Digital Electronic News : October 2013

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Most Beautiful Items: October 19 - 26, 2013

A new week brings new questions. Like, how would one recreate the iOS 7 homescreen in Microsoft Word? Or should spires count toward a building's total height? If you've found yourself pondering these things, you can find your answers within the most beautiful items of the week.

Car aficionados will readily defend their favorite vehicles as rolling works of art, but art collector Walter Vanhaerent might be the only driver on earth who can definitively make that claim. Because his new Lexus IS 300h hybrid actually paints his portrait every time he hits the road.

Most Beautiful Items: October 19 - 26, 2013

SPhotographer Louis Helbig is archiving aerial views of Canadian villages drowned by the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway on his website Sunken Villages. The photos are haunting and gorgeous, almost emerald-like, but often difficult to read. Outlines of houses and roads barely emerge from the silt like scenes…

SA few weeks ago, a tiny gallery in London was transformed into a scene straight out of the 19th century. Amid piles of sand, a worker donned a silver apron and safety helmet and poured molten hot steel down a track to create long slabs of metal. The man in the apron was Raphael Hefti—not an industrial worker, but an…

SThere's something otherwordly about the optical illusions a single string—or 3,000 of them—can conjure up in our brains. It's almost as if a simple fiber installation holds a gateway to a whole other dimension—when, in fact, we're just looking at lines in space. Here, we take a closer look at seven visionaries who can…

SAt first glance, The Beautiful Future—a series of paintings made in Pyongyang, North Korea—looks like standard propaganda fare: Happy citizens, lush farmlands, and bustling industry. Except something's amiss: In the background of each painting stands an iconic piece of Beijing architecture—from the CCTV building to…

SIn a corner of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, on a factory floor that resembles an oversized assembly line, workers are building entire apartments in days. Most New Yorkers might not realize it, but the tallest prefab building in the country—and maybe the world—is currently taking shape not far from where they live. Gizmodo…

Observe, citizens, as this delightfully talented and probably unhinged gentleman recreates the iOS 7 from scratch using only the tools in Microsoft Word. There is no good explanation for this, but I still can't tear my eyes away from it.

SAn anything-goes approach to development is a time-honored tradition in New York (see: this plan to fill in the East River). But developers may be reaching a breaking point in Manhattan, where warehouses are being bought to build $100 million single-family homes.

SNew York City was a different place in the 1940s. It was a time before video billboards andLED lights, and skyscrapers were still a source of city-wide awe and pride. Everyone who lived in this glamorous city (and everyone who visited) wanted to show those architectural marvels off—and postcards were a perfect…

SHappy birthday, you old crumpled wave of steel, you! L.A.'s signature building opened to the public 10 years ago today, giving the city's downtown a much-needed civic boost and cementing architect Frank Gehry's status as a metal god. I wrote a story for this month's Los Angeles Magazine about the building's…

The Moon, Lasers, and the Ultimate James Bond Torture Device

This week, we learned that NASA can beam data to the moon — at a frankly astounding 622Mbps — using a high powered laser. Sounds like cutting edge modern tech? Perhaps. But it also sounds like the best weapon from the best scene of the best James Bond movie ever made: Goldfinger.

Auric Goldfinger is the gold-obsessed megalomaniac with a plan to take the world's precious metals market hostage. James Bond gets in the way, so Goldfinger puts him in the way of his newest destruction device:

You are looking at an industrial laser which emits an extraordinary light, not to be found in nature. It can project a spot on the moon — or at closer range, cut through solid metal. I will show you.

I don't need to tell you what happens next. You've memorized it, and the first half-dozen or so times you saw it, it made you squirm in your chair.

To me, this is the pinnacle of Bond bad guy moments. Goldfinger isn't making a tangential threat, a promise to harm England or the world or the only woman James Bond ever loved. This is pure visceral terror. And while this high tech torture device comes with all the right space-age buzzwords (lasers! the moon!), it's not so far outside the realm of reality. Given the audacious endeavors of later Bond villains, a rich businessman procuring an industrial laser to fillet his enemies seems downright plausible.

Tonight, fix yourself a drink (you know exactly which one) and settle in for a night of dashing and debonair world-saving. And hope nobody at NASA hatches an evil plan involving that laser. [Amazon]

Monday, October 28, 2013

China Unicom profit surge fuelled by 3G uptake

China Unicom reported improved profit and revenue for the first nine months of the year, as the company’s 3G business continued to drive growth.

The second-largest operator in China reported net profit of CNY8.37 billion ($1.38 billion) for the year to date, compared with CNY5.45 billion in the comparable 2012 period. Its revenue was CNY220.17 billion, up 18.9 per cent from CNY185.19 billion seen in the equivalent period in 2012.

Service revenue was CNY177.38 billion, up 13.6 per cent year on year. Mobile service revenue increased 20.2 per cent to CNY111.94 billion, with the 3G business contributing 57.8 per cent to the total compared to 45.9 per cent in 2012.

The net addition of 33.45 million mobile subscribers over the first nine months of the year brought the total to 272.76 million. The net addition of 3G subscribers was 35.17 million, meaning the total base of 3G subscribers hit 111.63 million by the end of September.

Average revenue per user for the period was CNY48.6, but was considerably higher for 3G subscribers, at CNY76.5.

The company said that it had reduced its 3G terminal subsidy cost as a percentage of 3G service revenue from 10.9 per cent in 2012 to 9 per cent from in 2013. The subsidy cost stood at CNY5.82 billion. Network, operation and support expenses also decreased as a percentage of service revenue, from 15.4 per cent to 13.9 per cent.

China Unicom said in a statement it had “continuously enhanced its network capacity and further expanded its network scale” during the period.

For its fixed line unit, the company claimed “stable growth” in service revenue, up 3.8 per cent to CNY64.82 billion. Its broadband operations generated 52.7 per cent of this, from 49.7 per cent in the first three quarters of 2012.

View the original article here

LINE maker plans Tokyo listing—report

The maker of the LINE messaging app is planning to list its business on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by next summer, according to Nikkei.

South Korea’s Naver Corp would be valued between JPY800 million ($8.23 million) and JPY1 billion if it goes public, the report said. The proceeds are expected to go towards advertising efforts and developing new apps.

It has previously been reported that Naver is considering listing the company on the US stock market.

Akira Morikawa, LINE Corporation CEO, said in August that the company is targeting 300 million users “within 2013”. To achieve this goal, it has been marketing its services globally with joint promotions in Indonesia, Malaysia and Mexico.

The company recently announced it had gained 10 million users in India, just three months after launching. The aim is for LINE to become the top smartphone communications app in India.

LINE is available in 231 countries in 16 languages and reportedly passed the 200 million user mark in July with particularly strong growth in Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Spain and Indonesia. The business reported a 349 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue for the second quarter.

Tencent’s WeChat has also been linked to an IPO but the company recently denied it has plans to spin off its messaging business.

View the original article here

Marmalade gets into publishing business

Cross platform tools company Marmalade opened a publishing division with the aim of providing developers with a simpler route to market.

Developers working with Marmalade Play will be able to launch across a range of app stores with titles supported by mobile-targeted promotions.

Massimo Caporale, head of Marmalade Play, said the company has been growing its publishing activity over the past few years, with the new initiative “further strengthening its position as a leading publisher of top class, cross-platform content”.

The publishing business has launched with two titles licensed by Activision, ‘The Activision Decathlon’ and ‘Blur Overdrive’. The titles will be available from today on Google Play and debut in Apple’s App Store on 1 November. They will arrive on other platforms at a later date.

The company published its first mobile game in March, with Space-based puzzle game ‘Signal to the Stars’ arriving on Google Play, Amazon Appstore, Apple’s App Store and BlackBerry World.

View the original article here

Zynga boosts mobile credentials with DeNA hire

Social games maker Zynga hired DeNA exec Clive Downie as its new chief operating officer, as it looks to gain a stronger foothold in mobile games.

Zynga found huge success in producing games such as Farmville for the Facebook platform, but has struggled to adjust to a consumer shift to mobile gaming.

However, it is in a much better position than a year ago: it recorded a small net loss of $68,000 for the third quarter of 2013, compared to a net loss of $52.7 million for the same quarter in 2012.

The 2012 figure was impacted by a $95.5 million impairment charge related to the acquisition of Draw Something maker OMGPOP.

Although the loss has been significantly lowered across the comparable quarters, revenue for Q3 2013 was also down, at $203 million (a drop of 36 per cent year on year).

“Our teams are working hard to compete more aggressively on the web, move to mobile and develop new hits, and I am happy with the early progress we have made,” Zynga CEO Don Mattick said.

Downie, who starts in his role on 4 November, has 20 years of industry experience in console and free-to-play mobile games and was most recently the CEO of DeNA West.

He oversaw the Mobage West social gaming platform for the US and Europe as well as DeNA’s gaming development division and third-party publishing efforts in these markets. He also spent 15 years at EA.

“As we build new leadership capabilities and focus the company on long term growth, Clive’s customer-centric point of view and proven track record will be invaluable to Zynga’s future,” said Mattrick.

“Zynga’s uniquely positioned inside a growing market to deliver consumers around the world an entertainment experience as beloved as their favourite TV show, movie or music,” Downie added.

View the original article here

America Movil’s profits hit by weak Mexico, finance costs

America Movil saw Q3 net profits nearly halve as it became the victim of wider economic factors, particularly in Mexico, as well as higher finance costs, as it seeks to expand outside Latin America through acquisitions.

The operator reported a net profit of MXN16.4 billion ($1.26 billion), a drop of 46 per cent from MXN30.5 billion a year ago.

Revenue rose to MXN194.2 billion, although it was only an increase of 0.7 per cent from MXN192.8 billion.

Almost half of its profits, expressed at the Ebitda level, comes from the Mexican market, where the operator has been affected by the disappointing local economy. Service revenue fell by 1.4 per cent to MXN36.29 billion.

And regulatory reforms of the country’s mobile market threaten to further worsen profits in the longer term. Hence, America Movil’s interest in buying into Europe’s undervalued telecoms market.

However, the company was hit by higher financing costs, as well as foreign exchange movements. Since December 2012, America Movil’s net debt increased by MXN68 billion to MXN440 billion (end-September figure). Outlays include MXN16.5 billion spent on acquisitions, part of which was the operator’s share of KPN’s rights issue.

The company made a loss of MXN2.9 billion on foreign exchange movements in Q3, compared to a gain of MXN9 billion a year ago. Total financing costs were MXN10.8 billion.

America Movil is seeking acquisitions outside Latin America. KPN is the most recent target although earlier this month the operator withdrew its €7.2 billion bid. Obstacles to the bid were financial but also political.

View the original article here

HP seeking buyers for mobile patents – report

HP is hoping to sell some of its mobile patents, including those for webOS, according to Bloomberg.

Approaches have been made to several potential buyers by HP, which acquired webOS when it bought device maker Palm for $1.2 billion in April 2010. The acquisition was later written down as HP struggled with its mobile strategy.

The company has recently removed some conditions attached to the patents that might have deterred potential buyers.

Meg Whitman, the company’s CEO, initially turned webOS, which is suitable for both smartphones and tablets, into an open source project handled by a subsidiary called Gram. She then sold webOS’ code to LG earlier this year.

However, under the terms of the LG deal, HP kept hold of the operating system’s patents, which were only licensed to the South Korean company. According to the sources, the LG deal will not restrict HP from selling the patents to another company.

HP would not comment on the story.

View the original article here

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Samsung reports another strong quarter on smartphones, semiconductors

Samsung reported another strong set of quarterly results, with its smartphone business performing well – although the handset number one also acknowledged increased competition in the market.

The South Korean handset giant, which does not provide shipment volumes for its devices, said that total smartphone shipments were up on the prior sequential quarter, led by “increased sales of mass-market models”.

The company said that high-end model shipments “stayed at a similar level” quarter-on-quarter, “driven by solid sales of current models with the Note III launch”. Shipments of tablets “sharply increased” due to its enhanced product line-up following the launch of the Tab 3 line.

According to reports originating from the Korean press, Samsung this week said that more than 40 million of its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphones had been sold – against a backdrop of speculation that this device has fallen out of favour with consumers. It has been suggested the company has increased development of its successor Galaxy S5 in order to reinvigorate the line.

The company reported a net profit of KRW8.24 trillion ($7.76 billion), up 25.6 per cent year-on-year, on sales of KRW59.08 trillion, up 13.2 per cent.

For its IT & Mobile unit, which includes the mobile business, Samsung saw an operating profit of KRW6.70 trillion, up 19 per cent, on sales of KRW36.57 trillion, up 24.8 per cent. Mobile made up 96 per cent of the division’s sale at KRW35.20 trillion, up 23.9 per cent over Q3 2012.

Looking forward, it expects growth in the smartphone and tablet market to improve due to seasonality – the next quarter includes the lucrative Christmas holiday sales period – while competition will also intensify.

Balanced smartphone growth is expected across developed and emerging markets, driven by seasonal promotions (e.g. LTE in North America and South Korea) for the former, and steady demand growth led by mass-market devices in the latter.

For tablets, the company expects “healthy demand growth led by year-end promotions”.

Aside from the mobile business, Samsung’s semiconductor unit also performed well, due to supply issues that have impacted its rivals and growing device sales.

This unit saw an operating profit of KRW2.06 trillion, doubling year-on-year, on sales of KRW9.74 trillion, up 11.7 per cent.

View the original article here

SK Planet to offer mobile-focused version of loyalty programme

SK Planet has announced a new version of its OK Cashbag loyalty programme that will have stronger mobile features. The existing OK Cashbag is Korea’s leading loyalty points programme, said the company.

The refreshed programme will leverage both location technology and NFC. Using a user’s location, SK Planet can offer coupons, such as discounts or buy-one-get-one-free, for nearby restaurants and merchants.

The idea is for coupons to be easily redeemable through the OK Cashbag app or mobile website, so boosting revenue for participating enterprises.

In addition, the company has installed NFC tags at certain OK Cashbag merchants where consumers can check store information and find out about promotions and events.

Users can collect OK Cashbag points by watching mobile ads or filling out a survey through the loyalty programme’s app.

The new company is also offering greater rewards with the latest version of its loyalty programme by teaming up with restaurants, shops and cinema.

The original OK Cashbag has been in existence for 14 years.

View the original article here

G&D makes management changes

Giesecke & Devrient (G&D), which earlier this year reported a fall in profit and 400 redundancies in its mobile security business, has announced management changes following the appointment of new CEO and chairman Walter Schlebusch in June.

From 1 December, Stefan Auerbach will take over leadership of the troubled mobile security unit from Michael Kuemmerle, who “has decided to leave the company”, according to the announcement.

The mobile security business includes SIM card production and also offers trusted service manager (TSM) services to mobile operators.

New face Auerbach has many years of experience in the IT sector, most recently as a board member at Wincor Nixdorf.

Meanwhile Kuemmerle, who has been head of the mobile security unit since 2006, is leaving by his own choice, said the announcement,

“The supervisory board very much regrets Mr Kuemmerle’s decision but understands that he would now like to open a new chapter and pursue his personal plans. On behalf of all supervisory board members, I would like to thank him for his outstanding contribution,” said Peter-Alexander Wacker, chairman of G&D’s supervisory board.

There is also a new head for G&D’s banknote business, the other most important business unit. He is Ralf Wintergerst.

View the original article here

Microsoft removes repackaged WP web apps — report

Microsoft removed several apps that it built based on repackaged mobile websites from its Windows Phone Store, reports The Verge, as it emerged they had been created without agreement from the content producers.

Airline Southwest, online retailer Cars.com and Atari appear to have been unaware that web apps were created using their content, and the titles have now been removed. It is unclear whether the apps will return to the WP Store.

A representative from Southwest told Neowin the company had been in communication with Microsoft but had not approved the app featuring its content. Microsoft removed the offering when Southwest pointed out discussions were still at an early stage.

The Windows Phone maker told The Verge it did not “anticipate many objections” to its policy of creating “pinnable Web Apps” based on existing websites. It added that it would deal with any requests to remove such apps quickly.

The company added that these pinnable Web Apps were partly created to encourage content makers to provide their own native app for Windows Phone.

The relative lack of big name apps has been cited as holding back the progress of Windows Phone compared to iOS and Android.

Bryan Biniak, VP and general manager of app development at Nokia, said in July that there are “major gaps” in the apps catalogue and “select applications that need to be there,” if users are going to be persuaded to switch to Windows Phone.

However, this appears to be changing with the recent addition of some of the most popular apps on Android and iOS, such as Instagram, Twitter’s Vine video app and social magazine title Flipboard.

View the original article here