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  • Top Smartphones of 2011

    The year of 2011 brought a series of major changes in the telecom industry. If at the beginning of 2011 the market started to be dominated by devices with 4-inch screens, now manufacturers already impose a new trend: devices with larger screens of up to 4.3 inches, so the potential buyer gets to a point where does not know if the terminal desired is a phone or…a smaller-sized PC tablet.

    Also, in what concerns the hardware part, things have evolved incredibly in just a few months. From the 1 GHz processors used for smartphones early this year, now we can see dual-core chipsets that defy the “older” laptops.

    We have tried to create a ranking of the most interesting smartphones launched in 2011. We were unable to include them all in here, but we invite you to come with proposals.

    Samsung Galaxy S2

    Samsung Galaxy S2 is one of the most anticipated models of 2011. After the success of its predecessor – Samsung Galaxy S – Galaxy S2 proved to be a top follower, the real flagship of the South Koreans this year.

    The Samsung Galaxy S2 screen surprises through its 4.52 inches and the AMOLED technology, while the processing power is excellent (1.5 GHz Scorpion dual-core CPU, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 chipset, 1GB of RAM).

    Galaxy S2 also comes with Android OS, the 8-megapizel camera with HD filming capabilities and the 16 GB storage capacity, plus the microSD slot.

    Apple iPhone 4S

    Surely, Apple’s iPhone prepared for 2011 was the most rumored smartphone of this year. Fans’ expectations have been so high from the Cupertino company that, many months before the launch, there were weekly versions over the Internet about how the new iPhone 5 should look like.

    But, surprise, Apple has released iPhone 4S just two days before the death of Steve Jobs, a more powerful version of the 4th generation that does not differentiate esthetically with nothing from its predecessor.

    Even if it hasn’t released the iPhone 5, the “4S” aroused strong reactions of admiration from the Apple fans. iPhone 4S’s advantage is the personal assistant Siri, the first step towards adopting in daily life the Artificial Intelligence.

    Samsung Galaxy Note

    Samsung did not bring only the Galaxy S2 model this year. In fact, we believe it can be said that the South Korean company is the most prolific in the industry.

    Through the Galaxy Note release, Samsung has imposed on the market (although Dell tried it too) a new device: the tablet phone, a device having a 5.3-inch screen and being perfectly situated in between the two concepts. It’s portable almost like a phone and provides excellent ergonomics for the use as tablet.

    Tell us your opinions about which are the best smartphones launched in 2011.

    You may also want to read:
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    HTC Failed With the New Smartphone Range – Sales Drop by 30%

  • Yowie Adds Group Video Chat to Its Platform

    Yowie has announced it is now offering enhanced group video chatting for consumers, competing against the likes of Skype, Google Hangouts and Tiny Chat. Yowie, known for connecting fans with celebrity chat hosts such as Colin Farrell, Amy Poehler, Interpol and presidential hopeful Gary Johnson, now compete head to head in hot consumer video chat space.

    "By working with some of the biggest names in entertainment over the past year, we've learned that people with similar offline interests are looking to authentically connect online," said Yowie founder and president Jamie Snider. "With the new Yowie, we're making it simple and safe to not just video chat with a celebrity, but with anyone around almost any topic."

    Yowie claims it is the first online destination to combine social interaction and a controlled environment for video chat. What makes Yowie different?

    • Reputation scoring system: Yowie's proprietary reputation scoring tracks on-site user behavior, including how and why users are being kicked, banned or reported for abusive behavior. Yowie surfaces all of that information on each user's profile so that Yowie users can make informed decisions about whom they engage with online.
    • Multimedia content: Have a cool new video that you want to chat about? Anyone can play YouTube or Vimeo media during their Yowie group chats, and new video and audio content partners — both live and recorded — are being added.
    • Categorized topics and search features: Group chat organizers are asked to tag a conversation so Yowie can aggregate chat rooms by topic. Popular chats will be showcased to users based on their personal preferences, or users can proactively search for specific topics.
    • Experience points: Users will be rated by experience points and earn badges as they use new site features (like playing media, or sharing the room with friends on social networks), encouraging people to use Yowie as a visual and social way to connect around common interests.
    • Public or private: Group chat organizers will be able to designate whether a conversation can be made public or private. This means no worrying about eavesdropping on your private conversation.

    Free and nothing to download: Yowie is a browser-based video chat service, so you have nothing to download. You can quickly start your own free chat room as long as you have a webcam and an Internet connection.

    Other new features with Yowie group video chat include:

    •     Embed the full group chat experience on any Internet destination.
    •     A Facebook application for group video chatting that mirrors the vast majority of Yowie's on-site functionality.
    •     Send a recorded video invite to your Facebook friends to join you in a chat room.
    •     Custom room skinning for chat room sponsors such as fan clubs or meet up groups.

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  • HTC Failed With the New Smartphone Range – Sales Drop by 30%

    HTC hardly manages to attract the interest of users with the current range of smartphones, ending November with disappointing sales – 30% less than previous month. The trend is even more worrying in the context of the upcoming winter shopping season, usually marked by increase in sales and significant earnings.

    The company has not explained why the steep decline in demand for its products, but it’s easy to understand: HTC bombarded us lately with many new models, most of high quality, well built, but with an undiversified design, which simply don’t manage to attract public attention.

    Sales for November dropped to $ 1.03 billion, compared with $ 1.46 billion in October. Really worrying is the 20-percent decrease from the same period of 2010, when HTC recorded sales of $ 1.27 billion.

    Even if it’s too early to compare HTC with Nokia, it’s clear that both companies need to reinvent themselves in order to survive in the increasingly dynamic market of smartphones and tablets.

    HTC currently enjoys a large number of fans, but they are not nearly as numerous and devoted as those of some heavy competitors like Apple. In the absence of some production facilities with resources comparable to Samsung, for example, HTC cannot bet too much on models with an extravagant design, through which to seduce its users. On the other hand, the company focused more on services and custom software, but without much enthusiasm.

    Unfortunately for HTC, software features such as Sense UI begin to lose their importance as Google continues to improve the native interface of their Android operating system, so that HTC needs more than ever to focus on the product itself and not on additional features, otherwise risking taking the same way as Nokia.

    You may also want to read:
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  • What to Expect from Android in 2012

    Google has shown just the tip of the iceberg with the latest improvements to the Android operating system. Users have become accustomed to expect more from the mobile operating systems and it is likely that the expectations to end in 2012.

    Software Improvements

    Latest release, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, came with the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus, being only a matter of time before other smartphones and tablets to start using it. Cameras with better software, improved graphics and perhaps a voice assistant similar with Siri might be on the launching ramp next year.

    Ice Cream Sandwich already allows users a wide enough range of voice commands. Even if the idea of assistant will not be adopted by Google, via Google Translate, they provide an idea in which direction the voice functions are moving.

    In what concerns the cameras software, Android started with a gross soft, not having too many options. The upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich brings features such as panoramic photos and zero time between shots. Future updates may include facial recognition and advanced settings options. These functions could also be included in tablets, not just for smartphones.

    Hardware Improvements

    Improvements in terms of hardware are also foreseen, especially in the range of smartphones with two processors. Starting with Ice Cream Sandwich on smartphones with dual-core processors, hardware acceleration option is automatically activated. This means that new applications for the operating system will run much faster. Also, there will also be improvements in games, in terms of graphics. Old applications will require updates in order to observe the improvements in performance.

    The number of terminals that will use Android is growing. This year Google launched android@home, a base for the operating system to be installed in smart homes. They will communicate with other devices running Android to make life easier for residents. In addition, car manufacturers have also been showing their interest since 2010 regarding Google’s OS in order to introduce it in cars’ consoles, which will allow sharing media files between smartphone and car.

    You may also want to read:
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  • iPhone 4S Could Be Banned in Europe

    iPhone 4S, Apple’s latest smartphone, could be banned in Europe along with all Apple devices that have GPRS connectivity and run iOS, following a lawsuit filed in Germany by Motorola.

    The number of lawsuits in which the company in Cupertino is involved grows with every passing day. After last week a court in Australia has unanimously decided to withdraw a preliminary decision prohibiting Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to be sold in Australia, Apple faces a new threat from Motorola.

    The company, acquired this year by Google, has won in Germany a preliminary injunction through which obtained prohibiting the sale of Apple devices that have the GPRS  technology, namely iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad 3G and iPad 2 3G, in Europe.

    The case represents a huge loss for Apple in the patents war that they are carrying with the Asian manufacturers of Android devices in several countries worldwide.

    “We will appeal the decision immediately. German consumers who want to buy an iPhone or an iPad for the holidays should not have troubles finding them,” said Apple representatives shortly after the decision.

    In the light of recent events, the Motorola Mobility purchase by Google, recorded this summer, seems a natural one. Market specialists have speculated even since those times that Google has paid $12.5 billion for the U.S. company only for its patent portfolio in the telecom area, and only in order to defend Android, the mobile platform that develops, by the trials filed by Apple against several manufacturers.

    Legal conflict between Apple and Android manufacturers has a long history, most of the lawsuits being filed by the U.S. company against the South Koreans from Samsung.

    Apple accuses them of copying the design and functionality of the iPhone and iPad smartphones and tablets of the Galaxy series models. In response, Samsung accuses Apple of violating several patents in the telecommunications area.

    Currently, between Apple and Samsung are opened 23 lawsuits in countries like France, Japan, Germany, South Korea and the United States.

  • Nokia Sells Luxury Division Vertu

    Nokia wants to sell the luxury phone line Vertu as part of restructuring the company. Given the problems faced by the Finnish phone manufacturer and the quite difficult adoption of the Microsoft’s operating system for its phones, Nokia has done a pretty natural step in thinking about selling the luxury division Vertu.

    Nokia missed the trend of technology and now is struggling to get rid of all its businesses that suddenly became unprofitable. After closing several factories all over the world, where they were producing cheap phones, Nokia is now trying to get rid of its “Crown Jewel” – Vertu luxury handset division.

    The UK-based subsidiary that manufactures phones with a starting price of at least 1,000 pounds, designed for those who can afford throwing money on a weak terminal in terms of performance, but with a case made of rare materials and with inlays in rubies or diamonds.

    According to sources close to the talks, it seems that Goldman Sachs mediates this sale. Although no one knows the value of the Vertu Company, its annual revenues are estimated at EUR 200-300 million.

    Vertu was considered an exclusive brand, and even if, technologically speaking, the phone wasn’t that brilliant, the handset compensated through the materials used – gold, silver, diamonds, sapphires. Thus, the phone was seen more as a luxury accessory than a functional object, needed every day.

    The latest model of the company – Constellation – which has a 3.5-inch AMOLED screen and 8-megapixel camera has a price of £ 10,000 if purchased with options such as crocodile leather and diamonds.  True value of these terminals does not come from the sum of technical specs or materials used but from certain VIP service of specialized consultants that can make recommendations about any field and set up meetings with other exclusive members worldwide.

    There are no details about potential buyers, but according to international media, there are only several investment funds interested in purchasing the Nokia subsidiary. Whoever will take over Vertu, will have a lot of work to do – phone design is exceeded, while the gold and the diamonds cannot compensate the performance needed by users.

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  • Sales Below Expectations For Nokia Lumia 800

    Nokia Lumia 800, although very promising at the time of launch, fails to stop the Finnish manufacturer from its sharp decline in the smart devices market.

    Despite efforts made by Nokia to promote their new model Lumia 800 and the encouraging sales figures announced at the time of launch, the reality seems to be different at all. The direction taken by Nokia Lumia 800 is actually moving toward sales far below the Finnish manufacturer's expectations.

    According to analyst James Faucett at Pacific Crest, if current trends maintain, sales figures for the Lumia 800 will not exceed 500,000 pieces sold, four times less than expected by Nokia.

    Given that the design team has done their homework, creating a very successful handset, which should easily convince the audience it is addressed, the only culprit remains its operating system – Windows Phone 7.5, still regarded with suspicion by many users.

    Nokia can only hope not to end the year with disastrous financial results. They only have the winter shopping season, which could raise again the sales figures.

    Unfortunately, at least for now, the partnership between Nokia and Microsoft does not seem to give the results foreseen by the CEO Stephen Elop, putting the company in disadvantage by using a too-new operating system, with many limitations artificially imposed and unable to convince in front of the competition presented by Google's Android and Apple's iOS.

    Despite the optimism shown by Nokia, the success that Lumia 800 enjoys in the UK cannot be entirely attributed to the design team. Orange UK recently launched a very aggressive campaign to promote Nokia’s handsets, rewarding about half of customers who have pre-ordered the phone with an xBox console completely free. As expected, the offer was very useful, even if it’s just a low-end version of the xBox console.

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    BitDefender Launches Mobile Security for Android Smartphones
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  • BitDefender Launches Mobile Security for Android Smartphones

    BitDefender, one of the leading antivirus vendors in the world, has launched BitDefender Mobile Security, an application specially designed for Android smartphones.

    The solution proposed by the Romanian company protects the users of smartphones and tablets against all the malware for Android, expanding BitDefender’s technological competence from desktop solutions to security applications for mobile devices.

    In terms of technological solution, BitDefender Mobile Security is based heavily on the in-the-cloud scanning, so that the process of scanning the application to be made with maximum efficiency and only when necessary. This is why the fingerprint of the security solution is minimal in terms of hardware resource consumption, fact certified in the “real life” by the more than 120,000 beta testers of BitDefender Mobile Security.

    Apart from the minimal impact on processing speed, the battery of mobile equipment is the second major beneficiary, the application having very little influence on energy consumption. "BitDefender Mobile Security is an excellent example demonstrating that an application can be very strong in the level of protection and also amazing when it comes to economic resources or battery," said Alex Balan, Senior Product Manager at Bitdefender .

    "The very high performance of our application is guaranteed by the years of experience in the malware field, BitDefender technologies being certified and awarded internationally. Finally, we are among the most experienced in-the-cloud developers, so that our security solution extensively uses this resource, the concept of "mobile security" becoming truly mobile," he added.

    BitDefender Mobile Security includes features such as Application Audit, Anti-Theft or Web Security, which help the user preserve privacy, to protect themselves against all the threats or even to recover a lost or stolen mobile device.

    Commercially speaking, the BitDefender security solution is a “freemium” type of product, meaning the application can be downloaded for free from the Android Market.

  • Samsung Wave 3 Available in Europe

    Samsung announced yesterday the availability of the Samsung Wave 3 on the European market. The smartphone running bada 2.0 was first announced in late August in Berlin during the IFA Consumer Electronics Fair.

    “The Wave 3 is a smartphone to benefit from the power of the bada 2.0, as well as a newly expanded suite of Samsung applications and services. We will continue to enhance our bada platform and its eco system for Wave smartphone line-up by developing more innovative features, application and content services,” said JK Shin, President of Samsung Mobile Communications Business.

    “We believe the Wave 3 is a smartphone that will truly deliver Samsung’s commitment to the bada platform in the mobile industry, and I hope customers around the world will enjoy it and take full advantage of its many innovative features,” he added.

    The new Samsung Wave is a solid smartphone, literally and figuratively, dedicated to persons who focus on design and safety, not just performance. The phone has a 9.9 mm thick aluminum body, a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, a 1.4 GHz processor assisted by 512 MB RAM, plus a storage capacity of 4GB (plus a microSD card reader). The Wave 3 also offers support for A-GPS and for the Glonass system (Russian counterpart to GPS), a 1500 mAh battery, HSDPA communication module, WiFi b/g/n support, WiFi Direct and Bluetooth 3.0, but also a 5-megapixel camera.

    Bada 2.0 platform

    Samsung Wave 3 runs on bada 2.0 platform, providing users a new experience: bada platform and TouchWiz interface. The Live Panel home screen can be optimized with Instant shortcuts to the most important content and applications.

    The Wave 3 also features an integrated technology called WiFi Direct, which is automatically connecting the device any WiFi networks available.

    Applications

    The device allows access to thousands of local applications through the app store Samsung Apps. The messaging service ChatOn is also present, connecting all the mobile network users in a single community.

    Thanks to the integrated system Store & Player, Music Hub gives users access to over 12 million tracks and also the possibility to fully customize the music files.

    Samsung Apps will celebrate the launch of the bada 2.0 operating system through the free download promotion of the games Camcard, Skyview and The Adventures of Tintin and: The Game, for a limited period of time.

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  • Amazon Prepares a Smartphone

    It seems that lately, Amazon becomes a synonym for “success”: after the exceptional sales of their e-book reader, Kindle, it foresees a good season for Kindle Fire tablet, but also the launch of a smartphone under the same brand!

    The information comes from the research department of Citigroup, which recently published a note by Mark Mahaney: “Based on our supply chain channel checks in Asia led by Kevin Chang, Citi’s Taipei-based hardware research analyst, we believe an Amazon Smartphone will be launched in 4Q12.”

    Mahaney adds that Amazon would develop the smartphone together with the producer Foxconn. Thus, Foxconn will develop the concept of the smartphone and will receive the NRE fees (non-recurring engineering fees) from Amazon, while the execution part will come to TMS division of Hon Hai Group (the same that produced the e-reader and the tablet for Amazon).

    According to Citigroup’s predictions, the smartphone will be based on a processor powered by Texas Instruments and a 6 Series dual core chip from Qualcomm (traditional supplier to Amazon).

    Mahaney’s estimates led to a production cost of about $150 to $170, the analyst stating that a competitive sale price should be close to this amount. “For a normal brand like HTC, they need to price the product at US$243 to make 30% gross margin. If Amazon is actually willing to lose some money on the device, the price gap could be even bigger,” said Mahaney.

    Although he doesn’t specifies whether the smartphone will use Google’s Android OS, but suggests this stating that Amazon will have to pay royalties to Microsoft for the operating system – given that Microsoft has obtained this fee in justice from the hardware partners that are using Android.

    Speculations about pricing are perfectly real, considering that Amazon decreased the price of their Kindle Fire tablet to only $199 and expects sales of five million units in Q4. According to iSuppli, this price would be lower than production costs, given that components’ price would be only $185.

    The future Kindle Phone would have to be another “sales vehicle”, a mobile extension of the website, additional to Fire tablet. According to the scenario, the phone may integrate an application that will scan the desired product on the website and to buy it through a single touch.

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