Fresh off selling its mobile-phone business to Microsoft, Nokia is turning its attention to another area potentially ripe for rapid technological change: smarter cars.
Nokia Growth Partners, the company's venture capital group, plans to invest $100 million into companies that bring more computing and communications technology to cars, the company said in conjunction with this week's Global Mobile Internet Conference.
"The car is really becoming a platform like when the mobile handset became a smartphone and all the apps and services developed around that," Nokia Growth partner Paul Asel told Bloomberg.
Nokia has a significant presence in auto electronics through its Navteq division, which supplies mapping and navigation data for vehicle sat-nav systems. Through its Here brand, Nokia's technology extends to smartphones and tablets, too; the company has 6,000 employees working on mapping technology. But much bigger changes are afoot that go beyond navigation and likely mean driving will become a profoundly different experience.
The auto industry, prodded by Google, is moving toward a more radical transformation involving self-driving cars, car-to-car communications, platooning that links cars into efficient highway trains, andcoordinated city transportation infrastructure.
"We're seeing innovation that's happening across the auto ecosystem through the combination of mobility and the Internet," Asel said.
Nokia has struggled financially in recent years as its mobile-phone business struggled competitively, but Nokia Growth Partners has been a bright spot, Rajeev Suri, Nokia's new chief executive, said in a statement Monday.
"NGP has been consistently performing well bringing in both new innovation and financial return to Nokia," Suri said. "Our new $100 million venture fund launched today further underlines our belief that the connected car is a significant growth opportunity where NGP is poised to make great investments."
Fresh off selling its mobile-phone business to Microsoft, Nokia is turning its attention to another area potentially ripe for rapid technological change: smarter cars.
Nokia Growth Partners, the company's venture capital group, plans to invest $100 million into companies that bring more computing and communications technology to cars, the company said in conjunction with this week's Global Mobile Internet Conference.
"The car is really becoming a platform like when the mobile handset became a smartphone and all the apps and services developed around that," Nokia Growth partner Paul Asel told Bloomberg.
Nokia has a significant presence in auto electronics through its Navteq division, which supplies mapping and navigation data for vehicle sat-nav systems. Through its Here brand, Nokia's technology extends to smartphones and tablets, too; the company has 6,000 employees working on mapping technology. But much bigger changes are afoot that go beyond navigation and likely mean driving will become a profoundly different experience.
The auto industry, prodded by Google, is moving toward a more radical transformation involving self-driving cars, car-to-car communications, platooning that links cars into efficient highway trains, andcoordinated city transportation infrastructure.
"We're seeing innovation that's happening across the auto ecosystem through the combination of mobility and the Internet," Asel said.
Nokia has struggled financially in recent years as its mobile-phone business struggled competitively, but Nokia Growth Partners has been a bright spot, Rajeev Suri, Nokia's new chief executive, said in a statement Monday.
"NGP has been consistently performing well bringing in both new innovation and financial return to Nokia," Suri said. "Our new $100 million venture fund launched today further underlines our belief that the connected car is a significant growth opportunity where NGP is poised to make great investments."
The Surface 2 is one of the precious few exceptions of a Windows tablet with 4G. Problem is, it runs Windows RT not the full version of Windows 8.Microsoft
Apple started making cellular-capable tablets in April 2010, but four years later most Windows-Intel tablets are still Wi-Fi only. One would charitably call that being late to the tablet party.
The tablet isn't a novel device anymore. You might even call it a mature market. IDC said Thursday that worldwide tablet shipments (including 2-in-1 hybrid devices) showed only 3.9 percent growth over the same period a year ago.
And 2014 will be a "challenging year ahead for the category" with the "the rise of large-screen phones," IDC added.
So, what's the state of the Windows 8.1 tablet in 2014 ? While there are some decent new designs from the likes of Dell ($249 Venue Pro 8) and Lenovo ($399 ThinkPad 8), there are precious few with 4G/LTE.
The SlideStand can prop up your phone at a variety of angles.SlideStand
In my ideal universe, pizza is a health food, "The Matrix" sequels were never created, and all smartphones come with built-in stands.
It's getting there. I order my pizza with light cheese and extra sauce (it's less unhealthy, anyway), and I pretend those two "Matrix" abominations don't exist.
The SlideStand adds very little thickness to your phone.SlideStand
As for the third thing, it's unlikely to ever happen. Fortunately, there's an easy, inexpensive new solution: SlideStand, a low-profile add-on that works with nearly any phone.
It normally sells for $7.99 -- already a perfectly good deal -- but here's a Cheapskate exclusive for you: A SlideStand for just $5.59 when you apply discount code SS30M at checkout. Shipping to the U.S. adds $3.25, bringing your out-the-door total to $8.84. (Note that you'll need either Bitcoin or PayPal to make your purchase.)
This adhesive piece of plastic measures roughly 2.6 inches long by 1.6 inches wide. Better still, it's all of 3mm thick, so you hardly notice it's there. Until, that is, you fold out its multi-position arm, which can hold your phone upright (for portrait viewing) or on its side. The vast majority of kickstand cases I see offer only landscape positioning, which I find less than ideal for reading.
The SlideStand comes in an assortment of colors, several of which I must admit to finding kind of tacky. Red and purple? Pink and green? All-black or all-white for me, please. (Fortunately, those are among the options.) Of course, to each their own.
I stuck a SlideStand to the back of my iPhone's case and found that it worked splendidly for a variety of viewing angles. I'm concerned about the arm losing its stiffness over time, but for now it's just what this doctor ordered.
If there's a downside, it's that the adhesive is semi-permanent, meaning you can't remove the stand from your phone and then reapply it. You can, however, remove it without fear of leaving behind any residue, at least according to the the SlideStand folks.
Often you see little gizmo-accessories like this selling for $15-20, but I think $7.99 is a great price. And with the 30-percent-off code, it's even better. Buy some for early stocking-stuffers, dad/grad gifts, or whatever. Of course, if even $5.59 is too rich for your blood, there are plenty of DIY smartphone stands that don't cost a penny.
Bonus deal: If you're a desktop user who's into video editing, game playing, or media centering, you can't have too much storage. So here's a seriously unbeatable upgrade: TigerDirect has the Seagate Barracuda 4TB SATA III internal hard drive for $139.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon codeHLL125101 at checkout. That's a four-terabyte drive, people. Warranty: two years. User reviews: stellar. Deal: smokin'.
Bonus deal No. 2: If you're anything like me, you're looking extra stout about the tum after a winter of stress eating. (Hey, it was cold!) The best tools for weight loss are, of course, tech-powered tools, which is why I've started a new DietBet that kicks off this Thursday. Join me! The buy-in is $50, but you stand to make at least that much at the end of four weeks if you hit your goal. And remember: eating less saves you money!
Apple has secretly been bolstering its employee base with several medical professionals, according to a new report.
The technology pacesetter has been quietly hiring a medical team made up of senior medical technology executives who previously worked in the biotech field, Reuters is reporting, citing LinkedIn pages and sources who claim to have knowledge of the company's efforts. Most of the hires have some expertise in medical sensor technology, which could allow for Apple products to analyze everything from blood-sugar levels to heart rate.
Health, fitness, and medical care have caught the eye of major technology companies. Samsung, for example, has built several health-related features into its Galaxy S5, and many wearable technology devices today have similar elements. Samsung is even planning an event later this month to talk about health.Apple is believed to be working on some sort of wearable device, to be unveiled this year, that would use sensors and other technology to track health. Although it was initially believed that Apple's long-awaited iWatch would launch this year, it seems a bit more likely now that Apple will instead launch a "smartband" in partnership with Nike that will deliver those features.
According to Reuters, Apple might go further than that. The news service spoke with a "mobile health executive," who said that Apple could be planning to build out a full health services platform, delivering all kinds of health-related apps to track and monitor a person's health.
Apple plans to achieve these goals, according to Reuters, by enlisting some of the top experts in the bio medical field. The company has already brought on Chief Medical Officer Michael O'Reilly from Masimo Corp, a firm that specializes in non-invasive oxygen-saturation detection, called pulse oximetry. Apple has also hired Ravi Narasimhan, who previously worked as vice president for Vital Connect, which provides full tracking information on standard human vitals, such as heart rate.
Rumors have been swirling for months, suggesting that Apple is getting serious about making a splash in the health field, and this latest report appears to make that point all the more. So far, however, Apple hasn't confirmed any plans, so it's tough to say whether the company will launch any health-related features or devices this year.
Google's
one-day Google Glass sale has proven to be a success. In just a few
short hours, the white "Cotton" version of the wearable has sold out. "Wow, what a morning! We're happy to see so many new faces (and frames) in the Explorer Program," the Google Glass team wrote on its Google+ page. "Just a quick update that -- ack -- we've sold out of Cotton (white), so things are moving really fast." Likewise, the company posted to Twitter, "Yikes, we're out of Cotton." Google opened up sales
of its computer-enabled eyeglass to the general public for the first
time ever on Tuesday. With its one-day online sale, the company offered
any US resident the ability to buy the Google Glass Explorer Edition at
the regular price of $1,500. With the purchase, the company also threw
in a free accessory, like frames or shades. Before Tuesday's sale only a few thousand people, mostly developers, owned the device. Google plans to make Glass available to everyone within this year. Google
Glass is the company's foray into a wearable computer. The device comes
in the form of eyeglasses that can record videos, take photos, chat,
get directions, look up facts on the Web, and more. While many people
have been wowed by the device, it has caused some issues with lawmakers, casinos, bar-owners, and bystanders who don't want to be recorded. Even
though the Cotton version of Glass has sold out, as of this writing the
Charcoal, Tangerine, Shale, and Sky versions are still available.
Google plans to end its Glass sale on Wednesday, April 16 at 6 a.m. PT.
The devices will be shipped to consumers within five to seven business
days. When CNET contacted Google for more specifics on the Glass sales, the company declined to comment.
An Amazon fulfillment center.
Oli Scarff/Getty Images
Amazon Prime's US members have until tomorrow to decide on whether they can swallow a $20 increase to their membership fees, as the hike raises questions about the two-day shipping program's real value. There
is an assumption that in addition to predictable, two-day shipping,
Prime customers end up saving money vs. non-Prime members, with the
membership fees often compared to the fees customers pay to join
warehouse clubs that offer bulk discounts. But CNET took a look at a
number of products and found that isn't always the case. In some
cases, certain products under Prime actually cost more than their
non-Prime counterpart, with the shipping fees baked in. For example, the
PlayStation 4
dual shock wireless controller costs $59.96 through Prime. A non-Prime
seller had the same item listed for $52.32 with a $3.99 shipping cost,
bringing the total to $56.22. The difference is mere dollars, but that
might be enough to sway shoppers. "I spend fairly large amounts at
Amazon but I was even starting to wonder if $79 was a reasonable
price," one customer wrote in an Amazon forum post about the fee increase.
"I have noticed that a large number of Prime items seem to cost more
already...This last year, more of the stores I encounter locally and
online have lower prices." Amazon Prime is an important part of
the company's plans for revenue growth on its retail side. Most of
Amazon's products and services, from the Kindle Fire tablets
to its video streaming service, are designed to drive customers to
Prime, which in turn will spark a higher frequency of online shopping on
it site. As a result, it has had to be sensitive about raising the fees
on the service. Any members who sign up after Thursday will have
to pay the new $99 per year membership fee. Any existing members who
renew their memberships after Thursday will also pay the new fee (so if
it's almost time for you to renew, you might want to renew early to lock
in the old $79 price for the next year). The membership provides
unlimited two-day shipping on 20 million Prime-eligible products as well
as unlimited access to Prime video streaming and the Kindle e-book
lending library. While Amazon says the hike will help cover rising
transportation costs, it has also had the unintentional effect of
causing some to pause and re-consider its value. But, most members seem
fixated on shipping and not the other perks. "I set my iCal
reminders for two weeks prior to expiration to 'END AMAZON PRIME
MEMBERSHIP,'" another customer wrote in Amazon's customer forums. "This
increase is a joke. Drone package deliveries, your own TV series, well, I
don't want to pay for it. I buy mostly camera gear, and B&H has
free shipping and great promotions without charging $99 a year. Thank
you for waking me up." Amazon, for its part, believes the value of
Prime shipping is on reliably knowing when a product will arrive at
your doorstep. The primary benefit isn't in price, but the two-day
delivery. "The comparison is only relevant if you include two-day
shipping on both purchases because Prime is a shipping service, not a
pricing program. Otherwise, you are comparing apples to oranges," Amazon
spokeswoman Julie Law said. Shoppers who don't pay for Prime can
still get free standard shipping on Prime-eligible items, but they have
to buy $35 worth of items, and it is delivered in three to five days.
Those who can't stomach the fee increase will just have to wait a bit
longer for their goods to arrive. The other products on Amazon are
sold and shipped by third-party merchants on the Amazon Marketplace, a
way to sell items that is similar to eBay. These sellers set their own
prices, ones that Amazon says its tries to beat. But, Amazon is not
trying to hide that some non-Prime items are cheaper. Law pointed to a Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner filter
listing that has includes a note that reads, "This item may be
available at a lower price from other sellers that are not eligible for
Amazon Prime." "I know it's complex, that's why we try really to
make it transparent as possible for the customers," Law said. Not all
items that have cheaper counterparts have this note, though. CNET
did a few comparisons and found that while Prime products were more
expensive in some of Amazon's top selling categories, there were also
some categories where Prime products were the much cheaper options. To
do the comparisons, we checked the price of Prime-eligible products
versus those non-Prime products that are also listed for sale. We used
items from Amazon's top selling products categories: toys, electronics,
camera and photo, video games, books, and clothing. We also tested out
household products because it's an area Amazon has been focused on. Household items, like laundry detergent or toothpaste, require frequent replenishing and encourage repeat purchases. To
get a sampling, we picked five items from each category and made two
separate shopping carts, Prime and non-Prime with identical items. It's
important to note that Amazon's prices are dynamic, and change so
frequently that some of these items may actually cost less or more now,
compared to when the comparisons were conducted
The 8GB iPhone 5C is now selling in Italy, among other countriese Apple's new 8GB iPhone 5C is expanding its reach around the world.
As of this week, the 8GB version is available in six more countries, specifically the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Poland, and the Czech Republic. The online Apple Store for all six regions show the lower-cost 5C as in stock and ready to ship within 24 hours.
Apple introduced the 8GB iPhone 5C in March
to consumers in the UK, France, Germany, Australia, and China to add to
the 16GB and 32GB editions. The new variant is not available in the US.
The decision to offer an even cheaper version of the 5C throughout the
world comes amid weak sales for the phone in general.
Will the 8GB version light a fire under sales of the 5C? Not likely.
Consumers
have expressed a strong preference for the 5S over the 5C. At Apple's
first-quarter conference call in January, even CEO Tim Cook
acknowledged that the 5S has grabbed the higher mix of sales.
The
5C's poor reception extends internationally. A report out last month
from China-based analytics firm Umeng found that the
5C picked up only 2 percent of the traffic on its network compared with 15 percent for the iPhone 5 and 12 percent for the 5S.
And with the iPhone 6
expected to launch in September, users who don't need a new phone will
likely sit tight the next few months to see what Apple cooks up next.
Buying last year's model often pays off when you're buying a new car.
It can also save you big bucks when you're shopping for a new
smartphone. Indeed, Samsung released its new Galaxy S5
on Friday on all four major wireless networks. There are a few
noticeable changes in the S5 compared to the S4, despite a couple of
much-talked-about new features on the S5. But most experts agree that
the technical differences between an S4 and an S5 are minor.
Instead, the biggest difference is the price tag. The older S4 is at least $100 less expensive than the brand new S5.
So what is a prospective smartphone subscriber to do? I answer that very question in this edition of Ask Maggie.
Galaxy S4 vs. Galaxy S5
Dear Maggie, I
need a new smartphone. I know I want a Samsung Galaxy. But I'm a little
torn about which one to get. I've also heard that you can get a good
discount on last year's model. Is it worth it to get the newer Galaxy S5
or could I get a good deal on the Galaxy S4 and still be happy? Thanks, Undecided smartphone shopper
Dear Undecided smartphone shopper,
Samsung's
Galaxy S5 is a modest improvement over the Galaxy S4. It has a faster
processor, slightly better camera, improved display and other tweaks
that according to my CNET Reviews colleague Jessica Dolcourt make the S5 "a superior superphone that hits every mark."
However
the improvements are minor. And even though they add up to offer a
better performing device over the Galaxy S4, you still have to ask
yourself if the added features are worth the extra cash. As you noted in
your question, the Galaxy S4 is at least $100 less expensive than the
newer Galaxy S5 released on all four major carriers this week.
Jessica said it best:
With
the exception of a few nonessential hardware and software additions --
like the fingerprint scanner and novel heart-rate monitor -- and a few
design tweaks, you're pretty much looking at the same phone Samsung
released in 2013.
She added that the S5 is more of a Galaxy S4 Plus than a revolutionary new device.
I
agree. Even when it comes to the design of the phone, the two look
almost identical. The S5 is slightly larger, a tad thicker and bit
heavier than the S4. It has the same plastic casing, but the newer S5
has a dimpled back that's supposed to feel more like faux leather.
Personally,
I don't think the design tweaks are enough to make me choose the S5
over the S4. And even though some of the upgrades to the processor and
the software make it run a bit more smoothly than its predecessor, these
are still not enhancements that change the experience drastically
enough for me to choose it over a less expensive S4. Galaxy S5I
am also completely unimpressed with the much talked about heart-rate
monitor that is included in the Galaxy S5 and is missing in the Galaxy
S4. This feature seems to me as if it's more of a novelty than an
everyday functional feature. In fact, I can't imagine anyone really
using this feature on a regular basis. Since it's lacking compared to
some of the full-functioning fitness bands on the market, my guess is
that hardcore fitness buffs would still use another gadget in addition
to the S5.
The Galaxy S5's good side
That said, there are a couple of features that make spending the extra money for the Galaxy S5 worthwhile.
The first is the fingerprint security sensor.
This is by no means the only smartphone on the market that allows you
to unlock the device by reading your fingerprint. The Apple iPhone 5S was the first to introduce this feature last fall. And I doubt it will be the last smartphone to embed this technology.
What
I like about this feature is that it not only adds extra security to
protect what's on your device, it can be more convenient than typing in
your PIN to unlock a device. It can also be used to authenticate mobile
payments.
But Jessica Dolcourt points out in her CNET review of
the S5 that like other fingerprint scanners on other devices, the S5's
scanner can have trouble reading your fingerprint. Damp fingers or
fingers with a touch of lotion can cause issues in getting an accurate
read on the fingerprint. She offers a few hints for making sure the
scanner works properly.
While I think this is a useful security
feature that will one day be added to most if not all smartphones, it's
still early days for the technology. So it may not hurt to wait until
the next generation of device that will improve on the technology.
But
remember, because this is a hardware feature built into the phone, no
amount of upgrading will allow it to function in the Galaxy S4. So the
only way to get access to this feature on the Galaxy products today is
to buy the S5.
The other significant feature on the S5 that excites me is that
the S5 is dust and water resistant. Even though the device isn't
considered "waterproof" it is water resistant meets the IP67 military
specifications for water resistance, which means that it can stay
underwater for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter or about 3 feet.
What this means is that accidentally dropping your phone in the pool or
spilling water on it or even dumping it in your beach bag littered with
grains of sand, won't hurt the phone.
Personally, I love the idea
of a fully water and dust resistant device. I've never bought a case
for my smartphone, so having a device that's already water and dust
resistant means that I don't even have to put it in a plastic bag when
I'm at the beach.
Even though I think this is a great feature and
I hope all smartphones in the future come with this added bonus, it may
not be a feature that's a must-have for everyone. And the truth is that
the Galaxy S4 also comes in a water and dust resistant model known as
the Galaxy S4 Active. The only limitation is that the Galaxy S4 Active
version of the S4 is only available on AT&T's network.
So what should you do?
As
I noted above, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is an improvement over the Galaxy
S4. Several features have been enhanced, such as the camera, which S5
performs better in low-light situations. There are also at least two new
features that don't come standard on the Galaxy S4 that could make it
worth buying the newer device.
CNET
But
as you pointed out in your question, the older Galaxy S4 will likely
cost you less money. How much less depends on the carrier you intend to
use and what types of deals that service provider may be offering.
In
general, the S4 will cost about $100 less than the S5, whether you buy
the phone outright or you buy it as part of a two-year contract. Most
operators are offering the S5 for about $650 at full retail and about
$200 with a two-year contract. Meanwhile, the S4 sells for about $550
and you can get it for about $100 with a two-year contract.
Some
of the major carriers are offering special deals on either the Galaxy S4
or the Galaxy S5 and some are offering promotions on one or both
devices. For example, Verizon is offering a buy-one-get-one-free
limited-time offer on the Galaxy S5 right now. But in order to be
eligible you must be a new Verizon customer. And you must sign-up for
two two-year contracts.
Unless you qualify for Verizon's offer
and you plan to be a Verizon customer, it looks like getting the Galaxy
S4 will be a better deal for you no matter which carrier you choose.
Even if you want to buy your device at full price to avoid a contract,
it still looks like the Galaxy S4 is a better deal.
The Bottom Line
Because
the Galaxy S4 can be significantly less expensive than the S5, I think
that the Galaxy S4 offers a better value. While it can't do everything
that the S5 can do, it's still a top notch phone. It shares many of the
design characteristics of the S5, and many of the software features can
be added with upgrades. There are a couple of notable hardware features
that if they are meaningful enough to you, could make the Galaxy S5 a
better value. But that determination is really up to individual
consumers.
I hope this answered your question and good luck!
Should you still consider the Galaxy S3?
Dear Maggie, I just read your article 'Why You Should still consider the Galaxy S3 to the Galaxy S4' and
I was wondering if the same logical thinking can be applied today? I
will be purchasing my first smartphone and I am a bit torn over the S3
and S4. If you can help that would be appreciated. Thanks, Humphrey
Dear Humphrey,
Samsung
just released its latest version of the Galaxy S smartphone this week,
called the Galaxy S5. That means that the Galaxy S3 is now two
generations old. I still consider the Galaxy S3 a very good device. But
because the device is already two years old, my only concern is that it
will not get software updates as quickly as the S4, which is only one
generation removed from the flagship Galaxy S5.
My guess is that
you will probably hang onto this device for at least another year or
two, which means that at the end of a two-year service contract, the
Galaxy S3 would be a four-year-old device. Again, my biggest concern in
having a smartphone that is that outdated from the flagship is that it
likely won't get software updates as frequently or at all. For some
consumers that's a really big deal, because they want to check out all
the software-enabled features as soon as they can. Meanwhile, there are
other people who wouldn't know how to use some of the new
software-enabled features even if they got them.
eBay
The
other thing to think about here is that with certain carrier
promotions, you could end up getting a Galaxy S4 for free. And that's a
very hard price to beat. For example, AT&T is offering the Galaxy S4
free with a two-year contract. And Verizon is offering a
buy-one-get-one-free promotion for the brand new Galaxy S5.
Having
said all this, there are a few instances in which I might recommend
buying the older Galaxy S3. If you plan to buy your device at full
price, you will get the Galaxy S3 or any two-year old device for a lot
less money than either of the newer versions.
For example,
according to data from eBay, in 2014 the average sales price of a Galaxy
S4 is $427. The average price for a Galaxy S3 is $286. And according to
sales trends over the past four years since the Galaxy S line of
smartphones was first introduced, prices will continue to fall for the
Galaxy S3 and all the Galaxy S devices as they age.
In 2010, the average full retail price of the Galaxy S on eBay was $410. In 2014, that price dropped to $155.
Of
course, you have to remember that the Galaxy S was introduced in June
2010. The phone is now four years old. And as I mentioned above, values
for these smartphones drop the longer they've been on the market.
Technology has come a long way since then.
What should you do?
Unless
you are on a tight budget, I'd buy the Galaxy S4. It's more affordable
than the newest model the S5. But it's not quite as old as the Galaxy
S3. What this means is that it's a smart idea to consider a device that
is at least one generation removed from the current phone. But you have
to be careful in choosing a phone that's too old, especially if you plan
to hang onto this device for any length of time
Hewlett-Packard
has agreed to pay a $108 million fine to settle charges that three of
its foreign subsidiaries bribed officials to secure lucrative government
contracts, the company and federal investigators announced Wednesday.
The
deal settles parallel investigations by the Securities and Exchange
Commission and Justice Department into allegations that payments made to
officials in Russia, Poland, and Mexico have violated the Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act.
A Justice Department statement accused
the tech giant's subsidiaries of creating a "slush fund for bribe
payments," setting up an "intricate web of shell companies and bank
accounts to launder money," and using "anonymous email accounts and
prepaid mobile telephones to arrange covert meetings to hand over bags
of cash."
The SEC said HP's
subsidiaries in Russia paid more than $2 million to retain a
multimillion dollar contract with the federal prosecutor's office. To
win a software contract with a Mexico petroleum company, the HP
subsidiary in that country paid more than $1 million in inflated
commissions, while agents in Poland paid more than $600,000 to secure
contracts with the national police agency.
The statement noted
HP's "extensive cooperation" with the investigations, including
voluntarily making employees of its US and foreign operations available
for interviews and assisting in the collection, organization, and
analysis of "voluminous evidence" for investigators.
In addition
to the fine, HP has also agreed to certain reporting and compliance
obligations, although those measures were not described.
"The
misconduct described in the settlement was limited to a small number of
people who are no longer employed by the company," John Schultz, HP's
executive vice president and general counsel, said in a statement.
The investigation was initially launched in 2010 by officials in Germany and Russia and soon joined by the DOJ and SEC. HP first learned of the probe in December 2009 when it was served with a series of search warrants.
iTunes Radio revamp coming?Apple
is considering a "dramatic overhaul" of its iTunes music store in the
face of iTunes Radio's inability to reverse declining music downloads,
according to Billboard.
The
music service, which launched last September, is only enticing 1
percent to 2 percent of its listeners to click on the buy button, music
label executives told the entertainment newspaper. Overall, music
downloads have reportedly declined about 15 percent.
That
situation has forced Apple executives to consider options for a revamp,
the newspaper reports, including creation of an on-demand streaming
music service that would compete with Spotify and Beats music. Apple is
reportedly in "exploratory talks" with senior executives at record
labels about such a service.
A retooling of the service would be
in line with other strategy shifts reportedly in the offing at Apple.
The company is said to be testing its music service as a standalone app for the next version of iOS.
A recent survey suggests that iTunes
Radio has been gaining traction with listeners. Last month, the music
service placed third among people in the US who listen to streaming
music services in a recent survey.
CNET has contacted Apple for comment and will update this report when we learn more.
Apple stock was up 1.31 percent Tuesday, or $6.88 to $530.32.
Marguerite Reardon/CNET
Comcast
officially kicked off the regulatory review process Tuesday for its
$45.2 billion merger with Time Warner Cable with a filing detailing the
benefits and defending itself against claims that the deal would harm
competition.
On Tuesday, the company filed what's known as a joint
application and public interest statement with the Federal
Communications Commission. Last week, it filed a Hart-Scott-Rodino
notification with the US Department of Justice, which will begin the
antitrust review of the merger. And on Wednesday, David Cohen, executive
vice president for Comcast, will testify about the merger before the US
Senate Judiciary Committee where he'll answer questions about the
merger.
Now that the official filing has been made in the merger,
which was announced in February, the FCC will have a self-imposed
deadline of 180 days to review the merger and make its decision. Comcast
stock was trading down less than 1 percent, or 43 cents, at $48.65.
The
merger has sparked strong opposition from some consumer groups and
other critics, who say that a combined Comcast and Time Warner Cable
would be too powerful. Comcast is the largest cable operator in the
nation and Time Warner Cable is the second largest.
But Comcast
maintains that the two companies do not overlap in terms of the
broadband or video services they offer in any single market and
therefore pose no antitrust concerns.
Most experts believe that
regulators will see the world through Comcast's eyes and approve the
deal. But opposition to the deal could spark the FCC and the Justice
Department to impose conditions. The argument for merging
In
its filings, Comcast goes into detail regarding this point. It also
outlines the consumer benefits of the deal and explains the various
competitors it faces in both is broadband and video businesses.
Comcast's David Cohen summarized these points in a blog post
Tuesday. In Cohen's view, a combined Comcast and Time Warner are better
together than they are separately. He said that Time Warner Cable
consumer and business customers will both benefit from the transaction
in a number of ways. And he said the company is able to offer these
benefits without "diminishing competition in video, broadband, phone,
programming, advertising and other markets."
For consumers, he said these benefits include faster broadband services.
"While
TWC has upgraded its entire network to DOCSIS 3.0 and has plans to
improve speeds and further digitize its network, Comcast has already
transitioned to a fully digital network, stands ready to implement
DOCSIS 3.1 (the next-generation broadband standard), and has rolled out
some of the fastest Internet speeds and the largest Wi-Fi network in the
nation," he said.
Cohen emphasized that Comcast data speeds are
already faster than what is commonly offered by Time Warner. For
example, Comcast's most popular broadband tier is 25 Mbps, while TWC's
is 15 Mbps. He also pointed out that Comcast has been aggressive in its
Wi-Fi hot spot deploying. The company has deployed nearly 1 million
Wi-Fi hot spots in its territory, compared to only 29,000 deployed by
Time Warner Cable.
When it comes to video, Cohen also pointed to
Comcast's new X1 platform and its video on demand and online video
offerings that Time Warner customers will also have access to. Comcast
now offers 50,000 programming choices on TVs, while Time Warner cable
offers between 15,000 to 20,000.
Cohen also mentioned that
Comcast will extend its Net neutrality protections to Time Warner Cable
customers. Comcast agreed to adhere to the FCC's Open Internet rules no
matter what as a condition of its merger with NBC Universal. Since a
federal appeals court struck down the FCC's official regulation, Comcast
is the only Internet service provider bound to follow these rules. The
FCC is currently drafting new rules it hopes will stand up to scrutiny
in the courts.
Cohen also mentioned other benefits for consumers
as well, such as the extension of the company's low-income broadband
adoption program, Internet Essentials. This program will also be
expanded to Time Warner Cable territory, which will include cities such
as LA, Dallas, New York, and Charlotte, N.C. The competition question
Cohen
said he understands why critics are skeptical of allowing two major
broadband and video providers to merge. But he said the concerns are
overblown. And he pointed to a map that outlines the coverage areas for
the two companies.
"Comcast and TWC do not compete against each
other in any area, so there is no reduction in consumer choice in any
market," he said. "Customers will still have the same number of video,
broadband, or phone options before the deal as after it."
He added
that even when the two companies are combined, Comcast will still serve
less than 30 percent of the video market. He also emphasized the
company will divest about 3 million customers. He pointed out that 98.4
percent of the service area that Comcast and Time Warner serve,
consumers have a choice of one of these cable operators plus at least
one of the top 10 major broadband providers, such as AT&T or
Verizon.
He also pointed to a long list of competitors, who are
both traditional broadband and TV competitors, such as the satellite TV
providers and AT&T and Verizon, as as well as over-the-top Internet
companies who compete with Comcast in new ways to deliver video, such as
Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and Google. What's missing from the arguments
While
Cohen and Comcast have done a thorough job of outlining the various
competitors in the broadband and video market and also explaining how
Time Warner Cable customers will benefit from the deal, the company did
little to address concern over Comcast's video content business that it
owns through NBC Universal. Many critics are fearful that combining with
Time Warner Cable would make the cable giant too powerful. And they
fear that the company will use this power in ways that adversely affect
competition and consumer choice.
And even though Comcast points
to Internet companies such as Netflix, Amazon, Google, and others as
content competitors, the reality is that these providers still have to
ride over Comcast's infrastructure to reach customers. And as a content
company itself through its control of NBC Universal, Comcast also
controls some of the content that these companies also want to provide
to their customers.
Another major fear among consumer advocates
is that this merger will lead to even higher prices for services for
consumers and businesses. Cohen said that the purpose of the merger is
to create efficiencies in the business through scale, but previously he
said that the he couldn't promise prices would go down post-merger. He
didn't address this idea of pricing in the blog post at all.
It will be these issues and others that Comcast's political critics are likely to raise at Wednesday's hearing.
Yahoo
is ramping up its online video efforts with plans to acquire high-end
original programming usually found on cable TV, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The
Internet company plans to order four different Web series that would
appear on the Web as half-hour comedies, sources tell the newspaper. The
new comedies, which are expected to have per-episode budgets of up to a
few million dollars, are expected to be unveiled for advertisers on
April 28 during Yahoo's "NewFront" event.
CNET has contacted Yahoo for comment and will update this report when we learn more.
Amazon will be joining in an increasing crowded field of
Web sites jockeying for TV advertising dollars. In addition to
traditional TV stations, Yahoo will also be competing against the likes
of Amazon and Hulu, as well Netflix, which has already scored a hit with
its original full-length series "House of Cards."
In the past six
months, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has made a series a moves aimed at
increasing the company's focus on video. After Mayer said last November
that Yahoo's aim was about "entertaining," the company landed ABC News personality Katie Couric.
In late March, Yahoo was reportedly in talks to acquire video syndication service News Distribution Network for $300 million, another move aimed at better economic terms, such as improved ad revenue or guaranteed ad rates.
Amazon announced the Fire TV
yesterday, its entry in the streaming box arena that will battle Apple,
Google, and Roku for control of your living room. One feature grabbing
headlines is the microphone in the Fire TV's remote that delivers voice
search -- a far better way to search for content than slowly and
painfully selecting each letter via remote in the same way one composed a
text message in the late 1990s on a flip-phone.
I have an Apple TV,
and as any good consumer or tech blogger, I must weigh it and its
various charms against Amazon's new competitor. One feature that is a
wash, however, is voice search. No, the tiny Apple TV remote isn't
hiding a microphone, but if you have an iPhone, iPad,
or iPod Touch, you can use it to search Apple TV using your voice. And
unlike voice search with the Fire TV, which reportedly works only with
Amazon Instant, you can use an iOS device to search an Apple app like iTunes, as well as third-party apps like Netflix.
ScreenshotIt's
easy to set up an iOS device as a remote for Apple TV as long as all of
your devices are on the same network. First, you need to install the
free Remote app.
When you launch the Remote app for the first time, it provides a button
to set up Home Sharing. Tap the button and enter your Apple ID and
password.
With Home Sharing enabled on your iOS device, you then
need to turn on Home Sharing in iTunes or on your Apple TV itself.
Because I avoid iTunes as much as I can, I would direct you to simply
set up Home Sharing on Apple TV. Just go to Settings > Computers to
enable Home Sharing on Apple TV. (If you insist on using iTunes, here's
the path: File > Home Sharing > Turn on Home Sharing.)
Now,
when you head back to the Remote app, you should see Apple TV listed.
Tap on its icon and your iOS device will control Apple TV. Screenshot Like
the tiny remote that comes with Apple TV, the Remote app features a
sparse collection of buttons. Along the bottom are three buttons:
options, menu, and play/pause. On the blank area above the button you
can flick and swipe to control the on-screen selection on your TV, and
you can tap to select an item. When playing a video, you can swipe left
or right to rewind or fast-forward, while flicking down shows chapter
markers.
These gestures don't make it any easier to navigate an
Apple TV with an iPhone than the regular remote, but we've yet to
discuss search. After you use your iPhone to search for content, you may
never return to the Apple TV remote.
Screenshot
For
starters, when you go to search for content -- in iTunes or Netflix,
for example -- the keyboard will automatically appear. I don't need to
tell you that typing out a search query on a QWERTY keyboard -- even a
smaller keyboard -- is much faster than searching using the on-screen
letter grid with the Apple TV remote.
But, wait, there's more! Tap
the microphone button in the lower left, and you can search by voice
using an iOS device. Just speak your search term, tap Done, and your
words will appear on the Remote app search box and, more importantly,
your Apple TV. Screenshot Lastly,
there is one more advantage to using the Remote app rather than Apple
TV remote. The app does not require your iOS device to maintain a line
of sight with the Apple TV like the infrared Apple TV remote does.
In addition to Apple TV, the Remote app also lets you control your iTunes library and iTunes Radio on your Mac, PC, or Apple TV.
We all know that with enough
expensive servers, big companies can crunch through massive amounts of
data. In some cases, like trending search reports, dedicated computing
resources can even make large-scale analysis happen in realtime. Now,
startup Map-D has harnessed the power of GPUs to allow the realtime
analysis and visualization of huge datasets with a much smaller hardware
investment. Winner of this year’s Emerging Company Summit at Nvidia’s
Global Tech Conference, Map-D wowed the judges and attendees (they got
my vote) with a compelling demo that allows hundreds of simultaneous
users to analyze tweets worldwide. Even as a canned demo it would have
been cool, but the good news is that the system is live and public, so
you can play with it yourself.
An in-memory database built around the GPU
Described
in simplest terms, Map-D starts out as an in-memory, SQL-compatible,
database. Its genius comes in a radically new architecture that allows
it to use both CPUs and GPUs, with high-performance GPU memory serving
as a cache for the most frequently used data. CPU memory is then used as
a larger, next-level, cache. Map-D also uses a column organization —
allowing it to make more effective use of the memory it has than a
traditional organization by rows.
Map-D’s distributed architecture
even allows it to scale across multiple nodes for extremely large
databases, as well as allowing the realtime insertion of new data. This
realtime updating is likely one of the reasons that companies —
including Facebook and PayPal — have expressed interest in evaluating
Map-D’s product for use in creating realtime analytic systems. The tweet
visualization screenshot below links to the live demo (click on the
image to run the actual demo), so you can experience some of the power
and flexibility of Map-D for yourself. Note that the tweets in the demo
are from a historical dataset and not being updated in realtime.
High performance through integration
A
big part of Map-D’s amazing visualization performance is its
integration of database, analytics, and visualization into a single
package. Because all three applications are integrated, data can be left
in memory — even on the GPU — as the data is queried, analytics are
run, and the results are visualized. Traditional approaches using
separate applications typically require moving the data between
applications and often back and forth in and out of memory — which of
course slows things down.
Next steps: A supercomputer in your pocket
Reaching
into the future, Map-D also claims that its architecture is perfect for
running on the increasingly powerful SoCs found in mobile devices.
Right now it may be hard to imagine having enough data on your mobile
device to need to run analytics on it. However, as memory continues to
become more dense and less expensive, it is only a matter of time before
our mobile devices have their own big data requirements — especially
for processing-heavy mobile applications like medical diagnosis and
image recognition. Instead of being tied to the cloud, someday those
data-and-compute-intensive applications may truly be able to go mobile.
Apple TVThe
launch of Amazon's Fire TV is a sign that Apple needs to update its own
set-top box and launch a full blown TV set. At least, that's the view
of Piper Jaffary analyst Gene Munster.Rumors of an impending
Apple television set have been floating about for years, but such a
product has yet to debut. The current Apple TV
is in need of an update to keep it competitive. With more players
diving into the TV market, what's taking Apple so long to move forward?
In
an investors note out yesterday, Piper Jaffray analyst and long-time
Apple bull Gene Munster said he still thinks Apple could launch a
television this year. But he acknowledged that even he's growing less
confident of that forecast given no real indications of such a device
from the supply chain.
Apple investors have already discounted the
possibility of an Apple TV set in 2014, according to Munster. Instead,
they believe that any new announcements this year will focus on updates
to the Apple TV set-top box. Such investor skepticism is based on the
lack of any concrete feedback from component suppliers, Munster said.
Still, the analyst hasn't given up all hope.
An Apple TV set could still pop up in 2014, a prediction Munster based on two factors. Apple CEO Tim Cook said that new product categories are in the works for this year. And recent reports say that Apple has been chatting with major cable companies about creating a more interactive experience for TV viewers.
Munster
believes Apple could announce updates to Apple TV at its Worldwide
Developers Conference in June and reveal a full television later in
2014. Of course, Munster and other analysts have been forecasting the
launch of an Apple TV set for quite some time. Will 2014 be the year
those forecasts finally come true?
"Given the breadth of content
available on Amazon's offering in addition to gaming capability and
voice control, two features we have expected from Apple TV, we believe
that Apple will launch at least an updated Apple TV by the back half of
2014 if not sooner," Munster said. "We also continue to expect a full TV
in 2014 as we view set-top boxes as an intermediary step between the
ultimate vision of a television that is seamlessly integrated with
online services and cable, but with an intuitive user experience."
Hearthstone, the World of Warcraft-themed online card game, is making
its longed-for debut on the iPad, and will soon be available to
download everywhere.
The online-only card-wrassling game was previously only available on PC and Mac, and went into open beta back in January. The iPad
version is already available to download if you're in Australia, Canada
or New Zealand. "Pretty soon it'll be available everywhere," game-maker
Blizzard says.
Blizzard
"The game is a natural fit for tablets,"
Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime is quoted as saying in the company press
release. "We encourage everyone to check it out on their couch, in their
backyard, in a coffee shop... or anywhere else they take their iPads."
You won't be able to stray too far with your iPad though, as
Hearthstone will require an Internet connection to play. That's bad news
for anyone who was dreaming of playing on an underground train, or from
a secure, radio-wave-blocking tactical bunker.
Blizzard says it's also working on Android, iPhone and Windows tablet versions of Hearthstone.
Are you a Hearthstone fan? Have you managed to download the iPad
edition, and if so, what do you think of it? Let me know in the comments
below.
Samsung's Galaxy S5 Mini may sport a better screen than last year's mini model.Samsung reportedly has beefed up the screen quality for the next mini version of its flagship phone.The as-yet-unconfirmed Galaxy S5 Mini will sport a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED display
with a 1,280x720 resolution, blog site Sammobile said on Wednesday,
citing information from insiders. If true, the S5 Mini's screen would be
a decided improvement over that of last year's S4 Mini, which offered a 4.3-inch display with a qHD (540x960) resolution.
Powered by a Snapdragon processor, likely the quad-core Snapdragon 400, the S5 Mini will be outfitted with Android
4.4 KitKat, Sammobile added. The phone will also be equipped with an
8-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, 1.5GB of
RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 2,100 mAh battery, and an IR blaster to
remotely control your TV, according to the sources.
No details
were revealed on price or launch date, but Sammobile cited prior
information pointing to a June release. Samsung unveiled mini versions
of the Galaxy S3 and the S4, so an S5 Mini is certainly a safe bet.
CNET contacted Samsung for comment and will update the story with any further details.
The company is launching a $100 million fund to make sure its chips get into wearables, Internet devices, phones, and hybrids.
Intel Quark chip for wearables. Intel is announcing new products based on Quark and other chips.Intel
has launched a $100 million fund in China to accelerate innovation of
smart devices, as it seeks to spur development of newfangled products
using its chips.
Speaking at the Intel Developer Forum in Shenzhen
on Wednesday, CEO Brian Krzanich announced the establishment of an
Intel Smart Device Innovation Center there and a $100 million Intel
Capital China Smart Device Innovation Fund.
Sony has launched a high-end tablet targeted at
businesses, which allows users to annotate and draw on documents on an
e-Ink screen.
The company is pitching the Digital Paper device as a solution for
increasing productivity and streamlining collaboration in paper-heavy
environments. It's targeting the legal and higher education sectors,
along with corporate boards and government agencies, as potential
clients.
Digital Paper has a 13.3-inch display that offers full-screen views
of PDF documents in a letter-sized format. The text is sharp and easy to
read, according to Sony, with graphics of comparable quality to printed
documents or notepads.
Described
in simplest terms, Map-D starts out as an in-memory, SQL-compatible,
database. Its genius comes in a radically new architecture that allows
it to use both CPUs and GPUs, with high-performance GPU memory serving
as a cache for the most frequently used data. CPU memory is then used as
a larger, next-level, cache. Map-D also uses a column organization —
allowing it to make more effective use of the memory it has than a
traditional organization by rows.
