Microsoft’s Xbox to sell music, goes mobile

Microsoft Corp took another step toward its goal of turning the Xbox into the nexus of household entertainment, unveiling software to let users view extra content, control games and surf the Internet from their tablets and smartphones.

The software maker, whose market-leading Xbox already streams Netflix and ESPN and other channels, unveiled a “SmartGlass” application on Monday that links the console to mobile devices powered by Windows or Apple Inc’s iOS and Google Inc’s Android.

The U.S. software corporation has been trying for years to make a living-room entertainment hub of its Xbox, which has sold 67 million units since it launched in 2005. Now, the company is trying to expand the Xbox’s entertainment menu and hook it up to “companion” mobile devices as a way to boost sales of its seven-year old console.

On Monday, it also announced Internet browsing will be made available on Xboxes, including through voice recognition in a nod to the popular “Siri” function on the newest iPhones. And it talked about plans to sell cloud-based music a la Apple’s iTunes or Amazon.com Inc.

Wedbush Securities’ Michael Pachter deemed “SmartGlass” a nice feature — especially how it turned devices into TV remotes — but added it wasn’t clear how essential it will become.

But having Internet Explorer on Xboxes will help Microsoft compete with a new generation of “smart” or Web-enabled TVs made by Samsung and others that let viewers stream content from online services such as YouTube.

“With an open browser, it’s like you have a smart TV on an Xbox, which could mean you don’t go out and buy a connected TV if you already have an Xbox at home,” he said.

Remotely control TV screens

“SmartGlass” lets users remotely control TV displays from touchscreen enabled mobile devices — swiping, pinching and tapping just like one would on an iPhone.

It also allows viewers to see “companion content,” from TV to games, on the smaller screen. For example, gamers playing Electronic Arts Inc’s “Madden NFL” on an Xbox in the same room could design plays on individual tablets without showing their opponent. Or, someone watching “Game of Thrones” on the “HBO GO” streaming service via Xbox could simultaneously browse websites about the show’s cast.

Microsoft is the second company at this year’s E3 in Los Angeles — the annual gathering of the industry’s top executives and analysts and fans — to show off services that employ a second screen.

Nintendo’s GamePad controller, unveiled on Monday, is used in conjunction with the company’s consoles and features a screen that can display additional content and gameplay.

Microsoft also gave the audience a sneak peek at “Xbox Music,” which will work on Xboxes as well as on Windows Phone and Windows 8 devices. And it drew cheers from the fanboys in the audience with new versions of its “Halo” and “Gears of War” shooter games.

Shares of Microsoft closed down 0.4 percent at $28.55.

For some though, the proliferation of devices may be too much. South Park co-creator Trey Parker, invited onstage with partner-in-crime Matt Stone, poked fun at the concept of household connectivity.

“How many times have you watched South Park, thinking I want to play a game on my tablet, while connected to my oven sitting in a fridge?” he quipped as Microsoft executives looked on.

source: interaksyon.com

PH leads smartphone adoption in SEA, thanks to low-priced Androids

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is once again proving its dominance in the mobile space as the local smartphone market boasted the highest growth rate in Southeast Asia for the first quarter of 2012, according to market research firm GfK.

In a recent report, GfK Asia said the highest growth for the region’s smartphone market was witnessed in the Philippines during the period, as the overall Southeast Asian smartphone market value expands by 62 percent.

Pressed for more details, GfK Asia Regional PR Manager Seraphina Wee told InterAksyon.com that smartphone volume growth in the country grew by a large 203 percent in the first quarter, or triple the original figure during the same period in 2011.

“The increasing availability of smartphones from major manufacturers catering to different price & consumer segments, as well as the growing receptiveness and smartphone literacy of consumers in Philippines [contributed to this growth],” Wee said.

Of all the smartphone types being shipped to the country, the GfK official revealed that Android-powered smartphones continue to dominate the short list, comprising more than 80 percent of smartphone volumes for the first quarter.

In the region, the Google-backed platform commands a strong 50 percent of the overall smartphone market, the GfK report said.

Dominated by a low-income group of mobile users, smartphones from Samsung and local brands such as Cherry Mobile enjoyed the highest rates of adoption in the country, with models retailing for as low as P5,000.

But despite the glowing numbers, the Philippines continues to trail traditional leaders in the region in terms of smartphone penetration: Malaysia and Singapore with 88 percent, and Indonesia with 62 percent.

With Southeast Asian markets nowhere near saturation, GfK Asia Account Director for Digital Technology Gerald Tan said the growth spurt should continue for the next couple of years, especially as prices of smartphones continue to stabilize within the region.

“With much of the populace still not owning a mobile phone, there is no better place for global mobile phone brands to focus their sales and marketing efforts,” he added.

source: interaksyon.com

Vodafone, Smart partner for $10 data-roaming offer, best practices

MANILA, Philippines — Unlike what has been wildly speculated upon online, UK-based telecommunications firm Vodafone is not setting up operations in the Philippines.

Instead, the global telco brand is linking up with dominant carrier Smart Communications Inc. to offer a low-cost data roaming rate to the latter’s globetrotting mobile subscribers.

Aside from the roaming agreement, the two telecom giants will harness the partnership to forge collaborations in the areas of social media, customer care and rollout strategies for LTE, the next-generation mobile network technology.

The partnership was hatched through Smart’s participation in the Conexus Mobile Alliance, an Asia Pacific telecom group with a combined customer base of over 320 million customers.

Vodafone in September last year signed an agreement with the alliance to expand its roaming capabilities in the region. It has been reported that the company is setting its sights toward further international expansion in 2012.

“Through our participation in the Conexus alliance, Smart customers have been first in the region to enjoy a daily data rate of only US$10 when roaming on Conexus member networks,” said Mary Alice Ramos, Smart’s international roaming business and alliances head.

According to Ramos, the Vodafone partnership will bring the same low-cost data offering to more than 30 markets in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, where the latter currently operates.

To kick off the partnership, Vodafone executives reportedly flew in on February 14 to 16 to conduct training sessions with Smart’s senior management and online customer management teams, among others.

This was also the same time when rumors that Vodafone would be setting up shop in the Philippines, sparked by the opening of various social media accounts in Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT)-owned telco said more workshops and technical trainings with executives are slated in the coming months.

“We are proud to be the preferred partner of Vodafone in the Philippines, as we work together to meet the growing demand among multinational businesses for sophisticated voice, data and roaming solutions within and beyond the Asia Pacific region,” said Smart International and Carrier Business Division Head Alex Caeg.

source: interaksyon.com

Worldwide mobile data traffic to rocket: Cisco

SAN FRANCISCO — The amount of data sent to or from mobile gadgets around the world annually will rocket to hit the equivalent of 33 billion full-length DVD films by the year 2016, computer networking titan Cisco forecasts.

Worldwide mobile data traffic will increase 18-fold in the coming five years to an annual rate of 130 exabytes - the equivalent of 4.3 quadrillion digital songs or about 813 quadrillion text messages.

The surge in wireless data traffic will be due, in part, to an explosion in the number of “connected devices,” according to Cisco.

The California-based firm forecast that the number of gadgets linked wirelessly to the Internet would exceed the number of people on Earth in the year 2016.

Another factor will be the popularity of streaming music and videos to increasingly sophisticated mobile devices.

Africa and the Middle East were expected to have the fastest regional growth rates for mobile data traffic, followed by the Asia-Pacific and then Central and Eastern Europe.

source: japantoday.com