Bloomberg Report: "Google Wallet Has Become A Money Pit," Some Expansion Projects Reconsidered Or Abandoned

After two years on the market, Google Wallet has failed to gain any kind of meaningful foothold in the mobile payment world. That's the gist of a new report from Bloomberg Businessweek, slamming Google's mobile and NFC payment service as a "money pit" and unlikely to succeed against existing and upcoming competitors. Among the publication's chief complaints are $300 million in investments and acquisitions, and hundreds of developers on staff, all for less than 10 million downloads in the Google Play Store.

One reason cited for the lack of users is obvious: in the US, Google Wallet's primary target market, Sprint is still the only major carrier that allows users to download the app. Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile have all blocked Wallet, in a move that can in no way be seen as collusion to allow their own joint Isis platform a free kick to the mobile payment goal. A lack of features and a shockingly poor support infrastructure (which we at Android Police have experienced first-hand) don't help the situation.

Google has not publicly stated how much it has spent on Wallet altogether. The investment is mitigated somewhat by the fact that they aren't interested in profits via transaction fees, at least not first and foremost. As Bloomberg points out, the primary point of Google Wallet is to collect data on consumer spending habits, both online and in brick-and-mortar retail stores, then target advertising accordingly. But without people using the app, and using it in high volume, retailers have every reason to continue ignoring the platform. That's a grim prospect for Google's data-gathering aspirations.

Most distressingly, Bloomberg reports that "more than half a dozen people close to the company" have told them that expanded projects designed to get Wallet into the hands of more users have been reconsidered or abandoned. This includes a plan for a tablet-based cashier kiosk designed for brick-and-mortar retailers, similar to an iPad-based system from Square. We've seen at least some external evidence of this: Google cancelled its plans for a physical debit card (which is offered by Wallet's biggest competitor, PayPal, which is expanding even now) and laid off the VP of Wallet last month. They also discontinued the Google Prepaid Card, essentially an NFC debit card loaded through Wallet, last September.

Wallet isn't going anywhere soon; Google will still need a method for users to buy digital content on the Google Play Store. And it's not as if Google has been ignoring Wallet - see the new Amazon-style instant pay API and Gmail's new ability to attach money to emails. But unless Google can find better footing in the rapidly-expanding mobile payment world, it may quickly become obsolete.

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iPhone with 4.8-inch screen in the works: Citi

As the stage is set for Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference next week, speculations have started about products coming later this year and even in 2014. A note by Citi Research says that the Cupertino-based company will launch an iPhone with 4.8-inch screen next year. 

Citi Research analyst Glen Yeung called this big-screen model iPhone 6 and said it is likely to be launched in the first quarter of 2014. This smartphone has come up as iPhone Math in previously leaks. Apart from the 4.8-inch screen, it is rumoured to have an 8MP camera, while other details are yet unknown. 

Talking about models slated for this year, the research note citing "field work in the hardware supply chain" says that the rumoured iPhone 5S is two to four weeks behind schedule. Yeung writes that while this will not affect the launch date of the model, it will result in supply shortage for the model in September. 

The research note also mentions a cheaper version of the iPad mini. Yeung wrote that the next version of iPad mini will have resolution of 2048x1536p and be priced at approximately $230-250. He also said that the launch of the rumoured iPad mini with Retina display has been delayed to the last quarter of 2013 or the first quarter of next year. 

Chinese tech news website Digitimes, citing sources, also reported that the second iteration of iPad has been delayed till November. 

The next-generation iPad also gets a mention in the Citi research note. It says that the upcoming iPad will "sport characteristics similar to iPad Mini (slimmer, lighter), although the prospect of a higher-end solution (like the MS Surface Pro) seems unlikely given discussions with Intel have not resulted in an Intel design win at 22nm." It also says that Apple will stop manufacturing the second- and fourth-generation iPads in the third quarter of 2013. 

Talking about the upcoming WWDC, Citi says Apple is unlikely to make any announcements about hardware, except a Macbook refresh. Instead, it will focus on services like the rumoured iRadio. Citi also said that it expects Apple to open up API to developers, "allowing outside influence to things like iCloud, Maps, and Siri." 

While Citi Research does not expect many hardware announcements at WWDC 2013, speculation is rife that Apple will launch the iPhone 5S and cheaper iPhone at the event, with launch date rumoured for June 20, 2013. It is set to unveil the new version of its mobile operating system, named iOS 7, and has already put up banners with the number "7" at the venue. Many sources have said that Apple will break cover of its music streaming service, tentatively named iRadio, at the event in a bid to take on Pandora, Spotify and the recently unveiled Google Play Music All Access.

Samsung Galaxy Note now available for Rs 21,500

Just a week after Samsung unveiled its biggest phone ever in India, the original phablet from the company's stables - Galaxy Note - has taken a price cut. The first Galaxy Note, which was launched in 2011, is officially priced at Rs 28,050 on the South Korean company's India website, but can now be purchased for Rs 21,500 via online retailers. 

Samsung Galaxy Note features a 5.3-inch SuperAMOLED screen with 1280x720 resolution and 285ppi pixel density. This phone recently received the Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) update, and will also be upgraded to Android 4.2. Under the hood, it packs a 1.4GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM and offers 16GB onboard storage and microSD support up to 32GB. 

On the back of Samsung Galaxy Note is an 8MP camera with LED flash, while a 2MP unit is located in the front. This phone has connectivity features like 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and microUSB 2.0. The 2,500mAh battery of the handset offers talk time of up to 13 hours. It was one of the first Android-powered devices to support a stylus. 

At Rs 21,500, Samsung Galaxy Note will give competition to recently unveiled siblings like Galaxy Grand and Galaxy Mega 5.8. While Galaxy Grand has a 5-inch screen and costs approximately Rs 20,000 in the market, Galaxy Mega 5.8 has a 5.8-inch display and is available for Rs 24,900. 

Recently, Samsung Galaxy S4, which was launched in India on the day of its global launch at a price tag of Rs 41,500, also received a price cut. The phone is now officially available for Rs 40,300 on Samsung India e-store, a reduction of Rs 1,200. Similarly, Galaxy Grand Quattro - the company's cheapest phone with quad-core processor - got a price cut of Rs 1,360 and is now selling for Rs 16,900.

Soon, software that can read human emotions

On a recent family outing, my mother and sister got into a shouting match. But they weren't mad at each other — they were yelling at the iPhone's turn-by-turn navigation system. I interrupted to say that the phone didn't understand — or care — that they were upset. "Honey, we know," my mom replied.

"But it should!" She had a point. After all, computers and technology are becoming only smarter, faster and more intuitive. Artificial intelligence is creeping into our lives at a steady pace. Devices and apps can anticipate what we need, sometimes even before we realize it ourselves. So why shouldn't they understand our feelings?

If emotional reactions were measured, they could be valuable data points for better design and development. Emotional artificial intelligence, also called affective computing, may be on its way. But should it be? After all, we're already struggling to cope with the always-on nature of the devices in our lives. Yes, those gadgets would be more efficient if they could respond when we are frustrated, bored or too busy to be interrupted, yet they would also be intrusive in ways we can't even fathom today.

It sounds like a science-fiction movie, and in some ways it is. Much of this technology is still in its early stages, but it's inching closer to reality. Companies like Affectiva, a start-up spun out of the MIT Media Lab, are working on software that trains computers to recognise human emotions based on their facial expressions and physiological responses. A company called Beyond Verbal, which has just raised close to $3 million in venture financing, is working on a software tool that can analyze speech and, based on the tone of a person's voice, determine whether it indicates qualities like arrogance or annoyance, or both.

Microsoft recently revealed the Xbox One, the next-generation version of its flagship game console , which includes an update of Kinect, its motion-tracking device that lets people control games by moving their hands and bodies. The new Kinect, which goes on sale later this year, can be controlled by voice but is not programmed with software to detect emotions in those interactions. But it does include a higher-definition camera capable of tracking fine skeletal and muscular changes in the body and face.

The machine can already detect the physics behind bodily movements , and calculate the force behind a punch or the height of a jump. In addition, one of the Kinect's new sensors uses infrared technology to track a player's heartbeats. That could eventually help the company detect when a player's pulse is racing during a fitness contest — and from excitement after winning a game. For avid gamers like myself, the possibilities for more immersive, interactive play are mind-boggling.

Albert Penello, a senior director of product planning at Microsoft, says the company intends to use that data to give designers insight into how people feel when playing its games — a kind of feedback loop that can help shape future offerings and experiences. He says Microsoft takes privacy very seriously and will require game developers to receive explicit permission from Xbox One owners before using the data.

Microsoft says games could even adapt in real time to players' physical response, amping up the action if they aren't stimulated enough, or tamping it down if it's too scary. "We are trying to open up game designers to the mind of the players," Mr. Penello said. "Are you scared or are you laughing? Are you paying attention and when are you not?" Eventually, he said, the technology embedded in the Kinect camera could be used for a broader range of applications, including tracking reactions while someone is looking at ads or shopping online, in the hope of understanding what is or isn't capturing the person's interest.

But he said those applications were not a top priority for the company. Some companies have experimented with technologies like eye-tracking software to see what parts of commercials draw the most attention from viewers.

Samsung unveils 8-inch Galaxy Tab 3 with Intel chips

Samsung Electronics Co said it will use Intel processors to power a new version of one of its top-tier Android tablets. 

Its decision to begin using Intel in a marquee Android device is a coup for the US chipmaker as it races to establish itself in a mobile market it was slow initially to recognize and invest in. Samsung's announcement confirms an earlier Reuters story and media reports on May 30. 

Samsung has previously used chips designed with energy-efficient technology from the UK's ARM Holdings for its best-selling mobile devices. 

The South Korean firm unveiled two new tablets, an 8-inch tablet and the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1-inch, which uses Intel chips. 

The 10.1-inch tablet, which competes with Apple's iPad, will be powered by Intel's 1.6-GHz dual core processor and run the latest version of Google's Android operating system. 

Intel called the shots in the personal computer industry for decades, but was slow to make chips that appealed to makers of smartphones and tablets as the market boomed following the release of Apple's iPhone in 2007 and iPad in 2010. 

The new 10.1-inch tablet will support 3G and 4G network connections and the screen will have 1,280x800 resolution. 

Samsung said the new products will be available globally this month, but did not provide price details.