According to CCS Insight’s new market forecast, more than 6.6 billion mobile phones will be in use worldwide by the end of 2017, and two-thirds of them are expected to be smartphones. Teamed with the growing adoption of tablets, by 2017 mobile devices are projected to outnumber people on the planet for the first time. Additionally, CCS predicts sales of 4G devices to grow tenfold between 2012 and 2017, to 650 million units. Continue reading Market Forecast: Mobile Devices to Outnumber People by 2017

As the $66 billion videogame industry continues its transition toward mobile and social games, the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is failing to attract some of the industry’s new rising stars. The show, which kicks off tomorrow in Los Angeles, will continue its focus on console games and, as a result, is not expected to draw developers who identify with a broader landscape of games for smartphones, tablets and other devices. Continue reading E3: With Focus on Consoles, is Gaming Confab Out of Touch?

Intel’s talks to purchase media content for a new TV service are moving forward, according to people familiar with the matter. Although Intel has yet to close any programming deals, the chip giant is reportedly offering to pay as much as 75 percent more for content than traditional cable rates. Sources indicate that Intel has moved substantially on subscriber fees it is willing to pay and has also suggested preventing viewers from skipping commercials for a show’s first run. Continue reading Sources Say Intel Advancing with TV Service Content Deals

Verizon Wireless will pay the National Football League a reported $1 billion over four years for the rights to make additional football games available on its customers’ smartphones. In a significant move for the mobile industry, the NFL will begin to show Sunday afternoon games on Verizon Wireless phones next year. Select Sunday, Monday and Thursday night games are already available on Verizon phones, but there are typically 10-12 games scheduled on a Sunday afternoon. Continue reading Verizon to Stream Sunday Afternoon NFL Games to Phones

Intel and Samsung announced a partnership this week that will allow Samsung TV owners to stream movies directly from PCs running Intel’s latest processors. The companies are teaming to integrate Intel’s Wireless Display technology directly into Samsung’s TVs, which will eliminate the need for a separate receiver to play media content on TVs streamed from a PC. The technology is expected to reach consumers by the end of this year. Continue reading Streaming Movies from Intel-based Laptops to Samsung TVs

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ “Entertainment & Media Outlook 2013-2017” report, consumer spending on mobile Internet access will surpass spending on home broadband connections this year. Combined spending is projected to grow from $91 billion in 2012 to $153.3 billion in 2017. The report also predicts that 87 percent of the U.S. population (286.7 million people) will have mobile Internet devices within four years. Continue reading Mobile Net Spending to Exceed Home Broadband for First Time

Multiplatform video service provider Vubiquity and DVR pioneer TiVo announced a partnership yesterday that will integrate Vubiquity’s AnyVU Streaming service with the TiVo user experience. AnyVU Streaming is an end-to-end multiplatform video solution that enables service providers to launch TV Everywhere services. The TiVo user interface will allow for integration of Vubiquity’s subscription movie package ViewNow on any device. Continue reading AnyVU: Vubiquity and TiVo Partner on TV Everywhere Solution

Samsung won a largely unexpected legal victory against Apple yesterday that could potentially stop the sale of early model iPhones and iPads. The U.S. International Trade Commission, which has jurisdiction over certain trade practices, ruled that Apple violated a Samsung patent related to tech used to send data over wireless networks. Devices in question include the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 3G, iPad 2 3G and iPad 3 (the more current iPhone 5 and fourth-generation iPad were unaffected). Continue reading ITC Ruling Favors Samsung, Could Impact Apple Products

The majority of television content viewed on mobile devices is accessed through Netflix and Hulu Plus, rather than via networks or pay TV providers, suggests a new study commissioned by the Council for Research Excellence (funded by Nielsen). About 64 percent of shows watched on smartphones and 54 percent on tablets were accessed through online video-subscription services, while broadcast and cable websites and apps only accounted for 26 percent of TV viewed on mobile devices. Continue reading Netflix and Hulu Plus Most Popular with Mobile TV Viewers

Mozilla is teaming up with major phone manufacturers as part of a plan to offer sub-$50 smartphones in emerging markets. The company is looking at international regions with growth potential as the global market for smartphones continues to take off. Mozilla is also pushing for more mobile devices to run its Firefox operating system, which it is pitching as an alternative to dominant systems from Google and Apple. Continue reading Mozilla Planning Affordable Smartphones for Firefox Adoption

Ericsson released a new mobility report yesterday that suggests video traffic is growing on mobile networks by 60 percent annually and overall data traffic is predicted to grow 12-fold by the end of 2018. The report notes that global smartphone subscriptions reached 1.2 billion in 2012, a number expected to approach 4.5 billion by 2018. Additionally, Ericsson anticipates 60 percent of the world’s population will be covered by LTE in 2018. Continue reading Ericsson Mobility Report: LTE and Mobile Video Drive Growth

TV networks are producing second screen content related to their original programming in an effort to attract viewers who are increasingly turning to their smartphones, tablets and laptops. The content — which typically includes videos, photos, games and trivia — is intended for viewers who multitask with their mobile devices. According to Nielsen, more than 40 percent of American consumers use their phones or tablets each day as they watch TV. Continue reading Networks Develop New Strategies for Second Screen Content

It’s that time of year again. Internet analyst Mary Meeker, general partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, presented her annual Internet Trends report in California yesterday. Speaking at the D: All Things Digital conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Meeker noted there are now 2.4 billion worldwide Internet users. Mobile usage is rapidly expanding, while the Internet is becoming more social and content rich. In the future we should anticipate wearable computing devices, connected cars, drones and other new platforms. Continue reading D11 Conference: Mary Meeker Presents Internet Trends Report

In a new twist to cord cutting, the trend in which consumers cancel their cable subscriptions in favor of Internet video, surveys indicate that hundreds of thousands of Americans canceled their home Internet service last year. As consumers leverage the growth of free Wi-Fi hot spots and fast new wireless networks via their smartphones and tablets, some are cutting their home Internet cord more so than their pay TV cord. Continue reading Cord Cutters Canceling Internet Service More Than Pay TV

The Android version of the Google Drive mobile app has been updated to include a number of new features, including the ability to scan receipts, business cards and other documents with your camera phone and save them in the cloud via Drive. In addition to the ability to scan documents, the update uses an optical technology in order to search the stored images. And according to Google, a new grid view makes it easier to find files. Continue reading Google Drive Update: Mobile Android App Features Scanning