Business News Holding

Category: smartphone

  • It's Official! Samsung Galaxy S3 to Be Launched on May 3

    The Samsung Galaxy S3 release date has been officially confirmed by Samsung. The smartphone, initially announced at the 2012 Mobile World Congress (MWC 2012) in Barcelona will be presented by the South Korean company on May 3 in London, as the gadget is being promoted as the official smartphone of the 2012 Olympic Games.

    Samsung on Monday sent the invites for the press conference during which will be presented the much-awaited smartphone. Although on the invitation is not specified the launch of the smartphone, international press’ opinion is unanimous, anticipating the launch of the new gadget. Samsung Galaxy S3 will be launched simultaneously in New York, Seoul and Dubai.

    The upcoming Galaxy smartphone will probably run Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, rumors say, with the special interface Samsung TouchWiz 4.0. Speculations emerged once with the announcement focused on all its specs, but nothing has been confirmed by Samsung so far, which preferred to let the Galaxy fans to promote the smartphone.

    According to androidadvices.com, the phone will have a 4.65” AMOLED SuperPlus HD display, with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels, a quad-core 1.5 GHz Exynos processor, 1 GB RAM, 32 GB storage capacity and two cameras – one of 2 megapixels in front and another one of 8 megapixels capable to record in Full HD. The phone will support the 4G LTE technology, the same source adds.

    The new S3 is expected to have a thickness of only 7 mm, 1 mm thinner than HTC Ville and 0.1 mm from the Moto RAZR. The phone will weigh 118 grams, will come in two colors – black and blue – and will have a battery of 1750 mAh.

    The launch of the new Samsung Galaxy S3 will be held at Earl’s Court in London, on May 3.

  • Samsung Expects 1st Quarter 2012 Profits to Double

    Samsung, now the world’s biggest-selling smartphone maker, says it expects to see its profits double for the first three months of the year.

    Online investments experts told BBC Monday that Samsung Electronics apparently has been able to hang on to its lead as the market leader in the heated smartphone niche, with its 1st quarter 2012 profit expected to hit $5.1 billion.

    BBC said analysts from the LIG Investment & Securities and Kiwoom Securities in Seoul see Samsung’s increasingly popular Galaxy range of smartphones as the engine for the Korean company’s continuing profit growth, despite great competition from the active smartphone market led by Apple’s iPhones, RIM’s Blackberry and Nokia’s Symbian OS models. 

    Samsung’s high-end Galaxy S and Galaxy Note editions have been the year’s best sellers, having overtaken the Apple iPhone last year.

    The company’s efforts to keep its profit margins healthy despite sharp competition from its giant smartphone rivals have been cited as the key to the double profit figures set to be released in detail in a formal quarterly report on April 27. Profit margins for the company’s fast-selling handsets have been higher than 20%, accounting for the 4 trillion-won profit for the smart phone division. 

    The analysts noted that despite Samsung’s current difficulties in its other products, notably in memory chips which are suffering from a glut in worldwide supply, the company could still rev up its overall profit margin as the global economy improves later this year, as predicted, and as parts suppliers such as Japan and Thailand recover from various economic and political problems.

  • Ford and Mercedes Looking to Succeed In Mobile Applications

    In a world dominated by technology and internet, it seems that not even the auto fairs are deprived of promotion and marketing campaigns for the new applications for smartphones.

    In the attempt of promoting the idea of SmartCar, each carmaker is struggling to demonstrate its efforts through a useful, fast and of high performance application.

    Ford's SYNC system will allow the driver to make voice commands to the phone, to hear a voice that reads the text messages received or to listen to the favorite music through the car speakers. In case of an accident, the same system will call 911 and will send the coordinates of the event over to the phone operator. This technology will be implemented starting with Ford’s new range of family cars.

    Although all manufacturers seemed interested in this trend – currently in a continuous process of popularization –, there were people in charge, probably because of the great efforts required. In terms of location information security there were also several uproars, fortunately most programmers trying as much as possible to give users the option to take into consideration the preferences of the most reluctant people to this technology as well.

    To define a trend related to smartphone applications, Pitt Moos, Product Manager at Electric Cars Division of Smart, explained that currently the priority is an interface to allow users to see the current level of battery for example and only after to check the Facebook page.

  • Blackberry Maker Says It Plans to Release New Model First Before Disclosing Financial Figures

    RIM, the maker of the popular BlackBerry smartphone today said it was postponing its earlier scheduled disclosure of the latest company financial figures, preferring to go ahead first with the release of its awaited new BlackBerry 10 models.

    In a report by Reuters, BlackBerry maker Research In Motion said it was delaying its scheduled disclosure of financial figures to analysts set for May this year, instead setting the business meeting for later in 2012. RIM had typically released its financial report for analysts during the Blackberry World conference, usually held in the summer.

    RIM spokeswoman Tenille Kennedy told Reuters the company is deciding to focus instead on its worldwide customers, developers and partners as the Canada-based technology firm goes into the final stages of the impending public release of its new generation of smartphones to be led by the popular BlackBerry.

    Kennedy confirmed that the company is planning to set up a session separate from the product-oriented BlackBerry World conference in May that would target the interests of investors looking to RIM as an alternative investment focal point, at a point level with such smartphone leaders as Apple, Samsung, Nokia and LG. 

    Research In Motion had earlier announced its impending release of the new BlackBerry 10 editions which will use the same operating system of the company’s PlayBook tablet.  The PlayBook itself has not made a successful sales impact on the strictly competitive tablet market, led by Apple’s top selling iPads.

    The new RIM schedule, both for the postponement of the public release of its financial position as well as the marketing of the BlackBerry 10 models, has been interpreted by industry observers as the firm’s redoubling of efforts to come out with a competitive smartphone that would make use of powerful chipsets it said were set for delivery to its factories sometime early this year.

  • Telematics Update’s Human Machine Interface Report Discusses Business Critical Issues

    Telematics Update, a reference point for automotive telematics, has launched the 2012 edition of Human Machine Interface Report. This report aims to provide companies with information regarding the current trends in the industry, guides on creating original products, and inspiration for new strategies from interviews of industry leaders.

    SIGNIFICANT BUSINESS ISSUES DISCUSSED
    The Human Machine Interface Report 2012 Edition provides a detailed reading on the current state of telematics and how leading automotive brands have developed their human machine interfaces and put these into operation. Various topics that are beneficial to those in the telematics industry are discussed in detail. These business-critical issues include fearless forecasts for product developments and expansions until 2016, tips in improving the user interface from leading companies, mitigating driver distraction, regulatory trends, human machine interface (HMI) and connected car technology roadmap, and insights from various consumers of the electronics industry.

    In addition, the success stories of the HMI strategies utilized by top automobile companies like Audi, Lexus, and Ford are also included in this report. Regulatory trends that may affect the telematics industry and ways to adapt to these legislative changes are incorporated as well.

    According to a Telematics survey, the top three in-car applications are real-time traffic reports, navigation, and speed camera warning. However, 450,000 injuries and 3,000 deaths attributed to driver distraction have been recorded in the United States in 2009 and 2010 respectively. These statistics have given automakers the dilemma of creating a user interface (UI) which is easy to use without sacrificing the entertainment features expected by the consumers. Erasing driver distraction problems posed by complicated interfaces will lessen brushes with the law for the automotive makers. The UI optimization strategies of automakers, like Audi, Ford, Visteon and Yazaki, are examined in the Human Machine Interface Report to serve as a guide for other developers.

    THE FUTURE OF THE HMI INDUSTRY
    By 2013, the Human Machine Interface Industry is expected to be worth $1.3 billion with the United States and China as the thriving areas of opportunity. From 2013 to 2016, Heads-Up Display (HUD), organic light-emitting diode (OLED), haptic and center stack touchscreen displays are expected to project a $350-$400 million revenue per year.

    Aside from primary and secondary data, the Human Machine Interface Report 2012 Edition also includes an in-depth analysis by its author, David MacNamara. MacNamara has more than 30 years of experience in the automotive industry. The report is also supplemented by interviews with industry leaders and insiders. Feedbacks from four independent industry reviewers were taken into account to preserve the report’s credibility and quality.

    Volvo, Harley-Davidson, IBM, and Bosch are part of the numerous companies who purchased the 2011 edition of the Human Machine Interface Report.

  • Your Smartphone Cameras Can Give Digital Cams A Run For Their Money

    In these need-to-feel-better times, you should feel good knowing that your smartphone cameras can save you a lot of money if you want to do a good photo-taking job and have lots of fun without having to buy yourself one of those expensive, high- end digital cameras.

    A new report by the online tech observer Appolicious said over the weekend that your smartphone cameras have one absolutely unassailable advantage over any digital camera, if you own one, and that is– your smartphone is always with you while your digital camera typically isn’t.

    In a pretty detailed analysis of the smartphone cam versus a digital camera, Appolicious pointed out what every camera bug knows by heart: the best shots in the world were those taken at exactly the right moment, that fleeting and unrepeatable moment. Only smartphones and their cameras are this poised for that moment.

    Going into details, the study said the latest smartphone camera technology are equal to that of digital systems, plus the ready availability of smart phone applications that allow the editing and sharing of photos, rendering  the need for a separate digital camera rather minimal.

    Citing just one example, the study described Apple’s latest iPhone model, the iPhone 4S as setting the standard for the best smartphone photography today.

    It noted the 4S model’s f/2.4 lens which allows a good depth of field and capable of low-light performance and the iPhone’s backside-illuminated sensor or BSI which together give the Apple smartphone its color accuracy and face-detection superiority equal to any digital camera.

    The latest iPhone likewise is fitted with greater HDR capabilities, fast performance and 1080p HD video capture.

    New photo-taking apps for the iPhone 4S from Apple’s Camera Awesome applications library further allow users, for instance, to set both exposure and focus readings from different areas  plus a selection of filters for every occasion.

  • Rugby Smart – The Most Resistant Samsung Phone

    Samsung will launch on the U.S. market its first phone resistant to water, dust and shocks. Rugby Smart will be available in the first phase on AT&T, following to be launched on other markets.

    Rugby Smart has 122.4 x 65.9 x 12.19 mm and comes with a 3.7-inch WVGA Super AMOLED touchscreen. The phone has two cameras, one of 1.3 megapixels on the front and the other one of 5 megapixels with flash and auto focus, capable of video recording at 720p HD.

    The phone runs Android 2.3 and has a range of up to 8 hours in conversation and 16 days in standby thanks to its 1650 mAh Lilon Poly battery.

    Samsung Rugby Smart is dustproof, can be submerged in up to 1m of water for 30 minutes, and can withstand extreme temperatures.

    Rugby Smart will be available at a price of $ 99.99 for a 2-year contract with AT&T.

    Specifications
    Technology: GSM, EDGE, UMTS, HSPA+
    Operating System: Android 2.3
    Display: 3.7-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display
    External Memory: Supports up to 32GB via microSD™
    Internal Memory: 4GB
    Dimensions: 122.4mm x 65.9mm x 12.19mm
    Weight: 4.2 oz
    Camera: 5MP rear facing with flash and auto focus with HD 720p video capture; 1.3 MP front facing camera;
    Battery: 1650 mAh LiIon Poly
    Talk Time: Up to 8 hours
    Standby Time: Up to 16 days

  • Samsung and Apple Hasten the Launch of their New Smartphones

    Initially the two companies were placing the releases of their new smartphones in the second half of the year. Meanwhile the things have changed and the new Apple and Samsung smartphones are expected to be launched in the first part of 2012.

    Both companies seemed, at the end of last year and earlier this year, quite convinced that the best time to launch new smartphones will be in autumn. Apple released all the iPhone generations, every time, towards the end of summer, early fall. Meanwhile, the people at Samsung have returned to last year's strategy of beating their overseas rivals, meaning that will launch their smartphone much earlier.

    Latest information circulating about the release date of the new Galaxy S3 shows May 22 as the earliest date for the phone to be available to the public. Now, the Cupertino company seems to also have reconsidered its earlier decision to launch the next iPhone – iPhone 5 – this fall and, according to South Korean media, its launch could take place before summer. iPhone 5 is promising a new display similar to the iPad 3, the next generation of Apple's A5 processors and better camera.

    Displays in both phones are the same quality as both are produced by Samsung. We know that on Galaxy S3 will be mounted a Super AMOLED Plus HD, which could be on the iPhone 5 too. If the iPhone comes with next generation A5 processor, Galaxy has a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM and a 12-megapixel camera, compared to Apple’s 8-megapixel camera. Galaxy S3 will also be somewhat larger: while the iPhone 5 is rumored to have 4.6 inches, Galaxy S3 will measure 4.7 inches.

  • PayPal Here, Mobile Payment Solution

    PayPal has launched its own mobile payment solution, PayPal Here. The new service includes a free application and a secured card reader attachable to the mobile phone, transforming any iPhone – and soon, any Android smartphone – into a mobile payment solution. Along with PayPal Here, PayPal has launched the latest version of PayPal Mobile for iPhone, complementary application with PayPal Here, available for free in App Store.

    PayPal Here is not only for individual users but also to small business owners, service providers and other merchants who can issue invoices and accept credit or debit cards, checks or payments through PayPal. Regardless the mode of payment chosen by the consumer, PayPal Here facilitates the transfer, providing small business with opportunities to sell products and services.

    Accessing the option "Local" gives PayPal Here users the possibility to find out what stores near them accept payments through this service. Once he is ready to buy, the customer notifies the dealer through a simple touch. In turn, the seller uses PayPal Here to accept payments by simply mentioning the name and the photo of the buyer.

    PayPal Here has a competitive structure in terms of fees. The service does not include initial charges for using it or monthly fees, the only fee paid by merchants being equal to 2.7% of the payments received by credit card or PayPal.

    Merchants who use PayPal Here have at their disposal business debit cards for quick access to money. When using cards for shopping, they get back 1% of the price of certain products, which makes practically the commission paid to PayPal Here to fall to only 1.7%.

    For now, the solution is used by some traders in the United States, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong, following to be available nationwide in these country starting from April and, subsequently, to be extended to other countries. Also in April, PayPal Here will be available for Android smartphones.

  • Almost Half of the U.S. Adults Have a Smartphone

    Smartphones are now more popular than conventional mobile phones among the U.S. adults, according to a study released on Thursday, confirming a trend of aggressive spread of these “pocket minicomputers”. 

    According to the study conducted by Pew Research Center University, nearly half ( 46%) Americans of at least 18 years old had a multifunction phone in February, compared with 41% who owned a normal mobile phone and 12% who never used one of the two.

    A study conducted in May last year concluded that only 35% of American adults had a smartphone, compared with 48% who used a traditional phone.

    Devices running the operating system developed by Google, Android, are the most numerous, being in the hands of 20% of the owners of this type of device, from 15% in May 2011. Apple’s iPhone is ranked second with 19% of users compared to 10% in May, clearly outpacing Blackberry produced by Research in Motion, which is in a deep fall (10% in May 2011 to 6% in February this year). Only 2% of the rest have a phone running the Windows Phone operating system, developed by Microsoft, a report unchanged compared to May 2011.

    The survey conducted by Pew Research Center showed that all demographic categories, men and women, young and middle-aged or third-aged, urban and rural, wealthy and less wealthy, they all participated at the smartphone phenomenon.

    The study was conducted between January 20 and February 19 on a sample of 2253 adults and has an error margin of plus or minus 2.7 points.