Ofcom price hike alarms mobile firms

10 October 2013 Last updated at 07:54 ET By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News

Mobile network operators may have to pay more than four times the current amount to use the radio spectrum, under new proposals from Ofcom.

The regulator said the new licensing fees reflected market value based on other European countries.

Operators told the BBC the increase was "excessive". Vodafone said it was "disappointed".

Some analysts have raised concerns the increased costs might be passed on to the public.

"The size of these figures may come as bad news to the mobile networks, but more worryingly could sound alarm bells for consumers," said Adam Kirby, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com.

"The proposed new costs reflect a huge leap in the amount networks will have to pay the regulator for using the spectrum - our concern is that it will be consumers who are left to foot the bill.

"However, the good news for concerned consumers is that no increases have been confirmed as yet - Ofcom are now consulting on the fees. It remains to be seen how much these costs will actually rise, and if the networks can fight back and keep a lid on these increases."

An Ofcom spokesman told the BBC that while it had no control over how much operators charged customers, it did not expect the rise to have an impact on bills.

Continue reading the main story

We welcome the views of our stakeholders. Nothing's final at this stage"

End Quote Ofcom

In an advisory note, financial services firm JP Morgan said it expected the competitiveness of the mobile market would stop costs being passed down.

On the cheap

However, operators contacted by the BBC expressed concern that the rise had been higher than they had budgeted for.

The affected companies - Vodafone, O2, EE and Three - each told the BBC that they would respond to Ofcom's announcement in due course.

EE said it would aim to stress that "there must be a balance between licence fees and the critical 4G network investment consumers and businesses are demanding to drive growth and jobs for the UK economy".

Vodafone criticised Ofcom, saying: "We are disappointed that Ofcom is proposing a 430% increase in the fees we pay for our existing spectrum at a time when we are investing more than ever in vital national digital infrastructure.

"The regulator should be encouraging such private sector investment in infrastructure and new services like 4G, which will benefit consumers, businesses and the wider British economy for many years to come."

Prices for the 900Mhz and 1800Mhz spectrum bands were set when it was used for 2G services several years ago. Ofcom has since "liberated" the spectrum - the term given when a certain band is freed up for different purposes.

In this case, it meant that operators could use the bands for higher-speed services such as 4G.

In 2010, the government instructed Ofcom to revisit the cost of the licences for 900Mhz and 1800Mhz which - in comparison with other equivalent services across the EU - were considered to be very cheap.

The new prices will see Vodafone and O2's individual fees rise from £15.6m to £83.1m. EE will pay £107.1m, up from £24.9m, and Three will go from £8.3m to £35.7m.

The increase comes at a time when operators are facing a drop in income via calls made while customers are overseas. The European Union is pressing hard for far lower roaming costs in a bid to reduce so-called "bill shock".

4G auction

A source at one of the affected operators said he expected operators would now engage in a tug of war with Ofcom to see the proposed amounts lowered.

In response, the regulator said: "It's a consultation - we welcome the views of our stakeholders. Nothing's final at this stage.

"They've been expecting this for some time and we've based our proposed annual license fees on market value."

Ofcom also dismissed the suggestion that the price hike is in response to a lower-than-expected return from the recent auction of 4G spectrum, which took place earlier in the year.

That sale raised £2.3bn - less than the £3.5bn expected by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

The shortfall is being investigated by the National Audit Office, which expects to publish its findings early next year.

Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC.

23.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Samsung launches curved-screen phone

9 October 2013 Last updated at 07:56 ET

Samsung Electronics, the world's best-selling smartphone maker, has launched a handset with a curved display screen.

Called the Galaxy Round, the smartphone will feature a 5.7in (14.5cm) display.

The launch comes just days after rival LG said it would begin production of curved-screen phones next year.

Digital display technology has been progressing towards curved screens. Both Samsung and LG already offer curved organic light-emitting diode (OLED) television sets.

Continue reading the main story

Leo Kelion Technology reporter

---

Samsung's launch of a curved phone gives it bragging rights.

The South Korean firm has beaten its rival LG by at least a few months to offer a handset featuring flexible-screen tech.

LG had previously pipped its competitor to the post by being the first to sell a curved TV.

However, the question remains why consumers should want this tech.

One of the big appeals of using a flexible display is that it should be less prone to damage than the rigid version in a traditional handset.

But because the battery in the Galaxy Round remains stiff, the device has a fixed shape and it is not yet clear whether it will in fact be less vulnerable to drops or pressure.

So it may be the case that an announcement on Tuesday by LG's chemicals division could ultimately prove more significant.

It said that it had begun mass production of both curved batteries and ones that come in the form of flexible cables.

The age of the bendy phone still awaits us.

Samsung said the curved screen display would help consumers use some of the features on the phone, including those that enable users to check information such as date, time and missed calls when home screen is off, with more ease.

At the same time, users can also change music tracks on their phone, even while its display is off.

The Galaxy Round will initially be launched only in South Korea. The firm gave no indication of its plans for a global launch.

'Internet of Things'

The global smartphone market has been growing rapidly.

According to research firm CCS Insight, worldwide smartphone sales will hit nearly one billion in 2013 - accounting for more than half the total of 1.7 billion mobile phones sold.

As as result, smartphone manufacturers have been keen to offer new products to win consumers.

With display technology moving towards flexible and bendy screens, it is one area that companies have been looking at.

Some analysts said that while the initial offering of curved-screen phones may not see huge sales, the segment of flexible displays was one to keep an eye on.

"These phones may not be a game-changer today, but they are definitely an indication of things to come," Manoj Menon, managing director of consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, told the BBC.

"Flexible displays have a huge role to play as the market place for 'internet of things' grows."

This refers to the idea that many things in homes or offices - not just typical computers - will soon be connected to the internet.

The sector is tipped by many to be a major industry in the near future.

Mr Menon said that as flexible screens became more advanced and cost-effective to make, it was likely to speed up growth in the sector.

23.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

BBC Playlister service goes live

9 October 2013 Last updated at 07:30 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Senior executives from YouTube, Spotify and Deezer explain why the companies have decided to collaborate on the BBC's new Playlister service

A beta version of the BBC Playlister, a new digital service that allows listeners to tag any piece of music they hear on the BBC and listen to it later, has gone live.

BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe claimed the project puts the BBC "at the heart of what is happening now".

"The whole essence of radio is to communicate: To be able to say 'I love this song'.

"Now we can really listen to what [the audience] is into and what they love."

The aim of Playlister is to give audiences an easy way to find out what music is being played on BBC Radio networks (and, later, on BBC TV shows) and to listen to it again.

From Wednesday, every song played on BBC radio will be made listed on the relevant programme website.

Anyone with a BBC account can click an "add this" button to add tracks to a personal playlist, and export them to a outside streaming service, such as YouTube, Deezer and Spotify, where they can be played back in full.

The homepage of the Playlister website also lists the BBC's most recently-played songs, as well as the most popular or most searched-for music.

Mark Friend, BBC controller for multi-platform radio and music, said the service was "easy to use [and] accessible for everyone", adding that it would "join up your BBC experiences with the music experiences you have on the rest of the internet".

Presenter playlists

The launch comes one year on from the launch of BBC iPlayer radio, which "brought together all of the music and the radio from the BBC into one online product... and transformed the BBC's role in digital music," he said.

Following the initial Playlister launch on Wednesday, further developments will include the launch of the same functions within the iPlayer radio app, broadening the Playlister to include number of TV programmes - such as Strictly Come Dancing and The Voice - and the introduction of presenter playlists.

The presenter playlist will allow BBC DJs and presenters "to be able to curate their own chosen music and present that to the audience" within the Playlister function.

"It's about enhancing people's music experience," explained Mark Foster, of Deezer, one of the BBC Playlister's commercial partners.

"A service like ours has 25 million tracks... being able to use trusted curators, like Zane, is all about building trust, building confidence and helping people navigate through this fantastic selection of music that we have."

"The ability to discover music and follow people whose musical taste has really shaped yours is going to add a really level of texture to our services," echoed Chris Maples, of fellow commercial partner Spotify.

Playlister "will influence the way we make radio," said Lowe, adding, "the traffic goes both ways; communication between presenters and the audience becomes very direct.

"Playlister gives the BBC a chance to do that globally, which is a big part of what the BBC's future."

"People want to keep up-to-date," added Maples. "What's really cool about this is that I can take the perceived cool of Zane and add it to my playlist."

Statistics suggest that last year, more than 26 million people listened to music on the BBC radio network every single week and nearly 50 million watched some music from the BBC.

"Audiences want an easy way to find out and remember the music they hear on our programmes and to get good music recommendations," said Mr Friend

"Playlister presents a huge creative opportunity, not just to the audience, but also to us the programme-makers."

23.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Malware mastermind suspect arrested

9 October 2013 Last updated at 08:00 ET

Russian police have reportedly arrested a man on suspicion of masterminding two infamous hacking tools.

He is suspected of being the man behind the alias Paunch - the nickname used by the creator of the Blackhole and Cool exploit kits, sold to cybercriminals to infect web users with malware.

The Russian authorities have not confirmed the details.

But security firms said they had already detected a decline in the programs' use.

A spokesman for the law enforcement agency Europol told the BBC: "Europol and the European Cybercrime Centre has been informed that a high-level suspected cyber criminal has been arrested.

"We can only refer you to the Russian authorities, they are the ones who should speak about this topic."

The Russian police's press office said it had nothing to add at this time.

However, Alexander Gostev, chief security expert at the Moscow-based internet protection provider Kaspersky Lab, said the arrest had been confirmed to him by "anonymous sources".

Spreading malware

The Blackhole kit, released in 2010, dominated the crimeware market throughout 2012 and the start of 2013, according to Fraser Howard, a researcher at the anti-virus company Sophos.

He said the code had been sold for an annual licence of $1,500 (£940) or could be rented from its creator for $200 (£125) for one week's use, among other price plans.

The software targeted a range of vulnerabilities in the Java programming language, Adobe's Flash media player, Windows software and PDF files.

It had two ways of doing this:

• adding malicious code to hundreds of thousands of legitimate websites, which then copied malware to visitors computers
• creating links in spam messages to specially created sites that infected PCs

Among the malware downloaded was:

• fake anti-virus software that falsely claimed the PC was infected and urged the user to pay a fee to remove viruses
• Trojans that attempted to steal financial records stored on the PC
• the ZeroAccess rootkit, which downloaded other software that hijacked the PC for use in a botnet - a facility used to overwhelm websites with traffic and force them offline
• key loggers that took a record of what was typed on the PC
• ransomware that attempted to blackmail the PC owner

Although Mr Howard said Blackhole was once the biggest threat of its kind, he added that in recent months it had been overshadowed by rival kits, including Sweet Orange and Neutrino.

According to the researcher, the Blackhole and Cool kits put together were only involved in about 4% of all malware detected by Sophos in August, down from 28% the previous year.

The figure had since dropped to 2% in recent days, he added.

Another independent security blogger stressed that the arrest was still significant.

"If it's true that the brains behind the Blackhole has been apprehended it's a very big deal - a real coup for the cybercrime-fighting authorities, and hopefully cause disruption to the development of one of the most notorious exploit kits the web has ever seen," said Graham Cluley.

"However, it's worth remembering that nature abhors a vacuum, and there would surely be other online criminals waiting to take their place, promoting their alternative exploit kits and malicious code."

Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at F-Secure, agreed.

"If indeed it is Paunch that they arrested, that is a major arrest - he is a big deal," he told the BBC.

"He was clearly the biggest player in providing exploit kits - not just by selling them, but also renting and leasing them to online criminals.

"Both Blackhole and its successor Cool have been very popular.

"Users didn't have to be very technical to operate them - there was a manual that came with them - they just had to get them running and be able to break into a high-profile website, or create a new one from scratch, to install something bad on your computer."

23.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ford car wrests control of steering

9 October 2013 Last updated at 11:01 ET By Leo Kelion Technology reporter

A car that takes control of the steering wheel when it detects the risk of a collision is being tested at a research facility in Germany.

Ford said the Obstacle Avoidance system first warned the driver of danger and then took charge if they did not react.

The firm said the equipment had been fitted to one of its vehicles as part of a project involving other carmakers and suppliers.

One analyst said it was a staging post on the route to "driverless cars".

The system scans up to 200m (650ft) ahead by using three radars, a number of ultrasonic sensors and a camera, which are all installed in the vehicle.

An additional built-in display shows a warning sign and sounds a chime. Then, if necessary, it applies the brakes, scans for a gap in the road ahead, and steers to avoid a crash.

"You're driving down the road and a pedestrian or something comes out from either side of your vehicle from your peripheral vision where you don't have a good look at it," said Barb Samardzich, vice-president of product development at Ford's European division.

"Obstacle Avoidance can sense that the pedestrian or that object is coming across the front of your vehicle. If it doesn't sense you responding accordingly in your vehicle by braking or manoeuvring, it will take over."

The firm showed off the tech at a facility in Lommel, Belgium, earlier this week.

Safety race

The new technology builds on safety features already offered by Ford.

Last year it introduced Lane Keeping Alert, a feature that vibrates the wheel - but does not take control - if it detects the driver is drifting out of a lane without using an indicator.

Ford's existing Active City Stop facility also aims to reduce the severity of collisions by applying the brakes if it detects an object in front of the vehicle. But it works only if the object is static or travelling less than 30km/h (19mph) faster than the car.

By contrast, the company said the new tech was being tested at speeds of over 60 km/h (38mph).

Other manufacturers involved in the project at Aachen include BMW, Fiat, Daimler, Volvo and Volkswagen. They will share data from the tests to develop systems of their own.

Volvo - which is owned by China's Geely - has already introduced its own pedestrian and cyclist alert system, which sounds an alarm and applies the brakes. The firm told the BBC in March that it was now adapting the system so it would soon be able to recognise animals.

'Significant step'

There may be resistance from some to the idea of a car taking control from its driver.

But Ford points out that fewer than one-third of all drivers involved in rear-end collisions had attempted to steer clear of the accident, according to data collected by Germany's Federal Statistical Office.

With that in mind, one independent analyst said it should not be too hard for manufacturers to convince motorists of the innovation's benefit.

"The logic behind the technology is impeccable - anything that can avoid a potentially dangerous situation that can cause injury or death sounds like a good piece of equipment," said Tim Urquhart, senior analyst at consultants IHS Automotive.

"Obviously it will come at a price. But there will be less resistance to a piece of technology like this than there will be to the concept of totally driverless cars.

"But autonomous vehicles are already being tested by Google, Daimler and others, and taking steering control in an emergency situation is obviously a pretty significant step along the road."

Ford said more tests were needed and it was not yet ready to announce a launch date for its Obstacle Avoidance system.

23.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Panasonic 'to quit' plasma TV sector

9 October 2013 Last updated at 09:46 ET

Panasonic, the Japanese electronics company, is to stop production of plasma TV screens in 2014, according to reports.

The company will close its plasma screen factory in Amagasaki and put it up for sale next year, Nikkei business daily and Reuters have said.

Panasonic's plasma TV division made huge losses in recent years.

But a Panasonic spokesman told the BBC: "Nothing has been decided at this stage."

Other electronics companies, such as Hitachi and Pioneer, have already pulled out of the sector.

In its last financial year, Panasonic as a whole made a loss of 754bn yen (£4.85bn), following a 772bn yen loss the previous year.

This is despite the fact that its plasma TVs are critically acclaimed, with the European Imaging Sound Association voting Panasonic's Viera TX-P60ZT65 European home cinema TV of the year 2013-2014.

Underperforming

Plasma screens, which use electrically charged ionised gases, are praised for their brightness, deep blacks, and rich colour displays, but tend to use more electricity than other screen technologies.

"In the last two or three years plasma TVs have lost most of the advantages they had to LCD [liquid crystal display] TVs," said Tom Morrod, senior director of consumer electronics at research company IHS.

"We're forecasting that they will be gone completely by 2018."

Panasonic president Kazuhiro Tsuga's is focused on jettisoning underperforming divisions and concentrating on higher-margin products in a bid to return the group to profitability.

Panasonic, along with its domestic rivals Sharp and Sony, have all struggled to cope with falling electronics prices and stiff competition from South Korean and Taiwanese manufacturers.

Meanwhile, new screen technologies, such as LCD, organic light emitting diode (OLED), and the most recent ultra-high-definition 4K standard, may have hastened plasma's demise.

23.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Guardian plans more Snowden leaks

9 October 2013 Last updated at 12:01 ET

Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger says he plans to publish more revelations from Edward Snowden despite MI5 warning that such disclosures cause enormous damage.

Mr Rusbridger insisted the paper was right to publish files leaked by the US intelligence analyst and had helped to prompt a necessary and overdue debate.

His comments come after criticism from the new head of MI5, Andrew Parker.

Making public the "reach and limits" of intelligence-gathering techniques gave terrorists the advantage, he said.

Mr Snowden, a former CIA contractor, fled to Russia with a wealth of secret data including some 58,000 files from GCHQ, Britain's electronic eavesdropping agency.

The stories that followed in the Guardian newspaper, based on material provided by Mr Snowden, revealed the huge capacity of British and US intelligence agencies - GCHQ and NSA - to monitor communications.

Mr Rusbridger said more stories would be published in the future as the leaked documents were "slowly and responsibly" worked through.

Continue reading the main story

If Parliament's not going to have this discussion and if the courts can only do this in private then I think absolutely it falls to the press to stimulate a discussion"

End Quote Alan Rusbridger Guardian editor

In his first public speech since his appointment to director general in April, Mr Parker said intelligence gathered by GCHQ had played a vital role in stopping many UK terrorist plots over the past decade.

Without mentioning Mr Snowden by name, he said ''it causes enormous damage to make public the reach and limits of GCHQ techniques".

He warned that terrorists now had tens of thousands of means of communication "through e-mail, IP telephony, in-game communication, social networking, chat rooms, anonymising services and a myriad of mobile apps".

Mr Parker said it was vital for MI5 to retain the capability to access such information if it was to protect the country.

Mr Rusbridger said those on the security side of the argument wanted to keep everything secret and did not want a debate.

"You don't want the press or anyone else writing about it. But MI5 cannot be the only voice in the debate," he told BBC Radio 4's World at One.

He added that his newspaper had revealed the "extent to which entire populations are now being potentially put under surveillance".

"I just spent a week in America where everybody is talking about this, from the president down."

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

He added: "It's quite surprising to me that the number of MPs in this country who have said anything at all in the last four months can be counted on one hand - Malcolm Rifkind, Tom Watson, David Davis.

"So, if Parliament's not going to have this discussion and if the courts can only do this in private then I think absolutely it falls to the press to stimulate a discussion, which as I say, throughout America, throughout Europe, is one that the public are intensely interested in."

Asked about Mr Parker's suggestion that publishing the documents was helping terrorists, Mr Rusbridger said: "They will always say that. You read histories of intelligence and you go back to the 1990s and the security people were saying the same."

The independent MP Patrick Mercer said intelligence data should not be published if it compromised public security.

"If in any way our security is compromised by revealing too much, that's a mistake. Just imagine if we had revealed the whole Enigma secret during the Second World War.

"That might have been in the public's interest - but we'd have lost the war."

23.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Global PC sales dip to five-year low

9 October 2013 Last updated at 21:37 ET

Global shipments of personal computers (PCs) have hit a five-year low, according to new figures from the research firm Gartner.

Shipments totalled 80.3m units in the three months to September, down 8.6% from a year ago.

PC sales have now fallen for six quarters in a row, hurt by the growing popularity of tablets and smartphones.

Gartner said falling prices of tablets had further hurt sales of PCs in emerging markets.

"Consumers' shift from PCs to tablets for daily content consumption continued to decrease the installed base of PCs both in mature as well as in emerging markets," Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner, said in a statement.

"A greater availability of inexpensive Android tablets attracted first-time consumers in emerging markets, and as supplementary devices in mature markets."

Decline

Research firm IDC, also released figures on Thursday, which showed global shipments of PCs fell by 7.6% to 81.6m units over the period.

Gartner and IDC use slightly different methods to calculate PC shipment data.

IDC said it was likely the ongoing decline in PC sales would continue into next year.

"Whether constrained by a weak economy or being selective in their tech investments, buyers continue to evaluate options and delay PC replacements," Loren Loverde, vice president of IDC's Worldwide PC Trackers, said in a statement.

In July this year, IDC had said it was still looking for some improvement in growth during the second half of the year. It has now reversed that view.

"The third quarter was pretty close to forecast, which unfortunately doesn't reflect much improvement in the PC market, or potential for near-term growth," said Mr Loverde.

23.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

US Army plans 'Iron Man' armour

10 October 2013 Last updated at 07:22 ET

The US Army is working to develop "revolutionary" smart armour that would give its troops "superhuman strength".

It is calling on the technology industry, government labs and academia to help build the Iron Man-style suit.

Other exoskeletons that allow soldiers to carry large loads much further have already been tested by the army.

The Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (Talos) would have such a frame but would also have layers of smart materials fitted with sensors.

The suit would also need to have wide-area networking and a wearable computer similar to Google Glass, the US Army said.

Increase strength

It should be made of smart material fitted with sensors to monitor body temperature, heart rate and hydration levels.

The exoskeleton, which could be attached to arms and legs, would be likely to use hydraulics to greatly increase strength.

"The requirement is a comprehensive family of systems in a combat armour suit where we bring together an exoskeleton with innovative armour, displays for power monitoring, health monitoring, and integrating a weapon into that," said Lt Col Karl Borjes, a science adviser at the US Army's research, development and engineering command.

"It's advanced armour. It's communications, antennas. It's cognitive performance. It's sensors, miniature-type circuits. That's all going to fit in here, too," he added.

Magnetic field

According to US Army Sgt Maj Chris Faris, "no one industry can build it".

Instead the army is calling on research and development organisations, private industry as well as government labs and academia to support the project.

The US Army said it was likely that scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology would be involved in the design.

An MIT team is currently developing liquid body armour - made from fluids that transform into a solid when a magnetic field or electrical current is applied.

Large robot

In an interview with US news site NPR, MIT professor Gareth McKinley compared the futuristic armour to that seen in Hollywood films.

"It sounds exactly like Iron Man," he said.

"The other kind of things that you see in the movies... would be the kind of external suit that Sigourney Weaver wears in Aliens, where it's a large robot that amplifies the motions and lifting capability of a human."

The aim is the get the Talos armour out in the field within three years.

23.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ultrasound offers gesture control

10 October 2013 Last updated at 11:27 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The smartphone you control by gestures

Ultrasound technology that enables mobiles and tablets to be controlled by gesture could go into production as early as next year.

Norwegian start-up Elliptic Labs is in talks with Asian handset manufacturers to get the chip embedded in devices.

The technology works via an ultrasound chip that uses sound waves to interpret hand movements.

The move towards gesture control has gathered pace and there are now many such products on the market.

Big gestures

What sets Elliptic's gesture-control system apart from others is its wide field of use, up to a metre away from the phone. It means it can identify mid-air gestures accurately.

Because it uses sound rather than sight, the sensor can recognise gestures from a 180-degree field. It also consumes less power and works in the dark.

By contrast Samsung's Galaxy S4 uses an infrared sensor that can only interpret hand movements within a very small zone.

"The user needs to learn the exact spot to gesture to instead of having a large interactive space around the device," said Erik Forsstrom, the user interface designer for Elliptic Labs.

Allowing users more freedom in how they gesture is vital if such products are to become mainstream, he thinks.

"With a small screen such as a phone or a tablet, the normal body language is not that precise. You need a large zone in which to gesture."

If consumers can quickly see the effects their gestures have on screen, he thinks, "it is quite likely that this is the next step within mobile".

The technology was recently shown off at Japanese tech show Ceatec.

In the demonstration, an Android smartphone was housed in a case containing the ultrasound transmitters.

But Elliptic Labs said it had formed partnerships with a number of Asian handset manufacturers who are looking at building the ultrasound chip into devices, as early as next year.

Mass market

Continue reading the main story

It is ideal if you have dirty or sweaty hands"

End Quote Ben Wood CCS Insight

Increasingly firms are experimenting with gesture control.

PrimeSense, the company that developed gesture control for Microsoft's Kinect console, has also made strides towards bringing the technology to mobile.

By shrinking down the sensor used in the Kinect, the firm showed it working with a Nexus 10 at a Google developers' conference in May.

Meanwhile Disney is testing technology that allows users to "feel" the texture of objects on a flat touchscreen.

The technique involves sending tiny vibrations through the display that let people "feel" the shallow bumps, ridges and edges of an object.

Ben Wood, analyst with research firm CCS Insight thinks such devices could be ready for the mass market.

"Apple's success has made gestures a part of everyday life. Now consumers understand they can manipulate a screen with a gesture or a swipe everyone is racing to find innovative ways to exploit this behaviour.

"Ultrasonic is particularly interesting as you don't need to touch the screen which can be an almost magical experience.

"It is ideal if you have dirty or sweaty hands. A common example people use is flicking through a recipe when cooking. Other examples include transitioning through a slideshow of photos or flicking through music tracks or turning the page on an ebook," he said.

"The big challenge that remains is how you make users aware of the capability."

See more tech from the Ceatec show on Click this weekend

23.34 | 0 komentar | Read More