Read Faster With the Spritz Reader

Spritz has developed a speed-reading text box. It shows no more than 13 characters at one time. This box flashes words in such a way that you do not have to move your eyes like you do when you read a page of a physical book. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? Well, what it does is, it increases your reading speed and doubles your usual pace.

It has teamed up with the smartphone giant Samsung to integrate its speed reading functionality with the latter’s upcoming Galaxy S5. The written word, even after 8,000 years of discovery is a very effective way of communication. Moreover, it is an effective way to get one message from one mind to the minds of others. However, we haven’t yet reached the level where we have optimized the benefit of the same.

According to Boston-based start up Spritz, you spend as little as 20 percent of your reading time actually taking in the words you’re looking at, and as much as 80 percent physically moving your eyes around to find the right spot to read each word from. What Spritz has done is, it has decided to get rid of that time and have your eyes focus on one spot.

The Spritz reader is a small box which streams one word at a time to the reader. The words are presented in a way which is easy to read. The fonts are reader friendly. The words are presented in such a way that the optimal recognition point of each word is recognized. The box shows only 13 characters at the most. This is done with an intention to break up larger words.

Google Glass: Can This Be The Future Of Advertising?

The use of Google Glass in advertising and content sure looks out of focus, but the initial use of this budding technology might turn out to be a perception changer! Well, this is majorly because advertising agencies and brands are getting ready for a wearable ad tech future.

The first brand to advertise with Google Glass app was Kenneth Cole. It is a new way the Internet specs are used to sell products. “Even though the technology is still in the pilot program, we want to be looked at as an innovator and early adopter,” said Lauren Nutt Bello, partner at Ready Set Rocket, a firm working for Kenneth Cole.

To go with the launch of new cologne, the agency built an app for Google Glass. The theme of this campaign is to encourage chivalry and gentlemanly behavior. What does the app do? It prompts the users to photograph themselves for accomplishing a good deed per day for 21 days.

Well, this effort could do some good for Google Glass’ image as the new technology is already facing a growing repercussion. “One of the criticisms leveled at wearable tech is that it makes people more insular and more wrapped up in their devices rather than interacting with the world about them,” said Gareth Price, technical director at Ready Set Rocket.

Well, last week a woman wearing Glass in a much renowned bar in San Francisco claimed that she was assaulted after some fellow revelers accused her of video recording them secretly. Google released a primer to prod early users to be respectful or face the label of “Glassholes”.

These glasses currently cost $ 1500 and Google is expected to sell more widely later this year. It has sold only about 10,000 to 20,000 glasses to “explorers” who apply to a pilot program.

This actually means that very few will actually be seeing any kind of Glass- related promotions. However, early Glass advertisers are aware of the fact that this is more of an experiment rather than actually acknowledging any kind of reach. “It feels like we’re building for how ad campaigns will work three to five years in the future,” Price said.

“You’ll see us begin to ship products for some of the leading wearable devices this year,” said Doerr. Though Weather doesn’t have an app for Glass yet, the company does test it and smart watches internally. It could be a possibility that they eventually deliver advertising and content which targets users and their locations.

Apple Launches CarPlay: Siri in Your Car Now!

Well, the tech giant Apple is now ready to be in your automobile! The iPhone making company has announced the launch of CarPlay, its rebranded iOS in the Car initiative from the Geneva Motor Show. The company also revealed that automobile giants like Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and many others to be their first partners. These companies will build CarPlay straight into their cars. So, are you ready for Siri in your car’s dashboard?

Well, Apple has been working on this service for quite some time now. It’s now finally ready with it this year! CarPlay lets you make calls, check maps, listen to music and have an access to your messages with a simple touch of a button or a spoken word.

What’s more? It integrates the Lightning equipped iPhone 5, 5s or 5c into your car’s dashboard, including Siri, media playback, phone control, selected apps and Maps. So, you can easily activate Siri with a push of a button on your steering wheel, without the need of taking your eyes off the road. This week, companies like Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, and Ferrari will plan to showcase their cars with the CarPlay. Other manufacturers like BMW Group, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor Company, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota Motor Corp plan to incorporate the same in future.

One of the best features of the CarPlay is that when you connect your iPhone with it, Siri will read out your messages to you, while you drive. Also, Apple’s Maps can also be integrated with it, so, you get your driving directions easily. You will also be given information about the traffic conditions and ETA while you are on the move. You can also access your podcasts, music and audio books.

So, you can enjoy smart driving with Siri. Whether or not CarPlay is a big hit, we are yet to see, but it definitely looks promising! 

61,000 Mobile Users Want A Different Network Operator

The mobile number portability (MNP) service was launched in December 2013 in UAE. Well, what is surprising is that around 61,000 mobile subscribers in the country have requested to switch their operators. This service was launched last year with a motive of boosting competition in UAE’s state controlled telecom sector.          

The Telecommunication Regulatory Authority has confirmed that around 23,000 numbers have been ported out and the remaining numbers were resubmitted to obtain the necessary documents to switch over.  

Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, director general of the TRA said, “The significant number of porting requests received reflects the real interest of UAE consumers in the MNP service.” He further stated that, “This move will enhance the quality of services offered to consumers and in turn, drive levels of performance upwards.”

Basically, the TRA is responsible for making sure that all the necessary documents are provided and submitted throughout the entire transition, as it oversees the switchover process.  It is supposed to monitor the service mechanisms. 

Well, the Emirates’ telecom regulatory authority said that a lot of complaints had been received about a delay in this process. However, these complaints from the subscribers were resolved through co-operation with customers and licensees. 

The TRA has urged the subscribers to be aware of their roles and responsibilities which have been mentioned in the contract signed with the telco. All this is to be done before submitting requests for MNP.

The telecom regulator issued a statement which said “Subscribers must review their existing contracts and particularly those who have signed contracts for a limited period of time where typically, termination fees result from ending a contract prematurely.”
It also has stated that the subscribers have the right to return to their original operator within the 1st three days of the number transfer. 

A survey conducted by AMRB suggested that around 56 per cent of DU subscribers wanted to switch to Etisalat for better network coverage. On the other hand, around 47 per cent of Etisalat users wanted to switch to other networks for better packages and prices for calls.

Facebook Owned Whatsapp Faces Server Issues

As Facebook newly acquired Whatsapp, the messaging giant faced a temporary outage for about 210 minutes. This server problem was reported by thousands of users all around the world. Whatsapp acknowledged this problem as well via twitter, with a tweet that said “sorry we currently experiencing server issues. We hope to be back up and recovered shortly.” 

As the messaging giant sprang back to life, users complained that the “last seen” stamps were no more visible to them. However, now the issue has been resolved and they are appearing again. 

About the same time that the tweet came up, Jan Koum, CEO of Whatsapp, apparently mailed the Wall Street Journal which said “we had a server outage, should be OK now.”

The users of this messaging service were all over twitter asking if Whatsapp was down. Also, many came up with hilarious memes which joked about Zuckerberg was meddling with the application after buying it.

However, this might have happened because of the Facebook’s recent $19 billion acquisition of Whatsapp; there could be a surge of sign ups on the application, resulting in server issues.

Facebook Buys Whatsapp for $16 Billion

As per a filing on Wednesday, Facebook is all set to acquire Whatsapp, the much popular messaging application for a whopping sum of $16 billion in cash and stock. 

After the rumors of Google also being interested in buying this messaging app in 2013, turns out that this is Facebook’s largest acquisition till date. As per the filing, the social media giant has agreed to pay $12 billion in stock and $4 billion in cash for the company. But that’s not all; it has also agreed to pay $3 billion more in restricted stock units to WhatsApp's founders and employees as part of the deal. So, this brings the deal total to a total of about $19 billion.

The messaging giant, founded in 2009 by former Yahoo engineers Jan Koum and Brian Acton, went on to become so popular that some were of the opinion that it could pose a threat to Facebook’s business. The app has replaced the age old SMS for many users by allowing free messaging across smartphone platforms. It has more than 450 million people who are using the app daily. 

Mark Zuckerberg, the cofounder and CEO of Facebook said, “WhatsApp is on a path to connect 1 billion people. The services that reach that milestone are all incredibly valuable.” He further added, “I've known Jan for a long time and I'm excited to partner with him and his team to make the world more open and connected.” 

What followed the announcement was an investor call in which Zuckerberg added, “The growth rate they have today and the monetization that's early but promising and in place, we see a clear trajectory ahead and are excited to work together on this."

As opposed to Facebook, Whatsapp does not earn through ads. What it instead does is offers free services for the first year and later charges $0.99 per year for subscription after that. The founders of this messaging giant have established that they do not want to introduce advertising. However, this was re-iterated by Koum and Zuckerberg on the call. 

"We think that for our product, advertising is not necessarily the right way to go," Koum said. "We think we have a very solid monetization system in place."

Facebook will pay a breakup fee of $1 billion to Whatsapp, if the deal does not work out, which is, incidentally, still more than the total amount of money Facebook paid to acquire Instagram. The stock of the social media pioneer faced decline by more than 4.5% after the announcement was made.

With more than 450 million users, Whatsapp is certainly larger than companies like Snapchat and even other social networks like Twitter or LinkedIn. Facebook was rumoured to offer Snapchat as much as $3 billion for acquiring it, in order to make a big acquisition in the messaging space.

With the deal finalized last weekend, Koum will be on the board of directors of Facebook as a part of the acquisition. As opposed to the way Instagram was handled, Whatsapp will operate independently.

The deal is approved by both the parties and is subject to regulatory approval now. In the later part of this year, Facebook expects to close this deal.

A Bleak Estimate Of Q1 2014 Has Got HTC To Focus On Low-Priced Phones

 

As we look at the Q4 reports that HTC released in 2013, the figures are not that great. Moreover, the company does not expect a lot of growth in the Q1 of 2014.

The Taiwanese smartphone maker showcased a revenue of NT$42. 9 billion, i.e. $1.4 billion USD approx. Well, it is a whopping 28% decline from its Q4 of 2012 in which the company posted a revenue of NT$60 million i.e.  about $2 billion USD. The Taipei based mobile maker had net profit of a meager NT$0. 31 billion (about $10 billion) for the quarter. The company’s gross margin was 17.8%. However, its operating margin was negative 3.7%.
The company is expecting more decline in the Q1 of 2014 somewhere between NT$34 billion ($1.12 billion) and NT$36 billion ($1.18 billion). This is their third consecutive quarter when HTC is facing losses.
The company is known for its Android smartphones. It added a variety of new phones to its mid range Desire segment and a champagne gold edition of HTC One in select markets.
It seems that the company is reworking on its strategies so as to recover from the losses spread over a year of declining revenue, supply chain issues and departure of quite a few important executives.  According to what CEO Cher Wang has informed, HTC will be selling more products priced between $150 to $300. This will also include a new flagship phone. This phone is expected to compete with other companies like Xiaomi and Samsung.