology. The Harris Interactive 2010 AutoTECHCAST study found that 35 percent of drivers1 say they would be likely to adopt voice-activated controls or features in their vehicle, up from just over one-quarter (27 percent) in 2009. In recent Ford-conducted market research of SYNC owners, more than 60 percent reported they use the voice controls while driving.
Datamonitor, an independent research firm, predicts that the global market for advanced speech recognition in the mobile world will triple from 2009 to 2014. Market growth of speech recognition in vehicles is expected to grow at a similar rate, from $64.3 million in 2009 to $208.2 million in 2014.
Voice commands may reduce distracted driving
Ford knows that customers are increasingly using mobile electronics while driving, and studies show hands-free, voice-activated systems such as Ford SYNC offer significant safety benefits versus hand-held devices.According to a 100-car study conducted by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, driver inattention that may involve looking away from the road for more than a few seconds is a factor in nearly 80 percent of accidents. The improvements to SYNC should help drivers accomplish tasks hands-free using natural speech patterns and fewer commands, enabling them to focus on the task of driving.
Ford SYNC Voice Recognition [July 13, 2010]
- With the introduction of MyFord Touch™ driver connect technology, Ford makes it easier to control in-car systems with fewer steps and more natural language; customers can now speak more than 10,000 first-level commands, up from only 100 in first-generation SYNC®
- Working with voice control leader Nuance, SYNC will recognize more direct voice commands such as “Call John Smith,” “Find ice cream” and “Add a phone,” allowing users to do more with fewer steps
- Innovative features boost recognition accuracy and provide “Samantha,” the voice of SYNC, with smoother, more natural speech patterns
- Consumer acceptance of voice control is increasing; the Harris Interactive® 2010 AutoTECHCAST survey found an 8 point year-over-year improvement, and industry analysts predict continued segment growth
FACT SHEET: FORD SYNC® VOICE-CONTROLLED COMMUNICATIONS & CONNECTIVITY SYSTEM [Sept 21, 2010]
Overview
Ford SYNC®, co-developed with Microsoft and using Nuance Communications voice recognition technology, allows customers to bring digital media players and Bluetooth®-enabled mobile phones into their vehicles and operate the devices via voice commands or with the steering wheel’s redundant audio controls. SYNC is an agnostic software platform that connects with the vast majority of makes and models of Bluetooth-enabled cell and smart phones from all network service providers, plus digital music players and USB memory sticks.Facts
- Launched in fall of 2007, first on the 2008 Focus, the most affordable Ford car at the time
- SYNC has since been installed on more than 2.5 million cars, trucks and crossovers
- SYNC will launch globally, in Europe and Asia-Pacific, in 2011 with the introduction of the new 2012 Focus
- SYNC voice recognition available in U.S. English, Canadian-French, and North American Spanish (expanding to 21 languages next year)
- In general, SYNC is installed on 70 percent of all Ford vehicles sold. More specifically, among 2010 models, it was selected by 81 percent of F-150 buyers, 85 percent of Fusion buyers and nearly 90 percent of Edge buyers
- Ford market research results:
- Post SYNC demonstration, non-Ford owners show a 3-fold increase in willingness to consider Ford
- Of SYNC owners:
- 32% see SYNC as having played an important or critical role in their purchase decision.
- 60% of owners use the voice commands
- 62% are completely satisfied with 80% of heavy users completely satisfied
- 77% would recommend – 92% of heavy users would recommend.
Availability
- SYNC, where optional, costs $395, the same price as when it launched in 2007.
- No subscription necessary
- On most Ford products, SYNC is optional on mid-level trim series (SEL and XLT) and standard on high-end trim series (Limited and Sport).
- SYNC is available on the following 2010 models: Focus, Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, Taurus, Mustang, Edge, Flex, Escape, Escape Hybrid, Explorer, Explorer Sport Trac, Expedition, F-Series, E-Series, Super Duty (plus new 2011 Fiesta and Edge)
- SYNC is standard on Lincoln models including the 2010 MKZ, MKS, MKX, MKT, Navigator (plus new 2011 MKZ Hybrid and MKX)
Standard SYNC Features
- Bluetooth connectivity for mobile phones – Voice-activated, hands-free calling including automatic phonebook transfer
- USB port for digital media players (such as Apple iPod and Microsoft Zune) and USB mass storage devices – Voice-activated access to digital music files including MP3, AAC, WMA, and WAV.
- Audible text message readback – Text-to-speech engine capable of reading aloud incoming text messages from compatible Bluetooth-paired phones
- Bluetooth streaming audio (A2DP) – Digital content, including music, podcasts, and Internet radio broadcasts can be played through the vehicle’s audio system
Standard SYNC Applications (for 2010 models)
- 911 AssistTM
- First launched for the 2009 model year (and available for 2008 models as dealer-installed upgrade)
- Commands SYNC to use the Bluetooth-paired cell phone to make an automatic call directly to a local 911 emergency operator in an air bag-deploying incident
- No subscription: Free capability for the life of the vehicle
- Video: http://www.youtube.com/v/sI3ixk5kDBM
- Vehicle Health Report
- First launched for the 2009 model year (and available for 2008 models as dealer-installed upgrade)
- Provides personalized report on command including vehicle diagnostics, scheduled maintenance, recall information, and dealership coupons
- Information sent via data-over-voice technology using Bluetooth-paired phone and accessed through the www.syncmyride.comwebsite
- No subscription: Free capability for the life of the vehicle
- Video: http://www.youtube.com/v/p-CaBKLltTA
- Traffic, Directions & Information
- Launched for 2010 model year along with the addition of a GPS receiver as standard SYNC hardware
- Delivers voice-activated, on-demand turn-by-turn directions, business search, traffic reports, and personalized information
- Information services include weather, news, stock quotes, movie listings, sports scores, horoscopes, and travel connections
- Leverages Bluetooth-paired and registered cell phone (smart phone or data plan not required)
- Free for the first 3-years of vehicle ownership; Continued access only $60 per year
- Videos:
- Directions: http://www.youtube.com/v/Lp5gckqsS40
- Business Search: http://www.youtube.com/v/3PW8qGWJJpc
- Traffic: http://www.youtube.com/v/inahwziGMM0
- Personalization: http://www.youtube.com/v/py2vcFTrDas
Coming Soon
- AppLink
- Industry-first capability providing drivers access and control of smart phone apps using voice commands and vehicle controls
- First launches on 2011 Fiesta
- Software will be available by end of 2010 for owners via download and installation directly from www.syncmyride.com
- Compatible with AndroidTM and BlackBerry® smart phones (Apple® iPhone compatibility coming in mid-2011)
- First SYNC-enabled smart phone apps: Pandora Internet radio, Stitcher podcast radio, and OpenBeak (a Twitter client)
- Standard SYNC feature; no subscription necessary (owner must have compatible smart phone and data service plan)
MyFord Touch™
The second generation of SYNC evolves the device connectivity system into the operating system behind the new MyFord and MyLincoln Touch driver interface launching on the 2011 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX. MyFord Touch is a holistic approach to the driver interface replacing many of the traditional vehicle buttons, knobs and gauges with clear, colorful LCD screens and intuitive 5-way buttons on the steering wheel. In MyFord Touch-equipped vehicles, SYNC now controls the functions of phone communications, entertainment/audio, navigation/services, and climate. Voice recognition has improved ten-fold with SYNC now responding to over 10,000 commands at the first press of the “Talk” button.MyFord Touch, powered by SYNC, will migrate next to the 2011 Ford Explorer and 2012 Focus and eventually be available on over 80% of Ford products globally.
Voice Activated Navigation System on SYNC with MyFord Touch [Aug 2, 2001]
Ford Drops Price of SYNC by $100, Making Hands-Free, Voice-Activated In-Car Connectivity More Affordable, Available to All [Aug 1, 2011]
- Ford initiates new pricing strategy for SYNC®, making the hands-free, voice-activated connectivity system more affordable for customers; dropping option price to $295 makes SYNC the most capable and most affordable system on the market
- Launching first on the 2012 Ford Explorer and Edge, SYNC will now be available as optional equipment on base trim levels, marking broader availability and more choice for customers
- Making hands-free technology more affordable and available comes on the heels of Ford becoming the first automaker to announce its support for a nationwide ban on the use of hand-held mobile devices while driving
Ford is making hands-free, voice-controlled in-car connectivity even more affordable, announcing both a $100 price drop for Ford SYNC® along with expanded availability by offering it as an option on base trim levels for the first time.
“Ford SYNC is making a difference. Our customers love it and recommend it, and our dealers want it on more products,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service. “SYNC already has brought hands-free, voice-activated in-car connectivity to millions, helping keep drivers’ eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. Now, Ford is making it even easier for customers to afford exactly what they want.”
The move marks the company’s latest push to make voice control the primary and safest way for customers to access their favorite mobile devices while driving – a capability more and more drivers are clamoring for, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
In a 2010 study, the CEA found that 55 percent of smartphone owners, for example, prefer voice commands as their primary in-car user interface. SYNC users agree, with internal Ford research showing more than 85 percent say they use voice controls while driving, up from 60 percent in previous studies.
This month, Ford became the first automaker to openly support the Safe Drivers Act of 2011, proposed federal legislation for a nationwide ban on the use of hand-held mobile devices while driving. To date, 10 states, including California and New York, have legally banned talking on a hand-held cellphone while driving, with many local municipalities also following suit enacting their own set of restrictions. Text messaging while driving is banned in 34 states.
The new SYNC pricing and choice strategy for 2012 ups the ante on how Ford is translating this trend into real-world actions that offer smarter in-vehicle connectivity solutions for customers.
“As the list of states banning hand-held calls and texting while driving continues to grow and legislators ponder a nationwide ban, Ford is strengthening its leadership position as the only full-line automaker with plans to offer available hands-free mobile device connectivity on 100 percent of its passenger vehicle lineup,” said Czubay.
SYNC has been installed already on more than 3 million vehicles since its debut in 2007.
The new pricing strategy makes SYNC the most capable and most affordable in-car connectivity system in the industry. The new pricing will be available first on the 2012 Ford Explorer and Edge base models. Customers who opt for SYNC will pay only $295 for the award-winning in-car connectivity system, previously priced at $395. In addition, SYNC will now be available on all trim levels, as the availability chart of the 2012 Ford Edge shows:
Ford Edge Trim Level 2011 Model SYNC Availability 2012 Model SYNC Availability SE Not available Optional SEL Optional Standard Limited Standard Standard Sport Standard Standard With the base SYNC package, customers will enjoy the core hands-free features and services that have quickly established SYNC as a must-have technology, with more than 76 percent of current SYNC users saying they would recommend the system to other customers. Those features include:
- Hands-free, voice-activated calling via a Bluetooth®-connected mobile phone
- Hands-free, voice-activated control of a USB-connected digital music player
- 911 Assist™, the automated emergency calling service that is free for the life of the vehicle
- Vehicle Health Report, the on-demand diagnostic and maintenance information service
In addition, customers who choose the base package will have the option to purchase a SYNC Services subscription, which expands voice-controlled features to include a cloud-based network of services. These include turn-by-turn directions, traffic reports, and business search information with available live operator assistance if needed. A SYNC Services subscription costs only $60 a year, besting the telematics services offered by the competition.
Ford dealers are excited about the prospect of being able to offer SYNC to a larger population of their customers.
James T. Seavitt, president of Village Ford in Dearborn, Mich., says he wouldn’t be surprised to see those rates soar even higher with the new SYNC pricing and base model availability. Seavitt admits that approximately 75 percent of the vehicles he currently sells have SYNC.
“Customers frequently ask about SYNC in our dealership as they continue to hear more about the benefits and convenience of hands-free connectivity while driving,” said Seavitt. “This move from Ford will help dealers put more customers in SYNC-equipped vehicles so they can experience why using their voice to control their favorite mobile devices in the car is a smarter choice.”
On Edge and Explorer alone, SYNC has already been a big hit on the showroom floor, with current take rates above 80 percent. With the new pricing strategy, SYNC is now expected to be installed on more than 95 percent of models sold.During the next three years, Ford will introduce the new SYNC pricing and choice strategy across the entire North American Ford vehicle lineup.
Vehicles next in line after the 2012 Ford Explorer and Edge include the 2013 Ford Taurus, Focus, Escape and Flex.
Microsoft Tellme Puts Ford Drivers on Cloud 9 [May 13, 2010]
With more than 2 million SYNC-equipped vehicles on the road today, Ford has shown that people want a simpler and easier way to make phone calls, listen to music and get directions while in the car. And now, a whole new group of drivers is about to experience SYNC as Ford launches the all-new 2011 Ford Fiestalater this summer.
The newest addition to the small-car segment, the Fiesta will be available with Ford SYNC, powered by Microsoft, a fully integrated, in-car communications and entertainment system that gives drivers hands-free, voice-activated control over their mobile phones and media players. SYNC includes Microsoft Tellme’s voice-activated Traffic, Directions and Information (TDI)system — an interactive voice-powered service that expands Ford SYNC’s voice-command capabilities. The introduction of the Fiesta is the first time that an economy car will be available with this level of technology.
According to Microsoft Tellme research, 93 percent of motorists want the type of speech services provided by Tellme and 80 percent say availability of the Tellme service would be a key factor in which car to purchase. Vehicle manufacturers like Ford recognize this demand and look to Microsoft for a differentiated product offering with a strong user appeal.
Ford SYNC with TDI breaks ground with in-vehicle infotainment by taking full advantage of the power of Tellme’s speech recognition platform and the Windows Embedded Automotive platform. The flexibility of the Windows Embedded Automotive platform enables automakers to build upon and create unique in-vehicle experience for their consumers.
Microsoft Tellme and the new Ford Fiesta
Microsoft joins Ford to celebrate the launch of the new Ford Fiesta with Ford SYNC TDI technology.In April, more than 200 media from all over the country participated in a two-day program in San Francisco where they got to kick the tires and test drive the Fiestas throughout the city, participate in demonstrations, and compete in some street-course activities. Representatives from Microsoft Tellme were also on hand to talk about its role in the Ford SYNC TDI system.
With coverage of more than 14 million business listings, personalized traffic information, turn-by-turn directions, and location-based search, Microsoft Tellme’s cloud-based voice applications give drivers access to real-time information that’s updated continually, ensuring that searches for businesses, addresses and routes are always current.
A question the Microsoft Tellme team gets often is, “How does it work?” SYNC automatically connects drivers’ mobile phones and media players with their vehicle’s in-car microphone and sound system, simply by pushing a button on the steering wheel.
To use TDI, it’s as simple as this:
- Press the Voice button on the steering wheel and say “Services.” When you hear SYNC’s greeting, say “Traffic.”
- When prompted, say the name of a personal saved destination, such as work or home or grandma’s house. You can even just say the name of a city.
- SYNC will respond with a custom traffic report — as determined by the in-vehicle GPS receiver — to your destination.
- When multiple routes are available, you will hear the estimated travel time on each route, based on distance and traffic conditions.
- This all happens through a connection with your Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone, in a regular voice call, so there’s no need for a data plan or for Ford to add a costly embedded cellular radio.
Customers are clearly excited about the Fiesta, with more than 1,000 retail orders already placed before the car is even available to the public. The Fiesta will make its debut on North American roadways later this summer.
KIA UVO
Stop reaching out to change the station while driving. With Kia UVO, use your voice to play a song or change the station, make or answer phone calls, send and receive SMS text messages and more. Say “Play artist Rolling Stones” and start listening. Turns out, you can always get what you want…it’s as simple as asking.
Kia UVO is an innovative and intelligent in-car communications and entertainment system. Using UVO, drivers and passengers can quickly and directly access music files, change radio stations, make or answer phone calls, send and receive SMS text messages, and operate a rear-view camera when the driver shifts into reverse, all through voice-activated controls using Microsoft speech recognition technology.
Kia Motors unveils infotainment system for its vehicles powered by Microsoft(r) in the US[Jan 6, 2010]
- Kia UVO, short for ‘Your Voice,’ features a breakthrough user interface that provides simple and easy access to Kia vehicles’ multimedia and infotainment systems
- UVO is the first in-vehicle solution to integrate full Microsoft(r) intelligent speech engine technology
(SEOUL) January 5, 2010 – Kia Motors America (KMA) today unveiled an innovative and intelligent in-car communications and entertainment system, ‘UVO powered by Microsoft(r),’ to be available in select Kia vehicles in the US starting this summer. UVO provides consumer friendly voice- and touch-activated experiences for simple management of music files and hands-free mobile phone operation. Co-developed with Microsoft(r) and based on Windows Embedded Auto software, UVO is an easy-to-use, hands-free solution that allows drivers and passengers to answer and place phone calls, receive and respond to SMS text messages, access music from a variety of media sources and create custom music experiences.
Understanding drivers want and need intuitive controls, Kia Motors and Microsoft(r) designed UVO to enable a new level of voice recognition through Microsoft(r) speech technology. UVO users will be able to access media content and connect with people through simple, quick voice commands without having to navigate through menus. By supporting complex grammar, UVO needs only short voice commands to connect drivers and passengers with their desired functions. An interactive system, UVO responds to inquiries such as ‘What’s playing?’ and provides audible answers and related functions, helping to keep drivers’ eyes safely focused on the road.
UVO also brings advancements to in-car technology through an immersive user experience. The interface features a 4.3-inch, full-color display that provides detailed information on media content, phonebook data and vehicle information; the screen also doubles as a rear-view camera when the shifter is put in reverse. UVO is an open platform that seamlessly integrates with a wide variety of mobile phones, music players and other devices, making it easy for drivers to quickly pair devices.
“UVO powered by Microsoft(r) is a breakthrough for in-vehicle infotainment that helps allow drivers and passengers to safely and easily use all of their personal technologies to create personalized in-vehicle communications and entertainment experiences,” says Michael Sprague, Vice President, Marketing, KMA. “Collaborating with Microsoft(r), Kia Motors is able to offer drivers an experience that will provide our cars with a clear competitive advantage.”
“We are very excited with the customized approach Kia Motors is bringing to in-car infotainment,” says Kevin Dallas, General Manager of Microsoft’s Windows Embedded Business division. “Kia’s UVO system demonstrates how the power of Windows Embedded technology can keep consumers connected to the devices, information and entertainment that matters to them most.”
Based on the award-winning Windows Embedded Auto platform, UVO can be updated easily as new consumer devices continue to be introduced to the market.
UVO will debut this summer in the all-new Kia Sorento and will be extended to additional Kia vehicles as part of the brand’s technological evolution. Kia Sorento, Soul, Forte and Forte Koup already come standard and at no extra cost with Bluetooth(r) wireless technology connectivity, iPod(r)/MP3/USB connectivity, and a three-month SIRIUS(r) satellite radio subscription.
UVO will be shown for the first time at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, January 7-10, in both Kia Motors and Microsoft(r) booths; representatives from both companies will be on-hand for demonstrations.
Key features of UVO, powered by Microsoft(r):
- Advanced Speech Recognition: Intelligent Microsoft(r) speech technology is trained to the system operator’s voice, creating a personal profile and allowing for up to two different voice profiles in various languages. Support for large grammar commands and faster response time means the content is delivered when you ask for it. Kia Motors’ UVO system is the first in-vehicle solution to integrate full Microsoft(r) speech engine technology.
- Natural Interface Advancements: A full-color, easy-to-use in-dash monitor allows occupants to quickly scroll through media and mobile device content through intuitive voice and touch-screen commands.
- Custom Media Experiences with MyMusic: UVO’s ‘Jukebox’ function features a 1GB hard drive for media storage, allowing users to rip music from CDs or an MP3 player into personal MyMusic folders and store up to 250 songs sorted by title and/or artist – all through voice commands. The system can shuffle through an MP3 player or AM/FM and SIRIUS(r) radio stations and instantly identify what’s playing all through simple voice commands.
- Rear Backup Camera: When the vehicle is put in reverse, a built-in rear backup camera uses UVO’s in-dash display to provide clearer images of the environment behind the car assisting the driver to identify certain objects that otherwise may be difficult to see.
- Ability to Continuously Update Features and Services: Based on a flexible Windows Embedded Auto platform, updates and services can be delivered in a number of ways (over-the-air, over-the-Web) for Kia to continue to provide a superior user experience after the system enters the market.
Kia Motors is in the midst of a dramatic, design-led transformation, which has been delivering dynamically styled vehicles in several important segments at exactly the right time contributing to the brand’s continued gains in market share. The launch of the all-new Sorento, the official vehicle of the NBA and the first vehicle to be built at Kia Motors’ first U.S.-based manufacturing facilities in West Point, Georgia, will further enhance the Kia lineup.
Kia Motors and Microsoft Usher in New Era of In-Car Technology [Jan 5, 2010]
Kia Motors America (KMA) and Microsoft today unveiled Kia UVO, powered by Microsoft, a new in-car infotainment system with advanced voice- and touch-activated features.
Kia UVO, Powered by Microsoft [Jan 7, 2010]
Microsoft’s Greg Baribault shows off Kia’s new in-car infotainment system, UVO, powered by Microsoft.
With UVO, drivers and passengers can quickly and directly access music files, change radio stations, make or answer phone calls, send and receive SMS text messages, and operate a rear-view camera when the driver shifts into reverse, all through voice-activated controls using Microsoft speech recognition technology. The hands-free system helps drivers stay focused on the road.
Features of UVO include advanced speech recognition; a 4.3-inch full-color display screen; and MyMusic, a jukebox-type function that enables drivers to shuffle between music sources including personal music folders, an MP3 player, or AM/FM and satellite radio.
Co-designed by Kia Motors and Microsoft, UVO is built on the award-winning Microsoft Windows Embedded Auto software platform. The system will be offered during the third quarter of 2010, starting with the 2011 Kia Sorento CUV.
Microsoft and Kia will demonstrate UVO at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.
Hands Free: Read & Reply to Email with Microsoft TellMe Speech [Oct 19, 2010]
Spread the Word: Speech Recognition Is the “New Touch” in Computing [Oct 28, 2009]
Keyboards and mice still are the dominant methods for working with a PC or laptop. But big leaps in speech-recognition technology mean that talking to a computer may soon be as natural as using a mouse.
Leading Microsoft’s charge to that audible future is Zig Serafin, general manager of the Speech at Microsoft group. Serafin says his team’s goal is simply to create the world’s most advanced speech platform, one that spans cloud-based voice services, mobile phones and world-class servers for enterprise customers. “Voice is the new touch,” says Serafin. “It’s the natural evolution from keyboards and touch screens. Today, speech is rapidly becoming an expected part of our everyday experience across a variety of devices. Bill Gates articulated this vision a decade ago, and we’re seeing it happen today.”
Two years ago, Microsoft acquired Tellme Networksand has subsequently merged Microsoft’s speech development team (formerly the Speech Components Group) with Tellme to form the Speech at Microsoft group. The group’s sophisticated speech-recognition technology and Web speech engine, which has been under development for more than a decade, is leading to a wave of voice-enabled products promising easier, faster interactions — spanning automobiles, smartphones, and personal productivity software.
For example, Ford Sync, powered by Microsoft and Tellme, provides in-dash voice-activated navigation and search. In addition, Bing for Mobile, Exchange Server 2010, Windows 7, and new Windows® phones such as the Samsung Intrepid from Sprint are all voice-enabled.
“See” Your Voice Mail
One of the most eagerly awaited features in Exchange Server 2010 is the new Voice Mail Preview, a capability that is poised to transform the way people retrieve and navigate voice mail. Using speech-to-text technology, Exchange 2010 automatically sends a text preview of voice mail right to the user’s inbox.
Instead of wondering whether the little red light on their phones is signaling an important call, people can scan text previews, right in Outlook, to determine message content and priority.
Exchange Server 2010’s voice mail feature turns an audio call into a text preview.
Click for high-res imageRajesh Jha, corporate vice president of Microsoft Exchange, says Voice Mail Preview in Exchange 2010 makes it dramatically easier to visually sift through voice mail on your PC, mobile phone, or any popular Web browser to quickly determine the importance of a call. “For me, this feature is invaluable during meetings or other situations when actually listening to voice mail is not a viable option,” says Jha.
Exchange Server 2010 will launch at TechEd Europe, which runs Nov. 9–13 in Berlin.
“Hands-Free” Calling, Texting and Search
The Bing for Mobile application is a free, on-the-go version of Bing with voice-enabled search. Using this application, people simply speak their search query to retrieve results on their Windows phone.
The Bing 411 service works for any phone. People call 1-800-Bing-411, speak their search, and hear the results or get a text message of addresses, directions and other information for easy access later. Both Bing 411 and the Bing for Mobile application help users safely access important information wherever they may be, when typing on a phone is slow, impossible or inconvenient.
With the newly launched Samsung Intrepid from Sprint, the first Windows phone to use Microsoft’s Tellme voice user interface, the experience gets even better. People can speak a search query or dictate a text message, making it dramatically easier to accomplish tasks on the go. Intrepid users simply press the Tellme button on the phone and say what they want — whether that’s to dial a colleague, text a friend, or search Bing for the nearest hardware store or best happy hour.
“When you’re on the go, using only keystrokes to search can be cumbersome, especially if you’re multi-tasking. It takes over 20 strokes of the keypad to find a restaurant on the Web,” says Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of the Online Services Division at Microsoft. “With Bing for Mobile or Bing 411, you simply speak your query to get results quickly, easily and safely. Using your voice to simply ‘say what you want and get it’ helps you do more when you’re in a mobile scenario.”
Talk to Windows 7
An improved speech recognition feature in Windows 7, launched last week, enables people to control their computer completely by voice or by touch and voice. Using Windows Speech Recognition, people can easily launch applications, access commands and even convert their voice into text in any application that runs on Windows 7. In addition, software developers can tap into these capabilities to enable rich, natural speech interactions between users and Windows-based applications.
Partners such as HP are already leveraging these capabilities in their Windows 7-based PCs with innovative applications that leverage speech and touch together to transform the user experience.
“By using the power of their voice, people can get their jobs done more efficiently,” says Ian LeGrow, group program manager for the Windows team at Microsoft. “With Windows Speech Recognition, the interactions between people and their computers can be more natural, not just in the future, but starting today.”
Voice at Your Service
The Speech at Microsoft group runs the Tellme platform, the world’s largest voice platform based on the VoiceXML standard, managing more than 6 million calls every day, helping businesses improve customer service.
This month, the Speech at Microsoft group introduced an enhanced Outbound IVR (interactive voice response) Service on the Tellme platform to provide proactive customer service. With this service, businesses can provide interactive outbound messages that allow customers to act upon the alerts — to pay a bill, rebook a flight, or schedule delivery for a missed package, for example. The Outbound IVR Service is optimized to work across the phone (as a call or text), e-mail, instant messaging and the Web to deliver a personalized, efficient experience.
Says Jamie Bertasi, senior director for Speech at Microsoft, “We are delivering a steady stream of innovations to our platform in order to continue to deliver the best experience for the caller and best performance for the enterprise. By leveraging the power of the cloud and the billions of interactions we see every year, we are able to fine-tune the way companies engage their customers, enabling them to improve customer satisfaction while significantly reducing costs.”
Looking Ahead: What’s Next
According to analysts, the growing demand across industries for speech technology indicates that voice is poised to transform the user experience on a variety of fronts.
“Speech-recognition technology has matured to a level where it’s a primary catalyst for the next wave of innovation in the unified communications space,” said Nancy Jamison, principal analyst with Jamison Consulting. “Microsoft’s recent advancements in speech really strike at the heart of what true unified communications is all about — improving the user experience.”
By combining Tellme’s speech optimization and deployment experience with Microsoft’s cutting-edge speech technology, this new group brings together a cross-functional team of domain experts to drive speech technology to new heights. By using cloud-based technology, the Speech at Microsoft group is envisioning a future where speech recognition rivals human understanding.
Serafin says that his team of experts will remain committed to applying their many decades of experience to push the frontiers of voice-enabled technology that brings speech into everyday use.
“For perhaps the first time in the history of Microsoft, we have our world-class speech scientists and highly respected software-plus-services experts under one roof, and I believe the resulting collaboration will lead to pathbreaking innovation,” says Serafin. “The climate in our R&D environment is optimally charged to accelerate advances, leverage the power of software plus services, and revolutionize the ways customers interact with a wide range of Microsoft products.”
Bolstering that expertise is the recent addition of Larry Heck to the role of chief scientist for the Speech at Microsoft group. Heck first joined Microsoft as the partner architect for the Online Services Division R&D. Before that he led the creation, development and deployment of the search and advertising algorithms at Yahoo!, and before that he was the vice president of R&D at Nuance. Heck has joined the Speech at Microsoft group to help chart the course of next-generation elements of Microsoft’s speech platform.
“Speech belongs in the cloud. Only there can you reach the scale, the enormous volume of interactions required to create a speech system capable of rivaling human understanding,” said Heck. “With the formation of the Speech at Microsoft group, the unrivaled breadth of our platform today, and our cloud-based approach, this future is within sight.”
Speech, the Experience Game-Changer [Aug 3, 2010]
The growth of connected devices, from automobiles to your mobile phone, coupled with the increase in data consumption is signaling the beginning of a broad shift in technology toward an era of more integrated, natural experiences driven by speech, touch and gesture.
Today at the 2010 SpeechTEKConference in New York, Zig Serafin, general manager of the Speech Group at Microsoft, delivered a keynote address describing Microsoft’s vision for speech and natural user interfaces (NUIs). Serafin demonstrated the latest in speech recognition technology that has been designed into upcoming Microsoft products. These products promise to deliver more elegant and accessible interfaces, allowing users to utilize their voices and, in some cases, their bodies to perform actions and access information.
During his address, Serafin demonstrated three speech innovations:
• Kia UVO. Microsoft is creating more natural and safer automotive experiences using the Windows Embedded Automotive software platform and Microsoft Tellme Speech technologies. Starting later this year, Kia will begin offering the Kia UVOmultimedia and infotainment system in its all-new Sportage, Sorento and Optima. The UVO system is the first in-vehicle solution to integrate full Microsoft speech engine technology, allowing users to easily access media content and connect with people through simple, quick voice commands without having to navigate through hierarchical menus.
• Windows Phone 7. Microsoft is raising the bar for mobile device interactions with the development of Windows Phone 7. Speech has been seamlessly integrated into the phone experience, for functions such as search, navigation and dialing.
• Kinect for Xbox 360. Microsoft is unlocking new communication and entertainment experiences with Kinect for Xbox 360. The Kinect system allows users to navigate the Xbox 360 experience and participate in new gaming challenges by using NUIs such as gestures and speech.
“Microsoft is creating rich, immersive and seamless experiences across devices, delivered from the cloud. Speech will become the tool we use to unlock the power of devices as their connectivity and capabilities accelerate,” Serafin told SpeechTEK attendees.
As NUIs become more advanced and integrated into today’s technology, customers will expect to be able to interact more naturally, whether in front of the TV, in the car, on the go with their mobile device, or when interacting with businesses through customer-care applications, Serafin explained.
Just as important as the NUI is the fundamental shift in the architecture of speech, a shift that is accelerating the rate of learning and innovation. Microsoft Tellme has embraced a cloud-based architecture for speech. This architecture takes the billions of speech interactions running on the Microsoft Tellme speech cloud and uses them to improve the underlying recognition engine and improve the understanding of a user’s intent. For example, in the upcoming release of Windows Phone 7, users of the Bing voice search technology will be able to ask, “Who is pitching for the Giants tonight?” and get a listing of starting pitchers as well as ticket and weather information for the game. This represents a more natural experience for the user.
Microsoft continues to make significant investments in NUI, and in the next 12 months will be delivering products and technologies that will fundamentally change, for the better, how users will expect to interact with their TVs, mobile devices, and cars.
For more information on Microsoft’s speech innovations, please visit the Microsoft Tellme pressroom. You can also read more about Microsoft Tellme’s recent partner win with Avis Budget Group.
Today at the SpeechTEK 2010 industry conference in New York City, Microsoft Corp. announced the addition of Avis Budget Group Inc. to its growing roster of enterprise customers using the Microsoft Tellme speech cloud platform. Avis Budget, parent company of Avis Rent A Car and Budget Rent A Car, two of the world’s leading rental car brands, recently deployed the first in a series of new customer care solutions. By taking advantage of Microsoft Tellme’s award-winning speech cloud platform, Avis and Budget are delivering improved service to their customers during the peak summer travel season.
“Delivering new, streamlined customer care experiences can help save our customers time while giving them greater control over managing their vehicle rental arrangements,” said Thomas M. Gartland, executive vice president, sales & marketing, Avis Budget Group. “By working with Microsoft Tellme, we are able to deliver immediate improvements to our customer experience, while also keeping long-term technology costs in check.”
The second phase of the solution will add new reservation booking capabilities and expand integration to customer data systems to deliver enhanced caller personalization. By choosing the Microsoft Tellme cloud-based speech platform, Avis Budget will be able to roll out additional services to customers in an accelerated timeframe with minimal demands on its own internal system.
Microsoft Tellme Receives 2010 Speech Engine “Winner” Award
Also at SpeechTEK, Microsoft Tellme was honored with Speech Technology Magazine’s 2010 Speech Engine “Winner” Award, which is given to the year’s best speech recognition engine. In naming Microsoft its Winner, Speech Technology Magazine noted the company’s strengths in cloud-based speech and its focus on the enterprise, mobile and automotive markets. In addition, Microsoft Tellme was named “Leader” in the Speech Self-Service Suite category, in which the company’s depth in functionality and customer satisfaction were highlighted.
“2010 is the year speech hits the mainstream. Speech is changing the way we interact with technology in our homes, in our cars, on our mobile devices and on our PCs,” said Zig Serafin, general manager of Microsoft Tellme. “We are honored to be recognized as leaders in speech technology and will continue our efforts to make speech a natural part of everyday interaction with technology.”
Microsoft and Toyota Announce Strategic Partnership on Next-Generation Telematics [Apr 11, 2011]
Microsoft Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC) today announced that they have forged a strategic partnership and plan to build a global platform for TMC’s next-generation telematics services using the Windows Azure platform. Telematics is the fusing of telecommunications and information technologies in vehicles; it can encompass GPS systems, energy management and other multimedia technologies.
As part of the partnership, the two companies plan to participate in a 1 billion yen (approximately $12 million) investment in Toyota Media Service Co., a TMC subsidiary that offers digital information services to Toyota automotive customers. The two companies aim to help develop and deploy telematics applications on the Windows Azure platform, which includes Windows Azure and Microsoft SQL Azure, starting with TMC’s electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2012. TMC’s goal is to establish a complete global cloud platform by 2015 that will provide affordable and advanced telematics services to Toyota automotive customersaround the world.
As part of its smart-grid activities, aimed at achieving a low-carbon society through efficient energy use, TMC is conducting trials in Japan of its Toyota Smart Center pilot program, which plans to link people, automobiles and homes for integrated control of energy consumption. TMC believes that, as electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles become more popular, such systems will rely more on telematics services for achieving efficient energy management.
Microsoft has a long history of delivering platforms and services to the automotive market, including in-car infotainment systems built on the Windows Embedded Automotive platform, in-car mapping services with Bing and the Microsoft Tellme voice application, and many other consumer solutions.
“Today’s announcement of our partnership with TMC is a great example of how we continue to invest in the automotive industry and of our commitment to power the services that are important to consumers,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “It further validates the power of the cloud, as the Windows Azure platform will provide the enterprise-grade, scalable platform that TMC needs to deliver telematics in its automobiles worldwide.”
“This new partnership between Microsoft and Toyota is an important step in developing greater future mobility and energy management for consumers around the world. Creating these more efficient, more environmentally advanced products will be our contribution to society,” said Akio Toyoda, president of TMC. “To achieve this, it is important to develop a new link between vehicles, people and smart center energy-management systems.”
Qualcomm Snapdragon SoCs with a new way of easy identification
Follow-up: Next-gen Snapdragon S4 class SoCs — exploiting TSMC’s 28nm process first — coming in December [Aug 9 — Nov 16, 2011]
Update: Qualcomm Snapdragon S1-S2-S3 SoCs lineup in production as of 16-Nov-2011
- Qualcomm Snapdragon S1-S2-S3 SoCs lineup in production as of 16-Nov-2011
End of Update
In the last 24 hours there has been an incredible barrage of posts about “rebranding Snapdragon”. These posts are providing a kind of summary of changes referring to Qualcomm as the source of the information but not linking to that. When one finally finds the Qualcomm source it comes out that there is no rebranding in the conventional sense just a new classification for existing SoCs. So the individual SoC identifiers are the same, there is just a possibility to refer to them by a higher level of indentification which is related to the class of systems they are targeted to.
Because this is much more important new information than the non-existant rebranding I am first copying here the Qualcomm source and then some additional important information regarding their Adreno graphics capabilities and Qualcomm’s latest strategic moves to enter mobile gaming in a very big way. A report of current assesment of that is also available: Qualcomm hopes to make game consoles obsolete [Aug 4, 2011] Anandtech has published the slides of the Qualcomm event: Qualcomm’s March into the Gaming Market [Aug 3, 2011] and draws attention to this particular slide:
Please note the “Wireless Display” option which comes via the WCN3660 companion chip to Snapdragon S4 class of SoCs from the recently acquired Atheros (now Qualcomm Atheros). That chip will support the emerging Wi-Fi Display standard (said not to be confused with Intel’s WiDi) for streaming video directly from a smartphone or tablet to a Wi-Fi enabled display or television. (See also Wireless Gigabit Alliance – WiGig where Atheros is a member which is competing with Wireless HD where one of the members is Intel)
A Simple Way to Identify Which Snapdragon System is Right for You [Tim McDonough Vice President, Marketing, Qualcomm QCT on Qualcomm’s blog: OnQ, Aug 3, 2011]
Today Qualcomm is introducing a new way for our customers, our industry colleagues and consumers to identify the Snapdragon chipset that fits their needs. Those of you who know us well know that our current Snapdragon family of processors has grown to encompass over 15 different chips with feature sets that target mass market smartphones all the way through high end smartphones and tablets. And, although our Snapdragon chips are called processors, they are really system on chip solutions. Inside each Snapdragon chip are multiple hardware subsystems including CPUs, GPUs, modems, multimedia processors, GPS, DSPs, sensors, as well as advanced management software.
And all of these components are integrated into a single small chip that is designed with mobile in mind. The result is that Snapdragon processors deliver outstanding performance and longer battery life. But with such a deep roadmap of chips, our customers and industry colleagues have told us that it has become increasingly difficult to quickly and easily identify which chips are best suited for different devices.
We have arrived at a simple solution. Now our Snapdragon processors are classified into three system classes, System 1 (S1), System 2 (S2) and System 3 (S3): Simple names which denote performance and feature set. Moving forward, we will continue to add new classes as our roadmap grows. Without further ado, I present you with the Snapdragon S1, Snapdragon S2 and Snapdragon S3.
Snapdragon S1: Mass Market Smartphones [note: Up to 3G HSPA]
Snapdragon S1 processors offer great performance and longer battery life for today’s mass market smartphones. Boasting CPU speeds of up to 1Ghz, Adreno 200 graphics and a 3G modem, Snapdragon S1 processors are powering some of today’s coolest devices.
“The HTC Wildfire S could be the darling of the affordable Android handsets……..The most important factor for us is that we’ve found the HTC Wildfire S capable to performing those core tasks without too much of a compromise.”
— Pocket-Lint’s review of the HTC Wildfire S powered by the Snapdragon S1The Snapdragon S2: High Performance Smart Phones & Tablets [note: 3G HSPA+]
The Snapdragon S2 processor is an excellent choice for high performance smartphones and tablets. The S2 class of processors have some of the same design foundations as the S1 class but with some key performance improvements including a single core Scorpion CPU that clocks to speeds of up to 1.4Ghz, the fastest single core mobile CPU in the market, and the Adreno 205 GPU, which is designed to provide a 2x performance boost over the Adreno 200 GPUs. Web browsing and multimedia performance gets a serious performance boost too. With just one CPU core, the Snapdragon S2 can offer smoother graphics than other solutions that use dual-core CPUs.
“You can see clearly in the video that Qualcomm’s 2nd generation, single-core processor chewed up YouTube’s 720p Flash content without a hitch while the others failed to keep up in a smooth fashion.”
— Phandroid– (6/2011)Snapdragon S3: Multi-tasking & Advanced Gaming [note: 3G HSPA+, 1440×900/1080p HD/Dolby 5.1, Stereoscopic 3D capture & playback]
Here’s where things really get kicked up a notch. Simply put, the Snapdragon S3 is designed to offer 2x the graphics performance of the S2 and 4x the graphics performance of the S1. The S3 class of processors also feature a dual core Scorpion CPU at speeds of up to 1.5Ghz per core. With a more powerful [Adreno 220] GPU and a fast dual core CPU, the things our customers are starting to do with the S3 are pretty incredible. Take the HTC EVO 3D, this smartphone features a front-facing camera for video calls, two cameras on the back to create 3D photos and a display that uses a parallax barrier so you can view 3D photos without 3D glasses!
This performance boost also allows our customers to create devices with bigger and sharper displays. The Snapdragon S1 and S2 are typically in devices with 3-4-inch displays that offer a resolution of 800×480. The Snapdragon S3 in the HTC EVO 3D drives a 4.3-inch display with a resolution of 960×540, while the HP TouchPad tablet uses a monstrous 10.1-inch with a resolution of 1024×768.
The Snapdragon S3 Mobile Processor and Your HDTV [Aug 2, 2011] [note the “extend that experience to a 40-inch display” both in the video and the attached caption]
To maintain great battery life while also improving performance, Qualcomm designed the S3’s Scorpion CPU cores to be asynchronous, so each core can operate at different frequencies and voltages for superior performance at lower power. The S3 class of processors also support a host of video codecs and multimedia acceleration. You can learn more about the devices that use Snapdragon processors in our Snapdragon Showcase
“It (The Snapdragon S3) has arguably the best CPU and GPU in the dual-cores…The CPU being asynchronous can be a real battery saver… including NEON and has a 128-bit pipeline rather than 64 bit found in all other CPU thus a better speed…About multimedia, Its one of the best when it comes to multimedia… Qualcomm is also known for the stability of chipsets due to the fact that everything is on the chipset itself rather than making manufacturers add it.”
— Droid Gamers—Beastly Dual-Core Android Devices: A Rundown on Each Chipset (5/2011)Coming Soon: Snapdragon S4—Next Generation Devices
The Snapdragon S4 class will include the newest generation of Snapdragon processors and will feature a new CPU microarchitecture [Krait instead of the previous Scorpion] and integrated 3G/LTE multimode. The S4 will stay true to its roots by delivering exceptional battery power—a 65% decrease in power consumption, yet at the same time boost performance by 150%. This combo is going to create mobile products that offer graphics [Adreno 225 and up] that are comparable to current gaming consoles.
You’re also going to see Snapdragon S4 processors in new form factors and running a full blown desktop operating system. We’re currently working with Microsoft so the S4 can run the next version of Windows—Windows 8.
Stay tuned for big things. Or should we say small things?
Snapdragon™ Adreno 220 GPU Powers “Desert Winds” Game at MWC [Brent Sammons, Graphics Product Manager, Qualcomm QCT on Qualcomm’s blog: OnQ, March 1, 2011]
Attendees of Mobile World Congress 2011 got to see the newest generation of the Adreno GPU, Adreno 220, in action as part of the new Desert Winds game demo at Qualcomm’s booth. The graphics performance, new 3D effects, and level of graphical realism now possible with the dual-core Snapdragon MSM8660 chipset and its Adreno 220 GPU grabbed the attention of virtually all passing by the booth.
Snapdragon’s Adreno GPU – Desert Winds Game Demo [note the “console quality” differentiation in the attached text]
Desert Winds was shown in stereoscopic and non-stereoscopic 3D via HDMI out to a 55-inch HD LCD display. As with Qualcomm’s other dual-core Snapdragon MSM8660 demos at the show, the new Desert Winds game was running on the Snapdragon Mobile Development Platform (MDP), which is a device available to developers who want early access to Snapdragon chipsets and Adreno GPUs. (Get more info on the Snapdragon MDP and how to purchase at www.bsquare.com.)
The Desert Winds game ran in interactive and non-interactive modes, giving users the ability to play the game and help the game’s heroine, Amira, slay the giant scorpion character, Alacran, and his army of scorpions.
Developed by Southend Interactive, the game showcases the console-quality 3D graphics and high-end effects made possible by the Adreno 220 GPU, such as:
- Advanced particle physics and vertex skinning
- Full-screen post-processing shader effects
- Dynamic lighting with full-screen alpha blending
- Real-time cloth simulation
- Advanced shader effects like dynamic shadows, god rays, bump mapping and reflections
- 3D animated textures
Qualcomm will continue to use the Desert Winds game to showcase the ever-evolving, advanced capabilities of the Adreno GPU, with more 3D effects, smoother stereoscopic HD gaming, market-leading performance, and industry leading power-efficient 3D graphics. Based on our research (*), the Adreno 220 GPU in Qualcomm’s dual-core Snapdragon MSM8660 offers twice the performance of the GPU in other leading dual-core ARM9-based chips.
With more Android devices based on Snapdragon and Adreno and with over 100 games optimized for Snapdragon and Adreno, it seems clear that the mobile industry is already well aware of the many advantages that Snapdragon and its Adreno GPU.
In my opinion, it was apparent at this year’s Mobile World Congress that Qualcomm is well-positioned to continue its strong momentum in providing OEMs and 3D game developers with a powerful and efficient graphics platform that brings more of the industry’s latest and best 3D games to more smartphones, tablets and laptops everywhere.
_____
(*) Source Qualcomm – Average of Industry benchmarks composed of Neocore, GLBenchmark, 3DMM and Nenamark
Anandtech’s reports are not contradicting that:
– Hands on and Benchmarks of two MSM8x60 Phones – HTC Sensation 4G and HTC EVO 3D [June 3, 2011]
– Dual Core Snapdragon GPU Performance Explored – 1.5 GHz MSM8660 and Adreno 220 Benchmarks [March 30, 2011]
GLBenchmark 2.0
… GLBenchmark 2.0 is the best example of an even remotely current 3D game running on this class of hardware–even then this is a bit of a stretch. GLBenchmark 2.0 is still our current go-to test as it is our best best for guaging real world performance, even across different mobile OSes. … Comparatively, the 1.5 GHz MSM8660 with Adreno 220 is 2.2x faster than the 1 GHz MSM8655 with Adreno 205.
…
Quadrant 3D and 2D
Last and definitely least (at least in my mind) on the list is Quadrant, which has unfortunately become something of a de-facto one stop shop for benchmarking Android devices, famously spitting out one easy to digest score.
… Adreno 220 shows anywhere from 2-5x performance gains over Adreno 205.
Final Words
When we first started looking at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoCs we were impressed by their CPU performance but largely put off by the performance of the Adreno 200 GPU. The 45nm Snapdragon with the Adreno 205 GPU changed things as it roughly doubled GPU performance. The Adreno 220 brings about another doubling in GPU performance. …
How Snapdragon is Changing the Mobile Gaming Industry [Brent Sammons, Graphics Product Manager, Qualcomm QCT, Feb 10, 2011]
Qualcomm Shows Strong Support of the Mobile 3D Gaming Ecosystem at GDC [Brent Sammons, Graphics Product Manager, Qualcomm QCT on Qualcomm’s blog: OnQ, March 18, 2011]
Qualcomm has been clearly demonstrating its support of the entire mobile 3D gaming ecosystem at recent conferences like this month’s Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. This support showed up as a press release with Gameloft; a new video with Gameloft and NAMCO BANDAI Games America; joint marketing activities with Sony Ericsson around their new PlayStation Certified Xperia Playdevice; a GDC speaker session featuring presentations by leading mobile developers Southend Interactive and Polarbit; a new Snapdragon mobile 3D gaming ecosystem video and a very well-attended and well-received party at Ruby Skye!
In the press release Qualcomm announced its agreement with Gameloft to deliver an enhanced, Snapdragon-optimized experience for Gameloft’s premier HD mobile 3D game titles like “SpiderMan Total Mayhem HD,” “Real Football 2011 HD,” “GT Racing: Motor Academy HD” and “Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus.” These will be optimized for current and future Snapdragon processors, such as the MSM8x55 with its Adreno 205 GPU (currently shipping), and the dual-core MSM8x60 with its Adreno 220 GPU.
In a video shot during GDC, Baudouin Corman (Vice President Publishing of Americas for Gameloft) and Dominic Lobbia (Senior R&D Director of NAMCO BANDAI Games America) speak to their game optimization efforts and the value that Snapdragon and Adreno bring to the table. They cite the strong adoption of Snapdragon by manufacturers of high-end Android and Windows Mobile 7 devices, the high quality and great performance of mobile 3D graphics powered by Snapdragon and Adreno, as well as the valuable graphical optimization and development tools Qualcomm offers like the Adreno Profiler. (For more information on the Adreno tools, go to http://developer.qualcomm.com/dev/gpu/tools.)
Game Developers Explain the Value of the Adreno GPU [March 18, 2011]
…
Conference attendees also had the opportunity to get the whole story about Qualcomm’s mobile 3D gaming ecosystem support via a new video that was playing just outside the South Hall Expo Floor. The video features Qualcomm’s Vice President of Product Management, Raj Talluri, who explains that there is a huge ecosystem of Snapdragon game developers and games optimized to Snapdragon, that the majority of Android phones use the Snapdragon processor, and that all Windows Phone 7 products use the Snapdragon processor. Therefore, he explains, developers are able to reach a large audience of smartphone and tablet users.
Qualcomm’s Mobile 3D Gaming Ecosystem [March 20, 2011]
“Hey, You Got Your Snapdragon Chipset in My Xperia™ PLAY” [Brent Sammons, Graphics Product Manager, Qualcomm QCT on Qualcomm’s blog: OnQ, May 27, 2011]
Unlike the chocolate and peanut butter in Reese’s chocolate peanut butter cups, it was no accident that Snapdragon and the Xperia PLAY found themselves together. This week Sony Ericsson launched the Xperia PLAY at Verizon, with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon MSM8255 mobile processor with Adreno 205 Graphics Processing Unit(GPU) inside.
It is the world’s first PlayStation-certified phone (and perhaps the world’s most gaming-centric smartphone). And Sony Ericsson chose Snapdragon and Adreno to power it. If you’re wondering why, check out this recently posted Qualcomm video, featuring Aaron Duke and Kim Ahlstrom from Sony Ericsson, talking about the Xperia PLAY with Snadragon’s Adreno GPU.
Snapdragon’s Adreno [205] GPU powers the Xperia PLAY [May 26, 2011]
The Snapdragon MSM8255 chipset and Adreno 205 GPU together provide a fun and immersive gaming experience via the very device you will want to carry with you everywhere all the time – the new Xperia PLAY smartphone.
Not only does Snapdragon contain powerful graphics processing — enough to rival some in-home console systems — but it also has a lot of other valuable integrated features like video capture and playback, music playbackand a 1.4 GHz CPU.
The Xperia PLAY has a 4-inch 854×480 display, a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, a VGA front-facing camera, 512 MB of RAM, and is based on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Perhaps more importantly, the device comes with seven preloaded games. And you can download over 50 more games via Verizon’s VCAST apps store.
I would say that another big reason that Sony Ericsson chose to work with Qualcomm is that Qualcomm is really into mobile gaming!Keep your eyes peeled in the coming days for more details on just how big into gaming Qualcomm has become.
In the case of the Xperia PLAY, Qualcomm worked closely with Sony Ericsson not only to establish connections with some of the best mobile game developers and game titles around, but alsoto help game developers make sure that the games offered on the PLAY are the best they can be, using the Adreno graphics optimization tools.
We’re very pleased that Sony Ericsson chose Snapdragon for the Xperia PLAY device. We’re confident you will be, too. The Xperia Play may not be as tasty as a Reese’s peanut butter cup, but I’d say it’s a lot more fun and lasts a lot longer! For more information on commercially available Snapdragon-based devices and on the Adreno graphics optimization tools, check out our developer site at developer.qualcomm.com.
SoC’s for 2011: [ekin , Jan 23, 2011 >>> ]
(listed in what I believe is the best to the worse)
+ ARM Sparrow: Dual-core Cortex A9 @2.00GHz (on 32nm die), unspecified GPU
+ TI OMAP 4440: Dual-core Cortex A9 @1.5GHz, SGX 540 (90M t/s)
+ Apple A5 (iPad2): Dual-core Cortex A9 @0.9GHz, SGX 543MP2 (130M-150M t/s)
+ Qualcomm MSM8660 (Gen IV Snapdragon): Dual-core Cortex A9 @1.5GHz, Adreno 220 (88M t/s)
+ TI OMAP 4430: Dual-core Cortex A9 @1GHz, SGX 540 (90M t/s)
+ ST-Ericson U8500: Dual-core Cortex A9 @1.2GHz, ARM Mali 400 (50-80M t/s)
+ Samsung Orion: Dual-core Cortex A9 @1GHz, ARM Mali 400 (50-80M t/s)
+ Nvidia Tegra 2: Dual-core Cortex A9 @1GHz, nVidia ULP-GeForce (71M t/s)
+ Qualcomm Scorpion (Gen III Snapdragon): Dual-core Cortex A8 @1.2GHz, Adreno 220 (88M t/s)Notes:
– The SGX530 is roughly half the speed as the SGX535. The SGX540 is twice as fast as the SGX535.
– The Adreno 205 (41M tri/sec) is supposedly faster than the SGX535 but slower than the SGX540 (thus, is likely to be in the mid).
– The Adreno 220 is twice the speed of the Adreno 205 but it is slightly slower than SGX540 (88M vs 90M tri/sec).
– Samsung claims ARM Mali 400 to be 5 times faster than its previous GPU (S3C6410 – 4M tri/sec), about on par (80M tri/sec) with the Adreno 220, but few leaks benchmarked it to be only slighlty faster than the SGX535 (40M tri/sec).
– The gpu used in the Nvidia Tegra2 has been quite contained (little known). I estimated the Tegra2 has 71M t/sec (Tegra 2 Neocore=27fps/55fps=Galaxy S Neocore, x62% disadvantage of screen resolution, x 90Mt/s of SGX540 = 71M t/s). And recently some inside rumors via fudzilla actually confirmed this exact figure, so therefore the gpu-chip inside the Tegra2 is roughly equivalent to the MALI 400.All of these details are based on officially announced, rumors from trustworthy sources and logical estimations, so discrepancies can be existent.
Last thoughts:
As you can see there is some diversity in the next-gen chips (soon to-be current-gen), where the top tier (OMAP 4440) is roughly 1.5 times more powerful than the low tier (Tegra 2). However drivers and software will play a lead-role in determining which device could squeeze out the most performance. And this factor may alone favour the iPad2, Playbook or even MeeGo tablets to be better than the Honeycomb tablets which are somewhat bottleneck-ed by the lack of hardware accelaration and post-transcription through the Dalvik VM. I think we’ve hit the point where we could have some really impressive high definition entertainment, and even emulating the Dreamcast at decent/fullspeed.edit2 [March 13]: “ Just re-edited the post. Apple’s A5 details are added in, its looks to be one of the best chips for the year. If I had to choose between the OMAP4440 and A5, I probably would be reduced to a head-tail coin flip!”
Well, Apple’s been boasting over x9 the graphical performance over the original iPad. There are 2 articles on anadtech, one in Geekbench and a processor-specific details from imgtech (I dug up from 12months ago). It has been found that its a modified Cortex A9, 512MB RAM and the SGX543MP2. Everything points to the SGX543MP2 being significantly faster than the SGX540, and the given number was 133 Million Polygons per second (theoretical) for SGX543MP4 which is double SGX543MP2 performance. The practical figure is always less. Imgtech said the SGX540 is double the grunt of the SGX535, benchmarks show the SGX543MP2 is (on average) five times the grunt as the iPad (SGX535). So going by imgtech (the designer of sgx chips), the theoretical value that I list above, should be 70M t/s … going by Apple’s claim it should be 200M t/s … going by benchmarks it should be roughly 130 M t/s. Imgtech’s value is definently wrong since they claimed its faster than the SGX540 valued at 90M t/s. Apple’s claim also seems biased, they take only the best possible conditions and exaggerate it even more. It seems to be somewhere in between, and wouldn’t you know it, the average of the two “false” claims is equivalent to the benchmarked value
edit3 [April 3]: “Update. The benchmark results of the Snapdragon MSM8660 are in…. and it goes further to support the list. MSM 8660 = Dualcore A9 + Adreno 220 + Qualcomm modification (for better/worse).”
The benchmarks are out for the 4th-gen QSD, which confirms everything prior. It’s competing for top place against the 4440 and A5. I’ve changed the post (only updated chip’s name). If one were to choose between the processor of the A5 and the OMAP4440, they’d be really pressed to choose between more cpu grunt or more gpu grunt.
Qualcomm roadmap reveals quad-core, 2.5GHz ARM CPU [July 6, 2011]
MSM8960 [start shipping in Q4 2011]: Adreno 225 3D/2D 125 M tri./sec (DX9.3) – said to rival the GPU powering the Playstation Vita
MSM8930 [start shipping in Q3 2012]: Adreno 305 3D 80M tri./sec (DX9.3) – take us far beyond the possibilities of the Playstation Vita and more into the realm of the Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3
MSM8974 [start shipping in Q1 2013]: Adreno 320 3D 225M tri/sec (DX9.3)
While looking back one year: [Medion, Aug 19, 2010]
Samsung Galaxy uses PowerVR SGX540 (rated at 1 gigapixel fill-rate, and 28M triangles/sec)
Iphone 3GS/4 both use PowerVR SGX535 (1 gigapixel, 14M tri/sec)
Droid 2/Droid X use PowerVR SGX530 (500 megapixel, 14M tri/sec)
Droid uses underclocked PowerVR SGX530 (250 megapixel, 7M tri/sec)
Snapdragon uses Adreno 200 (133 megapixel, 22M tri/sec)So when it comes to the GPU, the Galaxy S phones kill anything that uses a current Snapdragon. The fill-rate is what is what’s really holding back the Adreno.
As for the CPU, I’ll generalize here.
Snapdragon – ARMv7 based Scorpion core (NOT an A8 like some state). Advantages over A8 is 5% faster clock for clock, and ability to be used in a multi-core configuration. Basically, it’s more future proof.
TI OMAP – stock Cortex A8, but currently running at 45nm, so better on battery life than Snapdragon (this will change with the new Snapdragons coming out)
Hummingbird – modified Cortex A8, 10-20% faster multi-threaded performance, but also 45nm so with better battery life as well.
So in terms of CPU, it’s Galaxy > Snapdragon/OMAP (depends, do you want 5% more performance, or significantly better battery life?)
So in conclusion, the Galaxy phones have more horsepower than the Incredible. If you plan to root and run custom ROMs, it should be the platform of choice.
Netbook prices starting $50 less at $200 via Intel MeeGo strategy
Preliminary reading:
– Acer & Asus: Compensating lower PC sales by tablet PC push [March 29, 2011 with comprehensive update on Aug 2, 2011] which is showing IHS iSuppli’s recent mobile broadband device forecast with constituents of Apple’s dominant position in the media tablet space as well as serious technical and market problems with the original version of Honeycomb up to now
>>> please note after reading this that for ASUStek the below $200 market trial with MeeGo netbooks is much-much more than simply to keep the netbook category alive
– Intel: accelerated Atom SoC roadmap down to 22nm in 2 years and a “new netbook experience” for tablet/mobile PC market [April 17, 2011]
Asus will ready some other experimental products in the coming weeks, such as the X101 model of its popular Eee PC netbooks. The device has attracted attention for its low price ($199) and use of the MeeGo operating system, a relatively new, open source technology project backed by Intel (and, formerly, Nokia). Shih said the X101 will also be available in Microsoft Windows and Google Android versions. Asus decided to offer a MeeGo flavor of the device so consumers could choose from a range of operating systems, he added.
Asus: Super-Thin ‘Ultrabooks’ Can Capture 50% Of Notebook Market [July 29, 2011]
Intel: MeeGo exists because Microsoft let us down [April 20, 2011]
Interview: Even Windows 7 doesn’t do enough for Atom, says chip giant
Despite saying that “Intel is very supportive of Windows,” James Reinders, Chief Evangelist of Software Tools at Intel, criticises Microsoft roundly in an interview with TechRadar.
Why? He says it’s taken too long for the software giant to make Windows run well on Atom and to make a success of Intel’s UMPC and MID ideas.
…
“Microsoft hasn’t been quite as aggressive as we might have hoped at supporting Atom, especially in the embedded space and that’s why we came up with our platform Moblin – which is now MeeGo. Intel is all about platform choice, choice of operating system and so on, and we believe in the opportunity of embedded very strongly.”
“Some of their Windows offerings are great now, but Moblin started a number of years ago when we didn’t see Windows in that space at all. We’re thrilled to death to see user mode scheduling in Windows 7 but the progress of Windows 7 still limited – it doesn’t go all the places we think Atom will go.”
Those places include smartphones, MIDs, tablets and in-car systems, for a start, and Android – or the version of Mac OS in the iPad – just isn’t enough in his view. “We feel people want an operating system that is more powerful on these devices.
What web browsers does MeeGo come with? [Dec 24, 2010]
There are two MeeGo images, one comes with Google Chrome that requires you to agree to a EULA. The other image comes with Chromium. Both images also come with Mozilla Firefox.
Chromebooks Are Doomed to Fail [PCWorld, May 15, 2011]
The Chromebook is not any lighter or smaller than a standard netbook. It boots up faster, and has longer battery life than a full notebook, but so do most netbooks. The difference between the Chromebook and a standard netbook is that with a netbook you can do everything you can do with a Chromebook, and you can still do all of things you normally do with a PC.
Essentially, buying a Chromebook is like buying a television that is only capable of delivering some of the channels, even though there are televisions available for the same price that can give you all of the channels. The Chromebooks are going to retail from $350 to $500. Funny thing about that–at BestBuy.com there are 15 netbooks listed that range from $230 to $530.
Early MeeGo devices supporting a compute continuum [July 1, 2011]
… MeeGo has a full featured PC OS at its core, with a series of device UI builds. Device manufacturers take these builds and build their own device experiences upon them. Thus with this approach MeeGo is raising the tide of all devices in a relative short time period. It is a different approach to spending years focused on one segment like handsets before stepping out incrementally to tablets. Not saying it is a better approach. It’s a different strategy, or strength, that gets a broader set of device types and experiences out there running MeeGo sooner. At this pace with IVI and embedded devices, next year MeeGo could be running on more device types than any other mobile OS.
…
In the PC world a desktop vs a laptop is a hard distinction. There’s little possibility to get those confused. With mobile devices it will be harder to have a distinction between handset and tablet, and tablet and netbook. And with TV, having devices work cooperatively for a full TV experience, it’s hard to define what is a definitive TV computing device.
For OSs that are built from the ground up with a specific device in mind this could be a problem. We see that with Windows today. It’s just about the most mature OS out there, and while you can put Windows on a tablet it’s not the best experience. The text based menus and mouse designed boxes, and file based navigation, do not translate well to touch based devices. Thus with Windows 8, Microsoft is putting a significant effort to build it from the ground up to be more touch friendly.
For MeeGo, as an OS that can be easily tweaked to work for a new devices segment, this is an opportunity. As device categories blur lines; as tablets get keyboards, as netbooks get touch screens, as OLED screens come out and devices can wrap, bend and extend their shape, it will be hard to define what is a handset verses another device. Device manufacturers will have flexibility with MeeGo, to quickly pull together what they need for the device they are shipping.
Update: Asustek expects better business performance in 2H11 [Aug 17, 2011]
Asustek Computer expects its performance in the second half of 2011 to be better than that of fellow Taiwan-based companies, according to CFO David Chang.
Asustek is likely to hit record quarterly revenues in the third
quarter and is optimistic about business operation in the fourth mainly due to the launch of second-generation Eee Pad Transformer tablets and ultrabook notebooks, Chang said.Asustek aims at a 14% market share for notebooks in China, and
became the largest vendor in Eastern Europe’s notebook market in the second quarter. In addition, Asustek is poised to make forays into Latin America, especially Brazil and Mexico.Asustek expects to ship 14 million notebooks and 4.5-5 million Eee PCs in 2011, Chang indicated. Asustek shipped 11.4 million motherboards in the first half and expects to ship 22.5-23 million for the year.
Asustek begins marketing Eee PC X101/X101H netbooks [July 29, 2011]
Asustek Computer will begin marketing its low-priced Eee PC X101/X101H netbooks in the US, Taiwan and other markets by the end of July. For the US market, the Eee PC X101, which runs on Intel’s MeeGo OS, is priced at US$199, while the X101H, powered by Windows 7 Starter, is available at US$299.
Since global sales of netbooks have been pressed down drastically by the launch of tablet PCs, the roll-out of the Eee PC X101/X101H will be crucial for other vendors to decide whether they should continue to bring out new netbooks, according to industry sources.
More information from elsewhere:
| Eee PC X101 from Eee PC X101 product site | Eee PC X101H from ASUS Product Guide (July-August 2011) | |
| Operating System | MeeGo | Genuine Windows® 7 Starter |
| Display | 10.1″ LED Backlight WSVGA (1024×600) Screen | 10.1″ LED Backlight WSVGA (1024×600) Screen |
| CPU | Intel® Atom™ N435 [Q3’11, single core, 1.33GHz/0.5M cache]]/N455 | Intel® Atom™ N455 [Q2’10, single core] (1.66GHz)/1M cache [?0.5M cache?] |
| Memory | DDR3, 1 x SO-DIMM, 1GB (Maximum 2GB ) | 1GB DDR3 RAM |
| Storage | 2.5″ SATA 8GB SSD HDD, 2 GB DropBox cloud storage |
250GB |
| Wireless Data Network | WLAN 802.11 b/g/n@2.4GHz*1 Bluetooth V3.0*1 |
Integrated 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 |
| Camera | 0.3 M Pixel Camera | Built-in Webcam |
| Audio | Stereo Speakers | |
| Interface | 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x Audio Jack (Headphone/Mic-In), 1 x Card Reader : SD/ SDHC/ MMC |
|
| Battery | 4hrs (3cells, 28W/h) battery life* *Operation lifetime subject to product model, normal usage conditions and configurations. For more information, please visit our web site. |
3 cell battery, 2600 mAh |
| Dimensions | 262 x 180 x 17.6 mm (WxDxH) | 262 x 180 x 22 mm (WxDxH) |
| Weight | 0.92 Kgs (w/ 3cell battery) | 1.02 Kgs (w/ 3 cell battery) |
| Color | Texture : Red, White, Brown | Texture : Red, White, Brown |
| Note | *1 : Availability is dependent on selected model, country or operator support. Check with your local ASUS website for more details. |
Eee PC X101H from ASUS Product Guide (July-August 2011)
The ASUS X101H is not just another netbook, it’s a social media machine. Super lightweight weighing less than 1.02 Kgs and only 22 mm thin, it still packs in the latest Intel® Atom™ CPU for exceptional performance. It comes in two flavors: the all-new MeeGo operating system, which boots up in seconds and integrates all your favorite social sites like Facebook, Twitter and Flickr into one convenient and easy to use home screen, and the popular Windows® 7 OS, which has ASUS Instant On technology so you can resume your session in 2 seconds. Offered in a variety of stylish colors, it’s the perfect accessory for wanting to stay connected when traveling.
Eee PC X101 from Eee PC X101 product site
Colorful and light, right at your fingertips
· Wing-shaped inspired design, under 17.6mm
· Easy-use MeeGO operating system for real netbook usage
· Have fun with asus @vibe and asus app store for cloud content enjoyment
Slim profile
The X101 was designed to be thin and lightweight, for maximum portability. Boasting a profile that’s less than 17.6 mm thick and weighing less than 920 gram, it easily slips into bags without adding much bulk. Featuring a comfortable chiclet keyboard for typing and large responsive touchpad, the X101 just screams to be used.
Your social networking companion – MeeGo OS
Today’s digital life is all about staying connected. We write blogs, upload photos and stay connected with friends on countless social networking sites. The new MeeGo Operating System on the X101 brings the internet to you in a new intuitive interface, integrating Facebook, Twitter and other popular social media sites onto the homepage for quick access so you can stay connected even faster.
English learning application
The X101 isn’t all play; it’s also a learning tool. Included with the MeeGo OS is the British Council English Language Learning application, designed for people from non-native English speaking countries who aspire to improve their English. The product takes the form of a content bundle of interactive games, videos and mp3s which are preinstalled on the X101. Over 300 pieces of material was developed by English Language Training (ELT) leaders and the British Council, with the application designed by Intel’s award winning Performance Learning Solutions.
Cloud computing for everyone
The X101 is preloaded with not only the MeeGo OS, but also the ASUS App store so you can download applications and stay productive and entertained. Discover apps, games, extensions and themes for the Google Chrome web browser on the Chrome Webstore. Also available is access to asus @vibe, which provides a fun, easy and convenient center filled with rich cloud computing content. As an added bonus, the popular Dropbox online storage is preloaded so you can easily and seamlessly sync files across your desktop, netbook or smart phone.
Chip Shot: MeeGo Netbooks Based on Intel Atom Arrive at Computex [Intel, May 31, 2011]
The ecosystem around MeeGo-based netbooks expands with the introduction of devices including the Acer Aspire One Happy 2, Asus Eee PC X101, Samsung N100 and Lenovo IdeaPad S100 at Computex. These systems are based on the new, 1.33 GHz single-core Intel® Atom™ processor N435. These netbooks will provide new levels of affordability for market expansion. Acer and Asus netbooks will come pre-loaded with the Intel AppUpSM center in select countries. Also at Computex, Acer demonstrated a MeeGo-based tablet on stage at the Intel netbook, tablet and software focused satellite event.
Intel officially unveils Atom N435 chip for low cost netbooks [June 1, 2011]
The Intel Atom N435 is a 1.33 GHz single core chip with 512K of cache and an estimated TDP of about 5W. As expected, it’s basically the newest and slowest member of the Intel Atom Pine Trail family. The next step up the ladder are the 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 and N455 chips which were introduced last year and which have TDP’s of 5.5W and 6.5W respectively.
Intel is making an interesting move by launching a new Pine Trail chip this summer. The company is pushing its new Oak Trail platform for tablets and will start shipping next-generation Cedar Trail chips for netbooks and notebooks soon. So why launch a new chip using last year’s tech and offering lessperformance?
In a word: price. The Atom N435 is a budget chip which makes dirt cheap netbooks like the Eee PC X101 possible. You also don’t need a blazing fast processor to offer decent performance with MeeGo Linux, an operating system optimized for Atom and other low power chips. I also suspect that Windows 7 will run reasonably well on the 1.33 GHz processor… I just wouldn’t expect good results with HD video playback.
Intel’s New Atom Processor to Lower Netbook Prices [PC World, June 1, 2011]
Intel on Wednesday [June 1] said it has introduced a new Atom processor to bring down the price of netbooks in emerging markets to under US$200.
…
Netbooks are generally priced above $250. New netbooks using the N435 will provide “new levels of affordability for emerging markets,” said Suzy Ramirez, an Intel spokeswoman, in an e-mail [to PC World].
…
Lower prices could also help draw renewed interest in netbooks, which are small and low-powered laptops for basic word processing and Internet surfing. After a phenomenal take-off in 2008, netbook shipments have stumbled in the last year, partly due to a growing interest in tablets.
ASUS “INNOVATION BEYOND EXPECTATIONS” AT COMPUTEX 2011 [Asustek, May 31, 2011]
…
Eee PC evolved
ASUS evolves the Eee PC further with new models that take netbooks to ever-greater heights. The new Eee PC X101 has been designed from the start to be the perfect ultraportable for modern mobile users, with its Intel® MeeGo operating system incorporating full support for a wide range of social networking services. Eee PC X101 Series netbooks are also offered with the Windows® 7 operating system, and models ship with both solid state and mechanical hard drive storage configurations.
…
ASUS Unveils New Innovations at Computex 2011 [Asustek, June 2, 2011]
…
New Eee PCs
ASUS are committed to developing the Eee PC range and bring users three new options for fully functional computing on the go.The 10.1” Eee PC X101 is a true ultraportable with the Intel MeeGo OS and the latest Intel Atom 435 processor. Offering a QWERTY keyboard, wireless and full support for social networking it is the perfect companion for computing away from home.
The 10.1” Eee PC X101H is the X101’s big brother, with the added choice of either Intel MeeGo or Windows 7, and the option of either HDD or SSD drive. Featuring Instant On technology to bring the netbook to life in just seconds (and last 2 weeks in standby) plus a range of stylish colours, users can make a statement across the entertainment, work and fashion worlds.
…
There’s a reason the $200 Eee PC X101 will be so cheap [May 30, 2011]
… now that more specs are available, it turns out that Asus isn’t just keeping the price low by using open source software instead of paying for a Windows license. The company is also taking a page out of it’s 2008 playbook and offering the MeeGo Linux version of the Eee PC X101 with a small battery and very little storage.
Asus Eee PC X101H lands at the FCC [July 19, 2011]
Here’s a comparison between the Eee PC X101H (above) and the X101 (below) and you can see the difference in thickness, and port choice:
Thanks to MeeGo, Asus Makes Good on Its $200 Laptop Promise [PC World, July 28, 2011]
Reportedly due to begin shipping in September, the Eee PC X101 was first spotted earlier this week on several U.S. retailers’ websites, as Liliputing pointed out on Tuesday. At PCSuperStore, for instance, it’s now available for preorder at a price of $199.73, while at Directronit’s listed at $208.98.
Now there’s also an official product page for the machine on the Asus site, and the netbook turned up on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Exhibits List as well, complete with photos and a user manual.
Samsung launches new Super-Light N100 Netbook [July 21, 2011]
The N100 Netbook demonstrates Samsung’s continued innovation while delivering superior quality, mobility and satisfaction to our customers.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd,a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced the launch of the N100 Netbook in India. Containing a powerful Intel Atom processor within a highly portable ultra-durable casing, the N100 is the answer for users looking for a simple, practical and connected device to use on-the-go.
“The N100’s design is based on our tremendously successful N150P Netbook, which has sold over 3 million units to date. The N100 Netbook demonstrates Samsung’s continued innovation while delivering superior quality, mobility and satisfaction to our customers. The N100 continues our line of high-quality Netbooks and represents superb value for money,” said Mr. Ranjit Yadav, Country Head, Samsung Mobile& IT.
Durable Design with an Anti-Reflective Screen
Despite weighing just 1.03kg, the integration of Samsung’s scratch-resistant Duracase ensures the Samsung N100 is durable and robust. The device delivers long-lasting reliability, which has been demonstrated through an exhaustive testing process. This durable portability ensures the device can be used for long stretches whilst on-the-move. However durability doesn’t have to come at the cost of design and the N100 is stylish and elegant and available in either black or white.
High quality video and pictures can be enjoyed both inside and outdoors with the device’s anti-reflective 10.1” LED display. The display contains a matt surface designed to reduce ‘mirror effect’, which allows longer use without undue strain on the eyes. The screen is also more resistant to scratching, enabling a higher quality viewing experience for a longer amount of time.
A User-Friendly Experience
Usability is at the heart of the N100’s design. The device includes Intel’s innovative MeeGo™ operating system*1 (OS), to deliver an efficient and enjoyable user experience. The interface has been designed to enable easy access to online and offline contents, while social networks can be viewed at a glance – meaning that it’s easier to stay connected. A fast boot-up process and energy-efficient design means that MeeGo™ is perfect for those on the move. A free DOS or Genuine Windows® 7*2 operating platform is also available as a factory option.
While the N100 may have a compact form factor, this does not impact upon the device’s usability. Thanks to the inclusion of an ergonomic keyboard with intelligent key spacing, typing is easier, faster and more accurate. The user experience is also enhanced through improved connectivity options; two USB ports enable the connection of additional peripheral devices as well as a VGA port to connect a larger external monitor.
Performance & Satisfaction Guaranteed
The N100 is powered by a
dual[single] core Intel Atom processor, which combined with an Intel GMA 3510 graphics processor delivers a swift, responsive experience. The Intel Atom processor is also incredibly energy-efficient, making better use of the battery life and extending usage time when on-the-move. Power reduction is reduced by up to 50 times.Pricing and Availability
The Samsung N100 Netbook is priced at Rs. 12,290/- [US$278]. With the addition N100, Samsung has a range of eight netbooks in its portfolio priced between Rs. 12,290/- to Rs. 21, 990/-.
Specifications
Display 10.1” (1024*600) WSVGA, Anti-reflective LED Operating System* MeeGo CPU* Intel® ATOM™ Processor N435 (1.33GHz) Memory* 1 GB DDR3 HDD* 250 GB (5400 rpm) Graphic Intel GMA 3150 Port GA, Headphone-out, Mic-in, 2 x USB 2.0,4-in-1 (SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC), RJ45(LAN), DC-In(Power Port) Battery 3 Cell (40 Watt) Dimension 264 x 188.0 x 26.7~34.7 mm (10.3” x 7.4” x 1.05” ~ 1.36”) Weight 1.03 kg (2.27lbs)
![clip_image001[6]](https://lazure2.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/clip_image0016.gif "clip_image001[6]")
Tackling the Android tide
Remarks by Larry Page on the quarterly earning calls [July 14, 2011, see also Larry Page to boost Google even more as becoming CEO again [April 2, 2011]]
We have tremendous new businesses being viewed as “crazy” Android We actually have a new metric to report of 550,000 Android Devices activated a day!
[See the full post by Larry Page later]
Follow-up:
Nokia Lumia (Windows Phone 7) value proposition [Oct 26, 2011]
Note: the “affordable” Nokia Lumia 710 for 270 EUR [US$ 376] is the one produced by Compal (the 800 is by Nokia itself)
Updates:
Supercharging Android: Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility [Larry Page, Aug 15, 2011]
We recently explained (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/when-patents-attack-android.html) how companies including Microsoft and Apple are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android. The U.S. Department of Justice had to intervene in the results of one recent patent auction to “protect competition and innovation in the open source software community” (http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/April/11-at-491.html) and it is currently looking into (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903635604576476430510833852.html) the results of the Nortel auction. Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.
Is Google buying Motorola for its 24,000 patents? [April 15, 2011]
Motorola Mobility Holdings’ CEO Discusses Q2 2011 Results – Earnings Call
Transcript [July 28, 2011]
… we own one of the strongest and most respected patent portfolios in the industry. We have over 17,000 patents granted and over 7,000 patents pending with particular strength in 2G and 3G essential, non-essential patents important to the delivery of competitive products in the marketplace, video particularly compression, decompression and security technologies and finally, a leading position in 4G LTE essential.
With new entrants to the mobile space resulting from the convergence of mobility, media, computing and the internet, our patent portfolio is increasingly important. …
@parmy Parmy Olson [Forbes’ London bureau chief]
Microsoft buying Nokia doesn’t seem like such a wild idea anymore. #Google #Motorola
2 hours ago via TweetDeck
Google’s Motorola Deal Could Give Windows An Opening [Forbes guest post, Aug 15, 2011]
Nokia says Google-Motorola deal may help Windows Phone [Aug 15, 2011]
This further reinforces our belief that opportunities for the growth of Nokia’s smartphone business will be greatest with Windows Phone. This could prove to be a massive catalyst for the Windows Phone ecosystem. Additionally, with our respective intellectual property portfolios, Nokia and Microsoft are working together to build and nurture an innovative ecosystem that benefits consumers, operators, developers and other device manufacturers.
Quotes from Android partners [Larry Page, Aug 15, 2011]
“We welcome today’s news, which demonstrates Google’s deep commitment to defending Android, its partners, and the ecosystem.”
– J.K. Shin
President, Samsung, Mobile Communications Division
“I welcome Google‘s commitment to defending Android and its partners.”
– Bert Nordberg
President & CEO, Sony Ericsson
“We welcome the news of today‘s acquisition, which demonstrates that Google is deeply committed to defending Android, its partners, and the entire ecosystem.”
– Peter Chou
CEO, HTC Corp.
“We welcome Google‘s commitment to defending Android and its partners.”
– Jong-Seok Park, Ph.D
President & CEO, LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company
Google acquisition of Motorola likely to benefit Taiwan production partners, but potential uncertain [Aug 17, 2011]
Share prices of Taiwan-based companies known to have strong business relations with Motorola staged a rally on August 16, one day after Google announced its plans to acquire Motorola Mobility as investors expect the deal will bring more orders for those companies. However, some industry watchers commented that Google may eventually release Motorola’s hardware business, forcing Taiwan handset ODMs, and parts and components suppliers to face more uncertainties.
The deal should help improve the financial structure as well as
business of Motorola, which will then release more orders to its production partners in Taiwan, said the sources, indicating the potential beneficiaries include Arima Telecommunications, Compal Communications, Merry Electronic, Ichia Technologies and Chi Cheng Enterprise.Arima is currently a major ODM of feature phones for Motorola, while Compal and Foxconn International Holdings (FIH) are smartphone ODMs for the vendor. Motorola’s focus on Android phones after being merged with Google will benefit all three ODMs, said the sources.
Motorola is expected to outsource a total of 11-13 million handsets to Taiwan ODMs in 2011, with more than 90% being feature phones, said the sources, indicating that shipments of smartphones to Motorola have more growth potential.
However, the sources pointed out initial orders from Motorola after being merged with Google are unlikely to increase substantially as Google has said it will run Motorola as a separate business and will treat all Android partners equally. This means that Motorola will be able to increase its orders to production partners if doing so remains competitive.
Motorola, operating as an independent handset vendor under Google, still also posts a potential threat to HTC and other Android phone vendors. Google is likely to compete directly with HTC or Samsung Electronics unless it sells or terminates Motorola’s hardware business eventually, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report.
Taiwan handset PCB and chipset vendors hail Google acquisition of Motorola [Aug 17, 2011]
Taiwan-based handset PCB and chipsets makers have applauded Google’s announcement of acquiring Motorola Mobility, expecting that a growing Android mobile device market will help boost their sales.
Unimicron Technology and Compeq Manufacturing are currently two Taiwan-based PCB suppliers for Motorola, but supply volumes take only a small portion of their total shipments, according to industry sources.
Taiwan-based handset chipset vendors MediaTek and MStar Semiconductor have been developing handset solutions for Android models because Apple has a preference of buying handset chips from players outside Taiwan.
MediaTek has also been cooperating with Motorola for some time and so the integration between Google and Motorola is certainly good news for MediaTek as well as MStar from a long-term point of view, the sources asserted.
IHS iSuppli News Flash: Fast Facts on Google’s Purchase of Motorola Mobility [Aug 15, 2011]
The Motorola Mobility acquisition puts Google Inc. in a stronger position in any potential patent dispute with Apple Inc. “From an intellectual property (IP) standpoint, the acquisition bolsters Google’s negotiating position with Apple, in the event that Apple goes after Android-based products the same way it did with Samsung in Europe,” said Francis Sideco, principal analyst, wireless communications, for IHS. “If nothing else, Google will be able to assert Motorola’s IP for the 3GPP and 3GPP2 cellphone specifications, which are used in both the iPhone and iPad.”
Motorola’s product development capabilities also may have made it an attractive acquisition target for Google. “Motorola has been closely following Google Android’s operating system release schedule,” said Tina Teng, senior analyst, wireless communications, for IHS. “Whenever Google releases a new version of Android, Motorola almost immediately has a device ready with the latest revision of the software, reflecting the company’s prodigious product development capabilities.”Google previously has used new HTC and Samsung products to demonstrate the latest capabilities of the Android operating system. For example, the HTC MyTouch and Samsung Nexus S served to show off the operating systems’ capabilities so other OEMs could follow the example. Now, Motorola is the company that will set the example.“
Motorola can serve as Google’s product R&D department as Android spreads into new markets,”Teng added. “Motorola has engineering expertise in a wide range of products where Android will be used, including set-top boxes and televisions. The addition of Motorola’s engineering and intellectual property will accelerate Android’s time-to-market in these areas and potentially revitalize the Google TV business, which so far has met with little success.”
The acquisition could prompt some Android licenses to increase their focus on alternative operating systems, such as Windows Phone.“ Although Google has said Motorola will continue to operate as a separate company, this development has to raise questions among the other Android licensees as to the level of support they will get from Google in the future. Even before this announcement, Motorola already had gotten preferential treatment, receiving first access to Honeycomb on the tablet side. While it’s unlikely that the other licensees will abandon Android, they could shift their priorities and focus more R&D toward Windows Phone from Microsoft.”
Motorola ranked sixth in the global smartphone business in the second quarter. The company held a 4 percent share of global unit shipments. Company shipments amounted to 4.4 million, up 7.3 percent from 4.1 million in the first quarter, as shown in the table below.
Since hitting bottom in the first quarter of 2009, Motorola has been experiencing nearly uninterrupted quarterly growth in smartphone shipments. Quarterly company shipments have expanded sequentially for the past nine consecutive quarters, with the exception of the first quarter of 2011, as shown in the figure below.
Motorola once was the world’s No. 2 cellphone maker. As recently as the first quarter of 2007, Motorola was the world’s second-largest cellphone shipper after Nokia on the strength of its stylish RAZR product line. However, because of its difficulties in offering compelling new models following the success of the RAZR, Motorola’s share of global cellphone shipments went into decline. Following a precipitous and sustained drop in shipments and market share, the company made a strategic decision to shift its focus away from low-margin, mass-market cellphones and toward higher-profit smartphones based on the Android operating system, like the Droid and Backflip.
Motorola Inc.’s XOOM media tablet introduced early this year represented the first legitimate match for Apple Inc.’s iPad 3G, in terms of features and pricing. The IHS iSuppli Teardown Analysis service’s dissection of the device determined the Motorola XOOM carries a bill of materials (BOM) of $359.92, based on pricing in March 2011, compared to approximately $320 for a 3G iPad with 32GB of NAND flash memory, based on pricing from April 2010.
Learn More > Low-End Smartphones Boost Market Growth
Has Google wasted $12bn on a dud patent poker-chip? [The Register, Aug 15, 2011]
Larry Page’s Moto bluff fails to convince
Analysis It’s all about patents, says Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page. Google insists that it bought Motorola to shore up its Android platform, which is caught in a litigious pincer movement from old buddies Steve Jobs and Larry Ellison. Microsoft is merely egging them on the sidelines as the manbags fly, shouting: “Fight!”
But analysts I’ve spoken to are already wondering how much due diligence Google performed before the announcement, or whether the Motorola acquisition will turn out to rival Terra’s legendary, rushed purchase of EMI. Here’s why.
Android is a copycat platform. The APIs copy Java, and the UI copies Apple’s iPhone. Oracle believes Google has violated Java IP, which it acquired with Sun Microsystems. Google says the language, and a third of Android’s API’s are “derivative” of Java. On the other warpath, Apple has launched three dozen lawsuits relating to usability and UI. Apple is hurling these lawsuits at Android licensees, rather than at Google itself. Google has refused to indemnify its partners, causing much nervousness.
But Motorola’s IP war chest does not help Google here. It is poor where it needs to be rich. It is no help at all in the Oracle battle, which (alas) as many people have forgotten today, is largely about copyrights not patents. The Motorola patent war chest could only help Google against Apple by opening up a new front, with retaliatory litigation which threatens every rival handset manufacturer. But have a look where Motorola patents’ strengths are: radio engineering and design. The most vital radio patents are already covered by existing patent pools.
Bear in mind, too, that Nokia has a patent portfolio that is as strong as – or stronger than – Motorola’s. Nokia executives believed it was so strong it would derail the Cupertino upstart. But when Nokia and Apple settled last month, Nokia barely came out ahead, with a one-off payment of €430m.
These radio and design patents of legacy manufacturers such as Motorola or Nokia really aren’t worth quite as much as their owners think they are.
Google has paid $12.5bn for a negotiating chip that appears to be almost impossible to redeem. In this light, the acquisition looks like panic, rather than a calm and carefully deliberated strategy. Google didn’t take IP seriously, bidding silly numbers (such as pi billion dollars [1]) for the Nortel patents. Then it realised it might be in trouble, and so went out and bought some IBM patents. Now it has splurged $12.5bn, truly believing the IP is going to be useful.
…
Hats off again to Motorola’s leadership, though. The company has been trying to sell its phone division for over three-and-a-half years [3] – and nobody wanted to know. “Who would buy a
loss-making mobile maker?” we asked in 2008.Moto merely had to whisper to Google: “We can solve your patent woes,” and its shareholders were rewarded beyond their wildest hopes. Google’s offer price has a huge premium over the market’s valuation of what Motorola is worth.
With the right timing and the right sales seduction, it is amazing what the right mug punter can be prepared to pay.
End of Updates
Regarding the Apple vs. Android situation in the tablet space see:
– Acer & Asus: Compensating lower PC sales by tablet PC push [March 29, 2011 with comprehensive update on Aug 2, 2011] which is showing Apple’s dominant position as well as serious technical and market problems with the original version of Honeycomb up to now
– Update: Apple hikes 2H11 iPhone orders to over 56 million units [Aug 15, 2011]
Apple has upward adjusted the total order volume for iPhones,
consisting of iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4 CDMA and iPhone 5, for the second half of 2011 by 12-13%, from 50 million units originally estimated at the end of the second quarter of 2011 to more than 56 million units. iPhone 5 will account for 25.5-26 million units, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.iPhone 5 orders for the third quarter of 2011 have been lowered from seven million units to 5.5-6 million units, while fourth-quarter orders have been raised from 14 million units to more than 20 million units, the sources pointed out. Total orders for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4 CDMA for the third quarter exceed 20 million units, and fourth-quarter orders have been
reduced to eight million units, the sources indicated.Total shipments iPhones in 2011 will reach 95 million units, the sources noted. While Taiwan-based supply chain makers will benefit from increased component orders, they are expected to see pressure for price cuts from Apple, especially touch panel makers which account for the largest proportion of total production costs, the sources said.
What about Windows Phone 7 chances to compete with that?
The chances are suddenly becoming quite good as:
1. The Next Release of Windows Phone, codenamed Mango, is coming
Designed to be the best Windows Phone yet. Check out how the next Windows Phone release, codenamed Mango, will deliver smarter and easier mobile apps, web, and communication. Coming Fall 2011 to a Windows Phone mobile smartphone near you. Tons of new features and everything you love about Windows Phone 7.
More: Meet the next release of Windows Phone: Smarter and easier communications, apps, and web
Update: Mango phones to compete with new iPhone in September [July 29, 2011]
Branded handset vendors including HTC, Samsung Electronics, and LG Electronics all plan to launch Microsoft’s Mango-based smartphones in September, competing neck and neck with the forthcoming iPhone which is also slated for the same month, according to industry sources.
Other vendors to unveil Mango phones at the recently concluded Microsoft’s 2011 WPC (Worldwide Partner Conference) included Acer, ZTE and Fujitsu Toshiba, the sources indicated.
In cooperation with Fujitsu Toshiba, Japan-based mobile carrier KDDI has unveiled its first Mango phone, the IS12T, which features a Qualcomm MSM 8655 processor, 3.7-inch touch screen and 13.2-megapixel camera.
HTC is expected to roll out a number of Mango phones, powered by Qualcomm 1.5GHz single-core CPUs with display sizes ranging from 3.8- to 4.7-inch, the sources noted.
Nokia is expected to unveil its first batch of Mango phones at Nokia World 2011 to be held in October, at a time when fellow vendors have already heated up the market for Mango phones, which will probably be a good strategy for the handset vendor, commented the sources.
But the very latest legal problems with Android could become an even more decisive factor:
2. Android legal losses reportedly prompt exodus to Windows Phone and MeeGo [July 19, 2011]:
HTC’s recent legal loss in the ITC Apple patent case, along with Microsoft’s aggressive patent push amid Android OEMs, has reportedly left manufacturers increasingly wary of Google’s open-source OS. According to the 21st Century Business Herald, growing Chinese brands like ZTE and Huawei are looking to adopt Windows Phone Mango either as a placatory measure toward Microsoft or the first step in a transition from over-reliance on Android. However, the platform spat could also have an unlikely beneficiary: MeeGo.
Chinese analysts have pointed to the relatively closeness of MeeGo’s system kernel and that of Android, suggesting that both hardware and apps could be reasonably straightforward to migrate. MeeGo’s under-the-radar legal situation, and backer Intel’s extreme willingness to find new partners – now that Nokia has all but abandoned MeeGo in favor of Windows Phone – could make the platform a safer bet for spooked Android OEMs. Interestingly, rumors have already surfaced earlier in the year regarding the possibility of a ZTE handset powered by Intel processors.
However, just as Nokia has left the N9 to helm its fledgling MeeGo effort, more manufacturers are expected to look to Windows Phone. Although Microsoft charges a roughly $15-per-device licensing fee for Windows Phone 7, versus Google’s free distribution of Android, there are suggestions that should Apple, Oracle and others win their patent cases then $15-20 royalty fees may become commonplace for Android phones and tablets. HTC is already believed to pay Microsoft roughly $5 per Android device in licensing, while Samsung is supposedly being chased for up to $15 per Android device.
Of course, whether Apple would agree to licensing its technologies remains a sleeping-dragon issue. HTC has already announced that it has “alternate solutions” to the systems Apple alleges are infringed, perhaps in unspoken admission of the fact that the Cupertino company is likely more interested in squashing and hamstringing its rivals than it is in clawing license fees from them. Forcing Google back to the drawing board to identify and replace elements of Android found to overstep into iOS IP would certainly sap some of the platform’s current momentum.
DETAILED INFORMATION
Some key Microsoft sites to watch:
- App Hub down July 18 for service upgrades
- Windows Phone Blog
- Windows Phone Developer Blog
- Windows Phone Newsroom
- Windows Phone Marketplace [Windows Marketplace for Mobile]
- Zune Marketplace
- Xbox LIVE
- Windows Phone Videos Channel on YouTube
- Meet the next release of Windows Phone: Smarter and easier communications, apps, and web [“See what’s coming this fall” campaign site]
Joe Belfiore shows off Windows Phone Mango [May 23, 2011]
- A Web experience that goes beyond the browser [00:40 or separate excerpt]
Windows Phone Mango has the power of Internet Explorer 9 built-in and the ability to localize the Web based on where you are. Corporate VP of Windows Phone, Joe Belfiore, demonstrates how Windows Phone Mango takes mobile internet to the next level.
Bing serves you better than a hotel concierge. Use Local Scout to find cool restaurants, sights, and shops—then buy tickets or make reservations on the spot.
- A smarter approach to apps [04:45 or separate excerpt]
Smart app integration is built into Windows Phone Mango, so mobile apps show up when and where you need them. Corporate VP of Windows Phone, Joe Belfiore, demonstrates how to get the most from your mobile apps on Windows Phone Mango.
Thousands of apps and counting. Rather listen to music? Create playlists, download podcasts, or track down that tune you can’t place with Music search. Live Tiles are more dynamic and informative in the next release of Windows Phone, codenamed Mango.
- Easier to connect and share [07:10 or separate excerpt]
Windows Phone Mango communications features are organized around the person or group you want to interact with, not the app you have to use. Corporate VP of Windows Phone, Joe Belfiore, shows how access to mobile Facebook and Twitter has never been easier with Windows Phone Mango.
Texting, Facebook chat, and Windows Live Messenger—now in one seamless experience. Create Groups to send your messages, videos, and pics to friends or family at warp speed. Groups and Threads coming to Windows Phone this fall, make it easier to stay connected with friends and family.
Remarks by Larry Page on the quarterly earning calls [July 14, 2011, see also Larry Page to boost Google even more as becoming CEO again [April 2, 2011]]
We have tremendous new businesses being viewed as “crazy”
Android
We actually have a new metric to report of 550,000 Android Devices activated a day!
That’s a HUGE number even by Google’s standardsChrome
It’s the fastest growing browser
With over 160 million usersPeople rightly ask how we will monetize these businesses?
And of course I understand the need to balance the short term with the longer term needs because our revenues and growth serve as the engine that funds our innovation
But our emerging high usage products can generate huge new businesses for Google in the long run, just like search And we have tons of experience monetizing successful products over time
Well run technology businesses with tremendous consumer usage make a lot of money over the long term
I think about our products in three separate categories
First, there is search and our ads products, the core driver of revenue for the company. Nikesh and Susan are going to talk more about ads later in the call
Next, we have products that are enjoying high consumer success–YouTube, Android and Chrome. We are investing in these in order to optimize their long-term success
Then we have our new products–Google+ and Commerce and Local. We are are investing in them to drive innovation and adoption
Overall, we are focused on long term absolute profit and growth, as we have always been–and I will continue the tight financial management we have had in the last two years, even as we are making significant investments in our future
Exclusive: AT&T’s Ralph De La Vega on Which Smartphones Are Winning [June 4, 2011 — Excerpt 1 ]
AllThingsD: You guys have always offered the broadest range of smartphones. What are the trends?
De la Vega: They definitely are buying a lot less feature phones than they used to. We’ve seen a dramatic shift from feature phones and quick messaging devices, which were texting devices only, into smartphones. We love that.
Android is becoming more popular. Our Android business is doing very, very well. I think what’s happening is people have latched on to smartphones. I think over time there will be fewer and fewer feature phones.
There are a million Android devices. Do you want to see more customization? I know at Mobile World Congress you said that you would carry the HTC device that is very Facebook-centric. Do you want to see more devices like that, that are a little more specialized?
De la Vega: I think you are going to see more people put a different UI on top of Android, like HTC has very successfully done. I love what they have done with their UI. It’s very simple, but it is still Android. I hope others will step up to the plate and Android itself will get better.
…
What have been the positive surprises? We talked about how BlackBerry has had a rough time and with Windows Phone, even though you like the product, the volume hasn’t been maybe what you hoped for.
De la Vega: iPhone and Android. I’ve been very pleased with HTC. HTC has come out with the HTC Inspire and it is selling extremely well in our stores. I think HTC has done a great job with the user interface. You go in and it is distinctive and I think other players are going to have to step up to that. So, Android and Apple are really the hot products right now.
Microsoft’s Android Plan: Evil Genius Or Just Evil? [July 13, 2011]
Buried in all the intrigue surrounding the Nortel patent auction was an interesting tidbit: Microsoft did not have to bid on the patents, but they did anyway. Why? As far as I can tell, it’s one of two reasons. One is evil. The other is evil genius. Either Microsoft really wants to kill Android. Or, if Android continues to thrive, Microsoft wants to be the ones that make billions of dollars off of its success.
…
… they’d prefer that Android (which killed Windows Mobile) would die and Windows Phone would take it’s place. But the next best option is to catch a free ride on the Android train. Patent licensing deals already in place with HTC, General Dynamics, and others could mean revenues of over $1 billion by next year, as Forbes reports. And if they’re able to convince Samsung to sign one as well (which could effectively force every Android partner to sign one), we could be talking multiple billions of dollars of revenue each year.
…
Microsoft’s intent here is pure evil genius. “It’s not like Android’s free. Android has a patent fee. You do have to license patents,” Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said last year. What he didn’t explicitly say is that you’d have to pay Microsoftand not Google for those patents. Think about this for a second: it’s entirely possible that Microsoft is going to end up making more money — perhaps significantly more — from Android than Google will. A year ago, such a statement would have seemed like a joke. But now it’s becoming reality. And it must be the ultimate nightmare for Google.
By being a part of the winning team, and not allowing Google to get Nortel’s patents, Microsoft put themselves in a win-win situation. If their continued threats to Google’s Android partners force those partners to reconsider their Android commitments, well there’s Windows Phone waiting with opened arms. If the threats lead to licensing agreements and the continued rise of Android, well there’s a huge pile of money from each participating OEM.
So no, Microsoft did not have to bid on the Nortel patents. But doing so may prove to be one of the best moves Microsoft has never made. And strangely enough, they have Apple to thank. Of course, they’re likely playing their own little game in this situation. Keep your enemies closer. Or keep them fighting.
Behind Microsoft’s $15 Samsung Android royalty claim [July 6, 2011]
…
Samsung is reported to be trying to lower the payment to $10.
The source for this report is the South Korean Maeil Business Newspaper, which quoted unnamed industry officials.
The Samsung story follows a week in which Microsoft named three OEMs as having agreed to license its patents for devices they make and sell running Android.
A fourth manufacturer was named on Tuesday this week, only this time Google’s Chromewas added to the Android mix. Microsoft said it had signed a deal with Wistron on tablets, mobile phones, e-readers and other consumer devices that use Chrome in addition to Android.
…
Microsoft is giving manufacturers two choices: pay up over the long term or incur years of high legal fees. You decide which your board or your investors like best.
That’s a tough choice given patent and IP cases can drag on for years and can cost billions of dollars. It’s a hard course of action to take when, given the fashion-driven nature of consumer devices, the product you’re battling over stops selling or gets canned. It’s an even tougher decision to fight cash-rich Microsoft alone while the maker of the thing you’re fighting over, Android, doesn’t want to step in to back you up.
…
Microsoft is putting other Android OEMs on notice that it’s coming after them for some easy patent money. That’s the first “win”.
The second? Microsoft will be hoping it can influence the courts in the Barnes & Nobel and Motorola cases – and in any future cases – by saying: if you don’t believe us on Android violating our patents, just look at all those who accepted we were right and agreed to pay up.
Nortel Announces the Winning Bidder of its Patent Portfolio for a Purchase Price of US$4.5 Billion [June 30, 2011]
Nortel Networks Corporation [OTC: NRTLQ] announced that it, its subsidiary Nortel Networks Limited (NNL), and certain of its other subsidiaries, including Nortel Networks Inc. and Nortel Networks UK Limited (in administration), have concluded a successful auction of all of Nortel’s remaining patents and patent applications. After a multi-day auction, a consortium emerged as the winning bidder with a cash purchase price of US$4.5 billion. The consortium consists of Apple, EMC, Ericsson [USD 340 million], Microsoft, Research In Motion and Sony.
The sale includes more than 6,000 patents and patent applications spanning wireless, wireless 4G, data networking, optical, voice, internet, service provider, semiconductors and other patents. The extensive patent portfolio touches nearly every aspect of telecommunications and additional markets as well, including Internet search and social networking.
“Following a very robust auction, we are pleased at the outcome of the auction of this extensive patent portfolio”, said George Riedel, Chief Strategy Officer and President of Business Units, Nortel. “The size and dollar value for this transaction is unprecedented, as was the significant interest in the portfolio among major companies around the world.”
The sale is subject to applicable Canadian and U.S. Court approvals which will be sought at a joint hearing expected to be held on July 11, 2011. Nortel will work diligently with the consortium to close the sale in the third quarter of 2011.
As previously announced, Nortel does not expect that the Company’s common shareholders or the NNL preferred shareholders will receive any value from Nortel’s creditor protection proceedings and expects that the proceedings will result in the cancellation of these equity interests.
On the very latest legal problems with Android:
ITC says HTC violating two of Apple’s patents [July 15, 2011]
The ITC administrative law judge’s initial determination was that HTC infringed on two of the 10 patents Apple had filed a complaint over in March 2010, according to an HTC statement. The ITC still needs to make a final ruling on the complaint. A loss carries the threat that HTC’s products would be banned from coming into the U.S., and Apple only needs to get a favorable decision on one of the patents.
…
The latest development is also a major blow to HTC, which has made strides in building market share and a brand with its line of Android-powered smartphones, many of which feature the company’s own Sense user interface. HTC was the first Android supporter that Apple went after, signalling the growing threat of Google’s software to iOS and the iPhone franchise.
On Monday, Apple had filed a second complaint with the ITC, claiming that five additional patents were being illegally used, including one used for scrolling operations, another for programmable tactile touch-screen displays, and one for a double-sided touch-sensitive panel, all of which are used in another complaint against Samsung.
The other relates to the ability to scroll, zoom, and rotate content on a screen, while the last references “portable computers.”
The five additional patents weren’t a part of this ruling.
…
HTC is considered the most vulnerable legally of the Android partners because it lacks a robust portfolio of patents that act as a potential shield. Earlier this month, HTC purchased S3 Graphics, largely because of a collection of patents that the ITC administrative law judge recently determined were used illegally by Apple.
Apple, meanwhile, is still in the middle of a similar patent fight against Samsung Electronics.
Apple Notches Patent Win Against HTC [July 18, 2011]
Apple Inc. netted a victory in its legal dispute with HTC Corp., as a U.S. International Trade Commission judge ruled the Taiwanese cellphone maker infringed two patents that Apple had cited in a March 2010 complaint to the agency.
The patents relate to multimedia processing technology and data detection technology that lets users dial a phone number that appears in their email. Apple originally alleged that ten of its patents were used in smartphones from HTC, which uses Google Inc.’s Android mobile operating system. The ITC ruling Friday only applied to four patents.
Apple, which helped reshape the mobile phone market with its hit iPhone, has been grappling with the rise of competing smartphones that run Android.
The ruling comes as a blow to HTC, and could have implications for other Android phones that offer similar functionality. Apple has squared off in other patent cases against smartphone makers such as Motorola Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.
In a statement, a spokeswoman for HTC said it plans to appeal the decision. “We are confident we have a strong case for the ITC appeals process and are fully prepared to defend ourselves using all means possible,” she said, adding that “this is only one step of many in these legal proceedings.”
A spokesman for Apple reiterated its previous statement that “competitors should create their own original technology and not steal ours.”
Taiwan’s HTC rejects fresh Apple patent claim [July 11, 2011]
Taiwan’s leading smartphone maker HTC on Tuesday dismissed fresh patent infringement claims by US giant Apple as the legal battle between the rivals escalated.
Apple Monday filed a complaint against HTC with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) — which is already reviewing three other disputes between the two — over five cases linked to technology used in the iPad and iPhone.
It has also lodged a suit in a US District Court in Delaware.
“HTC is disappointed at Apple’s constant attempts at litigations instead of competing fairly in the market,” said HTC general counsel Grace Lei in a statement.
“HTC strongly denies all infringement claims raised by Apple in the past and present and reiterates our determination and commitment to protect our intellectual property rights,” she said.
Shares in HTC closed limit-down seven percent at Tw$915.0 ($31.5) in the Taipei bourse.
“Sentiment was hit by Apple’s fresh legal action as well as heavy losses in the international and regional markets,” said Alex Huang, an analyst at Mega International Investment Services.
HTC touts its own brand of smartphones and also makes handsets for a number of leading US companies, including the Nexus One unveiled by Apple rival Google.
Apple in March 2010 called on the ITC to investigate the Taiwan company over iPhone patents. That was followed months later by HTC filing for a probe into possible software patent abuse by the California-based firm.
Patent lawsuits are a regular occurrence among technology giants and Apple is currently being sued by Nokia for patent infringement. Apple has fired back a countersuit against the Finnish mobile phone giant.
And last week Apple hit back at an infringement claim by Samsung by calling for the South Korean company to be investigated.
— Dow Jones Newswires contributed to this story —
ITC judgment of HTC infringement of Apple patents arouses concern in China handset industry [AFP from Taipei, July 19, 2011]
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has made an initial ruling that Taiwan-based smartphone vendor HTC has infringed two of Apple’s 10 patents related to iPhone, and this has caused concern among China-based vendors and white-box vendors of smartphones mainly because almost all of these smartphones are based on free and open-source Android, according to China-based 21st Century Business Herald.
Some of these vendors worry about the risk of becoming embroiled in patent infringement due to adoption of Android, and have drawn up three strategies to cope with potential impact. The three strategies are enhancement of support to Microsoft Mango operating system, promotion of smartphone customization by mobile telecom carriers for protection through binding common interest (especially carriers partnering with Apple and Microsoft), self-development of own operating systems, the source pointed out. China-based smartphone vendors Huawei Device and ZTE have planned to adopt Mango, the source indicated.
However, other vendors hold the opinion that China-based vendors are not so competitive and important in the global smartphone market as to become targets of Apple’s or Microsoft’s patent infringement lawsuits, the source indicated. They also think the ITC ruling will push up cost of adopting Android and this will benefit white-box vendors because it is impossible for them to pay royalty fees to Apple or Microsoft, the source noted.
Worldwide Partner Conference 2011 Information:
Steve Ballmer: Worldwide Partner Conference 2011 [speech transcript, July 11, 2011]
… Phones, we’ve gone from very small to very small, but it’s been a heck of a year. (Laughter.) And you’re going to see a lot of progress in that market competitively as we move forward.
…
… A year ago, Microsoft had no Windows Phone. In the last year, we’ve sold millions of phones. When we survey our users, nine out of ten of the people who bought a Windows Phone absolutely would recommend it to a friend. It’s certainly a very busy, active, competitive market. We’ve got a lot of work to do to break through. And yet, the people in the phone business believe us. We’ve already had over 20,000 applications built for Windows Phone in eight months. That’s a faster ramp than either Android or iPhone had. Nokia, who had a choice this year to bet on themselves, to bet on Android, or to bet on Windows Phone said for their bet the company strategy, they’re going with Windows Phone. They saw our roadmaps. They saw what we’ve done. They saw what we’re planning on doing. They’re pushing us. They’re pushing us to go broader geographically with Windows Phone. They’re pushing us to hit new price points with Windows Phone. But, they believe.
Others believe, too. Gartner and IDC both did predictions this year that said Windows Phone would be the No. 2 phone in the market by 2015. We’ve already shipped two major updates since we launched Windows Phone less than a year ago. The update that we just made available, “Mango,” which will be on phones this fall, has over 500, 500 new features. We know we’ve got a lot to do, but like the cloud, like NT many years back, we’re all in when it comes to mobile devices. And whether it’s phones or slates, or PCs, or console devices, we’re certainly pushing extremely far, and extremely fast.
Windows Phone 7 ‘Mango’ video demo YouTube [July 13, 2011]
The 3 main things about ‘Mango’:
- Connecting and sharing more easily with people
- Making apps smarter
- Taking the web beyond just the browser
Andrew Lees: Worldwide Partner Conference 2011 [speech transcript, July 12, 2011]
… there are some key trends that are fundamentally changing the world of devices. Now, they’re going to have a huge impact in the technology that we provide, and the solutions that you build. And it starts right at the core of the devices themselves, the core technologies.
… we’re at an inflection point in Moore’s Law, where you can put all of the key things required to run a computer into a single chip, a system-on-a-chip. That means that you can have full PC compute power available in whichever form factor that you like. And that’s part of the reason why we’re seeing all of these different form factors.
… Another advantage of moving everything onto a single chip is that the price comes down dramatically. And, in fact, if you look even at the price of smartphones, a year ago all smartphones cost over $400 when they left their hardware manufacturer. Today, they’re down to about $200, and next year, a smartphone that can run something like Windows Phone 7 will actually be down to $100 to $150. So, you’re seeing a dramatic price reduction. …
…
… a lot of people have asked me, are we going to produce a phone that is a tablet? You know, are we going to use Windows Phone 7 to produce tablets? Well, that is in conflict with this strategy. We view a tablet as a sort of PC. We want people to be able to do the sorts of things that they expect on a PC on a tablet, things like networking to be able to connect to networks, and utilize networking tools, to get USB drives and plot them into the tablet. To be able to do things like printing, all of the things using Office, using all of the things you would expect from a PC and provide a hybrid about how you can do that with the tablet, as well.
And so at the Build Conference in September we will talk about how we can provide the bet of the PC and the tablet. And our strategy is not just limited to that. We are aiming to provide coherence and consistency across the PC, the phone, and the TV, particularly with Xbox. That’s through providing new types of scenarios, things like the way in which we make the user experience more common, as you saw yesterday in the demonstration of the user experience that you have on Windows 8, Windows Phone, and also on Xbox. But, also sharing key pieces of technology.
You see if you looked at the update that we’re providing to Windows Phone this year, we include a new browser. It’s Internet Explorer 9. It’s the same technology that we have on the PC. It’s not similar. It’s the same. So, we can take the advantages that we provide on the PC and immediately leapfrog and provide those across different types of devices.
This is very important to you, because it protects the investments that you have made with ustogether, and your customers have made in key elements of the technology, not only the device, but the infrastructure, the productivity, and the solutions that are used to feed those devices to enable those business and consumer scenarios.
So, for a phone the strategy here is not to provide a business phone, or a consumer phone, but to have them all be the same thing. There’s only one thing. And so there’s a few key things that we’re delivering with our phone strategy:
The first one is that we need to provide what end users desire and what they require. These personal scenarios like music and games, and communications, personal communications, social networking, build them into the phone, but also enabling a line of business solutions, business productivity, getting access to information inside of your company. And we may need to make sure that it works with the existing infrastructure and we provide the same tools for you to provide solutions to customers.
… what is “Mango” all about? Well, it’s about three main things. The first thing is communication, the second thing is about applications, and the third thing is the Internet.
You see, the phone has always been a communications device, but people today are communicating in lots of different ways. Communications, email, instant messaging, sharing pictures and laugh-out-louds, and social networking; even checking in is a type of communication. Rather than doing all of that in individual applications we build those core capabilities into the phone. It is the easiest and simplest way to communicate across a variety of different services, and to go from phone to phone, phone to PC, or phone to Xbox.
The second area is applications. The problem with applications is they all run in silos. So, with “Mango” we let applications break out of their box. It means that information from the application is available throughout the phone, and also, the application participates in the total experience.
Then finally with the Internet, the challenge here has always been to provide a desktop-type experience on the phone. And we deliver that by including things like Internet Explorer 9, in with “Mango.” But, we go one step further, and we say imagine if you could take the power of the Internet and deliver that beyond the browser, in a way that enables you scrape the Web so that you can quickly find answers and get things done, find information to be more productive. …
… IDC recently did a study; first of all, they’re predicting that Windows Phone will be the number two smartphone in 2014. More about that in just a second. But what they’ve also done is looked at the revenue attach opportunities that there are for partners when they go through to provide infrastructure that feeds the phone, through things like management, security, and enabling these types of scenarios. The second thing is productivity through delivering things like Office 365, Office itself, et cetera, to make employees more productive, SharePoint, and then solutions, line-of-business solutions, that you develop. And the opportunity here is just mind-blowing. …
So, the message here is make sure that the phone is a key element of your strategy for how you’re providing productivity, infrastructure, and solutions for your customers.
The second area is with operators. And here what we want to do is provide the largest geo-footprint that we can. We’re going to more than double the size of the market that we have in “Mango.” We significantly increased the number of countries, and we will lower the price of the phones by half, increasing the total addressable market very, very dramatically.
And, of course, we’re doing that in partnership with the handset makers. There will be a whole new range of phones that are available this fall around “Mango” at different price points, with different features, particularly from the partners that we have already been working with, Samsung, HTC, and LG. But I’m also very excited about the partnership that we announced in February with Nokia, and this is where they’re going to move to exclusively rely on Windows Phone as their platform.
Microsoft Reveals New Windows Phone 7 Mango Handsets From Samsung, Acer, And More.flv [July 12, 2011]
Steve Guggenheimer: Worldwide Partner Conference 2011 [July 12, 2011]
[see the above video excerpt]
Andy talked about Acer, Fujitsu, and ZTE as new phone providers. I’m happy for the first time ever to have one of each of the phones up here and running. All of these are running live “Mango” builds. Acer brings one of the large OEM brands into the phone space on Windows 7. I think this Fujitsu brings a little bit of lightheartedness and life along with a waterproof design. Great capability in terms of the camera. And the ZTE brings one of the largest manufacturers in the phone space into the Windows Phone 7 world. So, as we see the technology move forward in Derek’s great demo, we’re going to have devices that take advantage of it.Last, but not least, I’m very happy to show, this is the first time, this is the new Samsung that’s coming. It’s very thin, and light, and that’s the theme you’re going to see as the processors get thinner and better battery life, as the screens get better, we’re going to see phenomenal screen resolutions, great battery life, lightweight devices across the phone.
Fujitsu to launch first Windows Phone Mango handset in… August? [July 16, 2011]
Say it ain’t so — not only is a phone not delayed, it’s actually planning to come out earlier than its quoted launch window? This particular miracle is the exception much more than the rule, but Microsoft’s latest Windows Phone OS (nicknamed “Mango,”) might come out prior to the anticipated fall release. According to Nikkei, Fujitsu will offer the very first Mango device, a waterproof phone called the IS12T, on KDDI “as early as late next month.” The phone is to be sold for 30,000 – 40,000 yen ($378 – 505), a reasonable amount of coin for what will likely be a higher-end device. And — if it’s the same handset showcased at this week’s Worldwide Partner Conference — a pink version will be on sale. So, what’s more enticing: a Hello Kitty-flavored Windows Phone, or a Samsung Galaxy S II lookalike running Mango? It’s a tough call.
Microsoft slips Windows Phone Mango ready by September
Microsoft spoils WP7 Mango launch timing
Microsoft’s Imagine Cup account on Twitter inadvertently gave away timing for the first Windows Phone 7 Mango devices through a Twitter post(since deleted). The company promised that the finalists in the student competition would all get “Windows Phone 7.5 Mango.” Every winning student would get a phone with the new OS “by September.”
The statement doesn’t directly equate to a full, public launch of Mango in September, but it does hint that the OS will at least be ready by the same time. Microsoft is holding its Build developer event the same month and will probably want a complete OS, if not production hardware, to show.
Outside of the new misstep, Microsoft has only ever committed to fall for the new WP7 update. Its timing may depend on new hardware. This year, the hardware partners are expanding significantly and include very regional companies like Fujitsu and ZTE along with returning veterans like HTC, LG, and Samsung. [via Mobility Digest]
Microsoft President Announces New Partner Benefits and Underscores Opportunity With Windows Phone ‘Mango’ [feature story, July 12, 2011]
During a keynote address at WPC, Lees also emphasized that now is the time for partners to join and benefit from the expanding Windows Phone ecosystem.
Lees highlighted a number of new featurescoming to the next version of Windows Phone, code-named “Mango,” that build upon the unique design of Windows Phone and deliver integrated experiences with the company’s massive business user base of more than 750 million Microsoft Office users, 150 million Exchange users and 100 million licensed SharePoint users.
As the only phone to offer Microsoft Office Mobile and Outlook Mobile built-in, the next version of Windows Phone, available later this year, will enable greater productivity by allowing businesses to extend their IT infrastructure and utilize Microsoft cloud-based services such as Office 365while increasing opportunities for partners around the globe, Lees said.
…
At WPC, Lees unveiled a range of new benefits and opportunities for members of the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN).
Lees announced an exclusive discount program that makes it easier for MPN members worldwide to obtain and experience Windows Phone. The new discount program, which begins immediately, is available to all MPN memberswith at least one Microsoft competency.
Lees also unveiled a new MPN app for all Mobility Competency partners that enables them to easily access exclusive technical and sales contentfor Windows Phone while on the go.
“When people try Windows Phone, they love it,” Lees says. “But it’s more than selling phones. Our goal is to equip partners with what they need to be successful, giving them the guidance and tools they need to bring compelling experiences to their customers.”
As a specific benefit to Mobility Competency partners, Lees announced a special MPN logo, available today, that partners may use to distinguish their apps from others in the Windows Phone Marketplace and App Hub.
Lees also announced that the next round of MPN updates in the fall will include a new way for partners that build mobile apps to attain the Mobility Competency certification by developing an app that meets specific business criteria.
For another view of the partner news shared about Windows Phone during WPC 2011, view the Windows Phone Mobility Partners video of Microsoft Partners discussing the opportunities for building Windows Phone applications and solutions.
Mango Provides Sweet Opportunities for Windows Phone Partners [July 12, 2011]
[Author: Paul Bryan – Sr. Director, Product Management, Business Experience on the Windows Phone team.]
I’m at Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in Los Angeles today, which this year is hosting almost 15,000 Microsoft Partners from around the world. Today, Windows Phone Division President Andy Lees addressed attendees on the opportunities for partners with Windows Phone. It’s an exciting time for the Windows Phone business and we’re thrilled to see the great things people are saying about our next major update – code-named Mango. Take the great new product capabilities coming in Mango, combined with new partner benefits just announced and there’s never been a better time to join the rapidly growing Windows Phone ecosystem.
Expanding Windows Phone Partner Ecosystem
We launched Windows Phone 7 last fall with the help of our partners and have seen the ecosystem momentum build rapidly ever since. We’ve received great customer feedback about their experiences across the range of devices being offered by our hardware and mobile operator partners. More than 42,000 developers worldwide have registered with the Windows Phones Marketplace. To date, these developers have added more than 22,000 apps to the Windows Phone Marketplace, greatly expanding the range of experiences for Windows Phone customers. From hot consumer apps like Angry Birds, ESPN Scorecenter and Netflix, to business-focused apps like CWR Mobile CRM 2011, and PushBI, the Marketplace is growing stronger each day with the help of our partners.
Additionally, with our agreement with Nokia finalized, work is well underway to deliver Nokia phones on the Windows Phone platform before the end of the year.
Sweet, Sweet Mango
There’s a lot of buzz around our upcoming Mango update, which will add hundreds of new features and capabilities that build upon the unique design and integrated experiences of Windows Phone. If you’re a partner building solutions with Exchange and SharePoint, Mango adds a number of new Outlook and Office Mobile productivity features bringing even more value to your solutions on Windows Phone. Mango will also add built-in support for Office 365 and a free Lync Mobile app, making communication and collaboration a snap for companies whose infrastructure is on premises or in the cloud. Mango will also offer added functionality for organizations to make the most efficient use of resources, allowing IT departments to use existing infrastructure to manage phones or distribute their own applications using Targeted App Distribution in Marketplace.
For developers, Mango adds a range of new capabilities for delivering richer more compelling apps. In addition to support for SQL Linq, sockets, and background processing, Mango brings new ways for app developers to make the user experience more engaging and seamless through Live Tiles and integration with Bing search services.
Not only do these new features in Mango extend the premier productivity smartphone experience, but they’ll help partners to grow their business. In fact, a new study by IDC study suggests that by 2012 Windows Phone has the potential to generate annual attached software and service revenue of nearly $300 per Windows Phone device for partners. In other words, Windows Phone for the long-term is a huge opportunity for partners to attract new customers and grow their business.
For app and solution developers, a familiar platform and enhanced development tools in Mango will enable partners to create and distribute new solutions and applications. Partners will continue to leverage familiar tools such as Silverlight, the XNA Framework, Visual Studio 2010 and Expression Blend, to bring new apps to market quickly. Some good examples of this are Yellowbook and REALTOR.com. Additionally, Yammer announced today they will be bringing their enterprise social networking app to the Windows Phone Marketplace later this year.
We also recently released the Windows Phone Mango Beta 2 Developer Tools so developers could try out the new capabilities and get a jump on building and testing new apps for Mango.
Revamped Mobility Competency and Added Discounts for Microsoft Partners
As part of WPC, we are happy to announce several new benefits designed to help partners experience Windows Phone and promote their Windows Phone expertise to customers.
First, we’re making it even easier for partners to obtain and experience Windows Phones with a new Windows Phone Discount Program. Partners with at least one Microsoft Competency can take advantage of exclusive discounts from mobile operators and hardware vendors for all of their employees worldwide.
We’re also making it easier for partners to stay informed through a new MPN app for Windows Phone, which provides access to exclusive technical and sales content.
In addition, we’re revamping the Mobility Competency certification. Partners can earn the Microsoft Mobility Competency for their organizations through newly revised Windows Phone training. And for the first time, beginning with the next round of MPN updates this fall, partners will be able to obtain the Microsoft Mobility Competency certification for their company by developing an app that meets specific criteria as a business application. Through the Mobility Competency, partners can become and stay proficient in Windows Phone app development and solution deployment. They will also be able to utilize a special MPN logo, available immediately, to distinguish their apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace and App Hub.
Exciting times indeed! With new partners, new products, new platform capabilities, new partner benefits and more great apps and solutions being delivered every day, it is a great time to be part of the Windows Phone ecosystem and take advantage of the tremendous opportunity ahead.
For information about the opportunities with Windows Phone Mango or the Marketplace, visit our Partner site. To view sessions from Worldwide Partner Conference, visit here. For more information, we encourage you to check out this feature on Microsoft News Center.
To learn more about the Windows Phone partner news shared today, we encourage you to check out this video that features Microsoft Partners discussing the opportunities for building applications and solutions for Windows Phone.
The Weekly Wrap: Marketplace tops 25,000, Windows Phone goes Hollywood, Garmin’s new app [Windows Phone Blog, July 8, 2011]
Marketplace tops 25,000 While estimates differ, unofficial Marketplace counters now peg our app inventory at somewhere north of 25,000, as multiple bloggers noted last week. Regardless of whose numbers you trust, the bottom line is that Marketplace is going gangbusters. But buzz about the overall app count overshadowed what I think was the week’s most exciting news: the boatload of brand-name apps that poured in. WPCentral counts at least 52 marquee titles in the last two weeks. Liveside.net, meanwhile, compiled its own handy list (complete with download links) of standouts. Check it out
Devices’ information:
WP7 Mango: HTC Eternity Windows Phone 7 Specs and Release Date [Jul 13, 2011]
The images leaked online provides glimpses of new HTC Windows Phone 7, currently being called ‘Eternity’. HTC Eternity will land as one of the first most smart phones running Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Mango (WP7) operating system.
HTC reconfirmed its commitment to Windows Phone 7 based smartphones in a statement at Global Technology Summit in Paris by HTC Head European Nations, Florian Seiche to to Reuters that they will keep developing Windows Phone 7 smart phones like HTC Eternity and HTC Omega, despite of Microsoft Nokia deal:
It will not change our commitment to Microsoft. With a new player entering, it should actually help to elevate the relevance of that platform. We actually feel that we should be able to benefit. The long-term opportunity with Nokia entering will definitely bring Windows back to critical mass.
There were few news leaks back in May 2011, which failed to attract much attention, but this time there are enough details to be given weight. The new HTC Eternity appears to have a big 4.7 inches WVGA Super LCD display screen, bigger than on the Samsung Infuse 4G. So if a large screen is what you wish for, the HTC Eternity might be the phone you want to wait on. Other than that, HTC Eternity seems to have a typical spec sheet for a mid-to-high level device, beside running Windows Phone 7 (WP7 Mango).
HTC Eternity is said to have a single core 1.5GHz processor, 4.7 inch screen with WVGA resolution, 8P autofocus camera with dual-LED 720p video recording capabilities, 1.3 MP front camera and 16GB internal memory. There was also a DLNA, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, 1650mAh battery. Here under is the HTC Eternity Windows Phone 7 complete specs:
WP7 Mango: HTC Eternity Windows Phone 7 Specs Microprocessor Chipset CPU:Clock: 1500 MHz
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255Memory,_Storage+capacity RAM+capacity: 512 MiB
ROM:capacity: 14.9 GiBDisplay Display Type: Super LCD , 16777216 scales Display:Diagonal: 4.7 ”
Display:Resolution: 480 x 800Sound Microphone(s): stereo
Loudspeaker(s): Supported
Audio-Output: 3.5mmCellular Phone Cellular_Networks: GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS900, UMTS2100 Cellular-Data-Links: CSD, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+
Call Alert: 64 -chord melody
Vibrating+Alert: Supported
Speakerphone-: SupportedControl+Peripherals Positioning:Device: Multi-touch screen Primary Keyboard: Not supported Directional+Pad: Not supported
Scroll-Wheel: Not supportedInterfaces Expansion:Slots: Not supported USB: USB 2.0 client, 480Mbit/s
micro-USB Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR Wireless LAN: 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n Infrared:Gate: Not supportedMultimedia+Telecommunication Analog Radio Receiver: FM radio (87.5-108MHz) with RDS Digital+Media-Broadcast_Tuner: Not supported Satellite Navigation Built-in-GPS module: Supported Complementary GPS-Services: Assisted GPS Built-in-Digital-Camera Main-Camera: 8 MP Autofocus-(AF): Supported Optical+Zoom: 1 x Macro_Mode: Supported Built-in Flash: mobile light (LED) Secondary-Camera: 1.3 MP Additional Details Built-in-accelerometer: Supported Battery: removable Battery Capacity: 1650 mAh WP7 Mango: HTC Eternity Windows Phone 7 Release Date
Release Date and Price of the new Windows Mobile 7 based HTC Eternity are yet officially disclosed by the HTC, but reportedly HTC Eternity will be released in fall 2011.
HTC to tap tablet boom with many models [Reuters from Paris, May 17, 2011]
Smartphone maker HTC plans to roll out a range of different tablet computers to gain a foothold in the fast-growing market, a company executive said on Tuesday.
The global market for tablets, started only last year with Apple’s iPad, will likely grow to 108 million devices next year, compared with just 17.6 million in 2010, according to research firm Gartner.
“I really believe that the tablet market is really going to be a big market in the future and this is just the start,” HTC Europe head Florian Seiche told the Reuters Global Technology Summit.
“In five years’ time, schools will have tablets probably instead of physical notebooks. I think that’s going to be such a massive wave of additional penetration in society… I think we can’t even guess the potential.”
Seiche said HTC’s first tablet, the Flyer, had made a good start in terms of sales.
“It’s early days but we feel very good about it,” he said.
NOKIA BOOST
HTC should benefit from Nokia’s deal to start using Microsoft’s software in its smartphones as this will boost Windows’ share of the smartphone market, Seiche said.
“It will not change our commitment to Microsoft,” he said. “With a new player entering, it should actually help to elevate the relevance of that platform … we actually feel that we should be able to benefit.”
Microsoft’s mobile platform has rapidly lost appeal among consumers who have instead picked iPhones, BlackBerrys and phones running on Google’s Android platform, which became market leader in the last quarter. It now controls only around 3 percent of the smartphone market.
“The long-term opportunity with Nokia entering will definitely bring Windows back to critical mass,” Seiche said at the summit at the Reuters office in Paris.
HTC uses Microsoft software, although its growth has mostly come from smartphones using Google’s Android platform.
“Android has had tremendous growth and we believe that this trend is going to continue, definitely,” Seiche said. “Android’s growth … is going to expand further to Asia and the emerging markets.”
Seiche added that he expects HTC to roll out its first mobile phone using near-field communications (NFC) technology for mobile payments within the next 12 months.
NFC is a short-range way to swap data wirelessly, meaning mobile phones can become a way to pay for goods, store e-tickets or swap photos and business cards.
Samsung GT-i8350 with Windows Phone Emerges [July 11, 2011]
South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics is reportedly gearing up for the launch of a new Windows Phone handset, one that would become the direct successor of the company’s Omnia 7 handset.
Samsung was named among the launch partners for Microsoft’s Windows Phone Mango OS, and we knew that the vendor was preparing the release of new devices based on the platform, but no specific info on the handset was available until now.
However, a user agent profile (UAProf) of the Samsung GT-i8350 shows that the company might have this device included among the first series of Mango-powered handsets.
What the said agent string shows is that this mobile phone will arrive on the market with the IE9 browser on board, which leaves little room for speculation when it comes to the operating system it would be based on.
Windows Phone Mango was unveiled previously this year with the new Internet Explorer Mobile 9 on board, and this is the platform the Samsung’s GT-i8350 will land on shelves with.
Moreover, the said UAProf (found by nanapho) unveils that the new device will arrive on the market with a screen capable of boasting a 800 x 480 pixel resolution, and that it would sport Bluetooth 2.1 and HSPA+ connectivity capabilities as well.
As UnwiredView notes in a recent article, the new mobile phone was already added to the handset vendor’s website, though its page does not offer any info at the moment.
Last year, Samsung came to the market with more than just one Windows Phone device, and chances are that it would launch more than one such device this year as well.
This means that Samsung GT-i8350 will soon be accompanied by more new Windows Phone devices on the company’s website, most probably targeted at various segments of the market.
However, it remains to be seen what hardware Samsung would pack inside these mobile phone since nothing was confirmed on it for the time being.
Samsung GT-i8350 may be the WP7 Mango-running successor to the Omnia 7 [July 11, 2011]
Steve Ballmer has said that a new wave of Windows Phones is due out for release before the end of this year, and as we’re approaching that deadline, the leaks are starting to come in. Today we have what is probably going to be one of Samsung’s new WP7 handsets, one to run the Mango update (which will likely be called either WP 7.1 or 7.5) from day one.
Japanese site Nanapho has uncovered a user agent profile (UAProf) of the Samsung GT-i8350, and apparently its Web browser will be IE9. Now, those following Microsoft stuff closely know that Mango is the first version of WP7 to come with what the company is branding IE9, so that can only mean that this new device will run just that.
The GT-i8350 will have an 800×480 resolution screen (which is the standard resolution for WP7), and will come with support for Bluetooth 2.1, and HSPA+.
The i8350 has also received its very own (blank, for now) page in Samsung’s UK support database, pretty much confirming that it’s real. You can see a screengrab of that above.
WMPU speculates that this may be the successor to the Omnia 7, Samsung’s first WP7 device released last year, which has the model number GT-i8700. However, that may not be the case. The i8350 may just be a lower-end device to accompany that successor onto the market. This is also pure speculation, but let’s keep in mind that Samsung likes to increment model numbers for sequels (successor devices). So, for example, the Galaxy S II is GT-i9100 whereas the original Galaxy S was GT-i9000. If Samsung hasn’t just changed that strategy, logically it means that the i8350 should be part of the WP7 lineup, yes, but not a successor to the Omnia 7. Perhaps the Omnia 7 will get a higher-specced successor that will be called i8750, or i8800. That would make sense.
Then again, these are all just (almost) random numbers anyway, so Samsung may have just chosen to do things differently this time. We’ll let you know as soon as we find out for sure.
New images of ZTE’s Mango device destined for China [July 16, 2011]
During WPC11, we saw the first glimpse of ZTE’s entry into the Windows Phone field. Now a few more images have come forth, posted by ZTE’s Dr. Luo Zhongsheng, who evidently is their head of smartphone development.
The phone can be seen sporting some art on the start screen as well as localized Chinese language support. In addition, it looks to have Weibo built in instead of Twitter, which is blocked in China. Weibo is described as “a Chinese microblogging site akin to a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook…”. The device itself looks like a prototype as opposed to the more polished version demonstrated at WPC, though as NanaPho suggests perhaps different color schemes will be offered. No other device specs are currently known.
This coincides nicely with the leak about the Toshiba-Fujitsu phone release in August, suggesting that indeed these phones are coming earlier than expected an the Asian market is gearing up for release.
Update: Evidently it’s not Weibos that’s built, but rather a standalone app running the service.
Fujitsu IS12T with Windows Phone 7 Mango coming next month [July 18, 2011]
At Microsoft’s 2011 Partner Conference , the company had a handful of unreleased smartphones on display running the Windows Phone 7 Mango update. The quartet included models from Samsung, Acer, ZTE, and Fujitsu, and it was thought that the phones would launch sometime in September when Mango is due to be released. The Fujitsu IS12T, however, appears to be ahead of schedule and could be the first to market — launching in August on Japanese carrier KDDI.
Details on the new smartphones remain scant so far, though the Samsung SGHi937 looks an awful lot like a Galaxy S II — one of the most popular non-iPhones in the world right now — running Windows Phone 7 instead of Android. If the internals remain unchanged, then we know exactly what kind of hardware the SGHi937 will pack.
When it comes to the Fujitsu IS12T, there’s not quite as much information. The IS12T won’t sport a massive display like the Samsung’s 4.5″ — instead, it’s a more modest 3.7″ screen that’s expected. There’s also a very good chance the IS12T will feature a 12 megapixel camera, based on its model number, Fujitsu’s past 12MP offerings, and the company’s statement that the phone will feature “great capabilities in terms of the camera.” In addition to a stellar camera, the IS12T is going to be waterproof.
While snapping high-quality digital pics in the rain is cool, it’s even more amazing to think that a manufacturer may actually be releasing a smartphone ahead of schedule for once — instead of repeatedly delaying its launch. Pricing has yet to be revealed for the IS12T, but it’s safe to say this won’t be one of those $100 Windows Phone 7 devices Microsoft talked about.
More at WM Power User and Nikkei
Acer reveals its first Windows Phone Mango device [May 31, 2011]
Acer W4Windows PhoneAcer has revealed its first Windows Phone Mango device at Computex this week.The device, expected later this year, will be named the Acer W4. Acer’s Windows Phone includes a 5PM camera, 8GB storage and DLNA support. Chinese blog zol.com.cn published images of the device on Tuesday after discovering it on display at Computex this week. Microsoft previously revealed that Acer was a new hardware parter for Windows Phone Mango devices during a VIP event last week.
Acer’s W4 specifications:
- 3.6-inch WVGA
- Screen Resolution: 480×800
- 5mp Camera with auto-focus
- HSPA 850/1900 or 900/2100 /GSM quad band 850/900/ 1800/ 1900 MHz Support
- Qualcomm MSM8255 running at 1GHz
- Wifi, Bluetooth 2.1
- DLNA Support (DMC)
- Windows Phone Mango
- 8GB Storage
Acer W4 Windows Phone Mango device
Image credits: zol.com.cn
What a difference from the current offering!
From Buy your phone [US] site and HTC’s past press release:
|
Vendor and model: |
Date: |
Highlights: |
Display: |
Processor: |
Carrier(s) and store(s): |
|
HTC HD7 |
Friday, December 03, 2010 4:51 PM |
•Seamlessly brings together work, play and family. •Features the largest screen on a Windows Phone. •Enjoy Netflix, T-Mobile TV, and Slacker Radio. |
480×800 (4.3”) |
1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 |
US: T-Mobile, Microsoft Store, Amazon.com, Best Buy, Radio Shack, Walmart Singapore [Oct 12, 2010], Malaysia [Oct 13, 2010], Hong Kong [Nov 11, 2010], Australia: Telstra [March 29, 2011]
|
|
HTC Arrive™ |
Friday, March 18, 2011 9:58 AM |
•Sliding full QWERTY keyboard •Tilt-up display •5MP camera and 720p HD camcorder [access to Zune, Xbox LIVE and Netflix] |
480×800 (3.6”) |
1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 |
US: Sprint, Microsoft Store, Amazon.com, Best Buy, Walmart |
|
Samsung Focus™ |
Sunday, August 01, 2010 5:50 PM |
•Thinnest, lightest Windows Phone. •Brilliant 4″ Super AMOLED WVGA screen. •Audience Noise Reduction for crystal clear calls. |
480×800 (4.0”) |
1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 |
US: AT&T, Amazon.com, Best Buy, Costco, Walmart |
|
LG Quantum™ |
Friday, October 08, 2010 3:52 PM |
•Full QWERTY keyboard for faster, easier texting. •16 GB internal memory. •Play To (or DLNA) software that lets you easily transfer photos & videos to your home entertainment system. |
480×800 (3.5”) |
1 GHz Snapdragon [Qualcomm QSD8250] |
US: AT&T, Amazon.com, Costco, Walmart |
|
HTC Surround™ |
Monday, October 04, 2010 2:51 PM |
•Slide-out speakers with SRS Dolby Mobile surround sound. •Surround yourself with entertainment, wherever you go. •Kickstand for hands-free viewing. 16 GB internal memory. |
480×800 (3.8”) |
1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 |
US: AT&T, Amazon.com, Best Buy, Radio Shack, Walmart |
|
Dell Venue Pro |
Sunday, September 26, 2010 3:58 PM |
•Vertical QWERTY keyboard provides quick access. •Scratch and shatter resistant screen. •Available on the T-Mobile network, exclusively from Dell. |
480×800 (4.1”) |
1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 |
US: Dell |
|
HTC HD7S [largely = HD7 but with a Super LCD screen, it is exclusive to AT&T in the USA ] |
Tuesday, May 17, 2011 10:13 AM |
•High resolution 4.3” WVGA Super LCD Screen •Slim, premium design with kickstand •5 MP camera with auto focus and dual LED flash (records 720p HD video) •Voice-activated, location-aware Bing search engine |
480×800 (4.3”) |
1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 |
US: AT&T, Amazon.com, Best Buy, Walmart |
|
HTC Trophy™ |
Thursday, May 19, 2011 1:09 PM |
•3.8” touchscreen for optimal gaming [harnesses the power of Xbox LIVE® for epic gaming] •HD video •5 MP camera with autofocus and flash |
480×800 (3.5”) |
1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 |
US: Verizon, Microsoft Store, Amazon.com, Best Buy Singapore [Oct 12, 2010] |
wikipedia HTC HD7: The HD7 shares nearly all its specifications with its older Windows Mobile 6.5-running brother, the HD2, including the screen resolution and size (4.3 inches diagonal and WVGA 800×400 resolution).
HTC GOES BIG WITH MICROSOFT; LAUNCHING FIVE NEW WINDOWS PHONE 7 SMARTPHONES [Oct 11, 2010]: … HTC 7 Surround, HTC 7 Mozart, HTC 7 Trophy, HTC 7 Pro and HTC HD7 …
HTC 7 Mozart („a phone powered by high-fidelity audio”): Singapore [Oct 12, 2010], Malaysia [Oct 13, 2010], Hong Kong [Nov 11, 2010]
From List of Windows Phone devices (wikipedia):
Product |
Release Date |
System on Chip |
Memory (RAM) |
Display |
Weight (g) |
Carrier |
Notes |
Dell Venue Pro |
November 8, 2010 |
QSD8250 |
512MB |
4.1″, WVGA 800×480 AMOLED |
165 |
AT&T, T-Mobile USA, Rogers (Pending) |
Has vertical slide-out keyboard |
HTC 7 Pro |
January 17, 2011 |
QSD8250 |
576MB |
3.6″, WVGA |
185 |
Sprint, US Cellular, Cellular South |
CDMA: HTC ArriveHas slide-out keyboard |
HTC 7 Surround |
October 21, 2010 |
QSD8250 |
448MB |
3.8″, WVGA |
165 |
AT&T, TELUS |
Has slide-out speaker |
HTC 7 Trophy |
October 21, 2010 |
QSD8650 |
576MB |
3.8″, WVGA |
140 |
Vodafone UK, Vodafone Australia, Vodafone NZ, Verizon |
LCD, 8GB, Yellow back on International version.SLCD, 16GB, Red back on Verizon. |
HTC 7 Mozart |
October 21, 2010 |
QSD8250 |
576MB |
3.7″, WVGA |
130 |
Orange U.K., Telstra |
Camera: 8 megapixels + Xenon flash |
HTC HD7 |
October 21, 2010 |
QSD8250 |
576MB |
4.3″, WVGA |
162 |
T-Mobile USA, O2 UK, Bell |
Largest screen on a WP7 device |
LG Optimus 7 |
October 21, 2010 |
QSD8250 |
512MB |
3.8″, WVGA |
157 |
TELUS, Vodafone UK, Optus |
DLNA |
LG Quantum |
October 21, 2010 |
QSD8250 |
512MB |
3.5″, WVGA |
178 |
AT&T, Bell |
Has slide-out keyboard |
Samsung Focus |
October 21, 2010 |
QSD8250 |
512MB |
4.0″, WVGA Super AMOLED |
115 |
AT&T, Rogers |
Storage may be expanded with a compatible microSD card |
Samsung Omnia 7 |
October 21, 2010 |
QSD8250 |
512MB |
4.0″, WVGA Super AMOLED |
138 |
Orange UK, 3 UK, Optus |
Developers’ information:
Developer News: Beta Mango Tools Available Today [Windows Phone Developer Blog, July 8, 2011]
Today Microsoft is showing off many of the new features coming in the next version of Windows Phone, code named Mango. We highlighted a few features like hardware accelerated IE9 with HTML5, increased multitasking capabilities and the addition of Twitter to the People hub at Mobile World Congress in February. During April’s MIX11 event, we gave developers a deep dive into new Mango capabilities and opportunities and promised new tools in May.
I’m pleased to announce that the beta release of the Windows Phone Developer Tools that support Mango will be available for download today, in just a few hours! We also have some exciting news to share about Windows Phone Marketplace.
First the tools. Developers can use this beta release to get ready for the upcoming Windows Phone OS release. The new application platform capabilities coming in Mango deliver the top features you have asked for:
– Background processing- New profiler and emulator for testing- Use of Silverlight + XNA together- Silverlight 4- IE9 web browser control- Live Tile enhancements: use of back of tiles and ability to update Live Tiles locally – Deep linking into apps from notifications and Live Tiles- Additional sensors; direct camera access, compass & gyro- Fast application switching- Networking / sockets for communications- Local SQL database for structured storage- Access to calendar and contacts for apps You also asked us for new ways to keep customers engaged with your apps, so we’ve taken steps in Mango that will help keep great apps front and center. The Mango release allows you to create a new wave of apps and games that appeal to consumers by further extending the popular Windows Phone design system. Mango also helps apps remain engaged with the customer and contextually relevant through integration with the Bing Search, Pictures and Music & Video experiences, as well as added functionality for the Live Tiles that live on the Start screen. For example, with Bing Search, when searching for products, movies, events or places, the customer will see among the results a link to a “Quick Card” for that specific search. That card contains an “apps” panel (formerly known as the “extras” panel). This panel will display both installed and non-installed apps associated with that search query term. This is just one example of how the app experience is different on a Windows Phone in ways that give you a unique opportunity.
With Mango we are not only improving the way we merchandise your apps within our Marketplace, we are also exposing your apps as a part of our customers’ everyday experiences. You want more ways for consumers to find your apps; and consumers have been raving about the Windows Phone design. In short, we are listening and investing accordingly. You should expect us to continue to deliver technology and services unlike anyone else.
Below is simple graphic to help show how new tools and resources are unlocking additional developer capabilities:
Another way we’re growing the Windows Phone ecosystem is by expanding geographically. With Mango, Windows Phone Marketplace will expand from 16 to 35 countries where both app submission and app purchase are supported locally.
Today Adding with Mango Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, UK, USA Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, Korea (South), Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan
In addition, Windows Phone Marketplace now supports app submission in China, Israel and Luxembourg. For those countries that are not yet locally supported by Marketplace, we continue to expand the Global Publisher Program we announced in early March. Today, developers in 69 Middle Eastern and African countries can submit applications via Yalla Apps. App Port supports 13 countries in East Asia. APPA Market is available to developers in 19 central European countries. And both Device7 and MTel service China.
To better reach customers worldwide, I’m also pleased to announce today that Mango will offer a new web version of Windows Phone Marketplace. This will enable customers to shop, share and buy/download apps and games from any PC and send them directly to their phones. You get more visibility for your apps with no extra work. The Mango Marketplace will bring several new features and capabilities that Todd Brix will be expanding upon here a little later.
We’re extremely grateful for all that the Windows Phone developer community has accomplished in a few short months and we’re excited to see what you can do with Mango. Today we offer more than 17,000 apps, and with 42,000 registered developers and counting, plenty more are on the way. We recognize that the strength of our developer community and the Windows Phone ecosystem is a big reason why analysts are so optimistic about the Windows Phone ecosystem in predicting sales of hundreds of millions of units by 2015. With the release of beta tools for Mango, we hope we’ve taking another big step toward giving you exactly what you want from a platform so that you are inspired to create the next generation of amazing Windows Phone apps and games. In the coming weeks we will announce the date when App Hub will begin accepting Mango apps for certification.
Whether you’re a new or existing Windows Phone developer, now is the perfect time to take the next step and be what’s next in mobile. The checklist is simple:
- Register on App Hub at http://create.msdn.com
- Start a Windows Phone project and get ready for Mango with the new Beta Windows Phone Developer Tools 7.1 [WPDT]
Thank you, Matt Bencke General Manager, Windows Phone Developer and Marketplace Experiences
More information:
– Windows Phone SDK 7.1 Beta2[June 29, 2011]
The new Windows Phone SDK 7.1 Beta2 (renamed from WPDT) can be used to develop Applications for both 7.0 and 7.1 version of Windows Phone OS releases.
… The Windows Phone SDK includes the following
- Windows Phone SDK 7.1 (Beta2)
- Windows Phone Emulator (Beta2)
- Windows Phone SDK 7.1 Assemblies (Beta2)
- Silverlight 4 SDK and DRT
- Windows Phone SDK 7.1 Extensions for XNA Game Studio 4.0
- Microsoft Expression Blend SDK Preview for Windows Phone 7.1
- WCF Data Services Client for Window Phone 7.1
- Microsoft Advertising SDK for Windows Phone 7
– SketchFlow Template for Windows Phone [June 9, 2011]
The SketchFlow Template for Windows Phone 7 adds a new SketchFlow template for Expression Blend* users that makes creating a prototype of a Windows Phone app quick and easy. * Please note: To use the SketchFlow Template for Windows Phone 7 you need to be using Blend 4 with SketchFlow enabled (this is the version of Blend that comes with both Expression Studio 4 Ultimate and Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate) you also need to have the Mango developer tools Windows Phone SDK 7.1 Beta2 for Windows Phone installed.
– Developers Get Goody Basket Full of Mangos [Windows Phone Developer Blog, June 29, 2011]
Over the course of the past six months, the Windows Phone team has been working very hard to ensure that there is a great experience for all of our customers with the upcoming Mango release of the Windows Phone OS. That means educating consumers, empowering developers, and working closely with our hardware and carrier partners to bring it all together with great devices.
Just last week, the first reviews of Mango started landing in press and blogs and the early sentiment is very encouraging. People get that Mango is a big step that dramatically enhances the core experiences that we all rely on our phones for every day; messaging and communication, use of any of our more than 20,000 great apps and games, and great use of the Web. AllThingsD wrote that the OS “is a mix of elegance and whimsy that’s a treat to use.” Gizmodo went so far as to say that Mango feels “complete.” However, it was The Daily that offered some bigger picture perspective in noting that, “it took Android nearly two years before hitting critical mass and three years to begin carving out a significant chunk of the smartphone market.” We’ve got a great product in Windows Phone and we feel we’re right on track, in fact we’ve already seen reports showing that in only a few months we’ve surpassed the more established RIM marketplace in the number of real apps available to customers.
Since beginning this journey with the new Windows Phone developer platform, we have aspired to be transparent, easy to build for, and easy to partner with.
We know that one of the most impactful things we can do for developers is to help them get their hands on the actual product. For Mango, that starts today with an early access program for developers. We’re still working out some final kinks in the distribution and support infrastructure for delivering Mango to all of our registered developers around the world, but are inviting the most eager developers to come get Mango today, for their retail devices, as part of our early access program! We expect the full distribution infrastructure to be fully operational in the next couple of weeks. For now, consider yourself a beta tester for the distribution process. Registered developers will get invites to the Microsoft Connect site, which will give them access to Mango. This build of Mango should also be viewed as beta quality, so there are still consumer features missing, but you can now start building apps and testing them against retail devices. Here’s what you need to do:
- Download the Windows Phone Developer Tools Beta 2 – You will need to update your developer tools to update your phone and to deploy your apps, so run…get them now.
- Read the instructions before updating – These are very important steps which you need to follow to the letter. We’re committed to supporting our developer community with such an early access program, so if you have questions, start with the forums, which we are monitoring.
This is especially well timed for the tens of thousands of student developers who have registered through DreamSpark or related programs. Just as our Spring Cleaning program encouraged developers to finish up their projects over the past few months, delivering thousands of new apps, summer break is the perfect time for student developers to relax and have some fun with Mango. With the free Windows Phone Developer Tools Beta 2 and free access to Mango, now is the perfect time to see what you can do with Windows Phone. To make it even more interesting for students looking for a great summer project, we’ve set aside 50 Mango phones for those students who are building the next big thing on Windows Phone. Want one? Here’s what to do:
- Make sure you’re registered for DreamSpark
- Download and install Expression Studio Ultimate and the new Mango Windows Phone Developer Tools (available free as a member of DreamSpark)
- Get the free Sketchflow Template for Windows Phone and create a Sketchflow mock-up of your app
- Post the Sketchflow mock-up somewhere online and tweet out the link using the hash tag #WPAppItUp
- We will review all prototypes and will contact the developers who submit the best ones and send them a special Mango developer device
There’s lots to like in Beta2 of the developer tools, and some new goodies as well. You can find the release notes here, but I also wanted to talk about the new Advertising SDK June 2011 Update that was released for Windows Phone 7 earlier this week. The June update makes it even easier for developers to earn money and build ad-enabled mobile apps with streamlined Ad Control APIs and other new features.
Lastly, we got a lot of questions in email and on twitter as to why reviewers got Mango first. In short, it was to allow us to get you Mango today. Bringing a product to market requires a healthy balance between marketing features and empowering the ecosystem. Striking that balance is all about sequence. Microsoft believes in developers like no other company, but not even we want developer tear downs serving as the foundation for how consumers ultimately understand Mango. To get Mango to you today, we had to first set some context so that the market would have a good understanding of the product and not define us only by those features that developers uncovered. Think of it this way: if you could choose which path to go down, would you rather have a tightly selected group of influential people write your first reviews of your amazing app, or leave it to the customers with the fastest fingers?
So what now? First, go get the tools. Second, update your retail phones to Mango. Third, go rub it in your friends’ faces that you have Mango and they don’t. Fourth, start building your Mango apps using some of the cool new functionality like fast app resume, updated Live Tiles, Motion Sensor, Live Agents, sockets, background audio or raw camera access. There will be a tools update in the coming months which will have the go-live license you need to publish Mango apps to the Marketplace, but don’t wait. With the tools and the ability to test on Mango enabled phones, you should all be in really good shape when Mango is released later this year.
For the early access program, here are the countries which are explicitly supported – meaning that should your device become unusable as a result of updating, we will be able to process it for fixing once the full distribution infrastructure is fully operational in the next couple of weeks:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States
– Windows Phone around the world: Language support in Mango [Windows Phone Blog, July 6, 2011]
At launch last year we supported 5 display languages: English (US and UK), French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
In Mango, we’re adding 17 more: Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Swedish.
The Zune software will be available for the same set of languages.
…
Displaying some of these new languages required new phone fonts. Specifically, we’ve added 4 beautiful new fonts for the East Asian languages:
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… The 20 new keyboard options are: Brazilian Portuguese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, and Ukrainian.
The keyboard languages shown in italics regular [here] also support text prediction, which makes typing on your phone faster and easier. Even better, all these input languages are available on any Windows Phone, regardless of which display languages come with it.
The new East Asian keyboards—which were developed in Asia by the same team that creates them for Windows and Office—are especially neat. We’ll explore them in more detail in a future post.
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This fall you’ll see a significant increase in the number of new countries where the Xbox LIVE service for Windows Phone is available. The Zune Marketplace for music, video, and podcasts is also expanding to more markets. We’re not quite ready to announce specifics just yet—expect to hear more later this summer.
Finally, we get many questions about specific phone features—especially ones related to searching and mapping— and where they’ll be available. Here’s a list of ones we hear about most:
- Bing search (accessed from the phone’s hardware Search button) is available in 33 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States. (Elsewhere, handset and mobile operators can configure the hardware search button to a locally-relevant search site).
- Local search results show up in 6 countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom, and the United States.
- Maps is supported in 19 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.
- Voice-to-text and Voice-to-dial is available in 6 countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, and the Unites States.
- Voice search is supported in 4 countries: France, Germany, United Kingdom, and the United States.
…
Extending services such as Marketplace or Xbox LIVE to more markets, on the other hand, is a very different type of challenge—as much legal and organizational as it is technical. But we’re working hard to scale up our engineering effort from a couple dozen countries to the entire world.
…
Application Certification Requirements for Windows Phone
Windows Phone
June 24, 2011
This section provides the policies and technical requirements that a Windows Phone application or game must meet to pass certification and to be eligible for listing in Windows Phone Marketplace.
A core principle that is applied in designing the certification process is that each individual policy or requirement is clear, objective, and testable. This transparency is designed to help developers easily design and test applications to meet these requirements.
The following list shows the pillars of the certification program:
- Applications are reliable.
- Applications make efficient use of resources.
- Applications do not interfere with the phone functionality.
- Applications are free of malicious software.
1.1 What You Need to Know About the Submission and Certification Process
When your application is ready for publication, it must go through the certification process before it is eligible for listing in Windows Phone Marketplace. Your application does not have to be signed before submission.
The certification process involves static validation and automated testing of your application to verify that it meets all the policies and requirements. The following list shows the five major categories of policies and requirements:
- Application Policies
- Content Policies
- Application Submission Requirements
- Technical Certification Requirements
- Additional Requirements for Specific Application Types
The following is a simplified illustration of the submission and certification process.
1.1.1 Process Outline
The following is a brief outline of the submission and certification process:
- Sign in to your account in App Hub.
- Create a new application submission.
- Upload the application XAP file.
- Enter the metadata for the application, such as title, description, category, and iconography.
- Select the distribution countries/regions and pricing.
- The XAP file is validated while you are entering metadata.
- If the XAP file validation succeeds, the submission process continues to Step 8; otherwise, the process terminates and you get a notification. Select the option to publish immediately after passing the certification process or to wait until you decide to publish.
- The XAP file is repackaged as described in Section 4.1.2.
- The repackaged XAP file is deployed to a phone for the certification testing. Certification involves the automated and manual verification of the meeting of the requirements that are described in Sections 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
- If the application meets all the requirements, the repackaged XAP and assembly files are signed, and the application is eligible for publication according to the option selected in Step 8.
- If the application fails one or more of the requirements, you get a failure report and the application is not published.
Important Note:
When you submit an application update for certification, it goes through the same process as the original application. 1.1.2 Code Signing
Code signing occurs automatically once the application has successfully passed the certification testing without any failure. The application and repackaged XAP files are signed with the Authenticode® certificate assigned to you when you registered for App Hub membership. Any signatures in a submitted application or XAP files will be replaced and are not retained.
All applications must be signed with the Microsoft issued Authenticode certificate before they can be installed and run on commercially available Windows Phone devices.
– Zune to Expand Multiscreen Entertainment Services Into International Markets [Sept 10, 2010, as Zune Marketplace was originally only available in the United States]
Microsoft Corp. today announced the further international expansion of Zune, its digital entertainment service. This fall, Zune will expand its music and video footprint and bring the free Zune software, Zune Marketplace online store, Zune Pass1 music subscription service and enhanced features on Zune.net to new markets, providing a comprehensive entertainment experience on Windows-based PCs, on the go with Windows Phone 7 and in your living room through Xbox LIVE.2
“The integration between Zune, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox LIVE is an exciting expansion in our entertainment offerings,” said Craig Eisler, corporate vice president, Interactive Entertainment Business Group at Microsoft. “Zune enables users to access the entertainment they want, wherever they want it — and now, more people than ever will be able to enjoy the freedom and flexibility that the Zune service offers.”
Zune software has been upgraded with new features and functionality and will serve as the Windows Phone 7 synchronization client. The new software (version 4.7) will be available to download for free in more than 20 countries, including the U.K., France, Italy, Germany and Spain, to easily manage your personal collection of movies, music, podcasts and pictures. Zune software continues to set the standard for entertainment software, providing best-in-class experiences to organize, discover and enjoy digital media with a variety of exclusive features. For example, the Quickplay menu enables immediate access to recently played content and personal favorites, and Smart DJ 3 automatically creates playlists from your personal music collection and takes the extra step of mixing in suggested music from the Zune Marketplace. The updated Zune software will also enable instant streaming of high-definition movies, allowing you to watch some Zune Marketplace movies in HD, with no download time, directly on a Windows PC.
Zune Marketplace online store is accessible from within the Zune software and offers the ability to purchase millions of individual songs or albums from its catalog, all in MP3 format. Here, consumers can also subscribe to Zune Pass,4 which provides unlimited downloads and music streaming capabilities from the Zune music library, including content from major music labels such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music and Warner Music Group, as well as thousands of independent labels. Zune Marketplace also has a large library of videos from major studios such as Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution for purchase or rental. Video purchases will be accessible through Xbox LIVE and Windows-based PCs, and can also be added to a Windows Phone 7. Simply buy your favorite video from Zune Marketplace and watch it on the screen of your choice.9
Zune.net is the perfect resource for consumers as it allows them to download the software and set up a Zune account with a new or existing Windows Live ID.5 Zune.net will also provide Web access to Zune Marketplace so you can purchase music or use a Zune Pass to stream music directly through an Internet browser,6 as well as purchase video content.7
Zune Expansion to New Markets
As Zune expands internationally, its music and video service will be tailored for each market. Genre experts will custom program Zune Marketplace and feature the top songs, videos, movies and unique promotions for each country.
The fall 2010 international expansion of the Zune music and video service includes the following:
Zune Marketplace will extend services to several markets in Europe and beyond.
• Zune Pass (U.K., France, Italy and Spain). The monthly music subscription service will be available for 9.99 euros /8.99 pounds per month for unlimited download and streaming access to the Zune music catalog and will be accessible on Windows-based PCs, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox LIVE. The offer in the U.S. will remain at $14.99 per month for unlimited downloads and streaming access, with the ability to keep 10 MP3s per month.8 • Music purchase (U.K., France, Italy, Spain and Germany). Expansion to these markets will enable consumers to purchase MP3s and listen on their Windows-based PC, Windows Phone 7 or any other device that supports MP3 format. Users will also be able to purchase music videos to enjoy on Windows-based PC, Windows Phone 7 and Zune on Xbox LIVE. • Video purchase (U.K., France, Germany, Canada, Australia and New Zealand). Consumers will now be able to purchase movies to download and watch anywhere — on the big screen in the living room with Xbox LIVE or their Windows-based PC as well as sync it to their Windows Phone 7 to enjoy on the go.9 • Movie rental (U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Mexico, Canada, Australia and New Zealand). In addition to Zune video on Xbox LIVE, consumers in these countries will now be able to rent movies for viewing on their Windows-based PC or choose to sync the rental to their Windows Phone 7. The global expansion of the service is the latest step in a series of milestones for Zune, including powering Bing music search results, the added ability to purchase music and video on Zune.net, and the forthcoming integration with Xbox LIVE and Kinect for Xbox 360. By continuing to integrate Zune across the most important screens to consumers, Zune provides an all-in-one music and video service for users to discover, enjoy and experience their entertainment wherever they want.About Zune
Zune is Microsoft’s music and video entertainment service that provides an integrated digital experience across Zune devices, Windows-based PCs, Xbox LIVE and Windows Phone 7. The Zune platform includes a line of portable digital media players, elegant software, the Zune Marketplace and Zune.net online stores, the Zune Social online music community created to help people discover music, and the ZuneOriginals.net online media player customization store. More information can be found online at http://www.zune.net/en-us/press.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
1 Zune Pass available in U.K., France, Italy and Spain.
2 Zune Pass on Xbox 360 requires an Xbox LIVE Gold membership and a Zune Pass subscription.
3 Only available with Zune Pass.
4 Zune Pass is a music subscription; some Zune Marketplace songs and content are not available via Zune Pass. Available content may vary over time.
5 For cross-screen functionality, the same Windows Live ID needs to be used on the Zune software, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox LIVE accounts.
6 Internet browser support for Silverlight required.
7 Service features may vary based on market availability.
8 Keep 10 MP3s per month feature available to U.S. Zune Pass subscribers only, on their PC or Windows Phone 7.
9 Content available for download on multiple devices may vary over time. Availability of content and video resolution will vary by device.
On Windows Phone 7 history:
Thoughts on Windows Phone 7 Series (BTW: Photon is Dead)[Feb 17, 2010]
The real Windows Mobile 7, that is, Photon as it once was called, is dead. Windows Mobile 7 was supposed to be an evolution of Windows Mobile 5 and 6. It was supposed to be built on the paradigm that previous generations of Windows Mobile had been created from: a Start-menu centric application experience, two soft keys on bottom, and applications that acted as they would on the desktop (often with a close button). Well Photon was scrapped, probably around 2008 when the Mobile division of Microsoft saw a big reorganization. With that, Microsoft started from scratch to build the next generation of Windows Mobile, or Windows Phone as they began calling it in 2009. Also at that time, they decided to extend the life of Windows Mobile 6 to buy some time, and a year later we saw 6.5. And despite rampant criticism, 6.5 shipped on a lot of really awesome devices like the HTC Touch Pro2 and HD2, Acer neoTouch, and Samsung Omnia II.
Back in 2007, as you may or may not recall, I wrote about Windows Mobile 7 after having seen it at a Microsoft event. If you want to go back and see the text, it’s still available at MobilityToday. I contended that what Microsoft had in store for the next version of Windows Mobile was awesome, and that it could succeed. But I also warned that if they didn’t bring the product to market before the target late 2009 launch, it would fail. It would fail because by that time, two years later, iOS, Android, and other mobile platforms would be wildly evolved, and that Photon would seem like more of the same, instead of a breakthrough new operating system that the market would so desire.
I also saw Photon two years prior to 2007. Back then, it was pretty much the same as we know Photon to be today. It’s very possible that work began on Photon as early as 2004, which begs the question: how could a company with such vast resources and fantastic human talent take nearly half a decade to roll out a product? The answer could come down to mismanagement or lack of investment. My guess is that Microsoft didn’t truly understand how big the mobile category would grow, and how fast it would happen. …
Behind the scenes: Windows Phone 7 [June 17, 2010]
… The launch of the new phones is critical for Microsoft, which is trying to play catch-up with Apple and Google. Despite having been in the phone business far longer than either of those two rivals, complacency, lack of focus, and bad bets have left Microsoft an afterthought in the cell phone business. It now has just a single-digit percentage market share among smartphone operating systems, trailing Symbian, RIM’s BlackBerry, Apple’s iPhone, and Google’s Android, according to Gartner. Windows Phone 7 is the big bet to reverse years of decline, assuming it’s not too late.
Leading that effort is vice president Terry Myerson, the 37-year-old former head of the Exchange Server development team. Myerson is the rare Microsoft exec who knows what it’s like to be an underdog. He came to Microsoft in 1997 through the acquisition of his own Web analysis company [Interse’ see Terry Myerson [Duke Pratt School of Engineering, Oct 16, 1998]] and went to work on Exchange back when it was badly behind IBM’s Lotus Notes software.
… Myerson, who agreed to take on this job in October 2008, has picked up the pieces on a next-generation mobile operating system that Microsoft has been developing in fits and starts for several years now, switching leadership and approaches several times along the way.
Despite its long and winding road to fruition, Windows Phone 7 has a chance, Myerson says with a quiet conviction that sounds more like an engineer sure of his work than a salesman looking to close the deal. Myerson is convinced that Microsoft can get back in the game if Windows Phone 7 really nails the set of things that it does tackle–merging personal and work contacts, integrating Xbox Live games and Zune music and video, including mobile versions of Office and aiming to bring together photos from various social networks.
…What they’ve already done hasn’t been easy. Although it retains Windows CE at its core, Windows Phone 7 has a completely new look and interface. The overhaul was so significant, that when it was first outlined in early 2009, the project’s leaders handed out a bottle of Pepto Bismol to the several hundred people on the development team. “The entire user experience of Windows Phone 6 was built on a certain graphics framework,” Myerson said. “We decided to change that to a different one. We sort of decided that top down and teams just had to digest that, so it was sort of a joke that people were given that.”…“I think we are going to have something very high-quality and different this holiday,” Myerson said. “We won’t be better on every dimension and we won’t be better on a feature point on all of the dimensions we wish we could… I think about this really as a first release, a first release for this team.”
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A blunt assessment
Catching up with the market leaders, Myerson figures, is a multiyear project, something he warned both executives and colleagues when he took over the project. “We’re going to reset, but it is going to take us five years to build a product we all want to have,” he said.
Myerson’s less-than-rosy assessment scared off more than a few people. “There were people that looked in the mirror a year ago and said, well, if we aren’t going to win next year, I am out of here,” he said. “There were people that looked in the mirror and said what a great fun project to spend the next three to five years of my life on and kind of buckled down for it…Those are the people you want because that’s how long it is really going to take. The company has that level of commitment.”
If anything, Myerson hopes that is what he is bringing to the team–clarity, along with enough resources to get the job done.
“If you invest in people as craftsman and give them great tools, I think they will build great products.” Myerson said. “Probably the most important thing we can give these guys is a clear plan. If the plan changes every three months, it’s hard to do great engineering.”
With that in mind, the company decided more than a year ago to start over yet again, with a new approach and a firm target–holiday 2010–to have the all-new Windows Phone on the market. “I think when we look back on the release five years from now, this was a foundational release, not the release that broke through,” Myerson said. “We’ve got some tough competition.”
In particular, Microsoft will need to make a good impression with carriers–the companies like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile–who decide which phones will get the prime shelf space and the big ad campaign, and which will not make the cut at all.
“They take all the burden of support calls and all the burden of selling it,” he said. Given that “they want it months ahead of time so they can learn how to sell, learn how to support it.”
…
Having to coordinate among chipmakers and Microsoft and hardware makers and carriers is a lot of work, Myerson acknowledges. It requires a lot more companies working together than is the case with Apple, which now even designs the iPhone’s main processor.
“The OEM partnership model we have is more complicated,” Myerson said. “We aspire to have the same level of end-user finish as Apple, but getting that level of user finish requires a level of partnership.”
The idea of partnering with phone makers like Samsung and HTC is to get the benefit of their ideas as well as have more models than Microsoft could if it built the hardware itself. But add that to a business model that also includes 180 different carriers across the country as well as other components and it’s a lot to juggle.
“Between Qualcomm and Broadcom and Samsung and LG and HTC, AT&T and T-Mobile, it’s just very partnership-complex, it just is,” Myerson said. “I don’t know any other way to describe it.”
Microsoft has considered but rejected the idea that it should go it alone in the phone business, building its own hardware to better take on Apple. Among other reasons, it’s just how the company prefers to do business. Although it makes the Xbox and Zune, the company prefers to build software that is used a wide range of hardware makers.
“We’ve made it work many times in the past and as you know, there’s times in the past where it hasn’t worked out so well,” Myerson said. “We’re aspiring to do it well, which unfortunately does take more time.”
But time is running out for Microsoft, which needs to get the first devices to carriers soon if it wants the devices to be on sale by the holidays. Hence, the conference rooms inside Microsoft this day are filled, not just with folks from Microsoft, but also from its many partners.
As the work day draws to a close, the hours-long meeting between Qualcomm and Microsoft engineers beaks up. Myerson meets in his office with Torrey Harmon, a Qualcomm senior vice president. The conversation is informal–a mix of some subtle salesmanship and small talk and venting about some of the project’s more challenging aspects and people.
Between trading jabs at various partners and competitors, the two turn their attention to their own companies’ partnership, discussing how they might further reduce the amount of friction between the teams working on the chips at Qualcomm and those working on the software at Microsoft.
“We want you to see us as an extension of your team and we’re trying hard to figure out how to do that,” Harmon said. Qualcomm recently hired one of the members of the Windows 95/98 development team to help the company in that effort. “We’ve made a lot of progress and still we’ve got a ways to go. We’d like just to look like another one of your technology groups, that’s our goal.”
As the conversation continued, they talked about the battery life issues on a particular prototype. “Usually it runs out by about 2 o’clock,” Harmon said, although, that’s better than before a recent software build. “It was running out at about 11 o’clock when I first got it. It’s better already than it was.”
As it often does, Myerson’s mood this day shifted quickly between optimism and pessimism. “I just want to survive this launch,” Myerson told Harmon. “If I can get out there and get some respect, for lack of a better word, from consumers, everything will get easier. Right now things are hard.”
Windows Phone 7: A Fresh Start for the Smartphone[Microsoft feature story for the press, Oct 11, 2010]
The goal for Microsoft’s latest smartphone is an ambitious one: to deliver a phone that truly integrates the things people really want to do, puts those things right in front of them, and either lets them get finished quickly or immerses them in the experience they were seeking.
“When you first get the phone, the stuff that’s more obvious makes you smile,” says Andy Lees, Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business president. On the phone’s Start screen, “live tiles” show users real-time content, such as social media updates and contacts. “The features sort of scream out at you,” says Lees. “But the other thing that is even deeper for me is the elegance of the experience, which you only appreciate if you’ve used the phone for some time.”
The result is Windows Phone 7, which will make its debut in some European markets on Oct. 21 and in the U.S. Nov. 8. The phone uses an elegant operating system that is very different from the current trend toward app-focused phones. Instead it provides active and configurable interface elements called tiles that update on the fly with real information, allowing users to place the tiles that interest them most where they want on their Start screen. Facebook photos, music and contacts are pulled into the phone and distributed appropriately across Hubs. It also brings together many of Microsoft’s popular offerings from other platforms, including Xbox, Zune, Office and Bing.
The new phone is an important step for Microsoft in three ways. To begin, it is a completely fresh start for Microsoft in smartphones. Second, it represents a new approach from Microsoft toward integrating products and services from across the company into the phone to create a richer experience and greater productivity. Hence the presence of Office, Zune and Xbox LIVE and their integration within the Hub model. And finally, the new phone approach is critical to Microsoft’s efforts to make new gains in the huge smartphone market, which despite the success of the iPhone and Android is still relatively untapped globally.
As people use their phones, they’ll discover lots of thoughtfully designed features and perks. Holding down the camera shutter button, for example, lets the user take a picture even if the phone is locked – as Lees says, “unlocking your phone can sometimes mean the difference between missing the moment or not.”
The phone’s interface features Hubs for categories such as People, Music and video, Photos, Games and Office. These Hubs are never more than a few screens away, no matter how deep the user navigates within the phone. The People Hub, for example, pulls in Facebook status updates from friends as well as providing the more obvious contact information and phone numbers. Users can take actions like responding to updates or sending a text message right from the People Hub rather than having to find and launch a particular app. The Hubs also update live, pulling in pictures and information so that in many cases a glance and a couple of clicks will be all that users need to bring themselves up to date with phone messages, e-mail and what is happening with friends and colleagues.
“We think people want to get updates from their social networks, they want to get contact information, they want to get e-mails from a variety of different places, they want to share music — but they want control over it,” says Lees.
Plus, says Lees, “They want one thing that they can access their work e-mail on and then put in their bag and go to the party, and they want it to be easy to use. That’s exactly what we’re delivering.”
Applications will be available for the phone as well via a Hub called the Marketplace. But, unlike other smartphones, they won’t be required for the majority of everyday tasks.
Smartphones are increasingly a part of our lives. It is incredibly seductive to be constantly connected, to be able to communicate with and interact with friends and associates at any time. Or to be able to dive into the sea of information on the Internet at any time. But the current smartphone designs aren’t helping. People either take too long to find what they need on their phones or they get distracted and drawn in to unproductive activities simply because they have to click in and open apps to see things.
To highlight the problem, the company is launching a provocative advertising and marketing campaign, showing how Microsoft’s new phone is different. The new Windows Phone 7 is designed to help users connect with the people and information they care about most, then let them return to the real world as fast as possible.
Terry Myerson, corporate vice president of Windows Phone engineering at Microsoft, led the development group for the new phone. “We had this list of things we knew we wanted – e-mail, a browser, games, a music player,” says Myerson. The team knew that they wanted the phone to be versatile and deliver exactly what the customer wanted out of a phone. But its greatest asset is something less tangible than a single feature or access to a program. “Using this phone is truly a delightful experience,” says Myerson.
Creating this ease of use was one of the design team’s primary goals. “We talked a lot about smart design when we talked about this phone,” says Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of Windows Phone program management. Belfiore joined the project shortly after Myerson and oversaw, among other things, user experience. “We wanted this phone to be able to anticipate what you want and give it to you before you ask for it.”
New phones in a variety of hardware designs will be available from Samsung, HTC, LG and Dell.
Microsoft is so committed to the new phone that it has arranged for every full-time employee worldwide to be able to switch to the new phone as soon as it launches in their market. And while executives say they are thrilled with the final product, they also acknowledge there is a lot more to be done. When the phone is released, they plan to enjoy the moment – but not for long. “There’s so much more of Microsoft we’ve got to bring out in the phone,” says Myerson. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Exclusive: AT&T’s Ralph De La Vega on Which Smartphones Are Winning [June 4, 2011 — Excerpt 2]
Nokia has made this huge bet on Windows Phone. One of the reasons, they have said, is to have a bigger presence then they have had in many years in North America. How interested are you in adding them to your lineup?
De la Vega: We already have Windows Phone 7 in our lineup. We actually like that software very, very much. It hasn’t sold as well as Microsoft or we would want it to, but I think having the Nokia hardware capability with the Microsoft software capability is a really good combination. They have to prove it by bringing some great devices to market. But I would love to have a great Nokia device with Microsoft Windows Phone 7.
Windows Phone 7, is it a hard sell, or are their features that are missing?
De la Vega: Keep in mind this is the first product that Microsoft has come out with since Microsoft redid their OS. I think for the first thing out of the chute it is pretty good. I think they just need to make it better. If you listen to what Steve Ballmer is saying (Mango, the next version), is going to add about 500 features. I think they are going to make it a lot better. Giving customers more application choices, having a bigger app store with more functionality on the phone, I think that is all that it needs.
Actually, I loved Windows 8. That looks a lot like a Windows Phone screen, with the tiles. I think that’s a huge win for Microsoft. Now they have their same look and feel on their PCs and tablets as they have on their smartphones.
Building the Next Great Mobile Software Developer Opportunity [by Terry Myerson, Feb 14, 2011]
On Friday Feb 11th our two companies announceda partnership that we believe will shake up the mobile phone market. Together Nokia and Microsoft are bringing to bear significant and complementary strengths in global smartphone and mobile phone market reach, hardware, software and services. Based on these strengths, we will build a new, global ecosystem that creates a wealth of new opportunities and innovative experiences.
However, we can’t do it alone. We need you: our developers. Over the years, you, our developer communities, have created great experiences for your customers. You’ve also given us feedback that you want new opportunities, accelerated innovation, and access to more consumers. We are going to realize this future based on a shared set of principles about what developers want and deserve:
- Opportunity: a large number of customers with unparalleled global reach
- Feedback: so that you can improve your applications and games
- Ovi Store and Windows Phone Marketplace: a great shopping experience, where your creativity can be discovered
- Flexibility: in how you are compensated for your work– in dollars or notoriety
- Amazing tools: to take creativity from idea to sale
- Structure: a prescriptive roadmap that balances opportunity and diversity while maintaining the stability of the platform
- Innovation: combining services assets to drive innovation including putting Nokia’s Ovi Maps at the heart of key Microsoft assets like Bing and AdCenter
We appreciate that applications and games are many peoples’ livelihoods, and that developers deserve respect and transparency. We further understand that choosing a mobile platform is a serious commitment of time and energy that we must earn. This new conversation is just starting and we would like it to be an open and continuing dialogue.
To that end, we want to make clear that our alliance represents a long-term commitment to developers. Nokia developers working with Qt or Java will continue to do so and enjoy healthy demand for those. Nokia has an installed base of 225 million Symbian devices, and plans to sell 150 million more, and Series 40 has an addressable market of 600 million devices today. Nokia continue to enhance and innovate on those platforms and in Qt tools. Nokia, and now Microsoft, are committed to making sure that your contributions to and investments in the Nokia ecosystem will be worthwhile. In the coming weeks we will provide more information about programs that will help you access the Symbian and Qt opportunities more effectively.
Nokia’s Windows Phone portfolio will support the existing, free Windows Phone Developer Tools. Nokia and Microsoft will support Symbian developers wishing to port their application to Windows Phone. Both Nokia and Microsoft manage rich application and game commerce platforms in Ovi Store and the Windows Phone Marketplace. We believe that both platforms bring distinct strengths to the alliance, and we are planning to combine these strengths into a single great commerce experience for developers and consumers alike.
We still have much work to do and we will provide you, our developers, with more details in the weeks and months to come. We will ensure that developers can count on timely and prescriptive guidance on the implications and opportunities of this new alliance. For now, we hope that you are as excited about the long-term potential of this alliance as we are, and that you are already thinking of new application and games that you’ll bring to market to take advantage of the significant volumes of Nokia Windows Phones, as well as the existing and future Symbian and Series 40 devices from Nokia.
If you’re interested in learning more about developing for Windows Phone, please visit http://create.msdn.com. For the latest guidance to Nokia developers, visit http://forum.nokia.com. Sincerely Tero Ojanpera, Executive Vice President, Services, Nokia Terry Myerson, Corporate Vice President, Windows Phone Engineering, Microsoft
Reindeer Antlers and Reykjavik: How Microsoft and Nokia Are Getting Down to Business Together[July 11, 2011]
“We’ve spent the last couple months working really closely together to get first products really materializing,” Nokia’s Jo Harlow, who is in charge of Smart Devices at the phone giant, said in an interview. “We all feel confident about where we are.”
… Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has been boasting for a while that he is carrying something along those lines, and a recently leaked video shows him with an early version of the hardware.
Harlow declined to comment on that leak, but says she is increasingly confident in the first product that will arrive this year, and that the company may yet have multiple devices for sale before the end of the year. The first Nokia phones are expected to arrive this fall alongside Mango, the first major update to Windows Phone 7.
“I’m committed to one model this year,” Harlow said. “More would be great.” For next year, though, Harlow said there will be a steady stream of releases — something that Microsoft badly needs as it tries to keep up with rivals, particularly Android devices, which are released on a constant basis.
If Microsoft was close to the latest hardware when it released the first Windows Phones last fall, it is fair to say that its models now look dated when stacked up against the latest Android models, some of which boast 3-D screens, dual-core processors, high-definition video recording and other features. “I’m hoping that won’t be an issue next year,” Myerson said. Harlow said her goal is that Nokia will have more frequent hardware updates, keeping the company, and by extension Windows Phone, front of mind with phone shoppers.
… For its part, Microsoft said it has shifted its priorities to make sure that Nokia’s needs are being met first. The company has increased its focus on going global more quickly, as Nokia counts on Windows Phone to quickly fill a gap created by the rapid decline in its existing Symbian phone business. “We had been focused on North America and Western Europe,” Myerson said of the company’s early efforts. That, he said, has now changed.
Although Microsoft is also working with its other partners, Myerson isn’t shy about saying that he is pouring more energy into his partners in Finland. After all, while HTC and Samsung build Windows Phones, they also make phones running Google’s Android software. Nokia, meanwhile, has pledged to make Windows Phone the core of its smartphone strategy. “We are prioritizing work proportionate to Nokia’s commitment to Windows Phone, which is unlike anything we have had before,” Myerson said.
On Andy/Andrew Lees’ promotions:
Microsoft Announces New, Expanded Roles for Key Executives[Feb 14, 2008]
Microsoft Corp. today announced a series of executive promotions — seven new senior vice presidents and seven new corporate vice presidents — reflective of the company’s commitment to build and maintain a strong and dynamic management team across its unique portfolio of businesses.
… “Along with attracting world-class talent from outside the company, one of my top priorities is growing Microsoft’s existing leadership team,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft. “Each of these executives will play a critical role in leading Microsoft into the future. Today’s promotions are a result of their ability to think strategically on a global scale, the respect they’ve earned from their peers, customers and partners, and their significant contributions to the company.”
… Andy Lees, senior vice president, Mobile Communications Business. Previously corporate vice president of the Server & Tools Marketing and Solutions Group, Lees will oversee the development, marketing and sales of software and services that power mobile devices for business and consumer customers worldwide. Lees will fill the role previously held by Pieter Knook, who made the decision to leave Microsoft to pursue new opportunities.
… Steve Guggenheimer, corporate vice president, Original Equipment Manufacturer Division. Previously general manager, Application Platform Marketing, Guggenheimer will move to a new role leading the group that manages Microsoft’s relationships with the makers of personal computers and other devices.
Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president, .NET Developer Platform. Previously general manager, Guthrie will continue to oversee several development teams responsible for delivering Microsoft Visual Studio developer tools and Microsoft .NET Framework technologies for building client and Web applications.
Microsoft Announces Retirement and Transition Plan for Robbie Bach [May 25, 2010]
Underscoring the strength of the leadership teams in place for the entertainment and mobile businesses, the company announced that Senior Vice President Don Mattrick will continue to lead the Interactive Entertainment Business and Senior Vice President Andy Lees will continue to lead the Mobile Communications Business. Each will report directly to CEO Steve Ballmer effective July 1.
… Bach will remain with Microsoft through the fall, working with Ballmer and his leadership team to ensure a smooth transition. …
… Lees has led the Mobile Communications Business since February 2008 and has been instrumental in reinvigorating Microsoft’s mobility efforts, bringing in new business and development talent and overseeing the creation of both KIN and Windows Phone 7. A 20-year Microsoft veteran, he previously served as corporate vice president for Server & Tools marketing and sales, led a variety of worldwide sales and marketing functions, and began his career in Microsoft’s U.K. subsidiary. “One measure of a leader is the team he assembles around him, and Robbie built an incredible team.
Don and Andy are exactly the right leaders to carry our entertainment and mobility efforts forward,” Ballmer said.
Microsoft also announced that J Allard, senior vice president of Design and Development for E&D, will be leaving Microsoft after 19 years, and will take an official role as an advisor in a strategic role for Ballmer and his leadership team. “J has brought a game-changing creative magic to Microsoft for years, from Windows to Xbox, from Zune to KIN,” Ballmer said. “He was one of the key drivers in our early work on the Web, and we’re absolutely delighted that J’s role with the company will evolve in a way that lets all of Microsoft benefit from his business insight, technical depth and keen eye for consumer experience.”
Microsoft Announces New Leadership Promotions[Oct 1, 2010]
Microsoft Corp. today promoted Kurt DelBene to president of the Microsoft Office Division, Andy Lees to president of the Mobile Communications Business, and Don Mattrick to president of the Interactive Entertainment Business. … As President of the Mobile Communications Business, Lees, 45, will continue to oversee the overall marketing and product development for Microsoft’s mobility efforts. Lees, a 20-year Microsoft veteran, has led the Mobile Communications Business since February 2008 and was at the center of the company’s efforts to rebuild the mobile business, including the development of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 to be released this holiday season. Windows Phone 7 is designed to make every-day tasks faster by doing more in fewer steps and providing timely information in a “glance and go” format.
Microsoft Mobile Communications Business is now the Windows Phone Division[June 16, 2011]
Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business (MCB) is no more. The group itself still exists, but is known officially, as of this week, as the “Windows Phone Division.” I noticed the change on the bio page for the division President Andy Lees. (Until yesterday, Lees was listed as President of MCB. He’s now President of the Windows Phone Division.) A Microsoft spokesperson said that only the name of the unit has changed and that there’s no change in the unit’s responsibilities or charter.
Say it ain’t so — not only is a phone not delayed, it’s actually planning to come out earlier than its quoted launch window? This particular miracle is the exception much more than the rule, but Microsoft’s latest Windows Phone OS (nicknamed “Mango,”) might come out prior to the anticipated fall release. According to Nikkei, Fujitsu will offer the very first Mango device, a waterproof phone called the IS12T, on KDDI “as early as late next month.” The phone is to be sold for 30,000 – 40,000 yen ($378 – 505), a reasonable amount of coin for what will likely be a higher-end device. And — if it’s the same handset showcased at this week’s Worldwide Partner Conference — a pink version will be on sale. So, what’s more enticing: a Hello Kitty-flavored Windows Phone, or a Samsung Galaxy S II lookalike running Mango? It’s a tough call.
