Thursday, January 17, 2013

Intel, Mobile And The Global South

Image representing Intel as depicted in CrunchBase
Image via CrunchBase
Lowering the price is always a great innovation in my book. That is the only way to truly reach the masses.

But this is more about Intel and less about the "developing market." Intel won the PC handily, but totally lost out on mobile.

Will the Developing World’s Smartphones Have Intel Inside?
The chip is designed to power Android phones that are cheap compared to those devices sold in rich countries such as the United States. ..... Latin America, Africa, China, South East Asia ... Low-cost smartphones have already begun selling in large numbers in Africa and elsewhere .... those models have been built on processors significantly less advanced than those used in high-end smartphones. Intel believes its new processor will strike the right balance between price and performance
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A Good Camera App

English: A collage of an image modified with 1...
English: A collage of an image modified with 16 different Instagram filters (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I have been on the lookout for a good camera app for my phone. I already have Instagram, and a free one and a paid one. I erroneously thought an app would increase my phone's zoom capacity. That does not seem to be the case. Not being able to zoom in from far seriously limits your ability to take good pictures.

The 12 best Android camera apps around
several ways a separate point-and-shoot is better than a smartphone camera (and not just in picture quality)
Top 10 Best Camera Apps for Android
you know what they say – “The best camera is the camera with you.”
9 Apps to Transform Your Android Phone Into a High-End Camera
Best Android Camera App 2012
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Ubuntu Out In The Open

Official Ubuntu circle with wordmark. Replace ...
Official Ubuntu circle with wordmark. Replace File:Former Ubuntu logo.svg. Español: logo de Ubuntu + marca denominativa Français : Logo officiel d'Ubuntu. Remplace File:Former Ubuntu logo.svg. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
There are billions of people in the Global South waiting to lay their hands on their first smartphone. Android, welcome. Ubuntu, welcome.

Ubuntu Smartphone Aims for Success in Developing Economies
the world’s most popular Linux-based operating system, Ubuntu ..... he expected to make the most progress with the Ubuntu Phone in the developing world, where smartphone sales are only just beginning to take off ..... Ubuntu is already a household name in some of these markets due to its use on desktop and laptops PCs. “We ship on 30 percent of Chinese PCs today” .... models from Dell, Lenovo, and HP. “If you go into a store in India, you will see Ubuntu branding” ..... Canonical coördinates development of Ubuntu and makes money by offering paid-for support to companies using it, with many companies around the world using Ubuntu to run Internet and Web servers. Shuttleworth intends to replicate that model for Ubuntu’s mobile version. .... Ubuntu’s software makes wide use of sideways swiping gestures .... Even though a high proportion of PCs bought in India and China are bought with Ubuntu installed, many are soon wiped, with pirated copies of Microsoft Windows installed instead ... Yesterday Intel announced it would release a new smartphone chip aimed at developing world markets
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Ubuntu: One Among Many


Blurring the line between the smartphone and the PC is yet another good thing. And touch can get more magical, sure.

Ubuntu to Offer Smartphone Operating Software
allows a handset to function as a PC when docked .... The new software appears to make even broader use of swipes and gestures than Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android mobile operating systems do .... dock it with a keyboard, screen, and mouse. .... a version of Ubuntu for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone will be available to download “with the next few weeks.”

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