CrunchGear |  |
- Lytro Teardown Shows Potential Wireless Capability, Smallish Sensor
- Nokia Cuts 4000 Jobs; Last European Phone Assembly Work Goes To Asia
- Nest Labs Responds To Honeywell Lawsuit, Says It Has The Resources To Defend Itself
- Google Offers To Pay People To Have Their Web Use Tracked Minutely
- Study: iPhone Resale Value 63% After One Year, Android 46%
- Sprint Lost A Lot Of Money Selling Lots Of iPhones
- Microsoft To Launch Windows 8 Consumer Preview At MWC On February 29
- LG Takes A Chance With The Oddly-Proportioned Optimus Vu
| Lytro Teardown Shows Potential Wireless Capability, Smallish Sensor Posted: 08 Feb 2012 04:51 PM PST  It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about Lytro (other than nearly grabbing a Crunchie (I voted for them)), the camera where you shoot now and focus later. And the latest news comes not from the company itself, but from the FCC, which just today published the internal photos from its investigation of the device. There’s nothing fabulously surprising, but Wireless Goodness points out that the chip pictured, a Marvell Avastar 88W8787, has Bluetooth and wi-fi capabilities. Companies don’t generally include capabilities in hardware they don’t expect to use; it drives up the cost of the device and feeds speculation like this article. Lytro hasn’t announced wireless syncing or updating, and the user manual makes no mention of it, so there’s no way to be sure. Lytro has not returned an email on the subject. (Update: Lytro says: “The initial Lytro camera is not Wi-Fi enabled. Connectivity is important to us, and we’re working on it.” Could mean anything.) Also pictured is the sensor, which is rather small; I estimate it to be about 6.5×4.5 millimeters. That’s a little larger than an iPhone sensor (1/3.2″) and a little smaller than most point and shoots (1/2.3″). Here’s a little diagram I whipped up to give you an idea: So: small, but in good company. Note that sensor size isn’t everything, and at any rate the Lytro isn’t a traditional sensor at all. Traditional spatial resolution, all-important in a normal camera, apparently isn’t quite as necessary here. The assembly is orientated around capturing megarays, not megapixels. And the size and true dimensions of the final image are still not quite clear, so we’ll leave that alone for now. Lastly, worth noting is the interesting style of construction; the non-traditional form factor of the Lytro makes for a fun engineering challenge, no doubt: the compact square prism shape prevents anything but the tiniest of PCBs and makes wiring difficult. Kudos to their hardware engineering team for taking on the challenge and (presumably) making it work. You can read the rest of the Lytro FCC inspection info here (the internal photos are the only new information since November).
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| Nokia Cuts 4000 Jobs; Last European Phone Assembly Work Goes To Asia Posted: 08 Feb 2012 02:35 PM PST  It’s a sign of the times, though not a particularly surprising one: Nokia has finally eliminated its European phone assembly infrastructure and will be moving those 4000 jobs to Asia, according to a Reuters report. The factories are not being shuttered altogether, and localizing and finishing work will still be done there, but the primary assembly work is being relocated. The news and layoffs were expected, as the company has slashed many more thousands of jobs over the last year, but this particular cut is symbolic: the intensely European company has been battered into submission, and will join the others in the now-standard configuration of “design here, build there.” The job losses are 2300 in Hungary, 1000 in Finland, and 700 in Mexico. They don’t represent all of Nokia’s employees in those countries, just those involved with basic assembly. Nokia did not say where or to what contractor the jobs would be sent, but considering their need to cut costs, the majors in China, Taiwan, Thailand, and others in the area are the natural choice. Naturally, the countries losing the jobs expressed disappointment, but Nokia’s got to do what Nokia’s got to do, and these job losses have been telegraphed for some time. It’s likely that they were announced today only after extensive negotiations with unions and local contractors. Whether this approach will prove effective at lowering costs without damaging the company or brand is yet to be seen; it may be that saving money on manufacturing might not be enough to counter the enormous drop in sales Nokia has seen over the last two years.
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| Nest Labs Responds To Honeywell Lawsuit, Says It Has The Resources To Defend Itself Posted: 08 Feb 2012 01:55 PM PST  Nest is ready to fight. The Palo Alto company just issued a followup statement regarding Honeywell’s recent patent infringement suit. In short they’re not going to roll over. They’re going to stand tall. The plan is to “vigorously defend itself” from what they call an attempt to stifle “thoughtful competition.” Nice. Go get ‘em, boys.
Nest Labs might have a tough fight ahead. Honeywell alleges that the Nest Learning Thermostat infringes on seven of Honeywell’s patents. From my view on the outside it seems that Honeywell might have a case but Nest likely (hopefully) saw this coming and already has a litigation strategy prepped to argue that these patents are invalid. But it’s up to the courts now.
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| Google Offers To Pay People To Have Their Web Use Tracked Minutely Posted: 08 Feb 2012 01:05 PM PST  Some people might say that there’s no way Google could be more aware of your browsing habits. Not true! There is much they don’t know. But it’s not because they don’t want to know. Last night Google rolled out two programs aimed at increasing their awareness of how people use their browsers — what sites they visit, for how long, for what purpose, etc. They’ll pay you for the privilege, a bit like being a Nielsen family. They even give you a little box! The “lightweight” option (first noted at Search Engine Land) is simply a Chrome browser extension that “will share with Google the sites you visit and how you use them.” You’ll be given a $5 Amazon gift card when you sign up, and then another one every three months. Not exactly frontier gold but some people will no doubt find it enticing. There’s a maximum of $25 stated, but they’ll evaluate later how to compensate people in the program for more than a year. The other option, not publicly accessible, was pointed out by a tipster to Ars Technica. Knowledge Networks, with whom Google is partnering in this endeavor, is a company that organizes surveys and such for companies that want to know about their visitors or customers. “Fill out this quick survey and you’ll be entered to win an iPad!” — that sort of thing. Some Knowledge Networks users have received offers to be part of the first 2500 households in the study, which would pay $100 up front and $20 per month. Interestingly, the latter study involves sending out a “high-end router” from Cisco that will need to be installed. It presumably has firmware on it that records relevant data traffic from the household’s “web access,” though that term is not defined. Does it include Netflix? Torrents? Game traffic? Most likely it just means data you would normally send and receive via the browser, though for many that is still maddeningly vague. Obviously they are not likely to volunteer for this service. All data will be recorded, including what goes on in those Incognito mode tabs, though that data “will not be tied to or associated with any personally identifiable information”. Reassuring to some, terrifying to others. And anonymized individual data will be shared with “academic institutions, advertisers, publishers, and programming networks.” It’s fairly standard data-collection stuff, but it’s fun to see them taking the route of in-home hardware to monitor on a bit level. While many would consider this level of recording a monumental invasion of privacy, just as many (likely far more) don’t see much of a difference between this and how much they’re tracked already. The extra cash would certainly be welcome in many homes. Naturally the habits observed among the “people who don’t care too much about privacy and are willing to sell their browsing habits for not a lot of money” group will be different from those at large, but it’s still valuable. Right now there isn’t much more info than this on the programs, but you can sign up for updates and registration at Google’s Screenwise page.
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| Study: iPhone Resale Value 63% After One Year, Android 46% Posted: 08 Feb 2012 12:50 PM PST  All smartphones do not depreciate equally. 18 months after purchase, iPhones can be sold for 53% of their original price, while Androids can only be sold for 42% and BlackBerries for 41% on average according to a study by Y Combinator second-hand price guide startup Priceonomics. That frown on Android fanboy faces gets even larger the quicker they try to resell. 12 months after purchase, iPhones can pull in 63% of their day 1 manufacturer suggested retail price, compared to 46% for Android. Early adopters who must have the latest model would do well to stick with Apple. 6 months after purchase iPhones claim 89% of their original MSRP, while Androids fall to just 66%. Priceonomics says “We examined all iPhone models and the 70 most popular Androids and 30 most popular BlackBerry models. iPhone is wiping the floor with Android and BlackBerry in terms of resale value.” This study doesn’t take into account the high, off-contract price of iPhones or the economical options for Android buyers. It’s based on hardware alone, doesn’t compare carrier charges, and may be skewed towards American resale values due to the location of Pricenomics’ user base. The numbers indicate enduring confidence in Apple hardware, and that a liquid iPhone resale market could make the device a wiser purchase. Carriers, on the other hand, aren’t doing so well selling the iPhone. Verizon, AT&T, and especially Sprint are seeing profits shaved down by subsidizing iPhone purchases, CNN Money repots. Some other interesting findings include that paying for extra memory hardly enhances resale value, breaking your contract and paying the termination fee is cheaper than buying off-contract, and pre-paid Android phones are cheap and hold their value quite well compared to contracted Androids. The lower resale value may make some Android models more expensive to own per month. Finally, Priceonomics composed some fanboy location indices showing where the highest volume of certain phones were being resold on its site. Long Island, New York, Miami, and New Jersey have the most BlackBerry resales , while Santa Barbara, Anchorage, Orange County, Boulder, and San Francisco see the most iPhones changing hands. Looks like the adages are true. Smug cities full of supposed cool kids love their Apple products, while bro’ed out popped collar-types are propping up RIM.
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| Sprint Lost A Lot Of Money Selling Lots Of iPhones Posted: 08 Feb 2012 10:53 AM PST  Call it a sort of a bear hug: Sprint, the also-ranniest of the also-rans in the carrier world, lost money selling phones that, on the aggregate gained them subscribers. It’s also Catch-22, a blindside, and a mess. According to Sprint, the company reported a net loss last quarter while still selling 1.8 million iPhones and increasing their subscriber base by 1.6 million. How? The costs associated with provisioning and supporting these new phones drove operating losses to $438 million, up from $139 million in Q4 last year. The company reported increased subscriber numbers – 55 million this year. Forty percent of Sprint iPhone buyers were new customers. They nearly doubled capital expenditures this year. Sprint is in a strange place. Like T-Mobile, the company has always been overshadowed by the bigger guys and never gained traction after acquisition. While using ostensibly the same hardware, Verizon has roundly trounced Sprint by advertising improved coverage and reception. However, unlike T-Mobile, Sprint has the iPhone. This move – beyond any network improvements or handset acquisitions – is what’s keeping the company afloat. The net loss shown this year happened because Sprint was supporting the iPhone, a wild situation in which a company’s best-seller is actually dragging it down. If the iPhone taught consumes anything it’s that mobile broadband is a right, not a privilege. The right to Instagram, Yelp, and browse all day and night is seemingly god-given and that same god knows that the iPhone hasn’t been useful for making calls these last few years. In short, we’re looking at a product that would upend any carrier’s view of the world, not just Sprint’s. For decades, carriers worried about getting calls from point A to point B. Now they have to worry about tethering, massive data downloads to small devices, and always-on connectivity. They have to worry about angry Tweets, upset Facebook posts, and maintain gear that is cutting edge and prone to failure. So, in the end, it didn’t make financial sense to go the popular route, but hopefully it will buoy Sprint’s prospects in the long term. The iPhone taught carriers that it wasn’t enough to dump out a feature phone or two and keep the power on in the switch room. Sprint’s troubles – masquerading as opportunity – is the finest example of the change that is currently rolling over the operator landscape. photo credit: ucumari via photopin cc
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| Microsoft To Launch Windows 8 Consumer Preview At MWC On February 29 Posted: 08 Feb 2012 10:29 AM PST  While Samsung’s new low-key approach to MWC may have some gadget fans feeling blue, Microsoft’s plans for MWC just made things much more interesting. The company has begun to send out press invitations to an event at this year’s Mobile World Congress where they will officially launch the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. The invitation is understandably light on details, but the event is slated to take place between 3 and 5PM CET. Though members of the tech press have managed to get some hands-on time with early builds of Windows 8 in the past, the consumer preview is a considerable milestone for Microsoft in that the general public will finally get their chance take the new OS for a spin. The new Metro UI, seen above, is one of the most striking new additions to Windows, but other changes run much deeper than that. Compatibility with ARM processors is a first for Windows 8, and a renewed focus on getting the OS onto devices with different form factors means that Windows 8 isn’t just a rehash of the same old Microsoft philosophy. Not that the general public would even notice that. They’ll be much to busy poking around with the build’s preloaded apps and games to bother checking under the hood. That Microsoft would choose to put their latest OS in the hands of the public at a wireless conference is a bit of head-scratcher when you consider their very public exit from keynoting at CES. Recent reports point to deep connection between Windows 8 and the forthcoming Windows Phone 8 mobile platform though, and what better way to make that connection concrete than at Mobile World Congress? Developing…
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| LG Takes A Chance With The Oddly-Proportioned Optimus Vu Posted: 08 Feb 2012 07:46 AM PST  After spending the past few quarters in the red, LG recently turned things around with a bit of growth in their once-ailing smartphone division. By focusing half of their 2012 capital expenditures budget on developing smartphones, LG wanted people to know that some big mobile plays were on the horizon. As it turns out, their plans for the year include the newly-leaked Optimus Vu, which isn’t exactly the sort of big we were hoping for. The first thing you notice about the Optimus Vu is its large 5-inch display, followed shortly by the realization that it’s awfully square. LG opted to run with a 4:3 screen aspect ratio this time around for some reason, which has led to a handset design that’s more squat than I’m accustomed to seeing. Now LG isn’t the first to toy with this sort of form factor. Fellow Korean manufacturer Pantech introduced the blocky-looking Pocket late last year, but to see a major player run with it is a surprise. Meanwhile, someone has reportedly managed snap a shot of Optimus Vu in the wild (above) and with it comes a solid spec sheet. If true, the OV sports a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm chipset, 1GB RAM, NFC support, and an 8-megapixel camera. Sadly, there’s no Ice Cream Sandwich to be found here — the Optimus Vu is all about Gingerbread. It’s easy to take potshots at the Optimus Vu — comment reels across the web (or at least the part of the web that cares about phones) are full of people decrying the device as a Galaxy Note knockoff. The comparison may be harsh, but in fairness, LG could do worse than to try to follow Samsung’s example here. The Galaxy Note enjoys substantial popularity in the international market, and if the rumors of the Optimus Vu having a stylus pan out, the phablet market may soon grow a bit more crowded. Potential stylus inclusion aside, LG’s decision to go with a 4:3 display could come back to bite them when it comes time for people to decide on a new phone. Smartphones have historically grown taller instead of just wider, and while LG certainly has the novelty factor going with the Optimus Vu, whether or not that will translate into unit sales is still up in the air.
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 2/09/2012 05:14:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 2/09/2012 05:14:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 2/09/2012 05:14:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 2/09/2012 05:14:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 2/09/2012 05:14:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 2/09/2012 05:14:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 2/09/2012 05:14:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 2/09/2012 05:14:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 2/09/2012 05:14:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 2/09/2012 05:15:00 AM
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