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Category: smartphone

  • Nokia new Android smartphone to cost $110


    Word is out on price of the the eagerly awaited Nokia low-cost smart phone whose alias is Normandy. The phone was scheduled to launch in late February but a retail website in Vietnam already seems to have its price listed on its website.

    Very little is known about the expected price of the ‘Normandy’ but Nokia was said to be planning a launch of the affordable smart phone in late February. Nokia have not yet shared the official price of the device but the according to rumored leaks, the price seems to be $110 as WMPoweruser puts it.

    WMPoweruser is said to have spotted the Nokia X A110’s price on a Vietnamese online retail website which had indicated $110 as the price of the Nokia Normandy which also has Nokia X as its other alias. The website also put a $160 price on its Nokia Lumia 525.

    There have been many speculations on the price of this long awaited Android device on the internet for several months now. The Nokia smart phone which shall be using the open source Android OS is said to be mainly targeted for developing markets.

    Rumor has it that Google Play app store will be one feature absent in the Nokia Android device and the alternative for the app store will be Nokia and Microsoft operated services like Mix radio and here maps. That is not to say that users will not have an app store. The app store on the phone will be Nokia’s, providing popular applications like facebook and twitter to the phone’s users.

    We will all be looking forward to February 24th, which is the anticipated phone launch date, to listen to Nokia’s press conference at the MWC trade show, Barcelona, Catalonia. Maybe the rumored price may not be far from the truth.

  • Google sells Motorola Smartphone business to Lenovo


    Lenovo     has gotten an amazing opportunity while it continues to grow impressively in the PC industry.

    Google acquired Motorola Mobility for $12.4 billion in August 2011 and now it announced that Lenovo would be buying Motorola for $2.9 billion.

    Being the largest PC maker internationally, Lenovo are looking to expand into smart phones with the recent trend of increased phone use over computer use to access the internet.

    Lenovo wants to be a leader in the Smartphone industry internationally since it’s already leading in China and so this acquisition is strategically planned. It had been rumored that it was among the blackberry potential potential buyers when the company wanted to sell.

    The Motorola acquisition is the second big deal they have made this year after they bought part if IBM server business at $2.3 billion.

    The Arris Group bought part of Motorola from Google in 2013 at $2.35 billion, allowing Google to recover some of the money it spent acquiring the business. From the sales values that Google is selling Motorola, it could be an acknowledgement by the company that they over priced the value of Motorola during its acquisition.

    Google’s intention for buying Motorola was mainly to increase its patent portfolio and after the sale they have remained with over 20,000 patents which will ensure them legal security for its Android software. Lenovo’s deal secured them 2,000 patents together with the manufacturing part of Motorola.

    The Razr was one of the most popular Motorola phones launched in 2004 and Motorola was able to maintain its popularity until the iPhone was launched by Apple in 2007 which introduced the now popular touch – screen mobile devices.

    The Google’s sale of Motorola might take around 9 months so Motorola’s losses will not affect books for the first half of the year.

    On the other hand, Lenovo will have broadened its operations to now include smart phones, PCs and tablets which will secure clients who prefer to buy all the devices from a single company.

  • Sirius: New Sony Smartphone


    Sony is coming up with a brilliant new phone named the “Sirius” or “D6503” which seems to be a better and clearer version when compared to the previous Xperia Z1. According to Xperia blog reports, the Sirius will come with android 4.4.2 KitKat and an advanced camera that will be capable of 4K video recording. The camera hardware and software will also have a “Timeshift Video” feature that has the ability to record high frame-rate videos and can also apply slow motion effects to the videos.

    The Sirius will be able to use a technology known as the “smart call handling” whereby a number of basic actions can be done without the need to touch the screen. To answer a call, one simply needs to bring the phone next to the ear and the call will be automatically answered. To reject a call, one has to simply shake the phone and the call will be rejected. Turning the device to face down will automatically set the phone to mute. This is a welcome step and many are waiting to see the practical application of these features.

    Smart backlight control, built in answering machine, new personalization options   and finally the double tap to wake the screen; these are some of the additional  fantastic features that the Sirius will have .

    The stereo speakers have also been improved. Unlike the rather unimpressive sound system in the Xperia Z1, the Sirius has speakers installed at the top and bottom of the front, with the aim of giving a better stereo experience.

  • Blackphone Said To Be the First Smartphone That Is NSA-Proof


    There has been a lot of talk about privacy in the recent past as services for secure and private messaging pop up everywhere. However, most consumers may not be in a position to ascertain that these services are actually present on the smartphone. Equally, the companies themselves may also not be aware of the features that are missing.

    Blackphone is a new smartphone that has prioritized user privacy by creating an entire ecosystem around the issue. The smartphone is produced by Silent Circle, a company owned by a cryptographer Phil Zimmermann, in conjunction with Geeksphone, a Spanish startup company.

    The phone will run on PrivatOS, a modified version of Google’s Android that is built with the intention of making all the tasks secure. The Blackphone website indicates that customers are able to make secure calls, messages, video chats, private browsing as well as exchange and store files securely.

    The Blackphone handset is not locked and can operate on any GSM carrier. The company claims that the smartphone is a top performer, although many people are not sure about the technology and features found on it. However, many note that it is a positive step to focus on an ecosystem that is primarily based on privacy. It is expected that many companies will learn from the success or mistakes that will be found on the new smartphone.

    Pricing of the Blackphone has not been released, but the smartphone will be ready for pre-orders during the Mobile World Congress opening day on 24th February 2013.

  • Samsung SC-03F Tizen Device Seen in FCC Listing

    Samsung has been in the news for a while now with regard to its very first Tizen smartphone. Now, the FCC listing has a Tizen smartphone whose model number is SC-03F and it is thought to be bound to NTT DocoMo, a Japanese carrier.

    Tizen Indonesia was the first to spot the FCC listing of the claimed Samsung SC-03F and this gadget has a design similar to the Samsung Galaxy S4. However, the alleged SC-03F comes with a sleeker profile than the Galaxy S4. According to the site, Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon chipset, operating it 2.3GHz, powers the alleged Samsung SC-03F. It is worth noting that the same chipset is one that powers Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4 and the recently released Galaxy J.

    The spotted SC-03F model supports radio frequency bands such as WCDMA 850 and 850/1900MHz GSM. The connectivity options are Bluetooth 4.0 (low energy) and Wi-Fi. At this time, the details of the gadget’s innards are yet to be known.

    Besides, Sammobile proposes that the Japanese carrier (NTT DoCoMo) will be the very first mobile carrier to start selling the Tizen smartphone. It also suggests that Samsung might release the anticipated Tizen smartphone around February 23. According to an earlier report, Samsung would display its commercial gadets based on the Tizen OS in 2014 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Catalonia.

  • Leaked Screenshots Purportedly Reveal New Smartphone UI from Samsung


    Although Samsung was busy with the CES 2014 announcements, a new rumor has indicated that the company is gearing up for its next generation User interface UI. Several screenshots that indicate the home screen panel for the new smartphone have been released by @evleaks, a popular tipster.

    The snapshots show the new design, icons and fonts that are totally reworked as compared to the TouchWiz UI that runs on the Android based Galaxy smartphones. A cartoonish theme is evident on the purported home screen panels.

    The alleged designed UI will include Internet, PlayBooks, S Health, Samsung Links, Play Store, dialer, S Memo, Maps, message, Gallery and Gmail. The design also indicates that users may be able to browse through different updates, which is similar to the BlinkFeed UI from HTC.

    The tipster unfortunately did not reveal when the new UI will be released and even if there will be a name change from the previous TouchWiz.

    However, Samsung is not expected to release the new UI on the Galaxy S5, its next flagship smartphone that is set to be released in February, at Mobile World Congress  that will be held in Barcelona, Catalonia.

  • Samsung to Launch Galaxy S5 and Galaxy F Series in 2014


    Latest reports indicate that Samsung has plans to release its next generation gadget – Galaxy S5 together with the Galaxy F series in early 2014.

    Initially, speculations about Galaxy F appeared on the internet in September 2013 but no much has been heard again until now.

    ET News, Korean media, citing sources from the industry, reports that Samsung created its Galaxy F prototype in Europe recently and has shifted to its Vietnam branch, possibly for mass production.

    While there is no solid evidence to ascertain the report, many people believe that Samsung’s mystery device – SM-G900F may turn to be the brand new Galaxy F.

    Antutu benchmarking site had indicated that SM-G900F (the current Galaxy F) would have a full HD display (1920x1080p), Snapdragon chipset (MSM8974AC), CPU speed of 2.45GHz, 3GB RAM, Android v4.4 KitKat OS, 32GB inbuilt memory, front camera of 2.0-megapixel, and main camera with 16.0 megapixel.

    Also, Galaxy S5, which is said to be in the production line, will feature a huge (5.25-inch) display with 2560x1440p resolution and a metal shell, 64-bit architecture, KitKat OS, 16-megapixel main camera that uses ISOCELL technology, 4GB RAM, front camera of 2.1 megapixel and biometric technology for unlocking screen.
    Samsung is expected to release both Galaxy S5 and Galaxy F at once, either March or April.

  • China Mobile Boosts Subsidies While Waiting For Conclusion of iPhone Deal


    China Mobile, the world’s leading phone company, is set to use a lot of money on subsidies in the coming year as it endeavors to lure its customers to the new speedy service and boost the sale of smartphones by as much as 42%.

    The company is planning to sell 220 million smart devices in 2014 as compared to 155 million that was sold this year. Xi Guohua, the Chairman of China mobile indicated this in remarks made on the carrier’s micro blog account. The official China Daily newspaper reported that China mobile is yet to conclude a legal agreement with the Apple Company to sell the iPhone.

    Guohua Xi indicated that subsidies for handsets are set to expand from the 27 billion CNY or $4.4 billion that was spent in 2013. The carrier also hopes to get much more of the 759 million customers to the faster network with more expensive voice & data plans.

    According to the official Xinhua News Agency, China mobile has entered into agreements with handset manufactures Xiaomi Corp and Lenovo Group Ltd. (992) to provide smartphones running on the fourth-generation network.

    At a developer’s conference in Guangzhou, CEO Li Yue told developers that the 4G service provides a new future and will popularize different types of applications innovations. On December 4th, China mobile got regulatory approval to start commercial services on the 4G network.

    The China Daily wrote that Xi indicated that China mobile hopes to conclude the agreement with Apple as soon as possible. Apple, which currently does not make handsets that are compatible with the China mobile’s 3G networks, has agreed to make an iPhone that will run on the 4G network.

  • iPhone 5s – the world’s bestselling smartphone for two months in a row


    According to market researcher Counterpoint, both the Apple iPhone 5S and iPhone 5 outsold Samsung’s Galaxy S4’s worldwide in the month of October.

    In the latest report Counterpoint indicated that the iPhone 5S retained its premier spot in the global smartphone market. This is despite the supply shortage that forced customers to wait for it. The research firm expects Apple to meet even greater demand for the 5S in November and December as supply has ramped up.

    According to Counterpoint’s rankings, the iPhone 5 took second p[lace while the Galaxy S4 was left in the third position. The number 4 slot was taken by the iPhone 5C, followed by the Galaxy note 3, Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4 mini in that order.

    Apple fared well across different parts of the world but most notably China, where its market share surged from 3% in September to 12% in October. It has now been transformed into China’s third largest smartphone vendor. Apple’s share among the Chinese market is set to be driven further following reports of a deal with China mobile.

    In a statement from Counterpoint analyst Tom Kang, with the expected China mobile deal, price wars are in the offing between Apple’s iPhone S5 at all the three Chinese carriers that are likely to boost the overall iPhone 5S sales in the country. This might just see Apple reach the number 1 position in Smartphone sales in China in December or January.

  • Russian Yota Smartphone with Two Screens Saves Battery


    Russian company Yota has released a smartphone with two screens and a prolonged battery life. The phone is already in the market in Russia, France, Germany, Spain and Austria. The two screens are layered on top of each other. One of them is a normal LCD and the other, which is always on, uses e-link technology.

    The e-link technology is used in e-readers and requires less energy than the much brighter LCD displays. The Yota phone transfers text-heavy pages to the e-link display, so that the LCD screen does not drain battery when reading.

    The Android powered phone allows users to view information and notifications without waking up the phone. According to Yota Devices chief executive Vlad Martynov, the typical smartphone user activates their phone more than 150 times each day. This is because the users worry about hidden messages behind their Smartphone’s black screen.

    Technology experts are of the view that the phone will be definitely welcomed by people who are frustrated by their smartphone running out of battery.

    Ben Wood, a mobile phone analyst with research firm CCS Insight indicated that the Yota phone is an ambitious project, which might be considered as a gimmick by critics but has merit in design. He also added that having a phone with an option of a second screen that uses little power could be very attractive to people who struggle to keep the battery on their smartphone for a day.

    The device also features a 12-megapixel rear camera as well as a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. Yota plans to launch the phone in 20 other countries by March 2014 at a cost of 499 Euros.