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The technology announcements at CES 2012 will be groundbreaking. Get a sneak preview here of what to expect in the world of

mobile connectivity for the New Year

An Independent supplement by medIAplAnet to usA todAy

safeguarding your deviceHow to ensure your sensitive data is secure

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January 2012

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chAllengesOne of the biggest challenges for manufactures is how to develop that subtle change that will forever change the way consumers interact with technology.

experience the future now

beginning Wednes-day January 10th, the Consumer Electronics Asso-ciation will host the Consumer Electronics Show

in Las Vegas. CES is the tech event of the year—a 3-day extravaganza where 140,000 attendees will mill about with major exhibi-tors to catch a glimpse of what the future holds for all things electronic. Key note speakers include the brightest minds in the field, exhibitors range from startups and universities to major manufacturers alike. Media-planet sat with Shawn DuBravac, Chief Economist and Director of Research for CEA, to get a sneak peek into what we can expect for 2012.■ What’s hot at Ces?E-Readers and tablets were a major force in 2011 and will continue to be so in 2012. 100+ tablets were released in 2011 and we’ll see a variety of new launches in 2012. Many manu-facturers will be pushing out

attractively priced Android 4.0 devices. ■ Do you see any major changes from 2011 to 2012 in the tablet market?You’ll see operating systems get stronger. We’ll see more manu-facturers focusing on use-case scenario as opposed to last year where manufacturers put out tab-lets to see how they were received. This year we’ll see the use-case scenarios be better defined. ■ as far as mobile devices go, how would you classify 2012?2012 is the year of the interface. I think you’ll see a major focus on that- on how the interface works. SmartTV’s (televisions that con-nect to the internet) will continue to be the story of the show. It’s no longer just the fact that they can connect to the internet; it’s more

about what the interface and usability are like.

Universal search is big—a search that will let you search across devices. Right now you can search on Netflix, or Hulu, and that’s all very easy, but it’s difficult to do one pointed search across shows you have stored on your DVR, what’s on Netflix, Hulu, etc., without going to each of those individually. We’ll see that start to change.■ What emergences will we see in the smartphone category?Voice will start to play a larger role—you’ve already seen IPhone 4s use the Siri, and Android will definitely move that direction.

Also, more and more we’ll see smartphones begin to power other things. You might see smartphones docked into other devices—your car, for example Ford Sync, or even laptop like loading devices that can turn your phone into a PC. ■ What is happening in the world of notebooks?I think we’ll see between 30 and 50

ultrabooks (super thin and light notebooks) launched at CES. Man-ufacturers are scaling speed and weight: they boot faster, they’re much lighter. For notebooks these days, it’s not about power; it’ll be connectivity, weight, usability.■ What are Manufacturers attempting to scale in 2012?When we say something “scales well,” what we mean is that a device takes advantage of or alters one particular feature so that it provides an entirely new experience for the user. Early on when tablets first launched, people suggested they wouldn’t do well. People thought that the iPad was just a large iPhone. What they failed to recognize, though, was that it scaled one important feature: screen size. When you see new devices launched at CES, the thing peo-ple tend to do is dismiss them because they’re not different enough. These nuances often make the most impactful and immediate changes.

Steve Fontana

editorial@mediplanet.com

Connected homethe ‘Internet of things’ is real, it’s here, and it’s easier than ever to use

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AdvAncements in mobile technology, 5th edition, JAnuAry 2011

publisher: ian silbertian.silbert@mediaplanet.combusiness Developer: Paul herronpaul.herron@mediaplanet.com Designer: Ariela Anelliariela.anelli@mediaplanet.comManaging Director: eric Alexandereric.alexander@mediaplanet.comeditorial Manager: luciana colapintoluciana.colapinto@mediaplanet.com

Contributors: tom Puorro, mark casavant, Anne-marie rouse, shawn dubravac, steve Fontana, milton goldman, brooke Firethorn

Distributed within: usA today, January 2012this section was created by mediaplanet and did not involve usA today or its editorial departments.

mediaplanet’s business is to create new customers for our advertisers by providing readers with high quality editorial content that motivates them to act.

FolloW us on FAcebook & tWitter! facebook.com/Mediaplanetusatwitter.com/Mediaplanetusa

shawn Dubravacsr. economist and director of research for con-sumer electronics Association (ceA) looks towards the future of mobile devices

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newsQuestion: How have smartphones and tablets changed the home automation landscape?answer: These days, we’re now able to control our homes’ utilities—saving us money and affording us peace of mind—from anywhere in the world.

connected home: the ‘internet of things’ is reallock your doors, flip the lights, and turn off the water, all with your smart-phone. once a figment of scientists’ imagination back at the 1934 World fair in Chicago, home automation is now here and it provides benefits you could’ve never anticipated possible.

As the development of the smartphone continues to advance at unprecedented levels, it walks hand in hand with home automation. Home automation provides a remote interface to home appliances or the automation system itself, via telephone line, wireless transmission or the internet, and provides control and moni-toring via smartphone. Elec-tronics in the home are able to send signals to smartphones that were never possible with offline remote controls. As opposed to traditional remotes, smartphones are unique to their user and can be accessed outside of the house.

The most common integra-tion of automation in Ameri-can homes is that of alarm systems. Groups like ADT and Alarm.com have created sys-tems in which rooms are able to detect when someone is in

the home that isn’t supposed to be there and is able to call the homeowner, neighbors, or an emergency number. Also, these devices allows users to know when someone is sup-posed to be there—for exam-ple the peace of mind that your children have returned home from school at their scheduled time.

Home automation systems can range from something as simple as programming your schedule and the lights turn-ing on before you enter the house to advanced installa-tions where your smartphone can set temperatures, appro-priate lighting, music volume, and television channels based on date and time.

energy savingsBesides the obvious convenience that is a byproduct of this technol-ogy, home automation provides a much-needed step in the energy saving journey. Installations can regulate devices and electron-ics when residents are out of the home and can even maintain an inventory of products and their usage.

Not only does this provide an easy option for Americans to “go green,” it’s also known to provide increased quality of

life for people who might oth-erwise require caregivers or institutional care. These spe-cific technologies are known as “assistive domotics.” Assistive domotics provide elderly and disabled residents with many different types of emergency assistance systems, security features, fall prevention, auto-mated timers, and alerts. Fam-ily members, who are available

at a moment’s notice through the notification system, can monitor these installations.

a long way since the world fair Microsoft Corporation’s C.E.O. Steve Ballmer once said, “The number one benefit of technology is that it empowers people to do what they want to do. It lets people be creative. It lets people be pro-

ductive. It lets people learn things they didn’t think they could learn before, and so in a sense it is all about potential.” Home automa-tion coupled with smartphones allow its users to create, produce, and use a home that was once only imagined at the World Fair.

Brooke Firethorn

editorial@mediplanet.com

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birTh of auToMaTionThe birth of home automation began in 1983, but with the advent of smartphones, we’re now able to connect from anywhere.Photo: istockPhoto.com

JAnuAry 2012 · 5An Independent supplement by medIAplAnet to usA todAy

it’s made it easier! No matter where I am I can find the nearest retail store, res-taurant or movie theater, in seconds. I can stay connected with family and friends 24/7. With built-in cameras, I can capture precious moments on the fly and share them instantly. I can even turn my security system on or off, adjust the lighting or tem-perature in my home and check on the kids.

Question 1:In what ways has your mobile device improved your personal life?

Question 2:What does the future hold for mobile technology?

anne-Marie rousedirector of interactive services for Adt

Dr. henry yu linchairman & ceo, netQin mobile

Mark CasavantsvP of global Product development for klipsch

nowadays, mobile apps and tools allow me to catch up with friends with the click of a button, see what family members are up to, and instantly learn what’s going on in the world around me. These mobile capa-bilities have enriched my personal life in so many ways, and have made it easier to stay in close touch with those important to me.

Music is a huge part of my life, and these days I don’t have to compromise my music library or the quality of sound, just because I’m on the go. Simultaneously, apps have opened new doors for me to maintain spontaneity and control while on the go—I love being able to stay connected with my family this way.

users will depend more and more on these devices and they will evolve to fill the bill. With that, more and more per-sonal information will be stored on mobile devices which may increase privacy con-cerns and the need for enhanced secu-rity such as biometrics or voice-activated security.

as more people use smartphones to con-nect to the Internet, their bank accounts, and social networking sites, cyber criminals will increasingly use malware, spyware, and other techniques for malicious and marketing purposes. If people take the necessary precau-tions, such as downloading mobile security, they can safely enjoy the things they do on their phones.

it’ll be interesting to see how certain trends play out between mobile devices and the music industry. One thing is for sure: mobile devices will be at the crux of com-munication and entertainment, and we’ll continue to see smartphones and tablets bridging the dwindling gap between home and mobile media venues.

insight

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news

Current new age mobile devices have opened an entire world of opportunity for users—not only can we check email, listen to music and browse the web wherever we are, but with 1.5 million downloadable apps and counting, we can do everything from trans-late foreign languages to scan receipts for expense reports. however, as we make the shift from feature phones to mini-computers, there are some risks to be aware of.

Like computers, smartphones col-lect and store a wealth of personal

data. “As more and more users adopt the use of smartphones and rely on them as their premier comput-ing device,” Chris Stier, Managing Director for data security pro-vider NQ Mobile explains, “there obviously becomes an increased amount of data and information that we’re walking around with. We’re shopping and banking with our devices, sharing business presentations and documents, exchanging private emails and SMS text messages, uploading photos, downloading apps, and all of this information is being stored in your pocket. Whereas PCs were once a target of hackers, the shift to smarp-thones and tablets is creating a new target for hackers.”

Cause for concern Threats like malware, hacking and spamming have always existed for traditional PCs, but a smart-phone attack can be even more damaging,” cautions Stier. “You likely have personal and business information stored on it, personal conversations and messages that can be recorded and your location can be also tracked.”

The other, and perhaps more likely, cause for concern falls within the robust mobile applica-tion market. Some 40,000 mobile apps contain malware. Hack-ers will either create their own applications or can potentially attach malware to a preexisting legitimate app attracting users

to download them, making safe and trusted downloads more dif-ficult to discern.

Oftentimes, these attacks go unnoticed as large sums of money are not frequently targeted. More commonly what is seen are minor but unauthorized charges in one’s monthly phone bill—two dollars here, three dollars there—that can easily go undetected.

Take actionThere are a few basic steps you can take to protect your device and your information. The first thing you can do is sign up for a data security plan. There are many great providers on the market and plans are typically free for trial,

though we recommend the upgrade, providing inexpen-sive and low maintenance data security. With a good provider, you won’t have to worry about anything.

The second step is to lock your device with a password that isn’t easy to predict (no birthdays, “1111,” etc.).

Finally, be vigilant with your monthly statements—both phone bills and banking transactions. If you see unauthorized app or SMS fees, be sure to contact your service provider immediately.

Milton GoldMan

editorial@mediplanet.com

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