Qualcomm posts strong Q4 results
Qualcomm saw a healthy 13.3% YoY increase in revenue to $6.2 billion on the back of strong demand in China and new license agreements in the country. Overall chip shipments rose by 4% to 211 million units.
From Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf:
Our fiscal fourth quarter EPS was above the high end of our expectations, reflecting new license agreements in China and strong chipset shipments. We are forecasting continued growth of global 3G/4G device shipments in calendar year 2017, led by growing demand in emerging regions.
We are well positioned to extend our mobile technology leadership and footprint into attractive growth opportunities, accelerated by our recently announced agreement to acquire NXP.
With 4G finally gaining ground in countries like India, we’ll likely see a host of companies rolling out phones powered by the Snapdragon 427 next year, which offers an X9 LTE modem, dual ISPs, and Qualcomm’s TruSignal antenna boost tech.
The company isn’t just relying on the mobile SoC segment to drive growth. Last week, Qualcomm announced that it would acquire NXP Semiconductors for $47 billion, giving it a vital foothold in the automotive and IoT segments.
Nintendo reveals ‘Miitopia’ and ‘Animal Crossing’ expansion
Animal Crossing fans starting to get burnt out by the repetitive tasks in New Leaf — hey, it’s been years since it came out — would love Nintendo’s announcement. At the latest Nintendo Direct presentation, the gaming giant has announced a free software update for the old favorite that adds amiibo support and expands its world. If you have any of the 16 previously released Animal Crossing amiibos, scanning them invites the characters into your village, but not in the way you’re familiar with. They come with their own RVs and stay in the brand new RV Campground overseen by a new character named Harvey.
The amiibos will also give you access to a new game within the game: you get Desert Island Escape if you’re playing on the Wii U or Animal Crossing Puzzle League if you’re playing on the 3DS. If you never bought New Leaf and want to try it out, though, you may want to wait for a bit. Nintendo is releasing the Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo pack on December 2nd for the 3DS. It comes with 50 amiibo cards featuring villagers from old games that you can scan and invite to your RV Campground. Besides these amiibo-related features, the update also gives you a camera mode for in-game selfies, a new storage room and other goodies.
Nintendo has also finally revealed what Miitopia is all about after mentioning it during another Direct presentation a couple of months ago. Turns out it’s a cross between an RPG and Tomodachi Life, where you can choose your class/job and fight enemies. You can be a knight, a mage or what seems to be a cat, and in your downtime, your characters can train together and exchange gifts. Miitopia will be available in Japan on December 8th. Since you might have to wait for quite some time to be able to get it outside the company’s home country, check out the trailer below to get a glimpse of the game.
Source: Nintendo
Uber faces $5 million suit from San Francisco’s oldest cab company
Another party is suing Uber over the ride-hailing service’s business practices. This time it’s San Francisco’s Flywheel, the taxi company formerly known as DeSoto Cab, also known as SF’s oldest taxi company. To the tune of a $5 million-plus federal suit, Flywheel alleges that since UberX came to be in 2012, the city’s taxi industry has lost 65 percent of its riders and 30 percent of its rivers, according to SF Gate.
Flywheel claims that’s the result of Uber setting prices between 10-and-45 percent lower than that of taxi services, and that Uber can cover this cost thanks to investments from deep-pocketed venture capitalists. There are a few bits about Uber misrepresenting its safety, pricing and potential earnings for drivers as well.
“This lawsuit is about holding Uber responsible for their unlawful practices,” Flywheel CEO Hansu Kim told the publication. “It is not about stifling competition or technological innovations. We want all on-demand taxi services to be treated fairly under the law, and competing on an even playing field.”
Flywheel also thinks that Uber will drive out all of its competitors, create a monopoly and then jack prices up because it’ll be the only option available.
A Stanford professor doesn’t think the suit will go anywhere though because courts have made it “extremely hard” to prove predatory pricing. “The complaint that a competitor charges too little money is usually not evidence of a secret conspiracy to drive everyone out of the market and then raise prices,” Stanford Law’s director Mark Lemley said. “It’s usually (made by) someone who is failing to compete in the market and is upset about it.”
NBC Bay Area reports that Flywheel’s lawyers predict the case could take over a year to be resolved.
Uber’s response? “We compete with lots of ways to get around, especially car ownership,” according to a statement given to TechCrunch. “Our goal is to provide a credible alternative to the private car. Our technology lets us make our network more efficient over time, and innovations like UberPool are further lowering prices, making ridesharing available to more people.”
Amid all the other litigation Uber currently faces, this once again proves that you can indeed sue for anything — winning is another matter entirely.
Source: SF Gate, TechCrunch
Ukraine’s military wants HoloLens helmets for its tank commanders
It’s not easy to see out of a tank (that’s the point) but in order to be effective on the battlefield, their crews need to know what’s going on around them. Modern tanks often have a variety cameras mounted to their exteriors to help the soldiers inside get a better view but crews still have to rely on monitors in the cabin to see out. However, a new HoloLens-enabled helmet from Limpid Armor can give tank commanders a better view of their surroundings just by turning their heads.
The helmet, dubbed the Circular Review System (CRS), sets a HoloLens headset directly onto the front of its frame. Video feeds gathered from the tank’s exterior cameras are stitched together and displayed through the headset as a “mixed reality” view to the wearer. With it, tank crews are afforded a 360-degree view of the situation in both the visible and infrared spectrums. Not only that, the CRS can tag enemy and friendly soldiers, designate targets and feed critical information to the commander.
Limpid Armor debuted the Limpid Armor in mid-October at the Arms and Security show held in Kiev. The company has not yet tested the helmet outside the lab, however, the Ukraine military has expressed interest in the technology so, given the region’s heightened tensions surrounding Russia’s illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula, expect for field tests to come quickly.
Via: VR Scout
Source: Limpid Armor (Facebook)
The $40 ‘Watch Dogs 2’ Season Pass includes new stories, clothes
Watch Dogs 2 is scheduled to hit PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 15th, followed by PC on November 29th, but Ubisoft already has its eyes on your post-game experience. The Watch Dogs 2 Season Pass costs $40 and includes five add-on packs: the T-Bone Content Bundle, Human Conditions, No Compromise, Root Access Bundle and Psychedelic Pack. The first three bundles land on PS4 30 days before hitting other platforms, and the final two are day-one additions for anyone who picks up the complete Season Pass.
Now for the DLC details. The T-Bone Bundle lands on PS4 on December 13th and includes a new co-op difficulty setting, Mayhem, plus the clothes and truck of the original Watch Dogs’ Raymond “T-Bone” Kenney. Next up, Human Conditions lands in spring 2017 and features three new stories set in San Francisco’s scandalous science and medicine industries. Plus, playing through this bundle unlocks co-op missions starring the Jammer, a technologically savvy enemy capable of hunting players down. Also out in spring, No Compromise includes a new story featuring the Russian Mob and an unlockable co-op mode called Showdown.
The Root Access Bundle and Psychedelic Pack offer up a Zodiac Killer mission, and new outfits, cars, skins and weapons. If you’re 100 percent convinced that Watch Dogs 2 is going to be both enjoyable and not long enough for your liking, the Season Pass is available in the game’s $100 Gold Edition or as a standalone $40 purchase.
Source: Ubisoft
Daily Briefing: Facebook and Uber are eating the world
Android news, fresh out of the oven. It is Wednesday, November 2.
Facebook is everywhere. The company that everyone loves to hate is now used by more than a billion people per day on mobile devices alone, and nearly two billion overall. And after being accused of not understanding mobile, opting for a time to use HTML5 apps instead of native code, Facebook is almost entirely reliant on mobile for its advertising revenue.
That’s an incredible transition in just four years, and it rests on the shoulders of the growth of Android and iOS — especially Android, since it is the dominant platform in markets like India and Africa where Facebook is growing fast. And even if you don’t use Facebook proper, there’s still Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and any number of other places the company gets you.
Tell me, is it still uncool to like Facebook?
OnePlus wants to sell you a bag and a t-shirt on Nov 3
After having a surprisingly robust business selling “lifestyle” products in China, OnePlus is starting to sell its self-designed bags and t-shirts in North America and Europe. You can choose between one of four different bag designs and two t-shirts, and they’re expected to have reasonable prices as well. More
Adobe’s latest apps bring near-parity to iOS app suite
Adobe has released two more Android apps for its Creative Cloud customers, Sketch and Comp CC, aimed at helping its customers improve their mobile workflows. The former, Sketch, is a straight-up drawing app, with support for passive styluses as well as the Note’s S Pen, and exports layered images that can later be edited and improved upon in Adobe’s desktop suite of apps. Comp CC is a wireframing app with the same goals in mind.
Slowly but surely Adobe’s Creative Cloud apps for Android are reaching parity, both in numbers and quality, with their iOS counterparts, which will be encouraging to Android users who spend a lot of money every year on Adobe’s most profitable subscription.
LastPass now allows unlimited cross-device syncing for free
LastPass has announced that its free tier now allows unlimited cross-device synchronization of passwords and other secure notes, putting it in a better position to compete with the best password manager out there, 1Password.
LastPass Premium still offers additional value — it’s $12 per year, per account — with family sharing and additional hardware-based two-factor authentication methods.
Uber’s new app is now a transit OS
Uber has redesigned its app with a focus on more predictive use cases, such using a rider’s calendar information to predict where he is going, or the ability to tap into a friend’s GPS coordinates to locate a perfect pickup or drop-off point. The app will also soon work with Yelp to find the best places to eat, and now more tightly integrates with Pandora and Spotify for controlling on-board music.
IFTTT replaces recipes for applets
IFTTT, the connective tissue of the IoT, unveiled a new app today, and alongside it a new replacement for its “recipes” called Applets. The idea takes recipes — if you do this, then do this other thing — to the next logical step, stacking actions together to form macros.
Facebook is now used by over half the people with internet access
Facebook announced its third-quarter earnings today and unveiled enviable numbers of daily users and advertising revenue. The former now exceeds 1.18 billion, almost all of which — 1.09 billion — are mobile. Mobile advertising now comprises 84% of Facebook’s overall ad revenue, while overall revenues exceeded $7 billion for the first time ever.
Pokémon Go is trying to keep people addicted with daily bonuses
Yep, we’re still talking about Pokémon Go. That’s because despite a drop-off in players it is still the biggest mobile game out there, and Niantic is trying to keep people addicted with new daily bonuses. Starting with the next update, Trainers will be able to capture extra XP and Stardust by catching a Pokémon or visiting a PokeStop every day. Those who play for streaks of seven days at a time will capture extra bonuses. Good stuff! More:
That’s it from us today, see you tomorrow!
Pokémon Go to bring daily and weekly bonuses for active users
Niantic has posted news about an upcoming update for the Pokémon Go app, and a big feature of it will be daily bonuses for catching the lil’ buggers. The bonuses will get better each consecutive day, and look to be an easy way to score experience points, Stardust and additional items from Pokéstop visits.
We want to provide you a detailed look at a new feature coming soon to Pokémon GO – Daily bonuses! Trainers will soon be able to receive a bonus for certain daily activities, including catching a Pokémon or visiting a PokéStop once a day. You’ll earn a larger bonus if you do this seven days in a row!
Catching a Pokémon every day will earn the following bonus:
- 500 XP
- 600 Stardust
Catching a Pokémon every day for 7 days straight will earn the following larger bonus:
- 2,000 XP
- 2,400 Stardust
Visiting a PokéStop and spinning the Photo Disc every day will earn the following bonus:
- 500 XP
- A number of additional items
Visiting a PokéStop every day for 7 days straight will earn the following larger bonus:
- 2,000 XP
- A greater number of additional items
If you catch a Pokémon at any time on Tuesday local time, you’ll be eligible for the next daily bonus on Wednesday at 12 AM local time.
While the huge numbers of new daily players of Pokémon Go don’t match the initial release numbers, the game is still extremely popular and making money for Niantic. Frequent updates and additional features and rewards are part of the reason. Love Pokémon or hate Pokémon, there’s no denying that Niantic knows how to make a great app that plenty of people love. Updates like this show they also have a plan to keep them interested.
No word from Niantic about when we’ll see the update other than coming soon. We’ll take a look when it gets here.
Pokémon Go
- Join our Pokémon Go forums!
- How to deal with GPS errors in-game
- Which team should you choose?
- How to play without killing your battery
- The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
- Listen to the Pokémon Go podcast!
Microsoft Teams is here: A Slack-like app that’s part of Office 365
Microsoft is the latest company to go after Slack.
A couple weeks after Facebook unveiled its Slack-like messenger service, called Workplace, which allows teams to easily communicate, video call, share files, and stay up to date in one place, Microsoft has unveiled a similar product called Microsoft Teams. Here’s what you need to know.
What is Microsoft Teams?
At an event in New York City, Microsoft demoed Microsoft Teams, which it described as a new chat-based workspace in Office 365. It’s integrated with Office applications, including Skype, and it uses the Office 365 cloud. Microsoft Teams is also built on Office 365 Group, making it easy for people to move naturally from one collaboration tool to another, Microsoft said.
- What is Slack and how does it work?
How does Microsoft Teams work?
The digital workplace offers threaded chats. Although team conversations are, by default, visible to the entire team, there is the ability to have private discussions. It also works with Skype to offer voice and video conferences. It even supports fun elements like emojis, stickers, GIFs, and custom memes. These features are a big part of why Slack has become the go-to service for teams and workplaces.
But what makes Microsoft Teams different is that Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, OneNote, Planner, Power BI, and Delve are all built in, and it’s backed by Microsoft Graph, which enables intelligent services. From what we could see in Microsoft’s demo, the app has a menu bar on the right that provides access to activity alerts, your chats, teams, meetings, files, and settings.
From these options, you can engage with team members and access used documents and cloud services.
Is Microsoft Teams safe?
Microsoft said all data in Microsoft Teams is encrypted in transit and at rest.
Which platforms does Microsoft Teams support?
Microsoft Teams is compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and web platforms – just like other Office 365 apps.
When will Microsoft Teams be available?
Starting 2 November, Microsoft Teams is available in preview in 181 countries and in 18 languages to commercial customers with Office 365 Enterprise or Business plans. General availability for all customers is expected to roll out in the first quarter of 2017.
How much does Microsoft Teams cost?
Microsoft Teams is currently included the following Office 365 plans: Business Essentials, Business Premium, and Enterprise E1, E3, and E5.
- Go here to see the different pricing for each plan.
Want to know more?
Check out the Microsoft Teams website for more details.
Best US Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2016 deals
Ah, ’tis the season again. The season of Christmas sales!
This year’s sale season begins on Black Friday (the Friday after Thanksgiving in the US) and extends to Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving in the US), and it’s when companies and retailers offer deep discounts to encourage copious amounts of holiday shopping.
- What is Black Friday and when is it?
So, check your bank accounts and figure out how many pay cheques you have left before Christmas, because we’ve rounded up a selection of the best tech-related deals that are worth your hard-earned cash. Some are week-long store sales, while others are early online previews, etc.
You’ll therefore have to be a savvy shopper, of course, and figure out for yourself which ones you can manage. Check back too – because we plan to update this guide (it’s in alphabetical order) over the course of the month.
Good luck out there. And try not to get trampled.
Amazon
Black Friday hub (click here) and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
Amazon has kicked off its sales season with a “Countdown to Black Friday” event. These are just early Black Friday sales. It’s hard to tell the difference between the sales page and Amazon’s usual Lightning Deals, so be sure to read carefully. Here are some of the highlights, but it looks like Amazon plans to switch up the deals and availability daily. You’ll probably need to regularly check.
- Kindle Paperwhite (2016) for $99.99 (normally $119.99)
- Kindle (2016) for $59.99 (normally $79.99)
- Kindle Voyage for $179.99 (normally $199.99)
- Anker 60W/12A 6-Port USB PowerPort 6 for $25.49 (normally $79.99)
- Anker PowerLine Micro USB (5-pack) for $12.99 (normally $49.99)
- Roku Streaming Stick for $39.99 (normally $49.99)
Best Buy
Black Friday hub (click here) and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
Best Buy hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet. You can go here to see all the Black Friday deals when they become available, or you can go here to see the early ones when they become available.
Last year, Best Buy kicked off deals a day early, on Thanksgiving Day, by opening its doors at 5 pm and offering “doorbuster” deals. You had to line up for tickets a couple hours ahead of time. Best Buy also offered Friday “doorbuster” deals, already cutting prices on a number of products, and it announced deals Black Friday deals that were only available at your local store.
Costco
Black Friday hub (click here) and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
Costco hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet.
Dell.com
Black Friday hub (click here) and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
Early deals will be available 1 November at 8 am EST. This sale lasts 48 hours only. Then, Dell Advantage Loyalty Rewards members can shop early doorbusters from 16 November to 18 November and 21 November to 23 November starting at 11 am EST each day. Rolling Black Friday doorbusters will be available 24 November to 25 November, while rolling Cyber Monday doorbusters will be available 28 November.
See the scanned advert here.
Here’s some of the Black Friday highlights:
- Inspiron 11 3000 for $99.99 (save $100)
- Inspiron 15 3000 for $199.99 (save $100)
- Inspiron 15 5000 for $379.99 (save $320)
- Inspiron 20 3000 all-in-one for $249.99 (save $130)
- Inspiron Micro desktop for $99.99 (save $100)
- Inspiron desktop for $279.99 (save $220)
- Alienware Alpha for $299.99 (save $250)
- Inspiron 11 3000 2-in-1 for $299.99 (save $150)
- Dell 24 gaming monitor for $99.99 (save $110)
- Dell 27 curved monitor for 199.99 (save $200)
- 500GB Xbox One bundle with Battlefield 1 and Gears of War 4 with extra controller for $249 (save $170)
Here’s some of the Cyber Monday highlights:
- Inspiron 13 5000 2-in-1 for $699.99 (save $150)
- XPS 13 for $949.99 (save $150)
- Alienware 17 for $1999.99 (save $500)
- Inspiron 24 5000 All-in-One for $399.99 (save $250)
- Inspiron desktop for $299.99 (save $200)
- Dell UltraSharp 24 monitor for $179 (Save $190.99)
- PlayStation 4 Slim 500 GB Uncharted 4 bundle + NBA 2K17 + $25 Dell promo eGift card for $279.99 (save $80)
- IZIO 50-inch 4K Smart Ultra HDTV + Free Logitech Harmony 650 V Universal Remote for $399.99 (save $279.99)
Ebay
Black Friday and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
Costco hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet, though a leaked advert suggested the online site will offer the PS4 Slim Bundle with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End for $249.99. Last year, Ebay offered hourly deals on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. You had to keep checking this dedicated hub on the hour every hour to ensure you caught all the sales each of those days.
Gamestop
Black Friday hub (click here) and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
GameStop hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet. Last year, GameStop kicked off the fun on early with a pre-Black Friday event, offering sales on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 accessories, Beats headphones, and more.
Google Store
Black Friday and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
Google hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet.
HP
Black Friday hub (click here) and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
HP hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet.
HTC
Black Friday hub (click here)
HTC hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet. However, HTC is allowing those who join “Team HTC” to have access to its seasonal deals before the rest of the public does. Early access to HTC’s Black Friday deals start on 8 November and end 14 November. All you need to do is sign up for Team HTC by clicking on this link and filling out a form. The process takes a few minutes.
Huawei
Black Friday and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
Huawei hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet.
Microsoft Store
Black Friday hub (click here) and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
Microsoft hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet. Last year, it offered 12 bundles for the Xbox One, with each one being reduced by $50.
Newegg
Black Friday hub (click here) and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
Newegg has deemed this month “Black November”, and it lined up several deals that run for several day. It will run a gaming sale from 8 November to 14 November, as well as extra special deals on Black Friday itself.
See the scanned advert here.
Here’s some of the highlights:
- Lenovo 12.5-inch ThinkPad Yoga 12 2-in-1 touchscreen ultrabook for $500 (save $100)
- CyberpowerPC Desktop PC with a 1TB hard drive for $750 (save $100)
- HTC One A9 32GB 5-inch Topaz Gold unlocked phone for $330 (save $170)
Office Depot
Black Friday hub (click here) and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
Office Depot hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet. Last year, doors opened at 6pm on Thanksgiving and lasted all day on Thanksgiving.
Sam’s Club
Black Friday hub (click here) and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
Sam’s Club hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet, but a leaked advert has already landed online.
See the scanned advert here.
Here’s some of the highlights:
- Vizio 50-inch 4K SmartCast TV for $348 (normally $498)
- Vizio 60-inch 4K SmartCast TV for $548 (normally $698)
- Vizio 70-inch 4K SmartCast TV for $928 (normally $1,198)
- Samsung 75-inch 4K smart TV for $1,998 (normally $2,599)
- Samsung 78-inch curved 4K smart TV for $3,498 – online only (normally $4,997.99)
- Nest Cam for $149 (normally $198)
- GoPro Hero4 Silver bundle for $199 (normally $249)
- Nikon D3400 two-lens bundle for $499 (normally $649)
- PlayStation 4 with Uncharted 4 for $249 (normally $299)
- Xbox One S with Battlefield 1 or Minecraft and extra controller for $249 (normally $353)
Samsung.com
Black Friday hub (click here)
Samsung hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet.
Staples
Black Friday hub (click here) and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
Staples hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet. Last year, sales started on Black Friday at 6 am. It was not open on Thanksgiving.
Target
Black Friday hub (click here) and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
Target hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet, but a leaked advert has already landed online. Last year, the Black Friday deals started on Thanksgiving at 6 pm. More deals kicked in in at 7 am on Black Friday. Then, on Friday, even more deals became available starting at 7 am EST. Target also also offered some Black Friday “preview” deals only on 9 November and 15 per cent off most everything on Cyber Monday.
See the scanned advert here.
Toys R Us
Black Friday hub (click here) and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
Toys R Us hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet. Last year, its Black Friday sales kick offed at 5 pm EST on Thursday.
Walmart
Black Friday hub (click here) and Cyber Monday hub (click here)
Walmart hasn’t announced holiday deals for 2016 yet. While its sale hasn’t officially begun, the retailer is already promoting some early discounts.
Want to know more?
Several sites, such as SlickDeals, post scanned versions of all the retailers’ adverts and holiday catalogues, so go there to discover more sales.
Fitbit sales are slowing despite new products
A sign that the market for fitness trackers might be reaching its saturation point, or at least losing a little bit of its steam: Fitbit’s stock price fell hard, dropping by 30 percent today after the company announced it was about $3 million short of its third quarter revenue goals. While Fitbit did experience some revenue growth over the quarter, its net income was around $26 million, compared to $46 million for the same period last year.
Fitbit debuted two new devices — the Charge 2 and the Flex 2 — during the third quarter and launched a new partnership with Kohl’s and Vera Wang. But even counting new corporate customers, Fitbit only saw an 11 percent growth in unit sales numbers and the product refresh didn’t move as many units the company would have liked.
“I am pleased to see positive reception for our new products launched in the third quarter,” CEO James Park said in a statement. “We continue to grow and are profitable, however not at the pace previously expected.”
While the development of those new products and a legal battle with Jawbone could also be driving up operating costs, looking forward into the holiday season, Park says the company will re-focus on “improving the utility of our products and integrating more deeply into the healthcare ecosystem” while leveraging the brand for some new areas of growth.
Via: Forbes
Source: FitBit Investor Relations
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