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Over 225 million eSIM Enabled Smartphones to be Delivered in 2020, boosted by Samsung’s S20 Devices.

eSIM smartphone growth continues its upward trajectory, and 2020 will prove another positive year as Samsung becomes the latest OEM to boost the eSIM market. The recent launch of the Samsung S20 range of devices with eSIM support will propel global shipments of eSIM enabled smartphones to over 225 million in 2020, according to global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research.

Ever since Apple first announced eSIM support in its XR and S range of devices in 2018, all eyes were firmly placed on Samsung as the next OEM to support eSIM in its flagship devices. “It was always a case of when, rather than if, Samsung would support eSIM. 2020 marks a defining year and another milestone for the eSIM market. Having the largest smartphone OEM onboard, shipping over 200 million devices annually is a significant market step. Industry experts will now be closely monitoring Samsung and how it might start expanding eSIM support to other device ranges, including its Note and A ranges,” explains Phil Sealy, Digital Security Research Director at ABI Research.

There is no question that 2020 eSIM smartphone shipments will hit over the 225 million mark, and ABI Research remains extremely optimistic about eSIM growth. Based on a continuation of eSIM support from Apple, Google, and Samsung, plus the eSIM expansion by Samsung into other device ranges and several other OEMs launching flagship eSIM enabled devices, expect a minimum of 500 million eSIM capable smartphones to ship globally in 2024.

“Despite the optimism and Samsung’s inclusion of eSIM technology in its S20 range of devices, there remains much work to be done across the entire value chain, Sealy points out. From a smartphone OEM perspective, Apple, Google, Samsung, and Motorola are the only vendors with eSIM capable smartphone devices. Further, although eSIM readiness from an operator perspective continues to improve, there is no operator to date exclusively supporting eSIM. At the same time, many operators are not yet eSIM ready.

The cellular market is fast approaching a new tipping point as it relates to consumer subscriptions and data consumption. Cellular speed and bandwidth remain important cellular aspects. Still, as data-centric consumption continues to rise and cellular connectivity enablement increases on more consumer device types (laptops, tablets, smartwatches etc.), emphasis will shift from data-centric billing toward device bundles.

Sealy concludes, “The cellular connectivity market and how data is consumed will transform consumer subscriptions models. Device OEMs such as Samsung have an integral role to play in facilitating this transformation. OEMs want to provide flexibility to their consumer device users and create further brand stickiness by enabling a cellular-connected “family” of products and cross-device mirrored experiences, using eSIM as the enabling technology. Alongside this is an understanding that subscription offerings are evolving (voice packages to data and soon toward device bundles), the latter of which will require Remote Subscription Management (RSM) to share a profile over multiple device types.”

These findings are from ABI Research’s eSIM in the Consumer and M2M Markets market data report. This report is part of the company’s Digital Security research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights. Market Data spreadsheets are composed of deep data, market share analysis, and highly segmented, service-specific forecasts to provide detailed insight where opportunities lie.

New IDTechEx Research Reports Identify Technologies for the Future of Healthcare. #Health #IDTechEx

IDTechEx, market intelligence and events company focusing on emerging technologies, publish research reports that identify top future technologies in healthcare. With demographic changes such as the aging of the population, IDTechEx forecasts there to be strong growth in technologies that help healthcare providers manage the growing burden on the healthcare system while maintaining high quality care.

Wearable medical devices offer continuous health monitoring and provide deeper insight into a patient’s health status than non-wearable medical devices which only provide snapshots at fixed times. In IDTechEx’s new report, “Cardiovascular Disease 2020 – 2030”, wearables such as smart clothing and electronic skin patches are covered extensively. These soft and conformal devices provide medical-grade continuous health monitoring for cardiovascular disease patients. These comfortable devices provide monitoring over longer periods of time than traditional devices, allowing doctors to catch events that would previously have been missed. Overall, IDTechEx has forecast that the market for wearable medical devices (across all applications) to reach $19.7 billion by 2024.

Consumer electronics broadens health monitoring. While monitoring in consumer electronics has previously focused on fitness applications, companies are now entering the healthcare space. Devices such as smartwatches now broaden the access of continuous monitoring to a much larger audience. Consumers buy these devices for their primary function but benefit from background screening of hard-to-detect diseases such as atrial fibrillation and sleep apnea. In certain applications, the improvements of smartphone and tablet cameras means that a separate device is not even needed.

Technology development brings molecular diagnostics to the point-of-care. As evidenced by the COVID-19 outbreak that is currently ongoing around the world, there is a strong need for point-of-care diagnostics in the management of infectious disease outbreaks. Healthcare providers need to act quickly, but that is hampered when the testing takes multiple hours at a centralized facility. IDTechEx forecasts the market for point-of-care biomedical diagnostics to reach $43 billion by 2029. We have identified molecular diagnostics as the fastest growing segment, and our latest report “Molecular Diagnostics 2020-2030” forecasts the market (including but not limited to point-of-care) to reach $20 billion by 2030.

In addition to our market research reports, IDTechEx also hosts events on emerging technologies. For more information on wearables and sensors for point-of-care diagnostics and continuous monitoring, please refer to upcoming IDTechEx conference and table-top exhibition, Healthcare Sensor Innovations USA 2020, 17 – 18 March 2020 in San Jose

IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Consultancy and Event products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information on IDTechEx Research and Consultancy contact research@IDTechEx.com or visit www.IDTechEx.com.

This Week on Stadia. Get Serious… #Stadia #Gaming

The Serious Sam Collection launches today on Stadia. If you’ve never experienced the unique Serious take on the first-person shooter genre, you’re in for an absolute treat. Forget about taking cover or employing carefully-synergized squad-based teamwork… Serious Sam is all about speed, aggression, lightning-quick reactions, and blowing things up with very big guns. You’ll face truly vast swarms of bizarre enemies, absolutely colossal bosses, and huge stages crammed with secrets, traps, and monsters.

The Serious Sam Collection includes three classic Serious Sam games in one package:

Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter
Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter
Serious Sam 3: BFE

Buy the Serious Sam Collection in the Stadia store today for $29.99 USD.

Learn more about the deranged minds behind Serious Sam and what makes it such an enduring classic in this recent dev diary with Chief Creative Officer Davor Hunski.

High-speed fibre now makes up half of fixed Internet in nine OECD countries. #Broadband #OECD

Nine OECD countries – up from six a year ago – now have high-speed fibre making up 50% or more of their fixed Internet connections, according to an update to the OECD’s broadband portal.

Across the 37 countries studied, the share of fibre in total broadband has only risen slightly, to 27% as of June 30 2019 from 24% a year earlier, reflecting the still-wide gap between countries in rolling out fibre, which enables much faster fixed and mobile Internet. You can see how Ireland fits in HERE

The data shows Lithuania, Latvia, Spain and New Zealand starting to catch up with long-time fibre leaders Korea, Japan and the Nordic countries thanks to a mixture of increased competition, good regulation and policy and new infrastructure investment. Korea and Japan have a fibre share of over 75% in total broadband, while Lithuania, Sweden, Latvia,

Spain, Iceland, Finland and Norway are all above 50% fibre. New Zealand and Portugal are just below 50% and close to joining the leaders.

In the year to June 30 2019, the number of fibre subscriptions increased by 13.8% across the 37 countries measured (the 36 OECD countries plus Colombia, whose accession is imminent.)

Percentage of fibre connections in total fixed broadband, June 2019

Cable remains stable with a slight increase of 4.3% in the year to June 30 2019 and accounts for a significant 33.6% of all fixed broadband connections. DSL is increasingly being replaced by fibre and its share has fallen from 41.6% to 35.1% in two years.

Overall country rankings for fixed broadband subscriptions remain very similar to those of the previous years, with Switzerland in the lead having a penetration rate of 46.1 subscriptions per 100 people, followed by France (43.7%), Denmark (43.4%), the Netherlands (43.1%) and Korea (41.9%).

Mobile broadband subscriptions continue to grow strongly at a stable rate of around 7% a year. The countries with the highest penetration rates are Japan, Finland, Estonia, the United States and Australia, with subscriptions per 100 inhabitants at 177%, 155%, 153%, 150% and 144% respectively.

Machine-to-machine (M2M) SIM cards, are experiencing the highest growth of all our indicators with a 30% increase in one year. The leading countries are Sweden with 140.6 M2M SIM cards per 100 inhabitants, followed by Austria, Italy, the United States and the Netherlands. The high number of M2M SIM cards provided by Sweden is due in part to the use of these SIM cards in other countries by a Swedish operator.

The OECD’s broadband statistics cover 37 countries. You can download the underlying data, charts and broadband penetration maps for different countries at http://oe.cd/broadband.

Working with over 100 countries, the OECD is a global policy forum that promotes policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.

emporia introduces four new 4G devices to the UK; both feature and smartphones. #emporia #mobile #tech

The need to communicate does not lessen with age. If anything, older people need more communication with family, friends, support services and others. As modern technology continues to evolve, many retirees find themselves in danger of being left behind or even isolated by difficult technology.

emporia is delighted to today announce four new state-of-the-art 4G devices to the UK market that respond to this demographic’s needs, by offering connectivity in the form of simple and easy-to-use phones.

The new quad announcement sees one new smartphone, two feature phones, and a touch screen hybrid feature phone join the company’s portfolio of easy-to-use devices for the growing number of retirees. “We put ease of use first, because that’s what senior citizens want. There are still millions of people who type and don’t want to swipe, so we’re staying true to our philosophy and continuing to offer the popular feature phones in addition to the smartphones,” says Eveline Pupeter, owner and CEO of emporia telecom.

The new 4G VoLTE-compatible devices are available now through emporia’s UK distributor; Eurostar Global. The partnership started earlier this year when emporia launched in the UK market, and is strengthened with the addition of the four new devices in the distributor’s growing profile.

Millington says: “There are huge opportunities within the UK retiree category to provide handsets that mirror the needs of the users, at an accessible price point. Not one user in this demographic is the same when they reach retirement at 66. Quite simply, this means those in this demographic need mobile phones that give them each the ability to communicate easily with family and friends. I’m delighted to introduce these four new devices to retail and wholesale customers across the UK through our partnership with Eurostar Global, as I’m confident they fully understand our users and mission.”

Steve Hankey, Head of Commercial and Vendor Management at Eurostar Global adds: “An ageing global population has lead to a clearly growing market, where seniors are often left isolated and overwhelmed by technology. Eurostar Global is looking forward to being part of the solution by working closely with emporia to bring its excellent portfolio of products to UK consumers. This portfolio expansion will enable us to offer even more suitable devices to retirees around the UK.”

All four new handsets feature 4G and are VoLTE compatible, providing better connectivity and coverage, but also a crucial additional benefit for many of the retiree users; better sound quality on voice calls.

UK and Ireland MD Chris Millington comments: “4G and VoLTE are essential for us to offer this demographic the best in sound in their handsets as the technology allows us to push much wider spectrums of the call to the user and coupled with extra loud sound, this is the perfect combination for addressing age-related hearing loss (presbycusis). Ultimately, it also strengthens the senior proposition for mobile networks as our phones with VoLTE fulfil the technological requirements of the operators so that they can leverage their network connectivity.”

emporiaSMART.3mini is an easy-to-use smartphone with a stylish compact size, that fulfils all the main requirements of a smartphone but with a tailored, easy-to-use interface. Key features include: 8mp and 5mp cameras, long battery life, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. The 4.95-inch touchscreen has a large, clear screen for users to navigate easily and read from. This new smartphone is built with the end user in mind with; an intuitive interface, dust and splash-proofing exterior (IP54), hearing aid-compatibility, acoustic amplification, and an emergency call button.

The emporiaSMART.3mini comes with a unique training book designed to help users get the most from their smartphone, and at their own pace. It offers a point of reference so that they can independently learn more about their device without relying on family, friends or mobile stores.
SRP: £150

emporiaTOUCHsmart is a clever combination (or hybrid) of the best elements of a smartphone and feature phone. As one of the smartest clamshell phones on the market, it is operated by touchscreen but also has a well-spaced keypad for the best of both worlds. The device has a dedicated WhatsApp button for direct access to the popular messaging app. Like all emporia phones, it also has an emergency assistance call function, camera, radio and torch, and is dust and splash-proof thanks to its nano-coating (IP54).

SRP: £150

emporiaACTIVE is emporia’s latest bar phone. It has extra-large, illuminated keys, a large display with easy to read text and the optional high contrast. It is hearing aid compatible and has an emergency call function, a camera, and an alarm clock. This feature phone is ideal for users who have no need for smart features like the internet or WhatsApp, but do require a device with practical applications, geared towards their hearing and dexterity abilities.

SRP: £90

emporiaACTIVEglam is a clamshell, or flip, device, for users who are looking for a stylish yet simple to use feature phone. Like the emporiaACTIVE, the ACTIVEglam also runs on the AndroidGo operating system and offers the same essential features like illuminated keys, emergency call function, hearing aid compatibility and a camera; in a compact and secure design.

SRP: £100

Studies* commissioned by emporia have shown that older people want to retain independence in their lives – and this includes using the latest means of communication. “Retirees don’t want to have to ask someone how to send a photo via WhatsApp, email or SMS; they simply want to do it.”

“In our research, we found that more than 90% of those surveyed say that they value contact with relatives and friends. With the embedded WhatsApp button on our smart devices, they can be more involved in their families and friends’ lives – a simple picture share, or video call can strengthen that communication,” says Pupeter.

Millington adds: “For many in retirement, and facing retirement at the new state pension age of 66, they are taking daily decisions on spending and on the value they get from purchases. Their mobile phone is something they need to get maximum value from, not just in the cost of purchase, but in they way they can use it to do what they want. For many, who may have been given a device by someone else, the technology is not right for them and they will benefit from buying something which is designed specifically with them in mind.”

emporia is the European leader in easy-to-use devices for the growing number of retirees. Having recently appointed Chris Millington as UK and Ireland MD and officially launched in this market, these new feature and smartphones add to the portfolio of devices aimed at improving communication for this demographic in the form of a ‘simple to understand’ phone.

AVer Europe launches new enterprise professional conferencing system. VC520 PRO #AVer #Tech

AVer Europe, the award-winning provider of video collaboration solutions, has today announced the launch of its professional conferencing system the VC520 Pro in the UK.

The VC520 Pro has been developed by AVer Europe as a solution for various meeting room sizes, alleviating the challenges that teams face on conference calls. The VC520 Pro has an audio pickup range of 15 feet and the ability to daisy-chain two additional speakerphones to reach up to 45 feet, offering ultra-clear unparalleled audio even throughout large meeting rooms.

With Sony True WDR capability, AVer Europe’s VC520 Pro offers clear and high-quality imaging even in high contrast backlit environments. With up to 1080p and 60fps even in poor lighting, the conferencing system’s 12X optical zoom with precise detail enables teams to showcase items such as products or documents live in the room on camera.

The VC520 Pro’s SmartFrame technology uses face recognition to automatically adjust the camera to include all members in the room in the frame. This includes anyone new that enters the meeting room, saving any delays if any colleagues are running late.

AVer Europe’s VC520 Pro features advanced centralised management through an internet browser to enable users to remotely control the camera and stream on platforms such as Facebook or YouTube.

“We’ve all been on video conference calls with poor sound or visual quality and it’s hugely frustrating, not to mention a drain on business time, resource and money,” explains Rene Buhay, AVer Europe Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “The VC520 Pro’s feature combination of 12X optical zoom, Sony True WDR, full HD and the opportunity to expand with extra speakers and microphones means that communication is transformed into a lifelike audiovisual experience.”

The VC520 Pro from AVer Europe has a 3-year warranty with a free 2-year warranty extension available at MSRP £1049.

juice Goes Greener with 100% Compostable Phone Case Launch. #Juice #Cases #Green

Innovative and quirky mobile phone accessories manufacturer, juice®, has recently taken huge steps forward in its efforts to become a more sustainable brand by launching a selection of 100% compostable phone cases.

Shocked by the rate at which the average consumer changes their phone case, juice® wanted to help to reduce the amount of non-bio-degradable cases being thrown in to landfill.

As one of the few UK brands to be offering a range of 100% compostable phone cases, this collection is accessible to customers who want to do their bit for the environment and juice® has ensured absolutely no compromise on quality or increased costs for customers.

The plant-based phone cases and their packaging have been manufactured from natural materials including wheat, corn and starch and have been designed to break down in the same time as a tea bag (12 months).

CEO of juice®, Jolyon Bennett, explained: “The ethos behind these compostable cases is that they are not only good for your phone, but they are good for the planet. They are sustainable yet stylish, making it easier for the consumer to switch to greener alternatives. Our products are gentle on the earth, yet tough enough to protect your phone, each phone case boasting the standard one-metre drop protection requirement.

The public are now, more than ever, aware of the growing concerns regarding the environment. This is impacting buyer behaviour, with consumers opting to shop from greener businesses. Because of this, it is essential that businesses are able to adapt their product offerings to ensure they are minimising any negative impact on the planet.”

The cases are available in grey, blue, pink, white and black and the dyes used to achieve these five colourways are produced from natural and abundant sources such as bamboo, mai and tea.

With an RRP of £19.99, the compostable cases are available in iPhone 6, 7, 8, 11 and 11 Pro and can be purchased from: www.juice.co.uk & www.urbanoutfitters.com

One in four don’t lock their door, Somfy survey reveals. #Somfy #Security #SmartHome

Smart Home specialist Somfy has revealed that some of the most basic security measures are not being met by UK residents, leaving their homes extremely vulnerable to opportunist burglars.

The research – carried out among 2,008 UK adults through a Censuswide survey* – revealed that, on average, 1 in 4 never lock their front door when they go out, despite nearly 1 in 5 (17%) having experienced a burglary, and 1 in 3 of those having been burgled more than once. Alarmingly, 4% of people never lock anything when they go out.

The survey also revealed the most security-conscious regions, the UK’s riskiest and safest areas as perceived by residents, as well as how neighbours would react if they witnessed a burglary. Highlights include:

Londoners are the least security-conscious with home security – An overwhelming 33% never lock their front door when they go out and 48% never lock their back door, despite it being the riskiest region for burglaries – double the UK average. The South West is the most responsible region with (83%) locking their front doors when leaving the house.

Glasgow had the highest rate of have-a-go heroes with 23% saying they would confront a burglar if they saw a neighbour’s house being burgled – On average, 17% of those across the UK would confront a burglar at a neighbour’s house, with one citing they would ‘use a baseball bat’ to intimidate the intruder, exposing themselves to danger as well as potential legal issues.

The majority (83%) would call the police if they witnessed a neighbourhood burglary – However, some 3% would do absolutely nothing if they witnessed a burglary in a nearby house, with one even stating, “it would depend on which neighbour’s house it was,” as to whether they would help.

The South West has the most proactive neighbours – Only 1% of residents wouldn’t take any form of action when witnessing a break-in. The North East had the highest percentage of neighbours who would turn a blind eye, with 6% saying they wouldn’t do anything.

Only 60% of those living in Greater London feel safe, followed closely by those living in the City of London with 63% – The North West was also cited as an area where some residents felt vulnerable, with only 58% of Liverpudlians saying they felt safe, as well as only 64% of Mancunians. The North East closely followed with only 2 in 3 feeling safe (68%).

The South West and Scotland are considered the safest area to live by locals, with the majority (80%) feeling totally safe in their neighbourhood – Bristol (79%) and Plymouth (84%) rank amongst the top three safest cities, but Edinburgh was crowned as the safest city overall, with an overwhelming 88% agreeing that they feel safe and secure where they live.

Commenting on the findings, Steven Montgomery, Managing Director of Somfy UK and Ireland, said: “We were extremely surprised that people aren’t being more vigilant when it comes to home security, especially given some have had first-hand experience of burglaries. We were also shocked that there wasn’t a correlation between the areas perceived unsafe and the efforts people made with security – if you don’t feel safe, you should at the very least lock your doors.”

Of those surveyed, 58% of UK residents have adopted Smart Home products, with the most common being outdoor lighting (40%), followed by Smart cameras (25%), Smart alarms (19%) and finally, Smart locks (15%). More than half (53%) of those using Smart Home security products said they feel safer as a direct result.

Steven added: “It was also interesting that nearly half of UK residents don’t have any form of Smart Home security. The biggest advantage of including smart home devices and security features is that they can prevent break-ins from occurring altogether. Burglars generally look for easy targets and unprotected homes. If they sense that you have a modern security system, most burglars won’t even bother targeting your property.”

When asked what people perceived as the best Smart Home security products on the market, external security cameras came out on top with 30%, followed by Smart alarms (20%), Smart locks (10%) and finally, internal security cameras and Smart lighting both at 9%.

*The research was conducted by Censuswide, with 2,008 respondents aged 16+ in GB between 13.12.19 – 17.12.19. The survey was conducted from a random sample of UK adults. Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles.

UX Design Institute Doubles Revenue and Seeks New Hires. #UXDesign #ColmanWalsh

The UX Design Institute doubled revenues in 2019 as student numbers increased two-fold in the same period.

The company recorded revenues of €2.67 million in a year that saw steady growth in the UK, Germany, Switzerland and South Africa. 73 per cent of students enrolled in its Professional Diploma in UX Design course are now from outside Ireland.

The Irish company, set up by UX design veteran Colman Walsh in 2013, is based in Dublin and last year made 10 new hires. This year it plans to increase employee numbers further by expanding its product and marketing teams.

“2019 was a great year for the company,” says Colman Walsh., CEO and founder of the UX Design Institute. “The business grew significantly. We’re expanding into new markets and most importantly we are getting great feedback from graduates who are starting new careers as UX professionals.

“Behind all of this is a surge in demand for UX skills right across the globe. Good design is now a top priority for many companies. But there aren’t enough qualified designers to meet the demand. Our courses look to solve that, to bridge the skills gap and to offer people a more fulfilling career while doing it.”

Recent research from the Institute in conjunction with recruitment company Morgan McKinley highlighted a threefold increase in UX design jobs in the past 5 years in Ireland.

By 2024, it is estimated that the tech industry in EMEA will need 580,000 UX designers in order to keep pace with the growth of software development. The market is estimated to be worth €1.5 billion by next year.

User experience (UX) design helps organisations make better quality digital products. According to LinkedIn, UX design features among the top hard skills companies need most in 2020.

The UX Design Institute’s Professional Diploma in UX Design is the world’s only university credit-rated online UX course. It runs over 6 months and graduates see it as a vital step in developing their UX skills and boosting their employability.

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