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  • Nokia to Launch Windows Phone 8 Smartphone

    Nokia used to be dominant in the smartphone market share, but the arrival of iPhone has dropped their sales significantly. The company seems to insist in releasing Windows Phone handsets and that is why they are about to release Windows Phone 8 smartphone.

    Nokia realized that Symbian cannot compete with iOS and Android, so they decided to cooperate with Microsoft and launch Windows Phone handsets. Lumia 900 was quite a success, selling 4 million units during the Q2. Many customers turned to Nokia one more time, finding an alternative to iPhone, at a much lower price. However, the upcoming release of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 from Microsoft has become a problem for Nokia. They decided to drop the price of Lumia 900 by 50$, but the fact that those who bought it were informed that they wouldn't be able to upgrade to Windows Phone 8, was rather disappointing. Hence, they seem to be preparing for the release of new smartphones, coming along with Windows Phone 8 and trying to save the game.

    Windows Phone 7, which became Windows Phone 7.5, has received good reviews and although it is still a new operating system, it has the potential to be competitive the next few years. Nokia believes that they can boost their sales with the support of Microsoft and they stick to Windows Phone handsets. During September we are expecting the announcement of the new smartphones and by the end of the year they will be available in the market.

    However, with the release of the highly anticipated new iPhone, is this a good time for a new smartphone? Actually, it might be. Not everyone can afford an iPhone and if Nokia can provide them with another good smartphone, why not buy it?

  • Box Raises $125 Million in Additional Capital

    There are many quality cloud storage companies out there, but Box has managed to distinguish itself by leaving private consumers alone and instead zeroing in on the business community. That small difference has led to a large amount of funding, but Box isn’t resting on its laurels. In order to take their business where they want it to go, Box is still looking for cash, and has been very successful in their search. Box recently announced a $125 million additional funding raise, bringing the total company valuation up to $1.33 billion.

    Several companies were involved in this latest fundraise, including Social+Capital Partnership, but it was General Atlantic that led the way. According to available data, this latest round of capital means Box has just about doubled in value, all during the last nine months. Back in the fall of 2011, Box was valued at $650 million.

    PrivCo, the research firm that released Box’s financial data, praised this latest move. Their CEO, Sam Hamadeh declared it proves that companies that have a strong model for revenue are still able to raise private capital at this scale, even during our economic recession.

    The Box board of directors will shift a bit now. Gary Reiner, one of General Atlantic’s investment partners and the former CIO of GE will join the board. And with their coffers full, Box will focus on building for the future. That means new technology, expansion into more regions of the world, and the capability to manage even larger corporate partners.

    According to Box CEO and co-founder Aaron Levie, the company is at the forefront of a software revolution. He envisions a time when every company in the world has balanced access to mobile technology, social media and cloud computing in order to keep pace with the direction of business.

  • Samsung Breaks the Shipping Record on Smartphones

    Samsung seems to enjoy its latest success on smartphones, with the numbers of the second quarter being more than satisfactory.

    As it seems, Samsung is finally a real competitor for Apple, with their recently popular Galaxy series selling even more than what they expected. According to Strategy Analytics, Samsung shipped in the second quarter 50.5 million smartphones, which is a new record in the shipments of smartphones. Meanwhile, Apple sold only half of Samsung's numbers, with just 26 million units. These recent stats indicate that Samsung holds the 35% of the global market in the second quarter, while Apple is behind, with the 18% of the market.

    What's more, Samsung had a 5.86$ billion profit, which is 79% more than the one they had just a year ago. Of course, Galaxy S has affected a lot the sales, since there are many customers that are preferring it over the anticipation of a new iPhone. As it seems, it is the only smartphone that can really compete with iPhone and Samsung seems to enjoy this privilege. However, how long is this heyday going to last?
    According to Neil Shah, Strategy Analytics analyst:

    “We believe Apple’s lackluster performance was driven by some Apple fans and operators holding off iPhone purchases in anticipation of a rumored new iPhone 5 model around September or October this year.”

    It cannot be denied that an Apple fan is on hold for the arrival of iPhone 5, but how will Apple react to the competition?

    Nobody can tell yet. For the time being, Samsung can celebrate on their quarterly victory. As for Apple, they are waiting for the next crucial quarter. 

  • Facebook smartphone denied by Zuckerberg

    There were many rumors the last months about a possible release of a Facebook smartphone in the near future. We even heard of its specifications. However, they do not seem to be realistic anymore.

    According to Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, "it wouldn't really make much sense" for such a move and the possibility of creating their own smartphone. This means that all the rumors all these months about a Facebook smartphone, its possible design and its specifications were nothing more than rumors, with no credibility at all. There was even a rumor about Facebook collaborating with HTC and employing engineers to build hardware, but Mark Zuckerberg was quite clear.

    Was he? Some Facebook "experts" believe that he might be hiding his plans, in order to surprise them all at a future announcement. Not many CEOs like to provide details about their plans and this might be another case of it. Even though they might not expect to release a Facebook smartphone right now, how can we be sure that they won't do it in the future?

    It is obvious that Facebook focuses a lot on mobile market lately, especially after the acquisition of Instagram for 1$ billion. This meant that they try to be part of the profitable mobile industry and the possibility of having their own smartphone to combat the others, and not just an application, might not be a bad idea. Of course the competition would be high and they already risked a lot with their IPO, but do such companies act with cautiousness?

  • UK's Rural Communities About to Experience Upgraded VoIP

    VoIP has become a prevalent digital solution in most parts of the world, offering quality phone service with the inexpensive convenience of the internet. But business owners in rural communities have not enjoyed the service as much as their urban counterparts. Well it seems like progress is being made, and soon more rural customers will enjoy VoIP service.

    The question was posed to Trefor Davies, a member of the Internet Services Providers’ Association UK, why is VoIP service in rural areas so complicated? He acknowledged that the issue is an incredibly important one, but as of now only about 66% of the populace can access the speedy broadband service necessary for quality VoIP connections.

    VoIP-List.com: extensive catalog of voip providers, available software and hardware resources

    Parliament is working hard to rectify the situation, which as with most other issues comes down to funding. But according to Davies, leading VoIP provider BT feels they can bring 90% of the country into the broadband fold, given enough resources. Their aim is to make that goal by the end of the current parliamentary period.

    Their hope is that those 90% of residences would have broadband service at speeds of 25 Mbps or better. The other 10% of people will continue to have spotty service, until more of the country’s infrastructure is invested in improving broadband.

    It’s a governmental issue, as VoIP is merely an update on traditional phone service, and will need to be accessible to the masses to take the next step. The sooner the private sector and the governmental funding bodies can get on the same page, the better for the country’s businesses, especially those operating well outside the major population centers.

  • iPhone 5 to have short battery life?

    New rumors about iPhone 5 are spreading all over the internet and they refer to its possible short battery life. It is well known from the previous iPhones that battery drains easily, due to the heavy use. However, every year there is an optimism before the release of the new iPhone that battery life will be extended. And although developers try hard to satisfy the customers, multitasking always creates a longer need for battery's use.

    According to 9to5Mac, the iPhone 5 battery won't differ a lot from the one the iPhone 4 had, which might disappoint Apple's fans. Battery is rumored to be with a capacity of 1440 mAh, while the iPhone 4S had a capacity of 130 mAh.

    What's more, the fact that iPhone 5 will have a larger screen and LTE capability, means that battery life might be indeed shorter than what we were hoping. This can be guessed even without the rumors, as it happens with every new smartphone. Unfortunately, the fact that the smartphones are nowadays for various uses, makes them have their batteries draining every day, with the need of an extra battery increasing.

    Until the market finds a way to increase significantly the battery life of the smartphone, we have to deal with the current battery and focus on all the other features that iPhone 5 will have. There are so many advantages anyway that we don't have to be disappointed yet. At least, not without actually using it. Wait until September 12 then!

  • IRS Hires Unisys for Cloud Storage Services

    According to a recent press release from international IT company Unisys, it will begin working with the Internal Revenue Service to provide completely private cloud storage. Under the Enterprise Storage Acquisition task order, Unisys will manage all of the IRS’ records.

    Unisys won the contract, and will keep it for at least a year. After the initial year, they will have nine more one-year options. The contract, if it runs for the entire discussed decade, could net the Pennsylvania company $139 million. Each year of service is priced differently, based on an internal analysis the IRS ran estimating their required storage.

    According to Ted Davies, the president of the company’s Federal Systems division, deals like this could become more commonplace. Even the Internal Revenue Service is operating under significant budget restrictions, and outsourcing their cloud storage needs to partner companies is simply more cost effective.

    As the contract begins, Unisys will take on all of the storage assets that the IRS currently owns and manages, folding them into their own cloud storage network. All in all, Unisys will take on upwards of 7.5 petabytes of the IRS’ current storage space, held is a range of data centers.

    Unisys will then design, construct and launch a completely new storage environment for the IRS, moving all of their current data onto a private cloud service. The IRS will pay for the space they are currently using, and then will spend more as their storage needs increase. 

    The stock market responded well to the new announcement, as shares of Unisys stock rose by nearly 3% by the end of business on Thursday.

  • AirPlay Mirroring Versus AirParrot

    One of the biggest perks of Mountain Lion, Apple’s latest operating system release, is that it gives Mac users the ability to mirror whatever is on their screen straight through to their HDTV with an AppleTV. It’s great for presentations, broadcasting the iTunes visualizer, or streaming online video and games right onto the big screen. But it won’t work correctly for everyone.

    As long as you have a Mac that was manufactured in 2011 or later, AirPlay mirroring will work perfectly. But what if you have an older device? For those users, a startup called Squirrels offers an app that successfully mirrors off of older devices. But does it work just as well?

    It’s incredibly easy to use AirPlay Mirroring with a modern device. With a couple of quick menu selections, you’ll see your Mac monitor on your HDTV in perfect 1920×1080 resolution. If you want to adjust it, you also have that option.

    According to experts testing the device, it worked very well. The streamed video was sharp and clear, and the frame rate was smooth enough for any type of viewed material. It’s basically a wireless extension of the computer’s display.

    If you’re running an older device, all you need is to pay Squirrels $10 for a license to their shareware called AirParrot. Download it onto your desktop, and after a simple install you’ll select the AppleTV option for mirroring.

    You can run AirParrot using Snow Leopard, Lion or Mountain Lion, and it will run on any Mac that is powered by Intel. If you do have significantly older hardware, you might occasionally notice choppy steaming. But AirParrot even has a version that runs on Windows, for those users who haven’t yet made the full switch to Apple.

    AirParrot also has some neat extra features. You can set up your HDTV as an additional monitor for your computer, instead of a straight mirror. You can still adjust the frame rate and resolution, and switch out audio if necessary.

    The bottom line is, either one is a great option based on your current hardware. Although AirPlay will work more seamlessly and AirParrot will significantly tax your device, either one will fit the bill for your mirroring needs.

    [source: arstechnica]

  • RIM considered switching to Android OS

    Research in Motion, Blackberry's company, is trying to find a way to recover and one of their thoughts was to turn into Android.

    Blackberry used to be a very popular smartphone, but Apple's domination has significantly affected their sales. The popularity of iOS and Android did not leave any space for other operating systems. Thus, according to RIM CEO, Thorsten Heins and his recent interview to the Guardian, RIM did consider the prospect of using Android on their future smartphones. It could be a way to take advantage of Android's popularity and functionality, while combining it with Blackberry's experience in the smartphone market. However, they ultimately rejected the idea.

    “We took the conscious decision not to go Android. If you look at other suppliers’ ability to differentiate, there’s very little wiggle room. We looked at it seriously – but if you understand what the promise of BlackBerry is to its user base it’s all about getting stuff done. Games, media, we have to be good at it but we have to support those guys who are ahead of the game. Very little time to consume and enjoy content – if you stay true to that purpose you have to build on that basis. And if we want to serve that segment we can’t do it on a me-too approach.”

    Blackberry is mostly used for business reasons and this led RIM to stick to the Blackberry OS and the creation of the BB10, which will be perfect for multitasking. It is expected to arrive with the new smartphones in January and they have to prove that they do not need Android or any other operating system.

    Did they make the right choice? Time will tell. 

  • Arizona-Based Nextiva Expands VoIP Business

    As broadband phone services continue to rise in popularity, regional VoIP providers are finding the means to expand their businesses. Nextiva, a VoIP firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona, expects to hire an additional 100 employees by the end of the year. They specialize in providing VoIP for small and mid-sized businesses, two of the largest growth areas in the industry.

    Executives from Nextiva were happy to point out that VoIP is being adopted by even the largest companies in the world, including communications corporations such as AT&T, an idea that seemed complete implausible even a couple of years ago. Nextiva has used that growth to post annual revenues well in the millions of dollars, and currently count thousands of users internationally.

    VoIP-List.com: extensive catalog of voip providers, available software and hardware resources

    According to Nextiva CIO Joshua Lesavoy, VoIP can save a business as much as 70% off their standard phone service. And since the service includes fax and text messages on top of traditional voice communication, there should be no limit to the potential growth in the sector.

    Nextiva was founded in 2006, and launched their VoIP service two years later. They are owned by UnitedWeb Inc., which is also based in Scottsdale, and earns several other technology companies. And while some communications traditionalists still believe that VoIP cannot be relied on, the quality of commercial broadband services now available means a standard that is well in line with if not better than traditional calling.

    In the past few years, Nextiva has grown from a staff of just a few engineers to more than 165 people, and they even handle their customer service internally with a fully staffed call center. With more than 25 million small businesses currently in existence, chances are this particular small business will grow consistently for years to come.