GSMArena News

Google released standalone Docs, Sheets, and Slides mobile apps for Android and iOS. Docs and Sheets are already available to download and install, while Slides will be available soon.

The apps work both online and offline. You do not necessarily need them as both Docs and Sheets are already available as part of Google Drive. The apps however, make access to the respective file formats they support much easier, so power users are certain to appreciate the convenience.

Interested? Head over to the App Store or the Google Play Store to download and install the apps. Drop us a line with your impressions in the comments section.

Source

CategoryBlog || Source blog.gsmarena.com

Yet another alleged Apple iPhone 6 dummy unit made the rounds online. The mockup is of much higher quality than the one we saw earlier today, thus potentially giving us a better look of the upcoming smartphone.

Alleged iPhone 6 mockup (click to enlarge)

The latest dummy unit is tipped to be the creation of a case manufacturer and falls right in line with past leaks. It showcases the power/lock and volume buttons on the side of the handset, as well as its already leaked, slightly protruding camera unit with LED flash.

There is no word on the screen size of the handset in the photo. Judging by its proportions however, we reckon that we are looking at the rumored 4.7" iPhone. A number of reports suggest that Apple will launch a duo of large-screen iPhone devices – one with 4.7" screen and one with 5.5" unit.

We don't know when the iPhone 6 will go official just yet. The usual September time frame is likely.

Source (in Italian) | Via

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

Samsung is ubiquitous; there's no doubt that they are a mobile powerhouse, however, the latest IDC quarterly update gives us a look into just how much of a powerhouse the Korean manufacturer is.

30.3% of total smartphone market share is controlled by Samsung, which is about 85 million units, in Q1 2014.

Now compare this number to Apple, Huawei, Lenovo, and LG, who account for 15.5%, 4.9%, 4.6%, and 4.4% respectively; .9% less than Samsung's share.

All "other" smartphones account for 40.5% of the market share, but these are hardly the bigger players that pose a threat to Samsung's current market dominance.

IDC predicts that smartphone shipments will reach 1.2 billion units, total, for 2014; a 200 million increase from last year. This is due to growth in the smartphone market and the constant spread of new models entering the market, especially low-range handsets.

Anyone surprised at just how dominant Samsung is?

Source | Via

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

Just because the Galaxy S5 has officially been released doesn’t mean that Samsung is going to stop talking about all the great features its latest flagship boasts.

In the Korean manufacturer’s latest series of advertisements, some of the Galaxy S5’s best new features are shown off.

First up is S-Health, a fitness and health tracking application that takes advantage of the S5’s built-in heart rate monitor (it’s the first cell phone to have one.)

Samsung was also sure to play up their Ultra Power Saving mode, which helps to conserve your phone’s battery and keeping it from going dead when you’re low on battery and there’s no way for you to juice up your phone.

The S5’s excellent 16MP camera also gets its time in the sun, along with its Super AMOLED screen. Samsung is sure to mention that the S5’s screen trumps the iPhone’s in size in the advertisement.

What do you think of the commercials?

Via

CategoryBlog || Source blog.gsmarena.com

The recent news of Canonical pulling the plug on Ubuntu for Android will probably only upset a few die-hard users.

Despite the cool concept of being able to use your smartphone as a fully functioning desktop OS once you put it in a docking station, Canonical has decided to halt development of the project.

The plans to shut Ubuntu for Android down were found in a previously public bug report (it’s now hidden) which stated, “Ubuntu for Android is no longer in development.”

The demise of Ubuntu for Android doesn’t really come off as that big of a surprise: Canonical is currently working on its own mobile OS, and expending resources on a project that was more of a novel experience than one that was greatly used is definitely the smarter business move.

Still it does seem like a shame that such a novel and exciting prospect will be going the way of the Dodo. Being able to carry your phone with you and having a low cost, fully functioning Desktop computer with you wherever you went: being able to have a dock with a keyboard, Monitor, and an external hard drive set up was a really cool idea. Hopefully the Ubuntu for Android project will live on in the developer community.

Anybody sad to hear the news?

Source | Via

CategoryBlog || Source blog.gsmarena.com

Having Google Play Editions of all popular flagships has become somewhat of a tradition. Now that the Samsung Galaxy S5 has been around for a while many fans are wondering if it will also get the GPE treatment.

Apparently, Samsung and Google are working on such edition and Google has just spilled the beans. The device popped up briefly on the Play Store among the others GPE devices.

Well, it didn't appear in its own listing, but under the Galaxy S4 name. Still, the image clearly shows the S5. A photoshopped S5 as it has both hardware and software keys at the bottom, which is not the case. But hey, it is the Galaxy S5 after all, it is on the Play Store, and someone at Google made those efforts to put it there, so this should mean something, right?

Now that the Samsung Galaxy S5 GPE images have appeared on Google Play, we bet the announcement should be around the corner.

Source (Cached) | Via 1 | Via 2

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

We just received Motorola's invitation for a special smartphone announcement on May 13. The event will take place in London, two weeks from now, at 8:45 AM local time.

There isn't any other information on the device besides "Made to last. Priced for all", so we'll know more on May 13. There are currently two Moto handsets in the rumorland - the Moto E and Moto X+1.

The invitation text clearly suggest this will be a smartphone event, but we still hope to see more of the upcoming Moto 360 smartwatch too.

You bet we'll be on spot and we'll cover the press event as it unfolds. Stay tuned!

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

The rivalry between Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android has been an important factor in shaping the smartphone ecosystem the last couple of years.We’ve covered the whole ordeal in many articles here on GSMArena but there’s always more room for perspective.

The people over at ComputerScienceDegreeHub.com have concocted an inforgraphic based on various sources that depicts Apple viewed in 6 areas of investor concern, giving some numbers and facts.

The infographic shows the mobile marketshare war between Apple and Android and how it has changed in the last two years – 2012 and 2013. iOS’s share going down and Android’s going up.

Next up is an interesting perspective – developer interest and what OS developers are using. Moving on to lawsuits and their effect on investors, Apple’s upcoming multi-billion headquarters and more. Analysts are also involved in the infographic concerning their desire for cheaper iPhones, lower than estimated device sales and dropping stock prices. In the infographic one analyst quoted has predicted a steep decline of Apple’s current stock price of $590 to $320, which is a tad drastic in our minds.

Looking at the infographic it seems Apple’s iPad is the only true bright spot for the company. But here’s the thing – investors and analysts don’t reflect the full picture. Analysts deal their predictions based on a plethora of factors but sometimes get it completely wrong or over-exaggerated.

Anyway, here’s the infographic itself.

Source

CategoryBlog || Source blog.gsmarena.com

We've seen alleged sketches of the Apple iPhone 6, which led to the creation of a 3D render of what the final deice might look like. Now, a "very reliable" source from China sent photos of a physical dummy of the device.

The dummy looks like an iPod touch, except with even more rounded sides. The front shows the outlines of the display (16:9 by the looks of it), but no hole for the Home key and not a lot of room for it either.

Alleged iPhone 6 dummy

The back shows a camera in the upper left with a round hole for the flash next to it. The dual-tone flash on the iPhone 5s was more rectangular than round, but the leaked sketches also showed a round flash. They show a Home button on the front too, as does an alleged photo of the front panel.

There's no size reference in the photos, but the front panel indicates a long awaited screen size increase – 4.7". The dimensions of the device itself are purported to be 137 x 66 x 7.1 mm.

Thanks to Steve for sending this in!

Source (in French)

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

The latest version of Adobe’s mobile version of Photoshop, Photoshop Express, has received an update for iOS. Thr new release refreshes the way the program works and how you interact with it.

The new “editing experience”, as Adobe likes to call it, is not restricted to just the design change and usual bug fixes and optimizations, but also adds quick sharing options.

Other new features include pet-eye mode (which removes the green-eye effect when shooting pets), as well as updated tooltips throughout the UI. There’s also an auto-resume feature that means you don’t have to save your work when minimizing the app – it’ll remember where you left off and on what image.

Of course, the app interface is optimized for both iPhones and iPads, which the latter featuring the same updated editing features.

Finally, the app lets you quickly share via SMS or Instagram, and the Photo Picker tool has also been refreshed. Grab Photoshop Express for free here.

Via

CategoryBlog || Source blog.gsmarena.com

Yet another case for the upcoming LG G3 leaked showing off the curios back design as well as the front. The G3 keeps the centered power/volume key setup below the camera, but adds a dual-LED flash and what looks like a sensor or an IR blaster flanking the camera.

Alleged images of the LG G3 in a rugged case

The front shows razor thin bezels around what is rumored to be a 5.5" QHD screen. Also the UI matches the leaked screenshots that leaker earlier. This either confirms the new, flat Optimus UI or it just means the leaked screenshot was used.

Anyway, the LG G3 is expected on May 27 with a 16MP camera, Snapdragon 801 chipset, 3,000mAh battery and an water-resistant IPX7 rating.

Thanks to Pest for sending this in!

Source

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

The Moto X got its price cut to $400 on January 1, then there was a temporary discount later the same month and now there's another one. If you missed that one, you'll be pleased to hear there's yet another discount.

Motorola will offer a discount on the 16GB, 32GB and Developer versions on May 1 only.

The offer is available tomorrow, May 1, from 12:01 ET and will last 24 hours. Unfortunately, this price cut is US-only. The phones are carrier-free and you can customize them.

Source | Via

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

LG has started sending out invites for their event on May 27 and 28. Although not explicitly mentioned as such, the event is likely going to be the launch of the highly anticipated LG G3 smartphone.

The event will take place over two days, with May 27 seeing the launch in San Francisco, New York, and London and on May 28 in Seoul, Singapore, and Istanbul.

The launch invite simply has a quote from American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, saying "To be simple is to be Great." The text is placed on a brushed metal background but even if the phone does sport this finish it doesn't necessarily mean it will be made out of metal.

We'll likely be seeing and hearing more of this phone in the coming month before the launch.

Source

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

Google has dropped the price of the Sony Z Ultra Google Play edition. The phone was launched at $649 back in December last year and is now available at $449, a solid $200 drop in just four months.

As you may be aware, the Sony Z Ultra Google Play edition is a variant of the Xperia Z Ultra sold by Sony but comes with stock Android instead. It also has a humongous 6.4-inch, 1920x1080 display, quad-core Snapdragon 800, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage space with microSD support, 8 megapixel camera, 3,050mAh battery, waterproof design and Android 4.4.2 KitKat with the promise of quick updates.

For the kind of hardware you are getting, if you don't mind the rather large size of the device, the new price makes it a pretty good deal.

Source

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

Mozilla has released version 29 of their desktop and mobile browser. But while the mobile browser only gets a few new features, the desktop version get a completely revamped interface.

Firefox for desktop interface features a new tab bar that looks like the one on Google Chrome, with its pyramid shaped tab structure. One interesting design feature is the way background tabs just blend with the background until you highlight them.

Mozilla continues to use separate address and search bars but on the right now is a new menu button design, again similar to the drop down menu on the Chrome. You find a few options there by default but you can also drag additional items there for quick access.

Firefox Sync has been given more prominence in this update, and it’s now easier to sync your bookmarks, history and saved passwords across devices.

On the mobile side, you don’t get a new interface, but you do get the new Firefox Sync feature for syncing all your stuff with Firefox on desktop and other mobile devices. You can now also get search suggestions from Bing, if you set it as your default search engine. The browser also adds multiple quick share buttons.

You can download Firefox for desktop and mobile from the links below.

Desktop • Mobile

CategoryBlog || Source blog.gsmarena.com

According to a report in The Information, Google plans to stop offering Nexus devices. The search giant will replace the lineup with a new family of high-end devices dubbed Android Silver.

With Android Silver, Google will aim to further expand its influence within the Android ecosystem. Its plan includes offering devices with no third-party bloatware, as well as providing timely OS updates in a fashion similar to Apple's. The latter involves pushing the update to all devices on the same day.

Reportedly, the smartphones and tablets from the upcoming Android Silver family will adhere closely to guidelines and specifications provided by Google. The tech giant is tipped to subsidize both the development and the marketing costs for its hardware partners. The number which Google is rumored to spend on getting the platform off the ground is rumored to be as much as $1 billion.

Speaking of hardware partners, LG and Motorola are pointed as the most likely candidates to manufacture Android Silver devices. Samsung, HTC and Sony might jump on the bandwagon at a later stage.

As a model range, Android Silver will compete against the Apple iPhone. It will also aim to put a check on Samsung's expanding influence as the leading manufacturer of Android devices.

Source (subscription required) | Via

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

LG G3 showed its back yet again. Three days after we showed you a live photo of the upcoming handset, another alleged image of the device made the rounds on Twitter, courtesy of @evleaks.

The latest leaked photo falls right in line with the previous leaks. It showcases the three button setup on the back of the device, its camera unit with dual-LED flash, as well as that mysterious sensor on the left side of the camera, whose purpose is yet to be revealed.

The LG G3 is tipped to be based on the recently leaked Japanese market-bound LG isai FL. Purported specs of the smartphone include a quad-core Snapdragon 801 SoC, 5.5" LCD display with confirmed resolution of 2560x1440 pixels, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory with microSD support, optically stabilized main camera unit, 3,000mAh battery, and Android 4.4.2 KitKat with new, flat Optimus UI.

Source

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

Strategy Analytics has released its latest report on the smartphone market. The smartphone shipments worldwide throughout the Q1 this year grew 33% annually setting another record with 281 million units. The mobile phone shipments (including featurephones and smartphones) also grew by 9.4% to 407.9 units shipped globally.

Even though the smartphone shipments are growing rapidly, the top manufacturers are losing market share in favor of the second-tier ones. Samsung keeps its first place in the smartphone market with 31.2% share, dropping 1.2% down from Q1 last year. Apple also lost 2.2% share and is now holding 15.3% at the second place. Huawei kept its third place with minor boost, while Lenovo shipments grew by 0.8%.

All global mobile phones shipments, as we already mentioned, have also reported a noticeable increase. Here Samsung, Nokia, and LG are all losing small bits of market share in favor of Apple, Huawei and the second-tier of manufacturers (TCL-Alcatel, Coolpad, Lenovo, Xiaomi and others).

Now that Lenovo is on the verge of acquiring Motorola and Microsoft has just completed its Nokia Devices deal, we should be seeing some interesting changes in those reports throughout the upcoming quarters.

Source 1 | Source 2 | Via

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

Acer unveiled two new tablets today – the Wi-Fi-only Iconia Tab 7 and the 3G-enabled Iconia One 7. Both slates will go on sale in May on bargain prices.

Acer Iconia Tab 7 will be actually sold in two different versions depending on the market. Iconia Tab 7 A1-713 features a 7″ LCD display of 1024×600 pixel resolution, a 2MP rear camera and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Android 4.4 KitKat update will be seeded later this year though.

The Iconia Tab 7 A1-713HD comes with a 7″ IPS screen with 1280×800 pixel resolution and anti-fingerprint coating, a 5MP rear camera and Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box.

The rest of the Iconia Tab 7 specs (A1-713 and A1-713HD) include a quad-core processor, a front-facing camera for video chats, a microSD card slot, and Wi-Fi connectivity. Both variations feature GSM and 3G radios so you will be able to make calls and use mobile date.

Acer Iconia Tab 7 A1-713HD slate is headed to Europe, Middle East and Asia this May for €149. The less capable A1-713 tablet will hit the Latin American markets in June at MX Peso $1,990 (€109).

Acer has also announced the Iconia One 7 tablet with 7″ LED-backlit IPS display of 1280x800px resolution. It is powered by Intel’s Atom Z2560 with a dual-core 1.6GHz processor and PowerVR SGX544MP2 graphics. The rest of the specs include Wi-Fi connectivity, a microSD card slot, a rear camera and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean upgradable to 4.4 KitKat later this year.

Acer Iconia One 7 will hit the shelves across the EMEA region in May at €139, while the American markets for $129.99.

Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3 | Source 4 | Via

CategoryBlog || Source blog.gsmarena.com

At an event in New York City, Sprint and HTC took the wraps of a special edition One (M8) Harman/Kardon. The previously leaked, premium audio-centric smartphone will be sold exclusively on Sprint Wireless in the United States in a black/gold color scheme.

As expected, the biggest change which the Harman/Kardon M8 brings is enhanced audio experience. The handset offers lossless HD audio via a 24 bit/192kHz DAC. The latter delivers roughly six times the information of compact disc music and 60 times the information of an MP3 or streaming music source when playing FLAC files.

HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon edition official photos

Furthermore, the special edition device will ship with Harman Clari-Fi application. Available for the first time in a mobile device, the app "rebuilds" a track's audio quality which was lost during its compression.

The rest of the device's specs have remained unchanged. The HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon edition totes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC with 2.3GHz quad-core CPU, 5" 1080P display, Ultra Pixel camera, and Sense-d Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

In addition to the attractive new color scheme, the HTC One (M) Harman/Kardon edition will ship with Harman/Kardon AE-S headphones in the box. Users who opt for the smartphone will also be able to snag a Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio speaker for $99.99, down from its regular price of $399.99.

To top things off, Sprint customers will receive six months of free Spotify premium. All they need to do is opt for the carrier's Framily plan.

The special edition HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon will be available to order online this Friday, on May 2. It will hit retail stores on May 9. The smartphone can be purchased with $0 down and 24 payments of $28.34 (a total of $680.16).

Source

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

Two new Android 4.4 KitKat updates are now seeding Stateside. LG is now upgrading the G Flex on Sprint, while Samsung is doing the same for the Galaxy Note 10.1.

The firmware update for the curved LG smartphone brings performance improvements, updated status and navigation bars, improved battery life, Knock Code feature and cloud printing.

The update process is gradual though it has already begun and should be completed by May 7.

Samsung is also rolling out an Android 4.4 KitKat update. It's for the Verizon's Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition and includes faster multi-tasking, could printing, multi-user mode and immersive mode (automatic full screen mode). There are also the usual bug fixes.

Both updates are available over-the-air or via manufacturers' dedicated update tools.

Sprint | Verizon | Via

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

The European launch of the new Sony Xperia Z2 flagship was pushed from mid-April to May and May is fast approaching. UK retailers have started lining it up to launch.

Sony's official web site claims deliveries are expected to start at the beginning of May. Carphone Warehouse warns of limited pre-launch stock but expects to have the Xperia Z2 in its stores on right on May 1.

That's ahead of Clove UK's goal of shipping on May 9. Clove's offer includes £200 of free stuff – a Sony SRS-BTM8 Bluetooth speaker, MDR-NC31EM noise-cancelling headphones, 6 digital movie downloads and 30 days of Sony Music Unlimited.

Carrier EE has set the delivery date "within 28 days," while Vodafone is still claiming April 14 (which clearly didn't pan out).

We tried checking elsewhere in Europe, the most accurate shipping date info we could find was "in 4-6 weeks" (one store even had a warning "shipping date unknown").

The Canadian launch will also happen in May, while the US launch won't happen at all with carriers (Sony will be offering it through its own store though).

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

The European Commission made a landmark ruling on Tuesday regarding an infringement claim by Motorola against Apple regarding the use of a standard-essential patent it had licensed.

The Commission decreed that smartphone and tablet makers could no longer seek injunctions against rivals they had signed patent licensing agreements with, a step that should significantly reduce patent wars within the confines of the EU.

In light of the numerous legal disputes with rival manufacturer Apple, the EU's anti-trust enforcement office has also accepted an agreement from Samsung Electronics not to seek injunctions against rivals it currently licenses patents from. The Commission also ordered Motorola to resolve its legal disputes with the Cupertino company outside of the courtrooms through arbitration.

Jaoquin Almunia, the European commissioner in charge of anti-trust enforcement, said decisively that patent wars should not come at the expense of consumers.

"While patent holders should be fairly remunerated for the use of their intellectual property, implementers of such standards should also get access to standardized technology on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms."

The ruling sets a precedent that will likely be imposed on other manufacturers looking to pursue legal action against rivals within EU member countries. This should hamper the likes of Samsung and Apple, currently suing each other in more than 10 countries, from further widespread litigation - at least in the confines of the EU.

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

LG is going to launch the G Watch this June with a pricetag of €199 in Europe (probably $199 in the US). LG France has confirmed the information to the news outlet Lesnumeriques.

It’s almost certain that the G Watch is going to be the base for the first Google Nexus smartwatch, which too will run the recently announced Android Wear OS. The G watch’s display is going to be always on and packs a resolution of 280 x 280 pixels.

Last week, LG uncovered a new Champagne Gold color to join the Stealth Black, which was showed at the official announcement of the watch. The G Watch is also rumored to sport 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage.

Source | Via

CategoryBlog || Source blog.gsmarena.com

Sony is working on a strange experiment â€" EvolutionUI. A “gamified” UI for Android smartphones that enables new features as you unlocks achievements.

You read that right â€" getting to use more advanced features on a phone could become similar to leveling up in a game.

“This topic is getting more and more popular, and it’s no surprise â€" people learn how to play games much more easily than they learn to use applications,” says Sony and points to badges on sites such as Stack Overflow and Foursquare.

Here’s a video demo of a prototype gamified homescreen. After you open an app five times (any app), you’ll gain access to all apps. Putting five shortcuts on the homescreen gives you access to more than one homescreen pane (obviously, you need to unlock the first achievement before doing this).

There’s more to EvolutionUI than the video showed. Experience points (XP) will be tracked for any action the user makes, e.g. 1 XP for opening an app, 10 XP for making a call. After the user scores enough XP to unlock a feature, it will not be activated â€" users need to do that for themselves (if they want).

Users will also level up â€" getting to a new level gets you a coin, so you can enable yet more features. This system also lets you compete with other users. Overall it sounds like an interesting alternative to the usual tutorial that just pauses and show textual explanations.

Read more details about EvolutionUI here.

Source

CategoryBlog || Source blog.gsmarena.com

Popcorn Time, which debuted a few weeks ago as a service providing torrent streaming for movies and TV shows, was promptly taken down due to obvious legal issues.

Now, the service is back up with the promise that it will “never be taken down” again. Better yet, a new Android and updated desktop versions are just around the corner.

Currently available as a beta for Mac, PC, and Linux desktops, the service lets you browse for programs and movies using large thumbnail galleries, while letting you pick a torrent with the number of seeds or quality you’re looking for. Streaming obviously depends on your internet connection and the health of the torrent, but the service lets you pick from a selection of subtitles in numerous different languages.

The upcoming Android version has some great potential, as you could download a show while at work, and then cast it to your TV when you get home.

We’re not sure PT’s ambitious promise of never being taken down will last long, but if you’re inclined to give it a try, check out their official site.

Via

CategoryBlog || Source blog.gsmarena.com

Starting on May 1 Nokia will have a new CEO â€" Rajeev Suri. Suri has been with Nokia since 1995 and has been the CEO of Nokia Siemens Networks (now rebranded Nokia Networks) since October 2009.

Considering Nokia Networks is the big bread earner in the new Nokia, the one after the sale of the phone division, the choice makes sense.

“As Nokia opens this new chapter, the Nokia Board and I are confident that Rajeev is the right person to lead the company forward,” said Risto Siilasmaa, Chairman of the Nokia Board of Directors. Siilasmaa served a sinterim CEO, but will go back to his Chairman position on May 1.

The interim president, Timo Ihamuotila, will step down from that position and will focus on his position as Executive Vice President and Group CFO.

Nokia’s remaining operations invested €2.5 billion in research and development last year. There are plans for a €5 billion “capital structure optimization program.” Hit the source link for more details on the program.

Source

CategoryBlog || Source blog.gsmarena.com

Microsoft, with the help of its hardware partners, is making a $1 billion donation to schools in the United States to help them modernize and buy desktop PCs. The PCs in question are under $300 each, and that’s where the help of the company’s hardware partners in the face of Acer, Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, Panasonic, and Toshiba is felt most.

Microsoft’s Education CTO Cameron Evans told CNET that because of the donation, he hopes that the children will become loyal Windows fans in the future. However, currently the focus is helping them have access to better technology, which will improve the quality of education.

“As much technology as we’ve brought into schools in the last 30 years, there hasn’t been significant change,” Evans added.

This generous donation comes as a good addition to the White House plan to gear up 99 percent of students with access to high-speed Internet within the next five years. Here’s hoping more students across the globe have such great news coming their way.

Source | Via • Via (2)

CategoryBlog || Source blog.gsmarena.com

Nokia posted an operating profit of €304 million (11.4% of net sales) in the first quarter of this year, up from €254 million (8.1% of net sales) for the same quarter.

This will be the last but one quarter with the phone division on Nokia's books – it spent the month of April with the Finns, but as of a few days ago it's part of Microsoft. This may be sad news for fans, but financially it's good news for Nokia.

The phone division (now labeled "discontinued operations"), brought in €1.93 billion with an operating loss of €326 million. That's a decline in sales from €2.77 billion, but an increase in loss from €120 million.

Nokia's Continuing operations totaled €2.67 billion with an operating profit of €242 million. Most of the cash came from Nokia Networks - €2.33 billion (17% down from €2.8 billion in the year ago quarter).

HERE brought in €209 million in revenue (down from €216 million a year ago) with an operating profit of €10 million. Technologies raked in €131 million with an operating profit of €86 million (at a high operating margin of 65.6%).

The sale of Nokia's Devices & services division closed at a price of €5.44 billion, €170 million higher than the initial price. The Indian plant whose fate was uncertain will remain with Nokia. Nokia will produce phones for Microsoft there.

Nokia's cash and other liquid assets declined €2.3 billion over the past year, largely due to debt facilities of €1.8 billion in Q1 this year. If Nokia had sold its Devices & services division prior to Q1, gross cash would have totaled €10.5 billion, rather than the €6.9 billion it is now.

Also, Nokia is welcoming a new President and CEO - Rajeev Suri.

Hit the source link for more detailed numbers.

Source

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

LG's financial report for Q1 2014 is out and things are looking good for the Korean company as it managed to ship 12.3 million smartphones for the period. That's a 19% increase compared to the same quarter of 2013 and helped LG's mobile division to ramp up its revenue to KRW3.41 trillion ($3.19 billion) - a 6% YoY increase.

Out of the 12.3 million smartphones, 5 million were LTE-enabled, which is the highest the company has sold in a quarter so far.

Additionally, the financial results press release points to the launch of the upcoming LG G3 in Q2. Not only did it confirm the name of the phone, but it also confirmed the launch of more L-series III smartphones.

We saw the LG G3 leak in an exclusive picture sent to us by a tipster. The rear-mounted keys are here to stay and the phone is rumored to pack 3GB of RAM and a 5.5" QHD display. We also saw a bunch of screenshot depicting the phone's latest Optimus UI with a flatter design.

Overall, the company's Q1 net profit marks a 319% yearly increase - to KRW92.60 billion ($86.62 million). The consolidated first-quarter revenues are KRW 14.27 trillion (USD 13.35 billion). Compared to the same quarter in 2013, that's a 1.2% increase.

Source

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

The Samsung device that goes by the model number SM-G750 has popped up again on an Indian import database site Zauba. We've seen the model number before and speculations suggest it could turn out be the Galaxy S5 Neo. In its previous leak it sported a screen resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels and an 2.3 GHz CPU.

Though the new leak we gather some new information - the screen size is slated as a 5.1" - the same as the Galaxy S5. The SM-G750 is listed as SM-G750A, SM-G750F and SM-G750H - probably regional options for different markets.

Previously it was though the SM-G750 is the Galaxy S5 mini but that goes by the name of SM-G800 and sports a 4.5" display.

Sadly that's all the info we get at this point. Hopefully the Galaxy S5 Neo goes official and we get some solid information soon.

Source | Via (in Dutch)

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

Samsung released its 1 2014 earnings report. In line with the earnings guidance from earlier this month, the Korean giant posted a net profit of 8.5 trillion won ($8.2 billion) from 53.68 trillion won ($51.8 billion) of revenue.

The company's net profit took a 3% dip compared to the same period last year. Samsung attributed the second straight fall of quarterly profit to a weakness in the market for flat-screen panels and maturing high-end smartphone segment.

Samsung's mobile division raked in an operating profit of 6.43 trillion Won ($6.2 billion USD) for the quarter. The number is down 1.2% from a year ago, but 18% up compared to the previous quarter.

Unsurprisingly, Samsung Galaxy S5 is expected to lead increased demand over next quarter, despite continued weak seasonality. Samsung expects its current flagship to outsell its predecessor, the Galaxy S4.

Going forward, Samsung expects its profits to increase in the next quarter thanks to improved sales of display panels and home appliances. The upcoming World Cup in Brazil is expected to be a major sales booster for the company.

Source | Via

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

Apple Stores in the US have started getting stock of a newer version of the MacBook Air that should go on sale soon. Unfortunately, this isn’t the major update we have been waiting for but just a tiny spec bump, perhaps the last update for this generation before the major update by the end of the year.

The latest update features a very slightly faster version of Intel’s CPU, with the standard clock speed getting boosted from the current 1.3GHz to 1.4GHz. The Turbo Boost speed has gone up from 2.6GHz to 2.7GHz. Similarly, the optional 1.7GHz CPU has been boosted to 1.8GHz.

The rest of the specifications remain identical for now, including the display, design, memory and price. Apple likely won’t even mention the fact that the models have been updated.

The updated models are expected to go sale today in the US (and soon everywhere else).

Source

CategoryBlog || Source blog.gsmarena.com

Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy K zoom camera phone, the successor to the Galaxy S4 zoom launched last year. Like its predecessor, the Galaxy K zoom combines a regular smartphone with the hardware of a point and shoot camera.

On the camera-side, the Galaxy K zoom has a 20.7 megapixel 1/2.3 BSI CMOS sensor and a 10x, 24-240mm F3.1-6.3 zoom lens with optical image stabilization (OIS). The phone has a xenon flash with an LED autofocus assist. On the front is a relatively humble 2 megapixel camera.

On the smartphone side, the Galaxy K zoom has a 4.8-inch, 1280x720 resolution Super AMOLED display, Exynos 5 Hexa SoC with six CPU cores comprising of four 1.3GHz ARM Cortex A7 and two 1.7GHz ARM Cortex A15, along with a Mali-T624 GPU, 2GB RAM, 8GB internal memory with microSD support (up to 64GB), LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, NFC, 2,430mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat.

The Galaxy K zoom will be available in black, white and blue.

Source

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

More alleged details on the previously leaked HTC M8 Ace made the rounds online. According to a report in Engadget, the yet to be announced smartphone will offer Samsung Galaxy S5-matching specs for significantly less money.

The HTC M8 Ace will reportedly feature plastic unibody design, similar to the one seen in HTC Desire 610. The specs are tipped to include a 5" 1080p display and Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC with 2.5GHz quad-core CPU.

Most importantly, the launch price of the smartphone is said to be CN¥3,000 (around $480).This means that the M8 Ace will significantly undercut the Samsung Galaxy S5 when available.

Source

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com

When the Raspberry Pi was released, hackers and tinkerers around the world rejoiced at all of the wonderful things they would be able to accomplish with the little $40 computer that could.

You can add create a working cell phone to the list of amazing feats that the Raspberry Pi is capable of.

David Hunt was able to turn the Pi, along with a few other additional parts, into a fully functional smartphone (the PiPhone) for about $150.

Now it definitely isn’t a looker, nor is it the most svelte of devices, but it is fully capable of making phone calls, which David demonstrates in the video.

Again, it might not be the most practical of solutions (the Moto G retails for $180 unlocked), it is pretty neat to know that you can create a cell phone out of the tiny computer.

Source | Via

CategoryBlog || Source blog.gsmarena.com

Are you a Viber user? Well you may want to be a little more careful about what you say over the popular smartphone messaging service.

New reports reveal that Viber actually gives up user data: both messages and phone calls.

The research was conducted by the University of New Haven. User data is stored on Viber’s servers, but the data is unencrypted and anyone who has a link to the data can access it. No passwords. No protection, just open access to anyone who wants to see it.

“The data is stored on Viber’s server in an unencrypted manner. There is also no authentication method used, so anybody who has access to these links can look at this data, retrieve this data, and do whatever they want with it. “

Viber isn’t the only culprit in the mobile messaging game: Whatsapp was also found to have severe vulnerabilities which can easily be exploited. Using simple traffic sniffing tools, both Viber and Whatsapp user data were extrapolated with little difficulty.

Viber did say that they fixed the issue, however:

“This issue has already been resolved. It is currently in QA and the fix will be released for Android and submitted to Apple on Monday. As of today we aren’t aware of a single user who has been affected by this. “

It does seem troubling that Viber had to fix the issue in the first place. It isn’t as if the messaging service had been hacked; Viber just didn’t provide any encryption for the data.

Does anyone feel a bit more wary about using internet messaging services? Will you do a little more research before sending private data over them? Let us know in the comments!

Source

CategoryBlog || Source blog.gsmarena.com

There have been some murmurs that Samsung, in an effort to grab some of HTC's premium phone market share (and undoubtedly the upcoming iPhone 6's), release a high-end version of their Galaxy S5 phone, called the S5 Prime. The upgraded version of the Korean manufacturer's latest flagship is supposed to have an aluminum encasing, 2K screen, and 3GB RAM.

Now Samsung has been mum on their plans with the Samsung Galaxy S5 prime, and haven't even acknowledged that they're working on the device, but it seems to be a pretty poorly kept secret with a series of leaks hinting at the phone's development.

The latest development is an Indian shipping manifest that shows a device with a code number SM-G906S, which is supposed to be a regional version of the Galaxy S5 Prime.

The G906S has also shown up on GFXBench, with the following specs detailed:

•5.2-inch 2560×1440 display

•2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor •with Adreno 420 GPU

•3GB of RAM

•32GB of storage

•16 MP rear/ 2MP front-facing camera

•Android 4.4.2 KitKat

We have to yet to see if these rumors are going to turn out true, and in the meantime, we'll just be forced to play the waiting game. Let's say that these leaks are credible and Samsung is indeed planning on releasing a premium version of the S5, would you be willing to pay a premium price for a premium S5?

Source

CategoryNews || Source www.gsmarena.com