Monday, January 6, 2014

Corning Gorilla Glass: In the future, also for curved screens

Corning, probably the best known manufacturer of scratch-resistant glass display moves with the times and now has production-ready 3D Shaped Gorilla Glass announced. The company wants to meet the increasing demand of curved display glass. In addition to parts for smart phones such as the LG Flex or Samsung's Galaxy Round Corning Gorilla Glass also supply this year for other mobile gadgets, for example, Smart Watches. As with the known flat designs, the company promises scratch-resistant surfaces without creating unnecessary weight or bulky form factors. The first devices with 3D Gorilla Glass might appear in the course of 2014 on the market. In the good reputation of Corning is it is surely only a matter of time before the first manufacturers to provide this service to their wearables avail.




Samsung's new TV remote control is much smaller and can be controlled with voice and gestures

Samsung Smart Control 2014 (Photo: Samsung)
Samsung Smart Control 2014 (Photo: Samsung)
Samsung's new remote control is oval and is very ergonomically in the hand. The number of keys is only slightly increased by 26 compared to its predecessor of 2013, at the same time the new remote control is 80 percent smaller than its predecessor. Special features include control via voice and gestures.
With this remote control zapping is even more fun than the previous model. The control is particularly conveniently via voice control. These will be available in 2014 in 23 countries. Simultaneously, the controller should have been easier on finger gestures. A centrally positioned touchpad to make the control of apps, TV channels and other content more easily on the TV. The new Samsung Smart Control will detail presented at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Video: Samsung 55-inch OLED TV in 2014


Sunday, January 5, 2014

C-Max: Ford team's hybrid solar panel



The 2014 edition of the CES should be particularly active on the side of the car . A record number of manufacturers is present even before the show, the ads start to happen. This is for example the case of the Ford C-Max "Solar Energi Concept" . This is a vehicle-type hybrid , that is equipped with a heat engine and another electrical . The peculiarity here is about how to recharge the batteries with sunlight. A solar panel is actually placed on the roof of the car, to recover some autonomy "clean" without a power outlet . Suffice to say that in regions such as California, the weather tends to offer everything needed in terms of the sun to recharge the batteries .
The project is conducted in partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology while the solar panel is developed in collaboration with the Californian company SunPower . It works on the principle of the Fresnel lens in order to focus as much light on a compact surface, in this case the roof of the C-Max . The solar panel is also removable to allow it to "hunt" the sun, which provide the equivalent of four hours of charging on a conventional socket where the car remain parked in the sun all day. But in case where the gray would point the tip of his nose, making conventional loading remains available. In this configuration, the consumption announcement was 2.6 litres/100km.What offer by Ford , thanks to the combination of gasoline and electricity, up to 1 000 km of autonomy. The only batteries are able to allow the vehicle to move over a little more than 30 km.The Ford C-Max "Solar Energi Concept" will be presented at the CES 2014 to be held from 7 to 10 January.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo: large and cheap smartphone

Grand Galaxy 2


Samsung would project to launch a crippled version of its Galaxy Grand 2 . This project, named Grand Galaxy Lite, just passed into the hands of the FCC, manage frequencies in the United States organization. At its launch, the new smartphone should take the name of Galaxy Grand Neo . It would show a 5 inch touch screen, but its definition is quite low compared to its diagonal, since it would settle for 800 x 480 pixels. We do not know yet what the host processor, but it seems that it is a quad core model clocked at 1.2 GHz. If Samsung plans to soon equip its smartphones 64-bit processors and thus more than 3 GB RAM, Galaxy Grand Neo does not care because it would work with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. Admittedly, this is not a tip configuration, but it has the advantage of not ruin its buyers. Thus imagine a great phone Android cheap Samsung and especially signed, which is already a selling point. Finally, it is rumored that the South Korean firm may make a formal presentation at CES 2014 opens next week in Las Vegas.

LG Sound Plate for intense sound on the TV

LG Sound Plate (Photo: LG)
LG Sound Plate (Photo: LG)
Beginning of 2014, LG's International Consumer Electronics (CES) Trade Show 2014 in Las Vegas its current audio / video program before. One of the highlights is the latest version of the popular space-saving Sound Plate (Model LAB540W).

Superior Sound

With the new products speaks LG to particular customer, where the sound for home entertainment systems plays an important role. The model LAB540W, better known as Sound Plate is the recent addition of a new category of audio devices in the ultra-flat design for flat screen TV devices of the latest generation. The elegant speaker , which is only 39.5 mm high and is characterized by an impressive space efficiency, can be placed directly under TV sets with screen sizes 32-55 inches. The new model is equipped with a sophisticated 4.5-channel sound system with 320 watts of output power and a separate, wirelessly connected subwoofer equipped. This compact unit emits a rich sound from in several directions and to enable a more intense listening experience.

Wireless transmission

Another feature of the Sound Plate is its function as a connectivity portal.It contains a built-in 3D Blu-ray player and LG Smart TV functionality , which enables it to turn with a strong sound performance every flat screen TV into a Smart TV. In addition, users have the option of content from another device over a local Wi-Fi network or via Bluetooth wireless to stream to the model LAB540W.

Video: LG Sound Plate

Friday, January 3, 2014

Hubble detects clouds on a distant planet


Overcast on GJ 1214b! The Hubble Space Telescope has recently discovered a mass of clouds in the atmosphere of an exoplanet, located 40 light-years from Earth. We must study the astronomers of the University of Chicago led by Laura Kreidberg and Jacob Bean.
The objective of Hubble turned to the GJ 1214b, a planet type super-Earth that is distinguished by its extremely dense atmosphere. But thanks to the data provided, it is found that the atmosphere is actually a cluster of clouds that could reveal information about the composition and the surface of the exoplanet. To do this, the researchers are based on near-infrared light captured images. In the end, the team spent eleven months of work and analysis to reach that conclusion.
This study represents a step towards the identification of a potentially habitable exoplanet. The researchers now hope that the successor to Hubble will shed more light their lanterns in their quest for knowledge.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Rovio, publisher of Angry Birds: The new Walt Disney?

Atypical leader in mobile gaming, because it is all about a single brand and its games are mostly paid, Rovio has built a profitable empire. Made of 45% of products bearing the effigy of Angry Birds .



Do not be daunted by the success of Candy Crush Saga , free app of the year at the Apple Store in 2013. Rovio, and games Angry Birds is still one of the leading mobile gaming. The company celebrates its tenth anniversary this month. And four years of its flagship franchise, the one that introduced him success. Angry Birds , the most downloaded paid app of all time. Which you are likely to hear during the holidays, Candy Crush or not! In fact, Rovio, are also dozens of products, including a number of toys that will land at the foot of the tree. In addition it is great, Rovio knows Santa, Finnish like him. And each year the company made ​​a misery at Christmas. In 2012, December 25, she recorded 8,000,000 downloads reminds VentureBeat .

The mobile game sector in turmoil


Rovio operates in a sector, the mobile game growing. IDC and App Annie market (excluding handhelds) expected to be approximately $ 6 billion in 2013. In 2014, IDATE estimates that represent 7.6 billion euros. Smartphones and tablets are by far become the preferred platform mobile game for consumers, the latter particularly plebiscite Apple products.
While Rovio is still far from achieving the benefits of Japanese Gree ( Knights & Dragons, Kingdom Age, Monster Quest ...), which made ​​a net profit of $ 218 million during its last fiscal year, the Finnish is one of the most profitable companies in the sector. In 2012, she published a turnover of $ 195 million (more than doubled in one year) and a net profit of 71 million. This is three times more than the benefits of Gameloft, for example, and far ahead of Mojang ( Minecraft ) and $ 28 million loss. Early 2013, Rovio had more than 250 million monthly active users.

The law of contract: unattainable profitability or mega jackpot


Despite the excitement of this market, its players do not earn money, far from it. 90% of games available on Google Play and the App Store are free. In 2012, only two games in the Top 20 on the App Store were paid. The economic model that prevails today is the free-to-play or "freemium", which is to distribute the game for free, to pay for purchases in-app , which serve to enhance performance and enrich its experience To play this strategy to be profitable, it must reach a critical mass of players, because few are willing to pay and the average amounts paid are low.
Nevertheless, it is the model that is required. IDG expects sales of virtual goods should exceed 50% of income online market in 2016, and Newzoo believes that the free-to-play represents around 70% of European and American market. Although few believed in sustainability and profitability at the beginning, the success stories of Japanese GungHo Online or Finnish Supercell convinced otherwise. Puzzle & Dragons GungHo to generate $ 2.5 million per day, according to IDATE . The company, which publishes games for consoles and PC, achieved a net profit of $ 287 million in the first half of this year, reports La Tribune . Clash of Clans (SuperCell) meanwhile the returns from $ 2.4 million per day worldwide.
"The price of very low sales of these games do not, with rare exceptions, create a return on a single production. Companies must engage in a process of catalog production that requires large financial resources" notes SNJV (National Union of gaming). Strategy catalog is for example that Gameloft ( Despicable Me, GT Racing, Tank Battles ...).
According to an analyst quoted by La Tribune, "on the top 250, each download, including free game, reported an average of $ 0.93" . And according to IDATE, on average, 20 more games performance on the App Store generate revenue of nearly $ 4 per player over their entire lifetime.
Once the machine is running, the games are much more profitable they are not very expensive to produce. Clash of Clans would cost less than € 140,000 to produce in two months, according to Boy Genius Report . "The return on investment is extremely fast when it works. Supercell has raised $ 130 million this year, is to invest in a team of developers, who enriches the games as and when, and data mining, basic to successfully understand the player profiles and generate in-game purchases, "says Laurent Michaud, specialist video games at IDATE.
However, with the number of applications made available each day on the app stores, attention becomes increasingly difficult. Over 400 games and apps appear every day on smartphones and tablets, as SNJV. To stand out, you must communicate. "For every euro invested in the development, we must invest one euro in marketing," says Laurent Michaud. "It is at least as important as the quality of the game Rovio received a first mover, arriving when the visibility in the App Store was better."

Rovio's strategy paying and derivatives


Or free-to-play or logic catalog, Rovio has not the same strategy as the other big names in mobile gaming. His story shows that it is difficult to get a place on the market. Before Angry Birds , Finnish is "planted" with 51 games and came close to bankruptcy . Then success came, and here the company has decided to focus on paid and one brand, declined to infinity.
Thus Rovio launched nine games Angry Birds ( Rio, Space, Friends, Bad Piggies, Star Wars ...), and has extended its license to entertainment and publishing, worldwide. Licensed products now represent 45% of its turnover, which is huge. Rovio has partnered with Nokia including Mattel, Hasbro, or Activision recently released Angry Birds Star Wars console. The nasty birds were small, and can be found in the full range of merchandising: mugs, stuffed animals, clothing, key rings, shells for smartphones, games ... There is also a cartoon of 52 episodes and a feature film is planned for 2016 . Most original, playgrounds open Angry Birds in Finland, Spain, the United Kingdom, China and the United States.

Rovio, publisher of Angry Birds: The new Walt Disney?
AFP PHOTO / Peter PARKS
The playground Angry Birds Shanghai.
The admission officer, Disney is a model for Rovio. "The key is that we build a brand, and can live through a variety of channels of entertainment. We create loyalty to the franchise," said an officer of Rovio VentureBeat . "This strategy is quite unique, Laurent Michaud analysis. Leverage a single universe is actually quite risky, but it is a strategy in line with the experience that people want to know, and with the air. Their goal is to work on a continual enrichment of the brand. "

For now, success is always waiting for you


Rovio deliberately put everything on Angry Birds . When he released Amazing Alex in 2012, a game that had nothing to do, the sound was much less successful. After a few weeks he left the top 10 of the App Store, then that Angry Birds stayed there two years!
Yet the success of Angry Birds can not be denied. At the moment Angry Birds Star Wars II is ranked 13 th of paid apps on the iPhone in the United States (59 th on Google Play), and the year 2013, Angry Birds Star Wars ranks 4 th and 5 on iPhone e iPad.
However Rovio attempts a foray into the free-to-play, with his latest, Angry Birds Go , a free game kart compatible with "Telepods" Hasbro, the same model as the game Skylanders , which s' is classified in the United States 2 e all categories combined apps on the iPhone, and 6 th on Google Play. Not bad for a first.