Employees using own gadgets 'more productive'
According to a YouGov survey, businesses who let employees use their own technology see productivity increases of up to 30 per cent. Citrix Online, which commissioned the study, even goes so far as simply giving their staff a budget and telling them to buy their own devices. As more software becomes web-based, the details of the hardware matter less and less. That makes it more important than ever that technology is as good for the home as it is for the office – with 45 per cent of businesses already allowing employees to use their own computer equipment, the number of reasons to put up with poor kit are diminishing. More than half of the companies Citrix surveyed didn’t even know what devices all their employees were using. But in 50 per cent of cases, a personal device offers greater functionality or flexibility than the one provided by the employer.
Intel, Samsung set to shake up foundry game
A report suggested that the pure play foundry business is due for something of a revolution as GlobalFoundries takes market share from companies like TSMC and UMC. The arrival of Intel and Samsung as foundry players will also erode market shares of established players, according to a report from Fitch Ratings. Taiwan Semiconductor Marketing Co (TSMC) currently rules the foundry roost, with 50 percent market share. GlobalFoundries – a spin off from AMD has about 12 percent market share while United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) has 10 percent market share, according to the Taipei Times, which published the Fitch Ratings findings.
Verizon and AT&T LTE phones will be incompatible
Verizon Wireless has confirmed that its 4G phones will not work on other US LTE networks, according to a report from PC Mag. Executive director of corporate communications Brenda Raney explained that the incompatibility was due to the phones operating on different frequencies, dashing the hopes of those who may wish to have switched from Verizon to AT&T’s forthcoming LTE service. Like Verizon, AT&T will be using the 700MHz frequencies for LTE but Verizon is using 746-787MHz, while AT&T is using 704-746MHz. This sub-band specificity will mean that the devices will remain incompatible. Phone calls will also be an issue as while Verizon using CDMA for 2G and 3G, AT&T is GSM/HSPA based. Verizon plans to launch Voice over LTE (VoLTE) in 2012, while MetroPCS, the first US operator to launch LTE, is planning VoLTE trials for later in 2011.
HTC found to have infringed two Apple patents
The U.S. International Trade Commission has decided that Taiwanese phone maker HTC has infringed two Apple patents in its Android-based handsets. Apple's original complaint encompassed some ten patents. The ITC decided that two had been infringed by HTC in its implementation of Android. The decision - if upheld - could see HTC Android phones banned from the US. It could also mean that Android devices made by other manufacturers may be in danger of being found to infringe the patents, one of which is a "system and method for performing an action on a structure in computer-generated data.” (U.S. Patent No. 5,946,647) and the second is a “real-time signal processing system for serially transmitted data” (U.S. Patent No. 6,343,263)
Google reveals latest Android growth stats
ZTE is looking to extend the reach of its smartphone sales in a collaborative effort with Brightpoint, which will see ZTE handsets sold in the UK, under the ZTE brand. Brightpoint will be using its retail connections to put ZTE phones in a number of retail outlets. ZTE has seen some success for its handsets in the UK already. The ZTE Blade, for instance, which was rebranded here under the Orange San Francisco brand, received a favourable reception. In total ZTE shipped 60 million handsets last year and expects to sell 80 million this year, and believes that the UK specifically, and Europe more generally, will prove a key component in that growth.
Google accounts for 92 per cent of all UK internet searches
Analysts Experian Hitwise have released data showing June was Google's best month of 2011, with over 92 per cent of all searches by UK internet users being carried out on its search engine. Google Sites saw a 1.50 per cent increase in market share of searches in the UK in June, whilst Microsoft Sites lost 1.38 per cent during the month. Yahoo! Sites also lost market share by 0.11 per cent. "Google has certainly been dominant in search for the last ten years but even by Google’s high standards, to capture 92 per cent of the UK search market is quite an achievement," said Robin Goad, research director, Experian Hitwise.
O2 Priority Moments May Spark More LBS Schemes
O2 Priority Moments is the first timid step a major UK mobile phone operator has done in the field of location based services (LBS), one which will allow retailers to communicate more effectively with O2 customers. The company has invested a whopping £6 million in an above-the-line campaign that will showcase the array of deals from high street brands on offer; these will be exclusive to O2 to its 22 million or so customers based on their real time location. O2 marketing and consumer director Sally Cowdry said "This is not a tactical programme of cheap one-off deals – it’s about building a long-term, nationwide service that benefits both our customers and our partners. With Priority Moments we are bringing our customers exclusive, high-quality offers and experiences from their favourite brands, in a way that works for them."
App developers withdraw from US as patent fears reach 'tipping point'
App developers are withdrawing their products for sale from the US versions of Apple's App Store and Google's Android Market for fear of being sued by companies which own software patents - just as a Mumbai-based company has made a wide-ranging claim against Microsoft, Apple, Google, Yahoo and a number of other companies over Twitter-style feeds, for which it claims it has applied for a patent. Software patent owners in the US have latched onto potential revenue streams to be earned from independent developers by suing over perceived infringements of their intellectual property - which can be expensive for developers to defend even if they are successful. Now developers in Europe are retreating from the US to avoid the expense and concern such "patent trolls" are causing.
Poor memory? Blame Google
First it was a search engine. Then it became almost synonymous with the internet. Now Google is a replacement for the ancient human faculty of memory. Research by scientists at Columbia University has found that people are adapting their ability to remember because of the formidable power of search engines such as Google to remember things for them. In short, people no longer always need to know stuff; they just need to know where it can be found. The research, published in Science magazine, involved a series of experiments. In one, participants were given pieces of information to type into a computer. Half were told the computer would retain the information and the other half were told it would be erased.
Millennial Media Reports WinPhone7 Impression Surge
Millennial Media's Mobile Mix data for June 2011 has reported a 31 per cent rise in Windows Phone 7 ad impressions. RIM also demonstrated strong growth on Millennial's network, with a 29 per cent quarter-over-quarter growth. However, Android and iOS still dominate the Millennial smartphone ad impression landscape, with Android taking 54 per cent, and iOS 26 per cent of Millennial's ad impressions. RIM has 15 per cent and Windows Phone, 2 per cent. Apple's ad impressions grew by 18 per cent, while Android grew 11 per cent. Tablets and other non-phone devices also had a strong month, with connected devices growing 13 per cent in terms of ad impressions month-on-month, accounting for 18 per cent of all ad impressions on the Millennial Media network.
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