Consumer Electronics Daily News

Cellphone Round-Up

• "Rick Kaplan, chief of the Federal Communication Commission’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, sent a letter to AT&T; on Thursday asking the carrier to clarify just how the proposed merger with T-Mobile USA will add jobs in the United States." Todd Haselton has the story.
• According to Scott Moritz, "Apple Inc.'s newest iPhone sold out for pre-order at AT&T; Inc., Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. a day before the device officially goes on sale, according to the carriers' websites."
• "Google and Samsung have rescheduled their Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich launch event for October 19—and the event has been moved out of the US and restaged in Hong Kong," reports Casey Johnston.
• "Clearwire Corp. Thursday reported better-than-expected customer and revenue growth for the third quarter, and a prepaid wireless carrier said it is considering a deal to buy wholesale capacity on the company’s fourth-generation wireless network." (Note: Paywall at link.)
• "One year following the launch of Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform, a new analysis has determined that the Redmond, Washington-based company’s share of the global smartphone market recently hit a new low." Zach Epstein brings the bad tidings.
• Caleb Cox looks at a new, inexpensive Nokia phone that doesn't involve Windows:

  The Nokia 603—the company's latest Symbian Belle-powered handset—features a 1GHz processor, Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi connectivity. There's also a 3.5in, 640 x 360 touchscreen and a 5Mp camera with 720p video recording. Oh, and a browser said to be four times faster than its older Symbian brethren.

Cellphone Round-Up

• Luke Hopewell reports: "Apple has today been awarded an interlocutory injunction by the Federal Court of Australia against Samsung and its Galaxy Tab 10.1, which will see the product held off of Australian shelves until a full patent case can be heard."
• "Research In Motion reported late Wednesday that email was operating, and BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) traffic was online and passing successfully in all regions where its service was previously affected." John Ribeiro has the details.
• Zach Epstein looks on Nokia's plan to breathe new life into low-end feature-phones:

  Nokia's smartphone shipments plummeted 34% in the second quarter but feature phone shipments also took a hit, dropping 16% to 71.8 million units as channel sales declined in regions where Nokia has historically been an overwhelming force. And just as Nokia has been out-innovated in the smartphone market in recent years, the company has been slow to adapt in developing markets where share is being stripped by other big players and gray market handset vendors alike.

  "Phones powered by Nokia's next-generation entry-level operating system will not be smartphones at all, and the standings of Windows Phone with Nokia doesn't change a bit," Pyramid Research analyst Stela Bokun told BGR. "The new platform is on the one hand very much aligned with Nokia's mobile phone strategy stated earlier in the year ('connecting one billion to the internet...'), but it's also a competitive response to the newest trend seen in the gray handsets markets in the emerging world."

• Elinor Mills is warning of a phony Netflix app for Android, which "sends the user's log-in information to a remote server and displays a message saying there is an incompatibility issue with the hardware and then attempts to uninstall itself."

Cellphone Round-Up

• Matt Hamblen informs us that "BlackBerry service delays experienced by users around the world on Tuesday were caused by a core switch failure within the infrastructure of Research in Motion (RIM), the company said late Tuesday." Meanwhile, the service disruptions continue, and appear to have spread to North America.
• "Samsung Electronics Co said on Wednesday it will soon release upgraded versions of three Galaxy smartphones in Europe to get around temporary sales bans on earlier versions of products that violated an Apple patent," reports Miyoung Kim.
• Your juicy rumor of the day: Did Samsung and Google's decision to delay the launch of the Galaxy Nexus have less to do with the passing of Steve Jobs, and more to do with patent issues?

Cellphone Round-Up

The Motorola ATRIX 2, one of five new Android phones announced by AT&T.;

 

• David Krevets brings word that "California Gov. Jerry Brown is vetoing legislation requiring police to obtain a court warrant to search the mobile phones of suspects at the time of any arrest."
• "BlackBerry customers throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa were without email, Messenger and Internet services Monday morning, following an outage at one of Research In Motion’s data centers in the United Kingdom," reports John Paczkowski. After getting the services back online for a brief period, they appear to have been knocked offline again this morning.
• AT&T; has announced plans to release five new models of Android smartphones for the holiday season.

Cloud-Based Software Automatically Finds and Installs Computer Drivers; Improves Performance of Printers and other Hardware Peripherals

SlimDrivers, the free software that automatically updates PC drivers with real-time scanning and cloud technology, has reached a milestone by achieving more than one million downloads on Download.com, one of the world's most popular download sites for free consumer software, mobile apps and games. SlimDrivers has reached its milestone less than a year after launching in December 2010.

Free for download at www.driverupdate.net, SlimDrivers saves time by automatically updating a consumer's PC drivers, which can be a labor-intensive and difficult process if done manually. Cloud-based, SlimDrivers scans a machine to determine which precise drivers are needed, then retrieves them from the cloud and automatically begins the installation. In this way, SlimDrivers ensures that each PC has the correct drivers and that a computer system and its peripherals are operating smoothly and in sync.

"SlimDrivers removes the frustration consumers feel from slow-moving printers, sound cards and other system hardware, by finding and installing the most precise, up-to-date driver for each individual's PC," said Chris Cope, CEO of SlimWare Utilities, the developer of SlimDrivers. "Reaching this milestone in less than a year shows how much consumers needed a free, automated software tool like this." Driver software is like a translator, helping a computer communicate with its hardware and telling the hardware how to work.

SlimDrivers and its fee-based premium upgrade, DriverUpdate, are the industry's first cloud-based software for updating and maintaining these communications between an operating system and its computer hardware. Both products contact a dynamic information cloud -- an online data center – where new driver definitions are constantly received, so that consumers obtain the latest releases for their hardware and software in an easy, automated process. SlimDrivers and DriverUpdate will update the drivers that manage communications between a computer and its printers, scanners, digital cameras, sound cards, video cards, Bluetooth devices and other peripherals. Both products update driver software for all popular computer device brands, including Acer, Brother, Canon, Compaq, Dell, Hewlett Packard, LG, Microsoft, Mitsubishi, Samsung, Sony, and many others.

SlimDrivers is a free application; DriverUpdate is available for $29.97 for a one-year subscription. Both products are available for download at http://www.driverupdate.net.

Cellphone Round-Up

• Samsung has indicated that it will beat earnings estimates for its third quarter, thanks to strong cellphone sales.
• According to Ina Fried, Samsung and Google have delayed the launch event for their new, jointly developed cellphone -- reportedly the first phone to feature the "Ice Cream Sandwich" iteration of the latter's Android operating system -- out of respect for the recent death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
• "FCC chairman Julius Genachowski on Thursday sketched a proposal to overhaul the nation's complex system of subsidies for telecom services in rural areas," reports Timothy B. Lee
• Over one million pre-orders for the iPhone 4S were registered in the first 24 hours.
• "Investment in mobile security will increase 44% annually through 2015 according to a recent research report from Canalys." Todd Haselton has the details:

  Reportedly, just 4% of smartphones shipped last year were sold with security software pre-installed. Canalys suggests that, by 2015, more than 20% of all smartphones and tablets will run some form of security software and mobile security will be a $3 billion market.

Cellphone Round-Up

• The Cellphone Patent Wars continue: Nancy Gohring reports that "Patent licensing company Intellectual Ventures has set its sights on Motorola with a new lawsuit charging the handset maker with infringing six patents."
• Sprint has confirmed that it will offer its unlimited data plan for the forthcoming iPhone 4S.
• "Rumors of Sony’s plan to purchase Ericsson’s stake in the companies’ joint Sony Ericsson venture have come and gone over the years, but a new report claims the deed is nearly done," according to Zach Epstein.

Larson Electronics' Magnalight Releases Permanent Mount LED Beacon

Larson Electronics' Magnalight has announced the release of an LED beacon light designed for permanent mounting that provides a powerful signal in a compact package. The Magnalight SL4-A-LED Strobe Beacon can be set to operate as a strobe or steady burning marker and provides excellent visibility through the use of 4 powerful 3 watt LEDs. Small in size and simple to install, this LED beacon is ideal for work, security or utility operations and anywhere a powerful strobe is required.

The Magnalight SL4-A-LED Strobe beacon is a compact yet powerful signal beacon that weighs only one pound and produces a powerful flash while drawing very little electrical power. Four 3 watt LEDs housed within a waterproof and shock resistant housing draws only 12 watts and less than 1/4 amp yet provides a powerful signal. A specially designed lens allows the light from the LEDs to be radiated 360 degrees, making these LED beacons ideal for mounting on both the sides and tops of vehicles, equipment and machinery. These units can be switched between a strobe or steady burn mode by toggling a user supplied inline power switch, making these units versatile as well as powerful. Designed as a permanent mounting lighting solution, a simple three wire connection, two gaskets, and two screws is all that is needed to secure and install this unit and are included with the package.

These units are available in a choice of colors including, white, amber, and red, allowing operators to use these lights in a wide variety of applications including security, utility, construction, material handling and anywhere an effective strobe beacon is desired or needed. The small size and light weight of this unit allows mounting in almost any location, and the low power requirements allow operators to run this light for extended periods from mobile power sources without excessive battery drain.

"The SL4-A-LED light can be configured for steady burn or strobe applications, which makes it ideal for permanent mount applications for original equipment manufacturers," said Rob Bresnahan with Larson Electronics' Magnalight.com. "We also see applications for this LED light for non-hazardous area part inspection and process status warning systems."

Magnalight by Larson Electronics manufactures and sells a comprehensive line of colored LED lights, LED strobe lights, portable LED lights and LED equipment lights and continually expands its extensive LED light inventory. Visit Magnalight.com to view the entire line of Magnalight LED lights or call them at 1-800-369-6671 or 1-214-616-6180 for international inquiries to discuss purchasing and special ordering requirements.

Poken to Make North American Debut at Colorado Conference

Poken, an electronic social networking device and electronic shopping tool, will make its North American debut at the Summit Business Conference October 18-19 in Boulder, Colorado. Participants will wear Pokens, whimsical devices that use near field communication (NFC) to retrieve and store information from fellow attendees. The Summit Business Conference brings eight headline speakers to a single stage, providing independent entrepreneurs and small businesses access to insights usually available only to Fortune 500 companies. Rather than exchanging business cards, Summit attendees can collect contacts by holding two Poken Sparks together, exchanging a "high four" between the four-fingered hand of playful characters such as a kitten or panda. The green glow signals the networking connection has been made. "Our conference site, the Hotel Boulderado, will be the first location where attendees can view how Poken Sparks and Poken Tags will impact retailing for years to come," says Jon Schallert, president of The Schallert Group and a speaker at the conference. For example, using Poken Tags, a wine store could pass information and videos about fine wine to customers, while the store receives database information about the prospective purchaser. Poken devices, created in Switzerland and just now coming to North America, were invented for social networking – a paperless way to collect contact information – but are finding applications in more fields. This fall, Indiana State University became the first university to distribute Pokens to all incoming students, easing introductions and boosting student retention. Poken's cutting-edge devices fit the conference's aim to elevate small businesses, Schallert says. "The Summit Business Conference is a way that any size business can play on a level playing field with big companies that normally get this expert advice. There's a synergy that comes from introducing this new technology with these top business experts." In addition to Schallert, speakers are Marti Barletta, author and worldwide expert on marketing to women; Henriette Klauser, author and authority on writing productivity; Michael Kerr, author and humor expert; Debra Fine, author and networking expert; Terri Norvell, author and leadership development expert; Andy Core, author and wellness expert; and Shawne Duperon, an Emmy-winning TV producer and publicity strategist.

Cellphone Round-Up

• James Gaskin reports: "Bad news follows bad news for Nokia, as they just announced another 3,500 layoffs after cutting 7,000 jobs back in April. And that new manufacturing plant in Cluj, Romania? History."
• Sprint is ending its Premier hardware-upgrade program.
• According to David Kravets, "The nation's major mobile-phone providers are keeping a treasure trove of sensitive data on their customers, according to a newly released Justice Department internal memo that for the first time reveals the data retention policies of America's largest telecoms."
• "As Apple's October 4th event approaches, two of Apple's announcements have been revealed in Apple's internal inventory system." Mark Gurman has the scoop.