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CES 2013: Vuzix Gets Ready to Enter AR Glasses Market with M100

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November 27, 2012

While Google’s Project Glass has grabbed most of the headlines this year regarding the future of augmented reality spectacles, a number of companies are developing similar devices. For example, Vuzix is planning to demo its M100 Smart Glasses prototype at CES in January and offer the device commercially by the middle of 2013 for less than $500. Winner of a CES Best of Innovation award, the glasses will be on display at the Vuzix booth (LVCC, Central Hall – 14046). Continue reading CES 2013: Vuzix Gets Ready to Enter AR Glasses Market with M100

Patent Application Shows Microsoft Considering Augmented Reality Specs

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November 27, 2012
  • Microsoft may take on Google with its own augmented reality specs, according to recently released details of a 2011 patent application.
  • While the company may have been late to the tablet party, it could become an early player in augmented reality eyewear.
  • “The Redmond-based computer company states in the patent that the specs would incorporate technology enabling a user to view supplemental information while watching a live event,” notes Digital Trends.
  • “So at a sports event, for example, stats and replays could be shown on the glasses, allowing you to keep your eye on the action instead of looking up at the big screen for the same information. Also, at something like a music event, the lyrics of a song could appear in front of the wearer’s eyes.”
  • The patent application details how the device might be operated, including a wrist-worn computer, voice commands or gestures.
  • “It’s not known if the computer giant has invested any time or money on building a prototype of the high-tech specs, or whether it’s simply a case of laying claim to various features early on to avoid threats of patent-related litigation from rivals should they wish to develop the idea further down the road,” explains the post.
  • Google is hoping to commercially launch its AR specs by 2014. Juniper Research forecasts the market for AR specs and other wearable technology could be worth as much as $1.5 billion by then.

CES 2013: Samsung Plans to Demo 85-inch UHD TV in Las Vegas

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November 27, 2012

Samsung has announced that it will showcase an 85-inch Ultra High Definition TV at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The set will be unveiled during a CES press conference on January 7 and then displayed at the Samsung booth (LVCC, Central Hall – 12004, 12527). The news comes after the TV was awarded a CES 2013 Best of Innovation award.

“Samsung’s 85-inch UHD TV, the world’s largest commercialized UHD LED TV, boasts lifelike picture quality in ultra HD resolution with over 8 million pixels, four times the resolution of Full HD displays,” according to the company.

“Samsung’s UHD TV uses an innovative enhanced dimming technology and a very high contrast ratio to deliver deep, real blacks and pure whites for greater detail and unmatched picture clarity. This new, cutting-edge TV also offers a powerful and dynamic range of sounds.”

The company has also been honored with a Best of Innovation award for its Smart TV Camera. “It adds Smart Interaction services, such as facial recognition and gesture control, to the company’s Smart TV sets that don’t come with a built-in camera,” reports Pocket-lint.

Stay tuned: The ETCentric reporting team will provide additional details on Samsung’s products live from CES.

Get Ready for New Wave of Ultra High-Definition TV Sets and Content

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November 27, 2012
  • While the price point for early Ultra High-Definition (UHD) or 4K TVs may cause average consumers to shy away from the new format, adoption is slowly moving forward. Pre-orders have been reported and new product announcements are expected for early January at CES in Las Vegas.
  • The Sony Store in New York is showcasing the pristine resolution of its $25,000 84-inch display. Southern California retailer Video & Audio Center (VAC) has reported at least five pre-orders for the Sony unit, according to corporate director Tom Campbell.
  • “In late October, LG’s 4K set went on sale at VAC and Campbell said at least 27 have been sold at $16,999.99,” reports MediaPost. “That’s $3,000 below LG’s suggested retail price.”
  • ETCentric have more information on LG’s UHD Cinema 3D Smart TV — winner of a CES Best of Innovations award — live from Las Vegas in January (for those planning to attend, the LG booth is in Central Hall – 8204). We also hope to see the Sony offering.
  • 3net Studios has announced three hour-long episodes of “Space” to be produced in native 4K. The series will attempt to detail how the speed of light feels and offer a glimpse inside a comet’s tail. The studio’s goal is to build the “foremost library of 3D content to air on its sister network and sold around the globe, where 3D has caught on quicker than in many parts of the U.S.”
  • MediaPost cites the early costs of HD sets and 3D production as a comparison to UHD TV and examples of technologies that eventually gained adoption. Despite the high prices, the Consumer Electronics Association forecasts that 2.5 million UHD sets will sell in 2016, up from 20,000 predicted for next year.

IBM Holiday Benchmark Report: Consumers Go Mobile on Black Friday

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November 27, 2012
  • IBM has released a new analytics report containing the latest online retail performance data related to Black Friday.
  • According to the report, mobile traffic grew by more than 67 percent and consumers responded to retailers’ early Black Friday promotions. Interesting findings include:
  • “Online sales on Thanksgiving grew by 17.4 percent followed by Black Friday where sales increased 20.7 percent over last year.”
  • “Mobile purchases soared with 24 percent of consumers using a mobile device to visit a retailer’s site, up from 14.3 percent in 2011. Mobile sales exceeded 16 percent, up from 9.8 percent in 2011.”
  • “The iPad generated more traffic than any other tablet or smartphone, reaching nearly 10 percent of online shopping. This was followed by iPhone at 8.7 percent and Android 5.5 percent.”
  • “The iPad dominated tablet traffic at 88.3 percent followed by the Barnes and Noble Nook at 3.1 percent, Amazon Kindle at 2.4 percent and the Samsung Galaxy at 1.8 percent.”
  • “Consumers shopped in store, online and on mobile devices simultaneously to get the best bargains. Overall, 58 percent of consumers used smartphones compared to 41 percent who used tablets to surf for bargains on Black Friday.”
  • “Shoppers referred from Social Networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube generated .34 percent of all online sales on Black Friday, a decrease of more than 35 percent from 2011.”

Clear Channel Announces iHeartRadio App Hits 135 Million Downloads

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November 26, 2012
  • Clear Channel Media announced that its iHeartRadio app has reached a new milestone by surpassing 135 million downloads.
  • The app now has 20 million registered users, and claims to be outpacing the growth of rival entertainment offerings from Pandora, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
  • The iHeartRadio network has more than 48 million unique digital visitors per month, while Clear Channel boasts 239 million monthly listeners.
  • “Since its launch 13 months ago at the inaugural iHeartRadio Music Festival, iHeartRadio has exceeded more than 20 million registered users,” notes Radio Online. “Registered users are only a percentage of iHeartRadio’s overall listeners, since registration is only required for the Custom Station feature which launched in September 2011.”
  • “iHeartRadio has experienced unprecedented growth as it continues to resonate with our listeners and super-serve our partners,” said Brian Lakamp, president of digital for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment.
  • “The reach of our broadcast radio properties, combined with our digital platforms truly creates unmatched promotional power that is unique to Clear Channel and allows us to be wherever our listeners are with the products and services they expect.”
  • In a related story, Affinity Labs of Texas has filed a lawsuit that claims the iHeartRadio platform “violates Affinity patents for receiving streamed FM audio signals over a wireless device as well as how the station information is displayed on such a device,” reports Radio World.

Magazine Covers Offer Groundbreaking Approach to Windows 8 Promos

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November 26, 2012
  • Microsoft’s print campaign for the Windows 8 operating system includes 14 Conde Nast magazine covers styled as the Windows 8 “Start” screens of the magazines’ top editors.
  • According to a Conde Nast rep, the covers are not paid ads, but are designed to coordinate with inside ads and the magazines’ own Windows 8 content.
  • The American Society of Magazine Editors guidelines stipulate that paid advertisements fixed to magazine covers are required to be identified as ads; however, the Start screen promotions are not.
  • Media agency Starcom MediaVest Group has called the approach a “groundbreaking multifaceted paid program with nonpaid elements.”
  • “The promotions, full pages attached to the covers of 14 titles from Allure to Wired, show the new Windows 8 Start screen tailored for most of the magazines’ top editors,” reports Advertising Age.
  • “Glamour, for example, depicts a Start screen for Editor-in-Chief Cindi Leive with items such as highlights from a magazine event, a tweet that Windows 8 pulled in from @glamourmag, a December Issue Sampler for Windows 8, the Windows camera app, a special edition of the magazine and a holiday-party reminder from the new Windows 8 Calendar app.”
  • The concept of a paid program with nonpaid elements may raise some questions, but it is legitimate today for publishers to use covers to market digital content, notes Sid Holt, CEO of the American Society of Magazine Editors.
  • “Magazines frequently run stories about companies that advertise in the same issue — magazines put actors on the cover for movies advertised inside, for example — and we rely on editors not to let that influence them,” he said.

Esquire Offers Interactive Print Edition Enabled by Netpage Mobile App

By
November 26, 2012
  • Hearst is going mobile to make the December issue of Esquire completely interactive, without the need for QR codes or digital watermarks. The Netpage application allows mobile users to access additional content or save and share content with friends on social media sites.
  • A Lexus ad, for example, can be activated with animation that turns into a 30-second video — and some products found in the issue can be purchased using the app. Scanning the cover leads to an exclusive video with actor Bradley Cooper. Readers can also interact with recipes and digital storefronts.
  • “Print publishers are embracing mobile to help drive deeper engagements with their publications as readers increasingly look to consume media via smartphones and tablets,” reports Mobile Marketer.
  • “Esquire’s readers and advertisers have come to expect leading-edge content experiences — this partnership with Netpage represents both a ‘first’ and a new standard for the industry,” says Jack Essig, senior VP, publishing director and chief revenue officer at Esquire.
  • “As partners in breaking boundaries, Esquire and Lexus will not only deliver a new means for engaging with our content but will also fuel the conversation around both our brands,” he adds.
  • “Going forward, all Esquire issues will be mobile-enabled via the Netpage app,” notes the post. “Hearst is also currently testing Netpage for other magazines with plans to launch more mobile-enabled titles next year.”

Second Screen: Hulu Plus Launches New App for Nintendo Wii U Console

By
November 26, 2012
  • While Nintendo Wii U users interested in television may have to wait for the company’s TVii services, they’ll still be able to access a second-screen viewing experience if they are Hulu Plus subscribers.
  • Hulu launched its Wii U app earlier than expected, offering bonus material and the ability to queue up TV episodes or view episodes previously watched on TV on the GamePad.
  • “While watching a show on the big screen, the Wii U’s GamePad displays information on a host of topics, including the current show or episode,” reports CNET.
  • “Although the console had promised a host of entertainment features, including a television programming handling through a service, called TVii, most of the features were missing at launch,” notes the post. “Nintendo plans to deliver those features in the coming weeks. And save for Netflix, the Wii U’s streaming offering was a little light. Hulu, though, should help bolster that.”
  • Hulu Plus, which currently costs $8 per month, is offering a one-week free trial to get Wii U users interested in the service.
  • The CNET post includes a 5-minute first-look video review of the Nintendo Wii U.

Nintendo Wii U Expands Entertainment Options with YouTube App

By
November 26, 2012
  • Game consoles are increasingly offering non-gaming entertainment options including access to online services.
  • “Movies streamed from Netflix, music courtesy Last.fm, and, of course, the ubiquitous crowd-sourced video content of YouTube have all become nearly as common uses for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii as those consoles’ respective games,” reports Digital Trends.
  • “It should come as little surprise that Nintendo’s newly-launched Wii U console should play host to a dedicated YouTube application a mere five days after its retail debut,” suggests the post.
  • “The Wii U’s official YouTube application appears to be little more than a relatively standard aesthetics and functionality update for the original Wii YouTube app, only with special accoutrements added which take advantage of the console’s exclusive features.”
  • The Wii U app — like all official YouTube apps — is free of charge. Once downloaded, users imply enter their YouTube credentials to gain access to the site’s extensive video content.
  • Currently, the app does not include functionality that might allow users to upload video content to YouTube via the Wii U. No consoles are able to upload footage via their YouTube apps, “but given the number of recent, big-name releases that boast YouTube uploading capabilities as an important feature, it only stands to reason that YouTube and the various console manufacturers would want to expand the scope of their respective YouTube applications.”

Apple to Rule Tablet Downloads for Five Years, Paid App Market to Decline

By
November 26, 2012
  • Despite its tablet market lead experiencing a dent in Q3, Apple’s iPad will continue to dominate the market for the next five years, according to Strategy Analytics.
  • “In its Mobile Apps Download Forecast: 2008–2017 report, Strategy Analytics forecasts a total of more than 350 billion smartphone and tablet app downloads between 2008 and 2017,” reports TechCrunch.
  • “The analyst predicts the Google Play store will account for more than 45 percent of phone-related downloads in 2017, while Apple’s iTunes Store will account for 56 percent of tablet downloads in five years’ time.”
  • By 2017, free apps will account for 91 percent of downloads, although paid apps will continue to be “an essential component of the app ecosystem,” according to Josh Martin of Strategy Analytics.
  • “Paid downloads will remain an important way for smaller developers to monetize their efforts,” he says. “For developers committed to paid downloads transitioning to tablets may be the smartest way to preserve the business model over the long term.”
  • “App Stores will also see a revenue crunch as more revenue is earned from advertising — revenue generated outside the bounds of the app store — and will need to prepare,” adds Martin. “Newer platforms such as Windows 8, BlackBerry 10, Tizen and Firefox are building their operating systems and storefronts with this knowledge which should go a long way to making them attractive to developers and end-users.”

Dyle Delivers Live TV to the Apple iPad: Ready for Prime Time?

By
November 26, 2012

Watching live television on an iPad currently has limited options. With a cable subscription, for example, users can stream Disney and ESPN shows. Alternatively, New York City viewers can opt for Aereo (but the networks are suing to shut it down). Enter Dyle, which just launched for Apple’s iOS devices. Dyle, with support from NBC, Fox and other top broadcast groups, has released a free TV app for iOS devices that uses broadcast signals to beam licensed programming to viewers. Continue reading Dyle Delivers Live TV to the Apple iPad: Ready for Prime Time?

Opinion: TV Everywhere Requires Less Complications, More Consistency

By
November 26, 2012
  • “The TV Everywhere pitch is straightforward: If you pay for cable TV, you can watch cable TV wherever you want — on your iPad, in your bedroom, on your phone, in the airport,” writes Peter Kafka for AllThingsD.
  • “The reality is a lot more complicated, for a lot of reasons, but the upshot is that right now you can only watch a bit of what’s on cable on devices that aren’t your TV,” he notes. “And if the cable guys are going to convince people not to cut the cord, or to sign up for the cord in the first place, that’s going to have to get better.”
  • Kafka cites ESPN’s “great WatchESPN app” as an example of this model that really enables consumers to watch content everywhere on demand. However, the app let Kafka down when he tried to watch Monday Night Football on his phone.
  • “The problem, says ESPN PR, is that Verizon has an exclusive on NFL mobile rights, so ESPN can’t deliver the game to me on my iPhone, even when I’m at home, on a Wi-Fi connection (which is the way that lots of mobile video gets consumed),” he writes.
  • While this may make sense from a business development perspective, what is the reaction of average sports fans who expect to watch what they want, when they want?
  • Even more confusing: while the game was not available on the iPhone, it was available on the iPad.
  • “Again, trying to argue that some rights apply to a 9.5-inch screen but not a 3.5-inch screen is the sort of thing that makes sense to lawyers and deal-makers, and no sense at all to normal people,” concludes Kafka. “You know, the people you want to keep paying for cable.”

Michael Powell: Cable Companies At the Mercy of Content Companies

By
November 26, 2012
  • Michael Powell, president of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association and former FCC chairman, suggests that content creators are still in control in the emerging multiplatform age.
  • “Technologists are excited about software or hardware and we forget that people are really buying and holding on to stories,” notes Powell.
  • “The challenge in the living room — when you talk about new devices and platforms what often gets left out is access to the highly-produced, licensed content that viewers most crave. You’re asking to substitute a fresh experience.”
  • “The holy grail for the living room to me isn’t technology,” he says. “It’s figuring out how to integrate the phenomenal power and interactivity and information of the Internet into the highly produced premium content that we crave.”
  • When asked whether manufacturers should be able to tap into cable streams and offer alternative experiences, Powell suggests that “cable companies are at the mercy of content companies on the issue of content rights and use.” Mirroring the cable experience on other devices is not a technological issue, but an issue of licensing rights.
  • “At the end of the day Apple and Boxee and Vudu and Roku are going to find out that the content market is tough and expensive, and it’s hard to do the most creative things,” he says.
  • Powell suggests that all companies are heading toward IP-distributed content and a shift from a hardware-centric environment to a software-centric environment. “When the guide and content are in the cloud, you can change look and feel overnight,” he adds. “You won’t have to come in and get a whole new box — that’s a horrible model.”

Social TV Gets Down to Business, But Still in Early Days of Development

By
November 21, 2012
  • With a new Nielsen report indicating that smartphones have saturated 50 percent of the American market and tablets have made their way into 20 percent of American television viewing homes, executives have begun to take second screen viewing more seriously as a legitimate trend, reports Ad Age.
  • Forty percent of Americans use smartphones while watching television at least once a day, according to Nielsen, and 84 percent use a smartphone or tablet while viewing television at least once a month.
  • These trends have executives, like Lou Paskalis of American Express, convinced that this “is a bigger cultural shift.” Paskalis has helped his company toward a vision where consumers use “mobile devices not only to chat and communicate, but also to look for product details and make purchases,” writes Ad Age.
  • While people do not like advertisements on their primary screen, second screen advertisements with relevant content could help drive commerce. This approach supplements the content on the main screen without interrupting the viewing experience.
  • “No one wants to see a pop-up in the middle of their program they love saying ‘Buy this!'” says Paskalis. “The primary screen is not the way to drive the commerce.” Second screen marketing represents “a way to augment the experience without impacting the experience.”
  • American Express is testing the waters through second screen partnerships with Fox and NBCUniversal. Verizon has been testing in-app voting for “The X Factor,” while Target has been steering viewers of ABC’s “Revenge” to additional content on second screens.
  • “How brands will create content that isn’t annoying and isn’t disruptive and really is something worth watching and not skipping — we are in the early days of figuring out that value for the consumer,” says Jeff Jones, Target’s chief marketing officer.

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