Not content with a simple Deutsche Telecom announcement, Mozilla’s using Mobile World Congress as a platform to launch its mobile operating system in a slew of markets. Rolling out in waves, the first round of devices featuring Firefox OS include the likes of Brazil, Colombia, Hungary, Mexico, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Venezuela, with more markets soon, according to the company. The first round of handsets include devices by Alcatel, LG and ZTE. Mozilla also let slip news of a forthcoming handset from Huawei, who just capped up their own MWC press conference. As you’d expect, there’s a whole slew of carriers on board. You can find the list in the release after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
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Google and LG’s Nexus 4 has been such a coveted item this past holiday season, that it’s been in and out of stock since its release in mid-November. Because Google doesn’t publicly comment on device sales, it’s been hard to understand exactly how much OEM partner LG produced for the device’s initial launch.
However, a little sleuthing by some Android enthusiasts and Nexus 4 owners suggests that LG produced about 400,000 devices going into the end of last year.
How did they do it? They’ve taken the IMEI numbers of their phones and backtracked the production number of their devices using an LG mobile link that’s usually used for finding new firmware. An IMEI number, or International Mobile Station Equipment Identity number, is usually printed on the battery compartment of the inside of the phone. It can be used to prevent stolen phones from accessing a network.
If you take this link and put your IMEI number at the very end, this LG site will spit back out the IMEI followed by a long string of characters that looks something like this: “LGE960 ACAGBK 212KPHG188745 20121206 GLOBAL/GLOBAL N N”
If you break this string apart, you get: LGE960 = phone model A = ? CA = Country where the device was sold. (Others include ‘US’ for the U.S., ‘HK’ for Hong Kong, ‘AU’ for Australia and so on.) G = Storage (G = 16GB, 8 = 8GB) BK = Color 2 = ? 12 = Production Month (November) K = Production Country (Korea) PHG = ? 188745 = The line or production number, showing that phone was the 188,745th device made. 2012121206 = The production date in YYYYMMDD format
A number of Nexus 4 owners have been sharing and compiling the production numbers day by day (see below). It suggests that LG made about 70,000 devices in October, 90,000 in November and 210,000 in December. Google declined to comment on these numbers.
Still, they’re interesting for a couple reasons. It appears that Google and LG have been conservative with the Nexus 4 launch. LG has previously said that the Nexus 4 “had proven extremely popular, and as such retailers have been met with huge demand.” Google’s U.K. and Ireland managing director Dan Cobley likewise has said there have been communication problems on both ends with managing supply for the Nexus 4.
Keeping supplies tight have made the Nexus 4 debut a world apart from the launch of the original HTC-manufactured Nexus One back in 2010.
DEC 165000 264000 265133 14-th ADEUBK GERMANY 266133 15-th AHKGBK Hong Kong 267133 15-th AHKGBK Hong Kong 268133 15-th ADEUBK GERMANY 269133 15-th ADEUBK GERMANY 270133 15-th ASWSBK SWS Switzerland (looks like around 500 units) 271133 16-th AISRBK Israel 272133 15-th ADEUBK Germany 273133 15-th AHKGBK Hong Kong 274133 15-th AHKGBK Hong Kong 275133 15-th AHKGBK Hong Kong 277133 17-th AHKGBK Hong Kong 278133 17-th AHKGBK Hong Kong 279133 16-th AMYSBK 280123 17-th AMYSBK 289000 18-th UK 300123 19-th ADEGBK 305112 19-th ACA8BK 306000 28-Oct (?) AUSGBK, 211KPPB306000 “csn” is also very different from the “surroundings” 306001 8-Oct AUSGBK 211KPHG306001 esnoutgodate=null >>Never shipped? 306009 4-th Dec AUSGBK 212KPHG306009 esnoutgodate=null 306010 19-th AUS8BK 212KPYR306010 esnoutgodate=null 306020 19-th AUS8BK esnoutgodate=null 314001 19-th AFRGBK 314002 19-th ADEGBK 314050 19-th ADEGBK 314123 19-th ADEGBK 315112 19-th ADE8BK 319123 20-th ADEGBK 320123 20-th ADEGBK 321123 20-th AAUGBK 325112 20-th AUSGBK 330123 20-th AUSGBK 340123 21-th ACAGBK 350123 22-th AUS8BK 360123 26-th AUSGBK 365123 27-th AUS8BK 370123 27-th AUSGBK 374110 28-th AUSGBK
- Sleuthing|Tech Meets Blog
If you’re looking for Windows Phone 8 apps, you’re probably the proud new owner of a Nokia Lumia 920, or an HTC Windows Phone 8X. Maybe a Lumia 822 on Verizon? Whatever you’ve just activated, you now need some apps. You’ve already got Bing Maps, a great calendar, and some nifty Nokia apps if you have a phone from the Finnish company, but now you need a way to get stuff done, a half-decent Twitter app, and some games for when you don’t feel like being so staggeringly productive. The Windows Phone ecosystem can be tough, because third-party apps are often much better than their first-party alternative — here are some of the first apps you should download between now and your next holiday-induced food coma.
RowiRowi is…
Question by S P: I accidentally deleted my itouch from my device list on “Find my iPhone”? So yeah, I actually lost it and it says its offline but I thought I was removing the status underneath it when I hit okay and its gone. Is there anyway I can bring it back to icloud?
Best answer:
Answer by ＶＯＧＵＥ： ﾒﾉ刀 ﾒﾉﾑロ ｲん乇 ワ尺乇ﾑｲ乇丂ｲ ﾶロつ乇ﾚThere is no way to get back the device…
Good luck!
Give your answer to this question below!
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Microsoft had a new patent application published with the USPTO today (via Unwired View) which shows a glasses-based heads-up display system that could overlay information on the real world for a user. If it sounds familiar, it’s likely because that’s what Google’s trying to accomplish with Project Glass, which actually already has functional prototypes out in the wild.
The device described by Microsoft is a little less ambitious, but maybe also a little more purpose-driven. The patent describes a tool that’s designed for use in specific situations where it’ll be most relevant to a user – rather than being intended for all-day use, the way that Google seems to want to position Glass. So, for instance, you could pop on Microsoft’s glasses when at a baseball game and view box scores from around the league, pitch speed information, pitch count and other info overlaid on your view. By acting in specific contexts instead of as a general-purpose device, Microsoft’s design could help users get over what will certainly be an adoption curve for cumbersome wearable tech.
Microsoft’s patent deal specifically with live events, in fact, and is designed to be used pretty much in a stationary position, without compromising the field of view. Microsoft describes its capabilities as follows:
A computer implemented method providing supplemental information to a user with a head mounted display viewing a live event, comprising: receiving an indication that a user is attending a live event, the live event having an event duration; determining a field of view of the user through the head mounted display, and objects within the field of view at the live event; retrieving supplemental information describing at least the objects in the field of view of the user during a portion of the live event; determining elements of said supplemental information to present to the user in the head mounted display; and displaying the supplemental information in one or more display elements in the head mounted display.
Of course, an AR/HUD glasses device from Microsoft could also plug into its existing hardware ecosystem, maybe to produce combined experiences with the Xbox and Kinect. But this is still just a patent, and one that was only relatively recently filed (May 2011), so even if Microsoft does go ahead and put this into production we won’t see it for a while. But getting some patent skin in the game for this market, which could explode depending on consumer reception of Google’s early efforts, is a very good idea for Microsoft, especially given the cross-platform ambitions it seems to be diving into head-on.
Microsoft had a new patent application published with the USPTO today (via Unwired View) which shows a glasses-based heads-up display system that could overlay information on the real world for a user. If it sounds familiar, it’s likely because that’s what Google’s trying to accomplish with Project Glass, which actually already has functional prototypes out in the wild.
The device described by Microsoft is a little less ambitious, but maybe also a little more purpose-driven. The patent describes a tool that’s designed for use in specific situations where it’ll be most relevant to a user – rather than being intended for all-day use, the way that Google seems to want to position Glass. So, for instance, you could pop on Microsoft’s glasses when at a baseball game and view box scores from around the league, pitch speed information, pitch count and other info overlaid on your view. By acting in specific contexts instead of as a general-purpose device, Microsoft’s design could help users get over what will certainly be an adoption curve for cumbersome wearable tech.
Microsoft’s patent deal specifically with live events, in fact, and is designed to be used pretty much in a stationary position, without compromising the field of view. Microsoft describes its capabilities as follows:
A computer implemented method providing supplemental information to a user with a head mounted display viewing a live event, comprising: receiving an indication that a user is attending a live event, the live event having an event duration; determining a field of view of the user through the head mounted display, and objects within the field of view at the live event; retrieving supplemental information describing at least the objects in the field of view of the user during a portion of the live event; determining elements of said supplemental information to present to the user in the head mounted display; and displaying the supplemental information in one or more display elements in the head mounted display.
Of course, an AR/HUD glasses device from Microsoft could also plug into its existing hardware ecosystem, maybe to produce combined experiences with the Xbox and Kinect. But this is still just a patent, and one that was only relatively recently filed (May 2011), so even if Microsoft does go ahead and put this into production we won’t see it for a while. But getting some patent skin in the game for this market, which could explode depending on consumer reception of Google’s early efforts, is a very good idea for Microsoft, especially given the cross-platform ambitions it seems to be diving into head-on.
Microsoft is building an Xbox set-top box. Multiple sources familiar with Redmond’s plans have confirmed to The Verge that the company plans to introduce a low-cost alternative to its Xbox console, designed to provide access to core entertainment services. The move will allow Microsoft to further increase its presence in the living room, providing consumers with a choice between a set-top box or a full next-generation Xbox console.
We’re told that the set-top box is part of a two-SKU strategy for Microsoft’s next-generation of Xbox hardware that will be unveiled in 2013, with a release date ahead of the holiday shopping season. The device will run on the core components of Windows 8 and support casual gaming titles rather than full Xbox…
While the humble touchscreen has become the standard interface for most smartphones, and capacitive displays make it a painless experience, the folk at start-up Qeexo think things could still be improved. It’s developed a technology called FingerSense that could add even more functionality. Essentially, by using a small acoustic sensor, it measures the vibrations as objects tap the screen, and can tell the difference between them. So, for example, a knuckle tap could be used for “right-click.” The tech is able to spot the difference between materials, too, so even when no finger is involved, it can register input, a great assistance to those with longer fingernails. The fun doesn’t stop there, though, with the demo video after the break showing a Galaxy SIII with a modified display, able to register stylus input, even without official support for it. More input options can never be a bad thing, and if nothing else, it could certainly make those GarageBand drumming sessions a little more interesting.
Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, Mobile
Qeexo’s FingerSense lets touchscreens listen, makes any object an input device (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Nov 2012 02:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The unstoppable rise of smartphones and tablets will see 1.2 billion of the devices being bought worldwide next year, analyst Gartner is predicting. It also forecasts sales of 821 million of the smart devices this year — which is says will account for 70 percent of total devices sold in 2012.
While businesses have traditionally lagged consumer markets when it comes to adopting new devices, tablet sales to businesses are set to grow substantially in the coming years, according to Gartner. It’s predicting tablet purchases by businesses will grow 3x by 2016 — describing slates as “they key accelerator to mobility” for enterprises. Tablet purchases by businesses will reach 13 million units this year, says Gartner, more than tripling by 2016 to reach 53 million units.
When it comes to the OS wars, the analyst forecasts Microsoft’s Windows 8 will take the number three position in the business tablet market by 2016 — lagging Apple and Android. It says the share of Windows 8 tablets and ultramobiles in businesses will reach 39 percent in 2016, adding that tablets and convertibles will be “the way into businesses for Windows 8″ — enterprises being more wary of upgrading Windows on desktop PCs.
“For most businesses smartphones and tablets will not entirely replace PCs, but the ubiquity of smartphones and the increasing popularity of tablets are changing both the way consumers embrace devices and business device strategies,” noted Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner, in a statement.
The analyst predicts two-thirds of the mobile workforce will own a smartphone in 2016, and 40 percent of the workforce will be mobile.
On the smartphone side, Gartner is forecasting a win for Android in the enterprise – estimating that more than half (56 percent) of smartphones purchased by businesses in North America and Europe will be Android devices in 2016, up from around a third (34 percent) in 2012 – and virtually no penetration back in 2010.
“Today the wide range of brands and price points that the Android ecosystem offers is winning over users. While Apple remains the heartbeat by which the market moves, Google has rapidly become its archrival,” said Milanesi.
Despite Android’s growth, Gartner said it believes iOS-based devices will continue to grow their enterprise presence, and both Android and iOS will continue to take share from BlackBerry-maker RIM. “In just 12 months businesses have moved from resisting Apple to accepting its devices in the organisation,” noted Milanesi. ”As businesses are looking for a multi-device strategy and a rich application portfolio it is clear that RIM has a huge challenge ahead to regain its strong presence in the enterprise.”
