Tizen-based smartphone could come in 2013, reports say

IDG News Service - Japan's biggest cellular network operator, NTT DoCoMo, is working with Intel and Samsung on development of the Tizen operating system and the first smartphone based on the platform could be out in Japan in 2013, according to a Japanese newspaper report.

The Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest circulation daily newspaper, didn't attribute the source of the information, which was published in a report on its website on Dec. 31.

Tizen is a Linux-based operating system targeted at smartphones, tablet PCs and other consumer applications. It is hosted at the Linux Foundation but counts Intel and Samsung among its major backers.

Tizen's backers have said little about commercialization of the OS, but, if successful, it could play a balancing role to Android. The Google-developed OS, which is also based on Linux, has grown to dominate the smartphone sector in just a few years and put a lot of power in the hands of Google.

A Tizen-based smartphone has been expected from Samsung ever since September, when a phone called the "GT-I9300_TIZEN" was listed in a Wi-Fi Alliance document as passing a Wi-Fi interoperability test. GT-i9300 is the model name Samsung gives to Galaxy S3 smartphones. After reports of the document surfaced, it was later modified to delete the Tizen name, but the phone is still expected.

For Samsung, developing a Tizen-based phone is only half the battle. It then has to sell it to cellular network operators, so support from a major carrier like NTT DoCoMo could help Tizen make the jump from engineering project to consumer OS.

NTT DoCoMo had 60.8 million subscribers at the end of November, according to data from Japan's Telecommunication Carriers Association. That gave it a 47 percent share of the entire market.

But even with the support of DoCoMo, Tizen's success isn't guaranteed. The history of smartphone operating systems is littered with failures and the market is getting more competitive with the recent launch of Windows Phone 8 as well as the January launch of the BlackBerry 10 operating system.

Martyn Williams covers mobile telecoms, Silicon Valley and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Martyn on Twitter at @martyn_williams. Martyn's e-mail address is martyn_williams@idg.com

Reprinted with permission from IDG.net. Story copyright 2012 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

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FCC offers security advice to smartphone users

IDG News Service - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is advising smartphone users on how to protect their mobile devices and data from mobile security threats.

The Commission released an online tool called the "Smartphone Security Checker" on Tuesday that outlines a 10-step action plan that mobile users can follow to prevent their personal data from being exposed in case their devices get infected with malware or are lost, stolen or resold.

The tool provides recommendations including: locking access to the phone with PINs or passwords; avoiding changing the phone's factory security settings or rooting/jailbreaking the phone; backing up the phone data regularly in the cloud, on a computer or on a removable memory card; installing apps only from trusted sources and after checking their user reviews; reviewing and understanding the permissions requested by applications before installing them; installing the firmware updates issued by the manufacturer; installing security apps that allow remote locking and wiping of the phone; avoiding connecting to the Internet from untrusted wireless hotspots; wiping data from the phones before reselling; donating or recycling devices; and reporting stolen devices to the authorities and the operator for inclusion in a national database of stolen smartphones.

The recommendations were drafted by the FCC in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; the Federal Trade Commission; the National Cyber Security Alliance; CTIA, a wireless industry trade association; and other public and private sector partners including antivirus vendors and cybersecurity organizations.

The tool allows smartphone owners to choose their device's OS. The available options are Android, Apple iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone. The steps are the same for all types of devices for the most part, but depending on the OS choice they might include links to OS-specific instructions for performing certain recommended actions.

The FCC checklist is one of the most comprehensive sets of rules for safeguarding smartphone devices and data published so far, said Bogdan Botezatu, a senior e-threat analyst at antivirus vendor Bitdefender.

"However, some provisions, although they make sense 'on paper,' are impossible to control by the user," he said. "For instance, most smartphones cannot be updated because vendors do not provide any security fixes past the maximum Android version supported by the respective hardware. Android versions from 2.3 to 2.3.3 are vulnerable to a number of known bugs -- some of them quite severe, such as USSD attacks -- but mobile phone vendors and carriers have stopped update delivery. In this context, the user is forced to either put up with an unsecured device that can be exploited at any time or to root their gadget and manually update its firmware."

Reprinted with permission from IDG.net. Story copyright 2012 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

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Apple still dominates Samsung, locals in Japan smartphone business

IDG News Service - Apple has continued to dominate the Japanese smartphone market in recent months, new data shows, and analysts say it is likely to stay strong through the new year.

New shipment numbers released by IDC on Wednesday put Apple firmly ahead of Samsung Electronics and Japanese manufacturers during the third quarter of 2012. The numbers show a quarter of all smartphones shipped in Japan were iPhones, 23.5% of them Fujitsu phones and 9.5% Samsung phones.

While the iPhone has had less success in nearby China, and chief rival Samsung has made major gains in other markets, Apple remains the clear winner in Japan. Its handsets have been heavily promoted by two major operators, Softbank and KDDI, while the bulk of Samsung sales are via NTT DoCoMo, which doesn't carry Apple products.

"Apple is at the top of the smartphone market here," said Hideaki Yokota, a mobile analyst at MM Research Institute in Tokyo. "They get a boost even from the lower-end market, where older iPhone models are sold for AY=0 with a contract."

As with previous iterations, the iPhone 5 launched to long lines in Japan in October, and there were some shortages initially. The IDC data show domestic makers like Fujitsu and Sharp are also a strong presence domestically, though they have little presence in overseas markets.

"It is important to note that these are shipment numbers, though Apple's sales are also strong," said IDC market analyst Michito Kimura in an interview.

"Fujitsu appears strong, especially with its 'RakuRaku' phone, but there is some oversupply here and its position will weaken."

Fujitsu's RakuRaku phones have large icons and text and simplified operation aimed at Japan's elderly users. The company released a smartphone version earlier this year, and has aggressively shipped it to sales outlets through carrier NTT DoCoMo, Kimura said.

Sharp has had strong success with a new handset that features its IGZO screen technology, Yokota said. The company says the screen uses far less power than normal LCD screens and the devices can last two days on a single charge, a rarity for a smartphone.

"Battery life is a major concern for Japanese consumers, and many are buying the Sharp phone as a second phone. Sharp is limited by its ability to supply them," Yokota said.

The IDC numbers also show that Samsung's share of Japan smartphone shipments dropped sharply from the second quarter, when its flagship Galaxy S3 launched. In the second quarter Samsung accounted for 17.3% of shipments to Apple's 28.7%, before dropping to under 10% in the third quarter.

Samsung may also face bigger challenges ahead in Japan - the country's largest business newspaper, the Nikkei, reported earlier this month that DoCoMo is reconsidering whether to offer the iPhone. The operator has seen its users increasingly desert for rivals in recent months.

DoCoMo has until now heavily promoted Samsung's Galaxy S3 and Note devices in the domestic market, but would be less inclined to do so if it also had the iPhone.

Reprinted with permission from IDG.net. Story copyright 2012 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

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Samsung unveils 5-in. Galaxy Grand smartphone

IDG News Service - Samsung's Galaxy Grand smartphone has a 5-in. screen -- but the big display seems aimed at those with smaller budgets, according to an analyst.

Screen sizes around 5 inches have so far mainly been found on expensive high-end phones with HD or Full-HD displays, such as the recently announced HTC Butterfly, also known as the Droid DNA.

But Samsung seems to want to change that with the Android 4.1-based Galaxy Grand: its 5-inch screen only has a resolution of 800 pixels by 480.

The Grand is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and has two cameras, an 8-megapixel one on the back and a 2-megapixel one on the front. Images and videos shot with the cameras can be stored in the phone's 8GB of flash memory or on a microSD card. The content can also be uploaded and downloaded using 802.11n Wi-Fi or HSPA+ cellular networks.

There will also be a version of the Grand that has two SIM card slots.

That feature that is important in countries such as India and China, but also Italy, Spain and Portugal where people use more than one SIM card to keep costs down, Francisco Jeronimo, research manager at IDC, said.

"Samsung is trying to address lower price points because it knows that is where the strongest growth is ... That is what it has done with the Galaxy S III mini and now the Galaxy Grand," Jeronimo said.

Samsung didn't say what the Grand will cost or when it will ship.

However, it needs to be significantly cheaper than the Galaxy Note II if it is to be a success, according to Jeronimo.

The Grand is about 7 millimeters taller and 30 grams heavier than Samsung's Galaxy S III, which has a 4.8-in. screen.

Send news tips and comments to mikael_ricknas@idg.com

Reprinted with permission from IDG.net. Story copyright 2012 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

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