Google’s open video format WebM has some new backers, with companies like Cisco, LG and Samsung joining a cross-licensing initiative to insure themselves against patent-related litigation. However, the need for such an initiative also shows how serious Google has to take any threats of patent lawsuits. Read more »
Samsung said it would answer Apple’s recent patent suit “actively,” using “appropriate legal measures” and it has made good on that promise. The South Korean electronics manufacturer filed suit in multiple cities. The complaints allege that Apple infringed on mobile communications tech patents held by Samsung. Read more »
You could see this one coming from a mile away: Samsung has struck back against Apple’s patent lawsuit against it with a few of its own. The… Read more at paidContent »
After a year in which over-the-top video services grabbed most of the media’s attention, some of the online video headlines shifted back to traditional pay-TV providers in the first quarter of 2011. Device manufacturers rolled out new offerings, while cable-TV providers moved to expand their in-home footprint beyond the TV itself. But over-the-top continued to encroach, with Roku adding its first linear channels to the Roku store and Netflix acquiring exclusive rights to high-profile original series House of Cards. Finally, traditional web powers like Google, Yahoo and Apple made moves to reassert their presence in the living room after their early stumbles. Additional companies mentioned in this report include Comcast, Cablevision, Viacom and VUDU. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Is the greentech industry headed for a breakout year or is it retrenching for hard times to come? The first three months of 2011 provided evidence that could support both assertions, with a big rise in venture capital investment and a big drop-off in global energy financing. Solar power remained the largest green technology sector in terms of venture capital investment, while in the world of electric vehicles, GM’s Chevy Volt hybrid and Nissan’s all-electric Leaf — the first two mainstream plug-in vehicles — hit the showroom floors in significant numbers. Meanwhile the smart grid sector’s relative dearth of VC investment was more than made up for by the massive round of acquisitions. Companies mentioned in this report include NRG Energy, Microsoft, Silver Spring Networks, Tesla and BrightSource Energy. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple filed suit Friday against Samsung, claiming patent violations regarding the Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets. Samsung has now released an official response to that suit, and it’s immediately apparent that the kid gloves are off right from the very beginning. Read more »
The MacBook Air may or may not get a June spec bump, as per recent rumors, but at least one component appears to have already been quietly updated. Some newer MacBook Airs are shipping with what seems to be a noticeably faster SSD. Read more »
Sprint launched the fourth green-themed phone for its customers and its first eco-friendly Android phone. Called the Replenish and made by Samsung, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse showed off the device during an event with the Commonwealth Club on Friday afternoon in downtown San Francisco. Read more »
Cloud computing, a surge of smartphone growth and increased wireless connectivity have created an ideal environment for the introduction of the media tablet — a consumer-grade device best suited to leisure-based computing activities such as gaming and social networking. This report forecasts the media tablet market, which is expected to grow at a 54 percent compound annual growth rate over the next five years. We forecast revenues and regional growth, including China’s growing importance in the market, and provide a competitive analysis of tablets from Cisco, Research in Motion, Apple, HP and others. Additional companies in this report include Samsung, Dell, Microsoft and Motorola. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Samsung’s successful strategy of designing one solid smartphone paid off for the Galaxy S, which sold 10 million units last year. Now, the Galaxy S II is due to arrive in the U.K. on May 1 and it’s loaded with everything a handset needs in 2011. Read more »
After teasing with Android tablets in January, hardware makers are finally launching products. Three new models were announced this week and the Wi-Fi editions are priced less than Apple’s iPad. The $249 Nook Color e-reader is still a bargain and about to gain its own apps Read more »
Within the next five years, smartphones will account for more than one-third of all handsets sold worldwide, thanks largely to platforms like Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. This research covers the global handset platforms market for the period between 2011 and 2015. We first examine the factors contributing to this worldwide growth, from a slowly recovering economy to the rise of technologies like 4G and LTE. Regional factors affect growth, too, and our research includes a forecast for the following areas: the Americas; Europe; the Middle East and Africa; and Asia-Pacific. Forecasts are on a global and regional basis for the most important platforms: Android, Apple iOS, BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows Mobile. Companies mentioned in this report include Apple, Google, Nokia, Research in Motion and Microsoft. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Hadoop has been used by large web companies for applications such as search engines, but the reality is that the project is so much more. This report takes a closer look, examining what Hadoop is (and isn’t), who’s doing what to productize it and why we can expect to see the market pick up serious steam in 2011. We profile the growing number of companies — from startups like MapR to Cloudera, the arguable leader in the space — using Hadoop, the challenges still hindering widespread adoption and where potential users can expect the market to go as we move through 2011 and beyond. Companies mentioned in this report include Yahoo, Facebook, EMC, Teradata and Appistry. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Today on the Net: Apple & Disney may just be a tad too cozy, HBO Go is coning to Samsung TVs and U.S. viewers only like Al-Jazeera if they’re told it’s CNN. Read more »
Samsung’s new Galaxy Player appears ready to take on Apple’s iPod touch, but can it compete? It looks like an attractive option for the Google Android crowd who wants a web-connected media player and e-book reader in a pocket, but without the monthly cellular bill. Read more »
Does iPad 2 live up to the enormous amount of hype surrounding it? The answer is yes, and this research note explains why. We examine new features on the device and how they will help Apple grasp an even tighter hold on the tablet market, what that means for competitors like Google and Samsung and why the device could be the best example yet of computing in what Steve Jobs calls “the post-PC world.” Companies mentioned in this report include Apple, Motorola, Samsung and Google. For a full list of companies, and to read the full research note, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Samsung is rumored to be considering creating Google TV products based on chips from ARM rather than Intel. A move to ARM could not only boost distribution of the Google TV platform, but could also help lower the cost of products running the connected device OS. Read more »
Bong.tv allows its users to record shows from dozens of TV networks in the cloud with no pay TV subscription necessary. While TV networks are trying to stop Bong.tv in court, that didn’t stop Samsung from highlighting it as one winner of its TV app challenge. Read more »
The first Windows Phone 7 update launched on Monday, and some handsets are now rendered useless due to the new software. Nokia recently chose Microsoft’s platform as “the third ecosystem” in smartphones, but the update problem shows that the third spot is still up for grabs. Read more »
Acer’s Iconia A100 is on the show floor at Mobile World Congress running Android 2.2. But this 7-inch tablet is expected to run Honeycomb, or Android 3.0, when it launches in April, which gives hope for Samsung and others to bring Honeycomb to smaller tablets. Read more »
Apple is reportedly poised to strike a deal with Samsung that will see its sometime competitor supply it with $7.8 billion worth of LCD panels, mobile processors, and NAND flash memory. Here’s why it makes sense for Apple to work closely with its tablet rival. Read more »
Samsung kicked off Mobile World Congress with the introduction of a new, larger tablet and an update to its popular Galaxy S handset. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will run a stock version of Honeycomb, or Android 3.0, while the 4.3-inch Galaxy S II will use Gingerbread. Read more »
Through a variety of TV apps and widgets, consumer electronics manufacturers will be able to choose what content viewers see when they turn on the TV. This has broad implications cable companies and TV programmers, who could soon lose the ability to control audiences. Read more »
More exciting than examining the previous quarter is looking forward into the next 12 months and using the trends of 2010 to predict the realities that will surface in 2011. Throughout this past December, GigaOM Pro’s curators did just that, making trend predictions, pointing out companies to watch and even telling us what not to expect. Connected Consumer curator Michael Wolf’s thoughts, analyses and predictions are compiled here in a single report. Companies mentioned in this report include Netflix, Hulu, Facebook, Apple and Boxee. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Even the most bullish estimates for iPad sales were not bullish enough. I saw a lot of iPads across a hugely diverse population on my vacation, and this year we’ll see Apple take steps to maintain its market lead and battle Samsung for tablet supremacy. Read more »
Today on the Net: Boxee strikes an international VOD deal, Apple TV and iPad users can now install XBMC on their devices and Samsung sees growing demand for its TV apps. Read more »
T-Mobile’s first 4G phone with a 21 Mbps radio is the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, a variant of the current Galaxy S devices. The smartphone will ship with Android 2.2, but Samsung’s update history isn’t all that great — will it affect sales of the new phone? Read more »
Samsung has acquired Liquavista, a display company that uses an electrowetting technology for color screens. The process uses electrical charges to move colored oil and can use reflective sunlight to consume less power. With refresh rates at 60 frames per second, could smartphones use these displays? Read more »
The consumer electronics industry is always looking for transformative technologies that can drive entirely new product generations. And while smart TV is still in its early stages, the ultimate promise of the transforming the TV to a service platform holds much more promise long-term than 3-D. Read more »
Cable companies and TV programmers are faced with a startling new reality: They are no longer the gatekeepers that decide what consumers see on their new Internet-connected TVs. In this new app-based world, their content is increasingly being placed against options from online services like Netflix. Read more »
Today on the Net: Amazon wants to ramp up its video offerings but it has to play catch-up with Netflix, Samsung quietly launched two Google TV devices and Orb Networks turns any Blu-ray player into a media streamer. Read more »
Soon you won’t need a set-top box to watch cable TV, as Time Warner Cable is moving to make its video services available over broadband. That will not only help it compete against Netflix, but could let it roll out video services on other ISP networks. Read more »
Changes are shaping worldwide mobile video market as consumers make their selections for how they view video and TV on mobile devices, and as viable business models for delivery surface. This report, the second in a two-part series devoted to exploring mobile video, covers global use of mobile TV and video services delivered to a variety of devices via cellular and broadcast networks for the period 2011-2015. It forecasts three types of business models for delivering mobile video: free-to-air, cellular tv and unicast video. Companies mentioned in this report include Hulu, YouTube, MobiTV, KDDI, LG, Samsung and Qualcomm. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
In time, all predictions turn out to be either right or wrong. Mostly, they are wrong, and yet we love making them. I am no different, though I like to think of them as reasonable guesses backed by some logic. Here are some for 2011 Read more »
Samsung’s first real stab at competing with Apple’s iPhone arrived in the Galaxy S handset, which is on track to sell 10 million units. So why not leverage what works to compete against the iPod touch? Samsung’s Galaxy Player looks to be just that device. Read more »
Predicting what not to expect in mobile next year is a lot easier than predicting what will happen. You can be sure, for instance, that consumers won’t pay for on-the-go TV next year any more than they have in the past, and that carriers won’t embrace ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The folks behind LogMeIn are preparing an update for the Android version of Ignition that’s fully optimized with support for tablets. We have an advance copy of the update, and offer this sneak peek at LogMeIn Ignition running on a Samsung Galaxy Tab. Read more »
Mobile video accounts for a very small fraction of the overall U.S. mobile data market, despite on-the-go video and mobile TV receiving as much hype as any other area in the space. This report — the first in a two-part series on mobile video — examines what we can learn from the failures of mobile video to find a sizable audience so far, which challenges will continue to hinder the market in the coming years and the opportunities that will increasingly exist. The iPhone, Android devices and other multimedia-friendly handsets offer more screen real estate and higher resolution than previously possible, while the move toward 4G will help carriers deliver higher quality video more consistently. Even so, the challenges in this market are many, and mobile devices will likely always be inferior to set-top boxes, desktop computers and laptops when it comes to delivering a quality viewing experience. And because video consumes so much bandwidth on mobile networks, uptake will surely be impacted as carriers move away from all-you-can-eat data plans. The industry must, then, find other ways to monetize video in mobile, and without clogging already taxed cellular networks. Most importantly, it must develop viable business models for implementing video in ways that make sense for the consumer, the content owner and the network operator. Companies mentioned in this report include AT&T, Sprint, Apple, Google, Research in Motion, Qualcomm and Samsung. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
This year has seen netbooks decline in popularity and the rise of the tablet to a level few predicted. Apple set the stage for tablet popularity with the release of the iPad that took the world by storm, and Android tablets are hitting the market. Read more »
Google’s Nexus S handset has landed at GigaOM HQ and we’ve got a short video showing unboxing and overview of the handset. The Nexus S will be the first smartphone to ship with Android 2.3, or Gingerbread, and offers support for near-field communications and video calls. Read more »
