Microsoft expands buyback deal to goose sales of Surface, Windows phones

Microsoft has expanded a buyback program intended to boost sales of Windows smartphones and tablets, and will pay up to $350 for a wide variety of rival hardware powered by Apple's iOS and Google's Android.

Stephen Baker, an analyst at the NPD Group who specializes in retail, applauded the deal. "This is clearly a marketing ploy, [but] they usually prove to be good programs for getting people into stores," said Baker.

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The new program followed an earlier, more limited buyback deal that dealt only in Apple iPads. Customers can trade in a used iPad for a minimum of $200, with the funds placed on a gift card good for purchases at Microsoft's own retail stores.

Microsoft's expanded buyback accepts numerous rival devices, including smartphones and tablets running Android made by the likes of Samsung, Lenovo, and others; Apple iPhones and iPads; and even BlackBerry smartphones.

Customers receive quotes online from Clover Wireless -- one of the many "re-commerce" companies bidding for used hardware that they then refurbish and resell, mainly in developing markets outside the U.S. -- and then ship their hardware along with proof of purchase of a Windows phone or tablet. Assuming everything's approved, Clover returns a prepaid Visa card loaded with the payment amount.

The caveat: Customers must first buy a Windows smartphone or tablet.

"The Microsoft device must have been purchased within thirty days of the date you ship your old device," the program's FAQ states. The new purchase does not have to be a Surface RT or Surface RT tablet, but can be a third-party Windows-based phone from Nokia, HTC, Huawei, and Samsung; or a tablet made by Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba.

Clover Wireless' quotes for used hardware were in line with those generated by other cash-back rivals. Clover quoted $75 for a used 16GB iPhone 4 running on Verizon's network, while Gazelle and NextWorth -- two popular buyback vendors -- offered $75 and $65 for the same device on Thursday.

Some critics panned the expanded program -- and earlier, the original -- saying that Microsoft was essentially paying for new customers, or trying to.

"Of course they are," retorted Baker. "That's the whole point of marketing and advertising. Whether it's rebates or buybacks or lower prices or advertising, companies pay for new customers. That's how things work."

Nor are Microsoft's buyback programs a mark of desperation, an easy-to-conclude analysis because the Redmond, Wash. company has struggled to sell its Surface tablets since their introduction last October.

"Anyone who says that knows nothing about consumer marketing, knows nothing about how to drive traffic into stores," said Baker, rejecting the desperation thesis. "These are smart moves, not stupid moves. If you're not doing something to drive traffic, that's a stupid move.

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HTC tricks out some phones with Fetch and Mini+ accessories

HTC plans to sell a couple of new smartphone accessories: one for when you leave your phone alone, and another for when you forget to take it with you.

The HTC Fetch is a square-shaped fob, measuring about 1.15 inches on each side, with a button on the underside and a keychain strap on the end. Pair the Fetch to your phone via Bluetooth, and you can press the button to active the phone’s ringtone to find it—as long as it’s less than about 50 feet away.

HTC Fetch

The Fetch will also beep as it falls out of range from the phone, and if you leave both devices behind, you can look on a map to see where they were together last.

On the stranger side, there’s the HTC Mini+, which looks like a thinner version of yesteryear’s candybar-shaped cell phones.

And in a way, that’s what it is. The Mini+ pairs with a smartphone via Bluetooth, and lets you talk on your phone while the phone stays in a purse or on a table.

Using the Mini+ also frees your phone up for other things, like browsing the Web or checking email, without resorting to speakerphone.

It’s certainly a niche use, but the Mini+ has some other capabilities as well, including a laser pointer and an IR blaster for television controls. The Mini+ can also control PowerPoint presentations on larger screens when using HTC’s Media Link HD accessory.

HTC Mini+

The bad news is that the Fetch only works with HTC’s One Mini and Butterfly S phones, and the Mini+ only supports those phones plus the Desire 200 and Desire 500.

It’s unclear why HTC isn’t extending support to its past and current flagship phones, such as the HTC One X and HTC One.

There’s also no word on pricing or release dates for these two accessories.

In the meantime, the Cobra Tag provides similar phone-finding functionality for $60, and while there’s nothing quite as weird as the HTC Mini+ on the market, maybe that’s just as well.

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Study: 1-in-10 UK 5-year-olds have mobile phones

When they turn 5 years old, most children are just learning to tell time. However, kids may soon have to learn to master synchronizing Google Now’s reminder functionality with the Keep app. That’s because a tenth of all 5-year-olds are given mobile phones, at least according to a new UK study.

The study, conducted by uSwitch.com, found that 11 is the average age a British child receives their first mobile phone; however, a not-insignificant minority of 5-year-olds also are the proud owners of a mobile phone for the first time.

A direct comparison to US kids is a bit harder to suss out, as the kindergarten age group hasn’t been closely scrutinized by researchers. A 2012 study from AT&T found that 12 is the average age for American teens to get their first cell phone, while a 2011 study found 20 percent of third graders own a cell phone. Neither study focused on the pre-school/kindergarten set, though.

One reason to suspect that phones may be more ubiquitous in the hands of children across the pond it costs far less to own a smartphone in the UK than in just about anywhere else in the world. According to our survey, the cost of owning a smartphone over the course of two years in the UK is up to a grand cheaper than other major markets.

The study also found that the average UK child (or more likely, their parents) spend £11 ($17) a month on mobile costs and £125 ($195) on the handset, with 16 percent of teenagers having more expensive models than their parents.

While parents certainly enjoy the security of knowing that they can contact their children at any time, preschool may be the very minimum age of when it is developmentally correct for kids to get their first phone. Putting aside all questions regarding privacy, security, and bullying, kids 5 and younger learn better in an actual rather than virtual environment. According to a learning designer quoted on PBS’s parenting blog: “Children under two years of age learn best from real-world experiences and interactions, and each minute spent in front of a screen-based device when your child is not exploring the world using their senses.”

“Kids should get their first cell phones when starting middle school.” According to Dr. Kathleen Clarke-Pearson, a past member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ council on Communications & Media. As a mother, former Elementary School teacher, and current practicing pediatrician (not representing the AAP which has yet to issue a policy statement on the subject), she recommended via email that parents wait until after Elementary school. “That is a time when children will be establishing some increased independence from their parents and the cell phone is an excellent way to promote solid communication.”

“The parent(s) should have some good conversations with the child prior to securing the phone so the standards they are setting are fully understood by the child.  These include their expectation that the child is RESPONSIBLE and TRUSTWORTHY enough to use the cell phone wisely.”

If parents do decide to get a cell phone for their child, Dr. Clarke-Pearson recommends that “every night, the phone should be "parked" in a designated central room in the home so that the child can get appropriate sleep without the temptation to continue texting.” While parents will certainly desire the ability to get in touch with their kids at all time, Dr. Clarke-Pearson “strongly suggests that the child's initial phone is NOT a smart phone but a regular cell phone whose major purpose is communication with family and friends.”

[PhysOrg]

Editor's Note: Article updated at 11:53 a.m. PT to include a quote from Dr. Clarke-Pearson

Follow @TechHive on Twitter today.

Evan lives in Brooklyn, NY and enjoys writing about what future may hold and taking long romantic walks on the beach.
More by Evan Dashevsky

View the original article here

Study: 1-in-10 UK 5-year-olds have mobile phones

When they turn 5 years old, most children are just learning to tell time. However, kids may soon have to learn to master synchronizing Google Now’s reminder functionality with the Keep app. That’s because a tenth of all 5-year-olds are given mobile phones, at least according to a new UK study.

The study, conducted by uSwitch.com, found that 11 is the average age a British child receives their first mobile phone; however, a not-insignificant minority of 5-year-olds also are the proud owners of a mobile phone for the first time.

A direct comparison to US kids is a bit harder to suss out, as the kindergarten age group hasn’t been closely scrutinized by researchers. A 2012 study from AT&T found that 12 is the average age for American teens to get their first cell phone, while a 2011 study found 20 percent of third graders own a cell phone. Neither study focused on the pre-school/kindergarten set, though.

One reason to suspect that phones may be more ubiquitous in the hands of children across the pond it costs far less to own a smartphone in the UK than in just about anywhere else in the world. According to our survey, the cost of owning a smartphone over the course of two years in the UK is up to a grand cheaper than other major markets.

The study also found that the average UK child (or more likely, their parents) spend £11 ($17) a month on mobile costs and £125 ($195) on the handset, with 16 percent of teenagers having more expensive models than their parents.

While parents certainly enjoy the security of knowing that they can contact their children at any time, preschool may be the very minimum age of when it is developmentally correct for kids to get their first phone. Putting aside all questions regarding privacy, security, and bullying, kids 5 and younger learn better in an actual rather than virtual environment. According to a learning designer quoted on PBS’s parenting blog: “Children under two years of age learn best from real-world experiences and interactions, and each minute spent in front of a screen-based device when your child is not exploring the world using their senses.”

“Kids should get their first cell phones when starting middle school.” According to Dr. Kathleen Clarke-Pearson, a past member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ council on Communications & Media. As a mother, former Elementary School teacher, and current practicing pediatrician (not representing the AAP which has yet to issue a policy statement on the subject), she recommended via email that parents wait until after Elementary school. “That is a time when children will be establishing some increased independence from their parents and the cell phone is an excellent way to promote solid communication.”

“The parent(s) should have some good conversations with the child prior to securing the phone so the standards they are setting are fully understood by the child.  These include their expectation that the child is RESPONSIBLE and TRUSTWORTHY enough to use the cell phone wisely.”

If parents do decide to get a cell phone for their child, Dr. Clarke-Pearson recommends that “every night, the phone should be "parked" in a designated central room in the home so that the child can get appropriate sleep without the temptation to continue texting.” While parents will certainly desire the ability to get in touch with their kids at all time, Dr. Clarke-Pearson “strongly suggests that the child's initial phone is NOT a smart phone but a regular cell phone whose major purpose is communication with family and friends.”

[PhysOrg]

Editor's Note: Article updated at 11:53 a.m. PT to include a quote from Dr. Clarke-Pearson

Follow @TechHive on Twitter today.

Evan lives in Brooklyn, NY and enjoys writing about what future may hold and taking long romantic walks on the beach.
More by Evan Dashevsky

View the original article here

Microsoft releases Office Mobile for Android phones (tablets need not apply)

Microsoft Wednesday added Android to the list of mobile operating systems now supported by Office Mobile. But Office Mobile for Android only covers phones, not tablets, limiting its utility.

The Android version, Office Mobile for Android, is also arguably the weakest of the bunch, in terms of compatibility with Microsoft Office. Microsoft is still tacitly encouraging users to buy Windows Phones, which come preloaded and activated with Windows Mobile and don’t require an Office 365 subscription to use. The problem is, within the Android world, there are a number of other office solutions that provide very good direct competition to Microsoft’s offering.

MicrosoftHolding your phone vertically allows you to edit your PowerPoint slides.

Nevertheless, Office Mobile for Android is free and downloadable from the Google Play Store. The only requirement is that your phone must contain Android 4.0 or higher, and you must already have purchased Office 365.

In a break with Office Mobile for iPhone, Microsoft doesn’t even offer the option to purchase Office 365 from within the app; instead, users must sign up outside the application itself. And without Office 365, Office Mobile for Android is virtually useless.

“The release of this app shows that we’re committed to keep providing additional value for Office 365 subscribers,” said Guy Gilbert, a senior product manager of the Office apps for Microsoft, in a blog post.

Qualifying Office 365 plans include Office 365 Home Premium, Office 365 Small Business Premium, Office 365 Midsize Business, Office 365 Enterprise E3 and E4, Office 365 Education A3 and A4, Office 365 ProPlus, and Office 365 University.

There are also Office 365 government plans that include Office Mobile. Users can also visit Office.com and sign up for a free 30-day trial, Microsoft said.

While Microsoft eventually intends to make Office Mobile for Android available across 33 languages and in 117 markets, it’s only currently available for the United States. That will change over the next few weeks, Microsoft said.

Like Office Mobile for iPhone, the Android version comes with mobile versions of Excel, PowerPoint, and Word; Office Mobile for Windows Phone adds OneNote as well. So far, Android users don’t have access to the Outlook Web App app that Microsoft recently released for the iPhone, either.

MicrosoftOffice for Android users can create documents in Word or Excel.

Users can create new documents, edit those that they’ve already created, and save, load, or edit files saved to Microsoft’s SkyDrive or SkyDrive Pro—which on Tuesday received a few upgrades, as well.

But the ability to create files only applies to Word and Excel; for now, you can review your PowerPoint slides and edit them, but not create a presentation from scratch.

Users can also open a document via email. Office Mobile includes a couple of handy features designed for the phone;

The software knows what documents you’ve recently accessed on your PC, and those are the first options presented when you choose to open a saved file.

A feature that Microsoft calls Rapid Resume also works like Amazon’s Kindle, ‘fast-forwarding” you to the portion of the document last viewed on your PC.

An “outline view” in Excel and Word allow you to quickly navigate through the document, and both apps allow annotations as well.

Within the three supported apps, Microsoft has made efforts to make editing a snap; in Word (shown at top of story), for example, tapping the pencil brings up the most common editing functions. Excel allows you to filter and sort data and create charts, using the local processor to calculate data.

Within PowerPoint, users can review slides and edit speaker notes, move and hide slides, and make text edits directly from the phone. Holding the phone in a portrait orientation allows edits to be made and includes a quick navigation bar; a landscape orientation serves as presentation mode.

MicrosoftOffice Mobile for Android, displaying an Excel worksheet.

In general, Office Mobile for Android and Office Mobile for iPhone should function quite similarly, with two exceptions: Android users can not sign up for Office 365 within the app itself, and Android users may need to fully qualify documents that are accessed via an on-premise SharePoint server.

To date, however, Microsoft has been keenly cognizant that productivity apps are the foundation of the Windows platform, and users who purchase a Windows Phone will have these benefits:

Office Mobile will be preinstalled and activated;users will be able to save documents to the phone itself, as well as SkyDrive or email;WP users will be able to filter and search for documents;Users can also easily open documents with permissions attached to them.

Office 365 includes a license of up to five mobile devices—but Windows Phones don’t count against that limit.

The biggest annoyance, however, is that—like the iPad—tablets aren’t supported in either Office Mobile for the iPhone or the Android version, either. Those trying to hunt and peck at keys in the back of a jouncing taxi are likely to grit their teeth and muddle through; by doing so, however, Microsoft is tacitly encouraging customers in the direction of a Surface tablet—now at a new low, low, price—or even a full-fledged Windows 8 PC. (“Phablets” like the Samsung Galaxy Note II should still be supported, however.)

“If you have an iPad or Android tablet, we recommend using the Office Web Apps, which provide the best Office experience on a tablet,” a spokeswoman for Microsoft said via email. “We have made lots of enhancements to Office Web Apps including a touch experience for tablet users.”

QuickOffice Pro provides one tablet-friendly alternative to Office Mobile for Android.

Microsoft also has native apps for OneNote, Lync, and SharePoint, in addition to supporting Exchange Active Sync for email, calendar and contacts, she said.

”I’m not sure how many people are going to want to do a lot of Office work on a phone,” Michael Silver, an analyst at Gartner, said recently. “A tablet’s going to be a lot more important.”

Of course, there’s no reason that users have to live in the world that Microsoft has created. Plenty of Android office apps allow document creation or editing, both on a phone or tablet: Google Drive, of course, allows for Google’s own documents to be created; and Google’s own QuickOffice, Documents to Go, and OfficeSuite Pro 7 are all arguably as good or better choices than Microsoft’s offerings.

In one way, editing or creating an Office document on a mobile phone is counter-intuitive; too many people still append some sort of signature file on a mobile phone to explain away any typos or shorthand.

Within a business document, however, typos simply shouldn’t appear. Office Mobile can certainly stand in to enable last-minute changes while on the go, but they shouldn’t be considered as serious tools for document creation. And that’s exactly how Microsoft appears to want it.

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