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IE Market Research Corporation (IEMR) released a report projecting that the global market for GPS navigation and location-based services (LBS) will rise by 51.3 percent through 2014 to $13.4 billion, and will be led by Android. Meanwhile, location-enabled search and advertising will see the biggest growth in market spending, growing at 131 percent by 2014, says IEMR.
Intel Corp. announced open registration and keynotes for its 13th annual technical conference, which returns to San Francisco on Sept. 13-15. Promised for the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) are a keynote from CEO Paul Otellini on the “Computing Continuum,” as well as a keynote and track on the Intel Atom, and a track on the chipmaker's “Sandy Bridge” micro-architecture.
Google received its last shipment of Nexus One smartphones from HTC, and will not re-stock once they're gone, says eWEEK. Meanwhile, the publication adds, Google posted solid second-quarter financials, with 24 percent higher revenues compared to 2Q 2009, and is making a bundle on Android-driven mobile advertising, but still faces major challenges.
Samsung announced what appears to be its first 512GB SSD (solid state disk), utilizing “high-performance toggle-mode” DDR NAND flash. The device provides three times the performance of a typical hard disk drive, and extends battery life even further than previous SSDs, the company claims.
Sony Ericsson has returned to profitability thanks in part to its Android phones, and it's contemplating dropping its Symbian and Windows Mobile phones, says the Wall Street Journal. The company has found success with its Android-based Xperia X10 and Xperia Mini and Mini Pro, says the story, and the company is now prepping a mid-range Xperia X8 model.
The Motorola Droid X sold out in its first day, and won't be available at Verizon Wireless until July 23, says eWEEK. Meanwhile, Motorola responded to complaints over the Droid X's eFuse ROM lock-down chip, reassuring potential buyers that it won't destroy the phone if ROM modifications are made.
Linux.conf.au announced a Call for Papers for its 12th annual open source Linux conference for developers, to be held in Brisbane, Australia, on Jan 24-29. Linux.conf.au 2011 (lca2011) starts off with two days of mini-conferences, and is followed by three days of main sessions and an “Open Day” of events and presentations that is open to the general public.
AMD saw revenues in the second quarter grow 40 percent over last year, thanks to strong growth in the mobile PC chip business. AMD's graphics business also did well, though AMD officials expressed frustration with the server numbers.
The Novell-backed OpenSUSE Project announced the final 11.3 release of OpenSUSE Linux, featuring Linux 2.6.34, the Btrfs file-system, improved netbook support, and desktops including the new LXDE 0.5.5. Meanwhile, eWEEK reviewed Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, praising its new virtualization features, despite a few “snags.”
Verizon Wireless and Motorola launched the much-anticipated Android 2.1-based Droid X smartphone for $200, and said they foresee none of the shortages that have plagued other recent Android phones. Yet, modders are up in arms by the news that the Droid X has been locked down to prevent the loading of custom ROMs, say reports.
ABI Research projects that by 2015, Linux-based operating systems, led by Android and Chrome OS, will represent 62 percent of the OSes shipping in all mobile devices aside from smartphones. The study also suggests that Linux offers a unifying advantage for mobile platforms, with a large number of upstream components that can be shared in addition to the Linux kernel.
HP is postponing, if not cancelling, its Android-powered version of its Slate tablet, says All Things Digital. Meanwhile, DigiTimes says Acer will launch both seven-inch and ten-inch ARM-based Android tablets in the fourth quarter.
Axiomtek announced a fanless embedded system that uses Intel's 1.1GHz Atom Z510 or 1.6GHz Z530 CPUs and measures just 5.2 x 3.8 x 1.87 inches. The “eBOX511-820-FL” includes gigabit Ethernet, CompactFlash storage, and four USB ports, and supports a wide range of power inputs, the company says.
SmartDevices is readying an Android 2.1 version of its Ubuntu-based, seven-inch SmartQ R7 Linux color e-reader tablet. The SmartQ T7-3G tablet offers a more powerful 720MHz processor, provides Wi-Fi connectivity, upgrades to a 4700mAh battery, and is available with onboard 3G connectivity.
Velocity Micro announced three seven-inch, Android-based tablets. The $200 Cruz Reader and “kid-friendly,” drop-resistant, $150 Cruz StoryPad both offer resistive displays, while the $300 Cruz Tablet offers a capacitive multitouch display and other enhancements, says the company.