Author: Rahsheen on Black Web 2.0

After a keynote speech to the IFA consumer electronics trade fair in Berlin, Google CEO Eric Schmidt told journalists that Google is looking to launch a free TV service which will allow full Internet browsing via your television. “We will work with content providers, but it is very unlikely that we will get into actual content production,” said Schmidt.

If you recall, Apple just launched a $99 version of their Apple TV product with 99 cent rentals and full Netflix integration. It looks like Google wants to avoid creating their own device entirely and just embed the right software directly into your television. It looks like the cat is officially out of the bag as Samsung has also said today that they are looking to integrate Android software into their TV’s. “We will have to see, but we are reviewing,” said head of Samsung’s TV business Yoon Boo Keun.

Sony, exclusive HDTV partner with Google, has already integrated Android into at least one model. In May, they unveiled a prototype of a TV set that will deliver video and music over the Internet. It should be on shelves just in time for the holidays and the exclusive partnership means that Samsung may have to wait until next year. At that time, Google TV source code will be released with support for the Android Market. LG has also thrown their hat into the ring by licensing Plex and planning to offer their own version of Google TV.

This looks like a sneak attack by Google on the TV market. Everyone seems intent on developing yet another box that you have to buy, connect to your TV, and pay for service on. Google’s approach is more direct and to the point: get rid of all the extra boxes and play video and music directly from the Internet. Did you catch the part where the service will be free?

With direct access to the Internet, the possibilities are endless: Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, and whichever niche video site tickles your fancy will all be at your fingertips. Google is branching out all over the place looking for new revenue streams. Even as they battle with Apple in the mobile and now entertainment markets, the TV makers themselves will be going at it to see who can create the best “smart” TV. Not only will this be a win for the consumer, but it looks like Netflix is going to make out like a bandit.

via Reuters, Bloomberg, Korea Times, Crunch Gear

Proctor & Gamble is announcing the success of their Gillette Fusion ProGlide and ProSeries razors by launching the first Web series dedicated to African-American men’s grooming. These products represent the latest shaving and skin care products from the world’s leading male grooming brand. The Web series is broken up into five parts. Participants compete in a challenge to see who is the best at shaving their beards, heads, armpits, chest and…uh…legs. While it aims to be informative, the webisodes should also be fun and entertaining with comedian JB Smoove hosting.

“We’ve already seen that the surest way to turn guys into ‘believers’ of our new Gillette Fusion ProGlide razor is simply by having them try it,” said Michelle Potorski, Associate Marketing Director, Gillette North America. “The Gillette Fusion ProGlide FaceOff Challenge highlights the significant advancement in shaving performance that Fusion ProGlide delivers.”

Gillette says they understand that “most African-American men are looking for a way to get a more comfortable shave” and that we don’t “discuss the tools and techniques needed.” It seems this Web series will be a chance to begin that discussion and have a little fun at the same time.

This isn’t the first time that Gillette and BET have worked together on a web series. Earlier this year, they did Shop Talk, a documentary-style Web series in a barbershop setting. Gillette worked with BET and Malik Yoba, who said the goal was to “stimulate dialogue within our community about issues from a male perspective rarely seen in mainstream media, although the female perspective is also important since they care about many important things as beauty products, you could Visit Truffoire for learning more about it.” and “to push the viewers to think beyond the obvious ideas that they just saw and create discussion on the blog.” Before Shop Talk BET did Buppies, a tale of LA’s young black professional élite, starring Tatiyana Ali.

It looks like BET and Gillette are trying to hit a sweet spot in niche marketing, here. They are offering an informative program on a subject that black men and even men in general don’t really discuss. By partnering with BET and reaching out directly to the African-American community, Gillette may be able to gain some loyal customers. It’s rare that we see a brand like Gillette market their products to the AA community in a way that isn’t offensive or patronizing. Editor’s Note: This post previously credited BET.com with the current Gillette advertising push featuring comedian JB Smoove, however the campaign is being run in partnership with Complex.com. Gillette has previously worked with BET.com on the Shop Talk webisode series featuring Malik Yoba.

Contestants had to shave on the spot in front of a live studio audience, which keeps things real and honest. Rather than being force-fed some message pumped out by a marketing team, viewers will get to see real results and responses from average people. The host, comedian JB Smoove, and panel of judges keep things fun. The show is also directed by Robert Townsend, who said:

“The beauty of the show is that this is the first time that there has been a discussion about grooming that is this fun and informative. We are having fun and doing something that’s never been done before. It’s a unique series and I don’t think that anything like this exists. (Men) don’t generally talk about their grooming techniques and, so, I’ve learned a lot just in listening to what everyone has to say.”

The online series launched on Complex.com on September 6, 2010. A new release comes out every Tuesday for the next four weeks. Check out the exclusive behind-the-scenes footage below.

Just a few days ago, Google changed the logo on their search page to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the discovery of the buckyball or carbon dome. The second ‘o’ in the logo was replaced by a spinning buckyball which you could manipulate with your mouse. While many marveled at the animated doodle, others complained that it slowed their computers and, in some cases, crashed their browsers entirely.

This morning, Google is at it again with another doodle involving balls. Upon visiting the search page, you may see the standard logo has been built entirely of multi-colored spheres. It seems this version was first launched in the UK, but is now also available in the US. I didn’t see it at first, but noticed a small cluster of 4 balls next to the standard logo. When I clicked it, I saw what all the fuss was about.

While Google has done doodles since the late 90’s, this marks the 3rd interactive one. The first was the fully functional Pacman game to commemorate the game’s birthday. The big question this time is, what’s up with the balls? Google’s doodles are usually used to celebrate some event, but there is no hint as to what is being recognized this time. No link to related search terms. No official word from a Google representative.

The primary theory going around is that this is simply to demonstrate the power of HTML5. This is the technology that we have previously discussed in relation to Flash. Besides playing video, it allows for some very advanced things to be done in the browser. HTML5 also made a splash in the mobile arena when YouTube updated it’s interface on Android and iPhone, providing a more advanced interface in the browser and not relying on a native mobile app. This is further supported by the fact that the doodle behaves differently in Google’s Chrome browser than in others.

Of course, this is just speculation. One Google spokesperson did say that “Today’s doodle is fast, fun and interactive, just the way we think search should be. So, watch this space.” Google is scheduled to hold a press conference in San Francisco tomorrow.

via Gizmodo, Webuser

The New Digg Is Alive and Kicking

The majority of the Digg community has been actively revolting against the new Digg now that it has opened up. While there have been reports of instability, it seems the primary concern is with certain missing features. What’s interesting about that is that these are the very same features used to game the Digg site in the past. Digg v4 is trying to keep it moving, growing out of the niche site it used to be and becoming something more useful to the average person. It’s more social and focuses more on your network of friends rather than being controlled by a tight group of elite users.

Apparently, those users don’t appreciate the changes. About 3 days ago, the Digg front page was flooded with links from competitor Reddit. Users chose to digg all links auto-submitted from Reddit. Digg is in a tough place. If they don’t change, they’re doomed, but any changes they do make will be met with harsh actions and criticism. via Mashable

Android Going Hard Into the Tablet Market

The Samsung Galaxy Tab dazzled and impressed when it finally became official. It’s 7″ of Android Froyo goodness that will definitely give the iPad a run for it’s money. It is also capable of many things the iPad may never do, including Flash support and multiple video formats. If that wasn’t enough, Archos just launched a complete line of 5 Android tablets of various sizes and features. All will ship with Android 2.2 and you can get one for as little as $99. I’m pretty sure this is only the beginning.

The 2010 Black Weblog Award Winners

The results are in for this year’s Black Weblog Awards. 27,000 people made their voices heard and, in some cases, the judges and the popular vote disagreed. For the first time in BWA history, there was a tie in one of the categories. Also, Black Web 2.0 won the “Science or Technology” category.

The staff of Black Web 2.0 would like to extend our congratulations to all the nominees and winners of this years award. We would also like to send a special thank you to everyone who voted for us in the “Best Science of Technology Blog” category. All our accomplishments would be nothing without you our readers. We are honored and humbled by our win and remain committed to bringing you the best of blacks in technology.

The 200 Most Powerful Black People on Twitter

Controversy erupted as we first listed the 100 Most Powerful Black Women on Twitter, followed by the 100 Most Powerful Black Men on Twitter. This was a quantitative analysis based on scores from Klout and Twitter Grader. Many were disturbed or angered by the fact that athletes and entertainers dominated, especially in the mens’ category. The lists were meant to spark discussion, not as a guide for who to follow on Twitter. As the discussion brewed, some very interesting points came up. One comment that stood out was by Elon James White:

“How do we as Black people change the national conversation on race and perception when we AS BLACK PEOPLE aren’t even aware of the different voices that are out there.”

He went on to say how important it is to “be open to change and share our information readily.” We can mostly agree that the media will not highlight many of those black leaders who deserve it, so it is up to us to promote them, share their content, and try and change things.

The launch of the Ping social network at Apple’s recent media event isn’t really something most of us expected. It’s an interesting service which uses your social network to help you discover new music within iTunes. Of course, in order for it to be of any use, you need to have a social graph for it to pull data from. Most sites would simply connect to your Twitter and Facebook to give you a base to work from, but this isn’t possible for Ping because Facebook decided to block Apple’s API access.

Why the Block?

Most of your up-and-coming applications that connect to Facebook do so without any formal agreements. This is because they are usually small and won’t cause much of a dent in Facebook’s resources. For companies like Twitter and Apple, Facebook requires some type of agreement in place just to cover their bases. That many users trying to sync up their entire social graph from Facebook could be a problem.

In Apple’s case, they had all the functionality in place and the Facebook feature worked for a day or so, but was promptly blocked by Facebook at the API level. This is because the two companies never reached any agreement. Apple hasn’t commented on the matter, but Facebook did give a canned response:

“We’re working with Apple to resolve this issue. We’ve worked together successfully in the past, and we look forward to doing so in the future”

Can They Squash It?

Why does this canned response sound familiar? Hrm… Oh! Because this is the same message we got from Facebook after a similar situation with Twitter: “We are working with Twitter to resolve the issue.” Facebook and Twitter were never able to get it together, so it’s not really looking good for an agreement between Facebook and Apple. This is especially true given that Jobs himself says Facebook wanted “onerous terms that we could not agree to.”

While a simple partnership would benefit both companies, it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. Both companies are well-known for being stubborn. However, if Ping can’t get the social ball rolling on its own, it may need a boost from Facebook to fill in the blanks.

via AllThingsD, TechCrunch, NYTimes

Snoop Dogg is hooking up with Symantec to promote a contest against cybercrime. Contest participants simply have to display their rap skills in an anti-cybercrime video.

The “Hack is Wack” contest challenges the public to upload their best two-minute rap video on the subject of cybercrime to a website by Sept. 30. The entries will be judged on creativity, originality and their message — the winner will receive round-trip airfare for two to Los Angeles, two nights of accommodations, two tickets to a Snoop Dogg concert and a new laptop with Norton security software.

I guess Snoop Dogg really is into everything. In a video interview he says, “We’re trying to get people to raise awareness by making a rap song about cybercrime because a lot of people don’t even realize that this is happening.” Snoop is confident that using his name will help raise awareness about cybercrime.

Not only will the winner of the contest probably get covered on tech blogs across the web, but they also get a chance to step their music game up. They will get a chance to meet with Snoop’s management team and learn how to take their music career to the next level. Snoop also hinted that he might jump on a track with the winner if the song is hot enough, saying “If the song is good enough, I might throw a verse or a hook or something like that.”

This definitely looks like a good deal for some aspiring artist who can also articulate the dangers of cybercrime in a hot 16. I would suspect that Snoop may take a more involved role depending on how good the winner of the contest is. We all know how much he likes doing online video.

As far as Symantec goes, even though they’re the makers of the popular Norton Security software, this will definitely raise awareness for their brand. Teaming with Snoop exposes Symantec to a new audience that might have known of the company, but really didn’t understand their purpose. In the meantime, cybercriminals beware because Snoop is on the case. When asked about starting a security team, he said “Come on man, you know when my team come after you, we gonna get you.”

via Snoop Dogg, Symantec team up on cybercrime

The Samsung Galaxy Tab became official today after Samsung announced it at a press conference at the IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin. They are calling it a “smart media device.”

“Samsung recognises the tremendous growth potential in this newly created market and we believe that the Samsung GALAXY Tab brings a unique and open proposition to market. There is a new and emerging consumer demand that Samsung can satisfy since mobile is in our DNA. This demand continues to grow and develop as users tap its limitless potential. The Samsung GALAXY Tab has been designed to enable consumers to maximise their online experience wherever that may be. The Samsung GALAXY Tab is pushing the market in new directions and Samsung believes this is only the beginning of its innovations as pioneers in smart media devices.” — Simon Stanford, Head of Mobile, Samsung UK and Ireland

The Tab looks a bit like the HTC Evo, except that it’s 7-inces and will definitely not fit in your pocket. It’s running Android 2.2 (Froyo), is powered by a Cortex A8 1 GHz processor, has 512 MB of RAM and 16 or 32 GB of internal microSD memory. Samsung claims that the 7″ screen is the “perfect” size for enjoying all types of media content via a PC-like browsing experience.

Getting to the point, the Tab is definitely a worthy competitor to the iPad. It has dual cameras and supports 3G and WiFi, so videochat is a possibility. Flash is fully supported and it can handle a bunch of video formats, including DivX, XviD, MPEG4, H.263, and H.264.

In addition, Samsung has unveiled both an e-reading application and a media hub. These make it easy to get new content on your device and seem to be Samsung’s answer to iTunes.

The ‘Readers Hub,’ Samsung’s unique e-reading application, provides easy access to a vast digital library – from classical literature to the latest bestsellers and reference materials. At the same time, Samsung unveils ‘Media Hub,’ a gateway to a world of films and videos, and ‘Music Hub,’ an application giving access to a wide range of music tunes.

It may not be a real iTunes competitor, but with the other features packed into the Samsung Galaxy Tab, it should be enough to make the device more than useful.

via Engadget, Mashable, Gizmodo

It looks like Apple still has a few tricks up their sleeves. While completely redesigning their entire iPod lineup and finally molding Apple TV into something resembling a useful consumer product, they also managed to make some important tweaks to iTunes. There are a few small design changes, but the most important feature addition is a social networking component called Ping.

Ping allows iTunes users and artists to follow each other and to be followed. The concept is much like the type of network you would find on Twitter. Thinking ahead to avoid any major privacy problems, you have to opt-in or “raise your hand” (as Jobs put it) to be followed. Jobs is hoping that most artists do choose to be public and followed.

Just as you might find on Facebook and Twitter, Ping revolves around an activity feed. You can post videos, photos, comments, opinions, and songs. You can comment on anything that has been posted. Of course, songs can be purchased with a single click.

When viewing an artist’s page, you will be able to see their upcoming performances. On your own page, you’ll get a look at concerts near you. Ping is attached to your iTunes just like Buzz is stuck inside your Gmail. The difference here is that you can get at your Ping network from your mobile device. In your iTunes app, check your recent activity to see what your friends and favorite artists are up to. You also gain access to custom song and album charts created from you and your friends’ activity.

iTunes has served up 11.7 billion songs, 450 million TV episodes, 100 million movies, 35 million books, and has 160 million accounts. That’s a lot of people you can follow, and a lot of music that can be passed around. Especially since Ping will be available on the iPhone as well. — Gizmodo

This is definitely not the cloud-based music streaming service that many were pining for, but it is definitely an interesting step for Apple. I think iTunes may have put a huge dent into the profits of many smaller startups that focus on sharing what you’re playing.

iTunes 10 is available now for Apple customers and is coming soon for Windows.

Apple TV never quite found its footing, but this latest update may take it to the next level. One important design choice is to eliminate storage. Apple TV is streaming only, eliminating the need for users to worry about how much space they have left. This also means Apple doesn’t have to worry about storage management.

It has a built-in power supply, HDMI, ethernet, and 802.11n wireless. No local storage means no purchases, only rentals. It also means that the device is tiny and silent. Everything is streamed in HD quality when available. You can also stream directly from your computer, which is probably where you store all your purchased items anyway.

New releases will be available for $4.99 in HD on the same day they’re available on DVD. You can stream ABC and Fox offerings for $0.99 each. They’ve also integrated reviews from Rotten Tomatoes so that you can avoid ruining family night with a bad movie choice.

Apple TV now comes with full Netflix integration, which makes it a win-win for consumers. This also highlights the strength of the Netflix service for instant streaming. As it stands, you either need a gaming console or a computer to watch Netflix movies and shows instantly. With Apple TV, you simply hook the tiny box up to your TV and gain access to the Netflix instant library. It requires minimum setup and configuration, and the device is targeted for one specific task. With a price tag of $99, this makes Apple TV almost a must-have device.

As Gizmodo puts it, “they are getting the message: It’s not all about their iTunes store. That’s good.” It most certainly is. If Apple TV can eliminate the need for many of the home theater hacks and custom configurations we see in many home theater setups, it could earn a full-time position in many homes. Not only that, it can transcend from a hobby or niche device to something that lowers the bar for the average user.

No more tinkering with software and custom hardware. Just plug in the box and go. For $99, I’m sure many would give it a try. Not sure how the cable companies are going to feel about it, though.

Apple has sold 275 million iPods. Even though iPod sales have always done well, Jobs says they’ve never sat back on their laurels. Every year they keep pushing for a better product. To that end, they have completely redesigned each iPod model.

At the heart of many of these changes is iOS. Not only has it brought some amazing features to the iPhone 4, but it has also been used to enhance the iPod lineup. iOS 4.1 brings many bugfixes to the iPhone 4, fixing the proximity sensor, bluetooth, and iPhone 3G. Other features include:

• HDR Photos – Switching on HDR causes your phone to take three separate photos: One regular exposure, one under exposed shot, and one over exposed shot. They keep both the normal photo and the HDR photo, which is combined from all 3 exposures. This results in being able to pick out detail you would otherwise miss out on.
• Game Center – the ultimate in multi-player gaming from the palm of your hand, including a new title codename “Project Sword” developed by Epic and running the Unreal engine (think “Gears of War”).
• TV Show rentals and purchases.
• Upload full HD to YouTube directly from your phone.

It will be available as a free download next week.

iPod Shuffle

The iPod Shuffle initially had buttons, but did away with them in favor of the Voice Over feature. This let you control and interact with your iPod Shuffle by talking. Even though many loved the feature, others still missed their buttons. The newest incarnation of the iPod Shuffle brings the best of both worlds, bringing back the buttons and keeping the Voice Over feature. This is the smallest iPod ever. They’ve also integrated Genius mixes as well as your standard playlists. You can get the Shuffle in 5 different colors for $49. It holds 15 hours of music.

iPod Nano

There are two major changes in the iPod Nano. It is 46% smaller than before and you can clip it to your clothes like an iPod Shuffle as it’s about the same size. To compensate for the lack of buttons, you can now control the Nano via a touch screen. It also includes the Voice Over technology from the Shuffle, Multi-tasking, ping+twist to change screen orientation, FM Radio, and holds 24hrs of music. You can get an 8GB for $149 or a 16GB for $179.

iPod Touch

The iPod Touch has become the #1 portable gaming device. Jobs says, “The iPod touch outsells Nintendo and Sony’s portable game players combined. It’s been amazing.” How can they make it better? By giving it all the features of the iPhone 4 without the actual phone. The new device is thinner than before and includes a Retina display. It has a 3-axis gyroscope to improve gaming and is integrated with Game Center to make multi-player gaming easier. It comes with iOS 4.1 and has dual cameras so you can now FaceTime from your iPod Touch. The rear camera records in HD and you can edit video right on the device. It holds 40hrs of music and comes in at $229 for an 8GB, $299 for a 32GB and $399 for a 64GB.

If you’re into the location check-in thing, you’re probably well aware that Foursquare is the poster child. While they stay at the forefront of location-based services, Gowalla can’t be counted out yet and is preferred by many users. While the check-in itself is the primary focus of these sites, that’s not where the value lies. Gowalla’s new Highlights feature takes us beyond the check-in:

The best way to think about the feature may be to think back to the “25 Things About Me” meme that spread throughout Facebook last year. The meme asked you to answer a set of 25 questions and send the answers to your friends. Gowalla Highlights is similar in that they want you to tag about 20 real world places based on a set of criteria. For example, you’re asked to name you favorite “Date Night” spot, the place you think has the “Best Tacos,” your “Alma Mater,” and your favorite “Watering Hole,” among other things. Each of these answers reveals a bit about who you actually are, and where you spend your time. — MG Siegler

Rather than simply racking up check-ins or points and becoming the virtual mayor of some location, this approach by Gowalla makes check-in data useful to all users. For instance, if you visit a place that is special to someone you know, you’ll be alerted of that. If you want to find out where to kick off family night, you can see what the community recommends.

The very features that made Gowalla awkward for some users in the beginning may be the ones that keep them in the location race. Initially, virtual goods were a big part of the service. You could “pick up” and collect these virtual goods as you traveled to different locations. That feature is still available, but has been played down a bit in favor of offering real world interaction.

Highlights will become part of the API just like other Gowalla features and this is where it will shine. Not only is location data useful in features like Highlights and Trips, but it will be interesting to see what developers create using this data.

Gmail has always done a pretty good job of making sure you never see spam. This helps cut down on the amount of email clutter we have to deal with, but this isn’t the whole picture. While Gmail offers an extensive filtering system to help you achieve the coveted “Inbox Zero,” you still have to know what you’re doing. It can also be a tedious process.

Priority Inbox aims to help you with that. Rather than manually going through your emails and trying to categorize what should go where and what is important, Priority Inbox does it for you based on your habits.

Gmail has always been pretty good at filtering junk mail into the “spam” folder. But today, in addition to spam, people get a lot of mail that isn’t outright junk but isn’t very important—bologna, or “bacn.” So we’ve evolved Gmail’s filter to address this problem and extended it to not only classify outright spam, but also to help users separate this “bologna” from the important stuff. In a way, Priority Inbox is like your personal assistant, helping you focus on the messages that matter without requiring you to set up complex rules.

The way it works is simple. Your inbox will now be broken down into three separate sections:

• Important and Unread – these are messages that are important to you and you have not read them yet. If you see anything in this section that is actually not important, you can click a button to remove it. Gmail learns from the changes you make.
• Starred – these are messages you manually starred. They may or may not be important, but you have decided you want to keep them visible.
• Everything Else – just as the name states, this is all the other “stuff” that is hitting your Inbox. As you move through this section, you can click a button to star or mark something as important. Again, Gmail learns from the changes you make.

As messages come in, Gmail automatically flags some of them as important. Gmail uses a variety of signals to predict which messages are important, including the people you email most (if you email Bob a lot, a message from Bob is probably important) and which messages you open and reply to (these are likely more important than the ones you skip over). As you use Gmail, it will become better at categorizing messages for you. Users can help it learn by clicking the or buttons at the top of the inbox to correctly mark a conversation as important or not important. (You can even set up filters to always mark certain things important or unimportant, or rearrange and customize the three inbox sections.)

Priority Inbox will be rolling out over the next week to everyone, including Google Apps users. When it’s activated for your account, you will see a red link saying “New! Priority Inbox” in the top right of your Gmail. You can also check to see if you have a new “Priority Inbox” tab in your settings.

via Email overload? Try Priority Inbox – Official Gmail Blog

As Apple’s event approaches, rumors about what they will be announcing center around 2 updated devices: an iPod Touch and an iPod Nano. The new iPod Nano will keep its dock connector, but will be drastically different size and shape. Rumors say the iPod Touch may feature 3G connectivity.

People familiar with the matter indicated that the size and shape of the device, revealed this week through photos of third-party cases, will be more akin to the iPod shuffle than the current-generation iPod nano. Even with this small size, however, it is expected to have a traditional iPod dock connector, allowing compatibility with the existing iPod accessory ecosystem. — AppleInsider

Despite it’s shrinking form-factor, the new iPod Nano may have a slightly bigger screen, going from about 3cm by 2.5cm to 3cm by 3cm. Apparently, the speculation hinges mostly on case designs from overseas manufacturers. In the Nano’s case, it seems there will also be buttons on the side. Those buttons on the side may not be enough to actually navigate the device, so there is also speculation that it may have a touch screen. An opening in the back of the case indicates either a clip or possibly more controls.

What may be more interesting is speculation the a next-generation iPod Touch would include 3G and/or WiFi as the iPad does. Apple has had much success with the iPad device and they may be looking to milk it for all it’s worth.

People familiar with Apple’s plans have also heard over the last few months that the company has strongly considered mimicking its iPad offerings by adding a 3G option to some of its iPod touch portable media players, though it is unclear whether the Cupertino-based company has decided to proceed with those plans as part of next week’s announcement.

In addition to wireless connectivity, it’s rumored that the new iPod Touch may come with dual cameras for FaceTime action. It may also have Apple’s Retina display that we’ve seen on the iPhone 4. This would be an interesting move as Apple could eventually take business away from the very carries providing the data connection. Why buy a complete mobile plan when all you need is a data plan to make and receive calls using FaceTime?

via Business Insider

Intel is buying Infineon’s Wireless Solutions Business (WLS) in a cash transaction valued at about $1.4 billion. The deal should close in the first quarter of 2011. This latest acquisition by Intel will help them expand their current WiFi and 4G WiMAX offerings to include Infineon’s 3G abilities and support Intel’s plans to accelerate LTE.

This comes just after Intel acquired McAfee for $7.68 billion. Similar to the earlier deal, Infineon will continue to run as a standalone business. Intel says they are commited to existing WLS customers and support for ARM-based platforms.

“The global demand for wireless solutions continues to grow at an extraordinary rate. The acquisition of Infineon’s WLS business strengthens the second pillar of our computing strategy — Internet connectivity — and enables us to offer a portfolio of products that covers the full range of wireless options from Wi-Fi and 3G to WiMAX and LTE. As more devices compute and connect to the Internet, we are committed to positioning Intel to take advantage of the growth potential in every computing segment, from laptops to handhelds and beyond.” — Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO

According to a recent report from The Linley Group, Infineon ranked fourth in cellular-baseband shipments last year with a 10.7 percent unit share. According to CNET, ” Teardown sites show that Infineon silicon plays an important role in the iPad and iPhone 4. UMB TechInsights shows two chips: an Infineon GSM/W-CDMA transceiver and a baseband processor.”

And this is a long-range plan. Intel is slated to bring out a smartphone-centric chip called Medfield by early next year that squeezes what is now two pieces of silicon into one chip, using Intel’s most advanced 32-nanometer manufacturing technology. This will be the first step. After Intel gets the Medfield application processor into smartphones, then it will progress to further integration beyond Medfield.

Infineon’s acquisition represents the second pillar of Intel’s strategy, which falls along the lines of Internet connectivity. If you recall, McAfee represented the third pillar: security. Intel is aggressively trying to get into the phone CPU market and this latest deal could put them in a position to compete against the likes of Qualcomm and ARM.

via Intel to Acquire Infineon’s Wireless Solutions Business, CNET