Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo gets priced in Germany
Less than 24 hours after going official, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo got a price tag. A German online retailer listed both versions of the phablet as available for pre-order.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo LTE+ is priced at € 529.90, while its quad-core HSPA+ sibling is listed for € 499.00. Both devices are unlocked and free of any carrier branding. There are no details on their shipping date for the time being.
Hexa-core CPU or not, the price tag of both versions of the phablet is a tad too ambitious at the moment (the same retailer has the regular Samsung Galaxy Note 3 listed for less). We do suspect that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo will slot in well below its bigger brother in terms of pricing when it becomes officially available.
Samsung Galaxy Core, Fame Light and Trend go LeFleur
Samsung is feeling all romantic ahead of Valentine's day and converted three of its available smartphones into LaFleur members - namely the Galaxy Core, Trend and Fame Lite.
The LaFleur version changes nothing on the smartphone's innards but goes for a more feminine look on the outside and adding a wallpaper to suite the panels on the inside.
Samsung Galaxy Core LeFleur
Recently we saw the Galaxy S4 mini in LeFleur colors and also got a peek at the bigger, Galaxy S4 with the same look.
Samsung Galaxy Trend LeFleur
There's no word when to expect these particular LeFleur edition devices to hit outside of Russia but Samsung usually releases the lineup in January of every year.
Samsung Galaxy Fame Lite LeFleur
The Galaxy Fame Lite is the only one in the bunch not going for predominant purple scheme and opts for white plastic with purple accents on the back and front.
Nokia Lumia 720 starts receiving the Lumia Black update
The Nokia Black update is now available for the Lumia 720 as owners have reached us to report they are now enjoying the latest Nokia extras on their handsets.
The Nokia Lumia Black update brings the Glance screen feature, support for Bluetooth 4.0 and Nokia Beamer (which the 720 doesn't get due to the 1GB RAM requirement). Early adopters report that the Glance screen works perfectly as works well with the newly the double tap to wake feature, which also came as part of the update. The phone also feels snappier, according to some reports.
The Lumia 720 update means that the majority of the Nokia Lumia lineup has already received the Black update. This includes the Lumia 520, Lumia 625, Lumia 920 as well as the Lumia 1020 AT&T variant. The Lumia 620 is the only one that yet to receive the enhancement suite.
Nokia released a three minute video overview of the Lumia Black update, which we covered in our blog.
Galaxy S4 and S4 mini get Black Editions with leather backs
Black is the new black – the Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition borrows the faux leather back of the Galaxy Note 3 and marks the introduction of yet another Galaxy S4 version (the 1001st by our count).
Snarkiness aside, we quite liked the faux leather back on the Note 3. Selling just the back cover would have meant current Galaxy S4 owners can get in on this too and the Note 3 back comes in other shades too (white and red, for example).
It's still an option for those who don't appreciate the plastic, fingerprint magnet back of the standard Galaxy S4. The specs are exactly the same as the I9505 though, the Snapdragon 600 version of the phone, rather than the updated S4 Advance models (with Snapdragon 800).
That goes for the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini too, as the compact phone will be getting a Black Edition of its own. This model has the same specs as its global counterpart too.
The big Galaxy S4 Black Edition will hit Russia (and presumably other markets) in February this year for RUB 23,000 ($660). The Galaxy S4 mini Black Edition will be RUB 16,000 ($460).
For comparison, Megafon, a large Russian carrier, offers the Galaxy S4 for RUB 22,000 and the S4 mini for RUB 15,000, so the Black Editions will have a slight markup. Other stores do offer the handsets at lower prices though.
Google releases Q4 2013 earnings
The team at Google should be all smiles today as the mega-giant corporation saw their profits raise by 17% from last year. The company's total revenue was a staggering $16.86 Billion for Q4 2013 alone.
Larry Page, CEO of Google, had this to say:
"We ended 2013 with another great quarter of momentum and growth. Google's standalone revenue was up 22% year on year, at $15.7 billion. We made great progress across a wide range of product improvements and business goals. I'm also very excited about improving people's lives even more with continued hard work on our user experiences."
The majority of Google's revenues came from their owned sites, generating $10.55 billion.
For an in-depth look at the report, click on the source link below. Looks like Google's reign won't be over anytime soon, at this rate.
AdDuplex: WP landscape skewed towards the low-end
Another monthly AdDuplex report is out and it shows that trend in the Windows Phone market of the low end dominating and the high-end barely there continues. The Nokia Lumia 520, which has long been the most popular Windows Phone device, grew even further and it alone holds over 30% of the WP market.
Add the Lumia 521 (a carrier version of the 520) and the Lumia 520 now accounts for over a third (34.1%) of all Microsoft-powered devices. Note that this is includes the discontinued Windows Phone 7 branch.
If we don't count those, then four out of every ten WP8 phones is a Lumia 520 (with the 521 adding just over 4%). Meanwhile the flagships are nowhere to be seen in the Top 10. The Lumia 1020 moved from 13th place to 11th, while the 1520 jumped from 19th to 16th.
Another entry-level phone is making gains though. The Lumia 625, a 4.7" handset close to the Lumia 520 in specs, went from 10th to 8th by securing 4.5% of the market.
Nokia/Microsoft's share of the pie grew to 92% squeezing other WP makers even more. In terms of OS distribution, WP8 (greatly helped by the Lumia 520) powers three quarters of the Windows Phone market and AdDuplex expects that to grow to four fifths next month.
We've seen some aggressive price cuts and marketing from Nokia/Microsoft in the US for the Lumia 520. There the entry-level smartphone jumped three places forward and now the 521/520 are the dominant model. The rise of the Lumia 521 pushed T-Mobile as the second biggest WP carrier in the US, pushing down Verizon. Verizon might soon get the Lumia 929 (Icon) though, so we'll see how that goes (flagships really aren't making a dent).
In the rest of the world, things are geared towards the low-end too. In Spain (a hard market for WP) and in Brazil, the Lumia 710 (a 2011 model) comes second only to the 520.
The Lumia 520 isn't king everywhere for sure – in Finland, Nokia's former homeland, it's the original Lumia 800 that has the most market share, in China it's the 920. Strangely, home-grown Huawei Windows Phones are not even on the map.
You can read more details about the Windows Phone market at the AdDuplex blog.
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact goes on sale in UK and Germany
Sony has started selling the Xperia Z1 Compact in a couple of new major European countries after the debut in Sweden. In Germany, Amazon sells the miniature flagship for €499 for all color variants of the phone (black, yellow, pink and white). The phone is also available at a number of other German phone retailers for prices starting at €489.
That's €30 less than the price at which the phone made its entrance in Sweden almost a week ago.
In the UK, the Xperia Z1 Compact is available for purchase directly from Sony's website. The unlocked version costs £449. Many other UK retailers are expected to have the phone in stock around mid-February.
If you happen to be an O2 customer, you might want to learn about its offers. The pay-as-you-go price is £479.99, which is higher than elsewhere, but you can opt for a 2-year contract and get it for free. As long as you are willing to get a service plan worth £37/month or more, that is.
Be sure to check out our full Sony Xperia Z1 Compact review to get all the information you could possibly want on the company's diminutive flagship.
Source • Source (2) | Via
Apple launches iOS 7.0.5 iPhone update in several regions
Apple has just launched iOS 7.0.5 update for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. It makes some minor bugs go away and fixes network provisioning for Chinese models.
According to user reports the new update is rolling out in China, Croatia, Germany and the UK with the rest of the world seemingly missing on it. It seems the update targets specific model iPhones and won't be available for all iDevices.
Meanwhile Apple is working hard on the upcoming iOS 7.1 update that should hit all compatible iGadgets worldwide very soon.
HTC unveils Desire 310 with MediaTek chipset
HTC Desire 310 was spotted on the company's European website, before the listing was pulled down. The successor of the Desire 300 will be the first smartphone from the Taiwanese manufacturer to feature a quad-core MediaTek processor.
HTC's latest smartphone sports a 4.5-inch display with a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels. It is powered by a MediaTek MT6582M chipset, featuring a quad-core CPU clocked at 1.3 GHz and 512 MB of RAM. The mid-range smartphone will feature a 5 megapixel shooter at the back, VGA front facing camera and 4 GB of internal memory with ability to expand it via microSD card.
The HTC Desire 310 will run on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and the juice for the smartphone will be provided by a 2,000mAh battery. The newest member of the Desire club measures 131.44 x 68.03 x 11.25mm and weighs about 140 grams.
The Desire 310 will be up for grabs in black and white colors, but there is no word on the pricing or the availability at the moment.
More Nokia X (Normandy) spy shots emerge
The Nokia X, aka Normandy, is out in the open again – spy shots reveal a device with looks that won't be out of place in the Asha line. That's exactly where the Nokia X is headed allegedly, now that Nokia has sold its smartphone business and the Asha line just can't compete with dirt-cheap Androids.
Nokia X (Normandy) spy shots
The alleged specs for the device are a 4" WVGA screen, dual-core 1.2GHz processor with 512MB RAM, 5MP camera, 4GB of expandable storage and optional dual-SIM. It's essentially an Android rendition of the Lumia 520.
It won't be mainline Android though but rather a Nokia customization with Google's Play services swapped out for Nokia ones. Amazon did it and Nokia already has great maps to replace GMaps, but what of the rest?
Well, Nokia is holding an event on February 24, just before the MWC gets into full swing and we'll know more then.
Source (in French)
Oppo introduces N1 phablet in India, costs $640
Oppo, the Chinese manufacturer has officially entered the Indian smartphone market with the introduction of its flagship phablet, the Oppo N1 in the sub-continent.
Oppo unveiled the N1 phablet back in September last year with a 5.9-inch FHD display, a Snapdragon 600 chipset, featuring a quad-core Krait processor clocked at 1.7 GHz, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB or 32 GB of internal storage, 13 megapixel rotatable camera and 3,160mAh battery.
The phablet was also the first device to official support the CyanogenMod 10.2, which is based on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS and there is also the home-baked ColorOS version that is built on the Android 4.2.
Oppo N1 will come out with ColorOS out of the box in India and there is no official word on the availability of the limited edition CyanogenMod variant in the country. Oppo has priced the 16 GB version of its phablet at INR 39,999 (about $640) and the device will be available in tier-one cities in the coming days.
You can check out our detailed review of Oppo N1 to know more about the phablet.
Lenovo acquires Motorola Mobility from Google for $3 billion
Google announced that it has reached an agreement to sell Motorola Mobility to Lenovo. The Chinese electronics giant will pay approximately $2.91 billion for the smartphones business with $1.41 billion due at the deal’s closing in cash and ordinary shares, and the remaining $1.5 billion as a three-year promissory note.
As part of the deal, Google will retain the bulk of Motorola’s massive patent portfolio, including current applications and invention disclosures. Lenovo will acquire about 2,000 patents alongside the Motorola Mobility brand and its trademarks. The Chinese company will receive a license for the remainder of Motorola’s portfolio which will remain at Mountain View.
After acquiring Motorola for $12.5 billion in 2012, Google raised the company’s profile last year with the launch of the characterful Moto X and Moto G duo of smartphones. Despite its efforts however, Motorola Mobility continued losing money each quarter.
Motorola’s acquisition will give Lenovo a much needed presence on the lucrative smartphone market in the United States (Motorola is currently number 3 smartphone manufactuer in the United States). It will also help the company counter the slumping sales of personal computers by expanding its focus on mobile devices.
Furthermore, the deal marks the acquisition of another legendary American technology brand by Lenovo. Back in 2005, the company bought the venerable ThinkPad division from IBM.
The transaction between the two companies is subject to regulatory approvals in both the United States and China.
SA: Android share grows to 79% in 2013, iOS loses ground
As we already reported, 2013 is the strongest year for smartphones sales to date with more than 990 million units shipped - a steep rise from the 700 million in 2012. According to Strategy Analytics, the real winner of the blooming smartphone sales in Android, as Google's mobile OS now holds 79% of the smartphone market.
This means that nearly every 4 out of 5 phones sold in 2013 is running some version of Android, which shipped four times more smartphones than Apple and Microsoft combined.
The analyst company predicts that Android growth is going to slow down in 2014 as a result of the smartphone market saturation and the birth of platforms such as Ubuntu Touch, Firefox OS and Tizen.
Android's growth, naturally, is at the expens of Apple's iOS and Microsoft's WP. iOS' annual growth stands at 13% with 153.4 million smartphones were shipped last year. That's much lower than the smartphone market growth in general so the Cupertino giant actually lost a lot of ground despite boosting its sales.
Microsoft isn't in a favorable position either, as its Windows Phone platform is still a very distant third in the smartphone market. To make matters worse its share in Q4 was lower than it was for the full year, so it might not improve on its numbers in the near future either.
Strategy Analytics doesn't mention anything regarding BlackBerry's performance and its new BB 10 platform. We guess this tells you all you need to know about the platform's state at the moment.
Geeksphone offers two different OS' on one phone
The Geeksphone revolution made its news debut a little over a month ago, and not much was known about the device, except that it would offer multiple operating systems on a single handset.
True,Geeksphone offers both Android and an "alternative os", but don't think that you'll be able to use Windows Phone or iOS as that alternative. Also the base OS of the phone is Android, with the “alternative OS” being the auxiliary one you'll have to select to dual-boot into.
For now, the most prominent alternative OS option will be Firefox. You'll be able to boot into it using Boot2Gecko, and it will receive OTA updates, as will any other alternative OS options that you select. What are the other options? Geeksphone only refers to "any other community supported OS" being loaded onto the device.
There's no word on the versions of Android that the Geeksphone will be rocking, but we do know the specs: a 4.7” 960x540 display, 1GB RAM, dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, and an 8mp camera.
A release date hasn't been set nor has a price, which will probably be the most deciding factor for this nifty little piece of tech. Any curious readers plan on buying this?
First leaked pictures of Windows Phone 8.1 notification center
It's no secret Microsoft is working on the Windows Phone 8.1 update that is supposed to bring notification center and intelligent voice assistant among other features. We've heard rumors and seen lots of alleged shots before, but today we finally get a glimpse of the real deal.
The leaked photos show the settings of the upcoming notification center and are from an early test build of the WP 8.1
Windows Phone 8.1 Notification Center settings
As you can see you can assign four quick toggles (Cellular data, Brightness, Wi-Fi, Airplane mode are the ones on the shot). There is also a checkbox for access the notification center from the lockscreen. Then there are the notification services you want to enable - emails, messages, etc.
It seems Microsoft is going to put everything the modern droids have in the notification center, instead of bringing it feature by feature as some of the competitors did.
Windows Phone 8.1 is expected to be unveiled at the annual BUILD conference in April and released soon after on all WP8-running devices.
Samsung Galaxy S5 alleged 16MP camera sample leaks
An apparently test Flipboard account, @123fliptest, had posted a photo 20 days ago but suddenly that photo is garnering a lot of attention. And it's because of what's in the photo but of what's in the EXIF data.
The camera that allegedly took the shot is a Samsung SM-G900V and the G900 name is known from a couple of benchmarks. One of those benchmarks was AnTuTu and the team behind the app did some digging and claims that the G900 is the Galaxy S5.
Alleged photo taken with the Samsung Galaxy S5
Interestingly, the benchmark detected a 16MP camera (5,312 x 2,988) – not 13MP as the current S4 (and its Snapdragon 800-powered Advance version) or the Galaxy J. That's also the resolution of the leaked photo.
Other info from EXIF reveals that the camera had an f/2.2 aperture and a focal length of 4.6mm. Assuming the camera lens will be 28mm equivalent in 35mm terms equivalent, the sensor size comes in at 1/2.5" – the size of the 20MP in the Nokia Lumia 1520.
There is indeed some speculation that since the photo has 16:9 aspect ratio, the full resolution of the sensor could be 21MP (for a 4:3 sensor).
Anyway, the phone that did the benchmarks was G900F, while this one is G900V. If Samsung keeps its naming convention straight, this would be the Galaxy S5 for Verizon.
Keep in mind that EXIF info is easy to edit, so take this photo with the appropriate amount of salt.
HTC Butterfly receives Android 4.3 Jelly Bean upgrade
HTC is now rolling out Android 4.3 firmware for the first Butterfly smartphone. The update is available over-the-air, weighs about 500MB and brings lots of novelties.
The update notification on HTC Butterfly
These are some of the changes the new firmware is going to bring on your Butterfly:
- Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
- HTC Sense UI 5.5
- Better HTC Blinkfeed
- Customizable Video Highlights
- HTC Zoe camera mode
- GIF creator from Zoe or burst shots
- Enhanced music channel
- Bug fixes and performance improvements
Reportedly the update is already available in Malaysia, but will hit (if not already) other regions very soon. There is no info if the Butterfly will be getting KitKat though.
Meanwhile we got some info on the Verizon's Droid DNA. It seems the phone will be skipping the 4.3 Jelly Bean update in favor of 4.4 KitKat. The information is not official - it comes from @LlabTooFeR, who develops HTC ROMs, so you should take it with a pinch of salt.
LG G Pro 2 appears in a duo of leaked images
LG has officially confirmed that the successor of the LG Optimus G Pro will be called LG G Pro 2. Apart from that, the South Korean manufacturer did not reveal any other details regarding the hardware specifications and the overall design of the upcoming phablet.
Fortunately, we now have a duo of leaked images, of the G Pro 2 to fill in some of the blanks. The live images suggest that he device will sport a design quite similar to the company's current flagship smartphone, the LG G2. The phablet will feature buttons at the back and its functionality is said to remain largely similar to the G2.
LG G Pro 2 is rumored to sport a 6-inch Full HD display and is expected to be powered by a Snapdragon 800 chipset. If the rumors are to be trusted, the phablet will feature many home-baked software goodies such as Knock, Guest Mode and QSlide.
LG has designed the G Pro 2 to rub its shoulders against the likes of Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in an attempt to establish its maker as a major player in the phablet market. LG says the announcement is coming at the Mobile World Congress, which kicks off at the end of February. We'll naturally be covering it all live, so don't forget to tune in when the time comes.
Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 UK pre-orders kick off
Samsung opened the pre-order books for the Galaxy Note 12.2 Pro in the United Kingdom. The top-end Android tablet is priced at £649 ($1076; €788) for a Wi-Fi version with octa-core Exynos chipset at Samsung’s official online store.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 is available in black or white, and is scheduled to ship next week, on February 4. Samsung will ship the pre-ordered units with a free bundled premium Gamepad (an £80 item on its own) in addition to the wide array of free software goodies.
While the official pricing of the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 sits below the initial eye-watering numbers, the tablet hardly comes across as affordable. It will be curious to see how the market will react to its pricing.
You can check out our Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 hands-on from the tablet’s launch over here.
Moto X to land in the UK on Jan. 30th
Despite being a few months old and not having the most boastworthy specs on the market, the Moto X still commands high demand where it is available: which is only in the Americas. However, the Google-owned hardware manufacturer announced that their customizable flagship would be available in select European nations, including the UK, beginning February 1st.
Well it seems that they've over-delivered on their promise, and lucky Brits will be able to get their hands on a Moto X as early as this Thursday.
Clove, a popular mobile phone retailer in the UK announced that they'll be getting the phone two days earlier.
The Moto X, although not carrying the highest-end specs in the cell phone game, has been praised for its exceptional build quality, customization, and fluid, stock Android experience. Its “Ok Google” voice commands also work top-notch, all of this, backed by a clever marketing scheme, has helped the phone to sell steadily.
Any UK residents out there excited to pick one of these bad boys up? Or are there more enticing handsets on the horizon that you're holding out for?
Sony Xperia E1 now available on pre-order in Germany and UK
Sony Xperia E1 was announced two weeks ago along with the Xperia T2 Ultra phablet. Sony detailed everything we need to know about the Xperia E1, but its pricing and availability.
Even though there was no official info, a UK retailer's listing suggested the Xperia E1 will be hitting the shelves this March, while a German retailer spilled the beans on the price - €139 for the single-SIM model, and €149 for the dual-SIM version.
Today one of the biggest and most popular EU retailers - Amazon - has listed the Xperia E1 in both its UK and the DE websites. Amazon UK says the phone is coming on March 10 and costs £149.99, while Amazon DE will be selling it for €139.
In case you are interested of getting the Xperia E1 in the UK, then it seems Amazon is not your best option. Clove has the E1 on pre-order at £134.99, though the price may change.
Rose Gold Galaxy Note 3 now available on Verizon
Samsung unveiled a Red Gold edition of its flagship phablet, the Galaxy Note 3 a while ago and it went on sale in China and Korea recently. The new hue also made it to the US as a Verizon exclusive and now, the latest option can be picked up from the carrier's website.
However, for now you only have the option to pre-order the new version before Verizon starts shipping it in next two days. The new Rose Gold Note 3 is based on the original white model but with with Rose Gold highlights on the sides and on the front of the device.
The Rose Gold edition is priced at $249.99 with a new two-year contract, while you can also grab the SIM-free version if you wish to shell out $649.99. You can check out the source link below to know more about the terms and conditions of the deal.
Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo goes official, costs €260
We already knew everything about the Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo a.k.a Grand Lite, thanks to a leaked internal document. However, now we've moved a big step forward to actually handling the device as Samsung has officially announced it.
Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo sports a 5-inch display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The smartphone will be powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core A7 chipset along with 1 GB of RAM. It features a 5 megapixel rear camera, VGA front facing shooter and 8 GB internal memory with the ability to expand it via microSD card.
Samsung's latest addition is equipped with a wide range of connectivity options, but lacks 4G LTE support. The smartphone runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and packs a 2,100mAh battery.
Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo is already listed in a Dutch online retail store with a price tag of €260 (about $355). The retailer promises to ship the smartphone within 24 hours. The Galaxy Grand Neo is expected to go on sale in other markets across the globe in the coming days.
Thanks Roger, for sending this in!
Nokia X aka Normandy pops up on Browsermark's database
Is there anything we don't know about the Nokia's Android phone codenamed Normandy? We already learned its name - Nokia X, we know its specs too - a 4" WVGA display, dual-core Snapdragon 200 chipset, a 5MP cam, 4GB storage, dual-SIM, six different colors, stripped down Android 4.4 KitKat.
We saw the Nokia X leaks via AnTuTu benchmark. Today it has entered yet another benchmark database - the one of Browsermark 2. According to the submitted info, Nokia X's model number is RM-980 and its Chrome browser scores 1885.88 on the test.
Here is the Nokia X results compared to other popular smartphones.
BrowserMark 2
Higher is better
- Galaxy Note 3 (S800)
3041 - LG Nexus 5
2745 - Motorola Moto G
2562 - Samsung Galaxy S4 (S600)
2438 - Sony Xperia Z Ultra
2419 - HTC One
2262 - HTC One Max
2243 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2096 - Sony Xperia C
1984 - Nokia X
1885 - Nokia Lumia 1020
1776 - HTC Butterfly
1475
According to the rumors, Nokia X won't be a Google certified phone, which means no Google Services including the Play Store. Nokia will reportedly provide its own application store, but the users will be able to sideload apps, too.
Anyway, Nokia X is expected to go official at the Nokia's pre-MWC event in Barcelona next month.
BlackBerry OS 10.2.1 update goes official, available now
BlackBerry has just announced the latest 10.2.1 update for its BlackBerry OS. It brings lots of new features, and is compatible with all BlackBerry 10 smartphones. The rollout has already started so you can update your device right now.
BlackBerry OS 10.2.1
Here is the complete official change log:
- Customize Pinch Gesture to Filter BlackBerry Hub – BlackBerry Hub lets you access all your messages and notifications in one place. A new feature lets you instantly filter the message list in the Hub. You can customize the Hub to show only Unread Messages, Flagged Messages, Draft Messages, Meeting Invites, Sent Messages or Level 1 Alerts. Once the filter criterion is set, you can simply activate it with a pinch gesture on the Hub’s message list.
- Simplified Phone Experience – The phone includes a new incoming call screen that lets you swipe to the left to answer or swipe right to ignore a call. New intuitive icons allow you to instantly silence the call, or send a Reply Now response through BBM, SMS or email that you can’t answer the phone right away. You can choose from a list of standard automated responses or respond with a personalized note.
- SMS and Email Groups – You can now create SMS and email groups for more efficient broadcast communications.
- Actionable Lock Screen Notifications – You can now "Tap to open" a message that appears on the lock screen, letting you respond to an important message much quicker or to check messages more discreetly.
- Picture Password for Quick Unlocking - You can quickly unlock your phone using a combination of a picture and a number (0-9) of your choice, which you place at a particular point on the image. When you try to unlock the phone, the picture will appear along with a grid of random numbers. To unlock, simply drag the grid so the number you selected overlays the particular point on the image.
- Customizable Quick Settings Menu - You can now customize what appears on the Settings menu, which includes features such as being able to quickly change the Brightness of the smartphone’s display, toggle various network connections, and access the built-in flashlight. The Settings menu also includes a toggle that lets you instantly switch between your Personal and Work perimeter.
- Offline Browser Reading Mode - You can now save the current web page you’re on for later viewing, even if you are offline or without an Internet connection.
- Preferred Contact Sync – You can now choose the sync source for your Contacts ensuring you always have the most up-to-date contact details. When adding a new contact you can designate which sources you want the contact info to sync with, such as the corporate address book, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.
- Device and Battery Monitor - A new and improved device monitor provides you with essential details on battery usage, the impact of installed apps on battery life and memory usage and storage, as well as CPU stats.
- FM Radio – If you have a BlackBerry Z30, BlackBerry Q10 or BlackBerry Q5 smartphone, the new software update unlocks the built-in FM radio in those handsets. You can listen to local FM stations, which does not require any network connection.
- Automatic Software Updates - OS updates can be set to happen automatically over a Wi-Fi® connection to help ensure you’re always benefiting from the latest and best possible customer experience.
- Enterprise Features - When combined with BES10 version 10.2, enterprise customers will gain additional security features and IT policies for when more granular controls are required, such as for regulated industries and for organizations that work with sensitive data. For more information about BES10, please visit bes10.com.
BlackBerry says the new 10.2.1 update is now available for all compatible devices (Z10, Q10, Q5. Porsche Design P'9982) everywhere around the globe. Of course, the rollout is gradual, so it may take some time before the update hits your device, especially if it is carrier-bound.
According to a leaked USA roadmap, Verizon's Z10 will get the update on January 28, Q10 - on February 4, the Z30 - on February 10. The same roadmap claims AT&T's Z10 and Q10 will receive the new firmware on February 10, while T-Mobile's Z10 and Q10 will get the notification in mid-February. Sprint's Q10 will be the last one to join the fun - at the end of February.
SA: Samsung lead smartphone charge in 2013 with 320M sales
A report by Strategy Analytics has it that global smartphone shipments reached a record 990 million units in 2013. This comes slightly short of the 1 billion estimated by IDC, but that kind of difference is negligible when dealing with estimates.
SA saw annual growth of 41% over 2012. In Q4 alone the increase is the slightly lower 32% - 290.2 million this year over 217 million in Q4 of 2012.
Samsung tops the list of smartphone manufacturers with a record 319.8 million smartphones shipped worldwide. This achievement gives the company a market share of 32%. According to the research company, Samsung's success lies in the company's numerous devices that made a big dent in the market as well as the great performance of its Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note 3 flagships.
In comparison to Samsung, Apple didn't do as well. The Cupertino based company grew 13% year-over-year having shipped 153.4 million smartphones worldwide. In 2013, the company marks a decline in its market share to 15%, from 19% in 2012.
Still, both companies accounted for nearly half of global smartphone shipments last year. Strategy Analytics notes that enormous marketing budgets as well as the optimized and extensive distribution channels have enabled Samsung and Apple to be leaders in the industry.
However, the research company expects the two leaders to feel increased pressure from "second-tier" brands such as Huawei, LG and Lenovo, which are all growing rapidly. Combined, the trio boasts 14% market share in 2013.
Huawei has expanded in Europe, LG saw its Optimus line do well in Latin America, while Lenovo's Android phones grew in sales across China.
Apple iPhone 5c sales fall short of expectations, Tim Cook admits
Apple put out its Q1 report and investors instantly spotted that the iPhone 5c, which replaced the iPhone 5, hasn’t been selling as well as expected. CEO Tim Cook is optimistic about Apple's performance with the iPhone 5s and 5c combo, but acknowledges "the mix was something very different than we thought."
The iPhone 5c captured a smaller market than the previous phone in its position, the iPhone 4S. That's despite a strong Black Friday performance. We thought that the 5c might be an ugly duckling to make the iPhone 5s look better that it would have if the iPhone 5 was still available (both metal phones that look the same).
Tim Cook credits Touch ID with why the iPhone 5s was so much more desirable than the 5c. "I think that, associated with the other things that are unique to the 5s, got the 5s a significant amount more attention and a higher mix of sales," says Cook. No surprise the iPhone 5c didn’t get Touch ID, huh?
Anyway, investors are not impressed with Apple's performance. They were expecting Apple to beat its own guidance (as it has done in the past), especially with the China Mobile deal in place and reports that, after only a week, the company saw its best activation numbers in China.
In pre-market trading Apple stock is down 6.70%, which knocks off $33 billion of the company's market cap. The drop was even bigger at one point, but AAPL is now slowly improving.
Apple's guidance for the next quarter isn't encouraging though, revenue is expected to be $42-44 billion. Last year Apple did $43.6 in Q2, which signals no growth and, with the margins falling, that may lead to a drop in profits.