Saturday, May 18, 2013

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Samsung grabs 95% of global Android smartphone profits in Q1 2013

Posted: 17 May 2013 04:12 PM PDT

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As we reported before, over 900 million Android-powered smartphones have been activated since the platform’s debut in 2007. While its no surprise that Samsung leads the herd over HTC, LG and Sony (among other competitors), it may come as a shock just how much they dominate by. According to a report by Strategy Analytics, Samsung captured 95% of Android’s profit in the first quarter of 2013. 

The report states that Android made $5.3 billion dollars in the first quarter, with Samsung making $5.1 billion off Android-powered handsets in that same time period. That comes to 94.7% of the profit share, and those figures don’t include tablets. While some question Samsung’s tactics, such as using all plastic hardware and producing multiple phones every year, something is clearly working for them.

In second place, LG accounted for 2.5% of the profit share, while all other manufacturers (including HTC, Sony, Pantech and many more) accounted for the last 2.7%. Samsung’s incredible numbers led to one more startling realization: Strategy Analytics' Director Neil Mawston believes Samsung now makes more money from Android than Google.

Source: Strategy Analytics

 

 


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HTC sales increase for One and Butterfly, Butterfly to receive Sense 5.0 update

Posted: 17 May 2013 03:48 PM PDT

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In a recent piece on Focus Taiwan, Jack Tong, president of HTC North Asia, said HTC will double production for its recent flagship, the HTC One. Tong also mentioned the company’s older device, the HTC Butterfly, has seen sales rise since the company lowered the price of the device in Asian markets. To help sales further, the Butterfly will soon receive an update to Sense 5.0, as featured on the aforementioned HTC One. The update will include the Sense 5.0 user interface, the BlinkFeed home screen feed and improvements to the camera, among other additions. 

While the Butterfly may not be the hottest phone around right now, it did have many early adopters thanks to a good combination of hardware and the first commercially available smartphone with a 1080p display. No official date has been announced but its safe to assume that Butterfly users will get a taste of Sense 5.0 within the month.

Source: Android Beat


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Is success of Samsung Galaxy S 4 pushing company to look outside for components?

Posted: 17 May 2013 01:54 PM PDT

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A recent analysis claims only 10% of Samsung’s newest flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S 4, is shipping with Samsung’s own Exynos 5 Octa chip. Considering the device is on pace to become the company’s fastest selling smartphone in history, one might think Samsung would want to put more of their own hardware in the hands of consumers. However, Samsung seems to think it is more important to put devices in the hands of consumers regardless of the component sources. So in the case of the Galaxy S 4, the majority of the phones are shipping with Qualcomm chips.

Samsung still supplies around 80% of the components that go into its mobile devices, which is high compared to major rivals like Apple. However, a high demand product can quickly soak up any capacity a company has, even one as large as Samsung. According to Samsung’s vice president of the mobile business, Kim Hyunjoon, Samsung will “continue to resort to multi vendors to ensure smooth supply.” Some of the other vendors include companies like the aforementioned Qualcomm, memory chip maker Toshiba, image sensor supplier Sony, and Gorilla Glass producer Corning, along with others. These suppliers also happen to be major suppliers to Apple for components used in their popular iOS line of devices.

With all of this overlap in hardware between the two major players in the smartphone market, some analysts like Peter Yu with BNP Paribas are “worried Samsung is losing its hardware differentiator.” This seems to point the way toward market success being influenced more by software and what apps can do for users as opposed to the hardware. As an example, just think back to the items that Samsung stressed during their release production for the Galaxy S 4, which not only highlights the importance of apps and their capabilities, but also the impact of marketing.

Do you think that high-end smartphone hardware has become so advanced that the differences between brands are no longer a selling point?

source: Android Authority


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Samsung Galaxy S 4 to reach 10 million sales by next week, Note III to have 5.9-inch OLED display

Posted: 17 May 2013 01:54 PM PDT

Samsung_Galaxy_S_4_Back_Camera_Samsung_Logo_Version_3_TAEarlier this week, when the Samsung Galaxy S 4 broke a record by selling 4 million units in just 5 days, the company predicted the 10-million mark to be surpassed by the end of the month. That figure is still still on track, with Samsung co-CEO JK Shin stating "We are confident that we will pass more than 10 million sales of the S4 next week. It is selling much faster than the previous model S3.” Just how much faster? The Galaxy S 3 took 50 days to pass the 10 million sales mark, while the S4 was debuted less than a month ago. Quite impressive.

In other news, Shin said that the Galaxy Note III will be unveiled in September at the IFA in Berlin. He confirmed that the device will have  5.9-inch OLED display.

source: Korean Times


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Best Android music playing applications

Posted: 17 May 2013 01:40 PM PDT

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Music is a big part of a smartphone’s feature set. We’ve already talked about the best available music streaming services, but sometimes music streaming isn’t an option, whether that’s because you’re dealing with a pesky data cap, you’re somewhere without a reliably fast internet connection, or you would just rather keep your music on your device. Whatever the reason, we’re going to go over the top music playing apps for your Android device.

poweramp

Poweramp is one of the most robust music playing apps available. It’s packed with features and even includes theme support. If you’re looking for something that almost acts like a desktop music player, Poweramp is as close as you’re going to get.

One of the best features that Poweramp does extremely well is audio processing. It supports nearly any format you put your music in, and offers a 10-band graphic equalizer, as well as separate bass and treble adjustment, replay gain correction, and some basic mixing tools. Overall, those features make it one of the best-sounding players available. If you’re picky about your music quality, this is definitely the first app to take a look at.

Aside from the excellent audio processing, Poweramp does also have a full suite of other features. It’ll get missing artwork for you, as well as song lyrics. It supports Last.FM scrobbling, tag editing for songs, and several different widgets, including lock screen controls. There’s not too much else you could ask out of a music player. You can get a 15 day trial of the app, but the full version is only $3.99.

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winamp

Winamp is a popular, feature-rich desktop music player, and the mobile version is just as great. As a free application, Winamp features a great interface for playing local music files, as well as wireless syncing, support for iTunes, and lock screen and widget support. It also has a lot of integration with the Android OS, allowing other apps to interact with your Now Playing music as well as scrobbling support and a ton of SHOUTcast radio stations.

If the free version isn’t quite doing enough for you, Winamp offers a few in-app purchases to really extend how much the app can do. The first in-app purchase bundle adds song lyrics support for your music, and the lyrics will auto-scroll for you while you’re listening to music. It’s a really cool, polished feature for the extremely detail-oriented music lover. The second in-app purchase is an album art bundle. It automatically retrieves artwork for your music, as well as updated tags for your files that are incorrect or missing. The last available upgrade is the pro bundle, which is also available as a standalone application, throws in a ton of features like a 10-band graphic equalizer, support for .FLAC files, and personalized radio recommendations.

The in-app purchases add some really cool features, but compared to an app like Poweramp, it can be a little more expensive and complex to get them all set up. However, I personally prefer Winamp’s interface, and the wireless syncing support and iTunes support are really handy features that many users need. The free version of the app is great by itself, though, and it’s definitely worth trying out before making a decision. All the additional features can then be unlocked through the free app.

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mixzing

If you’re looking for a more simple music playing application, MixZing may be a better option than the previous apps we’ve mentioned. It isn’t as feature-filled, but sometimes less clutter makes for a better app.

MixZing’s biggest draw is its attractive interface and playlist support. The interface is very clean, and the free version of the app fully supports downloading missing album artwork to keep everything uniform. It also has a robust built-in tag editor for your music organization needs, as well as an equalizer for your music. However, where MixZing really stands out is the playlist support. A unique Mood Player selects music in your library based on the “mood” of each song and creates playlists based off of those specific moods. It’s a bit like Pandora, but centered more around emotions. It’s a really cool feature, and something that makes MixZing stand apart from the crowd.

MixZing isn’t going to win over any users by throwing tons of features at them, but the features it offers, it does extremely well. It’s also easily one of the simplest music players available in the Play Store, so if you need something light, this should be on your list. There’s a free version of the app, as well as a paid version to remove ads.

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doubletwist

doubleTwist is almost like the Swiss Army Knife of music players. Like Winamp, doubleTwist boasts iTunes support, but it goes a bit further by letting you sync music wirelessly through iTunes. On top of that, doubleTwist has lots of AirPlay features baked in for streaming your music collection to other devices. If you’re unfamiliar with it, AirPlay is Apple’s proprietary streaming protocol, similar to DLNA on many other devices. The biggest advantage to using AirPlay is the out-of-the-box support for things like a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, and it’s the simplest way to utilize an Apple TV with your Android device, if you have one.

Aside from the deep iTunes support, doubleTwist also offers standard features like album artwork collection, smart playlists, and wireless podcast subscription syncing. And, doubleTwist has their newly introduced Magic Radio built in, which is like a blend of Pandora with your personal music library. It plays suggestions based on your music tastes, but throws in songs you own to keep things slightly familiar. It’s a nice spin on music discovery and it’s a great feature for the app. The service runs $3.99 per month, which is a bit cheaper than some other similar music services.

doubleTwist offers their pro features in bundles, similar to Winamp’s approach. If you buy the full Pro key, however, you do get a discount. The AirSync bundle, Music Lover bundle, and Podcasts bundle are all $4.99 a piece and they unlock all of doubleTwist’s handy, usually wireless, features. You can also opt for the Pro bundle to save $5 on purchasing all three bundles separately. I think doubleTwist does a better job of streamlining the add-ons than Winamp does, and that makes up for a few features that Winamp has on doubleTwist.

Even if you’re just looking for a straightforward music player, the free version of doubleTwist is a great choice. It sports a clean interface, as well as other music player standard features like scrobbling and widgets. It is missing a graphic equalizer, though, which may or may not be a big deal to you, depending on how picky you are about how your music sounds.

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These are just a few of the many available music players available on the Play Store. Generally, these are the most solid, highly rated apps that cover all of the basic things you’ll need, like widget support and easy ways to manage files. Are there any of your favorite apps that didn’t make the list? Sound off in the comments.


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Classic Sonic the Hedgehog by Sega launched to Google Play for $2.99

Posted: 17 May 2013 10:31 AM PDT

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We have some good news for retro game-lovers today, as Sega launched the classic version of Sonic the Hedgehog to Google Play. On the game’s official page on the Google Play store, Sega states that this is the full original version, and includes some pretty neat exclusive features, such as the ability to play as Knuckles and Tails. The game is available for download at only $2.99. Enjoy, gamers! Let us know how you like it. The Google Play link is available after the break, as well as a preview video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Photo and details leak of 8-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab 3

Posted: 17 May 2013 09:28 AM PDT

galaxy_tab_3_8_inchLast month, Samsung officially announced a 7-inch Galaxy Tab 3, and today rumors are flying that they will soon announce an even bigger version. SamMobile says they have received their first photo of an 8-inch Galaxy Tab 3. As you can see above, it looks very similar to the Galaxy Note 8.0 without a pen, except for a thinner bezel and different camera and speaker placements.

The specs, though SamMobile warns they could change, include a 1280×800 screen with a an 1.3-megapixel camera on the front, and 5-megapixel camera on the back. The Android 4.2.2 powered device is supposed to have an unnamed 1.5GHz dual-core CPU , with 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a microSD slot. The tablet is expected by the end of June.

Source: SamMobile


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Fitbit adds Bluetooth 4.0 sync support for Samsung Galaxy S 4 in new update

Posted: 17 May 2013 07:26 AM PDT

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While we await the imminent release of Android 4.3 and its inclusion of Bluetooth Smart support, some app developers have taken it upon themselves to start adding Bluetooth 4.0 syncing to their apps, including Fitbit, a healthy lifestyle tracking application.

As they added support for the Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II back in February, today they announced that the app will now support the Galaxy S 4, with all of the efficiency improvements that it brings. Obviously since the new Bluetooth support is not yet standard in Android devices, Fitbit says that custom development work is needed for individual smartphones. Obviously Samsung’s new flagship device was an early priority.

You can grab the updated Fitbit app from the Google Play Store after the break.

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 Google Play Download Link



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NVIDIA to begin accepting SHIELD handheld gaming device pre-orders from today

Posted: 17 May 2013 07:06 AM PDT

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Those of you who were giddy and/or impatient at waiting for the original May 20th pre-order date are probably going to start salivating at this tidbit of news: NVIDIA formally announced it will start taking SHIELD pre-orders from today. The reasoning for pushing up the pre-order is quite simple really as there has been an insane amount of buzz and hype not just from potential customers, but developers as well. That means some of you fanatics out there won’t need to wait any longer to shell out $349 for the Tegra 4-based beast from Newegg, Gamestop and Canada Computers.

Now enough with the chit chatter— prospective customers can hit the source links below to pre-order the device today.

source: NVIDIA | New Egg | Gamestop | Canada Computers


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Panasonic launches P51 in Indian markets, packed with 5-inch screen and stylus

Posted: 17 May 2013 07:02 AM PDT

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Panasonic recently decided to launch its first device in Indian markets with the Panasonic P51. The phone will come loaded up with Android 4.2, a 5-inch, 720p LCD screen, and a quad-core 1.2GHz MediaTek processor. The phone is slightly reminiscent of a lower-end Galaxy Note 3, as it ships with a capacitive stylus and a magnetic flip cover. The RAM sits at only 1GB, there are 4GB of expandable storage, and the phone includes an 8MP rear-camera, a 1.3MP front-facing camera, and support for both HSPA+ and dual SIM cards.

The phone will launch in India next week at 26,900 rupees ($517 USD) contract-free which is a little expensive but should be a bargain when compared to its competition from Samsung. Hit the break for the full press release.

Panasonic India Set to Redefine the Smartphone Segment

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Thursday, May 16, 2013 — (Business Wire India)

– Launches Smartphone P51

– Eyes 8% market share in the smartphone category

Continuing its strong focus on India, Panasonic India today announced the launch of the P51, Panasonic smartphone, a first in the series of revolutionary smartphones marking the entry of Panasonic into the mobile phone segment in India. This phone is targeted at the young generation – the always-on-the-go college youth, and the premium executive class, who is always on the lookout for better, faster and savvier smartphones on the go!

The Panasonic P51 is a premium AndroidTM smartphone with sleek design and brings HD experience to a 5 inch screen with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. Powered by a Quad Core1.2GHz processor and running on AndroidTM 4.2 (Jelly Bean), the P51 comes with a magnetic flip-cover stylus offering comfort and convenience to the consumer. This Wi-Fi enabled device also sports an 8MP camera (auto focus with flash) and a 1.3Mpxl 720p HD front camera making it an ideal phone

Speaking on the launch, Mr. Daizo Ito, President, Panasonic India said, “Panasonic has a great legacy of being the pioneers of innovation in every segment. Continuing with our legacy, we are now launching our innovative smartphone which will redefine the Indian smartphone consumer experience. India has always been one of our alpha markets in the region and I take great pride in introducing our smartphone to India. We are confident that our product will provide the Indian consumer a great multimedia experience and the ‘best value for money’ proposition”.

Mr. Manish Sharma, Managing Director, Panasonic India commenting on Panasonic’s foray in the Smartphone segment said, “It has always been our endeavor to excel in all aspects of consumer technology. The launch of Panasonic Smartphone in India marks the beginning of our journey in the Indian mobile phone market and will bring together the ultimate smartphone user experience. The smartphone series will come power-packed with features and will cater to the consumers across the spectrum – from mid-tier to the premium class. With an aim to garner a market share of 8% in the first year, this product will showcase the convergence of Panasonic’s pioneering technology and consumer insight. We are hopeful that consumers will embrace our phones with the same zeal and enthusiasm that they have shown for our VIERA and LUMIX range”.

Panasonic has also collaborated with Jaina Marketing as the ‘Strategic Partner for Marketing, Distribution and Customer Support’ for their smartphone series. Speaking at the launch, Mr. Pardeep Jain, Managing Director, Jaina Group, said, “The smartphone market is growing at an incredible pace and is expected to reach 3.9 bn by 2017 globally. India is catching up fast with the smartphone race and with the launch of Panasonic smartphone. I am sure our expertise in the marketing & distribution, and customer care support will add value to an exciting proposition from Panasonic. We look forward to reaping the benefits of the intense smartphone demand in India”.

Panasonic smartphone’s brand ambassador, Varun Dhawan, said, “I am very happy to be associated with Panasonic India especially because of the legacy that Panasonic as a brand enjoys in India. The confidence that the consumers have today on Panasonic’s range of products is evident by the way the company has grown. I feel privileged to be a part of the unveiling of the P51 and as a consumer, I can confidently say that it is not just an interesting smartphone because of its price point and multiple features but it also provides a wonderful user experience”.

Panasonic smartphone will come equipped with amazing features like easy-to-use, ultra-responsive touch displays that allow users to check their social network updates, read SMS’s, check calendar, and answer/reject/mute calls. This phone will be available across national retail chain stores, multi-brand outlets and distributors across India from May onwards.


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