Although the MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) standard has been around for a while and implemented in phones like Samsung’s Galaxy SII. it hasn’t made much a name for itself. Basically MHL lets you connect your mobile device (phone or tablet) to your TV’s HML supported HDMI port and along with sending video signals, charges your device at the same time. Now, Silicon Images has announced the next next generation of MHL which adds faster charging and and 60Hz video vs the original’s 30Hz.

Press Release: Silicon Image Introduces Low Power Dual-Mode Transmitter IP Core Supporting Both HDMI® and MHL™ Connectivity Standards

SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 22, 2012 – Silicon Image (NASDAQ: SIMG), a leading provider of wireless and wired HD connectivity solutions, today announced the availability of a low power dual-mode transmitter intellectual property (IP) core that supports both the HDMI® (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) 1.4b and MHL™ (Mobile High-Definition Link) 2.0 standards. Silicon Image’s dual-mode HDMI/MHL transmitter IP core architecture reduces semiconductor development and manufacturing cost by sharing die area for both HDMI and MHL functionalities-offering mobile device application processor vendors the flexibility to design a single-chip solution that is configurable for both HDMI and MHL mobile devices.

MHL technology delivers 1080p 60Hz uncompressed video with up to eight channels of digital audio while charging the mobile device-enabling consumers to enhance their mobile experience by displaying content including HD video entertainment, photos, applications, and games on the big screen.

“With the explosive growth of MHL-enabled products in 2011 and 2012, mobile phone and tablet manufacturers are now adding MHL functionality to their new device platforms, allowing consumers to ‘plug and play’ their HD content from the small to big screen,” said Ron Richter, senior director of worldwide IP core licensing at Silicon Image. “Silicon Image’s dual-mode HDMI/MHL transmitter IP core allows SoC providers to quickly integrate MHL technology into their next-generation mobile devices, enabling a single SoC to support both HDMI and MHL technology without adding significant die area or pin count.”

Key features of Silicon Image’s dual-mode HDMI/MHL transmitter IP core include:
Single digital and analog design supporting both HDMI Version 1.4b & MHL 2.0
Low power design (1080p/60fps @ 30mW)
Configurable IP core design, with MHL implementation saving up to 10 pins in SoC package

With MHL technology, manufacturers can deliver next-generation products that:
Support 1080p 60Hz full HD video
Use established connectors for mobile and CE products, such as micro USB and HDMI
Enable faster charging of the latest smartphones and tablets when connected to MHL-enabled DTVs or monitors
Control the mobile device using the DTV’s remote control

Over 50 million MHL-enabled products shipped during 2011, and a steady release of new products continues to expand the MHL ecosystem, which already includes smartphones, tablets, DTVs, monitors, home theater products and accessories.

Silicon Image’s family of IP cores includes a broad range of HDMI and MHL technology solutions, image signal processor (ISP) camera cores, H.264, MPEG-1/2 and VC-1 video decoders up to 4Kx2K resolution, Serial ATA (SATA) storage and RAID controllers.

For more information about Silicon Image’s complete IP core product offering, visit our website at http://www.siliconimage.com/iplicensing/index.aspx.

Silicon Image Unveils Next-Generation MHL™ Products

MHL Transmitter and MHL-to-HDMI® Bridge ICs Provide 1080p60Hz Full HD Resolution for Mobile Products, DTVs, and Monitors

SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 15, 2012 – Silicon Image (NASDAQ: SIMG), a leading provider of wireless and wired HD connectivity solutions, today announced its next-generation MHL™ products, the SiI8240 MHL transmitter for mobile devices and the SiI9617 MHL-to-HDMI® bridge for DTVs and PC displays, which are also MHL 2.0 compliant. Both semiconductor products support 1080p60Hz full HD and the latest MHL specification features that include native 3D formats, alpha-numeric key codes for advanced remote control functions, and increased power charging from the display to enable faster charging of the latest smartphones and tablets.

Mobile devices continue to integrate higher performance processors and higher resolution HD displays. Silicon Image’s SiI8240 is the first MHL transmitter to output 1080p60Hz full HD, enabling mobile devices to drive today’s high-resolution DTVs and monitors at 60 frames per second. To enable Silicon Image’s MHL customers to seamlessly and quickly upgrade their MHL-enabled products to deliver higher resolutions, faster frame rates, and enhanced features, the SiI8240 has been designed to be pin compatible to the currently shipping SiI9244 MHL transmitter.

Today’s smartphones and tablets are increasingly transforming from traditional communication devices to mobile set-top-boxes, gaming consoles, and PCs. With this transformation, consumers are more often connecting their smartphone to a larger display to enjoy new interactive applications-from digital entertainment and office productivity to gaming. With the SiI9617 MHL-to-HDMI bridge, consumer electronics (CE) manufacturers can design their latest 1080p60Hz DTVs and monitors to seamlessly include the latest MHL capabilities. When a consumer connects an MHL-enabled mobile device to an MHL display, that display will charge and provide control for the mobile device, while showing video, productivity applications and games in 1080p60Hz full HD quality. With MHL 2.0 compliant products, the latest smartphones and tablets will charge up to twice as fast when connected to an MHL 2.0-enabled display.

“Silicon Image’s new products offer an end-to-end MHL 1080p60Hz connectivity solution for our global mobile, CE, and PC customers,” said Tim Vehling, vice president of product marketing at Silicon Image, Inc. “With these latest products from Silicon Image – including a drop-in pin-compatible version – manufacturers can quickly develop and roll-out their next-generation MHL 2.0-enabled products.”

MHL technology continues to gain broad industry adoption with over 50 million MHL-enabled products shipped globally during 2011. Silicon Image anticipates that MHL-enabled product shipments worldwide will more than double in 2012. The growing ecosystem of MHL devices includes smartphones, tablets, DTVs, monitors, home theater products and accessories.

Silicon Image offers a comprehensive portfolio of production-proven MHL semiconductor and IP solutions for mobile, DTV and home theater applications. For more information about Silicon Image’s MHL product portfolio, please visit: www.siliconimage.com.

If their “man in the know” is correct, then according to Pocket-lint Facebook may be close to acquiring the company behind the Opera web browser. Already available on mobile platforms in addition to desktop variants, Opera supposedly has 200 million users worldwide across all platforms.

The recent IPO of Facebook, chaotic as it was, certainly has given them enough cash to simply buyout the Norwegian developer. And with the recent misgivings on their business model, Facebook shareholders should be happy in that a browser could mean a lot more for Facebook, even if people are not browsing the website itself.

So far both Facebook Inc. and Opera Software ASA have refused to comment on the rumor, which could only mean that the deal may well go through within the coming weeks.

Once Facebook shares started tumbling down immediately after launch, many shareholders questioned the reason behind one of the most troubled IPO launches in history. The main reasons being pointed out are the technical glitches by NASDAQ themselves wherein Facebook shares could not be traded for some time on the day of launch. Then came the inflated price from a previous $28 to $34 per share to the actual launch price of $38. Last but not least, investors soon questioned the actual value of Facebook Inc. being $100 billion because of how poorly their current business profits from their massive user base.

Source: Bloomberg

Yesterday a class-action lawsuit was filed in the US District Court of Manhattan against Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Barclays Plc and Goldman Sachs Group for hiding ”a severe and pronounced reduction” in forecast revenue. Furthermore bank underwriters were told to ”materially lower” their forecasts for Facebook after a May 9th prospectus told investors that most of their user base is moving to mobile platforms, where they earn a very small revenue stream.

“The main underwriters in the middle of the road show reduced their estimates and didn’t tell everyone,” said Samuel Rudman, a partner at Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd, which brought the lawsuit on Wednesday. “I don’t think any investor in Facebook wouldn’t have wanted to know that information,” he told Reuters.

“If Facebook told analysts to materially lower their forecasts, it should have told the entire market,” said Antony Page, a professor at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. “We need to know what exactly was said to the analysts, and determine how different Facebook’s public story was from its private story.”

The handling of Facebook’s IPO is being looked into by the US Securities & Exchange Commission, the US Senate Banking Committee and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

Andrew Noyes, a Facebook spokesman, said: “We believe the lawsuit is without merit and will defend ourselves vigorously.”

Ina  recent report released by the Hay Group and Wall Street Journal, it was revealed that Apple’s current CEO, Tim Cook, is the highest paid CEO for financial year 2011. Wile his yearly salary remains a modest $0.90 per annum, he was given restricted stock options, 1 million shares in total, valued at $376.2 each at the time of his contract. In total the valuation of his full compensation for the year 2011 would be nearly $378 million!

However, there is a very strong caveat to this deal, in that he cannot sell half his shares until the year 2016, while the other half cannot be sold before 2012. That’s an unusually high nine year gap in total to see his compensation for 2011. Not such a bad thing all things considered, because currently his 1 million stock options is valued at $530 million.

“In its proxy statement, Apple said it viewed the shares as compensation for the next 10 years, and not solely for 2011,” wrote WSJ.

In a recent press release by Saudi Telecom, it was announced that the company has recently launched 68 new smartphones for the kingdom.  Each handset will be part of a ‘commitment contract’ which will allw customers to chose from various packages, focusing on talk time, messages and data services.

What has also come to light from the press release is the result of a recent study conducted by UN which reports that Saudi Arabia has the highest smartphone adoption rate in the world, at 188%.

Press Release

STC Group has crowned its relationship with its subscriber base – the largest in the Kingdom –by launching a new variety of choices of smartphones, thereby exposing them to the latest of what’s on offer in the world of technology, via smart packages which meet their personal demands and choices on both practical and purchasing power fronts.

A report issued by the United Nations (UNCTAD) positions Saudi Arabia as the number one worldwide in the use of mobile phones, with penetration levels reaching 188%. STC’s leadership in the smartphone category is embodied by its provision of a platform of exclusive and exceptional offers which have gained the satisfaction of both existing and potential subscribers, in equal measure, deepening their confidence in the integrated solutions offered by STC, and continuing its successful journey  in mobilizing its huge resources to achieve international partnerships with the largest and most famous smartphone manufacturers in the world, as well as attracting new partners to share in its success, locally, regionally and globally.

Your Smart Choice with STC… Always

STC’s design of smartphone packages is a ‘commitment contract’ which offers its subscribers smartphones of their choice, in addition to what each bundle offers exclusively, per segment, whether it be a number of call minutes, monthly internet data bundles, or other benefits which allow them to arrange their demands of services according to their daily schedules, either at work, while travelling or even studying.

STC has also offered a number of outstanding packages to their subscribers, including postpaid packages offering free smartphones or at discounted and attractive prices, while enjoying technical applications and call minutes, video, SMS, MMS as well as internet service.

STC’s offices and sales channels have become  non-stop ‘beehives’, devoting all efforts to gain customer satisfaction and instilling confidence in them for an easier life with modern technology, setting up 299 offices working on providing mobile electronic devices of broadband, as well as the latest smartphones from the 10 top companies worldwide (Blackberry, Motorola, Apple, Sony, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG, Huawei, Nokia and Acer), and through sixty-eight types of advanced devices  available at “STC” offices and outlets in the year 2012.

Smartphones currently represent 34% of the total devices on the STC network; with an increase of 200% in Android operating system devices. STC first deployed premium smartphones through the BlackBerry Porsche. The Group was also the first to launch the 4^th generation technology, with growing coverage throughout the Middle East and North Africa. STC was also exclusively the first in enable its subscribers to purchase from the Nokia OVI Store, and adding their purchases on to their monthly bill. In addition, it was the first to provide the Windows operating system in the Saudi market through HTC.

STC “Packages” Adapt to subscribers’ changing choices

STC’s unique flexible packages vary in subscription price as per the smartphone device type chosen by subscribers, thus determining the price of the smartphone for each package. Subscribers can select the appropriate device to enjoy a selection of integrated and economical offers to suit their own financial situation. Postpaid packages devices has one package only, and every subscriber can have five devices at a maximum, (for example; a subscriber who has 8 numbers is able to subscribe for only five devices and each of them with one package only).

STC is proud that it does not penalize subscribers who wish to migrate between postpaid packages (Easy, Easy Plus, Zero, Zero Plus) subscribed on the devices, as well as the monthly fees subscription selected. The company has enabled subscribers to monitor their bills and related services through the ‘My STC’ App for all smartphones.

As for after sales services, STC Group continues to provide exceptional services to its subscribers through its service centers located throughout of the Kingdom , operated in conjunction with international partners, offering round the clock and advanced technical and maintenance support.

On May 17th a lawsuit was filed in the San Jose Federal Court, California, against Facebook Inc. for a total sum of $15 billion. The damages are claimed by a combined case of 21 plaintiffs who claim that Facebook kept on tracking the internet usage even after logging off from the social networking site.

The U.S. Wiretap Act “provides statutory damages of the greater of $100 per violation per day, up to $10,000, per Facebook user,” according to the complaint. Facebook’s more than 800 million members are entitled to about $15 billion in total, according to the plaintiffs.

“This is not just a damages action, but a groundbreaking digital-privacy rights case that could have wide and significant legal and business implications,” David Straite, a partner at Stewarts Law, which represents some of the users, said in an e- mailed statement to Bloomberg.

A Facebook spokesman said that these “claims are without merit and the company will contest them.”

This isn’t the first time Facebook has been sued over privacy issues, and wherever this case goes it will be a landmark decision for online privacy.

Souq.com has a daily deals section that sends out a newsletter to it’s subscribers every morning highlighting some of the deals they have going on their website. At times, there are some pretty good deals that are almost impossible to secure due to limited availability of stock which I can live with. But it’s when they try and fool their potential customer is what ticks me off. Here is the screenshot for the email that was sent out today.

As you can see, they are selling the new iPad at a pretty decent price of AED 1,969. However, look at the retail price and discount level on that deal. As per souq.com, the retail price is AED 2,999 and you’re saving a whopping 35% making it a really good deal.

Now head over to http://www.apple.com/ae/ipad/, the site of a company called Apple that actually MAKES these tablets. And look the pricing on their website TODAY. It clearly states AED 1,999. Considering that Apple is the manufacturer of the iPad, I believe they are pretty much the authority when deciding what the the retail price of their product should be and they have chosen to list it at AED 1,999 and not 2,999 that souq.com is claiming to be the retail price. So although souq.com has a lower price, it is definitely NOT saving you 35% off the retail price. It’s actually less than 2% savings.

While I have highlighted souq.com in this particular example, sadly this is the state of many retailers across the UAE. They assume their customer is an idiot and try and take advantage of it. IMHO, that is definitely not the best way of growing a business. Folks, try and be honest- mention the fact that you are selling a product below the retail price and passing savings off to your customer. But don’t blatantly lie on what a fantastic deal you are offering.

The delay in the launch of Windows 8 has caused many tablet PC manufacturers to focus on Android 4.0 for the upcoming months. Currently OEMs are not worried about Windows 8 at all, given that it is scheduled to be released towards the end of the year. Additionally Microsoft’s recent announcement to invest $300 million into Barnes & Noble’s Nook has further “raised concerns” about how Microsoft will handle content for the OEMs.

“Since it still takes time to test related Windows 8-based products coupled with the current flat demand for tablet PCs, most vendors now deem that there is no urgent need to launch Windows 8-based tablets,” aid inside sources to DigiTimes. Since Windows 8 was delayed, “brand vendors are expected to launch Android 4.0-based table PCs for the upcoming buying spree in the second half of the year.”

Depending on how early Microsoft releases Windows 8 to tablet PC manufacturers, we could either see a huge marketing push behind Windows 8 based tablets at the end of the year, or see it overshadowed by Android and Apple tablets.

Gone is the 14 year supreme reign of Nokia in the mobile world, Samsung has the old king beat. With the announcement of their Q1 results, Samsung has shipped out 93.5 million phones in the previous three months, compared to 82.7 million from Nokia.

Of this shipment, 44.5 million were smartphones, which toppled Apple’s iPhone sales of 35.1 million. These two statistics combined makes Samsung the biggest phone and smartphone reseller in the world.

From these smartphone shipments, the Galaxy SII and Galaxy Note are the top sellers; the mobile division in total growing 86% year on year. Meanwhile their TV business grew by an insane 550%, raking in $9.4 billion.

While Sony and Nintendo are quite concerned about Apple taking a big chunk of the portable gaming market, I think they should be more worried on the non-portable side of gaming. Currently, the PS3 and Xbox 360 are enjoying a large base of hard core gamers but think about this for a second – what’s stopping Apple from entering and eating this market?

Let’s start with the hardware. The new iPad with its quad core GPU is already capable of powering a display that is even higher in resolution than a full HD display. So it is safe to say that that the next version of Apple’s SoC, the A6, will be a fairly capable piece of silicon that should be able to deliver at least the same quality of games that the 7 year old Xbox 360 and 6 year old PS3 currently do. Apple is already using a cut-down version of the A5 CPU on Apple TV so upgrading to a full A6 SoC on the next version of ATV won’t be much of an issue.

The next thing Apple needs is a gaming controller which they obviously don’t have at the moment. However, one of the articles from Anandtech suggested that Apple is indeed working on a gaming controller for iOS. While many people might start thinking in the direction of an iPad or iPhone, remember Apple TV is also based on iOS. Apple can easily utilize Bluetooth for pairing up the controller to Apple TV- maybe even use the latest low powered 4.0 standard already present on the iPhone 4S.

Last and certainly not the least, you need a gaming ecosystem. Guess what? You already have that in the form of App Store- much like Microsoft has Xbox Live and Sony has SEN. Games like Infinity Blade and Epoch are pushing non-casual gaming on the iOS further and further and with studios like EA and Ubisoft, Apple already has support from the gaming industry. In fact, there are rumors of Blizzard entering the iOS market; and then a supposed visit by Tim Cook to Valve adds fuel to the fire, even though Gabe Newell denied it.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who can see all the pieces of the puzzle coming together. At $99, the Apple TV is even more affordable than a $160 Nintendo Wii and becomes an impulse purchase. Games on the App Store are also much cheaper than their console counterparts- yes, I know they are cut-down or alternate versions but last-year devices can play games like Max Payne so imagine what next year’s silicon will bring?

So don’t be surprised if Apple repositions the Apple TV as not just a multi-media player but also a full blown system capable of playing games that are as good as the current-gen consoles games.