The mobile industry is set to take in more than $1.5 trillion in revenues in 2012, according to research from analyst Chetan Sharma. Of that $1.5 trillion, 28 percent will be attributable to mobile data, the study indicates.
“He notes that within the revenues expected for mobile data, non-messaging revenues led by apps, mobile Web browsing and streaming media have finally overtaken those of traditional messaging like SMS as smartphone usage continues to grow,” according to TechCrunch.
He says that “non-messaging” will account for 53 percent of the total, meaning about $212 billion of that total revenue will come from apps, music and video streaming, games and mobile Web browsing.
The report also details that the U.S. now accounts for 69 percent of all smartphone sales, “the highest rate with the global average at about half that, 32 percent,” details the post.
TechCrunch also notes that “the total worldwide base of mobile subscribers now stands at 6 billion, and while it took 20 years to reach the first billion, the speed at which this has accelerated is pretty remarkable: Sharma notes that it took only 15 months for that number to go from 5 billion to 6 billion.”
Hollywood studios are reportedly concerned that Google’s development of a super-high-speed Internet service in Kansas City may encourage users to illegally download content.
Google has strung more than 100 miles of cable in Kansas and Missouri with plans to connect homes in the next few months. Meanwhile, its test network in Palo Alto has been providing download speeds of 922Mbps and upload speeds of 883Mbps.
“The search giant has said it hopes to spur innovation among cable companies and Internet service providers by demonstrating what’s possible with Internet speeds 100 times faster than the U.S. average,” reports Businessweek. “The project could also foreshadow dramatic changes for Hollywood, both because of the specter of piracy and Google’s possible experiments with new ways to distribute content legally.”
“Google Fiber will definitely be a disruptive force. The studios know that if we stick our heads in the sand, we will fail, pure and simple,” said Mitch Singer, chief digital strategy officer for Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Consumers are increasingly turning to mobile devices to watch video, which is creating opportunities for content providers.
However, fear of forfeiting retransmission fees or running into copyright problems has prevented most local TV stations from leveraging the technology.
As a result, companies such as FilmOn, Ivi and Aereo have emerged, causing TV networks to seek legal action.
“That doesn’t mean broadcasters are ignoring the demand for their content on mobile; they’re just taking another route,” reports Variety. “The solution is much more of a technical feat: Delivery of dedicated mobile TV signals to portable devices specially equipped with receivers. That includes news, sports, traffic, weather and emergency alerts. Some 120 stations are transmitting mobile digital TV signals, according to the Open Mobile Video Coalition.”
Aereo believes its streaming of New York stations via thumbnail-sized antennas for capturing broadcast signals is a legal option, but the issue of violating copyright law has been raised. In Portland, Skitter is streaming channels to Roku boxes, “with an eye to offering them via mobile apps,” indicates the article. “Skitter is believed to be on more solid footing because it has obtained retrans licenses from broadcasters to stream their signals.”
UK’s High Court has ordered five ISPs — Sky, Everything Everywhere, TalkTalk, O2 and Virgin Media — to block access to The Pirate Bay.
British Telecom reportedly also agreed to the request, but has asked for more time to consider its position.
The action was based on infringement of copyrights. Apparently, BPI, a music lobby group, previously asked the ISPs to block the site but they said a court order was required.
A spokesperson for the Open Rights Group said the move would “fuel calls for further, wider and even more drastic calls for Internet censorship of many kinds, from pornography to extremism.”
Another site, Newzbin, was blocked last year. It has apparently moved domains and is still available to British users.
After three years in development, Nokia has unveiled its research project that looks to offer wireless networking and location-based information using the available bandwidth in TV networks.
“TV white space is the unused spectrum in a particular area that has been reserved for a channel elsewhere in the country,” The Verge reports. “It’s not the first time that white space networks have been trialed — Cambridge recently received a city-wide network — however it’s clear that this currently unoccupied space offers potential well beyond just networking.”
As part of the project, a network for the Imperial War Museum near Cambridge, UK has been implemented that provides multimedia content on handheld devices. Right now, the system hasn’t been built into any radio chips, “meaning that the receiver has to be carried in a small suitcase which is connected by USB to a Nokia N9, with the chips required expected to be standardized in the next three years,” explains the post.
The project shows the extensive potential for this unused bandwidth, especially for projects like Google’s Indoor Maps.
The post includes a 4-minute video report on Nokia’s efforts.
Discovery service StumbleUpon passed the 25 million user milestone last week, gaining approximately one million users per month since reaching 20 million users in October 2011.
StumbleUpon was purchased by eBay in 2007 and then became independent again two years later. It has nearly quadrupled its user base in the last three years.
“For all intents and purposes this is a new company since the spin out from eBay,” explains Marc Leibowitz, StumbleUpon VP of business development and marketing. “Virtually all of the 120 employees we have today have joined since then [when there were about 30 employees].”
Although its numbers pale in comparison to those of Facebook and Twitter, at its current growth rate StumbleUpon is poised to become a mainstream social network.
“The recommendation engine, by one StatCounter study’s measure, is already responsible for referring more traffic to websites than any other social network in the U.S. It has more than 75,000 advertisers,” reports Mashable. “And its users are active — according to Leibowitz, on average they spend about seven hours every month hitting the Stumble button.”
NHK (the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation), working in conjunction with Panasonic, has developed a 145-inch Ultra High Definition plasma display — or Super Hi-Vision TV as NHK calls it.
Digital Trends reports that the set is innovative for two reasons: “First, the television is among the few of its kind that does not a require backlight like most televisions do today. Second, to avoid emitting flickering images on its 4,320 x 7,680 pixel screen, it employs a novel drive system that stabilizes its 34 million pixels.”
“Even when viewed from 1.6 meters away, this Ultra High Definition display makes you feel as if you’re looking at a real screen,” claims Panasonic CTO Hideo Toyoda. “It doesn’t use 3D technology, but the picture is so realistic, you feel truly immersed in the scene.”
The 16:9 TV delivers images at 60fps, while the pixel pitch is 0.417mm horizontal and 0.417mm vertical. The article suggests the image “rivals IMAX theaters in detail.”
Last year, NHK unveiled an 85-inch LCD display in conjunction with Sharp. Unfortunately, both sets are prototypes and are not expected to be available anytime soon.
“Roger Mosey, the BBC’s Director of the 2012 London Olympic Games coverage, who is responsible for testing three Super-High Vision 50-feet high screens, revealed that the Sharp 85-inch screens will not be made available until at least 2022,” explains Digital Trends.
The post includes a 2-minute video demo of the 145-inch Ultra High Definition display.
DirecTV has updated its Android app to offer streaming movies and TV shows on smartphones and tablets.
“Similar to the DirecTV ‘Everywhere’ iPad application currently in beta, DirecTV subscribers can access selected programming from Cinemax, Encore, HBO, the Sony Movie Channel and Starz assuming that these premium network subscriptions are bundled into their monthly package,” reports Digital Trends.
“While users could already stream content from HBO and Cinemax in the respective HBO GO and MAX GO Android applications, this allows DirecTV subscribers to browse through all premium content in a single app,” explains the post.
The app is available on the Google Play store for Gingerbread, Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich operating systems. Subscribers can also stream pay-per-view movies and manage recordings on their home DVRs.
“Subscribers can stream content over Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G connections, but Android owners without an unlimited data plan should be wary of data caps when watching streaming video,” warns the post.
The app includes a discovery tool for checking out content others are viewing and the ability to pick up where a video stops (for example, watch a movie or show on your morning commute, stop it and close the app, and continue watching where you left off at a later time).
An updated iPad app is slated for release in the next three to four months.
Even as people are sharing an increasing amount of personal data online, Internet users are still worried about digital privacy, according to Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz.
“I think they are very concerned because they have a sense that information is being captured, and they’re not sure where it’s going,” Leibowitz says. “I don’t think most of us understand how it’s captured and transferred and monetized, but I think there is generally concern from consumers about that.”
Privacy has been a hot news topic recently with the CISPA debate and various breaches by top companies such as Google and Facebook.
Some believe that younger people who have grown up in the digital age are less concerned by privacy, but “I think if you drilled down a little bit on that data, it’s actually not that accurate for everyone,” suggests Leibowitz.
“Will personal privacy standards relax as social media becomes more entrenched in everyday life? Or will increased sharing mean heightened consumer vigilance about controlling personal information?” asks Mashable.
After passing the 100 million app downloads marker, Apple’s Mac App Store has now hit another milestone. According to third-party estimates, the store’s catalog now has over 10,000 apps.
“French outlet MacGeneration today posted its estimate of the tally based on its own data,” reported CNET on Friday. “Macrumors later pointed to its Appshopper site that pulls App Store data and currently lists the store’s total at 10,334 apps.”
“To put the benchmark — which an Apple spokesperson declined to confirm — in context, it took Apple’s App Store for iPhone (and later iOS) less than half a year to reach 10,000 apps,” explains the post. “At the same time, that store had pulled in more than 300 million downloads, Apple said. Worth pointing out though, is that the App Store is the only way to officially get software on the iOS platform, whereas Mac users can install from other sources.”
In future editions of Apple’s Mac OS, like the upcoming Mountain Lion to be released this summer, the App Store will play a bigger part with functions like “Gatekeeper” that protects against malware and limits new app installations to the Mac App Store.
The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act has passed through the U.S. House of Representatives with some important amendments added, but still leaving some concerns unaddressed.
The 248 to 168 vote shows the strong support for the ability for companies to share information freely — for the sake of protecting against cybersecurity threats — without the threat of antitrust laws. Tech and communications companies including Facebook, Microsoft, and AT&T have pledged their support for the bill.
The Obama Administration and the Center of Democracy & Technology (CDT), on the other hand, are concerned that the law could be used to aggregate private user data and to essentially police the Internet.
“The bill has three critical civil liberties problems, and we have worked with Members of Congress, Internet users, advocacy groups, and industry to address them,” the CDT said in a statement. “The first is that CISPA permits unfettered sharing of private communication with the government; second, it permits that sharing to go to any agency including the super-secret NSA; and third, it permits the government to use this information for purposes wholly unrelated to cybersecurity.”
CISPA must still pass through the Senate and again through Congress if President Obama opts to veto the bill, which has been recommended by his advisors.
By analyzing tweets, blog posts and other social media, research firm Fizziology claims it can predict box office numbers more accurately than traditional methods.
Fizziology claims to have predicted the “Twilight” opening at $140 million, which is very close to the actual $138.5 million. The firm is estimating “The Avengers” opening at between $135-$150 million.
Social media provides direct insights into consumer opinions. Twitter, for example, is useful to “turbocharge” both positive or negative word of mouth. The ratio between positive and negative sentiment can indicate the extent in which box office may fall off.
Studios may be discouraged from a wide-release strategy with the growth of microblogging among consumers.
Samsung and Cineplex Entertainment have teamed up to create a new app that “folks in Canada using Samsung’s Smart lineup of home theater equipment” can be excited about, reports Engadget.
The two companies have created Cineplex Store, a video-on-demand app that allows owners of “select models of Samsung’s Smart TVs, Blu-ray players and home theater systems” to buy or rent videos with a click from their couches.
Pricing ranges from $3-$5 for 48-hour unlimited play rentals. Buying the movie in full will cost between $10-$20. There is no monthly subscription fee.
Whether renting or purchasing, users will be able to store content in a “digital locker” and earn “Scene” points with Cineplex.
Just as Netflix and others are considering further European expansion, a group of companies in Germany — the largest television market in Europe — is preparing to launch its own video on demand service, called Gold GmbH, “that hopes to become the Hulu for Germany,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
There are 17 companies that make up Gold, including some commercial operators owned by public broadcasters, independent producers and rights groups.
“The group represents a wide span of the German production landscape, with programming ranging from reality shows such as ‘Undercover Boss’ (MME) to high-end series including Tom Fontana’s ‘Borgia’ (Beta) and Aussie teen show ‘H20 — Just Add Water’ (ZDF) and a large archive of documentaries, children’s programming and German feature films,” notes THR.
Gold is scheduled to launch later this year and will attempt to finance itself through ads, subscriptions and pay-per-view fees.
Philips new PicoPix 2480 projector is capable of projecting images up to 120 inches, according to the manufacturer.
The $480 compact projector uses light-emitting diodes and has an integrated MP4 player and built-in speaker. The device is ideal for use with laptops, smartphones, cameras and tablets.
“Compact enough to fit in a small bag, the PicoPix 2480 has USB, HDMI, VGA, component and composite connectivity, an SD/SDHC slot and 2GB of internal memory,” reports Pocket-lint.
“With two hours battery life you might want to have a power source nearby if you’re projecting a feature-length film, for example, but for boring — we mean showing — your friends and family your holiday snaps blown up, it should do the job,” adds the post.
According to Philips, the PicoPix 2480 uses LED tech for 854 x 480 resolution and 1000:1 contrast ratio at its maximum projection of 120 inches.