TechyGamers

Is Samsung ChatON wants to kill SMS?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:06:00 +0800

Is Korea-based smartphone maker Samsung quietly trying to kill SMS (text) messaging?

Samsung has started porting to its smartphones its cross-platform Web-based "ChatON" messaging client app, tech site TechCrunch reported.

The web version of the messaging client is likely to work on most feature phones and computers as well, it added.

"ChatON" had been in the works, with Samsung indicating ChatON will be a cross-platform service.

"Now, with the web app, the crusade is seemingly complete. ChatON users can easily communicate using either their platform’s app or just a web browser. Accounts are linked, so no matter what device you’re rocking, you’ll be available. See ya later, text messages!" TechCrunch said.

Another article on TechCrunch said ChatON is to go live next month in over 120 countries and 62 languages.

On feature phones, the ChatON ervice allows for text, images, calendar appointment and contact sharing.

But on smartphones, it offers extra options, such as the ability to comment on each other’s profiles, send multimedia messages that combine text and audio, and view their own “Interaction Rank,” which displays how active they are on the ChatOn network.

The new web-based app also allows users to group chat, have 1:1 conversations, and supports attachments, emoticons and more.

Yet, TechCrunch noted carriers are reportedly losing major revenue from services like ChatON that use a data connection rather than traditional messaging rates.

"While text messages are essentially locked into a 2003-ish feature set, apps like Samsung’s ChatOn and Apple’s Messages are free to roll out innovative features to users anytime. I say good riddance. Death to SMS and it’s crazy cost," it said.

ChatON goes cross-platform

ChatON is a cross-platform mobile chat service similar to RIM’s BlackBerry Messaging (BBM) and is slated to support a variety of mobile operating systems.

Such OSes include Samsung’s own mobile operating system, Android, feature phones and even competitors’ platforms, including iOS and BlackBerry.

Social media eating into carrier revenues?

A third TechCrunch story said Twitter, Facebook and other social networks may be eating up revenues.

It cited the analyst firm of Ovum, part of the Informa Group, has estimated that operators lost $13.9 billion in SMS revenue in 2011, as customers used services like Twitter and Facebook to message each other instead of the carriers’ own text messaging services.

TechCrunch also cited a separate report from mobile analytics firm Bytemobile showing huge growth in the use of social media on mobile — with operators getting virtually no benefit as a result.

Bytemobile, using data it gathers from its tier-one carrier customers, found that the average mobile user spends around nine minutes per day each on Facebook and YouTube on mobile.

"There is a caveat, of course: carriers are still making money from people using their phones to use social networks: users are, after all, still buying 3G and 4G data plans; and many (but not all) carriers also roll public Wi-Fi connectivity into those plans," TechCrunch said.

But it said it is questionable whether in the short term that incremental data revenues for tweets, status updates and check-ins, and the more substantial data usage from services like YouTube, can offset the loss from the more lucrative messaging services that operators built up and still count on for revenues.

"Longer term, Ovum predicts that by 2016 mobile data will bring in $419 billion in revenues for operators, out of a total service revenues of $1,047 billion," it said.

[source GMA]
[via GMA]

Do you think Alienware consider a gaming tablet?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 06:21:00 +0800

Razer’s Project Fiona might not be the only gaming tablet in the works, since Alienware is also considering branching off in the same direction by delivering a slate designed from the ground up to satisfy gamers.

With regards to Alienware product manager Eoin Leyden, it appears the high-end PC manufacturer could be looking into something similar. We asked Alienware what it thought of Razer's efforts.

"We have discussed it [tablets] a couple of times." explained Leyden. "There are issues and limitations that make it difficult to see that would appeal to our core audience right now."

The problem is that translating a hard-core gaming experience to tablets is very difficult. For casual applications, Angry Birds for example, the touch interface makes sense. The intricacies of PC controls however are very different.

"The issue is the input mechanism and how the game uses the the mechanisms and turns them into in-game actions."

Possible fixes are alternative ways of play. Unlike Razer's bolt-on controllers, Leyden sees very different control methods being used in future:

"At some point in the future tablets could have eye tracking in there, so you could control your character that way."

Thanks to the likes of Nvidia and its Tegra setup, tablets are going through a rapid power increase. More cores, bigger GPUs and larger amounts of RAM are being added yearly. This is leading to a rapid portable graphics evolution. It still isn't quite enough for the likes of Alienware to get excited however.

"From a performance point of view tablets are on an accelerated curve. They aren't quite there yet though."
So no tablet from the gaming experts just yet. Clearly though the market share tablets are chewing up has sparked the interest of top-end PC manufacturers. If what Razer releases proves a success, who knows - we might see Alienware jump on board as well.

[via Pocket-lint]

Samsung Galaxy S3 will not be showing in MWC this year

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:57:00 +0800

For a relatively long time, people around the world are waiting the unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy S3. Actually, Verge is telling that Samsung has delayed Samsung Galaxy S3. There are some reports that disappointed the Samsung Galaxy users who were eagerly waiting for the launch of the smart gadgets.

WHAT IS THE INFORMATION?

Originally, the report pegged the phone to be launched at Mobile World Congress (MWC) but later on, the reports said that the Samsung has decided to postpone the launch. People that were familiar with this matter said that although no expected date for the Galaxy S3 launch has been decided yet but still people are hoping that it will come before the summertime.

REASON FOR THE DELAY

Verge has reported that Galaxy S2 was launched last year in the MWC, but the phone came after 3 months later. Samsung Galaxy S2 was unveiled in the February whereas, it came in North America in July, and United States got it in September.

So, probably this time Samsung is sacrificing MWC launch to avoid the long wait between the availability of the device and unveiling date. Although, people will be missing Samsung galaxy S3 in MWC, but still there are some hopes that some Windows devices and quad-core tablets might be seen in the MWC this year.

[via NewGadget]