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Mobile Miscellany: week of October 24, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of October 24, 2011: Fan of white phones? Here ya go: the BlackBerry Bold 9900, Curve 9360 and Torch 9810 can be pre-ordered on Phones4U. If white doesn't do it for you, the Curve 9300 will be available in pink. [Stuff] HTC has announced its partnership with Dropbox, which means you can get 5GB of available storage on any of the company's Android devices. [Twitter] A few customers on Verizon's family plans have noticed a peculiar addition to the company's #DATA service; when the text showing the data usage arrives, it now mentions "shared," which may be an indication that Big Red's on its way to offering shared data plans in the near future. [Droid-Life] Rumors have flown for some time about LG's attempt at reviving the Prada series by introducing the K2 (aka the P940), and now we're finally starting to see images of the Android device leak out. Apparently, it'll be less than 9mm thin, offer an 8MP camera, 1.3MP front-facing cam, 21Mbps HSPA+ and have a 4.3-inch display with 1,000 nits of brightness. [PhoneArena via UnwiredView] Research in Motion announced BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365, which extends Microsoft Exchange Online to the BlackBerry lineup. It's geared toward midsized businesses and enterprises. Head to the source for the details. [Microsoft-News]
Microsoft and Brightpoint buddy up to deliver Windows Phone to Middle East and Africa
Microsoft's sights have clearly been set on expanding its Windows Phone empire into emerging markets, considering its recent interest in developing Tango, a low-cost version of its mobile OS due out next year. But the company's expansion strategy doesn't just get put on hold in the meantime -- Redmond announced a new partnership with Brightpoint, effectively adding the North African and Middle East markets to its Mango distribution list. Individual countries will have access to the Windows Phone Online Shop before the end of the year. We imagine there's quite a few anxious souls in the region who've been looking to get their hands on these devices for a long time now, but that wait is almost over.
Microsoft doles out the dough to Nokia and Samsung, plans Mango marketing bonanza for year's end
Know who loves it when other OEMs call him big poppa? Ballmer, that's who. So much so that he's opened up the company's coffers to Nokia and Samsung for a holiday blitz of Mango marketing. Hold onto your hats though, it's no carte blanche access to Redmond's Gringotts. According to a report on Mobile Magazine, inside sources claim MS has set aside ₤28 million (about $44 million) for the endeavor, with about ₤20 million of that reserved for Nokia's first Windows Phone 7.5 handset. This joint marketing effort is reportedly a broader extension of the cooperative agreements all parties agreed to, ensuring future WP devices get the media saturation they deserve. So, keep your eyes peeled this upcoming winter. We have a feeling you won't be able to escape the commercial onslaught, anyway.
Clearwire announces deal with China Mobile to accelerate TD-LTE deployment
The world's largest mobile operator and the heretofore scrappy WiMAX provider have linked arms to accelerate the rollout and adoption of time-division LTE (TD-LTE) across China. While there's little chatter about an infrastructure build-up itself, China Mobile and Clearwire have established an agreement "to cultivate a robust device ecosystem that supports multi-mode, multi-band devices with minimum component complexity and cost," with particular emphasis on the common 2.5GHz spectrum. More specifically, the collaboration will work to build up a high volume of TD-LTE chipsets and devices for commercial availability in 2012. If Sprint were to purchase (or make a significant investment in) Clearwire, this deal could be especially important, but for the time being, the company is finding some independence from the uncomfortable love triangle that's brewing between itself, Sprint and LightSquared. While there's no telling what sort announcement will come on October 7th, it's nice to see Clearwire secure an international lover that's willing to commit to a shared LTE vision. You'll find the full PR after the break.
Samsung, NTT DoCoMo to develop smartphone chips in proposed joint venture
Qualcomm may be facing some new competition in the mobile chip space, now that NTT DoCoMo and three other Japanese firms are looking to join forces with Samsung. According to Japan's Nikkei business daily, the quartet of firms (which includes Fujitsu, NEC and Panasonic's mobile unit) is currently finalizing negotiations with Samsung over a proposed joint venture that would design, develop and market smartphone chips. The partners are reportedly planning to incorporate the new chips into their own devices, while selling them to other handset manufacturers, as well. DoCoMo would hold a majority stake in the ¥30 billion (about $390 million) partnership, which could help lower procurement costs, while reducing the partners' dependency upon industry-leading Qualcomm. A DoCoMo spokesman acknowledged that the provider is exploring a variety of collaborations, but was quick to point out that nothing's been finalized. Samsung and Fujitsu, meanwhile, have yet to comment.
Spotify to lay down beats for Ford (update: it's a hack)
It's only been two months since Spotify made its stateside debut, and it's already getting in bed with an American staple. No, it hasn't struck a deal with Beyonce or Britney, but the fine folks at Autoblog are reporting that the streaming music service will make its way into vehicles sporting the Ford SYNC AppLink system "in the near future." Details are otherwise vague, but we'd be interested to hear how the outfit's "exclusive automotive advertising partner" feels about the deal. Update: Turns out this partnership isn't of the official kind. The folks at Spotify were actually on hand at the TechCrunch Disrupt Hack-a-Thon to show off "how easy it is for developers to create voice-enabled smartphone apps using the SYNC API." Looks like Chevy's got nothing to be jealous about after all.
IBM and 3M join forces to fab 3D microchips, create mini-silicon skyscraper valley
3D hype is fast wearing out its welcome, but there's at least one area of industry where the buzzed about term could usher in true innovation. Announced today as a joint research project, IBM and 3M will work towards the creation of a new breed of microprocessors. Unlike similar three-dimensional semiconductor efforts by Intel, the two newly partnered outfits plan to stack up to 100 layers of chips atop one another resulting in a microchip "brick." Under the agreement, IBM will contribute its expertise on packaging the new processors, while 3M will get to work developing an adhesive that can not only be applied in batches, but'll also allow for heat transfer without crippling logic circuitry. If the companies' boasts are to be believed, these powerhouse computing towers would cram memory and networking into a "computer chip 1,000 times faster than today's fastest microprocessor enabling more powerful smartphones, tablets, computers and gaming devices." That's a heady claim for a tech that doesn't yet exist, but is already taking swings at current faux 3D transistors. Official presser and video await you after the break.
Baidu, Dell join forces to produce line of smartphones and tablets in China
Just a few days after introducing its own Android-like OS, Baidu is now looking to expand its mobile reach to the hardware front, with the help of Dell. According to Reuters, the Chinese search giant has joined forces with the PC manufacturer to produce a line of tablets and smartphones within China, in the hopes of capitalizing on a market of more than 900 million mobile subscribers. A Dell spokeswoman declined to offer a launch date for the new line of products, but sources close to the matter say they could launch as early as November. Details on the devices remain equally opaque, though Dell seems intent on resurrecting its tablet / handset unit, following the demise of the Streak 5. "We have a partnership with Baidu and you know we have the Streak 5 tablet, so the partnership will be in that space," the company's rep explained, adding that future releases would involve Baidu's mobile app platform, as well. Today's announcement also comes after Dell's Chinese sales grew by 22 percent during the first quarter of this year, though it remains to be seen whether or not this alliance will have much affect on a market currently dominated by Apple and Lenovo.
Sprint Strategy Update coming on October 7th, significant 4G plans likely to be unveiled
Sprint's Dan Hesse told us point-blank back in July that he was penning a "great story around 4G" for this fall, and it looks as if October 7th will be the date that it "all becomes clear." We just received an invitation to quite the atypical event -- a "strategy update" for the press to cover in New York City. All we're told is that presentations by senior management will be on tap, with a sure-to-be-lively Q&A session to follow. 'Course, this may all be a ploy to waste our precious time on a precious Friday in autumn, but something tells us Sprint ain't exactly in a position to be blowing cash on a Hot Air session. So, what's on deck? Let's count the possibilities: more details on its side regarding the iPhone 5? A full-on acquisition of Clearwire (plus a shift to LTE-Advanced)? More details on that elusive LightSquared arrangement? A merger with AT&T&T to create the largest telecommunications provider this side of Pluto? We'll be there to find out, but for now, hypotheses are being accepted in comments below.
Ford partners with Toyota to share technology, create new hybrid system for trucks and SUVs
Ford of course knows a lot about trucks, and Toyota has a couple decades of hybrid knowledge in its back pocket. So, if you were looking to make a hybrid truck, wouldn't you want to bring these corporate titans together? Shockingly that's actually coming to pass, with the two companies announcing a "memorandum of understanding" today that will see them acting as "equal partners" to create a new rear-wheel drive hybrid platform intended for light trucks and SUVs -- but sadly not sports cars. That platform is expected to be completed by sometime next year, but the two will also be sharing data to advance infotainment and in-car technology systems, meaning someday your Entune might talk to your Sync and the whole telematics world could be a better place.
Sprint and LightSquared confirm agreement, 15 years worth of LTE network sharing and more
The rumors were true, but given the long, torrid affair between these two it shouldn't be a surprise. Sprint and LightSquared have confirmed their intentions to the world, stepping into a whopping 15 year agreement that will be worth $9 billion in cash for Sprint and will save LightSquared an estimated $13 billion. LightSquared will have the right to sell access to Sprint's burgeoning LTE network, while Sprint can also piggy-back on the other's existing capacity where needed. Additionally, LightSquared will be able to roam on Sprint's current 3G network, opening new doors for one while helping the other accelerate its apparent transition to LTE. This is of course good news for Sprint and naturally for LightSquared, which is trying desperately to put the whole GPS fiasco behind it. The loser? Clearwire, we'd say -- and WiMAX in general.
RadioShack ditches T-Mobile for Verizon, switcheroo happens September 15th
Well, it looks like T-Mobile is no longer on friendly enough terms with Radio Shack to call it "The Shack." The retailer announced today that it's ending its partnership with the carrier in favor of a new one with rival Verizon, which will be joining current partners AT&T and Sprint. The last day to buy a T-Mobile phone or service plan at The Shack will be September 14th, with Verizon moving in and setting up shop the very next day. As Reuters notes, however, the move isn't all that surprising -- the partnership has apparently been both an unprofitable one and a rocky one, with Radio Shack recently alleging that T-Mobile had "materially breached" its contract. While that's a bit of a blow for T-Mobile, the move seems to be working out quite well for Radio Shack -- its stock has already shot up more than 20 percent today on the news.
Square Enix invites Championship Manager into the MMO club
The incredibly popular football (read: soccer) video game franchise Championship Manager is about ready to take the jump into MMO-space -- and Square Enix will be there to hold its hand all the way. The studio announced today that it will be publishing Championship Manager: World of Football, a free-to-play browser-based title for sports fanatics. Developed by Beautiful Game Studios and Shanda Games, Championship Manager will initially launch in China with a possible international release later down the road. A beta for the title is to be announced shortly. This is a further indication of the shape of the partnership between Square Enix and Shanda Games, which we reported on last year. The Championship Manager franchise dates back to 1992, with recent versions created by Beautiful Game Studios.
ZTE emerges from carrier shadows with direct sales strategy in UK
In spite of Nokia still reeling from its direct sales-induced hangover, ZTE is pursuing this very sales model with hopes of bolstering its brand recognition -- and it's going to start with the tea and crumpets crowd of England. Following a recently-inked deal, unlocked ZTE handsets will be sold to British consumers through Brightpoint's online and retail distribution channels. While far from mainstream (despite 60 million units sold in 2010), the Chinese manufacturer is looking to escape its private-label shackles and "become a household name synonymous with high quality smartphones and tablets." Of course, the company must contend with a trending consumer preference for carrier-subsidized handsets, blamed by the bigwigs in Espoo as the reason for Nokia's direct-to-consumer pains. Still, if the Shenzhen-based company finds any luck, Londoners will soon discover scores of Amigos, Blades and Skates popping up on the Tube. Hungry for more details? Just follow the link after the break for the full PR.
Alienware adds jitter-killing Killer Wireless-N technology to M18x, M17x, M14x and M11x
And this, friends, is how you make the leap into the mainstream. Bigfoot Networks has been toiling away in an effort to get its gaming-optimized networking guts into just about everything -- there's also a VisionTek GPU with Killer innards, and a trifecta of mainboard makers announced that they too would be joining the bustling integration party earlier in the year. Now, however, the outfit's really got something to hang its hat on: a handshake with Dell's Alienware unit. The Killer Wireless-N 1103 networking adapter will now be listed as an option for the Alienware M18x, M17x, M14x and M11x, promising data rates as high as 450Mbps as well as its Advanced Stream Detect to intelligently classify and prioritize network traffic. Mum's the word on how much the upgrade will be, but based on prior reviews, we'd say the premium will be well worth it for the hardcore among us.
CCP partners with Nexon to release EVE Online in Japan [Updated]
The Japanese games market can be difficult for western companies to break into, with accurate client localisation and translation acting as a huge potential roadblock. In an unexpected press release today, EVE Online developer CCP Games announced a strategic partnership with Japan-based MMO publisher Nexon to bring both EVE Online and DUST 514 to the Japanese market. EVE is currently available in English, German and Russian, and Japanese players have so far found considerable difficulty in playing the game. Unlike EVE's Chinese release, the Japanese client will connect to the main Tranquility game server. Nexon will add the game to its portal website and use its own billing system for Japanese subscribers. As we've seen with EVE's sizeable Russian playerbase, it's likely that entire alliances and communities will build up within the game once it hits the shelves in Japan. While the language barrier between players from different parts of the world can limit social interaction, it turns out that everyone understands the language of smashing internet spaceships to bits with lasers. The PC release of EVE Online in Japan will appear later this year. [Update: CCP has informed us that this deal with Nexon does not apply to anything DUST-related.]
Microsoft, Baidu strike China search deal
When it wanted to increase its search market share in the US, Microsoft sought out a partnership, resulting in a Yahoo-branded engine with Bing-flavored results. So, it seems natural that the company would look for a similar deal in China, the world's largest market, where the company only manages a presence of around one-percent of search. This time, however, Microsoft's managed a deal with the number one search engine, Baidu, which currently lays claim to three-quarters of the Chinese market -- far greater than Google's 20-percent or so. Baidu and MS announced a deal this week that will put Redmond in charge of English searches on the site. No money changed hands with the deal -- Baidu gets advertising revenue, Microsoft gets a larger slice of China's search pie, and we get an excuse to do an image search for Steve Ballmer on a Chinese search engine.
Facebook to launch in-browser video chat powered by Skype?
Microsoft's $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype hasn't closed yet, but it looks like Redmond is already working behind the scenes to make the service even more ubiquitous. According to an anonymous source interviewed by TechCrunch, Facebook is going to introduce video chat next week, and that service will be powered by none other than Skype. And while the service will be browser-based, it's also said to include a desktop component. We'd say none of that sounds too fantastical -- video calls would be a logical extension of Facebook chat, and let's not forget about the $240 million Microsoft invested in the site back in 2007. What's more, Facebook sent out invites for an event next week, where Mark Zuckerberg was clear the outfit would unveil a new product from its Seattle team. That's in Microsoft's backyard, of course, the invites themselves have chat icons on 'em, and, most tellingly, that Seattle office has been snapping up engineers specializing in desktop software. All told, that adds up to a likely true story to us, but we won't know for sure until the long, beachy weekend is through.
NetTalk joins forces with LightSquared, enters the cellular arena
MagicJack rival NetTalk is planning to crawl out of the infomercial doldrums and launch its own, branded LTE wireless service with the aid of LightSquared. See, when the cellular wholesaler is done taking out GPS signals it plans to sell space on its network to other companies who will then market it to consumers -- and NetTalk wants to be one of those companies. Obviously, offering mobile voice and data is new territory for the VoIP provider but, as always, more competition on the cellular scene is quite welcome. It's still too early for details like pricing, features, or devices, but we do have some lovely PR after the break.
British Library and Google Books partner up to digitize 250,000 out-of-copyright works
Oh paper, ye olde guardian of human wisdom, culture, and history, why must you be so fragile and voluminous? Not a question we ask ourselves every day, admittedly, but when you're talking about the British Library's extensive collection of tomes from the 18th and 19th century, those books, pamphlets and periodicals do stack up pretty quickly. Thankfully, Google's book digitization project has come to the rescue of bewildered researchers, with a new partnership with the British Library that will result in the availability of digital copies of works from that period -- spanning the time of the French and Industrial Revolutions, the Crimean War, the invention of the telegraph, and the end of slavery. In total, some 250,000 such items, all of them long out of copyright, will find a home on Google Books and the British Library's website, and Google has even been nice enough to bear the full cost of transforming them into web-accessible gems of knowledge. Jump past the break for the similarly digital press release.
