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Category: smartphone

  • Stephen Elop in an Interview About Nokia and Windows

    In an interview with people at The Verge, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, was extremely pleased regarding the company’s performance after the first year of strategic partnership with Microsoft.

    Being obviously aware of the negative consequences of the radical strategy change, of which the most important is workforce reduction, Stephen Elop said that Nokia is currently in the middle of transition. Regarding the transition to Microsoft, Nokia CEO said: “One year after making big decisions on the company, I’m surer than ever that I made the right decisions”.

    Nokia’s impact on the development of Windows Phone starts to be felt just now, and the Finnish company still wants to influence the direction of this platform. Given that Microsoft is centralizing the entire ecosystem around the Metro interface, examples being Windows Phone, Windows 8 or Xbox Live, Stephen Elop showed confidence in expanding the Nokia’s influence towards multi-platform horizons, but this influence is currently in an early stage, details still being premature.

    As expected, in what concerns the tablets, Elop has shown interested in the field but also the reluctance, trying to make the best decision in this crowded market.

    Asked about the amalgamation of smartphones launched at MWC 2012, including those under the Nokia brand, Stephen Elop gave a cold and calculated answer: “Which one do you remember?” Unfortunately, a lack of differentiation between terminals it only reflects in a lot of terminals that will not keep the headlines too much.

    Regarding the last star in MWC 2012 – Nokia 808 PureView – and the decision to boost it with Symbian OS, the CEO said that the technology had to come out, being the best method at this time.

    In what concerns the Smoked by Windows Phone campaign, Stephen Elop has also shown his appreciation and enthusiasm. He said such an aggressive campaign based on tests and usage scenarios, rather than tables of specifications, is exactly what the platform needed in order to win in growth.

    However, it remains to be seen what Nokia will be up to over the next year or if Nokia will still exist…

    Read the full interview at The Verge.

  • iPhone Is Shattered In China: Apple Fails To Win The Chinese Market

    Apple’s strategy of aligning the iPhone to a single mobile operator seems to have failed in China, where Samsung has achieved impressive market share. According to Bloomberg, iPhone has a 7.5% share of smartphones sales in China, while Samsung has 24.3% market share.

    This percentage makes Apple the fifth smartphone seller in the country, while Samsung ranks first. Samsung has sold phones through the three largest mobile operators even since 2009: China Unicom (about 200 million subscribers), China Telecom (129 million subscribers) and China Mobile (655 million subscribers).

    Apple, on the other hand, has sold exclusively through China Unicom, but two weeks ago began to sell its iPhone through China Telecom as well, which should increase the company’s market share. But China Telecom, although huge considering the Western standards, is the smallest of the three Chinese mobile operators.

    The “Father” of mobile communications in China, China Mobile, expects to start selling Apple’s iPhone only after the Cupertino company will release the LTE version, expected by the Chinese company later this year. About 15 million “decoded” iPhones are already in use in China Mobile’s network, without the operator to sell one.

    The reason why the market share is so important is that the smartphones have become a marketing platform, on which developers are building applications running on different operating systems. As for Windows, if a platform reaches a dominant market share, developers tend to “gravitate” around it. Thus, a risk for Apple in China (and worldwide as well) is that Android could become the dominant platform for application development.

    The operating system developed by Google, which supports the smartphones produced by Samsung, is the market leader in China with a share of almost 50%, even though Apple has regained an important part in the previous quarter thanks to the sales of iPhone 4S.

    It is likely that Apple’s sales through China Telecom to help reduce the difference between the Cupertino company and Samsung in China, but until will sell the smartphone through China Mobile, Samsung will remain the leading smartphone manufacturer in China.

  • Samsung Launches New Smartphone: Samsung Galaxy Pocket

    Samsung has announced the newest handset in the Galaxy range. Samsung Galaxy Pocket, with Android 2.3 it is wanted to be an affordable smartphone. With a thickness of 11,98 mm, weighing only 97 grams and featuring a 2.8-inch display, the device remains portable, ensuring at the same time, the best viewing experience of content and images.

    The updated user interface – TouchWiz – features an improved navigation system, providing handy shortcuts for the frequently used functions. Also, thanks to the improved writing function, users can easily browse the Web or write messages faster.

    The device has 3GB memory for applications, MP3 files, photos and other media materials as well as an integrated FM radio, which gives the ability to listen to the favorite radio stations. The integrated high-speed Wi-Fi and the HSDPA 3.6 connectivity, provides a Web browsing experience without delay and fast downloading of multimedia content.

    Samsung Galaxy Pocket provides quick sharing of content through the features responsible for communication and access to social networks. However, the platform Samsung ChatON, available in Samsung Apps, it connects all users in a single community, offering them instant messaging, group chat and content transmission in multiple formats, making communication simpler and more intuitive. At the same time, the already well-known Samsung service, Social Hub, gives users the possibility of storing messages, social networks and e-mails in a single Inbox, making the service easier to use.

    We could say that these are minimum requirements for an Android smartphone. The small screen has a QVGA resolution, which does not encourage browsing the Internet. It’s 2-megapixel camera stresses the fact that Samsung Galaxy Pocket is an affordable smartphone.

    In what concerns the price, the Koreans have not announced it, but say it will be very affordable. It will compete with LG Optimus L3, an entry-level smartphone recently presented at MWC 2012. On the other hand, the comparable models from Sony Ericsson and HTC come with a higher resolution screen and superior specifications.

  • MWC 2012: Nokia Launches New Handsets and Services

    Nokia announced a new range of products, services and partnerships at Mobile World Congress. Stephen Elop, President and CEO of Nokia, presented the fourth terminal Lumia, smarter mobile phones and a new range of services.

    Lumia Portfolio Expands
    Nokia has extended its range of products with Windows Phone by introducing the new Nokia Lumia 610, the most affordable Lumia terminal released so far. The manufacturer plans to expand availability of Lumia 900 in several markets outside the U.S.

    Created for those seeking a first affordable Lumia handset with Windows Phone, Nokia Lumia 610 provides quick access to social networking, web browser, music, games, navigation and applications in Windows Phone Marketplace. The phone will be available in four colors at an estimated retail price of only EUR 189 before taxes and subsidies, and deliveries are scheduled to begin in the second quarter of this year.

    Nokia Lumia 900, launched in January as the first Nokia smartphone compatible with the LTE standard, will be available with the dual-carrier HSPA technology of up to 42.2 Mbps. The top experience of the content displayed on the 4.3-inch AMOLED ClearBlack capacitive screen of the handset and the battery with extended capacity will be available in several countries worldwide.

    Nokia also announced the application Nokia Reading, which will provide an integrated experience of reading. With Nokia Reading, users will enjoy easier and faster news, books, audio books, including a catalog of reading material in local languages and the ability to access content offline.

    Ads come after a year when Nokia launched Lumia 710, 800 and 900 before the dates anticipated, the devices being well accepted in the industry.

    Nokia 808 PureView
    Nokia 808 PureView is the first smartphone with the exclusive imaging technology Nokia PureView, which allows integration of a wide range of high quality photo experience on Nokia products in the coming years.

    Nokia 808 PureView combines a large sensor of high resolution, 41 megapixel (!!!), Carl Zeiss optics and oversampling technology developed by Nokia. The result consists of razor sharp pictures, to the smallest detail, superior performance in low light conditions and the ability to save images as smaller files to send via email, MMS or distribution in social networks.

    Nokia 808 PureView also includes Nokia Rich Recording for CD quality audio recording, HD 1080p video recording and playback and exclusive technology Dolby Headphone, which transforms any stereo content into a personal surround sound experience, regardless the headset used.

    Asha, Smarter and Smarter Mobile Terminals
    Finnish manufacturer makes the transition from terminals with basic capabilities to smartphones, launching three new Asha handsets for users who want to work, learn and play.

    Designed for urban consumers and entrepreneurs, Nokia Asha 302 is a premium device with QWERTY keyboard, providing a mobile work experience with push email, calendar and contacts synchronization with Mail for Exchange support – a new capability offered by Nokia S40 handsets.

    Designed for quick access to social networks, Nokia Asha 202 and 203 bring the touchscreen on affordable products and offers a package of 40 games from Electronic Arts. Asha 202 also offers the Nokia Easy Swap technology for dual-SIM terminals, which allows users to easily switch between SIM cards and to enjoy the benefits  of tariff plans offered by operators.

    Another different factor is represented by the update of the well-known service Life Tools, renamed Nokia Life, which provides useful information on Nokia S30 and S40 but also on the new Asha 202 and Asha 203 as well.

    Users in India, China, Indonesia and Nigeria will receive helpful tips for daily life, child growth and education, education, agriculture and entertainment, delivered via SMS.

    The new Asha handsets complete the Nokia Asha range, now available in over 100 countries worldwide.

    Further, Faster
    In the location-based services, Nokia and Groupon plans to launch competitive offers and discounts on market. Nokia also announces a new version of Nokia Drive for Windows Phone, which will include full support for step-by-step offline navigation. In addition, Nokia Drive will retain personal paths with the public transportation, will provide traffic information and will automatically reconfigure routes in order to avoid traffic congestions.

    Nokia also plans to launch a version for Windows Phone of Nokia Transport, which will provide information on the routes on foot, by metro, tram, suburban trains and buses in over 500 cities in 45 countries worldwide.

  • MWC 2012: HTC Launches HTC One Series

    The Taiwanese company HTC unvailed today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ​​the new series of smartphones, One, which includes three high-end terminals, all with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and HTC Sense 4.

    HTC One X

    HTC One X has a unibody casing made from polycarbonate, so that it benefits from the robustness of the metal, but being extremely easy at the same time. Thanks to its simple construction, the casing combines a unique glossy finish with matte black.

    HTC One X is fast thanks to the NVIDIA Tegra 3 Mobile Processor, capable of displaying complex graphics elements, running applications more efficiently and providing higher autonomy.

    The phone features a quad-core Super 4-PLUS-1 processor of 1.5 GHz, equipped with a fifth core Battery Saver Core and 12-Core NVIDIA GPU of high performance.

    HTC One X comes with a 4.7-inch screen and 720p HD resolution made from Corning Gorilla Glass. The mobile phone will also be available for the 4G LTE markets with the LTE dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor of up to 1.5 GHz.

    HTC One S

    HTC One S is designed for users who want a top smartphone in a more compact format. HTC One S has a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor of 1.5 GHz and a 4.3-inch screen protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.  HTC One S has a metal casing and a thickness of 7.9 mm, the thinnest of all HTC models launched so far.

    HTC One S will be available in two versions: ultra-matte black Ceramic Metal, obtained through a micro arc oxidation process, used until now in the production of satellites. It turns the unibody casing surface into a crystal structure, four times resistant than anodized aluminum, which allows the smartphone to maintain its particular appearance. The second variant of finish available for HTC One S brings the anodization to another level through a patented process that creates a gradient from light to dark.

    HTC One V

    The successor of HTC Legend, HTC One V offers all users a premium design phone. The terminal comes with a simple unibody casing made from aluminum.

  • MWC 2012: Sony Unveils Xperia S, Xperia U and Xperia P

    Sony has just announced the latest models from Xperia NTS series at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona: Xperia P, Xperia U and Xperia S – the ultimate HD smartphone, which is now shipping to markets across the globe with first sales in the Sony Style store in Barcelona.

    Xperia P and Xperia U will be available starting from the second quarter of this year.

    Xperia P – Main Features

    • 4-inch Reality Display with image processor Mobile BRAVIA Engine
    • Screen technology, WhiteMagic, for enhanced light and consume efficiency function through intelligent brightness control
    • 1 GHz dual-core processor and 16 GB storage capacity
    • 8-megapixel camera with fast capture function, HD shooting and Sony technology for 2D and 3D panoramic images
    • HDMI and DLNA connectivity
    • NFC technology (Near Field Communication) that provides access to an ever-growing environment of NFC applications and services
    • Available in silver, black and red, with an aluminum body
    • Released on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but will receive the upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in the second quarter of this year

    Xperia U – Main Features

    • 3.5-inch Reality Display with image processor Mobile BRAVIA Engine
    • 1 GHz dual-core processor
    • 5-megapixel camera with fast capture function, HD shooting and Sony technology for 2D and 3D panoramic images
    • High quality sound through the new audio technologies xLoud and 3D surround
    • Available in white or black, with pink and yellow interchangeable head
    • Released on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but will receive the upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in the second quarter of this year

  • Increased Demand for Smartphones in Europe

    Demand for mobile phones increased again in Europe, last year – mostly due to the growing popularity of smartphone. According to the findings of the latest study conducted by the research company GfK, 3.2% more mobile phones were sold in 2011, the sales of smartphones increased by 67%.

    Last year, 258 million handsets were bought by European consumers, a 3.2% increase on 2010.

    In what concerns the smartphone segment, the number of devices sold in 25 European countries surveyed was 93 million. If in 2010, smartphones represented only 22% of sales in the mobile market, in 2011 the percentage increased to 36% – so that in December 2011 the share rised to 45%.

    Retailers in all 25 monitored countries in Europe showed double-digit sales ranging from 35% in Britain and 105% in Eurasian countries such as Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. With a share in unit volume of over 17%, the UK is currently the largest market for smartphones in Europe, followed by Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with 16% in total. The average price paid for a mobile phone has increased in Europe by 8% between 2010 and 2011 – up to EUR 200.

    GfK retail expert predicts that the digital devices industry – including mobile phones, TVs, computers, digital cameras, tablet PCs and desktop devices – this year will reach 22% of its global sales only from the sales of smartphones. This would mean an increase of 4 percentage points over the figure recorded in 2011.

    The current analysis is based on data on the growth of mobile market in 2011 from 25 countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and United Kingdom.

  • Google Launches Chrome for Android

    Google announced the development of Chrome browser for the Android platform. Chrome Beta will be available in Android Market in the next few days for the phones and tablets running the Ice Cream Sandwich version of the Android OS. For now, Chrome for Android Beta will be available in English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese.

    Like the desktop version, Chrome for Android Beta is based on speed and simplicity. The browser includes connection and synchronization functions in order to have the same personalized experience of browsing the Internet wherever you go, on any device.

    When initiating a new search, the main results are loaded in the background as you type; in this way, results are displayed more quickly. Of course, both searching and browsing can be done quickly from the address bar too, as in the desktop version.

    The tabs have also been redesigned and they are well suited to a phone or tablet with both small and large screen. User can now make the transition between an unlimited number of pages, with a very simple movement.

    Chrome for Android Beta is said to solve one of the most unpleasant things in mobile browsing: selecting the correct link between multiple links on a small screen device. User will no longer have to select links on a website, because Link Preview automatically zooms on links, becoming easy to select a particular link.

    Like the desktop version, Chrome for Android Beta includes incognito browsing mode and advanced privacy settings.

    Google has not announced if and when will adjust Chrome for other versions of Android.

    More details can be found here.

  • Windows Phone 8, Detailed in a Massive Leak

    Pocketnow.com managed to take a look at a video presentation of the future Windows Phone 8, in which Joe Belfiore, Windows Phone Senior Vice President at Microsoft, speaks to Nokia partners and from which results major changes that will affect the platform in the fall.

    Along with the leak from pocketnow.com, Paul Thurott hurried up to partially confirm the information he had in a blog post (probably under NDA).

    Basically, Windows Phone 8 – which will be called Apollo as it has been speculated for a long time – will be an important step from the current Windows Phone 7.5 from, actually, all points of view.

    DataSmart: Optimizing Data Connection
    Those who own a Windows Phone definitely know that the management module for data connection is not very intelligent and that sometimes the user has to insist until the phone connects/reconnects to a Wi-Fi. This is why in Windows Phone 8 will appear an option called DataSmart that will make order on how data connections are used. First of all it will focus on optimizing and prioritizing connections via Wi-Fi when available instead of 3G. In the Local Scout channel in Bing Maps will be provided detailed information about hotspots.

    Even more interesting is that Internet Explorer 10 will be able to use a proxy server feature through which data will come optimized, similar to the current option in Opera mobile.

    Support for the Business Section
    It was expected that at some point the BitLocker feature will reach the mobile platform too. It seems that Windows Phone 8 will have that and it will use the same 128-bit encryption technology seen on the PC version.

    Detailed information is very important and shows an interesting direction towards which Microsoft wants to go with Windows Phone, but what is not said yet is: Would the current Windows Phone devices have any chance to upgrade to Windows Phone 8 in the upcoming fall?

  • Samsung Galaxy S Advance Unveiled

    Samsung proposes a new smartphone in the Galaxy portfolio – Samsung Galaxy S Advance. With a 1.0 GHz dual-core processor and HSPA connectivity of 14.4 Mbps, the terminal provides power and connectivity, flexibility and an interface with high response rate, ideal for multitasking. Starting the applications will be made faster, while the user experience is being enhanced by the smoother transition of the on-screen images, faster image processing and better download performance and Web browsing.

    The new smartphone comes with the Android 2.3 Gingerbread, also offering a 4” Super AMOLED display 480×800 WVGA, 5-megapixel camera on back and a 1.3-megapixel front camera, 768 MB RAM and 16 GB storing capacity.

    Equipped with Samsung's TouchWiz, GALAXY S Advance offers users the ability to be constantly connected through Samsung Hubs and ChatON services. Music Hub provides access to over 11 million songs and gets every user to personalize their music catalog. Readers Hub provides access to over 2.3 million e-books, 3,500 magazines and 200 newspapers, while the popular network Game Hub provides access to thousands of games, plus games related news feeds.

    The ChatON communication platform connects all Samsung smartphone users in a single community using numbers instead of usernames and passwords, ensures instant messaging, group chat and sharing of content in various formats – images, video, contacts, calendar – in order to send and receive messages easier and more intuitive than ever.

    GALAXY S Advance also features the Find My Mobile service, a unique management system for lost mobile phones, which ensures security of the encrypted files in case of loss, and allows users to detect the phone directly from the Internet or even to delete data remotely.

    Samsung GALAXY S Advance Product Specifications

    Network                                      HSPA  14.4Mbps  850/900/1900/2100
                                                          EDGE/GPRS  850/900/1800/1900

    Process                                      1 GHz Dual-Core Processor

    Display                                        4.0” WVGA(480×800) Super AMOLED display

    OS                                                Android 2.3(Gingerbread)

    Camera                                       Main(Rear) : 5 Megapixel Auto Focus Camera with LED Flash
                                                          Sub(Front) : 1.3 Megapixel Camera

    Video                                           Codec : MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV, DivX, VC-1
                                                          Recording/ Playback : 720@30fps

    Audio                                           Codec : MP3, AAC, AAC＋, eAAC＋, WMA, AC3
                                                          Music Player with SoundAlive
                                                          3.5mm Ear Jack, Stereo FM Radio with RDS

    Value-added Features             Samsung TouchWiz/ Samsung L!ve Panel UX
                                                          Samsung Apps
                                                          Samsung Kies 2.0/ Samsung Kies air/ AllShare
                                                          ChatON(Downloadable via Samsung Apps)
                                                          Readers Hub(Downloadable via Samsung Apps)
                                                          Music Hub
                                                          Game Hub
                                                       ＊Service availability differs by region

    GoogleTM Mobile Services    Android Market™, Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Maps™,
                                                          Syncing with Google Calendar™
                                                          Polaris Office
                                                          Find My Mobile
                                                          A-GPS

    Connectivity                               Bluetooth® technology v 3.0 High Speed
                                                          USB 2.0
                                                          Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n

    Sensor                                        Proximity, Accelerometer, Geomagnetic, Light, Gyroscope

    Memory                                      8/16GB User memory ＋ 768MB(RAM)
                                                          microSD (up to 32GB)

    Size                                              123.2 x 63.0 x 9.69 mm, 120g

    Battery                                        Standard battery, Li-ion 1,500mAh