Qualcomm declares 24 percent drop in profits
Companies are busy trotting out last quarter’s financial figures this week and Qualcomm saw its net earnings fall by 24 percent in the last quarter, rounding off a less than ideal year for the mobile processor designer.
A closer look at the figures reveals that revenue fell by 19 percent from $7.1 billion to $5.8 billion over the year, which pushed the company’s net income down from $2 billion to $1.5 billion a year earlier. However, Qualcomm stresses that these results actually exceeded expectations and that the company is on track with its cost saving initiatives for this year. Both chip shipments and profits have improved over the previous quarter.
“We delivered a stronger than expected quarter with earnings per share above the high end of our initial estimates, driven by better than expected 3G/4G reported device sales and benefits realized from cost actions” – Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm
Although global smartphone sales are still increasing, last year saw Qualcomm lose a major customer in Samsung, which opted to use its own Exynos chip in its Galaxy S6 range. Qualcomm seems to be having a tough time with the stagnating sales of high-end smartphones. In the mid and lower tiers, MediaTek has also been staking out its share of the market, although China seems to have been a strong region for Qualcomm.
Overall, the company has seen chip shipments fall from the previous year and projections have been revised as a result. Shipments for Q2 are estimated at 175 million to 195 million this year, down 25 percent from the 233 million reported a year earlier. However, the Snapdragon 820, which will appear in this year’s flagship handsets, is apparently already seeing strong demand, with 100 devices in development that will be using the processor.
See also: The Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 will be made by… Samsung
Although the company’s SoC sales are important, Qualcomm also sees a large portion of its income from royalties. The previous year has seen a number of antitrust suites brought against the company, in China, South Korea, Taiwan, Europe and the US. Although Qualcomm insists that it has not breached any laws. LG Electronics also believes that it has paid too much under its patent licensing deal and is now seeking compensation.
Qualcomm still remains a highly profitable business, but the company seems bound to the fate of the high-end smartphone market, which isn’t quite the healthy marketplace that it was a couple of years ago.
Now this is how you add a microSD card slot to a Nexus
One of the weirder Reddit threads for the day has got to be this guy that decided to manually add a microSD card slot to his trusty Nexus 5. It’s far from a polished piece of industrial engineering, but he did manage it and it does work. Who ever said we’d never see a Nexus with microSD expansion?
Long story short, the Redditor decided that if Marshmallow was capable of recognizing external memory cards as internal storage, then why not pull the back off his Nexus 5 and add one himself? The solution is as messy as it is simple. He just folded up the internal components to make everything fit and then soldered a microSD card slot on. Simple.
The coolest part of the whole DIY trick is that no special software mod was required. Once the microSD card adapter was attached, Marshmallow instantly recognized it and the guy has been enjoying expandable storage on his fully functional, if lumpy, Nexus 5. Some commenters wisely suggested 3D printing a new back cover to accommodate the added bulk.
The reason everyone hasn’t been doing this since day one is because it’s a pretty aggressive mod. The guy pulled off the back cover and chopped it in half, flipped the bottom section where the microUSB port is around and MacGyvered a USB OTG solution on a folded up daughter board…after rearranging the speaker and antenna cables. Once all that was accomplished the whole thing was so bulky he had to chuck a TPU case on it to protect everything.
NEXUS VIDEOS:
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As the modder admitted himself, it was more of a “could I, should I situation”, vowing that if he were to do it again he would just solder a microSD card adapter to the microUSB port and keep it mounted on the outside of the device. As our parents wisely told us, just because we can do something, doesn’t always mean we should do something. In this case tough, I’m sure glad I got to see this done.
Did you think this would even work? Have you ever tried anything like this on your phone?
LG wants to replace all your credit cards with White Card, coming at MWC
There’s a land grab going on in mobile payments, and LG wants a stake. LG’s approach, however, is different from archrival Samsung’s – while Samsung has integrated mobile payments right into its phones, LG is working on an electronic card in the vein of Coin and Plastc.
According to a report from Korea’s ETNews, LG will announce its “White Card” during MWC, along the hotly anticipated LG G5.
LG G5 rumor roundup: everything you need to know
White Card will allow users to register their regular plastic cards. The device is about the size of a regular card and just slightly thicker, so it can reportedly be used for withdrawing money from ATMs. Basic controls and an LCD display allow users to cycle between registered cards and lock the device, which charges through a set of metal pins.
At launch, White Card will reportedly work with magnetic stripe card readers, while chip reader support will come at a later stage.
LG has already signed up a number of Korean card companies, who are interested in the idea because they don’t have to cede a lot of control over to LG. Transactions won’t be processed by LG, so card companies don’t have to fret about helping a potential competitor take over their business. By contrast, adoption by card partners has been a real problem for Samsung Pay and Android Pay.
It’s not clear for now how LG plans to implement its Pay service on phones. It’s hard to believe that the company will settle for an electronic card, when everyone else is adopting truly mobile phone payments.
A number of startups have promised to free us from having to carry a wallet-ful of cards. Most notably, Coin launched a crowdfunding campaign for its eponymous electronic card back in 2013, but needed almost two years to deliver devices to its backers. And, when it arrived, many found that Coin wasn’t working nearly as well as promised. Coin has since launched a second version of its card, to better reviews.
The theme of LG’s MWC 2016 event is “Play,” but if this report’s accurate, “Pay” would be very fitting. Before you get too excited though, remember that rolling out financial services is hard. Take Samsung – a year after the launch of its payment service, Pay is still only available in the US and South Korea, with a handful of new markets coming in the next months.
Play the Best Pinball Games on NVIDIA SHIELD in Zen Pinball
In a fight between zombies, superheroes, space pirates and cartoons, who wins? You could argue it’s Zen Pinball on NVIDIA SHIELD that wins, as it’s host to all the most famous ones: The Walking Dead, the Marvel universe, Star Wars, and the animated TV shows of Fox and Adult Swim.
Zen Pinball is available now on SHIELD as a free download with a large variety of pinball tables based on popular franchises available as in-game purchases.
Zen Pinball offers the most advanced ball physics in existence, with detailed 3D tables that feature all the multiballs, bumpers, ramps and habitrails you expect of a physical table. They also play host to the animated objects only virtual pinball can enjoy, all made possible by NVIDIA’s powerful SHIELD technology.
Naturally they also offer sophisticated social elements, with challenge modes, pro scores and pinball champion rankings via Google Play Games Services. Each also has unique achievements, stats, and hotseat multiplayer, and can be bought individually, or within the Zen Pinball base game – which is free.
There’s a great selection of Pinball games available now in Zen Pinball, offering something for just about everyone.
Seth MacFarlane’s American Dad has hit its stride – and at its best is easily a match for the Griffins featured in Family Guy. Stan, Francine, Hayley, Steve and Roger the alien are a perfect match for Zen Pinball, too. Set at the Smith house, in Roger’s Place (transported to the garage) and the Fun ’N’ Gun, the game incorporates the infamous Threat Level that CIA-man Stan’s so obsessed with – and manipulating it impacts how the game plays.
Captain America (Available in Marvel Pinball)
Created in 1941 and not promoted yet, Captain America takes a break from his stalled career with this superb table. In it Cap, Bucky and the Howling Commandos launch an assault on Baron Zemo’s castle, while attempting to destroy the Sleeper robot. A series of huge battles against the Red Skull ensues – it takes all your skill to grab back the Cosmic Cube.
In South Park for Zen Pinball, players can choose between Super-Sweet Pinball and Butters’ Very Own Pinball Game. Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman are featured in the tables, but expect to see Wendy, Jimmy, Timmy and even Mr Hankey. You’ll also find genuine voices and scenes, such as Sarcastaball, Christmas in Canada and Cartman’s probe.
Get right into the danger zone with Sterling Malory Archer, the world’s greatest spy/lacrosse player. Archer Pinball features authentic voices and sound effects, multiple mini playfields, and unique progression and achievement systems. It’s also hilarious.
The Empire Strikes Back (Available in Star Wars Pinball)
Get into a fight with Darth Vader, take down AT-ATs by winding the ball around their marching legs and recover Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber – this clever table absolutely embodies the original trilogy, and is stuffed with genuine voices and sound effects to boot.
While Stewie once created a clone to deal with all his nitpicky stuff, rest assured a lot more effort has gone into making this. Help Peter Griffin fight the Giant Chicken, aid Chris in catching the Evil Monkey, save Stewie’s beloved teddy Rupert and much more. It’s a must-play game for Family Guy fans.
Spider-Man (Available in Marvel Pinball)
Spider-Man can do everything a spider can and this table captures Spidey’s personality brilliantly. It’s a super-fast creation with tons of twisting, swirling ramps, and fantastic obstacles such as the Mary Jane kicker ramp, the Jameson Mini and the Unpredictable Sink Hole.
Based on the award-winning game series, and involving Telltale Games and Walking Dead-creator Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead Pinball follows the game’s Season One. The real cast provide the voices, and it goes way beyond authentic locations (such as Clementine’s treehouse and Everett’s pharmacy) to include authentic, often heart-wrenching, scenarios.
Iron Man (Available in Marvel Pinball)
All three Iron Man movies are in the top six grossing Marvel movies ever, and Tony Stark earns his place here. This table pits you against the villains of the second two films, such as Whiplash, Mandarin and Ultimo, and it stands out as a fittingly tough challenge.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Coming Soon to Star Wars Pinball)
The Star Wars of 2016 has stolen almost every record going, and it’s set to beat Avatar and Titanic to become the biggest film of all time. Only the most isolated moisture farmer (or crazy old wizard who lives in a cave) could deny it the top spot here.
Valve’s enormously popular first-person puzzle franchise is celebrated in Portal Pinball, which features Chell, Wheatley and all of the sights, sounds and humor fans of the Portal series will appreciate.
Offering Rey, Finn, Poe, General Leia and Han Solo on the rebel side, and the First Order – led by Kylo Ren – for the Empire, this amazing table has a lot to discover. Yes, you can hit hyperspace on a Star Destroyer, but more importantly you can affect the Balance of the Force. With comprehensive social elements tracking scores globally, Zen Pinball players fight for overall supremacy on either the dark or light side.
Check out the large selection of great pinball games available in Zen Pinball on NVIDIA SHIELD.
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Facebook’s Live Video Feature Now Available to All U.S. iPhone Users
Facebook today announced that the Live Video feature it introduced in December is now available to all iPhone users in the United States, with plans to roll it out to the rest of the world in the coming weeks.
Facebook’s built-in Live Video feature is designed to compete with live streaming services like Periscope and Meerkat, which allow people to share in-the-moment video through iOS apps. Live Video on Facebook can be used to share streaming video with friends and family members directly in their Facebook news feeds.
Sharing Live Video can be done by tapping on the Update Status button on an iPhone and then choosing the Live Video icon. Live Video can be limited to a select audience of Facebook friends, and it can be accompanied by a text status update. While streaming, it includes information such as the number of live viewers, the name of friends who are viewing the stream, and real-time comments. Completed Live Videos remain visible in a user’s Timeline.
Facebook for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
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T-Mobile adds Amazon Video, WWE Network, others to Binge On
T-Mobile on Thursday confirmed it has added more video streaming services to its Binge On. Available now are Amazon Video, Fox News, Univision NOW, and WWE Network.
Binge On, which lets users stream video over its 4G LTE network without affecting data allotments, delivers a “DVD quality or better” picture. T-Mobile customers can toggle on and off the service, opting to watch 1080p or even 4K content if and when it’s available. The opt-in and opt-out feature now provides the same streaming capabilities to more than 40 content providers.
In addition to adding the four new partners, T-Mobile is making it easier for its subscribers to toggle Binge On. As some of you may already know, it’s possible to use the short code of #BOF# and #BON# to turn it off and on, respectively. Further, T-Mobile has also punched up its website (t-mobile.com) and mobile apps to quick toggling even more simple for users.
Binge On Benchmarks and Accolades
- Customers with limited high-speed data who qualify for free Binge On streaming are watching more than twice as many hours per day from free services than before.
- One major video service, included in the list of services that stream without eating up your data, is seeing a 79% jump in daily viewers.
- Another major video service, not yet included in the Binge On list of free services, is seeing customers watch 33% more hours than before, thanks to Binge On optimization providing up to 3x more video from their data plan
- Since launching Binge On, T-Mobile customers have streamed 34 petabytes for free. That’s 34 million gigabytes – the equivalent of more than 109 million episodes of Game of Thrones at DVD quality (480p)!
The post T-Mobile adds Amazon Video, WWE Network, others to Binge On appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Han Solo will preview Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ park areas on TV
Before you swear off going to Disney parks for shoving everything Frozen down your throats, you may want to see how the new Star Wars-themed attractions are doing first. Han Solo a.k.a. Harrison Ford is giving us “an exclusive preview” of the Star Wars Lands currently under construction in both Disneyland and Disney World. It’s unclear if the actor who played the franchise’s iconic intergalactic smuggler will show us the state of the actual attractions, but he will share new details on ABC TV’s special The Wonderful World of Disney: Disneyland 60.
While we know very little about the attractions at this point, Walt Disney COO Tom Staggs revealed (PDF) during an entertainment conference in 2015 that they will be “the most immersive lands” the company has ever built. He also confirmed that park guests will be able to fly the Millennium Falcon, which makes them cool enough for us. ABC’s special will air on February 21st, 8 to 10PM EST, and you can interact with the performances using Disney’s Applause app.
[Image credit: Anthony H./Flickr]
The Oscars piracy problem is only getting worse
In 2016, Oscar screeners for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are still receiving DVDs as part of the voting process. This year, though, the piracy rates are at an all-time high as all eight best picture nominees have surfaced on file-sharing sites. Variety reports that in response to the problem, the Motion Picture Academy will finally give streaming a shot with a beta test this year. Last year, the Television Academy transitioned from DVDs to Chromecasts for Emmy voting. In that scenario, members-only web and mobile apps are used for streaming purposes. Of course, many of those TV episodes have already aired, so piracy isn’t as much of a concern.
As far as the Oscars go, the move to streaming has been met with much discussion. In addition to the obvious risk of a glitch and continued privacy even after the switch, filmmakers worry that screeners will opt for watching on a mobile device rather than a TV. Viewers may not be able to accurately judge things like cinematography and design on a tablet’s small screen, for example. During the SAG Awards voting, a technical issue caused streaming to be unavailable for 48 hours. While there will certainly be some growing pains, it looks like the Academy will have to make a decision soon in order to deal with the piracy issue that’s only getting worse.
Source: Variety
Apple planned ahead for the inevitable hardware slump
It was inevitable, but nonetheless concerning to investors. iPhone sales flattened out this quarter, part of an overall trend of weakness in the smartphone market, and Apple admitted that next quarter will see sales decline year-over-year for the first time. Yes, the company just reported record-breaking profit — again — but as the iPhone goes, so does Apple. As such, the company is forecasting its first revenue decline in years.
The job of a good CEO and CFO is to spin this news and keep investors calm through a downturn, and Tim Cook and Luca Maestri gave plenty of reasons for the upcoming decline — as well as plenty of reasons they’re not worried just yet. The crux of the Apple’s argument centered around the whopping 1 billion active Apple devices currently in use worldwide.
“A growing portion of our revenue is directly driven by our existing install base,” Cook said Tuesday. That installed base supports two of the most important messages Apple shared Tuesday: Its users are both satisfied and loyal, and that keeps them generating revenue for the company through the wide network of services that Apple offers. Basically, the company’s insistence on controlling both the hardware and software has provided Apple with a revenue source that hardware makers like Samsung and LG can’t hope to duplicate.
“A growing portion of our revenue is directly driven by our existing installed base.”
It starts with satisfaction, a metric that has long been important to Cook. He brought it up again this week: “Our customer satisfaction and retention rates are second to none and provide us with a long lasting foundation,” he said. Cook noted 99 percent satisfaction among iPhone 6S and 6S Plus owners, based on a survey from 451 Research. He’s also cited similarly impressive numbers for the iPad and Apple Watch recently.
That satisfaction is important for two reasons, Cook says. For one, when combined with high engagement numbers, it means customers are more likely to spend money on additional apps and content, further entrenching them in the company’s ecosystem. It also means that those owners are likely to buy multiple products to get the full Apple experience. OS X, iOS, WatchOS, and tvOS all have ties to various degrees, and the company has long touted the benefits of owning multiple devices.
Cook and Maestri, the company’s CFO, believe this is all very good news for its services category, which is primarily made up of revenue from iTunes, the App Store, AppleCare, iCloud and Apple Pay. And the numbers back that up. Services revenue of $6.1 billion represented a 27 percent year-over-year increase. To put that context, $6.1 billion is far, far less than the $51.6 billion it made from the iPhone. But, it isn’t far behind Mac revenue ($6.7 billion) or even iPad sales ($7.1 billion) — and it’s growing a lot faster than either of those businesses, too. (The iPad has seen shrinking sales for two years now, but that’s a story for another time.) “We have tremendously satisfied and loyal customers who are engaged with our services at a fast growing rate,” Maestri said as he summed up the impact of the services business. “All of this provides us with an unparalleled foundation for the future of Apple business.”
A huge installed base of satisfied customers means Apple’s sevices revenue will probably keep growing.
Of course, one can argue that Apple is a hardware company first, and that the iPhone will continue to account for the lion’s share of its revenue for a while yet. But Cook and co. had to know that iPhone sales would flatten out eventually, even if they see it as a temporary blip rather than the lasting decline, like what happened with the iPod. With that in mind, you can look at the company’s focus on services as preparation for this day: There’s a piece of Apple gear out there for one in seven humans, and those humans who love the company’s products will spend even more money to get the most use out of them.
It’s a strategy Apple’s hardware-focused competitors can’t easily duplicate. Samsung has tried, building its own “Galaxy” of services like Samsung Pay, Milk Music, Milk VR and a host of built-in apps like S Health and S Voice. But the fact that the company gave up on Milk Video after just one year is telling. When it has to compete with Google’s own bundled services right on the phone, it’s hard to imagine Samsung ever really relying on these features as a notable revenue source. And no other Android OEM has even really tried. Everyone else is content to use Google Play.
Despite this strength, a growing services business will not make up for missed iPhone revenue. The company is headed towards the first downturn of the iPhone era, even if most companies would kill for the money Apple will make over the rest of the year. But Apple isn’t expecting services to be its new savior.
Instead, Cook is focusing on Apple’s diverse ways of making money. He made his mark by shipping massive amounts of product with military efficiency. Now, Cook is flexing another muscle: The push into services that started in earnest with the iTunes Store back in 2003 is now nearly as big as the Mac, Apple’s oldest product line. Cook is positioning this business as one not dependent on hardware sales, but rather that huge base of happy customers. “We might not ship as much hardware,” Apple says, soothing panicked investors, “but that’s not our only way to make money.”
[Lead image credit: Stephen Lam/ Getty Images]
NY Attorney General takes aim at high-tech ticket scalpers
The state of New York has been known to take the lead on matters of consumer protection, and it looks like Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will do so once more. Schneiderman’s office released a report titled “Obstructed View: What’s Blocking New Yorkers from Getting Tickets” that details the “fixed game” of trying to secure admission to high-profile events. Following a three-year investigation, the report discusses an online ticketing business where brokers are use bots and other tech to nab loads of tickets in seconds. Of course, those tickets are then resold at higher prices based on demand.
For an example of just how bad the issue has become, Schneiderman’s office found that a broker used a ticket bot to secure 1,012 tickets to a U2 show at Madison Square Garden last year. All of those were grabbed in the first minute tickets were available to the general public. The investigation also found that in some cases over half of tickets are reserved for so-called event insiders and pre-sale buyers before they’re available to the masses.
Schneiderman is looking into ticketing fees, too. The report details how sites like Ticketmaster regularly tack on fees of more than 21 percent of the face value. Sometimes those added charges were more than the cost of admission. If you’ve made a purchase from Ticketmaster or LiveNation, you’re well aware that a $75 ticket to see your favorite artist will likely cost you closer to $100 in the end.
“My office will continue to crack down on those who break our laws, prey on ordinary consumers, and deny New Yorkers affordable access to the concerts and sporting events they love,” Schneiderman said. “This investigation is just the beginning of our efforts to create a level playing field in the ticket industry.”
It’ll be interesting to see what the next steps are for the Attorney General’s office, but from the sound of it, we won’t have to wait long to find out. And when further action is taken, we’ll be curious to see if other states will follow New York’s lead.
AIVAnet 