If there has been an omnipresent word in the CES 2014 it has been “4K”. All the brands have rushed to release their new TVs and monitors compatible with this resolution but, what about the contents? Well, beyond the Sony multimedia player which comes with several titles, the truth is that 4K videos are just starting to be available on the Internet, in public sites as well as in paid streaming platforms. It looks like in the short and medium term Internet will be the only site which will house the 4K for the masses or at least, that is what the product manager of Netflix, Neil Hunt, thinks, when he affirms that the cost of creating a new physical format for these contents is too high for the little current public and that the streaming is the only feasible solution for the time being. At least, it is expected that in the next two years (2014 and 2015) most of 4K content will be displayed on the Internet, in sites such as YouTube, which recently announced its first tests with codec VP9, and Netflix, which have shown in CES the first demos and series in this resolution.

And the fact is that Netflix, (that is still not here in Spain and it is not expected), seems to be in the short term one of the biggest supporters of this new resolution, even if it is still not clear which codec will it use or which minimum connection the users will need. For example, in the demos of this CES it used the codec H.265, which is supposed to be the new standard in the Network (with permission of VP9), with a medium binary rate between 15 and 16 Mbps. In the practice, this requires ADSL connections up to 20 or 30 Mbps, or even better, cable or fiber of 50 Mbps. This is why the company plans to release this 4K service in countries with connections really prepared for these access speeds. But additionally, we can't forget that even if the new computers can decode without much complications the new codecs, we have a whole range of devices which will not be able to do so: smart TV, video game consoles, set top boxes, multimedia players, tablets, smart phones, etc. All of them will need, in the best case scenario, some kind of update, and in the worst, a total replacement. Has the time for 4K arrived? It might be too soon and we might have to wait several years for it to be “profitable” to have one of these gadgets at home.

We have known for months that Microsoft is working on Windows 9, the next iteration of its desktop operating system. Now WinSuperSite is telling us that that version with code name “Threshold” would hit the market on April 2015. This version would be released following the update for Windows 8.1 in 2014, first with some kind of Service Pack called Update 1 (or GDR1). According to sources close to the company cited by WinSuperSite, we will have much more information on Windows 9 in the event BUILD 2014 which will be held during next April. It seems that there will not be a preliminary version of Windows 9 “Threshold” for developers in that event, as apparently it will not even be developed enough to be released to this community. Among the changes expected, there will be the development of the user interface, Metro 2.0 (although in fact, they can't use that name due to registered trademarks issues), and that interface could integrate windows besides that capacity of connecting two applications in the same desktop. Microsoft is expected to offer three preliminary versions before the final edition and it is unknown if any of them will be publicly offered to the users, something that for example, happened with Windows 8 and that should logically be repeated for Windows 9. In any case, it is unlikely that those public versions are released before, at least, Fall 2014, as, according to those sources, Windows 9 will appear in April 2015.

Few weeks after the purchase attempt of Snapchat, Facebook announces the purchase of Branch and Potluck for some rumored 5 million dollars and opens the "Facebook's Conversations Group" which will be an office in New York, separate from the Silicon Valley headquarters which will work with the objective of connecting people around their interests. For those who don't remember, Branch is a startup founded last year which attempted to extend conversations generated in social networks (particularly Twitter which has characters limit) and group them by interests, common topics or particular events. One of the main reasons why Branch drew attention in that moment was because it received an investment from Obvious (the company refounded by Ev Williams after dropping his position as CEO of Twitter) and the special support of Biz Stone. Although in that moment it got certain level of attention, Branch lost it in time due to the high level of friction existing around the service. It is true that sometimes we need more characters to write and a common space to read a whole discussion without getting lost in the infinite timeline of Twitter, but going from one service to the other is complicated, finding discussions was particularly difficult and attracting other people to the service was not entirely convincing. On the other hand Potluck, also a product of Obvious, expected to create discussions around some news or event with your friends, everything from an iPhone application. A pretty interesting idea, which in current conditions does not seem to be very useful but which will have a lot of value in the near future as centralizing private conversations with friends become more difficult between the growing timeline of Twitter and the Facebook Newsfeed. Considering that the relationship between Ev Williams and Mark Zuckerberg has never been too good, with a good dose of bitter meetings and discussions mainly ideological regarding freedom of speech, described in detail in Hatching Twitter, it is pretty curious that Facebook is finally the one making these acquisitions. It seems that one of the background games on Facebook is not only being a social center with a strong dose of ego, (after all, personal profiles are one of its main elements), but becoming a really important conversation point for people with high doses of quality, grouping between friends and acquaintances. Snapchat was an important part of the strategy, that's the reason for the interest, especially considering that many young people seem to like the feature of reading and burning.

 

 

Google has announced the purchase of Nest Labs, a small company which was created to be dedicated to the creation of devices to automate and create a smart home. So far, Nest Labs has developed programmable thermostats and smoke detectors which connect through WiFi. A couple of years ago Google presented a new proposal during one of its conferences for developers, I/O, where they were beginning to bet on housework automation, aiming to create the real smart home, and together with its successful and recognized mobile platform. The proposal was named Android @ Home and even though it's officially "alive," it was never materialized since developers do not seem to be encouraged to create applications for the platform and thus give it use, and Android @ Home is almost forgotten nowadays. But this does not mean that Google has forgotten its bet for the Internet of the things, and, today, they prove that with the acquisition of the small (but big) company Nest Labs, dedicated since its beginning to the innovation regarding automation of housework. Google has paid 3,200 million dollars for this company, famous for the creation of thermostats and smoke detectors which can be programmed and connected through WiFi with our mobile devices. Nest Labs was founded by the recognized ex-engineers of Apple, Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, who are now incorporated to Google to continue managing the brand "Nest" under the direction of the search-engine giant. Besides, Fadell assures in an interview with Techcrunch that they will continue giving support in their devices for Android as well as for iOS. Let’s not forget that when Tony Fadell worked at Apple, he was one of the engineers responsible of the design of the first iPod, (and his good taste regarding industrial design can be immediately seen when you take a look at one of the Nest devices), so he also takes to Google all his experience in this sense. This purchase has been oddly big for Google. In fact, the purchase of Nest Labs is the second biggest for Google regarding cost, only exceeded by the 12 billion dollars they paid for Motorola Mobility. And as a curious fact, the 3.2 billion paid for Nest was in "cash", showing its financial power. So, even though the final approval by the respective bodies is missing, it is clear that Google has big plans for Nest, more than at a purely commercial level, at a future and new possibilities level. So far Google has no relevance on the Internet market of the things or the home automation, but with this purchase they get themselves into this new field decided to have an important presence in it. Doesn't Google always boast about being synonymous of innovation?

The Nokia Normandy has been leaked again, but in this occasion we have a potential image from the official catalog that would reach all the media. Now we can have a feeling that it would be released with a version of Android KitKat completely tailored and free from Google services, similar to Amazon's move with its Kindle Fire. Everything seems to indicate that the arrival of a Nokia device with Android is closer and even that it could be official at any time. We have gone from leaks on prototypes to real models and today this could be one of the pictures that would be delivered in the press kit for the media. Thanks to the Twitter user @evleaksES we have seen the first official image of Nokia Normandy, a model that could be called Nokia Asha according to the last rumors, and that could be released before the end of the first quarter of the year. What is new with the Nokia Normandy is the use of the Android operating system, but judging by the image leaked, the esthetic would be very similar to the one used by Windows Phone and its Metro interface. The Android version it would use would be KitKat with no Google service and really tailored, as the appearance is completely different from other Android terminals. The work in this section is undoubtedly exemplary. The Nokia Normandy can hit the market with the possibility of having double SIM, and Nokia may have adapted applications such as MixRadio so, despite not being a Windows Phone, (with this movement everything indicates that this application can get to iOS and Android), it can enjoy the same services as these. This Nokia with Android would classify as low range with a strong bet on the color. The Nokia Normandy would arrive with up to eleven colors to crown a very interesting catalog. The low range is really popular and without telling this to the Nokia Lumia 520 itself or to the Motorola G that are getting that many high range users can consider a renewal of low range. The reasons? Very simple, at last there is a decent low range and it is not necessary to pay 700 euros to use certain applications in a fluid way, the low range can answer to the needs of a great part of the users.

 

 

Motorola is back in Europe, and with a bang. The Moto G has been a bestseller this Christmas and it does not seem to want to remain there. In the event of January 14, as we have already mentioned, in London it was announced that Motorola was going to welcome a new member of the family and it happened just like that. Few brands can be proud of gathering in one same device good specifications and an aggressive price; the other manufacturers can excuse themselves by saying that the shadow of Google's hand is too present, but the news we have seen today are the product and work only of a Motorola that finally begins to bring its novelties to Europe, Spain included. The first Motorola terminal after the acquisition of Google and which marked a before and after for them. We need to remember that Moto X has been available in the Unites States for a long time now, that is why Motorola has decided to give it an opportunity in Europe. The Moto X has a clear Google influence in its design, and its appearance reminds much more of Nexus than the previous Motorola phones that were available in Europe, with the exception of the recent Moto G. The technical specifications of Moto X are the following:

• Chipset Motorola X8 (all the information here)
• Dual Core Processor Qualcomm MSM8960Pro Snapdragon + Chip X8
• GPU Adreno 320
• 2GB of RAM memory
• 16GB and 32GB models
• 4.7″ AMOLED screen with 720p resolution
• Camera of 10MP and front of 2.1MP
• WiFi Connection 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
• Android 4.2.2 (stock version, very little modified)
• 16GB internal memory
• Chip NFC
• 2,200 mAh non removable battery
• Measures: 128.5 x 65 x 10.4 mm
• 130 grams

It will be available in Europe by February 2014. Motorola will distribute the Moto X in most of the European countries, including Spain. Great news for those who have waited for so long. At the very beginning it was only announced for France, Germany and United Kingdom, but the news have been improving and the presence in other countries is already confirmed. The Moto X will have a retail price of 399€. It would have been interesting for the price to be reduced a little, but it seems that those excellent quality-price relations in the high range are reserved for Google and the Nexus. Motorola did not copy the distribution strategy of Moto G for the Moto X in this new European adventure. One of the bounties that Motorola released with its Moto range was the incorporation of a series of tools to personalize our smart phone. The casing of Moto X can now be customized not merely by choosing between a few colors: Motomaker allows users to create their favorite casing, the color, of course, but also some special finish such as wood, although this has an extra cost. Now Motorola takes advantage of the launching of Moto X to bring to Europe the web version of Motomaker, but we still have to wait because it will not be available right away, it is expected to arrive later, although no date has been confirmed yet.

And we continue with Google and Motorola as both release the Moto G Google Play Edition, with stock version of the Android operating system and available directly in the virtual Google store, although in limited territories. Since last year in the Google I/O event, when Google presented new versions of the devices Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One, whose main characteristic is to have "Google brand", or in other words, to have the purest version of Android operating system, (called stock), the trend does not stop and has been really well received by the public. Today, a new smart phone joins to the range of "Google Play Edition", and it could not be other than the popular Moto G. The Moto G is a mobile which came to the market with an amazing strong bet. It is a smart phone featuring more than decent hardware, in the "medium-high" range, and the most competitive price to try to break the market. As they announce it in the in-depth analysis of Celularis, Moto G is the perfect mobile for the average user, that besides being the responsibility of Motorola, it is also Google's, (current owner of "Moto"), so it promises to always keep updated its operating system. But with the new version of Moto G Google Play Edition the users now have one more alternative which has two characteristics to set it appart: it does not have any customization layer from Android, and it is available directly from Google Play Store; this last thing comes with a great limitation: for the time being, it will only be available on the web for the United States. There are several models of different brands, and even a tablet, (the LG G Pad 8.3), which are available in "Google Play" version, through the web and joining the Nexus in the own catalog of Google. The big difference is that Moto G aims at the low range market, with a medium-high range hardware, a strategy that has proven to work very well for Motorola. If you live in the United States, you can buy the new Moto G version directly on Google Play Store. It is available at a price of 179 dollars in its version with 8GB of storage, and 199 dollars in its version with 16GB.

At the beginning of 2013 rumors appeared that Hewlett-Packard was working hard on several devices with which it expected to make another incursion in the mobile telephony market. Months went by and there was not much talk about the topic, until December, when further information appeared on the same line as the first rumors and it has now been confirmed. It was the executive officer of the company, Ron Coughlin who, in an interview in the publication Re/code, explained that they have decided to go back to the market of smart phones and tablets launching two new devices with voice capabilities which will debut in the Indian market. Specifically, it is about HP Slate 6 VoiceTab and the Slate 7 VoiceTab; that is how they decided to finally call them and both enter in the segment of the so called phablets, those devices which are on the borderline between the smart phones, due to their capabilities, and the tablets, for the screen size. Regarding the technical characteristics, both run Android 4.2 -best known by the name of Jelly Bean-, they assemble a quadruple core processor yet to be revealed and they have 16 GB of internal storage extendable up to 32 GB through MicroSD cards. On the other hand, both also share the cameras, they have a five megapixels back camera with flash and another two megapixels front one, besides the stereo speakers located on the front and on the screen; in both cases it is about one of IPS type, with the only difference that the Slate 6 is of 1.280×720 pixels and the Stale 7 of 1.280×800 pixels. Last, Coughlin revealed that the thickness of Stale 6 is of less than nine millimeters, while the Stale 7 is up to 9.5 millimeters, no further comments were offered regarding the rest of the specifications such as amperage of the battery, the RAM memory or which type of networks they support. Besides the technical specifications we have seen, HP executive officer said that they will launch the phablets in India next February. And why have they chosen India and not some other market? Well, Coughlin gives several reasons among which two stand out: one, because in the markets of Europe of North America there is too much competition already, so returning to the market of mobile telephony in those geographies would have been much more complicated. And two, because they are really well known in the region already -HP is the PC leader brand of the country- and they detected that there is a growing demand of phablets. According to his very words:

“In India, we see a need we can fulfill. Users are looking for ways to consolidate their devices. We believe there is an opportunity to enter into a growing market where there are still needs to be met”

That is, that the HP strategy to go back to the mobile phone world consists of attacking emerging markets where there is enough margin to compete, and in which they are already strong, betting on mobile devices which they know the citizens demand. Does that mean that we will not see HP smartphones and tablets in other markets? For the time being, no, as they are now completely focused in the successful launching in India. However, in the near future HP might consider new moves, as Coughlin implies in several manifestations on the Re/code article.

Jono Bacon, Community Manager of Canonical, has commented on the implementation of the project that wants to take Ubuntu to smartphones. According to his words, Ubuntu will take even more time to get to the devices of the main manufacturers: we will not see anything in this area until 2015. That does not mean that we will not see terminals with Ubuntu (or Ubuntu Touch, as that version is also known) in 2014, and in fact, Mark Shuttleworth indicated last December that they had achieved an agreement with a manufacturer who will launch the first smartphones in 2014. This comments from Bacon makes us think that the manufacturer with which Canonical has already signed an agreement will have a limited scope regarding distribution and logistics, and it will be interesting to see which markets this first terminal based on Ubuntu attacks. We will probably have more details about this in the Mobile World Congress 2014 which is held in Barcelona from next February 24 to 27. Canonical has confirmed its presence in this event, and maybe then we will have the opportunity to see that first device with our own eyes.

 

 

We can expect anything from the guys from Google, especially regarding devices to wear, a good evidence of this is the project in which Google X department is working on: some lenses to measure the level of glucose in blood. The lenses would use the tears of the person wearing them to calculate the level of glucose in blood, without the need of invasive methods such as needles or analysis. Thanks to the possibilities of miniaturization, and the layers design, chips are integrated in them with wireless connectivity and a glucose sensor. Another story will be looking for the power source of the set. The next step seems logical, monitor the levels of glucose of diabetics from the cell phone or any mobile device which can communicate with the lenses. Besides the notifications, they also work on a LED implementation on the same lens, which gives an alert to the user when the level is on dangerous limits for their health.

Imagine some normal contact lenses, formed by two layers, between both, the necessary components would be included

It is currently in a very early development stage and in the hands of Google X, the same magicians who created Project Glass, with the intention of releasing to the market futuristic ideas using all the technology available. In order to be familiar with the names, the people responsible of the project are Brian Otil and Babak Parviz (he was already working on the subject with Microsoft in 2011). Days ago, we learned that Google had submitted some device before the American FDA, the agency which will determine if the device has clinical validity. Now we know what it was about and they are currently running the first tests to determine the viability of the lenses. It is time to start looking for more experienced partners in this industry, and thus it needed to be showcased. Being open to others participating in the research project and helping to achieve the creation of a real product is part of Google's philosophy. If there is time for Google Glass to become true, I imagine that the route map of the lenses will be long, so we value the opening of Google with the information and the search for driving partners. Undoubtedly, it is one of the best initiatives Google has presented lately, given how uncomfortable the current control methods are, and because it affects 1 of every 19 inhabitants of the planet. On the other hand, we also find an interest in Google for developing the technology in contact lenses, beyond medical purposes. But it is better to take advantage of the best part of the news, instead of thinking that they will offer us Google + from the retina. It is time to highlight that Microsoft Research and researchers from the University of Washington are also working on a similar project since 2011. They presented them as some contact lenses in which information was shown in the form of augmented reality, but with which health parameters of the person wearing them, such as glucose levels could also be monitored. According to the information in The Next Web, Parviz worked with Microsoft in this same technology; we do not know what happened next, but based on the news, Google had better reasons to maintain the risk of the research, and they kept the project.

 

 

 It seems that the rates of fiber optic connection for homes are going to war in 2014, due to the fact that after a few years in which Movistar monopolized this sector (holding over 90% of the market share in this type of connections) the deployments of other operators are going to hold up. The new Jazztel offer, which for 54.38 euros a month offers a connection with an impressive 200 symmetrical Mbps, will shortly be joined in the market by a new participant, as of April: Vodafone has set for launching what will be their first fiber optic offers. The fiber optic offer of Vodafone will be available in April for 800,000 homes and businesses in Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Malaga, Valencia, Alicante, Zaragoza, Cordoba, Valladolid, Alcorcón, Badalona and Hospitalet de Llobregat, thanks to the agreement that the operator signed last year with Orange to share their deployments of fiber optic for the households. Vodafone and Orange expect to have the first phase of their fiber deployments ready by the end of March, each one reaching 400,000 building units. Vodafone hasn't said anything yet about the rates that they will offer with the connection, although it is expected to be included with a supplement to the current Vodafone Integral plan.

We finish this week with the presentation by Fundación Telefónica of the report "The Society of the Information in Spain 2013", which can be downloaded in PDF and EPUB formats. Points to highlight in this report are that we are almost 25 million Spaniards between 16 and 74 years old that use the Internet, an amount that includes 700,000 new users, compared to those of 2012, and that means 71.6% of the population; 69.8% of the homes have Internet connection. Regarding connection technologies, fiber optic is the one experiencing the biggest growth compared to landline broadband, while in mobile telephony 2013 has marked the start of the race for the deployment of networks of 4G mobile telephony. Mobile broadband continues gaining momentum, with 8.5 million users that started to use this type of connection in 2013, which means that in a couple of years its market penetration has duplicated. In fact, there are 26 million mobiles with Internet connection in Spain, more than users that connect to the Internet in a daily basis, that are 18.6 million people; and each one of us check the mobile an average of 150 times a day. In summary, whether there is a crisis or not, 2013 has again been a year of growth for the new technologies and of consolidation in our habits and in our lives. If you want to compare, here is the summary of 2012.