Plus comments unpopular at Popular Science, implications of beating Apple's Touch ID, tablets in East Europe, and more
A burst of 11 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology team
*Case troubles hinder HTC phone sales, darken Q3 outlook: sources >> Reuters*
HTC Corp is facing supply constraints on its latest smartphone, sources familiar with the matter said, piling pressure on already disappointing sales and increasing the likelihood the firm will post its first net loss this quarter.
The problems with the HTC One Mini, launched in mid-July, come partly from a casing shortage arising from design difficulties, one of the sources said.
Another source said consumer and telecom demand for the One Mini could not be met at the moment, even though analysts estimate that the company plans to ship only around 200,000 of the devices each month.
Asymco's Law: a handset company that falls into loss will end up bought, closed or merged within 2.5 years of its first loss. Prepare to start your clocks.
--------------------
*HTC developing 'alternative plans' after patent case loss to Nokia | Economics | FOCUS TAIWAN - CNA ENGLISH NEWS*
Taiwan's HTC Corp. said Tuesday after losing the first round of a patent dispute with Finnish handset vendor Nokia Oyj that it is working on alternative plans to minimize the case's potential impact on its business.
In a notice published Monday, Judge Thomas Pender of the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) said HTC had infringed two of the three wireless patents-in-suit claimed by Nokia.
Nokia, which filed the complaint in May 2012, had asked the U.S. trade agency to impose a sales ban on certain HTC Android-based phones and tablets. A final ruling is scheduled for Jan. 23 next year after the judge's findings are reviewed by the six-member panel.
Not standards-essential patents, so Nokia could get a trade ban - or HTC could figure out workarounds.
--------------------
*Under the covers: The clever engineering that went into the new Surfaces | CITEworld*
Mary Branscombe:
What's so clever about the new second-generation Surface devices, which Microsoft unveiled yesterday?
For a start, although the cases look very similar, this isn't just Haswell slapped into the same motherboard of the Surface Pro - although that might have been faster to bring to market. This is a completely redesigned motherboard, tuned to reduce power consumption as much as possible.
Lots and lots more detail inside.
--------------------
*Microsoft new Surface shipments to reach 3 million units in 2014, sources estimate >> Digitimes*
Microsoft has unveiled its second-generation Surface tablets, but sources from the upstream supply chain estimate the devices' sales will reach only three million units in 2014, accounting for 1.15% of the global tablet shipments.
Microsoft has released its Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2.
Microsoft sold about 900,000 Surface tablets in the first quarter of 2013 and 300,000 in the second, totaling 1.2m units in the first half, according to the sources citing figures from IDC.
The sources pointed out that the first-generation Surface's poor sales are mainly due to their high prices although their hardware specifications and industrial design are competitive.
Seems very low. Perhaps it's moving more to a just-in-time model?
--------------------
*Microsoft silent on its reasons for discontinuing original Surface Pro >> Neowin*
Even with the high initial demand for the first Surface Pro, Microsoft has decided to stop selling the tablet, though it continues to sell the almost year old Surface RT for a lower price. We asked Microsoft to give us a reason why they have suddenly discontinued the sale of the original Surface Pro, even at a lower price, and received this statement from a Microsoft spokesperson:
When Surface Pro 2 becomes available, Surface Pro will no longer be available for purchase from Microsoft or its retail partners. Our goal is to help as many customers as possible experience all the benefits Surface has to offer. Starting at $349 for Surface RT 32GB, it's extremely easy to join the Surface family.Yes, that statement does not really offer a specific reason why the Surface Pro is no longer being sold. We were told that's the only comment that Microsoft will give officially on this subject.
Could it be that it's got tons of Surface RT v1 left over and would like to keep selling them, having written their value down to zero in a $900m writeoff last quarter?
--------------------
*Why we're shutting off our comments >> Popular Science*
Suzanne LaBarre:
even a fractious minority wields enough power to skew a reader's perception of a story, recent research suggests. In one study led by University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Dominique Brossard, 1,183 Americans read a fake blog post on nanotechnology and revealed in survey questions how they felt about the subject (are they wary of the benefits or supportive?). Then, through a randomly assigned condition, they read either epithet- and insult-laden comments ("If you don't see the benefits of using nanotechnology in these kinds of products, you're an idiot" ) or civil comments. The results, as Brossard and coauthor Dietram A. Scheufele wrote in a New York Times op-ed: "Uncivil comments not only polarized readers, but they often changed a participant's interpretation of the news story itself."
Remarkable.
--------------------
*Be wary of the dubious 'iMessage chat' Android app | Macworld*
there are a few good reasons to stay away from this iMessage imitator. First, it asks for your Apple ID, which is attached to your personal and payment information. And as Jay Freeman (a.k.a. 'saurik' of Cydia fame) notes, all of the app data gets processed through the developer's server in China before connecting to Apple. This apparently prevents Apple from blocking the app, but it also raises security concerns about what happens to your data and login details.
Steve Troughton-Smith also points out that the app has the ability to download and install additional software in the background. Add the fact that the developer hasn't created any other apps, and you have every reason to be suspicious of this Android version of iMessage.
Is it time for Google to start policing trademark violation on Google Play? It seems like it would be a good way to protect its users. Considering that more than a million have downloaded fake BlackBerry Messenger apps, it could make a difference.
--------------------
*TouchID defeated: what does it mean? >> Erratasec*
Robert Graham:
Many people claim this hack is "too much trouble". This is profoundly wrong. Just because it's too much trouble for you doesn't mean it's too much trouble for a private investigator hired by your former husband. Or the neighbour's kid. Or an FBI agent.…
At the same time, it doesn't mean Touch ID is completely useless. Half the population doesn't lock their phone at all because it's too much trouble entering a 4 digit PIN every time they want to use it. If any of them choose to use Touch ID security instead of no security, then it's a win for security.
There are also some ways around the hack. Use your ring finger or pinky finger instead. You don't use these fingers to navigate your phone, so these prints won't be on your phone. These are also the most difficult and unlikely prints to retrieve from other surfaces, like beer glasses.
Using your ring finger isn't possible unless the phone is flat; however you can just about grasp it and manipulate your little finger over the button. Not ideal, though.
--------------------
*CEE tablet market continues to rocket, driven by low-cost devices >> IDC*
The tablet market in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) continues to surge, growing 175.6% year on year in the second quarter of 2013, according to the latest results from International Data Corporation (IDC). Tablet shipments totaled 3.6m units in 2Q13, making the CEE region among the strongest growing markets worldwide. The ongoing market expansion has been increasingly fueled by low-cost Android devices.
Android tablets captured 84% of the total CEE tablet market in 2Q13, accounting for over 3m shipments. The share of iOS-based devices decreased by 9.2 percentage points year on year, while shipments of Windows and Windows RT devices increased sharply year on year, although this was largely due to a low base in the previous quarter, which still gave these devices less than 3% of the tablet market in 2Q13.
--------------------
*What companies should do if they're worried about the iPhone fingerprint hack >> CITEworld*
Ryan Faas:
But the biggest point about Touch ID in the enterprise organisations is this: It can be disabled [as a login option] across all iOS devices in your organisation with the click of a button using any MDM solution that supports iOS 7.
Yeah, but where are the headlines in that?
--------------------
*Why 2013 Is RIM's BlackBerry Year >> Computerworld*
Rob Enderle, in December 2012:
As we look ahead to 2013, it's becoming increasingly clear that the new year provides an unprecedented opportunity for Research in Motion to make a huge comeback.
This is largely because the market is dominated by two platforms: Android, which is seen as an unsecure malware magnet, and iOS, which comes from a firm that has never learned to spell "IT." In fact, Apple's biggest failures were Lisa and the Apple Server, both created on Steve Jobs' watch (Lisa was even his product, initially) and both targeted at the IT market.
The Lisa was released in 1982. There's no record of a product called "Apple Server". And you know about the "huge comeback". Rob Enderle is president and principal analyst of the Enderle Group.
--------------------
You can follow Guardian Technology's linkbucket on Pinboard
To suggest a link, either add it below or tag it with @gdntech on the free Delicious service. Reported by guardian.co.uk 6 hours ago.
A burst of 11 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology team
*Case troubles hinder HTC phone sales, darken Q3 outlook: sources >> Reuters*
HTC Corp is facing supply constraints on its latest smartphone, sources familiar with the matter said, piling pressure on already disappointing sales and increasing the likelihood the firm will post its first net loss this quarter.
The problems with the HTC One Mini, launched in mid-July, come partly from a casing shortage arising from design difficulties, one of the sources said.
Another source said consumer and telecom demand for the One Mini could not be met at the moment, even though analysts estimate that the company plans to ship only around 200,000 of the devices each month.
Asymco's Law: a handset company that falls into loss will end up bought, closed or merged within 2.5 years of its first loss. Prepare to start your clocks.
--------------------
*HTC developing 'alternative plans' after patent case loss to Nokia | Economics | FOCUS TAIWAN - CNA ENGLISH NEWS*
Taiwan's HTC Corp. said Tuesday after losing the first round of a patent dispute with Finnish handset vendor Nokia Oyj that it is working on alternative plans to minimize the case's potential impact on its business.
In a notice published Monday, Judge Thomas Pender of the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) said HTC had infringed two of the three wireless patents-in-suit claimed by Nokia.
Nokia, which filed the complaint in May 2012, had asked the U.S. trade agency to impose a sales ban on certain HTC Android-based phones and tablets. A final ruling is scheduled for Jan. 23 next year after the judge's findings are reviewed by the six-member panel.
Not standards-essential patents, so Nokia could get a trade ban - or HTC could figure out workarounds.
--------------------
*Under the covers: The clever engineering that went into the new Surfaces | CITEworld*
Mary Branscombe:
What's so clever about the new second-generation Surface devices, which Microsoft unveiled yesterday?
For a start, although the cases look very similar, this isn't just Haswell slapped into the same motherboard of the Surface Pro - although that might have been faster to bring to market. This is a completely redesigned motherboard, tuned to reduce power consumption as much as possible.
Lots and lots more detail inside.
--------------------
*Microsoft new Surface shipments to reach 3 million units in 2014, sources estimate >> Digitimes*
Microsoft has unveiled its second-generation Surface tablets, but sources from the upstream supply chain estimate the devices' sales will reach only three million units in 2014, accounting for 1.15% of the global tablet shipments.
Microsoft has released its Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2.
Microsoft sold about 900,000 Surface tablets in the first quarter of 2013 and 300,000 in the second, totaling 1.2m units in the first half, according to the sources citing figures from IDC.
The sources pointed out that the first-generation Surface's poor sales are mainly due to their high prices although their hardware specifications and industrial design are competitive.
Seems very low. Perhaps it's moving more to a just-in-time model?
--------------------
*Microsoft silent on its reasons for discontinuing original Surface Pro >> Neowin*
Even with the high initial demand for the first Surface Pro, Microsoft has decided to stop selling the tablet, though it continues to sell the almost year old Surface RT for a lower price. We asked Microsoft to give us a reason why they have suddenly discontinued the sale of the original Surface Pro, even at a lower price, and received this statement from a Microsoft spokesperson:
When Surface Pro 2 becomes available, Surface Pro will no longer be available for purchase from Microsoft or its retail partners. Our goal is to help as many customers as possible experience all the benefits Surface has to offer. Starting at $349 for Surface RT 32GB, it's extremely easy to join the Surface family.Yes, that statement does not really offer a specific reason why the Surface Pro is no longer being sold. We were told that's the only comment that Microsoft will give officially on this subject.
Could it be that it's got tons of Surface RT v1 left over and would like to keep selling them, having written their value down to zero in a $900m writeoff last quarter?
--------------------
*Why we're shutting off our comments >> Popular Science*
Suzanne LaBarre:
even a fractious minority wields enough power to skew a reader's perception of a story, recent research suggests. In one study led by University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Dominique Brossard, 1,183 Americans read a fake blog post on nanotechnology and revealed in survey questions how they felt about the subject (are they wary of the benefits or supportive?). Then, through a randomly assigned condition, they read either epithet- and insult-laden comments ("If you don't see the benefits of using nanotechnology in these kinds of products, you're an idiot" ) or civil comments. The results, as Brossard and coauthor Dietram A. Scheufele wrote in a New York Times op-ed: "Uncivil comments not only polarized readers, but they often changed a participant's interpretation of the news story itself."
Remarkable.
--------------------
*Be wary of the dubious 'iMessage chat' Android app | Macworld*
there are a few good reasons to stay away from this iMessage imitator. First, it asks for your Apple ID, which is attached to your personal and payment information. And as Jay Freeman (a.k.a. 'saurik' of Cydia fame) notes, all of the app data gets processed through the developer's server in China before connecting to Apple. This apparently prevents Apple from blocking the app, but it also raises security concerns about what happens to your data and login details.
Steve Troughton-Smith also points out that the app has the ability to download and install additional software in the background. Add the fact that the developer hasn't created any other apps, and you have every reason to be suspicious of this Android version of iMessage.
Is it time for Google to start policing trademark violation on Google Play? It seems like it would be a good way to protect its users. Considering that more than a million have downloaded fake BlackBerry Messenger apps, it could make a difference.
--------------------
*TouchID defeated: what does it mean? >> Erratasec*
Robert Graham:
Many people claim this hack is "too much trouble". This is profoundly wrong. Just because it's too much trouble for you doesn't mean it's too much trouble for a private investigator hired by your former husband. Or the neighbour's kid. Or an FBI agent.…
At the same time, it doesn't mean Touch ID is completely useless. Half the population doesn't lock their phone at all because it's too much trouble entering a 4 digit PIN every time they want to use it. If any of them choose to use Touch ID security instead of no security, then it's a win for security.
There are also some ways around the hack. Use your ring finger or pinky finger instead. You don't use these fingers to navigate your phone, so these prints won't be on your phone. These are also the most difficult and unlikely prints to retrieve from other surfaces, like beer glasses.
Using your ring finger isn't possible unless the phone is flat; however you can just about grasp it and manipulate your little finger over the button. Not ideal, though.
--------------------
*CEE tablet market continues to rocket, driven by low-cost devices >> IDC*
The tablet market in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) continues to surge, growing 175.6% year on year in the second quarter of 2013, according to the latest results from International Data Corporation (IDC). Tablet shipments totaled 3.6m units in 2Q13, making the CEE region among the strongest growing markets worldwide. The ongoing market expansion has been increasingly fueled by low-cost Android devices.
Android tablets captured 84% of the total CEE tablet market in 2Q13, accounting for over 3m shipments. The share of iOS-based devices decreased by 9.2 percentage points year on year, while shipments of Windows and Windows RT devices increased sharply year on year, although this was largely due to a low base in the previous quarter, which still gave these devices less than 3% of the tablet market in 2Q13.
--------------------
*What companies should do if they're worried about the iPhone fingerprint hack >> CITEworld*
Ryan Faas:
But the biggest point about Touch ID in the enterprise organisations is this: It can be disabled [as a login option] across all iOS devices in your organisation with the click of a button using any MDM solution that supports iOS 7.
Yeah, but where are the headlines in that?
--------------------
*Why 2013 Is RIM's BlackBerry Year >> Computerworld*
Rob Enderle, in December 2012:
As we look ahead to 2013, it's becoming increasingly clear that the new year provides an unprecedented opportunity for Research in Motion to make a huge comeback.
This is largely because the market is dominated by two platforms: Android, which is seen as an unsecure malware magnet, and iOS, which comes from a firm that has never learned to spell "IT." In fact, Apple's biggest failures were Lisa and the Apple Server, both created on Steve Jobs' watch (Lisa was even his product, initially) and both targeted at the IT market.
The Lisa was released in 1982. There's no record of a product called "Apple Server". And you know about the "huge comeback". Rob Enderle is president and principal analyst of the Enderle Group.
--------------------
You can follow Guardian Technology's linkbucket on Pinboard
To suggest a link, either add it below or tag it with @gdntech on the free Delicious service. Reported by guardian.co.uk 6 hours ago.