Samsung expects Music Hub to reach competitors' devices, more countries

 

Samsung's Music Hub has only had a comparatively small reach to date, delivering tunes to seven countries (six with scan-and-match) and just a handful of devices. Senior VP of Media Services TJ Kang expects the audio service to broaden its horizons -- he tells The Next Web that Samsung wants to widen access to rivals' gear as well. There's no convenient timetable to put on the calendar, but the expansion is a significant move for a service that's frequently seen as more of a brand-specific checklist feature than a full competitor with the likes of Google Music or iTunes. Plans for Samsung's own devices are more definite, Kang says. Music Hub is coming to more countries in 2013, as long as licensing deals work out, and further device support (including the non-mobile variety) will depend on flagship hardware releases scattered throughout the year. No matter where Media Hub heads next, it's safe to presume that it will be more than just a nice bonus in the near future.

when.eng("eng.perm.init")

Source: The Next Web

Sourse

By: Dilusha On 9:41 PM

Continue Reading

Rounds video-chat service expects millions of users from mobile

By Tova Cohen

TEL AVIV | Tue Jan 8, 2013 8:06am EST

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Rounds, a free video-chat service that is also a social network, expects to add tens of millions of users with the launch of its mobile phone application.

Israel-based Rounds operates on top of existing platforms with the goal of bringing friends together irrespective of their preferred operating system or device.

Besides video-chat there are photo-sharing features and the ability to watch YouTube videos, play games or listen to music with those contacts, who see exactly what the other sees.

"We are the first hangout network, offering online entertainment with video communication to bring people closer together," Rounds co-founder and Chief Executive Danny Fishel told Reuters.

Rounds has over 6 million users who spend an average of 40 minutes a day "hanging out", mainly via the Facebook app.

Last month Rounds launched its first application for Google Android-based phones and Apple iPhones. It expects mobile to bring the number of users to tens of millions, reaching more than 80,000 new users in the first 48 hours.

"From our perspective, I can be on an Android device and you on Facebook, we merge the contact lists together," Fishel said.

Rounds also gives these "hangouts" an afterlife, allowing users to take pictures of themselves and fuse the images so it appears as if they are physically together. Users can follow, share, like and comment on the photos.

For now Rounds is concentrating on expanding to different networks and will work on bringing in revenue in the second half of 2013. It is considering various models such as micropayments to unlock special video effects.

Competitors include Google Hangouts and Airtime, founded by Napster founders Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning.

Airtime offers video-chatting but not games while Hangouts is only for Google+ and Google Talk users.

"Our platform agnosticism sets us apart," Fishel said. "You can be on Google+, Facebook etc."

Fishel noted that U.S. Marines stationed abroad often use Microsoft's Skype to talk with their families.

"But when they wanted to communicate with a 5-year-old son, after saying how much you've grown, the son had little patience to speak. In Rounds, they have 25-30 minute talks because they can watch YouTube clips and play games together," Fishel said.

Rounds has raised $5.5 million from investors including Verizon Ventures and investment firm Rhodium.

"We believe towards the middle of this year we will do another financing round," he said, adding the company will likely seek to raise $8-$10 million and will look for new and strategic investors.

One purpose of this funding will be to relocate the CEO to the United States and open a marketing office while maintaining research and development in Israel.

(Reporting by Tova Cohen; Editing by Steven Scheer)

View the original article here

By: Dilusha On 10:14 PM

Continue Reading

China Unicom expects to start selling iPhone 5 by year-end

By Kelvin Soh

BEIJING | Fri Nov 9, 2012 2:28am EST

BEIJING (Reuters) - China Unicom, the country's second-largest mobile carrier, expects to begin selling Apple Inc's latest iPhones this year and has set an ambitious target of having 100 million 3G users by end-2012 as it tries to attract high-end users to lift profits.

"The iPhone 5 is currently being tested by the authorities, and we'll begin selling it once it has been approved," China Unicom chairman Chang Xiaobing told a news conference.

China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd was the first Chinese mobile operator to carry iPhones in 2009, but lost its exclusivity when China Telecom Corp Ltd signed a similar contract with Apple this year.

Helped by iPhones, China Unicom has seen its number of 3G users rise steadily, reaching 66.9 million in the first nine months, representing about 30 percent of total subscribers, company data showed.

Chang said the carrier, which sold 33 million smartphones through its network so far this year, aimed to have 100 million 3G users this year, which will be a huge jump from the current figure.

The country's three carriers -- China Mobile Ltd, China Unicom and China Telecom -- have been trying to upgrade their mobile networks to boost data usage among increasingly tech-savvy Chinese consumers.

China Mobile, whose 3G technology lags its two rivals', has been building its 4G network and conducting trials. Industry observers expect China to only start giving out 4G licenses in late 2013 and 2014.

"China will eventually have a 4G mobile network; the only question is when. Whether China chooses to build it sooner or later, I believe the decision made will be the correct one," Chang said.

China Unicom's shares traded down 1.3 percent, lagging China Mobile, China Telecom and the main Hang Seng Index.

(Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

View the original article here

By: Dilusha On 6:00 PM

Continue Reading

China Unicom expects to start selling iPhone 5 by year-end

By Kelvin Soh

BEIJING | Fri Nov 9, 2012 2:28am EST

BEIJING (Reuters) - China Unicom, the country's second-largest mobile carrier, expects to begin selling Apple Inc's latest iPhones this year and has set an ambitious target of having 100 million 3G users by end-2012 as it tries to attract high-end users to lift profits.

"The iPhone 5 is currently being tested by the authorities, and we'll begin selling it once it has been approved," China Unicom chairman Chang Xiaobing told a news conference.

China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd was the first Chinese mobile operator to carry iPhones in 2009, but lost its exclusivity when China Telecom Corp Ltd signed a similar contract with Apple this year.

Helped by iPhones, China Unicom has seen its number of 3G users rise steadily, reaching 66.9 million in the first nine months, representing about 30 percent of total subscribers, company data showed.

Chang said the carrier, which sold 33 million smartphones through its network so far this year, aimed to have 100 million 3G users this year, which will be a huge jump from the current figure.

The country's three carriers -- China Mobile Ltd, China Unicom and China Telecom -- have been trying to upgrade their mobile networks to boost data usage among increasingly tech-savvy Chinese consumers.

China Mobile, whose 3G technology lags its two rivals', has been building its 4G network and conducting trials. Industry observers expect China to only start giving out 4G licenses in late 2013 and 2014.

"China will eventually have a 4G mobile network; the only question is when. Whether China chooses to build it sooner or later, I believe the decision made will be the correct one," Chang said.

China Unicom's shares traded down 1.3 percent, lagging China Mobile, China Telecom and the main Hang Seng Index.

(Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

View the original article here

By: Dilusha On 5:40 PM

Continue Reading