Mobile Devices - Page 135

In what apparently shouldn't be too surprising, Apple device activations from Dec. 19 to Dec. 25 made up 51 percent of new device activations, while Samsung was in the No. 2 spot with 18 percent, according to Flurry. Microsoft, Sony and LG rounded out the top five, as technology companies likely saw impressive sales growth when compared with the past two Christmas holiday shopping seasons.

"To put this in perspective, for every Samsung device that was activated, Apple activated 2.9 devices," said Jarah Euston, Flurry VP of analytics and marketing, in a public statement. "For every Microsoft Lumia device activated, Apple activated 8.8 devices."

The holiday season sees a spike in shopping but isn't the only indicator of the overall smartphone market - but shows Apple's sales and marketing machine is still in perfect running condition.

A growing number of consumers tested mobile shopping during 2014, and that trend is expected to continue in 2015. However, a reported 35 percent of shoppers encountered road blocks while using mobile e-commerce sites and apps, while some sited led to 75 percent of shoppers suffering some type of viewing and product ordering problem.

"It's higher than what retailers want it to be," said Tom Lounibos, co-founder and CEO of e-commerce site testing firm SOASTA, in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. "Brands are trying to get their arms around the performance element of it. They are still at the early stages."

Mobile purchases were up 20.4 percent according to IBM numbers, as more smartphone and tablet owners are willing to give mobile shopping a try. Christmas online sales also went up 8.2 percent, with Apple iOS numbers almost four times higher than Google Android, the IBM report states.

CES 2015: Kodak will reportedly be showing off its new Android-powered smartphone at CES 2015 next week, as part of the companies new plans for 2015 and beyond. These new plans will kick off with the launch of a new smartphone, but we don't know what to expect, at all.

Kodak's CEO, Oliver Schulte, has said that the company has taken its heritage and used it to inspire a range of beautifully designed devices that will allow their suers to take great pictures, and then edit, share, store and print them in an instant. This has me hoping for some kind of amazing Polaroid Phone... or am I dreaming?

The company says that it will not be manufacturing the handset, as this will be in the hands of Bullitt Group, who has been tasked at making rugged handsets for construction company Caterpillar. Kodak adds that it will not be compromising on design and the users experience, with its unnamed handset aimed at those who are after a high-end experience, without a complicated interface. The smartphone itself will be shipping with an advanced remote management application pre-installed, so if users need to get help from family and friends, it's super easy to do so.

Even though Xiaomi has only been selling Android-powered smartphones in India for only six months, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer has sold over 1 million handsets in that time.

Up until recently, Xiaomi had just three devices for sale in India; the Xiaomi Mi 3, Xiaomi Redmi 1S, and the Xiaomi Redmi Note. The company was slapped with a sales ban in India earlier this month, with Ericsson claiming that its smartphones violated several of their patents. The sales ban will affect Xiaomi until February 5, 2015.

Xiaomi got an Indian court to allow them to sell smartphones that are powered by Qualcomm processors, which lasts until January 8. This allowed the company to sell only one of their handsets, the Redmi 1S. The Redmi Note 4G goes on sale in the country next week.

Sony is going for utter tablet domination as we move into the New Year, with the rumor of an Xperia Z4 Tablet Ultra. This new slate would feature a beautiful 12.97-inch Trilumous IPS display with Sony's X-Reality engine, but more so, the 16:10 aspect ratio 4K display that will have tongues wagging.

The 12.97-inch display will have a resolution of 3840x2400, with the additional 240 vertical pixels providing the 16:10 aspect ratio. Inside of the new Xperia Z4 Tablet Ultra are some serious specs, with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 processor clocked at 2.86GHz, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, a 12,100mAh battery, PS4 Remote Play and so much more. All of this will find its way into a super-thin body of just 8.6mm.

Sony is expected to provide its 1/2.3" Exmor RS sensor with f/1.8 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* lens and 8-megapixel Superior Auto resolution. We should expect Sony to provide Android 5.0 Lollipop on the Xperia Z4 Tablet Ultra. We're expecting Sony to unveil this new tablet at CES 2015, but if it misses the mark there, Mobile World Congress kicks off in March.

Microsoft has been enjoying the fruits of its labor in the Surface line of devices, with the Surface Pro 3 being a great device for people who don't just want a tablet, or a notebook, but want the best of both world's. Well, now we're hearing the first rumbles of the Surface Pro 4.

The new Surface Pro should feature Intel's upgraded Core M processor, with a display that resembles the Surface Pro 3, launched in two versions. We should expect slight variations between them, most likely concentrating on a smaller, and then bigger display. Microsoft is also poised to provide the Surface Pro 4 with a cheaper price than the Surface Pro 3 currently sells for, which should secure itself many more sales.

Not only that, but we can expect the Surface Pro 4 to launch with Windows 10, as well as the improved Core M processor. These two facts alone should make it a worthy choice against that thinner, fanless MacBook Air that will arrive sometime in 2015.

Samsung has confirmed that its upcoming Galaxy S6 will have 4GB of RAM, which should make it the first Android smartphone released to feature as much RAM as some PCs come with.

It makes sense, as the company only just announced that it is working on 8Gb LPDDR4 mobile DRAM, which is perfect for flagship handsets like the Galaxy S6. The upcoming RAM in the Galaxy S6 will be capable of supporting continuous shooting of 20-megapixel or higher images, as well as 4K video recording and playback. The new RAM is expected to have twice the bandwidth than its predecessor did.

LPDDR4 is also incredibly power efficient, as it only draws 1.1V which is considerably lower than current low-power memory in smartphones and tablets. We should expect battery life to go up with LPDDR4-powered devices.

After the NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun teamed up with his wife Lori to donate $1 million to non-profit charity City Year recently, the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation pushed $500,000 towards CARE in India and Napster's founder gave $24 million to Stanford for an allergy research facility - Microsoft once again put their name on this list, giving $2 million in software to NBC-supported charities.

Alongside this, the tech giant has given 200 HP Stream Windows tablets to these charities, enabling them to run Office 365 and Windows 8.1 quickly and efficiently on a 7-inch screen. Although not as impressive as $24 million in cold-hard cash, it's good to see more big-name companies get on board with charity work even if it's in the form of enabling their customers to donate through a company portal that's been established - anything is better than nothing.

Microsoft has been donating to NBC charity for the past 14 years, coining this donation as part of their "YouthSpark" program which is promoted to help 300 million youth find opportunities in education, entrepreneurship and employment worldwide.

Intel may have been late to the smartphone game, but is quickly picking up allies to promote its mobile hardware. The company is working with Lenovo, a top-five ranked smartphone manufacturer, and the companies will have two new devices announced by the end of February 2015.

Intel will reportedly offer its 64-bit Atom CPU and LTE-Advanced modem chips for the devices, with one phone aimed for China - and the other mobile device will be available in emerging markets.

Even if these devices aren't going to be high-priced models available in the US, it's an important step forward for Intel. The company still isn't in the same neighborhood as Qualcomm when it comes to smartphones and tablets, but shows Intel is ready to fight for everything it can gain in 2015. The 4G system-on-a-chip platform from Intel, being promoted as SoFIA, indicates Intel's seriousness in providng a processor and modem together.

The Delhi High Court has given Xiaomi a bit of a reprieve, allowing the Chinese mobile manufacturer the chance to sell its Qualcomm-based devices until Jan. 8. Xiaomi will have to turn over $1.60 for all devices sold, but will be able to allow consumers to purchase products until the deadline in three weeks. Qualcomm received patent licenses from Ericsson to use its patented technologies, an argument Xiaomi plans for 2015.

Earlier, a single judge passed an order that stopped Xiaomi from importing and selling its smartphones to India - its biggest target market outside of China - and a legal fight seemed imminent.

Ericsson wants Xiaomi to hold a license to have their smartphones imported to India, and the issues will be put on the table during the next legal hearing on Feb. 5. However, Xiaomi says it has a licensing agreement with Qualcomm to utilize its chipsets for the Xiaomi Mi3, Xiaomi Redmi1S and Redmi Note 4G for sale in India.

Analogix Semiconductor has announced that it has shipped over one billion DisplayPort devices, a number that includes various tablets, smartphones, and notebooks that allow them to connect with the latest in TV, projector and monitor technologies.

If you don't know about Analogix, they're a semiconductor firm most famous for SlimPort, an impressive technology found in various few smartphones and tablets on the market. Analogix's Chairman and CEO, Kewei Yang, said that the industry's growing acceptance of DisplayPort technology has helped the company grow considerably. He continued "The adoption of DisplayPort for both internal and external screen connectivity has been exceeding our expectations. Demand for SlimPort-enabled smartphones, tablets and notebooks is also fueling the company's sustained sales."

The company isn't stopping there either, with new SlimPort Transmittors coming soon, with the release of DP Alternate Mode over USB Type-C specification being published by VESA. Andre Bouwer, the Vice President of Marketing for Analogix said "Customers are using SlimPort transmitters to support the DP Alternate Mode over Type-C. In fact, DP1.3 over a USB Type-C connector is the only generally available consumer standard capable of transferring 8K content." So there you have it, the company is already teasing 8K content being made possible over DP1.3 over USB Type-C, impressive.

After The Australian released reports on some possibly dodgy conduct by tech-giant Telstra back in October 2014, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) were urged to investigate - eventually ruling that Telstra's ads were misrepresenting the price of their iPhone 6 phone and plan bundle.

Telstra has rolled over to this claim, paying the fine in full. The ads in question were run in local newspapers, claiming that the phone and accompanying phone plan would cost consumers only $70 AU per month, with the fine print stating that there was a sneaky $11 AU per month handset payment applicable - raising the total cost to $81 AU.

ACCC Chairman Rod Sims commented that "consumers should be able to understand the true cost of an advertised product so they can make informed purchasing decisions," further warning that all "businesses must be careful about using attention-grabbing headline prices to ensure that their advertisements do not mislead consumers about the actual price they will have to pay. This is especially the case for bundled goods and services like phones and plans."

Google has pushed out an update for Google Now for both iOS and Android, which provide control to Nest, the smart thermostat. You can now use your Next with over two dozen voice commands, either through Google Now, the microphone, or search box on Chrome.

Google Now will also display a card notification letting you know when your Nest is changing things in your home or office, with location-based actions delivering the right temperature, at the right time. You can pre-heat, or pre-cool your home for when you're coming home from the shops, or from work, for example.

Owners of the Nest thermostat will have to authorize your account and opt into the voice command functions before this will work. You'll also have to hit up the Google Now card too, but once you have, it's all smooth sailing.

Google Android continues to dominate the smartphone OS market, with its lead continuing to expand, now controlling 83.1 percent after Q3, according to the Gartner research group. Apple iOS (12.7 percent), Microsoft Windows Phone (3.0 percent), and BlackBerry (0.8 percent) greatly trail Android. Both Windows Phone and BlackBerry lost share, as Android is able to attract a growing number of consumers worldwide.

"Microsoft needs to keep the momentum going from the third quarter, when Windows Phone-based devices grew quarter-on-quarter thanks to the introduction of more mid-range devices," said Annette Zimmerman, Gartner research director, in a press statement.

The iOS is only available on iPhones, while Android can be found on a number of smartphones from a wide variety of manufacturers. Android is expected to keep its dominant stance as the No. 1 smartphone OS for the foreseeable future, as Google continues to develop the popular OS.

Smartphone sales to end users increased 20.3 percent during Q3, while worldwide sales of mobile phones were flat, according to the Gartner research group. Samsung continues to lead the market, with 24.4 percent market share ahead of Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi and Lenovo.

Of note, three of the top five smartphone makers are Chinese companies, as Huawei, Xiaomi and Lenovo see increased sales - both in China and globally - as the smartphone market continues to intensify.

"Over the holidays we expect record sales of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but we should not underestimate the Chinese vendors and local brands," said Annette Zimmermann, Gartner research director, in a press statement. "Chinese players will continue to look at expanding in overseas emerging markets. In Europe prepaid country markets and attractive lost-cost LTE phones will also offer key opportunities for these brands."

Pantech's employees have just agreed to return 20 percent of their salaries between December 2014 and March 2015 to assist the struggling Korean mobile phone manufacturer out of it's recent debt problems. In August they filed for court receivership, which is said to be the South Korean equivalent to Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with them soon after deciding to sell the company.

However the bidding for Pantech has now closed and its been reported that not a soul placed a bid for the phone company. Determined to continue operation and climb out of debt, they asked their employees for a little trust - wanting a 20 percent return of their monthly pay over this 4 month period, seeing the staff take up the task.

CNET got hold of a Pantech 'source', with them claiming that "last month on November 28, we held an information session for our employees and asked for their consent and our employees decided to participate fully."

Baidu maps used on desktops, laptops and mobile devices will be powered by the Nokia Here service outside of China, with an aim to help Chinese travelers. The deal, which will impact Baidu's desktop versions, Google Android and Apple iOS mobile mapping apps, will roll out in Taiwan - with other countries to be included in the future.

"Every day, millions of people count on HERE to explore the world and discover new places whether at home or on the go," said Bruno Bourguet, SVP and Head of Sales for the HERE program, in a press statement. "Together with Baidu, a new customer for us, we want to help the growing number of Chinese tourists get the most from their travels."

Nokia wants to compete with Google, OpenStreetMap and TomTom in the online mapping department, as the company continues to revamp itself. Here is available on Microsoft Windows Phone and Android already, with an iOS release expected sometime in early 2015. Nokia has worked with Microsoft, Amazon, Garmin, Moreover and Yahoo in the past, while also offering its services to BMW, Mercedes, and other automakers.

Google Android might have a significantly higher market share than Android iOS, but it appears iOS users take security and privacy a bit more seriously, according to iDrive. iOS users are more likely to keep data backed up, with 33 percent more photos and 20 percent more videos backed up when compared to Android users. Furthermore, iOS users also are 25 percent more likely to keep data secure with encryption.

"iOS and Android both have users that land between 'Does not care at all' and 'Cares deeply' on the security and privacy awareness spectrum, but it's no coincidence that iOS users seem to rank higher," noted Patrick Nielsen, Kaspersky Lab Senior Security Researcher, in a statement published by PCWorld.

Both companies are taking mobile security seriously, but must now relay its importance down to users - especially with smartphone theft and cloud security remaining significant concerns.

An injunction has been served on Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi, and the company cannot import or sell its products in India. Ericsson has sent Xiaomi six requests for communications over the past five months, and Xiaomi is now waiting for an official statement from the Delhi High Court.

"Our legal team is currently evaluating the situation based on the information we have," said Manu Jain, head of Xiaomi India, as the company will explore all legal options available. It would be a disaster if Xiaomi cannot resolve any problems with the Indian government and continue to sell its smartphones to a large market.

Xiaomi is delaying wide-scale expansion in the United States and other critical markets, with India one of the company's major foreign markets. The Xiaomi Redmi Note has proven to be extremely popular in India, frequently selling out in retail stores, according to reports.

The OnePlus One smartphone is now available to anyone interested in purchasing it, as OnePlus decided to eliminate its bizarre invite system in time for Christmas. The phone will be available for $299 through the company's website for a short time, and orders should arrive before Dec. 25. It's unknown how long the company will run this current promotion.

The 16GB Silk White model retails for $299, while the 64GB Sandstone Black version can be purchased for $349.

Before OnePlus decided to open up sales, interested customers were required to receive an invite from a current One owner. Since the phone's launch in April, the One has been in extremely high demand - and OnePlus is already developing another smartphone, which will be available sometime in 2015.