Microsoft nails Silverlight's future to Windows Phones
In the first half of 2011, Microsoft will deliver the Portable Library Project, which lets Silverlight programmers deploy apps for as many different types of devices as possible. It was released as a preview on Thursday. The idea is to offer a single version of Silverlight than runs the same code across multiple devices – rather than build separate PC, browser, and phone versions of the platform. On the PC and in the browser, Silverlight has officially given way to HTML5. But it is now Microsoft's official platform for building Windows Phone applications.
Google Nexus Two 'lands November 8'
The Nexus Two will arrive on November 8, according to a blog post citing multiple unnamed sources. This seems to mean that Google and Samsung will unveil a phone with software designed solely by Google, which may or may not get you excited. It's also rumored that this will be the first device to use Gingerbread, the latest incarnation of Google's Android OS, which is a bit more interesting. Android and Me reports that Google and Samsung will unveil this mystery Android handset at a Samsung press event in New York City. Samsung is indeed holding a press event that day, and it would hardly surprise us if the company unveiled a Gingerbread phone.
China Unicom January-September net down 65% on handset subsidies
China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd. said Friday its January-September net profit plummeted 65% from a year earlier, due to depreciation costs related to its third-generation business and selling expenses including 3G handset subsidies. China's second-largest mobile operator by subscribers after China Mobile Ltd. said 3G-related handset subsidies totaled CNY2.99 billion in the nine months ended Sept. 30, of which almost 61%, or CNY1.82 billion, was disbursed in the third quarter. Depreciation and amortization in the nine-month period was CNY40.54 billion, up 15% from CNY35.17 billion a year earlier.
Clearwire clears logistical hurdles in New York 4G rollout
WiMAX operator deploys hundreds of picocells to boost indoor coverage in Manhattan. Clearwire Corp. has recently accelerated the local deployment of its fourth-generation network, turning on a new 4G cellular site every 90 minutes as it races to get the service ready for the New York area. On Monday, New Yorkers with an Evo 4G or Epic smartphone will be able to tap into the 4G network, which Clearwire claims is three to six times as fast as a 3G wireless connection. The 4G service will be available throughout New York City and the northern part of New Jersey.
Product mix to drive Samsung in Q4
Handset manufacturer Samsung said sales of ‘flagship smartphones’, including the Galaxy S and Wave, helped it post solid profit growth in Q3, with ‘enhanced product mix’ to meet seasonal demand in Q4. Handset sales increased 12 per cent during the quarter, with the telecommunications business, including the mobile communications and telecommunication networks operations, recording operating profit of 1.13 trillion won (£630 million) off revenue of 11.12 trillion won (£6.2 billion).
Voda shows ‘teeth’ in small business market
Vodafone made clear last week it expects its family of unified communications products to set it apart from O2 and Orange in the business market, and win it significant share from them. Vodafone UK last week confirmed launch of its cut-down OneNet Express unified communications proposition for small businesses, typically of 1-10 seats. The product sits alongside its full-blown One offer for corporations and its OneNet service for SMEs, both available for some months.
Handsets batter LG profits
LG Electronics' profit crashed 99% in the September quarter on tumbling handset sales. LG's quarterly profit shrank to 8 billion won (€5.1 million) from 807 billion won in 3Q09. The handset division shipped 28.4 million devices - 32% fewer than in Q209. Revenue at the unit fell 30%, and it swung year-on-year to a 326 million won operating loss. Earnings increased or stayed flat in every other subsidiary. Mobile phone shipments declined in North America and Europe, which together account for over 50% of shipments, but increased in Korea and some emerging markets.
Acision Powers Mexican Messaging Service
Mexican mobile operator Telcel has launched its Smart SMS service, based upon Acision’s Message Plus solution. The service will offer Telcel’s 61.2m users personalised messaging services which Acision says will generate new revenue streams for the operator. The Acision solution includes key components of Acision’s Open Data Services Architecture, such as Acision Message Plus, Acision Online Message Store and Acision’s Mobile Data Charging solution. When sending and receiving text messages, Telcel users will now have the ability to send automatic replies, forward or copy messages to another number or email address, block messages from certain mobile numbers, and access stored messages online.
Research Highlights Mobile Internet Opportunity in Brazil
New consumer research commissioned by Acision and carried out by QuantiNet has identified substantial untapped potential for mobile broadband providers in Brazil. Two thirds of the 65 per cent of respondents who could access the mobile internet on their device are not actually doing so, which indicates that there are approximately 44m Brazilian consumers that operators can still reach with mobile internet services. In particular, the research identifies 14 per cent of non-mobile internet users stating that they are currently considering taking the service, representing over 6m potential new customers. Another 16 per cent are unaware of the advantages and types of services the mobile internet provides, representing a further 7.3m untapped customers.
Intel opens Vietnamese chip shop
Intel on Friday announced the opening of a $1 billion, 45,000-square-metre chip packaging and testing facility in Vietnam, saying this would be its biggest such factory in the world. The factory won't make chips. Rather it will test and package up silicon sent from Intel fabs elsewhere. "Assembly and test is a critical final step in the end-to-end manufacturing of Intel’s silicon products," the company said. The most common products handled at the plant will be chipsets for laptops and mobile devices, it added. The chip maker also opened a $2.5 billion chip fab in China, this week, a plant that actually produces chips.
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