Android extends gains on Apple, Windows Phone is third

Android extends gains on Apple, Windows Phone is third

 

Washington (AFP)

 

The Google Android system extended its gains over Apple's iPhone globally in the last quarter of 2013, and Windows Phone grabbed the number three market position, a survey showed Wednesday.

 

The IDC survey found Android had a 78.1 percent share of global smartphone shipments in the fourth quarter, bolstered by a 40 percent jump in the number of handsets delivered.

 

Apple got only a modest boost in the fourth quarter from the release of its new iPhones, with sales up 6.7 percent compared with a year earlier.

 

That means its market share slipped to 17.6 percent from 20.9 percent, according to IDC.

 

The Microsoft Windows Phone platform saw a 46.7 percent year-over-year rise in sales, which pushed its market share to three percent.

 

BlackBerry saw its woes intensify with sales falling 77 percent from a year earlier and the market share sliding to just 0.6 percent.

 

Moreover, IDC said most of the sales were older devices using the BlackBerry 7 operating system instead of the newer BB10.

 

IDC said that with many markets becoming saturated, the landscape will be tougher and more competitive, with vendors looking to cut prices.

 

"In 2013 we saw the sub-$200 smartphone market grow to 42.6 percent of global volume, or 430 million units," said IDC's Ryan Reith.

 

For the full year, Android's market share was 78.6 percent to 15.2 percent for Apple's iOS, 3.3 percent for Windows Phone and 1.9 percent for BlackBerry, IDC said.

 

<IDC: International Data Corporation> (ed.)

 

(Agence France-Presse, 12 Wednesday February 2014 The Roman)

Obama y Hollande revisan las raíces de la amistad franco-estadounidense Obama and Hollande review the roots of Franco-American friendship

Obama y Hollande revisan las raíces de la amistad franco-estadounidense

 

Washington (AFP)

 

Barack Obama y François Hollande efectuarán este lunes un peregrinaje a las fuentes de la amistad entre Washington y París, en el primero de los tres días de una visita de Estado del mandatario francés a EEUU.

 

Vuelo en el Air Force One, honores militares y cenas fastuosas: EEUU agasajará a Hollande en la primera visita en su primera etapa a Washington y en la primera de este género por parte de un jefe de Estado en 18 años, en la que Hollande viajará solo, tras su reciente separación de Valérie Trierweiler.

 

Antes de una jornada protocolaria el martes en la Casa Blanca, Obama y Hollande viajarán a la zona de Monticello, tierras del tercer presidente estadounidense, Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), una referencia histórica para ambos países.

 

Esta escapada permitirá a ambos mandatarios encontrarse en un ambiente más informal para "charlar de las relaciones (franco-estadounidenses) en un entorno que evoca su historia y de las posibilidades que detentan", explicó un responsable del Gobierno de Obama a la AFP.

 

En el ámbito económico, Hollande cenará este lunes en la casa de Francia con la directora general del Fondo Monetario Internacional.

 

El martes, la jornada será mucho más solemne, con himnos nacionales, cañonazos y una entrevista en el Despacho Oval antes de una rueda de prensa en la que se tratarán seguramente cuestiones internacionales ( Irán, Ucrania, Sáhara y Libia) y económicas.

 

Tras una comida oficial con el secretario de Estado estadounidense, John Kerry, y un homenaje a los militares del país, Hollande será el martes por la noche el invitado de honor de una cena de Estado que reunirá a centenares de invitados selectamente escogidos por la Casa Blanca y donde será obligatorio el esmoquin y la etiqueta.

 

La visita concluirá el miércoles con una escala en San Francisco, región que alberga empresas punteras en materia informática.

 

(Agence France-Presse, 10 lunes febrero 2014 la Roman)

 

Obama and Hollande review the roots of Franco-American friendship

 

Washington (AFP)

 

François Hollande and Barack Obama on Monday made ​​a pilgrimage to the sources of the friendship between Washington and Paris in the first of three days of a state visit by French president to the United States.

 

Flight on Air Force One, military honors and lavish dinners : USA regale Hollande in the first visit in the first stage to Washington and the first of its kind by a head of state in 18 years, in which Hollande travel only, after his recent separation Valérie Trierweiler.

 

Before a protocol day on Tuesday at the White House, Obama and Hollande will travel to the Monticello, land of the third U.S. President Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), a historical reference to both countries.

 

This package will enable the two leaders meet in a more informal setting for "chat relations (Franco-American) in a setting that evokes the history and the possibilities they hold," the Obama government official told AFP.

 

On the economic front, Hollande dine Monday in the House of France with the general director of the International Monetary Fund.

 

On Tuesday, the day will be much more solemn, national hymns, gunfire and an interview in the Oval Office before a press conference on international economic issues that will surely (Iran, Ukraine, Sahara, Libya) and treated.

 

After an official dinner with Secretary of State, John Kerry, and a tribute to the country's military, Hollande will be Tuesday night the guest of honor at a state dinner bringing together hundreds of guests selectamente chosen by the House white tuxedo and where the label is mandatory.

 

The visit will conclude on Wednesday with a stop in San Francisco, region harboring leading companies in IT field.

 

(Agence France-Presse, 10 Monday February 2014 The Roman)

(Translated: R.S.F. toshiki speed news press, Agence France-Presse, 10 Monday February 2014 The Roman)

 

Japan sensor will let diaper say baby needs changing

Japan sensor will let diaper say baby needs changing

 

Tokyo (AFP)

 

A disposable organic sensor that can be embedded in a diaper and wirelessly let a carer know it needs changing was unveiled by Japanese researchers on Monday.

 

The flexible integrated circuit printed on a single plastic film transmits information and receives its power wirelessly, and could potentially be manufactured for a few yen (US cents), the developers told AFP.

 

The system, which uses organic materials that can be printed with inkjet technology, was developed by a team led by professors Takayasu Sakurai and Takao Someya at the University of Tokyo.

 

In addition to use in infants' diapers, the technology can be applied to adult nappies.

 

Regular diapers change colour to indicate they are wet, but a care-giver still needs to take off the wearer's clothes to see.

 

"If sensing is done electronically, you can tell simply by coming close to the wearer -- without unclothing him or her," Someya said.

 

The technology could also be put directly on the skin like a plaster, in place of often ring-shaped devices currently used in hospitals to monitor pulse and blood oxygen levels, he said.

 

Healthcare sensors often use silicon and other relatively rigid materials that can cause their users discomfort.

 

The flexibility of a single sheet of plastic film reduces discomfort for wearers and means it can be applied to a larger number of places -- offering greater potential for doctors or carers to monitor well-being.

 

The prototype system that has been developed is capable of monitoring wetness, pressure, temperature and other phenomena that cause a change in electrical resistance, said Someya, but the team would like to refine it to reduce its power consumption before it goes into widespread use.

 

Currently the data-reading device needs to be a few centimetres (inches) from the sensor, but Someya said the team was exploring how practical this is and whether they can boost the distance.

 

Researchers are to unveil their work at an academic gathering now under way in San Francisco.

 

(Agence France-Presse, 10 Monday February 2014 The Roman)