Windows Phone + more news

4 minutes estimated reading time

No New Windows Phone Models on Tap for BarcelonaNokia It’s shaping up to be a rough Mobile World Congress for Microsoft, with little new expected on either the hardware or software front for Windows Phone – not necessarily that rough, the handsets could be lost in the noise. No new Windows Phone models would also be a sign that the licensing programme has failed and there isn’t a space for a third operating system. If that’s the case Microsoft will need to pivot its Windows Phone strategy from an operating system locus to an app and services locus – probably focused on the enterprise

Business

Private-Equity Funds Bet $5 Billion on Shipping Rebound – Bloomberg – and so betting on increased world trade / consumption

Big blues at IBM India | EE Times – part of 15,000 layoffs worldwide. If you want to know the why read Bob Cringely’s pieces on IBM

Consumer behaviour

My contemptible device – I had a similar journey with tablets to Anthony’s

Indian women adopt western clothes | WARC News – The market for western-style women’s wear could grow by as much as 50% in India, representatives from the domestic clothing industry have suggested

Culture

Fear of a White Genre – concerns that white people will destroy hip-hop

Design

Ikea Couches With Added Bling Boost Furniture Startups – Bloomberg

Economics

China and Schumpeter’s “Creative Destruction” | BloombergBusinessWeek

China denies export data was inflatedThe Ministry of Commerce has dismissed speculation that China’s suprisingly strong export data in January was inflated. Exports jumped 10.6 percent year on year — more than double the 4.3 percent growth in December

Finance

Investors are losing interest in complex tax-avoidance structures | Quartz

FMCG

Birds Eye launches Mashtags potato shapes – as if you needed to see more evidence that social media is now a hygiene factor

When nicotine tastes like candy and is sold online, of course kids will buy it | Quartz – Electronic cigarettes are a good alternative for those unable to cut out nicotine, but fears are mounting that they could also represent a gateway vice for kids who might never have smoked in the first place

Hong Kong

Extravagant events ‘not enough’ to keep the Hong Kong showbiz industry’s star shining – A decade of government extravagance in promoting show business has done little to sustain the local entertainment scene, which may benefit more from long-term policies instead, industry veterans say. (paywall)

Ideas

Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling | Co.Create – burn these into the PR programme

Japan

Despite the occasional splurge on fancy sauce, Japanese consumers aren’t spending enough to save Abenomics | Quartz

Abe put Japan on back foot in global PR war with China | The Japan Times

Innovation

Design Engineers Take On Component Police | EE Times

Depth-Sensing Image Sensor Array Touted for Smartphones | EE Times – could open whole new contactless ways of interacting with the smartphone

Legal

Samsung is very sensitive about being called a copycatAfter getting thumped by Apple for alleged patent infringement, Samsung has become more determined than ever to shed its copycat image. That’s why Samsung has now filed a countersuit against British manufacturer Dyson for allegedly “hurting Samsung’s corporate image” – I guess the truth hurts, as a PR strategy this is sure to bite Samsung on the arse

Luxury

Diversification Key to the Future of LVMH | Euromonitor

Hurun Report Chinese luxury survey – Secrets to Luxury Life of Chinese Multimillionaires Revealed | ChineseInternetWatch

Marketing

Emerging Markets Hold the Key for Further Success in Toys and Games – Euromonitor International

Behaviour Change Strategy Cards – interesting ideas for campaigns

The New Facebook Engagement Models by The Marketing Arm – (PDF) via Digital Orange

Media

TV still king in UK | WARC News – The vast majority (98.5%) of British TV viewers continue to prefer watching programmes via a TV set even though the proportion using non-TV set devices increased slightly in 2013

Meet The Woman Behind One Of Facebook’s Fastest-Growing And Most Lucrative New Businesses | BuzzFeed

Retailing

Retail trends to watch in SEA | TelecomAsia

Software

Android Contract Raises Questions | EE Times – not terribly surprised by this, explains the commoditisation of the handset market quite eloquently though

Google wants to do away with Android fragmentation once and for all | BGR – it really needs to sort out hardware manufacturer relations in China which are abysmal

Web of no web

Google Glass Will Be a Huge Success—Unless People Find It Creepy | MIT Technology Review – kind of the reverse of William Gibson‘s quote about ‘street finding it’s own use for things

UK mobile ops Weve loyalty into a Pouch – using iBeacon protocol

Dissecting Disney’s MagicBand | EE Times – passive short range RFID and active longer range RFID with built in battery and transmitter

Wireless

No proof of cancer risk from mobiles: study – An 11-year medical study has found no link between mobile use or proximity to base stations and and increased cancer risk

EU puts number of non-roamers at 300 million

Gee, We Meant Superfast Wireless – Bloomberg – EE brand fail, their network is pretty pants as well