Near field communications technology, the name certainly rings a bell for anyone who has been keeping tabs on the latest tech news. Apple was the first major company to jump into the bandwagon by acquiring an NFC specialist company earlier this year. While actually implementation and application of the technology has yet to pass, it is hard to deny the Cupertino based company’s knack for being one step ahead of innovative trends.
And they are most probably right on their hunch. Nokia has already installed NFC chips on some of their newer smart phones with hardware activation simply a matter of releasing an update to the OS. Samsung, currently one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry has also confirmed that they will be making use of NFC technology on their smart phones starting next year (which is less than a month away).
But is NFC what we really need? The most likely answer is yes. Despite some of the security concerns and other matters that people usually shrink away from, the fact that most of today’s smart phones today already contain so much sensitive and personal information means that the application of NFC technology will hardly be hindered by privacy concerns.
The applications will range in a wide variety of uses. The most often given examples include the use of smart phones for micro transactions –from banking to purchases, phones with NFC technology may be used in order to pay for a wide variety of goods or for transferring funds. Other applications include using the technology as an electronic lock opener, as an identification device and more.
Thanks to the advent of new encryption technology that allows NFC to be more secure and stable, the application of this new phone feature in our daily lives may expand to even more uses.
Posts Tagged ‘Nokia’
Future Forecast: More NFC in Smart Phones
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010Quick Run: Today’s Mobile News
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
Nokia is one very busy company. Despite the rough start this year with news reports that the Finnish phone maker is losing its grip on the mobile phone industry and how the Google Android OS is fast catching up with the Symbian mobile platform, the fact of the matter is that Nokia is still able to keep hold of its target market.
Just a while back, the Symbian Foundation has officially announced that all support pages for the Symbian OS will be shutting down; this includes access to resources such as dev kits and more importantly source code (despite the fact that the Symbian OS has become an open source platform earlier this year). The move from a Foundation to a licensing company has been instigated by a recent announcement by the EC that Symbian Foundation will be leading the SYMBOESE project.
At the same time, Nokia is currently busy with the N9 smart phone. This MeeGo powered handset was supposedly delayed from launch due to the Nokia N8 being pushed back months behind the intended schedule. With no new word about the Intel and Nokia developed platform, the disinterest in Nokia’s products might continue.
Still, this does not mean that the Finnish company is all out. The X7-00 has been announced just recently and from what we have seen, this Symbian^3 powered smart phones can do some incredible things. Need for Speed Drift was shown off in a demonstration video and judging from the smoothness of the graphics and the performance of the game, this phone has a pretty good CPU.
In other news, Apple’s iPad touch screen tablet is finally going to be available in cheaper monthly tariff rates. The iOS powered, 9.7 inch tablet will be available through Orange Mobile, T-Mobile and 3 UK at varying rates. While the device is definitely getting a new price tag, Flash support is still absent.
Smart Phones: the Latest Developments
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
Nokia has announced that they are focused working on the power failure issues that are affecting the Nokia N8 Symbian^3 smart phone. Following a recent new update from retailers that have held off from selling the device (due to high return rates), it appears that a major issue concerning the device’s hardware has been spotted. So far, it has not been confirmed if a software-based fix would suffice or if this issue can only be repaired by actually fixing the hardware itself.
Korean phone maker Samsung has announced that it will have a pretty large lineup of Windows Phone 7 devices. In fact more than half the device they produce will be made of WP7 phones while the remaining 40% goes to Galaxy Android devices and the remainder will be Bada based handsets. For those not familiar, the Bada OS is a proprietary open source mobile platform developed by Samsung for its mobile handsets. So far, over a million Bada devices has been sold.
Another HTC phone is being rumored to be launching in the US first –with no confirmation of a possible UK release date: the HTC Knight. So far, initial details on the device show that it will be a 4G capable smart phone. Once again, here is to hoping that the device will be getting a name change then gets shipped locally to the UK.
Cupertino based Apple has announced that they will not continue with the development of the embedded SIM card. This is after many local network operators have stated that if Apple pushes through with the plan to create embedded SIM cards on their devices, they would start boycotting all of Apple’s devices –including the iPhone 4.
Originally, Gemalto was supposed to develop and manufacture the sim cards. Apple has had a very outstanding relationship with operators and unlike with other phone makers and developers, Apple cannot afford to antagonize the local networks.
NFC Technology in Our Mobile Phones
Wednesday, November 17th, 2010There is no doubt that near field communications (NFC) technology is the next big thing for portable electronic devices. Not just mobile phones mind you, this applies to plenty of other handheld electronics such as tablets, gaming devices, and media players. Of course, the implementation of the technology is still a little far down the road, right now, manufacturers have only begun to start adding in the hardware to next generation devices.
The NFC excitement pretty much drew on the initial news that earlier this year, Apple started venturing into it. After a small company acquisition, Apple now holds the patents and technologies to some NFC-specific hardware. There are plenty of rumors that the next iPhone will have embedded NFC capable hardware.
But the Cupertino based company is not alone, Finish phone maker (and largest one to boot) Nokia has already taken the initiative to actually make a mobile device that actually has the necessary hardware: the Nokia C7. Of course, actually being able to use the NFC chip is currently disabled on the device, though the latest update is that it will be activated with an upcoming patch.
Lastly, Google has confirmed that the Gingerbread OS is prepared for using NFC and some Gingerbread specific handsets will be launched –packed with NFC hardware. This means that the fastest growing operating system, Android, will also be NNFC ready pretty soon.
Judging from that, it is pretty easy to see how the NFC can be easily spread out. The only question now is how the technology will be used. One of the most basic, yet really important functions that the feature could serve is direct device connectivity. While WiFi and Bluetooth have both proven to be reliable, NFC promises a faster and stronger connection –with the slight compromise of device proximity.
Future Forecast: Mobile Patent Infringement Lawsuits to Continue
Thursday, November 11th, 2010
If you have been keeping tabs on all of the mobile news that has been happening in the past couple of years, the number of lawsuits between manufacturers is pretty interesting to see. While the volume has not reached hundreds (which would be ridiculous), the fact that the number of lawsuits has long gone up the double digits goes to show that there is much to be earned and lost in the patent wars.
But why would these be important? While it may not seem like much, a successful lawsuit would have the target of the lawsuit cease production, shipment and sales of a certain handset –not to mention having to pay off a certain amount per handset. This is more than just making a competitor lose sales, but also about making a heavy profit. Phones ship out in the hundred thousands; more successful devices ship out in millions. Even a payoff of a small amount per handset would equate into an incredibly large sum.
Add to this equation that patent lawsuits do not target a specific device –but a specific technology that might be used in a series of handsets.
Of course, there is plenty of bad blood between mobile phone companies –and that that tend to overuse the legal approach are heavily antagonized by their competitors. As much as Steve Jobs tends to be abrasive with his comments and retorts, it is Apple’s tendency to keep sending out their legal hounds at almost every turn that has given the Cupertino based company quite a reputation.
Naturally, favorite targets include Google, Nokia and most of the industry’s heavy hitters. Especially for smaller electronic manufacturers who have been able to file an old patent that they never developed but have been re-discovered by another company; in a tech legal crunch that certainly goes lower than internet URL squatting, patent trapping is one of the worst practices that small companies rely on for big payoffs.
Mobile News Updates: Symbian and Nokia, Mobile Scams
Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
Many smart phone users are being advised to be cautious and careful about their browsing and email habits when using mobile phones. According to reports, more people are scammed by mobile schemes than those on desktop computers. Overall, mobile scammers are able to cheat more people out of their hard earned money using various tactics ranging from email scams to identity theft.
In any case, the basic security protocols are true: if the deal sounds too good, or offers too much reward for hardly any effort at all, then it is likely a scam. This is also the same for any offer that promises large payouts.
The basic red signs for these scams include emails from people you do not know at all, and of course, when someone asks for money. Calls that require users to contact specific paid numbers are also part of mobile scams. In any case, the public is warned that mobile scamming is on a continuous rise.
In other news, the Symbian Foundation has just moved on from a non-profit organization to a licensing group. This latest development from Nokia shows that there is still life in the mobile platform despite the bad sales performance of the OS this year. Nokia has bought out the Foundation over two years ago and has been a long time partner for Symbian. Despite Sony Ericsson and Samsung announcing that they would no longer support the OS, Nokia has taken in Symbian instead.
Just recently, the European commission announced that they have granted the Symbian Foundation a large financial net with which, the development of SYMBOESE would begin. This new mobile platform is meant to bring together 22 technological companies across Europe together for a single, uniform platform.
Nokia will now be taking direct control of the development of new software under the Symbian name –this move might have given the ancient operating system the strength it needs to take on the fast growing Android mobile platform.
Why We Need Eco Friendly Phones
Monday, October 25th, 2010
It may not seem like a big deal, after all, with all the green house gas emissions that are visibly seen rising from smokestacks, car exhausts and other typical icons for pollution, the mobile phone is the last piece of technology that people would attribute CO2 emissions with.
But that is why the mobile phone is such a dangerous culprit –it is so deceptively innocent that nobody wants to do anything about it. Sony Ericsson has already started calling some shots by opening up the Green Heart program and creating phones from recycled material, using energy efficient hardware and also, making use of better packaging.
The green innovation does not stop there for Sony, but that does not account for the rest of the several other mobile phone companies. Even if Nokia already has the green approval from Greenpeace –they even scored higher than Sony Ericsson, the fact of the matter is that many other phone makers need to follow suit.
For a basic example of why phone energy usage needs to be streamlined, a basic math conversion goes like this: for every two minutes of phone usage each day, a mobile phone leaves a carbon footprint of about 42 kilograms of carbon dioxide each year. And that is just for two minutes. With the use of mobile phones now extended to being used as cameras, instant messaging, web browsing, media playback and more, the average usage time of a mobile phone has been extended up to an hour on average –and that actually beats the carbon footprint of flying from London to New York.
It will certainly be a while before the smart phone industry is able to catch up with ecological demands. But in the meantime, it is important for consumers to be aware of the actual effects of mobile phone usage and how crucial it is for people to start supporting green devices.
Consumer View: Do We Want More from Nokia?
Friday, October 22nd, 2010With all the focus on the newer operating systems such as the latest Android incarnations (rumors now point to a version 4.0 in the works), the just-launched Windows Phone 7 and of course, Apple’s iOS, there is very little doubt that older names and brands such as Nokia and the Symbian are getting left behind.
Several months ago, a consumer study revealed that the phone market is losing interest in the Nokia and Symbian brand labels. With all the low end Nokia phones and the ever basic Symbian S-series mobile platform, it appeared that the two brands were cohesively on the path to being obsolete. Even the launch of the Maemo last 2009 was not enough to change people’s minds.
Nokia has since taken a new approach, while the Symbian is not proving itself to be a strong enough contender for the OS wars, the Finnish phone maker has teamed up with Intel to develop the MeeGo OS.
At this point, it is much too early to say that the MeeGo would be an exciting platform. At the very least, it should be good. The new OS is based on both the Maemo and the Moblin –both of which are actually pretty good operating systems and the decision for two companies to team up and deliver a single platform is certainly going to bring in a lot of interest.
At this point however, Nokia needs to regain its public standing. The constant delays in the launch of the N8, decreasing unit sales, and even a major change in the internal structure are certainly shaking things up internally. But from a consumer standpoint, Nokia is still dawdling in a corner.
Right now, there is a considerable lack of interest and hype about Nokia’s upcoming phones and unless the Symbian^3 proves to be a breakthrough platform, the Finnish phone maker will have to consider getting all of its focus on just one OS.
Symbian Platform’s Future is Not Looking Good
Thursday, October 21st, 2010It has just been announced that Symbian’s head honcho, Lee Williams has decided to leave his post due to personal reasons. When the executive officer of a major mobile phone OS developer suddenly ups and leaves during a very important time; that is sure sign that things are really not going well.
Nokia purchased the Symbian Software Company over two years ago, and prior to that, the two companies have been pretty much what would be considered as industry partners. However, recent events have shown that the bond between the two has been shaky, and as such, the Symbian Foundation is facing a very dark future.
Last year, Nokia pushed ahead with the development of the Maemo operating system. Despite the fact that the Symbian S60 was still being used as the newest OS for the Finnish phone maker, the N900 launch with the open source Maemo (to a certain degree of success too) which has shown that Nokia does not rely on the Symbian alone.
While no new Maemo devices has been developed since then, the fact that Nokia has teamed up with Intel(and thus, they developed the Moblin OS) is certainly looking bad for the Symbian. Add in the recent announcement from both phone makers Sony Ericsson and Samsung that they will cease to use the Symbian platform and we have a very distinct sign that there might not be any S^4 in the future.
All of this naturally places a heavy burden on the Symbian^3 toting Nokia N8 and Nokia C7. The two devices are going to make or break the future of the mobile platform in order to determine whether it will be able to survive in the current generation of mobile phone operating systems or whether this will be end for the most well distributed platform developer.
Mobile Industry News: SE Profits, Palm Hires and Google Soars
Monday, October 18th, 2010
It seems that the folks at HP are pretty serious about bringing their game to the smart phone industry. With the buyout of Palm already well and done, the time to start focusing on new projects is at hand, and as predicted, HP will need some pretty strong players on their team to keep up with the competition.
Former Nokia-MeeGo head Ari Jaaski and Samsung’s Victoria Coleman (who was previously the head of the R&D for the Korean phone maker) are reportedly joining in the ranks of HP’s top ranking officials. Right now, HP has not yet given a public statement regarding their long terms plans for the smart phone industry.
But with some rather impressive people on their side, the patents and technologies of Palm (including the famous WebOS), and HP’s long experience in the tech industry, we can expect nothing but some of the best mobile phones ever conceived.
Sony Ericsson is certainly enjoying seeing plenty of profits this year. While they may have had a pretty rough time in the past couple of years, the Swedish Japanese joint venture is now back in the game with a great lineup of mobile handsets and of course, plenty of revenue. Technically, Sony is making fewer sales. The volumes of handsets that have been shipped out are slightly lower than the previous months, but it is the actual profit they are making that has gone up. Thanks to the Android XPERIA lineup, as well as their Greenheart line of handsets, SE looks set to start claiming back its throne from Samsung pretty soon.
Lastly, Google has reported that the Q3 growth of the company has continued. In fact, the overall profit for Google is said to be around the range of 600 million GBP. With more than half a billion in revenue, there is little doubt that Google’s growth is going to stop anytime soon.