On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

Fresh reports emerge on what Amazon is apparently working on these days-- new Amazon smartphone rumours and Kindle Fire upgrade, the better to take on both Google and Apple with.

The latest Amazon smartphone report comes from Bloomberg. According to "people with knowledge of the matter" Foxconn is making the device while Amazon keeps itself busy buying wireless technology patents.

Amazon even has new help with the patents acquisition-- Matt Gordon, former senior director of acquisitions at Intellectual Ventures Management, the company founded by ex-Microsoft CTO Nathan Myhrvold and owner of over 35000 patents.

Patents make for valuable ammunition in the legal wars surrounding the smartphone market. Amazon was already involved in 20 patent-related cases in 2011 and 5 more in 2012.

Meanwhile AllThingsD has news on the second Kindle Fire-- it will launch in Q3 2012, is "thinner and lighter" and has a built-in camera and a higher resolution (1280 x 800) display.

As a positive buzz surrounds Google's Nexus 7 and Apple supposedly develops its take on the lower-end tablet, Amazon has to work harder than ever to retain its (shrinking) tablet share.

Go Amazon Said to Play Smartphone (Bloomberg)

Go Amazon's Next Kindle Fire Will Ship in Q3 (AllThingsD)

ABI Research forecasts global OEM connected car system penetration will grow from 11.4% in 2012 to 60.1% in 2017 due to strong increases in telematics penetration in new vehicles.

W. Europe will lead the way with penetration exceeding 80% by 2017, while developing regions such as E. Europe will also see strong increases due to mandates in Russia.

“In-car connectivity is quickly transforming the automotive industry, enabling passive and active safety and security and offering infotainment and connected lifestyle services to consumers but also enabling new car ownership, usage, and experience modes such as car sharing, (semi)-autonomous driving, dynamic demand-response electric vehicle charging pricing, and customer and vehicle relationship management services including prognostics and preventive maintenance,” ABI says.

However the automotive industry faces 2 main issues when it comes to connected car systems-- cost and lack of awareness.

Go ABI Research Connected Car Report

SpeakerCraft aims to improve your customers' TV audio with the Protegé-- a single-box TV speaker packing loudspeakers, subwoofers, DSP technology and Bluetooth support.

It carries two 5.25-inch woofers (inside a tuned enclosure), four 2.5-inch midranges and two 1-inch soft dome tweeters. A 60W power supply feeds all components, and custom DSP electronics improve male and female vocals, increase higher listening levels and deepen bass.

An on-board limiter protects the woofer driver from getting over-powered while maintaining clean and undistorted sound, even at high output levels.

Bluetooth support allows users to connect mobile devices for the streaming of web-based or stored music.

The Protegé sits beneath TV sets and works with TVs that are both wall mounted or on stands. It should be available from Q3 2012.

Go SpeakerCraft

Are humble soap bubbles key for the ultra-thin displays of the future? Scientists from the University of Tokyo and Carnegie Mellon University say so,  following their developments in bubble-based "colloidal displays."

A "colloidal display" consists of the surface of a soapy bubble (or "membrane screen"), over which a projector beams images. In this case the bubble is made out a complex colloid solution, and is far stronger than anything from your bubble bath or dish washer.

Since the surface of a soap bubble is a "micro membrane," it is both transparent and reflective. The researchers use ultrasonic vibrations to control the membrane screen, changing its transparency and reflective surface properties. Images are then beamed on the micromembrane using a regular projector.

One can also combine multiple membranes for dimensional effects.

"The combination of ultrasonic waves and ultra-thin membranes makes more realistic, distinctive, and vivid images on screen. This system contributes to a new path for display engineering with sharp images, transparency, BRDF (bidirectional reflectance distribution function), and flexibility," lead researcher Yoichi Ochiai says.

The micro membrane screen is flexible and displays both 2D and 3D images. The researchers claim it makes the thinnest transparent display available.

Of course the technology is still at its very early days, but is already patent pending.

Watch Colloidal Display Overview

Go Colloidal Display