| Qualcomm's proximity beacon takes tracking people to next level Sep 4th 2013, 14:06, by John McCann 
We have Wi-Fi, we have NFC, we have dedicated applications - so what's the next step in event connectivity? A head mounted display for every attendee? A watch-like device which thinks it's a phone? Perhaps in the future, but for 2013 we have the proximity beacon - used for the first time to track the movement of attendees at Qualcomm's annual Uplinq conference in San Diego . Upon registration every attendee has the option to pick up a Gimbal Proximity Beacon which is linked to their account and allows the mothership to determine your location when you're in the vicinity of a receiver - which can take the form of a mobile phone, tablet or dedicated, plug-in device. The plastic beacon itself is pretty small, fitting snugly into the palm of the hand. It's also incredibly light. You won't notice it in your pocket or attached to the lanyard around your neck. 
There's a small battery inside to power the Bluetooth LE (low energy, AKA Bluetooth 4.0) broadcast system, and the device can send various bits of information to a receiver including an identifier (i.e. your name), the battery level of your unit and even ambient temperature. As well as feeding data back to Qualcomm on the whereabouts of its various attendees, the system is also linked up to a mobile application which can send each person notifications, deals and offers when they trigger particular receivers. Integration with the app goes further at the Uplinq conference, with the Beacon automatically checking people in to various sessions. A list of people currently present is relayed to the application so you can see who else is in the room with you, because using your eyes is so 2012. 
While a data connection is required to view such information on your mobile phone, your mobile doesn't need to have a connection - or even be on - for the auto check-in system to work. This means there's no dependence on your mobile's battery life (increasingly important these days), and the battery inside the beacon can last up to three months - depending on the usage it's set up for. The receivers themselves can be fine-tuned to create geo-fences in certain areas, and ranges can be tweaked from 1m to 50m, and even up to 100m in open spaces. 
There are obvious advantages here for Qualcomm, as it can track which panels are best attended and by who, and which aren't - giving it key feedback for next year's event before asking anyone to fill out a survey. Now Qualcomm assures us it's anonymising all the data it collects via the proximity beacon so it won't be able to track individuals, and if at any point someone doesn't want to be tracked they can opt out, with the option to delete all data collected on them so far too. The Gimbal system isn't just for Qualcomm's benefit.There's a whole SDK available to developers allowing them to create applications for numerous use case scenarios which interact with the system - such as allowing restaurants and shops to offer discounts to passers-by. We just hope this is completely unrelated to the proximity mines we frequently dished out in Goldeneye on the N64, otherwise things could get messy...        |  | In Depth: Android 4.4 KitKat release date, news and rumors Sep 4th 2013, 12:40, by Paul Douglas 
Well, this is a surprise. Having long expected version 5.0 of Android to be given the code name Key Lime Pie, Google has instead handed the 'K' release name to Android 4.4 and in a weird cross-promotional deal it's called it Android KitKat. As part of the deal Nestle is running a contest to win a Nexus 7 or Google Play credit through specially branded Kit Kat bars. So, apart from the fact that the chocolate bar has a space between Kit and Kat and Android 4.4 doesn't. what do we know about KitKat so far? Android 4.4 release dateAndroid 4.3 recently arrived on the Nexus 7, Nexus 7 2012, Nexus 4, Nexus 10 and Samsung Galaxy Nexus but is yet to roll out to other devices. It'll also be arriving 'soon' on the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 Google versions, with HTC saying it expects to push it out to developers by the end of September. So now we can start to look forward to the Android 4.4 KitKat release date. But when? We'll take a guess at late October or early November 2013 for now – which is when we were previously expecting to see Android 5.0 break cover. Android 4.4 featuresAndroid 4.3 came with a few minor upgrades including better multi-user customisation, support for Bluetooth smart technology and an updated keyboard. As a minor release, Android 4.3 didn't even get its own desert-themed name, sharing the Jelly Bean moniker with Android 4.1 and 4.2. So with a brand new code name, we can expect Android 4.4 to bring some bigger changes, but all Google is saying at this stage is: "It's our goal with Android KitKat to make an amazing Android experience available for everybody." From this, we can assume that Google wants to get Android onto less powerful devices, something we were previously hearing about Android 5.0 when it was claimed that the new OS would be optimised to run on devices with as little as 512MB of RAM. We also learned from Android Central back in February 2013 that Google is working with the Linux 3.8 kernel. One improvement that this kernel brings is lowered RAM usage, which fits with Google's goal of bringing Android to more devices. Android 4.4 phonesIn a commercial for its new operating system, Google revealed what seems to be the long-awaited Nexus 5. 
Shown off in a 38 second advert, the new Nexus handset looks to be equipped with a large camera and a matte black finish, carrying an LG logo on the back. Google has since taken the video down, leading to further speculation that it did indeed reveal the Nexus 5.        | | Nexus 5 seemingly revealed in Android 4.4 KitKat unveiling Sep 4th 2013, 09:26, by Marc Chacksfield 
Google officially announced this week that the latest iteration of Android will go by the name of Android KitKat, but it also may have let something else slip as well. In a commercial for its sweet-flavoured operating system, Google revealed what seems to be the long-awaited Nexus 5. There has been much rumour about this handset, with supposed leaks stretching back to March of this year. But this is the first time we have seen the fifth iteration of Google's phone in the wild. Nexus 5 leakThe new handset, shown off in the 38 second advert, looks to be equipped with a large camera and finished off in matte black. There is also a LG logo on the rear, which would make sense as LG is the rumoured handset manufacturer for the so-far unannounced phone, and the current maker of the Nexus 4. The video has now been taken down by Google, which has led to further speculation that this is indeed the Nexus 5 and not just a Nexus 4 with a fancy case on it. Via The Verge        | | Nokia Lumia 1020 hitting Aussie shores on September 17 Sep 4th 2013, 02:40, by Farrha Khan 
While the Lumia 925 has only been in stores for about a month, Nokia's Lumia 1020 with its massive 41-megapixel camera will be available in a couple of weeks for $899. Though Optus won't have the phone until October 1, Telstra and retailers will have the handset available from September 17. Telstra will be offering the Lumia 1020 for just $816 outright, or through its $60 Every Day Connect Plan with a $15 handset repayment per month over 24 months, which will give you $600 worth of calls and MMS, unlimited SMS and 1GB of data. It will also be available on its Business Performance Plan with the same inclusions. Telstra and Optus will only sell the black model, while Dick Smith and Allphones will sell the black and yellow models only and Harvey Norman will have the black, yellow and white. Camera prowessThe Nokia Lumia 1020 is of course powered by Windows Phone 8, and sports a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory and has a 4.5-inch AMOLED screen with a 1280x768 resolution display . But of course the biggest calling card for the Lumia 1020 is its massive 41-megapixel PureView camera, which can produce some stunning images with the cameras features and apps. As such, Nokia will also be offering up a camera grip for $89.95 from October that will extend the phones battery life and adds a two-stage shutter key and standard tripod mount. Nokia will also be making available its "Pro Camera" app, which will let users manually adjust the Lumia 1020's camera settings like exposure, white balance, shutter speed and ISO.        | | Dick Smith enters post-paid mobile arena Sep 4th 2013, 01:45, by Farrha Khan 
So while Vodafone CEO Bill Morrow sees a bleak future for MVNOs, retailer Dick Smith has given the market a boost of confidence by partnering with MVNO Think Mobile to offer post-paid mobile plans. Dick Smith will be selling the Think Swift 3G Ultimate plan and the Think Classic 3G plans, which use Vodafone's and Telstra's network, respectively. The Swift 3G Ultimate plan cost $59.95 per month over 24 months, offering unlimited standard calls, SMS/MMS and 4GB of data. You can get the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung Galaxy S3, Nokia Lumia 925, Sony Xperia Z or the HTC One on this plan. The Classic 3G plan costs $50 per month over 24 months for $500 worth of calls, SMS/MMS and 1.5GB of data. This plan can be paired with the Motorola Razr HD, Samsung Galaxy Express, LG Optimus L7 2, Samsung Ativ S or Huawei Ascend P6. While Dick Smith has offered prepaid plans through its stores, this will be the first post-paid plans offered by the retailer. Dick Smith for the travellerAdding to these mobile plans, Dick Smith is also looking to offer Australians some more choice with travel SIMs, GPS messengers and satellite communicators. You'll also be able to pick up a SatSleeve, which attaches to an iPhone 4 to turn it into a satellite phone. Dick Smith assures us that it has 100% coverage Australia wide and it will be releasing, Android and iPhone 5 versions "in the near future". Globalgig's SIMs and Wi-Fi hotspot device will also be available at Dick Smith stores, which offers a cheap options for data roaming in a number of countries.        | | Was the iPhone 5C caught running iOS 7 on camera? Sep 3rd 2013, 21:48, by Michael Rougeau 
Apple is expected to reveal its cheaper iPhone this month, but in the meantime video footage allegedly showing the iPhone 5C in action has appeared online. Chinese site C Technology, which BGR claimed is at least somewhat reputable, posted the video yesterday, claiming it came from "some friends" (thanks, Google Translate). The video shows what looks like the iPhone 5C in hot pink or red running iOS 7, with someone tapping around, pinch-and-zooming and more. Head to either link above to watch the footage, but do so with a pinch of salt - the haphazardly translated version of C Tech's report makes it clear that even they're not sure if the video is real. New iPhone release datesApple today confirmed that it will hold an event on Sept. 10 at which it's expected to unveil the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C plus announce the full public release of iOS 7. The invitation's bright colors could even be a hint meant to refer to the rainbow of hues the iPhone 5C is rumored to be arriving in. Renewed rumors of Sept. 20 and Sept. 27 release dates for the iPhone 5S and 5C, respectively, closely followed that invitation out of the gate today. iPhone 5C rumorsThe latest iPhone 5C leak may have shown its colorful packaging, though we've got our doubts about that. The iPhone 5C is expected to come with a plastic shell and downgraded specs compared to its predecessors and the other new iPhone expected on Sept 10. Rumors put the price anywhere from $300 (£192, AU$331) to $500 (£321, AU$552), significantly cheaper than Apple's high-end iPhone models. Will it be cheap enough? Regardless, it seems we'll learn more about Apple's cheaper iPhone soon. - Keep an eye on TechRadar's iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C rumor and news hubs for all the latest scoops!
       | | Blip: It's gone! 8GB Nexus 4 sells out in US, Google won't restock it Sep 3rd 2013, 21:11, by Michelle Fitzsimmons 
Blink and you missed your chance to pick up the 8GB Nexus 4 at a ridiculously low price, at least if you live in the U.S. The cheapest version of the Nexus phone is out of stock in the region, and according to Google (via The Verge), its absence is a forever sort of thing as it won't restock the handset. This could be a Bat Signal that the Nexus 5 will rappel into our lives sooner rather than later. Google last week dropped the price of the 8GB flavor to $199 (£159, AU$249) and the 16GB version to $249 (£199, AU$299). Both phones were originally selling for at $299 (£239, AU$349) and $349 (£279, AU$399), respectively. CNET UK reported the ship time for the 8GB Nexus 4 has grown from two to three days to a week, indicating that market could be nearing the end of its supply, too. More blips!Blips - short on words, great on value.        | | LG G2 brings its weird 'rear key' to US and Germany this month Sep 3rd 2013, 19:25, by Michael Rougeau 
LG has finally announced the LG G2's release date outside of South Korea, and as we expected it's right around the corner. The G2 will arrive in the U.S. and Germany this month before continuing on to the rest of the world, the phone maker revealed today. "The positive market feedback after the initial launch in Korea proved to us that the LG G2's consumer-oriented innovation does resonate with customers," LG President and CEO Dr. Jong-seok Park said in the announcement. "The LG G2 was developed as a global device for a global audience, beyond the scope of any smartphone we've introduced to date. I'm confident consumers will see the difference." The key to a comebackFormerly known as the Optimus G2, the G2 is LG's hope for a comeback in the world of mobile phones. Ultimately the G2 is expected to arrive on over 130 carriers globally. Its most notable feature is what LG calls the "rear key," a back-mounted button set that turns the device on and off and controls volume levels. LG says the rear key is supposed to be "intuitive and highly functional," though TechRadar wasn't convinced when the phone was unveiled. Besides that, we're looking at a 2.26 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 chip, 5.2-inch 1080p IPS display, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, 13- and 2.1-megapixel cameras (the rear with Optical Image Stabilization), a 3000mAh battery and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. We'll keep an ear out for specific launch dates, plus when it can be expected in other markets.        | | Double dates? New iPhones may go on sale Sept. 20 and Sept. 27 Sep 3rd 2013, 17:24, by Chris Smith 
Now that we know for sure when the iPhone 5S and potentially the iPhone 5C will be unveiled, attention turns to figuring out when the next-gen Apple handsets will actually go on sale. Following the confirmation from Cupertino that it's next iPhone launch will take place on Sept. 10, a report from the U.K. suggested the devices will arrive at retailers on Sept. 20 and Sept. 27. Those two dates, mentioned in a report from The Telegraph, have been mooted in the past but the paper's sources in the courier industry (of all places) appear to add a little more credence. Today's report follows up an earlier claim from The Telegraph that stores are being told to prepare to display two different iPhone devices that will arrive on two different dates. Roll up, roll up!If The Telegraph's stories come to fruition, the smart money would be on the new iPhone being first to arrive on Friday, Sept. 20. That would mean the heavily-tipped, cheaper iPhone 5C would be a safer bet to go on sale a week later on Friday, Sept. 27. The dual release dates would likely be great news for Apple, virtually ensuring two huge retail weekends with the traditional lines-around-the-block at its official stores around the world. It's highly unlikely that the company will confirm the release dates before its keynote event in Cupertino next Tuesday, so we'll have to wait and see what Tim Cook and Co. reveal.        | | Analysis: Can Nokia teach Microsoft to be one company? Sep 3rd 2013, 16:43, by Mary Branscombe 
Microsoft and Nokia have been trying since January to find a better way of working together on Windows Phone. That turned out to be Microsoft buying Nokia's handset business and bringing back Stephen Elop to head up not just the Windows Phone hardware team but Microsoft's whole devices business – which is a key part of the 'One Microsoft' reorganisation. Although Nokia has negotiated an excellent deal, with a combination of cash up front, loans from Microsoft that it gets even if the deal falls through and ongoing licence fees for both its Here maps and the large number of patents it isn't selling to Microsoft, it's also giving Microsoft the skills it needs to make the reorganisation work – with few drawbacks. The most obvious disadvantage that could have blocked the deal has already happened; Nokia's success in selling Windows Phone was discouraging other OEMs, interim Nokia CEO Risto Siilasmaa admitted in the press conference. Microsoft still believes that making Windows Phone more successful with its own phones makes it more attractive to OEMs (and Steve Ballmer claims that "OEMs are more enthusiastic about Windows Pone today than they were yesterday", but it wants to be a successful hardware maker itself. Nokia sells over 80% of all Windows Phones at the moment; that's better than the 50% of Windows tablets Microsoft wants to sell itself. And Microsoft gets technology for far more than phones: Terry Myerson has already teased us with the idea of combining the Lumia 1020 camera with the Kinect 2 sensor. Is Elop the next man for Microsoft?There's plenty of speculation that this is Microsoft buying its next CEO, but that's not what this deal is about. For one thing, Microsoft needs Elop to run the devices business if it's going to make a success of selling its own phones, tablets and the "new form factors" hinted at in the Microsoft presentation. For another, it's buying a lot more than one person. Devices and services, as outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer has been saying for over a year now, are Microsoft's future, and that's a combination that Nokia is already good at. The Lumia handsets, both premium and budget, and the big-selling Asha phones are complemented by services from HERE maps, navigation tools, Nokia's extensive music service, dozens of utilities – including Nokia's own data-saving Xpress web browser and augmented reality tools. Nokia has been running an app store for a lot longer than Microsoft and it has its own developer evangelism team, which has been at least as successful as Microsoft at bringing key apps to Windows Phone; Angry Birds, Words with Friends, Draw Something, Hipstamatic and other important apps have come to Nokia phones as exclusives months before other Windows Phone users got them. 
When he ran the business division at Microsoft (which included Office), Elop was an early convert to the principle that grew into the devices and services mantra. Software plus services as Microsoft used to call it – apps that worked well on their own (like Outlook) but got better when you were online with access to extra services (like contact information from Linked In or Facebook). Back in 2009 at the Web 2.0 conference, he was bullish on the importance of the combination of devices, apps and cloud services. "Some people say it will all be in the cloud; I think that is hogwash," he claimed (and the less-than-stellar sales of Chromebooks suggest he wasn't wrong). "How many people here have an iPhone? And how many of you are using the Facebook app on iPhone? Just as many. The device, the operating system, and the rich app – that's the Facebook app combined with the Facebook service - is a better experience." That's as good a definition of the promise of devices and services as Microsoft has ever given, and it's something Nokia has been doing itself – especially with Here Maps and Lumia handsets. Elop also has experience of the way Microsoft can improve in one area by learning from its own products in other areas; something that's key to making the 'one Microsoft' reorg succeed. Again, in 2009, he pointed out that "Xbox is cool but when you play around it there is all sorts of stuff you learn from it – and what we learn from enterprise search transfers to the Live team." Microsoft had bought FAST to improve SharePoint search (both part of Elop's division) but the same expertise turned the disappointing Live Search into the much more effective Bing search engine. What Microsoft must do nextMicrosoft needs to do much more of that transfer between teams – and it needs to keep moving away from its tendency to Redmond insularity. Both companies have spoken in the past about how well their design ethos and ambitions match up and the Windows Phone tem has managed to work well with the Nokia teams in Finland. Unlike Microsoft, which builds every service for the US first and the rest of the world much later, Nokia is hardly a US-centric company; it's used to building services for other countries around the world – the countries where Windows Phone is actually selling. Bing Maps is very accurate in the US but try searching for businesses in London using Bing Maps and Here Maps on Windows Phone; Nokia has a far better database of locations and you're much more likely to find what you're looking for. The 30,000 Nokia employees who become Microsoft employees won't be moving to Redmond; they'll stay in Finland where they design the phones and in Silicon Valley where Nokia has its research labs – and in the production facilities around the world where they build phones. 
Using Nokia's expertise to sell other devicesNokia has decades of experience in building phones – and in running a supply chain that sources components, builds things like the image stabilisation modules that make the cameras in the Lumia 920, 925 and 1020 so good, manufactures the devices and then gets them into stores. Microsoft has spent a lot of money building up its own supply chain for building the Surface tablets, but it was slow to make devices available outside the US; Nokia has that scale already. It's also used to working on multiple devices at once; Microsoft didn't have a large enough team to design Surface and Surface Pro at the same time, let alone get a smaller tablet ready to compete with the iPad Mini and Nexus 7. To compete in devices Microsoft needs to move faster; having one division rather than two separate companies should help there. It also needs to learn to sell products better and get marketing working better with the product teams. Nokia still has strong relationships with mobile operators around the world, a sales team that Microsoft doesn't have – and far better marketing. From genuinely funny ads like the wedding fight to guerrilla campaigns like paring ad vans next to Samsung billboards, Nokia can teach Microsoft to sell its products. Can Microsoft really save money over the deal?Microsoft says it will also save money, not just from the extra efficiency and scale but also from the 60-plus patent licenses from companies like IBM and Motorola Nokia is handing over, which have what Microsoft calls "attractive royalty arrangements" – and Microsoft can use them for tablets and other devices as well as phones. Plus the deal means Google-owned Motorola can't sue Microsoft over smartphones in future for any of those patents; neither can companies like Samsung and LG who have already cross licenced patents to Microsoft. Not everything in the Microsoft Nokia deal fits in with the 'one Microsoft' plan though. As well as the Lumia handsets, Microsoft is taking over Nokia's Asha Symbian phones and featurephones like the newly launched Nokia 515. Microsoft has only just finished transitioning Windows Phone and Xbox to the Windows kernel and now it's going to have multiple platforms again – in a market where it has little experience and none of it good. Even if Asha doesn't turn into another Sidekick or Kin – Microsoft's last phone acquisition didn't go well – it could be confusing for customers. On the other hand, Microsoft can't afford to only develop for Windows and Windows Phone. Steve Ballmer promised that "we're not holding back services from other vendors." Making Microsoft services available on the first phone people buy as well is an opportunity to get them before they start in the Google or Apple world.        | | Apple iPhone 5S launch confirmed for September 10 Sep 3rd 2013, 16:05, by Kate Solomon 
Apple has confirmed the date of its iPhone 5S launch event as September 10 - with it seeming virtually certain the iPhone 5C will appear too. Bright and colourful invitations have hit inboxes inviting journalists to an event at Cupertino HQ in San Francisco, with the spotty clues pointing to the release of the new iPhone. Obviously Apple hasn't confirmed whether we're looking at the launch of the iPhone 5S and the cheap and cheerful iPhone 5C as well, but we'd say it's pretty certain. "This should brighten everyone's day"We're also expecting Apple to announce the full release of iOS 7 to existing iPhones, iPads and iPod touch devices as well. The event kicks off at 10am PT/6 pm BT on September 10, and at 4 a.m. in Australia on September 11. Join us, we'll be going big on it.        | | Did Nike just confirm the iPhone 5S? Sep 3rd 2013, 16:03, by Hugh Langley 
Nike has had a close relationship with Apple for some time and the chances are that it's in the know about what's planned for the upcoming iPhone 5S. Or at least the very fact that the thing exists after the not-yet-existent device was name checked on Nike's online store. It's still there if you want to go check it out for yourselves. In the description for the Nike E2 Prime Performance training arm band it states that it's compatible with the iPhone 5 "and iPhone 5s". We're pretty sure that "5s" isn't the plural of iPhone 5, even with the small s. So go figure. iSpyThis could just be Nike jumping the gun based on expectations and the company may not know as much as it's letting on. But given that the two have been paired up for Nike+iPod for quite some time now, we expect Nike to be making its mark on the new iPhone too. We're expecting the iPhone 5S to be announced alongside the iPhone 5C on the September 10 event that's just been announced.        | |
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