Friday 31 August 2012

31/08/2012

Are these two of Nokia's new Windows Phone 8 devices?


   Given last weeks Apple vs Samsung ruling, quite a lot of people have been turning to Microsoft to see what their upcoming Windows Phone 8 will be running on. Yesterday we saw what Samsung had planned, that was the ATIV S and it was stunnning! Not to be out done it seems someone has been digging around at Nokia and the results of that are two new phones.

   The first is reportedly called the Lumia 920 and will feature a 4.5" screen and some of Nokia's much heralded Pureview camera tech, but it's safe to assume that it won't be a 41MP sensor this time! This one is the device pictured above.

   The second phone is the Lumia 820 and as we expected isn't quite as premium as the 920. But, you won't get the PureView branding, but an LED flash is a banker if the the leaked photo is accurate. The tipster also notes that there's a 4.3-inch display but we don't know if the resolution will be HD yet!

Huawei Ascend G600 released!



   That phone in the picture above is Huawei's latest foray into the smartphone market, the G600. Yes it looks like both the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the LG Optimus 4X HD and the specs sheet puts it near enough on par with the former.

   The phone touts, as two of it's key features, Android 4.0 and an eight-megapixel auto focusing rear camera. On top of that there's a pair of speakers with DTS surround sound, a solid 4.5-inch IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 960 x 540. The phone has a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor from Qualcomm, that'll happily power most things you throw at. Don't worry about this chipset draining the battery though as the large 1930 mAh lithium polymer battery will get you through most of the day and it'll charge from nothing to full in around four hours. The phone promises to start quickly with power on in only 5 second!

   The phone has a number of other features including; Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, NFC and DLNA compatibility. Storage is ok too because there is 768 MB of RAM and 4 GB of ROM storage. But, don't worry you can put up to 32GB's of extra storage in with the MicroSD card slot!

   And just for the record there's white and black varieties coming and the phone will be available this autumn!

In other news:

  • Apple's upcoming iPhone might be facing a slight delay because one of the three screen producers, Sharp, is having issues pumping out enough of the custom screens to meet Apple's huge demand. This might not be true but brace yourself for limited availability when the phone launches!
  • Google's efforts to create a driveless car have been acknowledged in California as the State has now said it is legal to drive(?) the cars on the road!
  • Since Facebook's stock market floatation things haven't exactly gone swimmingly, quite the opposite. Today things got a little worse too as their predicted revenue for 2012 got chopped down by $1billion!!!
  • Huawei's MediaPad 10 FHD will ship globally in September complete with it's 1920x1200 screen and it's keyboard dock!
  • Apple vs Samsung rumbles on with Samsung promising to sue Apple if they have any sort of implementation of LTE on their upcoming iPhone (Sammy owns about 10% of the world's LTE patents) but this might be FRAND technology. Also, Japan is struggling to find any patent infringement which is good news for Samsung!
  • Also, it seems Apple and Google have sat down together for patent talks, but there's nothing more to say about it than that there is more meetings to come!

Thursday 30 August 2012

30/08/2012



Lenovo from IFA 2012!


   Lenovo released a couple of tablets from their A series the over day which we have previously covered, but there's one that we haven't mentioned that really stands out!

   That device is elegantly named the Ideapad S2110 The tablet itself has a 10.1-inch IPS LCD display with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution and a nice 420nit brightness and it's got a great little attachable keyboard dock for all your work. You’ll have 10-finger touchscreen abilities here too because the show is run by the powerful Qualcomm 8060A/8260A 1.5GHz dual-core processor (aka a dual-core Snapdragon S4).

   The tablet on it's own is rated for 10 hours of battery life and with the keyboard dock you’ll have 20 hours of battery life! Without the dock the whole thing weights in at just 580g so it's quite heavy but not unbearably so. If you're one of them people that likes good shooters on your tablet then this one will just about pass; there's a 5 megapixel camera with Auto Focus and single LED flash, the front houses a 1.3 megapixel camera for video chat. Inside you’ve got 1GB of RAM as well as Bluetooth 4.0, built-in FM Radio, and this thing is Wi-fi only, sorry!


ZTE Grand X IN gets released!


   ZTE has another addition to their Android line-up today and this one is the world's first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone with an Intel inside.
  
   The phone has an Atom X2460 running the show and the back casing is quite unique because it's hatched and surprisingly interesting. On the front there's a 4.3-inch 960 x 540 display and a 0.3MP camera and round back you've got a powerful 8 megapixel camera with single LED flash. 

   Depending on your point of view you'll either be smitten with ZTE’s custom user interface we will just say it's a very bubbly affair with a few custom widgets thrown in for good measure. By way of redemption though there is 4G HSPA+ connection with up to 21Mpbs and has Intel's 'Hyper-Threading Technology' too. With this technology and the Intel XMM 6260 Platform you’ll be working with ultra-fast web browsing and an all-around super speedy user experience chipzilla promises.

   To keep you going through the day you've got a 1650mAh battery and the rest of the internals include 1GB of RAM with either 4 or 16GB of ROM. You’ll also have the ability to expand your memory by 32GB through the microSD card slot. The sensor set includes; GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 + A2DP, Dolby sound, RM Radio, Accelerator, Gyroscope, Compass, Proximity senros, and Light sensor as well.

HTC Desire X.

   HTC has come up with a new refresh of the classic HTC Desire, but this phone is quite a strange beast because it's a high-quality mid-range phone and it's pretty much in a range of it's own because of the mismatch of the internals.

   This phone has a solid 4-inch 480 x 800 pixel super LCD display and an ultra powerful 1Ghz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and the software is a Sense 4.0 take on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich although we haven't heard if it'll be updated to Jelly Bean, but we expect it will.

   The storage, as will all Desire devices, leaves something to be 'desired', in this case there's 4GB of internal storage and 768 MB of RAM. In an attempt to appease you HTC will throw in 25GB of cloud storage free with Dropbox for two years. But at least there's a microSD card slot for up to 32GB of extra storage. As always you can get some Beats Audio out of that 3.5mm headphone jack.

   You audiophiles will also appreciate the Bluetooth 4.0 stereo audio quality – APT-X CODEC for BT A2DP is also included. You’ve also got the option for HD voice calls, if your network offers it and an FM radio. Your sensors include a proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and G-sensor. The battery in this device is another1650 mAh unit that HTC claims will provide 10 hours of talk time in 3G or 20 hours in 2G, with 34 days of standby if you’re using 3G or 31 days using 2G – we're not sure who HTC employed to do their maths!!!

   The camera is also noteworthy; it's a 5MP BSI lense with HTC ImageChip, the same one that you might have in your HTC One series device. The camera also uses a F2.0 aperture, wide angle 28 mm lens, and an LED flash with SmartFlash. SmartFlash functionality is quite useful as it allows five level of flash that are automatically set by your camera detecting distance to the objects at hand.

   All in all it's a nice mid-range device but we're not sure this is going to drastically change HTC's fortunes.

In other news:

  • In case you needed any more confirmation Amazon are soon to announce a Kindle Fire successor then the original device has now been listed as 'sold out' on Amazon's website. Hold tight refresh incoming!
  • Amazon's App Store is now available in Europe!!! 
And finally, Sony's new Xperia T and V have both benchmarked higher than Samsung's Galaxy S3, so they are mighty good devices! Some of the benchmark results have been included below!

Xperia T Benchmarks
Xperia T Benchmarks

Wednesday 29 August 2012

29/08/2012

Galaxy Note II arrives, with the ATIV S, before IFA!


   They guys over at PocketLint appear to have scored quite a scoop today! If they're right the image above is the upcoming Galaxy Note II, which is slated for release at IFA next week.

   The guys believe there will be two colour variants of the phone; blue and white, much like Samsung's Galaxy S3. On the front there will be a 5.5-inch 1280×720 resolution display which will be a massive HD Super AMOLED panel.

   The rest of the specs are equally impressive; with a 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos CPU, 2GB of RAM, 8 and 1.9 megapixel cameras, and a huge 3,100mAh battery. This beast of a battery will not make the device thicker than its predecessor, but it'll make it slightly heavier.

   The body will be a mere 9.4mm thick a marginal thinning compared to the original which was 9.65mm. All of this will make it a whopping 2 grams heavier(!) than the first Note, and we expect to see 16, 32, and 64GB iterations.

Samsung Ativ S!
   As for you guys across the pond we have no news on what the specs will be for you yet and or if there will US availability!

Samsung ATIV S.
As well as the Note II here is the Samsung ATIV S, the company's first Windows Phone 8 device!

   It has a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera paired with a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. The internals are crammed into a 8.7mm thick profile and the rest of the specs include 1GB of RAM,16GB or 32GB models, both of which come with a microSD slot for more storage and the whole device is powered by a 2300mAh battery. The body is made with brushed aluminum(!!!), the screen lies behind Gorilla Glass, and Samsung opted for a physical Windows button instead of a capacitive one — a decision that matches its latest Android devices.

Samsung Galaxy Camera!

   Perhaps we should have seen this one coming, after all Samsung has brought us the Galaxy Beam! Another quirky mix of Android and attachment has occurred today and this time Samsung has added a 16MP shooter!

   There's actually a great spec sheet on this thing; things are kicked off by a 4.8-inch 1280 x 720 touchscreen running at 308ppi, along with the voice control that’s part of Android. There’s also the same sort of in-device intelligence that we’ve seen on the Galaxy S III – in fact it runs on a 1.4GHz quadcore processor as well!

   Amazingly Samsung has managed to put out Jelly Bean with this thing although we aren't holding out for many updates in the future! And yep this thing is aimed at socialites and the 3G/4G connections and onboard editing and social sharing features should be a hit! And if you need to know exact details about this cameras' prowess then you'll have a 21x optical zoom on that 16-megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS which itself is paired with a 23mm wide-angle lens! 


Samsung ATIV Tab 10.1.



   So what does every good Android manufacturer need? Some Windows powered 'balance' that's what! This is Samsung's attempt to make sure all consumer bases are covered with a Windows RT powered version of their popular tablets.

   This is essentially the Galaxy Note 10.1's Windows cousin, but with the slightly less powerful processor and a slightly worse screen, which would indicate that this is more for mid-range consumers (we hope!). Just for reference the screen is a 10.1-inch 1366 x 768 display, and the quad-core Exynos chip has been swapped for a Snapdragon 1.5 GHz dual-core processor. The camera on the rear will be 5 megapixels and the front one will be 1.9MP shooter.

   Other than that the details are still light and until we hear more soon we won't know if the 10.1 will come with anything more than the HDMI, USB, super skinny and lightweight features we've already been promised!

Sony unleashes devices before IFA.

Phones together

   Sony has an almost completely new line-up of devices this time around and a brand new tablet! We could explain to you the merits of each device but Sony themselves have done it best;
xperia

"Xperia™ T
  • 4.6” HD Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA® Engine for razor sharp clarity.
  • 13MP fast capture camera that goes from sleep mode to snap in just over a second
  • Full 1080p HD video recording capabilities and a 720p HD front camera for the highest quality content
  • Easy connectivity with ‘One-touch’ function enabled by NFC
  • Latest generation 1.5GHz dual core processor for improved battery life, fast performance and ultra sharp graphics
  • Android version 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Will be upgraded to Android version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) following launch. Detailed timing to follow.
  • MHL connectivity for viewing content on a big screen without the need for a charger
  • Use Xperia TV Dock with MHL to HDMI converter and charging connector to enjoy photos and videos on an HDMI enabled TV
Xperia™ V
  • 4.3” HD Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 for razor sharp clarity
  • 13 MP fast capture camera with full HD video recording.
  • Latest generation 1.5GHz dual core processor for improved battery life, fast performance and ultra sharp graphics
  • LTE for the fastest data download speeds (in markets where technology is available)
  • Easy connectivity with One-touch ‘One-touch’ enabled by NFC
  • Clear audio+ for the highest level of sound quality
  • Highest levels of dust and water resistance in a smartphone (IP55/57+) ensure protection from the effects of immersion up to 1m for 30 minutes
  • MHL connectivity for viewing content on a big screen without the need for a charger 
Xperia™ J 
  • 9.2mm slim stylish design
  • Large 4.0” FWVGA Display
  • Social media updates with illumination
  • 5MP AF camera and a front facing 'chat camera' 
Xperia™  Tablet S 
  • Slim new aluminium body and splash-proof design
  • 9.4” HD display with OptiContrast™ Panel with low-friction coating
  • NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor and Android 4.0.3 operating system
  • Android version 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
  • Various experiences with original applications and Sony’s network services
  • Optimized accessories (sold separately) to enhance experiences in every scene

   The Xperia T and Xperia Tablet S are both great looking devices and are worthy flagships for the foreseeable future! It's worth saying that the company has Playstation Certified all of these devices and they have promised Jelly Bean updates for the Xperia T and V, although we would expect the Xperia Tablet S to get one too!

   In case you can't wait to get your hands on them the Xperia T and the tablet will be available from September and the rest will be coming your way through the latter part of the year!

HTC rumoured tablet!
The image below is reportedly an upcoming tablet from HTC. We have no details on it and we have no idea if it's real or not. But, if it is real HTC might have to brace themselves for lawsuits as it looks painfully like a tablet version of Apple's desktop iMac computers.
HTC Tablet 1

In other news:

  • It's been reported today that Microsoft will unleash Windows Phone 8 a day after Windows 8 goes on sale, the date to mark in your calenders is October 29th!
  • Google is reportedly looking to sell Motorola's set-top box department as the company doesn't see it as an essential revenue stream anymore.
  • Samsung has promised Jelly Bean updates for both the Galaxy S3 and the Note 10.1 will take place in the 'very near future'. Stay tuned for the updates.
  • Verizon's version of the Galaxy Nexus can now run Jelly Bean, but only if you're prepared to go down the AOSP route at the moment!!!!

Tuesday 28 August 2012

28/08/2012

LG Optimus G becomes official!!!


   LG have been in the shadow of their South Korean rivals, Samsung, for far too long! The Optimus G might finally be the company's way out of that darkness! 

   For starters there is an insane spec sheet on this thing; there's a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 running the show, 4G LTE connectivity, and LG’s futuristic application of their fully integrated touch technology that goes by the name of in-cell touch, which is the same technology Apple is expected to use in the upcoming iPhone. 

   On top of that you've got a True HD (1280 x 768 pixel resolution) IPS+ LCD and LG claims it'll be able to squeeze right up to the edge of the 3mm bezel! On the back of the device you’ll find a massive 13 megapixel camera, to compliment the 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera. The other info includes; 2GBs of RAM, a 2100MaH battery and Android 4.0 ICS!

   This is one sleek (8.45mm thick), ultra-powerful device, hopefully LG will be able to keep this one up to date on the software front!


In other news:

  • Last week we reported that OnLive would be keeping their CEO, Steve Perlman, for the foreseeable future. But, it seems this week Mr. Perlman has been dismissed and the official statement from OnLive on Perlman leaving is that he is “departing to work on his myriad of other projects.” Perlman likely took his own financial beating with OnLive having to restructure.

    The Verge has said that while Perlman was the majority shareholder in OnLive; all his stock was wiped out when the company turned insolvent. The company used something called an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors, and this took off all stock in the company. Reports from insiders claim that the reason Perlman left was that his employees asked for his permanent resignation before they would even consider working for the new company. Ouch!
  • Sony's PS Vita is getting a firmware update to version 1.8. If you're a European reader this will bring you the option to play all PSone Classics, but the update is bitter-sweet if you live in the USA as only the following games are available to begin with;with more games cropping up each week in the USA.

    "Arc the Lad, Cool Boarders 2, Final Fantasy VII, Hot Shots Golf 2, Jet Moto, Syphon Filter, Tomb Raider, Twisted Metal 2, Wild Arms."
  • Apple has pushed for the ban of 8 Samsung devices after last weeks bombshell. The devices include; the Galaxy S 4G, AT&T Galaxy S II (AT&T), Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, T-Mobile Galaxy S II, Galaxy S2 II Epic 4G, Galaxy S Showcase, Droid Charge, Galaxy Prevail.

    Thankfully most of these devices probably won't interest you but just in case they do get out there and get one ASAP before they get banned!
And finally, Engadget has got hold of a new picture and some specs for an upcoming version of the Droid Razr called the Motorola Droid Razr M 4G LTE. The only changes from the original version are Gorilla Glass 2 is added as well as a beefed up 3MP front-facing camera. Sorry it's not a Razr HD guys!

Monday 27 August 2012

27/08/2012

Samsung preparing a Galaxy Camera, Galaxy Player and the Galaxy Note 2's specs leak just in time for IFA!


   We're starting to get really close to IFA 2012 and the leaks are being churned out at full speed! Today we've seen a rumoured Galaxy Camera, which is potentially aimed at Nikon’s Coolpix S800c. The new device will reported be “a Galaxy S III glued to the back of a point-and-shoot camera, with no physical buttons on the back". Hence we'll be seeing a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. GSMArena‘s 'reliable source' also reports that there's a 16-megapixel sensor, 10x zoom and pop-up Xenon flash. There's also talk of both Wifi and 3G varients of the device, but the 3G version would only be able to do data!

   With regard to the Galaxy player, we're widely expecting to see at IFA is a 5.8" device with a 960 x 540 qHD resolution LCD touchscreen in the skin of an oversized Galaxy S III (pictured right). There's a pair of speaker grills, just like the Galaxy Note 10.1. The software on the phone is Android 4.0 ICS which has been Touchwiz-ed and Samsung has kindly included AllShare (their DLNA solution) and ChatON for all your Instant messaging needs!

   And finally, the final leak is perhaps the most intriguing of them all. The image below appears to outline the spec sheet of the upcoming Galaxy Note 2. If this is right there's the same quad-core processor we've seen in the Galaxy S3, a 720p Super Amoled HD screen and all the normal connections and memory options we've seen in recent devices. We'll have to wait until next week to see if what Samsung really has in store for us!


In other news:

  • Nokia has released Symbian Belle for owners of N8, C7, X7, E7 and their relatives. The updates will bring a new browser that's compatible with HTML5 web apps. There’s also a new collection of homescreen widgets, along with the previously released Microsoft Office Mobile App and Nokia Maps Suite 2.0.

    N8 owners, will also get a number of extra apps for imaging, though exactly what benefits these will have is currently unclear. Right now, the Belle Update is heading to an N8, E7, C7, C6-01, X7 and Oro with version number 111.040.1511. Those of you out there with a Nokia E6 (version number 111.140.0058) will get this update later in the week, while those out there with the Nokia 500 will have to wait for the next few weeks before they see the slight refresh.
  • Samsung has asked that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales ban in the US be overturned and is cosequently demanding damages for lost sales from Apple, after the tablet was judged not to infringe on any patents recently. Apple secured a preliminary injunction against the 10.1-inch Android tablet in June and Judge Koh described the device as "virtually indistinguishable" from the iPad range. The Apple vs. Samsung jury did not agree, instead the decided that the Tab 10.1 did not in fact infringe on any of Apple's IP. This will potentially give Samsung a chance to get back part of the $2.6m bond Apple posted to block Samsung's sales
  • Dropbox has beefed up their security by offering two-step verification!
  • And on the back of Apple vs Samsung and the $1billion fiasco last week RIM's, Nokia's and Microsoft's share value bounced upwards this morning. Even Gartner went and publically said companies will now see Windows Phone as the 'reliable' third option and they now expect a much wider adoption of the platform from both HTC and Samsung. 

And finally, the image below is of a new tablet from Lenovo called the IdeaPad A2109, catchy eyy? On board there's a 9-inch 1280 x 800 resolution HD display and a solid NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor. In case you're still not convinced their's Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, 1GB of RAM, a micro-SD support for extra storage, a 3 megapixel rear and 1.3 VGA front camera, and even HDMI out options. All of this is available for $299 from your local BestBuy!

Sunday 26 August 2012

Apple, the next iPhone and the future.

   Some things happen once a year; Christmas, Easter, your birthday, your anniversary or your family holiday! In the same category is Apple's iPhone release! (Obviously it's importance equals the previous bunch!).

Wouldn't you love it to look like this?
   Every year since the iPhone's inception this one event has generated huge intrigue, excitement and some degree absurdity; it's a moment everyone reports on and everyone reads. Apple have managed to create a level of hype around this annual release that the IDC reported the company's sales have slumped recently as consumers hold their cash for the next version of the iPhone to land!

   But, what does Apple's iPhone need to be to maintain their dominance and hold the position of the highest selling single handset?

   Before we tackle that it's worth remembering that Apple makes and sells millions of devices at premium price points and it's this premium that means they cannot afford to get complacent! The iPhone 4S was widely viewed as a disappointment; on the surface the device didn't change, the internals changed slightly. Some viewed it as Apple putting in minimum effort, others viewed it as a genius stroke and asked why change something that is 'exceptional' already? Apple can't afford for the next device to be average, it needs to blow people away again.

Who needs to be wow-ed?

   You may ask why? Yes Apple will always have that core of people who buy anything Apple produces, the fanboys, if you will. But, Apple has competent challengers like never before. There are lots of people out there who have had their heads to Samsung's high end devices and the wonders of Android. I'm sitting in a room now with, 5 Samsung phones, a HTC and a dumbphone. The Samsung's sales to us have included 2 Galaxy S3's and some lower-end Android powered phones.

"It's very hard to justify buying an iPhone 4S over a Galaxy S3, unless you're very heavily invested in iOS."

   We are the people Apple needs to win back with larger, more appealing devices because at the moment it's very hard to justify buying an iPhone 4S over a Galaxy S3, unless you're very heavily invested in iOS. Apple must reverse this to ensure their dominance. The next iPhone needs to wow people in a way the 4S doesn't when faced with the competition.

Apple releases the iPhone at a challenging time of year!

   It's also worth remembering that Apple's releases are effectively half a year behind HTC, Samsung, LG and their crop of Android power houses. HTC and LG tend to release their phones in late January/early February, while Samsung has their Galaxy S range announcements in May. These guys have a whole half a year to offer up superior phones before Apple can come back with something just as good. Apple should try to best these competitors with their September release instead of playing catch up to the ones that their competitors just release! So please bare in mind that next year will usher in quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro's as standard, 1080p screen as standard, so the iPhone will have some serious competition within 5 months and the new 'set' of Nexus' within a couple of months of the release!

Will patents affect anything?

   There's not just pressure from other companies devices, Apple as a whole company needs to be wary of patent lawsuits too. If the company decides to go on an offensive and get hoards of devices banned from sale for various reasons they will become 'the bad guy' and consumers will start to punish them. But, this is something Apple should have the foresight to both predict and avoid. This is pretty much the only way Apple can go wrong with the next iPhone!

   So what would TheTechFella like to see from Apple's 'new iPhone'. Well if I had my way I would have a lot more than we're expecting.

What I want!
Which would you go for?

  • I would love to see Apple step up to a 4.3" screen, this is almost the perfect size for ease of handling and giving you ample size to read everything you need to on your phone. 
  • On top of this I would love to see a good processor in this one, maybe the A5X or even a slightly more updated version of this chipset!
  • On the storage front there has to be a minimum of 16GB's of storage and an SD card would be a dream come true, but it'll probably remain as just that, a dream.
  • A metal chassis would be good, but anything that will make iPhone's less likely to smash than the current crop is!
  • A metal chassis doesn't have to be dull and understated either! What about a range of colours like the iPod's have?!


This is something like what Apple will release!
What we'll probably get!

  • A 4" Retina display.
  • Metal chassis, no glass in sight.
  • An A5x chipset, the same one that's in the new iPad.
  • A new charging/docking connector.
   As a final word I'd just like to mention that whatever Apple makes it'll sell by the bucket load because it's a premium, high quality, well made, well supported and all round great device. Apple is now what Nokia used to be; the leader, the innovator and the top dog. But, the question is 'will Apple be able to cement their position as we head into 2013 and the next wave of superphones.

   There's probably tonnes I've missed and there's probably things you'll disagree with in this post, let me know what you think in the comments!

Saturday 25 August 2012

Apple Vs. Samsung Part 1 concludes.


   The clash of the two biggest names in the Mobile Phone world came to a head in America over night. Jurors has sat through hours and hours of testimonies and they had reached their decisions.

   The conclusions they reached supported, some would say rightly, Apple. Samsung's punishment came in to the tune of a $1billion!! Almost all of Apple's patents were upheld and none, yes absolutely none of Samsung's patents were found to be valid!

   Just as an example, here is a list of devices that show the fines that made up that $billion;

• Infuse 4G: $44,792,974
• Prevail: $57,000,000+
• Mesmerize: $53,123,612
• Replenish: $3,350,256
• Transform: $954,060


Some perspective:
    Overnight there has been lots and lots of reaction from over the web but let's put this in some kind of perspective;

  • Apple's had a win here, but then there's appeals to come so the figure might come down a small amount.
  • Samsung did copy Apple's design on the original Galaxy S and they utilised Apple's 'trade dress' for their own advantage. So it is a fair decision.
  • This ruling does NOT affect newer Samsung devices such as the Galaxy S3 or Galaxy Note 10.1 who's design is notably original!
   The $1billion is about a sixth of Samsung's $6billion profit from Q2 alone! They can easily take the hit and it will make the company more careful and original in future.   

Is this the end of Android?

   The patents that Apple has had 'validated' by this ruling are not the be all and end all for Android. Yes this is undoubtedly a set back for Android manufacturers and it may give Apple the confidence to go after them more aggressively. But, there's the option to license these patents or as we have seen with HTC, there are ways to get around Apple's patents. The 'bounceback' patent has been circumvented by HTC with a slightly edited animation that is widely regarded as an improvement anyway! 

   Also it's worth mentioning that Apple manufacturers all create their own skins and none of them apart from LG's look like iOS anymore. So this is not really an issue!

Windows Phone looking good now?   

   There's also been a lot of commentary overnight about the impact this will have on Windows Phone and whether manufacturers will be pushed into M$ arms.

   This is unlikely, companies may get slightly more cosy and release a few more Microsoft devices, but most will stick with Android because it sells extremely well. We expect Android manufacturers to continue their work on Android until the 'licensing fees' become more than the cost of buying copies of Microsoft's OS and they'll probably continue to after that as well!

   We'll see how this one plays out though!

What now?

   It is conceivable that Samsung will stop releasing as many devices in the US market, so essentially the country has restricted their choices with this decision. But, on the contrary Samsung might be more determined to go after market share now and come out with absolutely stellar devices in the country.

   This court proceeding isn't quite over yet either; Apple has until August 29, next Wednesday, to file their opinions, and Samsung will have 14 days after that to respond to the decision. Once Samsung has filed its response on September 12, Apple will have only two days to file a response of its own. This will all culminate with a preliminary injunction hearing on September 20. Stay tuned folks, because even though the trial is over, the fight between Apple and Samsung isn’t finished yet.

   And just for reassurance if you think Apple is going to be taking your phone off you, they can't! If you've bought a phone that infringes Apple's patents then you will not have anyone coming to your house and you are free to use it until you no longer want it! This isn't mobile armegeddon!

Friday 24 August 2012

24/08/2012

OnLive CEO stays on amid cuts!


  Last week half of OnLive’s workforce was laid off, the company began a huge restructuring programme because they were haemorrhaging money. The changes meant that HTC lost its $40 million investment. When things like this happen and everything looks so dire everyone and their mum would expect to see the CEO and the execs move on to be replaced with people with new ideas and a fresh plan for success. So it won't be just us who're very surprised that OnLive is keeping their current CEO, Steve Perlman.

   An official statement was issued by OnLive this week which offered up a few more details on what’s actually happening within the company and what fans can expect to be seeing from the company. OnLive said in the statement that it has a new investor and assured subscribers that all their purchases, achievements, videos, and other content were still there and would not be interrupted. The company says it plans to continue operating its service 24/7 just as it always has.

   Perlman has been charged with working through this major transition. Once the company transition is complete, OnLive said that Pearlman would focus on the company’s next product releases and promised more major announcements in the near future. Those announcements will include the Vizio CoStar and the Ouya console! Stay tuned for more announcements as they happen!

South Korean judgement on Apple Vs. Samsung.


   So these two have been at each others throat for soooo long it's starting to get boring but now the results are finally starting to come in.

   The first result has come out of South Korea, Samsung's home turf, so is this ruling slightly favourable? Not entirely no. The court decided that Apple had infringed on two Samsung patents, but Samsung had returned the favor on Apple's "bounceback" design patent, but they apparently didn't copy Apple's icon design resulting in damages of about $22,000 heading Apple's way and $35,000 going the other way. That's according to WSJ's Evan Ramstad, who also reports that other than the light financial slap on the wrist, the ruling means that the infringing products can no longer be sold in South Korea. The list of affected hardware includes mostly previous gen products like the iPhone 4 and iPad 2, as well as the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy S II and Galaxy Nexus.

   The USA might rule slightly more in Apple's favour but, we'll find out later next week!

In other news:
  • HTC's rumoured 'Proto' device has had some more leaks today. The device is widely expected to replace the HTC One V when it launches soon!
  • Tim Cook has been CEO of Apple for a year! 
  • There is a planned Xbox 360 hub for the upcoming US election campaign!

And finally for those of you who thinks Apple needs to commit a 4G chip to their upcoming iPhone then it would seem consumers don't really see the need at the moment. All the good stats from the research are below!

Thursday 23 August 2012

23/08/2012

Is HTC planning a wholesale price cut to regain market share?!


   Everyone knows that HTC prides themselves on high quality, well made devices! It was this belief that made HTC one of the most popular Android manufacturers up until the last year. Something happened then, no one really knows why though. Perhaps it was good devices that weren't particularly inspiring or perhaps Samsung and Apple have just been a completely relentless march!

   Either way today's rumours have suggested there will be a fightback from HTC! And what better way to get some mind share and some more market share back too than a price cut! That's exactly what the Chinese rumour mill has blurted out today! Apparently these cuts will run deep too; all of their current One Series devices will reportedly get discounted, as will the upcoming Windows Phone 8 devices. 

   This is actually a fantastic plan from the company, people will be swayed away from Samsung phones and hopefully people will get HTC-envy again!

In other news:
  • Samsung has announced that work on Bada will now end and Tizen phones will be pushed back into 2013! There's no official line on why yet but the company may just prefer to focus on securing Android market share!
  • Facebook has announced that their data grows by 500 Terabytes daily! That is a lot of new servers that they'll be buying!
  • Not too long ago Twitter cut Instagram off from the friend finding service and now a second major service has been cut off by twitter. Blogging platform Tumblr has had its friend finding privileges ended by twitter.
  • Sony Mobile announced today that it would be restructuring operations and development sites in Tokyo, Japan, Lund, Sweden, and Beijing, China. That includes lay offs of up to a thousand people in Sweden!
  • Qualcomm have announced that they'll be collaborating with LG as they gear up to release their Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor. This "global device" that the pair are working on will include an Adreno 320 GPU along with support for "higher HD resolution displays".The whole thing will rock 4G LTE connectivity and will be showing up in Korea in September to begin with before coming to the rest of the world thereafter.
  • Everyone knows game piracy on PC is a big issue but according to outspoken Ubisoft the piracy rate on their games is somewhere in the region of 93-95% of the games users!



And finally, for the first time in 25 years Microsoft has updated their company's logo. The fruits of the 25 years of work looks like this!

Share

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More