Netizen

Friday, May 23, 2014

Google Is Finally Tackling Connectivity

Google (Photo credit: warrantedarrest)

Hardware, software, connectivity. That last one has been the biggest hurdle. So it is great that Google is finally tackling it in a big way. Google Fiber has been too slow rolling out. But Google balloons were a good sign. Then it bought that drone company. Now it is going higher up into satellites. And it is going to the ground level with this wifi initiative. I am thankful.

Google is working with Ruckus Wireless to build a Wi-Fi network in the cloud
Google Close To Snapping Up Satellite Startup Skybox Imaging For $1B+, Say Sources

Google has a beautiful business model. If people can go online, they are going to use their search engine. And that search engine serves ads. And so helping people go online is big money.

Laser Autofocus

Sunday, May 18, 2014

OnePlus: The Company

As interesting as the phone is the company itself. It is a new company coming out of nowhere. It is Chinese origin. Something like this is known to happen more in software than in hardware. You come out of nowhere to bring the top product in the market. This is quite telling.

When Jack Ma of Alibaba has become the new Jack Welch, and China is about to overtake America to become the number one economy in the world, it is quite a statement that this Chinese hardware startup is putting this phone in our hands. And it is following Google’s Nexus business model. The idea is to make no money in the beginning. Google can afford that, but how can a hardware startup? That also is how software companies launch. They make money much later.

The direct sell model is what Dell did for PCs decades ago. That should be even more possible for smartphones. They are physically smaller.

This is also a window into the future of manufacturing, not just smartphones but pretty much everything. Smart manufacturing is where consumers are involved in more and more aspects of the process in intelligent, engaged ways. The result is greater satisfaction.

Smart manufacturing adds a whole new dimension to manufacturing, just like green/clean manufacturing does.

From Oppo to OnePlus: a new company wants to build the next great smartphone
New OnePlus One mobile promises to topple Samsung, HTC and company

For those prices you'd be forgiven for assuming that the One will be a mid-range device, however, OnePlus is putting the One out there as a "2014 Flagship Killer." In short, it's taking aim at devices like the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8 – and its specs list appears to back up all the big talk..... The first OnePlus One handsets will be available from Friday, with the first 100 applicants able to buy a device for $1 in return for smashing their current handset(!).

Revelation that OnePlus is Oppo’s sister company causes uproar – is it deserved?

For a company that’s not even six-months old, OnePlus has done pretty well so far. Portraying itself as an ambitious startup eager to disrupt the status quo with an affordable, no-compromise device, OnePlus managed to create a huge amount of hype around the OnePlus One. In terms of publicity and engagement, the launch of the phone was a smashing success...... But OnePlus has also been shrouded in controversy for the past weeks. From calling out competitors before releasing an actual device, to building hype to dangerous levels, to holding an unclear and, some think, wasteful and dangerous contest, the company offered lots of ammo to its critics...... OnePlus Technology, one of the companies set up to make and sell the OnePlus One, is fully owned by Oppo Electronic, which also owns Oppo Mobile, the company that effectively makes Oppo phones. Another company, OnePlus Trading Corporation is fully owned by OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, but this company can only sell devices and has no R&D or manufacturing activities. ...... On Reddit, in two threads (1, 2) that ballooned over the weekend, some users complain that OnePlus was misleading about its status as an Oppo sister/daughter company, and that in portraying itself as a feisty startup, the company lied to its fans........ Others don’t seem to care at all, focusing on what an amazing proposition the $299 One is.

OnePlus: The little smartphone company taking on Samsung, HTC and co

A new company called OnePlus would work with fan-favourites CynogenMod on the new no-compromise device ..... On paper it will take on Samsung and HTC’s new smartphones spec-for-spec. Rarely do we come across a no-name company that has piqued the intrigue of customers so rampantly. ...... OnePlus claims the 3100 milliamp-hour battery will power the One for a whole day in spite of its top-end specs. ...... US$299 for the white 16GB and US$349 for the black 64GB model, will be released in 15 markets commencing from the 25th of April.

OnePlus One: China Rolls Out a Full HD Phone

The handset's striking feature the CyanogenMod 11S version based on Android 4.4 KitKat, which shows it is going to tap some of the smartphone categories like Nexus.

OnePlus One: A high-end device that may kill Nexus 5, iPhone 5S

OnePlus, a phone company founded last year in China, on Wednesday announced its first Android phone called OnePlus One, a flagship device that will be sold at a price of just $299. Despite its price, which is lower than even the price of Google Nexus 5, on paper OnePlus One looks every bit like a flagship device with good design and powerful hardware. ..... OnePlus was founded by Pete Lau in December 2013. Lau was earlier vice president at Oppo, a phone company that has made a name for itself in China by selling attractive and high-end phones at affordable prices. ..... For OnePlus One, the firm has tied up with Qualcomm for the core hardware. For software, it has tied up with Cyanogen Inc, a group that modifies Android to make it more suitable for older devices as well as to make it more feature rich. ..... OnePlus One is powered by Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor running at 2.5GHz. It has 3GB RAM, option of 16GB to 64GB internal storage, 5.5-inch screen with 1080P resolution, 13MP camera with F2.0 aperture and Sony image sensor, 5MP front camera, 3100 mAh battery, NFC and stereo speakers. The device weighs 162 grams and has a thickness of 8.9mm. While the shell of the phone is made using plastic, OnePlus says that wood, Kevlar and denim backcovers will be available as accessories. ...... The phone runs a custom version of CyanogenMod based on Android 4.4. ..... the price is the real appeal of OnePlus One. The other flagship phones like iPhone 5S and Galaxy S5 cost over $600.

Chinese smartphone startup OnePlus aims at developed markets

a venture backed by the people behind OPPO, a Chinese consumer electronics brand where the core team of OnePlus is from. Pete Lau, founder of OnePlus, was VP at OPPO in charge of Blue-ray DVD players. OnePlus will take advantage of OPPO's smartphone manufacturing capability. ...... OPPO is a spinoff from BBK, one of the most famous consumer electronics makers in China in the late 1990's and early 2000's. BBK's VCD player was one of the most popular back then. The establishment of OPPO itself several years ago was for international expansion. ..... The OPPO smartphone, positioned as a premium brand for women, is one of the most profitable smartphone makers (including Xiaomi ) in China. Different from Xiaomi, OPPO has a whole supply chain, from factories to R&D. The company promises to use the highest quality components and the best hardware available. It's a smartphone brand that has been trying to be creative. OPPO Finder, launched in mid-2012, claims it's the thinnest smartphone around the world No. 1, the latest flagship model released in September 2013, has a touch panel on the back, a rotating camera, and an accompanying accessoire. ....... OPPO phones, according to Mr. Lau, have sold well in Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia. But the OPPO Blue-ray DVD player turned out to be a more successful product line as an international brand. OPPO's are sold well in high-end DVD and Blue-ray player markets in the US and Europe....... To design good quality Blue-ray players for international markets, Pete Lau invited designers from various countries. This time he has already had employees from 12 countries. He doesn't think there is too big a difference between producing an international Blue-ray player brand and one for smartphone and other mobile gadgets.

Newcomer OnePlus aims to disrupt the smartphone industry with ‘truly outstanding’ devices