Apple Buys Data Compression Startup AlgoTrim

Swedish news agency Rapidus reports (viaTechCrunch) that Apple has acquired AlgoTrim for an undisclosed sum.

Apple has already reportedly acquired 6 start-ups in this year. AlgoTrim is the number 7. Apple has not given any comments till now about this acquisition.

AlgoTrim is a software firm that develops advanced solutions for mobile devices to maximize their performance in the area of data compression, mobile imaging, video, and computer graphics. As depicted by its name, firm develops such compression algorithms that use less bandwidth, power and memory and faster image processing specially JPEG ones.

AlgoTrim mostly use faster codec solutions in its mobile softwares that are best in the market. Apple has already acquired another Swedish face recognition firm, Polar Rose and 3D mapping company, C3.   

But it’s not hard to think of benefits of AlgoTrim’s technology for a company like Apple. Squeezing the file size of software updates could be a big plus for Apple, whose App Store must constantly issue numerous updates to countless apps. And any technology built into iOS that could render images on the screen faster would be a boon for any app that shows graphics — which is to say almost any app ever written.

Last year, AlgoTrim reported a revenue of 3.0 million USD, with an net income before taxes of EUR -1.1 million.  Until now, AloTrim has been focused mostly on Android development.

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Samsung launches 7-inch Galaxy Tab 3 Kids edition

Samsung has announced Samsung GALAXY Tab 3 Kids, a tablet specifically designed for children. Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids will come preloaded with educational and fun apps for kids and an all new Kid’s Store. 

“It’s no secret that kids are using technology more than ever before,” said JK Shin, CEO and Head of IT & Mobile Communication at Samsung Electronics. “We saw an opportunity to create a device just for kids that provides them with an intuitive, fun and kid-friendly user experience filled with rich, interactive and educational content that parents will love.”

The tablet has a 7-inch screen with 1024×600 pixel resolution and runs on a 1.2GHz dual-core processor. It has 1 GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage expandable up to 32 GB. The tablet has a dual cameras, the camera in the front is 1.3 MP and the back is 3 MP. Tab 3 Kids runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and has a 4,000mAh battery.

Galaxy Tab 3 Kids includes a Time Management feature that will allow parents to set specific time period for use, once the set period is up, a password protected lock screen will appear, requiring a parent or an adult to enter the password to unlock the device. This tool is aimed at restricting the time children spend on the device. The device is available in yellow color and weighs 302 grams.

The tablet also has a kids case featuring a child-friendly grip and multiple stand options. The case also comes equipped with an easy-to-grip C Pen. Pricing is not available yet. The specs of this device may not mean anything to a kid, but can be useful for the buyers before they gift it to the naughty ones. This seems like a good initiative from Samsung.

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