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Tony Ibrahim

Samsung Confirms Wearable Watch Is The Next Big Thing

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Samsung: “We’ve been preparing the watch product for so long.”

As smartphones mature in technology and everyone jumps on board by owning one, the big companies are looking for the next big thing. Months of speculation suggested Apple was intent on trying out a television, but for them to make a dent in the market they’d have to change the model. That takes time.

Speculation has shifted during the interim to suggest Apple–and its archrival Samsung–are working on a watch. In classic Apple character, they’ve let the rumour stew, but Samsung has done something different by throwing in some spices.

“We’ve been preparing the watch product for so long,” revealed Samsung’s Executive VP Lee Young Hee in an interview with Bloomberg.

“We are preparing products for the future, and the watch is definitely one of them.”

Other than confirming a Samsung watch exists, Hee remained tight lipped on the project. Considering the range of accessories launched alongside Samsung’s Galaxy S4, it’s a fair assumption a Samsung watch will play a companion role with the devices populating their product ecosystem.

Hee recognised Apple could be working on a watch device, saying it’ll come down to “who will first commercialise it so consumers can use it meaningfully.”

Even Samsung’s partner/competitor Google is entering the wearable tech market, but they’ve taken a different route by advocating augmented glasses. Google’s Glass could go either way, amounting to a grand success or a gigantic flop.

Source Bloomberg | Via TechRadar 

I Like Big Bass: SMS Audio Release Plush DJ ‘phones

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Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s headphone company, SMS Audio, has launched their first Street by 50 DJ headphones.

The first DJ headphones to join Street by 50’s range inherit the styling of the company’s over ear headphones and their on-the-go friendly folding form. The pliable band adjoins memory-foam cups which passively cancel outside distractions and encase professionally tuned 40mm drivers.

As you’d expect from 50 cent, an artist whose discography is rap and R&B-centric, these cans accentuate the low end for plush sounding bass.

“From the moment I created SMS Audio, I wanted to add headphones with the ability to fold, bend and move, without sacrificing the studio-quality sound and durability,” says 50 Cent, CEO of SMS Audio.

 

“Made with those qualities, the new DJ style shows the scope of what SMS Audio can offer. It continues to be my vision to provide studio-mastered sound in every product. My expectation is that many pro and amateur DJs will move to these remarkable cans.”

In the kit you’ll find two removable cables (a coiled DJ cable with 1/4″ adapter and a cable with a three click microphone), a hard-shell carrying case and soft cleaning cloth.

Available now for RRP$299.95 from Australian distributor Conexus, Street by 50’s DJ Pro Performance headphones come in Shadow Black and City Grey.

Teac’s Capable Micro System Has A Humble Price

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Teac’s new Micro System is well equipped and still humbly priced.

Lately Micro Systems have been donning prices that are anything but ‘micro.’ The truth is as technology continues to integrate more and more into less space, the price goes up.

That’s why reading about the latest Teac Micro System was a refreshing exercise.

Essentially the company is offering a micro system that features an array of input options with 10 watts worth of sound being pumped out. It’ll play back songs from an iPhone/iPod via a compatible dock, CDs, USB and an Auxiliary input (the latter two are compatible with a slew of devices, such as Android smartphones).

Additionally it features a FM radio.  
 
Design-wise it’s elegantly simple, choosing not to adhere to the razzmatazz other speakers get distracted by.

But the best thing about Teac’s Micro system is its fit-for-purpose attitude sets its pricing at a humble $129.95, well below the price point of its rivals. 

 

Telcos Told To Get Pricing Act Together Or Face Regulation

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The telecommunication watchdog has imposed several strict overhauls on Australia’s 1,000 providers that should make it easier to understand phone plans and avoid bill shock.

The Australian Communication and Media Authority (AMCA) delivered its final report on the telecommunication industry’s pricing and billing strategies after an 18 month assessment.

Within three months, the ABC report 60,000 new complaints were made to the Telecommunication Industry Ombudsmen (TIO), up 40 per cent from the year earlier.

Vodafone’s head of customer service, Cormac Hodgkinson, recognised the number of complaints is too high.

“As an industry, and within Vodafone itself, we need to work very hard to reduce that level of complaints,” he said.

According to the ACMA, there are two primary concerns: the first is advertising that is not clear and often misleading, with the second being bill shock. It believes both issues stem from confusing phone plans and are therefore recommending telcos introduce plans that are easier to interpret and compare.
 
“Industry has agreed to disclose the cost of a two-minute call to another mobile in Australia and that’s using the highest rate charged under that plan plus flag fall,” said ACMA spokesman Clare O’Reilly, who also led the inquiry.

 

“So it would be the cost of a two-minute call, the cost of sending a standard text message, and the cost of downloading one megabyte of data in Australia.”

Telcos also have to send customers a warning when they’re approaching their plan’s limit, letting them know when they’ll be charged extra. Managing that recommendation will be a bit trickier for telcos, since the system used by most don’t track real-time usage, with some being updated 48 later.

“Industry has told us that they cannot provide real-time data at the moment, at least they can’t across the industry,” Ms O’Reilly said.

“It would just be too costly to try and change process systems to be able to do that, so we’ve moved away from that. But we want them to tell consumers how old their data is so a consumer actually knows what information they are relying on.”

The ACMA is giving the Communication Alliance, the industry’s’ peak body, responsibility of the matter, expecting its Telecommunication Protection Code to be brought up to date or face regulation.

Despite public outcry that the ACMA hasn’t imposed hard enough reform, some telcos seem to be responding to the recommendations already.

Optus is ahead of other major telcos, vowing to send relevant notifications of increased voice and data usage to their customers hoping to cushion bill shock.

Read: Stop! Optus Are Bill Police & (Not) Charging You

IT Services Industry Plummets 40%

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The IT services market has suffered a massive blow in the second quarter of 2011, with new contract signings falling to its lowest value in more than eight years according to research firm Ovum.

The new report reveals Total Contract Value (TCV) fell by 40 per cent year-on-year to $19 billion. The result is the lowest reported in over 8 years since Q1 of 2003, with Asia-Pacific countries experiencing a less dramatic drop of 4 per cent.

Ovum’s research also identified a decrease in deals recorded worldwide for the fourth consecutive quarter to just 384. This was the lowest recorded number of deals since Q4 2007.

Ed Thomas, Ovum analyst and author of the report, said “After a disappointing start to the year, things went from bad to worse in the second quarter of 2011 with this very weak performance in contract signings”.

“In previous quarters, the buoyancy of the public sector outsourcing market has gone some way toward offsetting the lacklustre returns from enterprise clients. However, on this occasion government spending on IT services projects also took a hit, with a notable lack of large-scale projects on offer.”

In the second quarter of 2011, no mega deals (valued in excess of $1 billion) were signed, with public sector bodies also failing to close major deals.

Of the large deals made, HP was chosen by the Australian Taxation Office to manage its IT infrastructure, including mainframes, server management, storage management and data centre services, valued at $500 million.

TomTom: Bigger is Better

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TomTom has launched its biggest GPS yet: its 6 inch Via 620.

The Via 620 ups the screen size and resolution for a bigger, sharper picture, and a finger friendly touch experience.

“We haven’t simply stretched the units,” began said Chris Kearney, Vice President of TomTom, Asia Pacific. “We’ve changed proportions and designed the Via 620 with safety top of mind. At TomTom, we’re all about helping drivers enjoy the journey and the increased pixels, bigger screen and larger buttons make your journey simpler and stress-free.

“For drivers – particularly those with larger vehicles such as the Aussie Ute or popular SUV – the Via 620 is practical, clear and easy to use so that they’ll always be confident on the road,” said Kearney.

The Via 620 will come with a lifetime supply of daily map updates which are based on reports from TomTom’s 21 million strong Map Share community. It also has a dual mounting system, allowing it to be mounted on dashboard and windscreens.

“We know that the most important thing to Australian drivers using a personal navigation device is that the instructions are clear,” says Kearney. “This has been a huge focus for TomTom in the design of all of our new products – from providing Advanced Lane Guidance and spoken street names to now launching the Via 620, which is clearly the next big thing when it comes to GPS devices.”

TomTom’s Via 620 is available now from leading retailers for RRP$249.99.

Click over for specs

 

Specs (as per press release)

New to the TomTom Via 620:
· 6″ Touch Screen
The sharp, extra-large screen displays instructions more clearly than ever before. And bigger menus and buttons make input even simpler.
· Dual-mounting system
The TomTom Via 620 can be mounted in a safe and convenient place, either on windscreen or dashboard.
· High Resolution Widescreen
Provides superb screen clarity.

Other features of the TomTom Via 620 include:
· Advanced Lane Guidance
Gives drivers extra clarity when navigating difficult junctions. New ‘Split-screen’ Advanced Lane Guidance view gives drivers as much information as possible on their route.
· Improved IQ Routes
Uses real travel times shared by millions of drivers to get the best routes and arrival times at every time of day
· TomTom Map Share
Gives drivers free daily map changes from the TomTom Map Share Community
· Spoken street names
Makes upcoming turns even clearer
· Parking assist
Helps drivers find parking near their destination or en route
· Frequent destinations
Allows drivers to save their most frequent destinations, for an even easier and quicker journey to the places they visit most often