Apps let the 'confinement' of tablets and smartpthones

The mobile application will reign among the tools of computing in 2017. The expectation is that Gartner will be downloaded over 268 billion applications in five years, which will generate revenue of more than $ 77 billion. Also according to the consultancy, mobile users provide custom streams to over 100 applications and data services everyday.

While Facebook and Twitter have had a great influence on the willingness of users to share personal information with others, companies in emerging areas such as health screening, "smart" technology for residential applications and cars will drive a new world of apps that can take our data and analyze them in depth, "argued the consultancy study.

"In the next three or four years, the apps will not simply confined to smartphones and tablets, but will impact a larger group of devices, from residential applications to cars and wearable gadgets (wearables)," says research director at Gartner, Brian Blau. "By 2017, Gartner predicts that wearable gadgets will drive 50% of all interactions of apps."

Since appliances such as refrigerators and thermostats, or bracelets do not have a screen or central interface in them, apps and other programs are needed as drivers for exchanging data between users and the company or the product, pointing to Gartner. "As users continue to adopt and interact with applications, their data is - what they say, what they do, where they go - that are transforming the paradigm of interaction with apps," adds Blau.

Phablets: OTT content boosts sales

The phablets - which are the devices with mobile phone capabilities, but with screens from 5.6 inches, reaching up to 7 inches, smaller size of a tablet - will win a share of the market, suggests Juniper Research. Segunod consultancy, in 2013, 20 million units were produced worldwide phablets. In 2018 will be 120 million, which will mean a boost of over 500%.

The reason for the growth is the demand in East Asia, in countries such as South Korea, where there is desire for large screens to run games, and in China, where values ​​a better screen quality for streaming content over-the-top (OTT). With all this, Juniper says the market phablets can become a growth area for suppliers of smartphones already established with target consumers passionate about technology, citing recent launches from companies such as Nokia and Alcatel.

As there is not, at least so far, no representative of Apple in this niche market phablets will be dominated by two operating systems: Android and Windows Phone. Notably, the system will be promoted by Microsoft Lumia line, Nokia, Juniper and believes that this player will have better performance particularly in developing countries. The side of the Google system, the leadership will be the series Galaxy Note, Samsung.

Vivo decides to enter the prepaid market

Vivo decided to fight for the prepaid customer. Harassed by rival TIM, Claro and OI - we are centralizing their strategies accordingly subscriber profile - the carrier announced on Tuesday, 21/01, the Vivo Tudo product, where the customer has prepaid for 100 minutes weekly links mobile Vivo throughout Brazil, Unlimited SMS to customers of the operator and 75 MB for Internet access. All this in one package for U.S. $ 6.90 per week, which is automatically debited from the customer's balance.

The turn of Vivo for prepaid no explanation. Throughout 2013, the operator - the market leader, saw its market share fall - ended 2013 with 28.71% = while the TIM and Claro rivals rose respectively to 26.99% and 25.23% 

The proposed prepaid also becomes interesting to live with the migration of cellular 2G (GSM) to 3G. Much of the subscribers are buying smarpthones with Internet access, but there is still a portion that does not carry data packets. Pre-paid shall be an alternative to postpaid plans to 'ensure' market leadership and increase revenue with data.

But reveals a change in profile. Late last year, President of Vivo, Antonio Carlos Valente, joked competitors by stating that 'Vivo was not selling chip in the square, "a clear reference to the OI, you want to leverage your business mobile prepaid strategy . the operator even celebrated the good performance in the postpaid market with market revenues (26%) and the highest EBITDA (29%) -. between national mobile telcos in November, according to data from Anatel, Vivo totaled 77,661 .206 million active accesses..

Deloitte Prediction: Wearable Technologies to Rise

NEW YORK, Jan. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Deloitte predicts smart glasses, fitness bands and watches, should sell about 10 million units in 2014, generating $3 billion according to its Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions 2014 report released today. Deloitte also predicts that the total global sales of smartphones, tablets, PCs, TV sets and gaming consoles will exceed $750 billion in 2014 and then plateau as consumer usage will continue to converge.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120803/MM52028LOGO-a )

“Our predictions for 2014 touch on a wide variety of topics, but there is some commonality among them. This can be seen specifically with mobile devices including tablets, wearables, phablets and also rugged devices,” said Eric Openshaw, vice chairman, Deloitte LLP and U.S. technology, media and telecommunications leader. “These newer technologies allow enterprises and consumers to become more connected, while opening a wealth of new business and communication opportunities. Enterprises that can capitalize on these new market segments will be well positioned for success in 2014 and beyond.”

For more than a decade, Deloitte’s TMT Predictions have forecasted many of the most influential trends in technology, media and telecommunications — making them a key source of market intelligence for businesses in all sectors.

The most significant TMT predictions to impact the marketplace in 2014:

1.       Wearables: the eyes have it — Smart glasses, fitness bands and watches, should sell about 10 million units in 2014, generating $3 billion. Of these wearable computer form factors, smart glasses should generate most revenues, from sales of about four million units at an average selling price (ASP) of $500. Smart fitness bands should sell four million units, at an ASP of$140; smart watches should sell about two million units at an ASP of $200.

2.      The Converged Living Room: a plateau approaches — Global sales of smartphones, tablets, PCs, TV sets and videogame consoles will exceed $750 billion in 2014, up $50 billion from 2013 and almost double the 2010 total. However, a plateau appears likely: sales are expected to continue growing, but at a slower rate than over the past 10 years, with an estimated ceiling of about $800 billion per year.

3.       Massive Open Online Courses: the future is bright — Student registrations in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) will be double compared to 2012 to over 10 million courses, but the low completion rates mean that less than 0.2 percent of all courses completed in 2014 will be MOOCs. The growing awareness of online education will force educational institutions to increase investment in this area, drive more acceptance of online education as it becomes accredited and increase adoption by corporate training groups.

4.       eVisits: the 21st century housecall — There will be 100 million eVisits globally, potentially saving over $5 billion when compared to the cost of in-person doctor visits  and representing growth of 400 percent from 2012 levels.

5.       Television measurement: for better and worse — Measurement of the viewing of domestic television programs is increasingly reflecting the growth of online viewing thanks to the introduction of hybrid measurement, which enables the inclusion of viewing taking place on PCs, tablets and smartphones into overall viewing numbers, and also includes other data sets, such as set-top box channel selections and video-on-demand server logs.

6.       Phablets are not a Phad, but they may be peaking — Shipments of phablets, smartphones with 5.0-6.9 inch screens, will represent a quarter of smartphones sold, or 300 million units. That is double the 2013 volume, and 10 times 2012 sales. But after initial rapid consumer success, 2014 may mark a ‘peak phablet’ year, as only a (sizeable) minority of smartphones users will want to handle such a large device.

7.       The smartphone generation gap: Over 55? There’s no app for that — Those over 55 years of age will be the age group experiencing the fastest year-on-year rises in smartphone penetration across developed markets. Ownership should rise between 45 to 50 percent by year-end, lower than the approximately 70 percent penetration rate for 18-54 year olds, but a 25 percent increase from 2013.  

8.       Rugged devices at $250: reinventing the business case for mobile field force — The entry price for a ruggedized, connected data device that can be used by some field force workers, as well as to undertake tasks such as car rental check-in inspections, inspecting highways or delivering packages, will fall to $250

Internet of Things creating new challenges for cyber-security

The hackers who got into your computer or smartphone are now taking aim at the Internet of Things.
The connected toothbrush, sports gear with embedded sensors and smart refrigerators are just a few of the objects showcasing innovations at the Consumer Electronics Show.
They are all impressive but "they're all breachable" said Kevin Haley, director of Symantec Security Response, while attending the huge high-tech trade show.
"If the object is connected to the Internet, you will find it, and if it has an OS (operating system) you can hack it," he told AFP at the Las Vegas expo.
Haley said the pace of innovation could outstrip the security protecting the devices.
"As we start to bring all this new stuff in our houses, we're going have to take some responsibility," he said.
The devices displayed the CES show included an array of gear from a connected basketball to baby clothing which monitors an infant's breathing and positioning.
And security researchers have shown the possibility, at least in theory, of hacking into automobile electronics or medical devices like pacemakers.
Catalin Cosoi, chief security strategist at the firm Bitdefender, said the threat remains mostly theoretical for now.
"I don't think the bad guys have understood the benefits for them of making use of such things yet," he said.
But Cosoi said some new hack in inevitable which could cause people to take notice.
"We're definitely going to see something happening this year we might see the first collateral victim, a person being physically harmed," he added.
The introduction of Internet-enabled door locks at CES poses the obvious question of whether the devices can be compromised by hackers.
Alex Colcernian, director of product development at Unikey, which powers Kwikset remote-control locks, said the technology includes "military grade encryption" to stay secure.
Leo Herlin of French-based Medissimo, which introduced a smart pill box, said the system is "extremely secure" to prevent unwanted intrusions.
One factor that mitigates the risk is that with billions of objects likely to be connected, the value to hackers could be limited in most cases: would a hacker penetrate a refrigerator to steal someone's grocery list?
"You've got to be smart consumers when you're using a smart device," said Randy Overton, national product trainer for South Korean giant LG, which showed off its smart appliances that can communicate by text message with the owner.
To allay potential concerns, computer chip giant Intel announced at CES that it would offer its McAfee security service for connected devices free of charge,.
Intel chief executive Brian Krzanich told a CES keynote that offering this level of security would "allow this ecosystem to flourish."
Equipment maker Cisco estimates that 50 billion objects worldwide will be connected by 2020.
"It is impossible to put security software on every object," said Cisco's David Orain.
The answer is to look and address "abnormal activity" linked to the connected devices, said Orain, noting that this is part of what Cisco offers clients.
One of the areas where security concerns are paramount are in industrial applications.
Andreas Haegele of the France-based digital security firm Gemalto said electronic tracking has been done for decades for things like shipping containers and petroleum platforms, and that the security of these objects is now in focus.
US cybersecurity officials have also stepped up warnings for hacking into so-called critical infrastructure like pipelines and power grids.
Symantec's Haley said that last month's publicized hacking into a nanny cam drew headlines but that no real damage was done.
But the same technique could be used for industrial espionage.
"If I can break into the security cameras of my competitor's factory, I can see exactly how the factory works," Haley said.

source: http://gadgets.ndtv.com/internet/features/internet-of-things-creating-new-challenges-for-cyber-security-470666?goback=.gde_73311_member_5830728366566711298#!

High-risk applications for Android will reach 3 million

By publicizing the annual report forecasts safety - "Mixing Barriers: Forecast Trend Micro security for 2014 onwards" - the company's information security indicates that a large data breach will occur each month and advanced attacks of banking on mobile devices and targeted attacks have accelerated pace. Threats to critical infrastructure and security challenges derived from the Internet of Things and the Deep Web are also highlights.

The forecasts for 2014 in the area of Information Security also highlight:

• Malicious applications and high risk for Android will reach 3 million;  
• Banking through mobile devices will be compromised by increased attacks via an intermediary, making verification inadequate in two steps;
• Cybercriminals increasingly use methods of targeted attacks, such as the research of open source and highly personalized spear phishing;  
• Mobile devices are increasingly targeted by advanced threats, including clickjacking and "watering hole" attacks;  
• Lack of support for popular software such as Java 6 and Windows XP will expose millions of PCs to attack;
• The public trust, compromised by the revelations monitoring ordered by the United States will result in a variety of efforts to restore privacy;
• The Deep Web will continue to explore the lack of capacity of law enforcement to deal with the spread of cybercrime.

The report also focuses on the rise of the Internet of Things, which promises to be the notorious watershed related to personal technology. With increased being delivered by utilitarian and usable technology as watches and sunglasses, the possibility of cyber crime on a large scale deriving from identity theft, reality is a very real possibility as technology continues its proliferation. 

Smartphones: Classes D and E still have much to consume

The C class now accounts for 35% of smartphones sold in Brazil, reveals survey by Nielsen Custom Mobile Marketing Association (MMA). Classes A and B respond, respectively, 12% and 49%. The D and E classes - where telcos have targeted new customers - account for only 4%.
Youngsters make up most of of smartphone users: 17% have between 10 and 17 years, 27% between 18 and 24 years, 28% between 25 and 34 years, 17% between 35 and 49 years, and 11%, 50 or more. With regard to occupation, 63% work full-time and 10% part-time, while 19% are students.
 
The smartphone is the primary form of Internet access for one in four Brazilians who own the product. This importance is higher among young people. 38% of respondents 10 to 17 years and 33% of those aged 18 to 24 showed the smartphone as the primary means of Internet access.

The most used applications are social networking and communicators (77%), email (75%), news (57%), music (45%) and video (43%). Among the communicators and social networks, Facebook was the most frequently cited (94%), WhatsApp (53%), Instagram (36%), Skype (35%) and Twitter (35%).

Data usage grows 40% every generation smartphones

A survey of British Actix - specializing in software for mobile networks - indicates that data consumption is significantly higher with each new generation of smartphones. In numbers, the results indicate that the traffic volume grows 40%.

"The networks have been scrambling to meet the growing demand for data. First with the passage of feature phones to smartphones, now with the upgrade to high capacity equipment. Every generation traffic grows 40% per device, "says the director of global marketing at Actix, Neil Coleman.

The study, which sought to assess the pressures on radio access networks - ie between base stations and handsets - analyzed more than 100,000 equipment used mobile networks in Europe and the United States over the past year.

According to the study, the smartphones of 2013 consumed seven times more data than those launched in 2009 - and 40% more than the year 2012. And yet, that tablet users consume more than twice the data that smartphones.

Equipment with access to hotspots consume nine times more data than in cellular networks. "95% of data is being consumed by smartphones, but with the growth in sales of cheaper tablets operators will be faced with equipment 'hungry' for data," says Coleman.

Other results indicate that handsets Apple consume almost twice as much data per session than the average Android phones. The iPhones were in the top three positions among the smartphones that consume data (4, 4 and 5). Among the 10 models that use more data, four are from Samsung.

Smartphones 'steal' the scene and the place of PCs

Deliveries of smartphones in the fourth quarter of last year totaled 158.5 million units, number 57% higher than the total shipments in the same period of 2010, equanto PC sales in the same comparison basis, rose by 16.3 %, totaling 120.2 million units shipped, according to a survey of consulting and research firm Canalys.

Accumulated in 2011 were 487.7 million smartphones shipped, number 62.7% higher than a year earlier. Have shipments of desktops, tablets, notebooks and netbooks, combined, totaled 414.6 million, a growth of 14.8%.

This is the first time in history that worldwide sales of smartphones beyond the PCsAccording to analysis of the vice president of Canalys Chris Jones, the greatestinterest in tablets resulted in falling demand for PCs Tablets accounted for 15 % of the market for PCs