| Samsung Q3 2013 profits rise thanks to cheaper smartphones Oct 4th 2013, 04:06, by Juan Carlos Torres Proving analyst estimates wrong, Samsung has shown a strong financial third quarter in its latest financial posting. This was largely due to more affordable smartphone models being sold in emerging markets. 
In a partial earnings report, Samsung revealed that operating profits rose to 10.1 trillion won or $9.4 billion in the three months that ended in September. The same profits were recorded at 8.06 trillion won, roughly $7.5 billion, from the same period last year. In contrast, analysts estimated profits to be mediocre, only reaching 9.96 trillion won, around $9.3 billion. The higher numbers were largely seen to be caused by the demand for cheaper smartphones in regions such as China, India, and the Middle East, in the face of the rising prices of high-end smartphones. Samsung has put out low-cost Galaxy smartphones, cheaper versions of flagships such as the Galaxy S4 Mini, and has continued selling slightly older models such as the Galaxy S III. In the Middle East, for example, the Mini and the S III outsold the iPhone 5 and even Samsung’s own Galaxy S 4. Sales of the Galaxy S 4, on the other hand, which entered its first full quarter after its release in April, fell 18 percent. Samsung hasn’t released exact net income figures yet or a breakdown of the earnings, as those reports as still scheduled to follow later this month. But in light of third quarter sales reaching 59 trillion won, or $55 billion, analysts are already predicting an even better fourth quarter for the Korean manufacturer. SOURCE: Bloomberg |  | Amazon Kindle Fire HD 2013 teardown reveals modular components, high repairability Oct 4th 2013, 03:40, by Juan Carlos Torres With their self-professed love of the burning element, the folks over at iFixit had a blast playing with fire. The new Amazon Kindle Fire HD, that is. A look inside Amazon‘s refresh of the venerable e-reader-slash-tablet device reveals what makes it tick and how easy it will be to put out the flames of a damaged unit. 
Last week, Amazon took off the veils from its new line of Kindle Fire HD tablets and sneaking in somewhat inconspicuously is the new non-HDX 7-inch Kindle Fire HD. In a way, this 2013 model mixes the old, such as the 7-inch 1280×800 resolution display, with the new, like a faster 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, all encased in Amazon’s new unique design showcased on all its new tablets. Taking apart the Kindle Fire HD 2013 was, fortunately, not much of a daunting task. The rear case was somewhat difficult to open but eventually yielded after much coaxing. The use of Torx T5 screws all over the device meant that there was only need for a single non-proprietary screwdriver. Some of the parts, for example, the headphone jack, the micro-USB port, and the power and volume buttons were surprisingly modular, making it easier to replace when things go downhill. There was a generous amount of adhesive used on the 4440 mAh battery, making it probably the trickiest to remove. The heart and soul of the Kindle Fire HD resided in the motherboard, secured at the top with a few screws. EMI shields protected some of the more sensitive components, such as the 1 GB Micron LPDDR2 SDRAM, which itself was believed to cover the 1.5 GHz TI OMAP4 processor underneath. The display, which was manufactured by LG, was not fused to the glass panel, making it easy to separate. The glass, however, was glued to the front frame but can still be removed with some amount of heat. All in all, the teardown experience seemed to go smoothly, making iFixit give it a score of 8 out of 10 in repairability, just one point higher than its rival, the 2013 Nexus 7. While most of the components were held together by screws, there was some amount of adhesive used in some key places, but nothing that a bit of poking or some heat couldn’t fix. SOURCE: iFixit | |
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