Xiaomi takes third place in wearables market, Android Wear absent from top 5
Last year, Xiaomi rocketed into the big leagues in the smartphone industry and has quickly managed to replicate this success in the wearables market, noting an 815 percent increase in shipments over the past twelve months, according to IDC research.
Xiaomi entered the market with its inexpensive Mi Band fitness tracker and has just followed up with its Mi Band 1S and new Pulse model, which includes heart rate monitoring capabilities. Despite selling more than 97 percent of its wearables in China, the company has leapt into third position in the world rankings for quarterly wearable shipments. China has emerged as one of the fastest growing wearables markets.
Despite Xiaomi’s huge growth, FitBit remains the most popular wearable brand with a 22 percent market share and 4.7 million units shipped in the last quarter. The company has seen its shipment volume double since the same period twelve months ago, but the company’s market share has fallen from 32.8 percent last year as new players have entered the arena.
http://live.amcharts.com/jYzY2/embed/
Apple has also seen its Watch shoot the manufacturer into second place in the wearable market. A position that the company has held since the second quarter. Garmin has also seen strong growth of 72 percent over the year, and the overall size of the wearables market has gone from 7.1 million to 21 million shipments between Q3 2014 and Q3 2015, almost tripling the market’s size in the space of a year.
There isn’t a single Android Wear manufacturer in the top five, however a number of new releases didn’t arrived in time to make an impact on the Q3 figures. Furthermore, the Android Wear ecosystem is very diverse and we don’t have a combined percentage or breakdown of Android Wear devices that make up the large “others” section. Samsung, which is focusing on its Tizen OS for wearables, just missed out on the number five spot to BBK subsidiary XTC by 100,000 units. However, holiday demand for its Gear S2 watch could see the company regain its number 5 spot.
Smartwatches in review:
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It seems that fitness trackers are still the most popular wearable type this year, although both segments are seeing growth. Given that the average smart watch costs just over $400 and the typical fitness band costs just $94, low prices seem to be a decisive factor for the majority of consumers.
BlueStacks 2.0 is launching: What you need to know
Mobile company BlueStacks yesterday announced a new iteration of their popular Android Emulator “BlueStacks 2”. After hitting multiple major milestones with the original version, the platform has now counted 109 million downloads, with its users consuming over one billion apps per month.
As so many people use BlueStacks, it’s not surprising that their Android user base recently surpassed both Xiaomi and Sony in terms of users to become the 7th largest Android distributor in the world. “I’ve watched this company come up as Android has come up over the years,” said Tim Bajarin, an Analyst and President of Creative Strategies. “Both have exceeded almost everyone’s expectations.”
“When we started, mobile apps, with their crisp resolution looked and sounded gorgeous on PC and TV,” said BlueStacks Product Manager, Shashi Kant Sharma. “What we’ve learned is that the wider visual space lends itself more naturally to app discovery. It’s accelerated our growth and retention massively over the past year. The average Bluestacks user spends 89 minutes playing on their first day. In addition, once someone discovers apps on PC or TV they tend to use them across all of their devices, giving the BlueStacks platform a powerful reach for developers.”
They have taken all this into consideration and have been working hard at the new version. BlueStacks 2 adds several new features to marry gameplay and app discovery. For example, it has a new browser-like interface with tabs, where, upon clicking an ad, a new tab opens where people can view the ad later without interrupting gameplay. This represents an entirely new type of ad unit. BlueStacks 2 also incorporates the ability to run multiple apps at the same time in different tabs for the first time ever. The company states that many users are running messaging apps and gaming apps simultaneously.
The tabs are visible at the top of the emulator
“As our product and platform has matured, it has attracted a new genre of gamers,” said BlueStacks CEO, Rosen Sharma. “Hardcore PC gamers we find are also into playing midcore mobile games. These users spend a lot of money, which has attracted app developers to our platform in droves. On the other end of the spectrum, apps like messaging and eCommerce also tend to get heavy usage and attract high-value users. The platform has been a boon for advertisers.”
BlueSacks is based in Silicon Valley with offices in Beijing, Delhi, London, Tokyo, Seoul and Singapore. They would like to mention their sponsers; Andreessen-Horowitz, Samsung, Redpoint, Qualcomm, Intel, Ignition Partners, Radar Partners, Presidio Ventures (a Sumitomo Corporation Company), Citrix, AMD and Helion Ventures.
The 100-person company launched in May, 2011 and the first version of its Mobile Gaming Platform was released in March, 2012. You can join the company’s 1.3 million Facebook fans here or follow BlueStacks on Twitter at @Bluestacksinc.
BlueStacks on the Surface Pro 4
The post BlueStacks 2.0 is launching: What you need to know appeared first on AndroidGuys.
ASUS launches the 6-inch Zenfone Laser in India for Rs. 17,999
The Indian smartphone market has such a vast array of handsets for consumers to choose from, from both local and overseas manufacturers. The latest handset to hit India is from ASUS, with a six-inch variant of its Zenfone 2 Laser phone being offered from a variety of retailers including Amazon (India), Snapdeal, and Flipkart for Rs. 17,999 ($269).
Let’s take a look at what the 6-inch Zenfone 2 Laser has under the hood.
- Android 5.0 Lollipop with ASUS Zen UI 2.0
- 6-inch Full HD IPS display with 1920 x 1080 resolution and Gorilla Glass 4 protection
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 Octa-core @ 1.7GHz
- Adreno 405 GPU
- 3GB RAM
- 32GB Internal storage plus 5GB free ASUS WebStorage
- MicroSD card support (up to 128GB)
- 13MP Rear camera with laser autofocus, f/2.0 aperture and LED flash
- 5MP Front camera with f/2.0 aperture, wide angle lens, HDR mode
- Dual-SIM, dual-SIM standby, supporting 2G/3G/4G
- Bluetooth 4.1/WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ 3.5mm audio jack
- Battery: 3,000mAH (removable)
- Dimensions: 164.55 x 84 x 10.55mm
- Weight: 190 grams
- Available in Glacier Gray, Sheer Gold, and Glamour Red
Besides the 5GB of free storage from ASUS WebStorage, there’s also 100GB of Google Drive storage thrown in for 2 years. The handset should be going on sale in the next 24 hours or so via Amazon (India), Snapdeal, and Flipkart. What do you make of the 6-inch Zenfone 2 Laser? Is Rs. 17,999 ($269) a tempting price?
Source: Android Central
Come comment on this article: ASUS launches the 6-inch Zenfone Laser in India for Rs. 17,999
[Deal] Get the Chromecast (2015) and £20 of Play Store credit for just £25
With the festive period well and truly underway, finding presents to fill those Christmas stockings can be a manic process. Which makes this a great time to pick up the Chromecast (2015), reviewed here, for just £25 from the UK retailer, PC World.
As well as being £5 cheaper than buying it from the Play Store, you can also snag £20 worth of Play Store credit along the way which should keep the recipient nice and quiet, for a few hours at least, anyway.
What’s that? Did I hear you say that you needed more than one Chromecast? Luckily, you can save a further quid (every little bit helps) by ordering the Chromecast bundle that consists of, you guessed it, 2 x Chromecasts (2015) for £49. And as a bonus, you still get £20 worth of Play Store credit per Chromecast. Buying the bundle from PC World saves you £11 when compared to purchasing 2 units from the Google Store. It’s a no brainer really, especially when you consider how useful the Chromecast is.
Are you planning on picking up a Chromecast (or two)? If so, just click the source link to get started. Let us know in the comments below if you are.
Source: PC World (UK)
Come comment on this article: [Deal] Get the Chromecast (2015) and £20 of Play Store credit for just £25
BBC experiments with video personalized to every viewer
The BBC has for some years been enamored with the idea of “perceptive media,” which loosely put, means content that adapts to its audience. The British broadcaster first experimented with an animated audio play that used your listening location to inform several minor elements of the story, like the weather. A “Perceptive Radio” took the concept one step further, playing different tunes based on environmental sensor data and other factors such as the listener’s distance from the device. This year, however, the BBC’s R&D team has been working with the altogether more complicated medium of video, creating a short film that is largely personalized for each unique viewer.
Via: The Next Web
Source: BBC R&D
Meet the FTC’s new chief technologist
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has again cocked an eye toward privacy by appointing Lorrie Cranor as chief technologist. Cranor heads Carnegie Mellon University’s Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory (CyLab), and has written over 150 research papers on the topic. The FTC is set up to prevent “fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices,” so Cranor will advise it on concerns around technology and policy. For starters, she would like companies to simplify their privacy and security practices so that they’re easier for the public to grasp. “Companies add more rules, which does not always make websites more secure,” she told TribLive.
Source: FTC
ICYMI: Dreamy robo-chef, concussion finder and smart wallet
Today on In Case You Missed It: Moley the robot-chef will man your kitchen and creep out your friends by sometime in 2017, cooking up stored recipes just like you first taught it to. Aka the end is neigh. A new iPad app on Indiegogo is designed to keep possibly concussed young athletes from re-injuring their brains with a simple white dot test. And the Walli is a bluetooth-connected wallet that will send you notifications should you forget to replace a card in it, or leave your phone behind.
Production of Faster Apple TV 5 Rumored to Begin in Early 2016
Apple will begin trial production of a fifth-generation Apple TV in December 2015, with supplier Quanta Computer ramping up volume production in the first quarter of 2016, according to Taiwanese website DigiTimes.
The report, citing “sources from Taiwan-based supply chain makers,” claims the next-generation Apple TV will feature a new CPU that will “dramatically improve the device’s hardware performance.”
Apple will also reportedly adopt a “heat-dissipation solution” in the streaming box to handle the faster CPU, but it remains unclear how that would differentiate from the large heat sink in the fourth-generation Apple TV. The report adds the next Apple TV will also gain unspecified “new functions.”
The report does not provide a release timeframe for the fifth-generation Apple TV, but it is unlikely to be soon given that Apple just released the fourth-generation Apple TV in late October. Apple beginning volume production in early 2016 would seemingly make a mid- to late-2016 launch possible.
DigiTimes has a mixed track record at reporting on Apple’s upcoming product plans, so this rumor should be treated with caution until or unless other reports substantiate these claims in the weeks and months ahead.
Discuss this article in our forums
Samsung to Pay Apple $548 Million Settlement in Five-Year Old Patent Trial
Just under five years after the beginning of the patent dispute between tech giants Apple and Samsung, the companies yesterday agreed to a settlement of $548 million to be paid by Samsung, as ordered by the San Jose federal court hosting the trial (via FOSS Patents). Samsung is said to now be waiting for Apple’s official invoice of the settlement, and if it arrives by the end of day on December 4, it has promised to send the $548 million in full to Apple by December 14.
Samsung found a slight loophole in its agreement to pay the Cupertino company, however, retaining the right to continue appealing the court system and even the ability to “reclaim or obtain reimbursement of any judgment amounts paid” by the company. So, if the court does agree to one of Samsung’s appeals in the future, Apple could see some — or all — of the $548 million returned back to its rival.
“Samsung continues to reserve all rights to obtain reimbursement from Apple and/or payment by Apple of all amounts required to be paid as taxes. […] Samsung further reserves all rights to reclaim or obtain reimbursement of any judgment amounts paid by Samsung to any entity in the event the partial judgment is reversed, modified, vacated or set aside on appeal or otherwise, including as a result of any proceedings before the USPTO addressing the patents at issue or as a result of any petition for writ of certiorari filed with the Supreme Court.”
In its own part of the filing that made its way through the court system on Thursday, Apple noted that it “disputes Samsung’s asserted rights to reimbursement.” Earlier in August, Samsung announced plans to try and appeal the patent trial all the way to the United States Supreme Court, following a series of appeals it lost in the intervening years since the legal battle began in 2011.
Discuss this article in our forums
Google gifts sight to machines with its Cloud Vision API
Google has just unveiled some new tools and an API to aid developers in the design of app, drones and other robotics that can “see”. Known as the Google Cloud Vision API, the tool gives developers access to the company’s advanced machine learning algorithms.
Google has been working with machine learning for a good while now and makes use of the technology itself for facial, object and voice recognition across a number of its services. For example, Google Photos can automatically find pictures featuring a particular person or place. Google’s new API gives developers simplified access to recognition technologies that can be used to identify objects, landmarks, and even the emotion on people’s faces.
The Cloud Vision API works by uploading images taken on local hardware up to the cloud, where Google’s algorithms run their magic and then real time data is transmitted back, containing information about what has been found in the image. You can see more about how this works in the video below:
Google demoed its API through a hobbyist GoPiGo robot, which can respond to facial expressions and identify objects help up to its camera. However, this technology could end up powering some more sophisticated consumer and industry products. Aerosense, Sony’s drone company, has already been testing out the Cloud Vision API to analyse image data. With Amazon and Google gearing up drone delivery services and self-driving cars eventually heading to our roads, machine learning and visual recognition are crucial technologies to analyse the mass of real-time visual data required.
Developers out there who are interested in joining the Limited Preview program to gain early access to the Google Cloud Vision API can register here.
Lowering the barrier to computer vision technologies is sure to drive plenty of new innovative product ideas, but it’s also a little unnerving to think that we are edging closer to low-cost machines that can interpret and understand their surroundings. Fortunately, I don’t think the cute little GoPiGo signals the countdown to Judgement Day. But perhaps I’m just naive.
AIVAnet 