Microsoft Sells Nokia to Foxconn

IBTimes

Nokia phones set to return.

Microsoft's future in the mobile phone business is now entirely dependent on its Lumia smartphone range after the software giant confirmed on Wednesday that it was selling the feature phone part of the business to a subsidiary of Foxconn and HMD Global, a Finnish company, in a deal worth $350 million — including the rights to use the Nokia brand on future feature phone devices.

The deal involves all of Microsoft's feature phone assets, which were purchased from Nokia as part of a $7.1 billion deal that is now seen as a major mistake. Those assets include brands, software and services, care network and other assets, customer contracts, and critical supply agreements.

The Microsoft deal is expected to close in the second half of 2016, the company said in a statement. Foxconn, also trading as Hon Hai Precision, is the world's largest electronics contract manufacturer and is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. It produces some of the world's most popular consumer electronics, including the iPhone and iPad, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Surface tablets.  

Sony Products SO good...

SONY can't keep up with demand for smartphone cameras.

This is GOOD news.

First, our partner has a lot of demand for its products. This tells us that they will keep making money. This is good.

They are also having this difficulty keeping up with demand because their product was so good, at such a good price, it represented a great value for the OEMS and they all demanded more.

I firmly believe we can expect similar quality and demand for SONY projector engines with PicoP technology.


"Sony is having a lot of trouble keeping up with demand for its Exmor IMX214 camera sensor, which is currently the part of choice for Chinese smartphone makers. "

@ Fudzilla

Microvision to be in Smartphone

MicroVision and Major Global Electronics Brand to Collaborate on Display Engine for a Smartphone

Development Activities in 2014 to Support Possible Product Introduction in 2015

MicroVision, Inc.

     REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

MicroVision, Inc. (MVIS), a leader in innovative ultra-miniature projection display technology, today announced that it is collaborating with a major global consumer electronics brand to develop a display engine for use in an innovative smartphone product.

This new customer, listed on the Fortune Global 500, is a leading name in consumer electronics. The companies plan to collaborate on this development activity targeting a possible second half 2015 product introduction.

“We are extremely pleased to be working with this industry-leading electronics brand on a display engine for a truly innovative product incorporating our revolutionary PicoP display technology,” said Alexander Tokman, president and CEO of MicroVision.

This design win, which is the culmination of months of design work and technical discussions, is the second for MicroVision with a major electronics brand on the Fortune Global 500. Previously the company announced a development agreement with another global electronics brand for a custom display module incorporating PicoP® display technology. MicroVision has announced that it is ramping up for volume production of key components with the goal to be ready in the second half of 2014.

MicroVision’s PicoPdisplay technology provides a powerful display solution that projects high-definition, focus-free content from a tiny, low-power display engine. MicroVision’s technology enables OEMs to deliver a high-quality consumer viewing experience to their customers by offering enhanced ways to view and share information. Whether for personal entertainment, social engagement, business collaboration, driver safety or in whatever way OEMs’ imaginations take them, PicoP display technology could be the exciting new element that consumers are searching for to elevate their mobile experience.

About MicroVision

MicroVision is the creator of PicoP® display technology, an ultra-miniature laser projection solution for mobile consumer electronics, automotive head-up displays and other applications. MicroVision’s patented display technology helps OEMs break down display boundaries and offer enhanced visibility to mobile experiences. Nearly two decades of research has led MicroVision to become an independently recognized leader in the development of intellectual property. MicroVision’s IP portfolio has been recognized by the Patent Board as a top 50 IP portfolio among global industrial companies and is also included in the Ocean Tomo 300 Patent Index. The company is based in Redmond, Wash.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.microvision.com, on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/MicroVisionInc or follow MicroVision on Twitter at @MicroVision.

MicroVision and PicoP are trademarks of MicroVision, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this release, including those relating to future product and technology development, introductions and sales, as well as consumer demand, and those containing words such as “plan,” “goal,” “targeting,” “possible,” and “could,” are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the company's forward-looking statements include the following: our ability to raise additional capital when needed; products incorporating our PicoP display engine may not achieve market acceptance, commercial partners may not perform under agreements as anticipated, we may be unsuccessful in identifying parties interested in paying any amounts or amounts we deem desirable for the purchase or license of IP assets, our or our customers failure to perform under open purchase orders; our financial and technical resources relative to those of our competitors; our ability to keep up with rapid technological change; government regulation of our technologies; our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights and protect our proprietary technologies; the ability to obtain additional contract awards; the timing of commercial product launches and delays in product development; the ability to achieve key technical milestones in key products; dependence on third parties to develop, manufacture, sell and market our products; potential product liability claims; and other risk factors identified from time to time in the company's SEC reports, including the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. Except as expressly required by federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in circumstances or any other reason.

Contact:

MicroVision, Inc.
Investors:
Dawn Goetter, 425-882-6629
ir@microvision.com
or
Media/PR:
Robert Brown, 424-248-0512
robert@bohle.com

AMAZON EVENT -- SMARTPHONE? Kindle with PicoP?

There is a lot of language here, that says they don't know anything except they're launching something.



Full article at source

Amazon is holding an event on June 18 where it expected to show off a new device, possibly with a 3D interface.

 

Amazon.com

Amazon.com is holding an event in Seattle later this month where it could reveal its long-awaited smartphone, possibly with a 3D interface.

The e-commerce giant is inviting press and customers to an event June 18 in its hometown of Seattle for a “new device unveiling.” In a video on its site (watch below), actors are seen surprisingly react to something held off-screen in their hands.

The video seems to suggest it is the new smartphone, which The Wall Street Journal reported in April will feature a screen that can track a user’s eye movements and display images that are seemingly 3D. It’s part of a broader hardware push from Amazon that recently has included the Fire TV set-top box.

In the video, the actors say the device is “very real life” and that “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

People familiar with Amazon’s plans said in April that the smartphone was being prepared for a release in the second half of this year.

A spokeswoman for Amazon declined to provide further details.

Apple iPhone 6 -- August

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-unveil-iphone-6-august-040909852.html

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) will unveil the next incarnation of its popular iPhone series in August, one month earlier than industry watchers were generally expecting, Taiwanese media reported on Friday citing unidentified supply-chain sources.

A 4.7-inch screen version of the iPhone 6 will reach stores in August, the Economic Daily News reported without specifying which markets would receive the phone first.

A 5.5-inch or 5.6-inch model will be released in September, the newspaper said, as the iPhone 5 series was previously.

People involved in the supply chain had earlier confirmed to Reuters that there will be a 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6 and a 5.5-inch version.

Together, the Economic Daily News said 80 million iPhone 6 handsets would be produced this year.

Industry watchers have said increasing the iPhone's screen size from 4 inches would help Apple regain market share from competitors such as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd , who they say have responded to consumer desire for more screen size.

Representatives for Apple could not be reached for comment.

Representatives for Taiwanese iPhone contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd (2317.TW) and smartphone camera lens maker Largan Precision Co Ltd , both mentioned in the Economic Daily News report, had no comment.

(Reporting by Michael Gold; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

Sony Components for Apple

http://www.cnet.com/news/sony-said-to-be-talking-to-apple-about-camera-for-new-iphone/

• by Brooke Crothers 
   @mbrookec
• February 11, 2014 1:02 PM PST
• 
  

iPhone 5S rear camera.Apple

Sony is in negotiations with Apple for supply of sensors for a "new iPhone," according to a Japan-based report.

The talks call for Sony to double the supply of camera components for a "new iPhone slated to roll out as early as next year," according to a Wednesday report in Nikkei, Japan's largest business daily.

Sony is a supplier of CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) sensors for the iPhone 5S' rear-mounted cameras, as teardowns have shown. Nikkei states that "nearly all" rear-mounted CMOS sensors for "current iPhone models" are supplied by Sony.

And Apple will "likely" switch to Sony sensors for the front-facing camera as well, Nikkei said.

Nikkei offers up some big numbers to back this up. Sony "likely supplies Apple with more than 100 million [sensors] a year, with the bulk destined for iPhones," the business daily said. But this number could double in next-gen Apple products, the report claims.

Orders from Apple can profoundly affect investment plans for companies that supply components for the iPhone and iPad. Sharp, for instance, has invested heavily in LCD manufacturing capacity in order to supply Apple with displays for its iPads.

Similarly, orders from Apple spurred Sony to acquire a plant from Japanese chipmaker Renesas Electronics, according to Nikkei.

The camera in the iPhone 5S has received kudos. The 5S uses a redesigned camera sensor (presumably from Sony) with bigger pixels for better low-light exposure, among other benefits.

Though Nikkei does not specify what new iPhone would use the sensor, rumors claim that the 8-megapixel camera in the 5S could get an upgrade with the iPhone 6.

Sony's image sensor sales (mostly CMOS sensors) are expected to reach 360 billion yen ($3.47 billion) this fiscal year, Nikkei said.

Sony has also begun to supply batteries for the iPad Air, Nikkei said. "In December, it scuttled plans to unload its battery business, instead choosing to shift toward products for mobile devices," according to the report.

A Project Ara Wishlist

http://www.yugatech.com/gooooogle/diy-smartphone-project-ara-what-are-your-specs/

March 27, 2014

DIY smartphone Project Ara: What are your specs?

 930 29 0

So we’ve seen Samsung’s Galaxy S5 flagship phone. There’s also Sony’s Xperia Z2 and even the All-new HTC One. With these companies giving us a set of fixed specs, I say forget about all the hoopla for a second and instead, you tell us what you want to see in your smartphone when Google’s DIY Project Ara comes to fruition.

I’ll get this started. Here’s how I want my Project Ara:
4.7-inch body
1920 x 1080 display
20MP rear camera with Xenon flash and night vision
5MP wide-angle front camera
4K video recording
Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor
3GB RAM
64GB internal memory
Stereo speakers
Pico projector
2 x 2500mAh battery
Since I’m more of a multimedia guy, I want my specs to lean more towards imaging capabilities. I’d prefer a 20MP rear camera with 4K video capabilities and a Xenon bulb so I could effectively capture clear and blur-free images even at night, with the option of night vision widely-seen on Sony’s handycams. To share them, I’d get a Pico projector of some sort to easily show my latest photos or short films to my friends. Also, two battery modules to hot-swap!
The point of this article (besides publicly day-dreaming about our fantasy phones) is so that we realize the possibility of the future of smartphones as early as today. Google’s Project Ara is now undergoing developer conferences and could come early 2015 – which is just a year from now.
Would it be a hit to consumers like you? How much would it affect other smartphone manufacturers? Would their strategy change? If so, how? Only time will tell.



http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=611546&page=379

Conceivable you could double up on wifi modules for faster through put. Even something like an ethernet module could help you tie into a local nas.

Did you see the phone that Google is using to map 3d environments? You could do that with an additional module instead of a whole new device.

There's companies, mainly in professional fields, working on creating things like scanners for blood sugar. People with diabetes won't have to carry around another piece of hardware with them.

Boom sound and a pico projector for doing presentations. Being able to add an LTE module or a whitespace module would be great and would allow even faster iteration of tech.

You work at a sensitive place of work? Remove the camera and you can still have your own phone. Slide in your work module and you don't have to carry a second work phone.

Google to offer Phone Service?

This is actually huge.

The love of PicoP is going to be very dependent on availability of content.

If Google can pull this off, the bandwidth available for cell networks will be huge in most urban areas, and bottlenecks that currently exist on conventional cell networks will be largely ameliorated. (Big word, I know, look it up.)

http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/03/google-phone-service-leak/?ncid=rss_truncated&cps=gravity

Many see Google Fiber as an attempt to disrupt the stagnant world of internet service providers, and it now sounds like Google wants to shake up the wireless industry, too. Sources for The Information claim that the search firm wants to offer mobile phone service in Fiber areas. It's not yet clear how this would work, but Google reportedly told Verizon in January that it would like to become an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) piggybacking on Big Red's network. None of the companies involved are commenting on the rumor, and there are no guarantees that Google's dreams will become reality. We certainly wouldn't count on Verizon's cooperation given its vehement opposition to the net neutrality principles that Larry Page and crew hold dear. However, Google is the sort of company that's willing to supply internet access by any means necessary -- if it's really bent on offering phone service, it'll find a way.

Another Project ARA Article

http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/15/project-ara-modular-smartphone/

Much more at the link above

The night before Google's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) division was supposed to show off the one and only functional Project Ara prototype to a room full of eager developers, someone dropped the phone and broke the display. At any other product reveal, this worst-case scenario would be a nightmare come true. Not to Google: the company made lemonade out of a lemon by turning it into a selling point for the modular smartphone. A year from now, painful situations like this can be easily fixed by simply buying a new display and swapping out the broken one.

Not that last night's fiasco would've made much of a difference. Attendees at this week's Project Ara developer conference wouldn't have been able to boot up the prototype and play around with it like any typical smartphone -- in this case, "functional" is not the same as "functioning" -- but at least it would've made for a better presentation. Regardless of how it looked, however, we were able to briefly handle the Project Ara prototype and some of its first modules. To be clear, this is an extremely early model and there's a long way to go before seeing the light of day, but it at least allows us to get a good glimpse of what's to come over the next year as Ara continues to prepare for launch.

Project Ara - Reinventing the Smartphone

http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/15/5615880/building-blocks-how-project-ara-is-reinventing-the-smartphone

Building blocks: how Project Ara is reinventing the smartphone

A handful of Google engineers and designers are building a phone the DARPA way

By Dieter Bohn on April 15, 2014 11:45 am Email @backlon

The broad outlines of Project Ara have already been announced and had plenty of doubt cast on them. It's an attempt to encourage hardware manufacturers to build modules that will slot into a metal "endoskeleton," which serves as the basic core of a phone. The camera, screen, and any other feature that you'd traditionally associate with a smartphone would exist only as a modular tile — even the processor and the power jack would be removable. The challenges that ATAP needs to overcome are formidable to say the least. Since well before the iPhone, mobile technology has been on an inexorable march towards integration. Putting as many parts as possible on a single circuit board — or even a single chip — has benefits that are impossible to ignore. Integration saves on battery life, weight, thinness, and cost, among other things.

Amazon New Phone

http://bgr.com/2014/04/15/amazon-smartphone-photos-specs-kindle-phone-exclusive/

3D without Glasses? Kindle Phone?

Full Article

Amazon phone reportedly coming in September with glasses-free 3D

Stop us if you've heard this one before: Amazon's getting ready to launch a phone. This is actually one of the longest-running rumors we've heard, with the first reports stretching back to 2012. So what's different this time? According to the Wall Street Journal, the company is already showing off prototypes of the handset to developers and is gunning to announce the device by the end of June with a September release. The report tells us that Amazon wants to differentiate itself from other top-of-the-line flagships by adding four cameras with retina-tracking tech, making it possible to project 3D images without needing glasses.

Rumors of a "Kindle phone" (or multiple phones) have been floating around the internet for ages, and this isn't even the first time we've heard that Amazon was working on a 3D-type display -- the Journal began reporting last May that the project would enable visuals that "seem to float above the screen like a hologram." Given how much smoke we've seen, there's quite likely fire. We wouldn't be surprised to see some news come out around the same time as Google's I/O developer conference, but we're more curious to find out exactly what Amazon plans to do with this retina-tracking tech and how developers will be able to take advantage of it. Needless to say, it certainly would add an interesting element to our already endless Instagram feed.

Interesting Search of Concept Phones

There are a lot of companies thinking about using Pico Projectors in Phones...

http://www.concept-phones.com/?s=pico

Click to go to Concept Phones and search for "Pico"

MVIS included SurfacePhone: A Mobile Projection Device for Single- and Multiuser Everywhere Tabletop Interaction

A .pdf with this project was posted earlier, but I think that many people didn't see what is really possible with this -- 

the .pdf report does show a Microvision projector AND an Iphone.

Enjoy the video, this is Microvision in future AWESOMENESS.

*********************************************************************************

SurfacePhone: A Mobile Projection Device for Single- and

Multiuser Everywhere Tabletop Interaction

ChristianWinkler1, Markus L¨ochtefeld2, David Dobbelstein1, Antonio Kr¨uger2, Enrico Rukzio1

I'm not sure if the paper was supposed to be released yet, as the Date is April 26-May 1, 2014 / Toronto Canada.

Somewhere near here is probably the link to the .pdf describing the project. HERE.

I have a copy of the .pdf (It's very technical) I will NOT post it, and I have misplaced the link. If you would like a copy, I will e-mail one to you. If you find the PDF on line, I would appreciate the link.

Galaxy Beam Successor? (updated)

For those who care about MY opinion, I'm of a mind that this particular shape does not bode well for an integrated PicoP from MVIS. (I could, of course, be very wrong.) I think that just because I think it could be integrated without the bulging shape at the top. Of course, there may be other reasons for that.

This article about innovation at Samsung Also Interesting

At Mobile World Congress in 2012, Samsung announced a pico projector smartphone known as the Galaxy Beam. Although it was a cool concept, the phone's downfall was its middling specs, aging OS and large chassis. Two years later, it appears that Samsung's working on a successor to the Beam called the SM-G3858, according to China's government database. The Tenaa entry even comes with a few pictures, most of which offer an indication of a projector: there's clearly a bump on the upper back which opens up to a wide lens on the top, and we also saw an extra button that models after the original Beam -- in fact, the icon above the button looks eerily like the one seen here. Curiously, Samsung has shed the sporty misshapen look in favor of a sleek metal build, which certainly seems a better fit for professionals.

The database also gives us a glimpse at its specs, some of which are an improvement over the original Beam; the China Mobile-branded phone reportedly packs a 4.66-inch WVGA (800x480) display, Android 4.2.2, a quad-core 1.2GHz chipset with 1GB of RAM, microSD slot with up to 32GB external storage, as well as TD-SCDMA and GSM connectivity (no LTE on this model, although there's a chance this is simply a 3G-only variant of a global model). It's also 11.6mm thick, which is much thicker than most Samsung smartphones but still is nearly a full millimeter thinner than the original. It's still too early to determine whether this is going to be exclusive to China Mobile or available to a global market, but at least we know the phone exists for now; Samsung, we're hopeful, will provide us with the rest of the story at some point down the road.

From Engadget

Is this a picop size and shape hole in a phone?

....Another odd feature is a back, square cutout toward the top of the phone. It's worth noting, though, that without any markings or logos, this isn't the final back—the back piece will probably be similar to the device shown in the KitKat statue video. The back is so non-final that it appears to be falling off in one picture. Keep in mind it shouldn't be a removable back, however, because last time the FCC said the back wasn't supposed to be removable.




Full article

Related Article

Where we are going

The Iball Projector Phone




If you think adoption in the USA would be too low, think Asia!

Link to Company Site  --- where you can purchase the phone.

http://dichiquilla6.blogspot.com/2013/09/iball-launches-andi-4a-projector.html

Note the resolution: MVIS has much better resolution.

The exciting Smartphone we don't have...

2013: The exciting smartphone year that never came to be

Tero Kuittinen 1 hour agoTechnology & Electronics

Smartphone Technology Analysis

Yes, it is depressing to witness a major vendor discussing proudly how important it is to move buttons from the side of a flagship phone to the back. It is also chilling to see that same vendor highlight how awesome it is to have a 0.1-inch bezel on the sides of a display. No, it’s not. It’s not awesome to have a 0.1-inch bezel. Debuting the first color display phones, the first camera phones and the first touchscreen phones was awesome. Back in 2001 through 2007, these major break-throughs shocked and titillated Western consumers. Now, we are running on fumes. Yet just four years ago it looked as though 2013 would be a tremendously exciting year for the industry.

[More from BGR: Apple’s ‘iPhone 5C’ leaks again in highest-quality photos yet]

Back in 2009, some industry observers expected smartphones to begin featuring built-in projectors within 3-4 years. Picoprojector phones were expected to start debuting by 2012, first in $800 ultra-luxury models and then migrating to $600 phones by the end of 2013. The competition between Texas Instruments and a tiny challenger called Microvision was supposed to fuel the growth.

[More from BGR: Leaked photos seemingly show brand new camera from iPhone 5S]

Microvision’s share price spiked above $40 in late 2009 on these dreams. But MVIS is now down to $2 as a series of challenges ranging from sourcing cheap blue lasers to managing power consumption to bringing module price low enough have slowed down progress. A mass market picoprojector phone would have been a genuine break-through. Phone vendors would not need to chase bigger displays so relentlessly if smartphones could project a crisp, bright picture on a nearby wall. The new hybrid product would also revolutionize the mobile app industry, which would now be busy churning out communal games. Television viewing habits would change faster if several people could share the same show on a smartphone.

But alas, all we got was the ill-fated LG eXpo.

We still likely have to wait years for the mass market commercialization of picoprojector phones. At the same time, camera and display quality have both improved so vastly that further gains are destined to be marginal. Phones are already so thin that shaving off another millimeter won’t make much difference. Power consumption could improve a lot, but this is hardly an issue that makes consumers’ hearts beat faster.

So now, we can look forward to another year of gimmicks like wood veneers and new button placements in 2014. Perhaps even a 0.07-inch bezel.

Original Article on Yahoo

On BGR

New Samsung Galaxy

Who knows... there might be something here.



From CNN

From IGN

From CNet

Futuristic UFO phones

Yes, this is still in the concept phase.

I'm pretty sure that everything here is technically possible now. (although I'm not sure if flexible LCD screens are working yet.)

Apple has a 12-18 month development cycle.



Full Article at Techblog