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Tuesday, 7 January 2014

Wolfram seeks to harvest data from Net-connected gadgets

The Mathematica developer's new Connected Device Project seeks to incorporate data from Net-connected devices and eventually make them programmable through the Wolfram Language

The Wolfram Connected Device Project seeks to catalog devices and their attributes, then eventually let people use the data each device creates.

(Credit: screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Yes, even math Ph.D.s are getting in on the CES action.

On the opening day of CES 2014, Wolfram Research announced it has added a connected-devices section to its Wolfram Alpha knowledge repository. The Wolfram Connected Devices Project today offers a database of devices and their attributes, letting people search Wolfram Alpha for particulars about everything from wearable fitness devices and smartphones to Internet-connected scales and smoke detectors.

Just searching a description of devices is a bit ho-hum. In the long run, though, things get much more interesting: Wolfram plans to let people communicate with those devices, for example, harvesting data and processing it.

Android device shipments to top 1 billion this year -- Gartner

Google's mobile OS will dominate all PC, tablet, and mobile phone platforms with a 26 percent jump in shipments from 2013.

(Credit: CNET)

Android devices will wend their way to more than 1 billion people in 2014, research firm Gartner predicted on Tuesday.

The 1.1 billion shipments would render Android far and away the leader among all PC, tablet, and mobile phone operating systems. Windows was tagged for second place with 359 million shipments, followed by Apple's iOS and Mac OS with 344 million shipments forecasted this year.

"There is no doubt that there is a volume versus value equation, with Android users also purchasing lower-cost devices compared to Apple users," Gartner analyst Annette Zimmerman said in a statement. "Android holds the largest number of installed-base devices, with 1.9 billion in use in 2014, compared with 682 million iOS/Mac OS installed-base devices."Android is also on its way to 2 billion total installed devices, according to Gartner, thanks in part to its more budget-friendly choices versus the pricier options Apple offers.

Shipments of BlackBerry OS devices will sink from 24 million in 2013 to 15 million this year, Gartner said, while those of Chrome OS devices will surge to 4.7 million, up from 1.8 million last year.

(Credit: Gartner)

Mobile phones will top all other devices, logging a predicted 1.9 billion shipments this year. Tablet shipments will rise to 263 million and ultramobile shipments (hybrid and clamshell devices) will jump to 39 million, up from 17 million last year. Shipments of desktop and notebook PCs will continue to drop, according to Gartner, sinking from almost 300 million in 2013 to 277 million this year.

Total shipments of PCs, tablets, mobile phones, and ultramobile devices are forecasted to hit 2.5 billion in 2014, a 7.7 percent gain from 2013.

Samsung's new Android home screen mock-ups allegedly leak

Mock-ups of an Android interface that Samsung is allegedly working on pop up online

These could be mock-ups of the next mobile interface that Samsung's working on behind closed doors. Click to enlarge.

(Credit: evleaks)

LAS VEGAS -- Samsung may be crafting a visually rich smartphone interface, according to frequent Twitter tipster @evleaks.

The graphical treatment of the voice search icon, weather, and location (San Francisco's Mission District) are clearly new.The panel of three screenshots clearly shows a visual take on the Android UI for the smartphone lock screen, and two home screen panes, complete with the iconic Gmail, Google Play, and Samsung Hub icons with a smear-effect background in deep blue and purple hues.

The lock screen, for instance, displays a map route and estimated journey times. The map appears again on the first home screen mock-up, along with a a large, horizontal widget of a social networking update and a news item. The static home screen navigation icons also see a fresher, edgier treatment. The third screenshot shows Samsung and Android app shortcuts.

There's a strong possibility that if this rumor proves true (and evleaks has a strong track record so far), we could see the finished product debut on Samsung's next flagship model, theSamsung Galaxy S5. For this Samsung smartphone reviewer, the end of this current TouchWiz iteration can't come soon enough.

Xperia Z1S a lifeline as Sony treads water in US

There's a strong feeling of deja vu as Sony again attempts to break into the US market with another waterproof phone.

The Xperia Z1S from Sony.

(Credit: Brian Bennett/CNET)

LAS VEGAS -- Sony is back at the Consumer Electronics Show with a waterproof phone. Sound familiar?

It was roughly a year ago when Sony showed off its Xperia Z, which was the first time the company corralled the strengths of its various business units, taking expertise and technology from its television and camera divisions and wrapping it all up in a waterproof body. The phone was supposed to be the start of Sony Mobile's comeback story.

It only sort of happened.

Over the past year, Sony switched from one exclusive US carrier partner to another and, yes, slightly increased its market share both in the global market and in the US. But when it comes to smartphones and tablets, Sony's name is rarely uttered in the same breath as powerhouses Apple and Samsung Electronics, or even distant rivals LG, HTC, or Nokia.

Sony has been swept up in what has been an ongoing theme in the smartphone business -- that of Apple and Samsung squeezing out virtually all other competitors from making a significant dent in the market. Sony is that odd, well-known company that should in theory be able to create a blockbuster product easily -- just look at the demand for its PlayStation 4 -- yet somehow keeps whiffing.

"It's one of those companies where you look at all the assets on paper and you wonder why they aren't a bigger success in smartphones," said Jan Dawson, analyst at Jackdaw Research.

Sony's share of the global market for smartphones has risen only modestly over the past year, ticking up to 3.8 percent from 3.4 percent a year ago, according to Gartner. In the US, the progress is even more miniscule, rising 0.4 percent from 0.3 percent a year ago.

In comparison, Samsung controlled a third of the global market, while Apple accounted for 12.1 percent in the third quarter, according to Gartner.

Here we go again
Sony is at it again with the Xperia Z1S, an upgraded version of last year's smartphone and an altered version of the existing Xperia Z1, customized specifically for T-Mobile. It comes with a faster processor and better camera and, of course, it can be safely dunked in a water tank. In fact, the company touts it as the phone with the best camera in a waterproof body.

It is in many ways a do-over from a year ago, as Sony touts the same advantages that come from running various technology businesses.

"We keep increasing the assets from the other parts of the Sony family," said Stephen Sneeden, a product marketing executive for Sony's US mobile business.

The Xperia Z1's 20.7MP camera employs the same lens and image-processing engine as what's in many of its digital cameras. The "Triluminous Display," which is a different form of backlighting, comes from its Bravia TV line. The phone also includes audio touches from its Walkman media player line and will come with an app that ties into the Playstation 4, giving users the ability to purchase remotely and direct the console to download a video game.

Sneeden teased more integration between the phone and select PS4 games and the console itself, which would tie the Xperia Z1S with the hottest product in Sony's lineup.

A '"dysfunctional" company
That its line of Xperia smartphones hasn't picked up the same kind of steam as the PS4 is the result of the company's late push to turn itself around. Sony couldn't move at full speed until it bought out Ericsson's stake in their joint venture, turning Sony Ericsson into Sony Mobile in early 2012.

The PlayStation 4 remains Sony's brightest spot.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

But Sony has gotten in its own way, particularly in the way the different units communicate or, rather, don't communicate.

"Sony is a dysfunctional organization in some ways," Dawson said. "They have great assets, but they're all in different units that don't play nicely together."

Sony is trying to change under CEO Kaz Hirai, but still has a long way to go.

Meanwhile, the company also faces a public perception problem. While older consumers have fond memories of high-end Sony Trinitron televisions and Walkman cassette players, its brand as a consumer electronics company has faded considerably over the years.

For many, Samsung and, to some extent, LG, have replaced Sony as the go-to brand for consumer electronics.

T-Mobile's flagship phone
Sony does have some reason to be a little more confident in the Xperia Z1S, as the company has lined up an exclusive US carrier partner in T-Mobile.

It's a far cry from the past, as up until 2012, AT&T and Sony had a solid, if unspectacular, partnership. The carrier regularly had an Xperia phone in its lineup.

That changed last year, as AT&T opted not to pick up the Xperia Z. So, despite unveiling the phone in January at CES, the phone was only available as unlocked and sold at full price with extremely limited distribution.

Sneeden declined to discuss what happened with AT&T, and AT&T declined to comment on the relationship.

T-Mobile CEO John Legere at the March 26, 2013, press conference.

T-Mobile will have its own splashy press conference at CES.

(Credit: Lori Grunin/CNET)

The omission of Sony from AT&T's lineup was largely because of the lack of success the phones had with the carrier, according to a person familiar with the carrier's product strategy.

Brenda Fisher, a senior product manager for T-Mobile, quipped that, "Sony ended up with a better partner."

Sneeden would only say that the "challenger position on both sides allowed them to blend well."

Still, it's debatable whether the Xperia Z got a bigger push at T-Mobile than past phones at AT&T. It had a brief window with some heavy promotion, where it was highlighted alongside the Lumia 925. T-Mobile even put in special dunk tanks in select carrier stores to demonstrate the waterproof capability.

Fisher said the Xperia Z1S would get the flagship treatment when it launches on Jan. 22. She said that the launch was timed so that it would occur around six months after the first Xperia Z launched, allowing members of its JUMP early upgrade program to move up to the new phone.

Likewise, the campaign would focus on customers who own or have owned a Sony product.

In theory, that sounds great. But as Sony has demonstrated over the past year, execution is a whole other matter.

People growing more hip to wearables, NPD study finds

More than half of those polled said they are aware of wearable tech devices and a third of those respondents said they're likely to buy one, according to the research firm.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin wearing Google Glass.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Smart glasses, smartwatches, and other wearable tech gadgets are ekeing out more interest among consumers.

A hefty 52 percent of people recently polled by the NPD Group said they're aware of wearable technology devices. And among those, a third said they're likely to buy one.

The smartwatch proved to be the most well-known type of wearable gadget with 36 percent of people familiar with them. But given the limited number of such devices on the market, only 23 percent said they'd be likely to buy one. Making and receiving phone calls was cited as the top reason for getting a smartwatch, followed by listening to music and tracking your fitness.

Consumers said they'd be turned off by smartwatches too big or bulky as well as those with a short battery life or fragile screen. And $300 would be about the maximum price they'd expect to pay to wear one on their wrist.

Wearable fitness trackers, such as the Fitbitand Jawbone Up, earned recognition among one in three of those surveyed. And out of that crowd, 28 percent expressed interest in buying such a device.Smart glasses, such as Google Glass, were known by 29 percent of those polled. But among them, only 20 percent expect to buy the device. People cited phone calls, Web browsing, and shooting photos and videos as the most popular reasons for adopting such a gadget.

Counting calories was cited as the top reason for buying a fitness tracker, followed by tracking the number of steps walked in a single day.

"The digital fitness category has grown to over $330 million," NPD analyst Ben Arnold said in a statement. "The market is now large enough to accommodate a variety of products aimed at all levels of athlete -- from serious performance-minded consumers to hobbyists -- a sure sign of maturity."

Facial recognition app matches strangers to online profiles

See someone on the train you'd like to date? NameTag, an upcoming app for Android, iOS, and Google Glass uses facial recognition technology to match passersby to their social-media and dating info.

(Credit: FacialNetwork)

Soon your face could be your calling card. An upcoming app for Android, iOS, and Google Glass called NameTag will allow you to photograph strangers and find out who they are -- complete with social networking and online dating profiles.

Spot someone out and about that you want to identify, and you can capture their face using your device's camera. The app will send the photo wirelessly to NameTag's server, where it will compare the photo to millions of online records and return with a name, more photos, and social-media profiles, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where the person (or their friends) might have publicly posted photos of themselves.

And, if you're interested in that person in a more-than-passing fashion, the app's creator -- FacialNetwork -- is working on technology that will allow scanning of profile pictures on online dating sites, such as Plenty of Fish, OKCupid, and Match.com.

"I believe that this will make online dating and offline social interactions much safer and give us a far better understanding of the people around us," said FacialNetwork's Kevin Alan Tussy. "It's much easier to meet interesting new people when we can simply look at someone, see their Facebook, review their LinkedIn page, or maybe even see their dating site profile. Often we were interacting with people blindly or not interacting at all. NameTag on Google Glass can change all that."In the US, it will also match the photo against more than 450,000 entries in the National Sex Offender Registry and other criminal databases.

But what about privacy?
Intentions aside, the app seems to cross some pretty serious privacy boundaries. Generally speaking, people like to choose who they identify themselves to, and having your online information freely available to anyone who sees you in public seems an uncomfortable prospect. Google seems to think so, too; the Web giant does not currently allow facial recognition apps on the MyGlass app store.

However, the app could still be installed on a jailbroken device -- and possibly used on other devices, as the NameTag Web site indicates. Tussy has sought to allay privacy fears, but his explanation does little.

"People will soon be able to login to www.NameTag.ws and choose whether or not they want their name and information displayed to others," he said. "It's not about invading anyone's privacy; it's about connecting people that want to be connected. We will even allow users to have one profile that is seen during business hours and another that is only seen in social situations."

It's a little unclear, but what that seems to indicate to us is that, if you want to keep your privacy -- and your option to identify yourself -- intact, you'll need to create a NameTag profile -- opt-out, not opt-in.

It remains to be seen whether Google will change its mind on facial recognition apps for Glass before NameTag hits the market

Cheers to the aliens: Sci-Fi Hotel, Giger Bar coming to US?

Sci-Fi Hotel founder Andy Davies teams up with "Alien" artist H.R. Giger to open a hotel bar, yet where it will land is still unknown

Watch out for face-huggers! Andy Davies and his wife, Amy, sit inside the Giger Bar in Gruyeres, Switzerland.

(Credit: Andy Davies)

When Andy Davies, founder of Sci-Fi Hotel, decided to move forward with plans to build a "cat tree for geeks" (his words), it seemed a no-brainer that he would have to include an out-of-this-world bar to toast his accomplishment.

To this end, Davies set up a meeting with Swiss artist H.R. Giger to talk about bringing a version of Switzerland's famous Giger Bar to the United States.

The H.R. Giger Bar is a work of art in itself, boasting a comprehensive "Alien" biomechanical environment -- from floor to ceiling to furniture -- all designed by the artist.

In addition to the bar at the Chateau St. Germain in Gruyeres (which opened in 2003), there's also one in Giger's birthplace of Chur, Switzerland, (which opened in 1992). The Gruyeres location is also part of the Museum H.R. Giger.

At one time, there was a Giger-inspired bar inTokyo, Japan, and a Giger-designed VIP room at the Limelight in New York City; however, both venues closed for various reasons.

Davies plans to use key elements of the Gruyeres bar to fit the perfect space for his Sci-Fi Hotel in the US. According to Davies, Giger and his team will be involved in the process and sign off on its completion.

The interior of the Giger Bar in Gruyeres could easily double for the inside of a spaceship from the movie "Alien."

(Credit: H.R. Giger)

"What I envision for the US bar is taking the key elements of Giger Bar Gruyeres, the biomechanical ceiling arches, and reforming them to fit a space here," Davies told Crave. "Matching those design elements with the same style of furniture, the bar -- well, pretty much replicating the whole thing. The important thing for me is total authenticity. I want Giger and his team to be totally involved. This will be a Giger work of art, not just a copy, but the real thing. That's really important to H.R. Giger and to me."

Fans of the Giger know that his ship interiors and creature designs on the movie "Alien" are anything but cozy, but Davies thinks the unique design of the Giger Bar will give patrons the kind of experience that will give them an other-worldly feeling.

Day and night, inside Giger Bar, you are enveloped within the womb of a mythical beast.
--Andy Davies, founder of Sci-Fi Hotel

"It's the ultimate in 'immersive' art," Davies said. "Day and night, inside Giger Bar, you are enveloped within the womb of a mythical beast. It's warm, inviting, even comforting, and just incredibly cool. Another key to the experience for me is contrast. It's about contrast, juxtaposition. That feeling is something I want to convey in the US bar, by contrasting old versus new, clean versus biomechanical. It's what made the original 'Alien' film such a success -- that incredible derelict spaceship, which appeared to be biomechanical in design -- that and the alien itself is such a contrast to the chunky lines of the spaceships. That's what the bar does for me, it's an out-of-this-world feeling, yet welcoming, super fun, and hard to leave!"

Davies wants to create a welcoming and comfortable experience, like the one at the Gruyeres Giger Bar, for the US Giger Bar.

(Credit: H.R. Giger)

In addition to the Giger Bar, Davies is in the process of designing his ultimate Sci-Fi Hotel, which he describes as "an architectural and stylistic celebration of science fiction, a creative and technological showcase that features classic, retro, and futuristic science-fiction interior design, art, books, and movies in guestrooms and public spaces for a completely 'immersive' experience."

The Sci-Fi Hotel will include one-of-a-kind wall art, artist commissions, and media installations; unique room configurations; comprehensive sci-fi movie, television, and gaming on-demand and book/comic library; signature food and beverage and entertainment outlets; an exclusive retail merchandise selection; and the Giger Bar installation.

While there have yet to be any decisions made on where Davies' Sci-Fi Hotel and Giger Bar will call home, he's got a few contenders lined up.

"Right now it's Seattle and New York, with San Francisco, New Orleans, and Chicago following closely behind," Davies said. "But I also see a fit in the middle of the New Mexico desert atSpaceport USA. If you're gonna build a spaceport-looking hotel, might as well build it at a spaceport, right? Imagine the sci-fi conventions out there; those would truly be out there!"

Currently seeking real estate and investment partners in the US, Sci-Fi Hotel hopes to announce its first US location for Giger Bar and for Sci-Fi Hotel in early 2014.

Tuesday, 7 January 2014

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