To cover all bases, and hand sizes, Samsung is entering the shrinking game with the announcement of a smaller-model Galaxy S3 smartphone. Will all smart devices soon come in a range of glove sizes?
Harry Potter, Where Are You?
With Apple engorging the size of its iPhone screen and shrinking down the iPad to Mini proportions, why can't Samsung get in on the fun? All they, and other, companies need is a handy wizard to do the work, instead of all these process shrinks and redesigns.
Wizardry aside, Samsung has done it the hard way and will announce tomorrow a European mini version of the top-selling Galaxy S3 super-phone. That will bring it more in line with Apple's iPhone 5 and give choice to those who think the original S3 (and the Samsung Note) are just a touch too big.
Likely to ship with a 4-inch screen, it will match Apple's phone and create a new entry point in Samsung's arsenal. But the phone shouldn't be substantially less-specced, as Samsung is stating that it is only a mini in size, not in specification, while highlighting the demand for smaller-screen devices in Europe.
The specs have just leaked and we see a dual-core CPU clocked at 1GHz and 1GB RAM with 16Gb storage (plus a microSD slot). It will be running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and comes with a 5MP main camera and flash, plus a VGA front-camera, The European model will have quad-band 2G and tri-band 3G (No real need for 4G in the old world).
What Size Would You Like?
Samsung won't comment if the smaller device will come to the American market, where presumably those hulk-hands are happier with the current Samsung Galaxy model (pictured below). Either way, you can expect an interesting court date between Apple and Samsung at some point in the future arguing over the "Mini" name, with lawyers going "we shrunk it first!" "No, we did!" etc.
The official unveiling will take place in Germany tomorrow, and the news is scorching across Twitter right now. But, will a smaller phone be as successful as a larger model… we have Apple going up the scale and Samsung going down it, it will be interesting to see which is the most successful route?
It would be hard to envisage existing Samsung users "downsizing" against the throng of upgrading Apple users. But, if Samsung gets many million new users through this popular-branded product, it should put it in a far better position over time.
HootSuite is launching an integration with Webtrends Analytics, a move the company says will increase the range of measurement tools available to HootSuite Enterprise users.
As a result of the integration, HootSuite enterprise users can now create custom, automatically generated reports that show the impact of social media messaging on customer conversion. In addition, users can compare the effect of social media messaging across different channels to determine where engagement is highest.
HootSuite says the integrated Webtrends Analytics capabilities also allow users to evaluate metrics such as which specific social media account or page provides the most valuable traffic, which time of day produces the highest volumes of traffic and engagement, and which specific types of messages and words drive the highest conversion rates.
HootSuite Pursues Integrations
Hootsuite has been aggressively pursuing integrations with a variety of social media networks and service providers to expand the functionality of its enterprise social media management platform. HootSuite is designed to allow users to collaboratively execute campaigns across multiple networks from a single Web dashboard. Integrations and plug-ins make campaign measurement — and management — more robust and easier to perform.
In August, HootSuite refreshed its GetSatisfaction app to include integrations with Facebook and Twitter. Users of GetSatisfaction, which was designed to ease the building of online social communities by transforming social media interactions into conversations between companies and customers, now have the ability to push and pull content across both platforms from one dashboard.
In July, HootSuite started offering all users full access to Google+ Pages. As a result of this expanded integration, all HootSuite users (both paid and free) can manage Google+ Pages alongside other social channels, and have access to Google+ Pages functionality in the HootSuite dashboard. In August, HootSuite collaborated with Yammer, allowing all Yammer users to monitor and reply to Yammer conversations within HootSuite.
Other recent notable HootSuite integrations include a partnership with HubSpot for social lead generation and integrations with Instagram and Slideshare, all occurring in June.
In Pursuit of the Holy Grail
According to the Vancouver Sun's "Digital Life" blog, the integration of Webtrends Analytics signals that HootSuite is chasing the “Holy Grail” of corporate social media: ROI. Calling social media ROI “a complex puzzle that taxes companies as they struggle to balance investment in social media with its returns to the bottom line,” the Sun concludes this partnership is “aimed at putting the pieces of that puzzle together, delivering quantifiable results that tell a company or organization exactly how much money they’re making or what their return is for each and every tweet, Facebook post or other social media interaction that delivers a web link through the HootSuite dashboard.”
The integrated HootSuite-Webtrends capabilities are now available free to HootSuite Enterprise and Webtrends Analytics On-Demand clients.
Collaborative work platform provider Podio is releasing a new app for the Android platform. The app, available for download on Google Play, enables Android users to employ the full range of Cirtix Podio features on their devices.
“The Podio collaborative work platform is designed to let you live and work anywhere,” Podio co-founder Kasper Hulthin said during a recent sit-down interview with CMSWire. “It’s a social work process repository. You can share a file or data everywhere.”
Podio works through apps based on the Podio platform which can either be developed or acquired free through the Podio app market. Any third-party app is fully customizable, and development templates allow non-technical professionals to develop and customize apps.
Hulthin thinks that having users develop and customize their own unique apps is more effective than using standardized apps.
“There is a contentment and pride the individual gets from building their own apps,” he said.
Use Web-Built Apps on Mobile
With the new Android app, Android device users will have access to the same apps through their mobile devices as they do through their desktops. Web-built apps can be used via mobile device with no additional coding or development.
In addition, Android users can perform collaborative tasks such as posting status messages in shared Podio workstreams, managing and assigning workflow tasks, and accessing company contact directories.
“We want to create new ways of people working,” said Hulthin. “Now you have your work with you everywhere.”
The Email Alternative
While Hulthin made it clear his company is not out to replace traditional collaboration technologies (as evidenced by email integrations with the platform), Benzinga describes the Android app as providing “more powerful, collaborative and social alternatives to spreadsheets, documents and email.”
A Benzinga article on the new Podio Android app release gives the example of project managers using Podio's Simple Project Management app on Android to “track the progress of projects and deliverables, edit content and add comments in the right workspace, keeping everyone on the same page whether they're in the office or on the road.”
Citrix Reaches Out with Podio
Collaboration technology provider Citrix purchased three-year-old Podio in April of this year with the aim of integrating the platform into its GoTo cloud services portfolio. In July, Citrix made its first major effort at extending the reach of Podio by rolling out two new platform integrations with Outlook Exchange Calendar and Google Calendar.
Since the purchase, Citrix has also integrated Podio with YouSendIt, ShareFile, SugarSync, Microsoft SkyDrive, Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive and Google Docs. Podio also provides an app for users of iOS-based mobile devices.
Yes, Apple has unveiled its latest range of gadgets to an eager media scrum at Yerba Buena in San Francisco, but with the same old presentation and incremental approach, the magic seems to have gone.
At the Apple's Core
You could have written the script for Tim Cook's presentation today, just by changing a few words from recent Apple events. "Here's some pretty new stores, with glass staircases and eager customers. Here are some huge numbers and now our new products with every element carefully refined." Everything looks shiny in the world of Apple, but it is the becoming the same story, regardless of location and product.
Expecting Apple to innovate its socks off with some new mega experience every 12 months is asking quite a lot, but for a company that sets its standards so high, that's the pressure it faces. Sure, Apple has improved every bit of the iPhone 5, but its now just another smartphone, scrapping over the same feature sets and specifications.
So, there are now 380 Apple stores in 13 countries. Apple's notebooks now account for 27% of US sales and it sold 17 million iPads in the quarter to June, bringing the total to 84 million with its market share up from last year, despite the efforts of many rival products. That makes for a grand total of 400 million iOS devices sold.
On To The Good Stuff
Phil Schiller took over to introduce the new iPhone 5. Made of glass and aluminium it resembles all the recently leaked images, it is 18% thinner and 20% lighter than the 4S. The key features are the new 4-inch display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, running at 1136 x 640 with a retina display of 336 ppi.
That extra space adds an extra row of icons, while all of Apple's apps have been updated to take advantage of the extra space. Some key developers have also been allowed to update their apps ahead of the bundle (expect your App Store update number to start pinwheeling on 19 September when iOS 6 becomes available).
It is not just the size that's improved, the touch sensors are built into the screen, with one less layer, allowing for improved color saturation, up to 44% claim Apple. There's also improved wireless chip with improved WiFi and LTE finally making it into the iPhone.
Heart of the Machine
At the heart is the Apple A6 processor, which offers double the processing and graphics performance on the A5 chip. Again, Apple brought out a games partner, this time EA to show off its wares, Real Racing 3, powered by the new chip. But how big are these, admittedly impressive, games with their increased storage requirements?
They've also improved the camera, adding a dynamic low light mode, To cope with all this extra horsepower, the battery is an unspecified improvement on the iPhone 4S model. To take nice photos, there's a new Panorama mode, as if we don't have enough apps for that already? The front camera is now also HD, allowing for high quality FaceTime, which can be sent over a cellular link (CSP dependent).
More fiddly updates include the use of three microphones, noise cancelling features and wideband audio from the speaker. There is also the new "Lightning" connector lead, to go along with the Mac's Thunderbolt. So much of this must be exciting for the engineer, but as a customer and user it's just so much fluff.
Into the End Game
As expected the iPhone 5, for all the power and beauty is just an upgrade and an end to a means. iOS 6 is what us Apple owners will actually use every day and get a better experience from. As expected, there is the new Maps app with over 100 million points of interest and turn-by-turn directions.
Rumors of a mobile phone and Apple TV competitor remained just that, but a range of Kindle devices including a $69 Kindle, a 'Paperwhite' e-reader, and the high-end Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE, shows that Amazon is stepping up to Apple.
Even as Apple's iPad towers over the competition, Google, Microsoft and Amazon continue to fight for their share of the $66.4 billion tablet market with devices of their own. Today, Amazon announced an updated version of its Kindle Fire that includes 4G wireless, a lower-priced $69 Kindle, an improved e-reader called the Kindle Paperwhite, and a range of new software features.
There had been a massive amount of speculation that Amazon would totally new products as well. One possibility, which was first put forth by The Verge, is a smartphone that would use Google's Android platform. There was also speculation that a video box might be unveiled, which made sense given some recent moves by the company: Amazon tried to buy box maker Roku earlier this year, according to AllThingsD. And earlier this week Amazon announced an a deal with EPIX that will bring Hollywood such fare as "The Avengers" and "Iron Man 2" to its Prime Instant Video service. Neither of those rumors proved true.
The best-selling item on Amazon, which accounts for 22 percent of tablet sales in the U.S. according to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, will sell for $199 for the 7-inch model and $299 for the 8.9-inch model. Both offer 16GB of memory, with 40% faster performance, and longer battery life. Both models can be ordered starting today and will ship on September 14.
Bezos also unveiled a Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE wireless capability. Amazon engineered a wireless modem specifically for this device in order to maintain its 2.2mm thickness. The 4G model is 8.9 inches, and offers 32GB of storage for $499. The data plan, which costs $50 per year, offers 20GB of cloud storage and 250MB of data per month. By comparison, the iPad 3 device and data plan would cost around $959 -- at least according to a slide Bezos showed on the screen. The Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE (try saying that 3 times quickly) can be ordered today and will ship on November 20.
The Fire HD has improved Wi-Fi reception, dual band 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz, as well as two antennas. (That's one more speaker and antenna than the iPad, if you're counting such things.) Bezos claims these Wi-Fi and antenna improvements will make the Fire HD exponentially faster than either the iPad or Google's Nexus 7.
The HD display (which is now 1920 x 1200) has been tweaked so there is less glare. The device also includes dual stereo speakers--the first tablet with Dolby Digital Plus, says Bezos.
The software that's been added to the device is in many ways even more interesting than the hardware, and it shows that Amazon is keenly aware of how people use its devices.
Having sold 3.5 million Kindle Singles, Amazon is going to further boost the mid-length reading market with Kindle Serials. You're delivered all the installments with one payment. New updates are added as they become available. Bezos mentions, twice, that Charles Dickens' novels were serialized originally. There are at least eight titles to kick things off, all will be $1.99.
Targeted specifically to parents, Time Limits allows them to control the amount of time kids spend using different aspects of the tablet device. Specific limits can be set for the amount of time spent watching videos, using apps, or reading books. And there are different profiles so that you can set limits for multiple children. There is also a color-coded "Free Time" mode so that a parent can easily see when the device is being used by children.
When Amazon released the Kindle Touch it also revealed X-Ray as a feature that let readers look at the "bones of a book" by tapping on the text to see background info on characters, historical figures or topics and other information--with rich data sourced from Wikipedia and elsewhere. Now it's revealed X-Ray for Movies, which similarly lets watchers peep beneath the skin of a film. When you pause a movie, X-Ray will serve up data like actor biographies, info on the cast and so on--basically all the stuff that makes us curious while we watch a movie, and which we then go and Google later. This data is sourced from IMDB.
It's also expanding X-Ray for books with a special Textbooks power, aimed at students. When you tap on text in a textbook, X-Ray brings up additional reference data that'll help with studies.
Amazon's Whispersync was pivotal for its Kindle e-readers, enabling zero-cost downloading of text content, as well as seamless syncing of your current reading position no matter where in a book you were and which of your devices you're reading it from. Now Amazon's enabled Whspersync for Voice, leveraging its ownership of the Audible audio book brand. It syncs your position in a book no matter if you're reading it or listening to the voice performance of the text--perfect for reading the book at home in the morning, and continuing to listen to the text while driving. It's simply clever "chapter marking" in both digital files--text and audio--but its impact for readers may be significant.
Whispersync for Games is a similar progress-syncing channel, routed through Amazon's cloud services, which lets you keep track of where you get to in a game. Essentially it's a cloud hook that snags the position you've got to in a game, so if you reinstall the app or run the game app on a new device you don't have to play through all your earlier levels.
Upgraded email options, a custom Facebook application, and built-in Skype with improved resolution are a few of the ways Kindle Fire HD owners will be able to take advantage of the Wi-Fi and dual antennas.
Audiobooks are no longer separate from reading with this feature that highlights the text in the book while it is also being read aloud as an audio book.
Bezos opened the event today by unveiling the Kindle Paperwhite, an e-reader with a vastly improved screen and front-lighting. The contrast ratio is improved 25%, according to CEO Jeff Bezos, and the screen has 62% more pixels (no raw data just yet). It's very thin -- 9.1mm -- and 7.5 ounces. There are multiple fonts and more control of the size of the type. One interesting new feature: Time to Read, which shows not just the number of pages, but how much time, in minutes, you have left in the chapter or book.
The basic version of Paperwhite will cost $119, and there is also a 3G cellular version for $179. Both can be ordered today and will ship on October 1.
Highlight: The Kindle Paperwhite's battery will last eight weeks even with the light on, according to Bezos.
Amazon managed to both upgrade the Kindle's specs and lower its price. New fonts, crisper text, faster page turns and $10 less than existing model. Ships on September 14. It's amazingly cheap, but not free just yet, Farhad.
Oh dear, Nokia couldn't keep a lid on this one, possibly because it is just too bright. Anyway, here's the Lumia 920, the new range-leading device that features a PureView camera, wireless charging and beefed-up specs to bring Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 to the masses.
A Brighter Future?
The Nokia Lumia 920 running Windows Phone 8 has exploded across the web, just before Nokia and Microsoft officially unveil it tomorrow. Packing 32GB of storage, 1GB of RAM plus a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, it offers a modest power and specs boost over the current Lumia 900 and the rest of the line-up.
It includes a slightly larger 4.5-inch HD display that will help show more detail on this WP8 tiles, and will be available in a very vibrant red, yellow, and a moodier black plus a few other hues. The PureView camera will be an 8-megapixel unit, so pretty standard, but packed with neat software tricks for better images. Coming with wireless charging by default isn't much of a unique selling point, especially for users who are happy with their phone or tablet in a stable dock, but is a neat feature.
A Nokia Lumia 920 with wireless charging base
Prepare for War
With such a huge September spread of launches, Nokia will likely lead with the 920 but have a range of other products on show to round out its offering in a monstrously competitive smartphone marketplace. Despite news and images on matching speakers, headphones and other gizmos, nothing has yet leaked out that puts Lumia substantially above its rivals. Still, the Lumia devices certainly look more fun than Samsung's executive-looking Windows Phone 8 ATIV model unveiled last week.
However, with the power of Microsoft alongside it, a huge free Skype minutes or SkyDrive storage offering could sweeten the deal for potential customers. And, as BlackBerry begins to fade from the enterprise, perhaps IT buyers will pick Windows devices as the logical choice? Expect AT&T to be the first network to offer the phone which should hit stores later in the month, or perhaps October.
HootSuite is launching an integration with Webtrends Analytics, a move the company says will increase the range of measurement tools available to 
Collaborative work platform provider 
Yes, Apple has unveiled its latest range of gadgets to an eager media scrum at Yerba Buena in San Francisco, but with the same old presentation and incremental approach, the magic seems to have gone. 
Kindle Fire HD 
Oh dear, 
