Business News Holding

Blog

  • 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.

  • 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.