Nokia put two Asha 50x phones on sale – the 502 Dual SIM and the 503. The two are based on the Asha 501 design, but add a transparent outer layer on the back (while being every bit as colorful underneath).
The Nokia Asha 502 Dual SIM improves the phone's photography skills by bumping the camera to 5MP and adding an LED flash. The video recording is still at the abysmal QVGA@15fps, though.Nokia LCD
As the name suggests, it comes only in dual-SIM. This model has only 2G connectivity, but Wi-Fi is available and so is WhatsApp. Note that the Asha 502 has a slightly smaller battery.
The Nokia Asha 503 comes in single- and dual-SIM versions. It also brings back the 3.5G connectivity from the 501, while keeping the improved camera. The battery is back to the original 1,200mAh capacity too.
Both the Asha 502 and the 503 have 3" QVGA screens (240 x 320) protected by Gorilla Glass 2, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, microSD card slots. They also feature social networking integration (Facebook, Twitter, Sina Weibo, LINE, WeChat) and Nokia's data compressing Xpress Browser.
The Nokia Asha 502 Dual SIM and Asha 503 are available right now in select IMEA (India, Middle East and Africa) and Asia Pacific regions.
2013年11月29日星期五
2013年11月21日星期四
Google unveils Nexus 5 Bumper Case, LG QuickCover and Nexus 7 Sleeve for India
Google finally launched the much-awaited Nexus 5 smartphone and Nexus 7 (2013) in India on Wednesday. The search engine giant has also introduced a new Nexus 5 Bumper Case and LG QuickCover, and a Nexus 7 Sleeve.
As of now, the Bumper Case for Nexus 5 is available at Google Play Store for Rs. 2,499 and comes in four colour variants - Black, Grey, Red and Yellow. As per the Play Store listing, the bumper case features a hard outer shell to absorb shocks caused by drops. Nexus 7 LCD Screen
The Nexus 5 QuickCover has been priced at Rs. 3,299, though it is still listed as 'coming soon'. It will be available in Black and White colour variants.
On the other hand, the Nexus 7 Sleeve is priced at Rs. 1,999 and still sports the 'coming soon' tag. It will be available in three colours - Black, Grey and Yellow. Further, the Nexus 7 Sleeve can also work with the Nexus 7 (2012) tablet.
The Nexus 5 smartphone and Nexus 7 (2013) tablet are available via the Play Store. The Nexus 5 is available in two variants - the 16GB model at Rs. 28,999, and the 32GB variant at Rs. 32,999 in India.
On the other hand, the Nexus 7 (2013) tablet starts at Rs. 20,999 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only model, while the 32GB Wi-Fi only model is available at Rs. 23,999, and the 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G (HSPA+, LTE) model at Rs. 27,999.
2013年11月19日星期二
Smartphones accounted for 55 percent of global phone sales in Q3: Gartner
Smartphone sales accounted for 55 percent of global mobile sales in the third quarter as customers in China and Latin America swapped their old phones for the higher end of the range gadgets, research firm Gartner said on Thursday.
Worldwide smartphone sales rose nearly 46 percent from last year to 250.2 million units, it said, while overall mobile phone sales were up less than 6 percent at 455.6 million.
"Sales of feature phones (normal handsets) continued to decline and the decrease was more pronounced in markets where the average selling price (ASP) for feature phones was much closer to the ASP of affordable smartphones," said Gartner analyst Anshul Gupta.Samsung Touch Screen
He said he expected smartphone sales of just below 1 billion devices for 2013. Samsung kept the top spot in the smartphone segment, with a 32.1 percent market share, selling 80.36 millionsmartphones, up from 55 million in the same quarter last year, helped by its Note 3 large display smartphone.
Apple sold 23.2 percent more smartphones at 30.33 million, but its market share dropped to 12.1 percent from 14.3 percent.
Sales of Apple's new iPhone 5s and its low-cost iPhone 5c model had a modest impact on sales as both phones went on sale in September, the last month of the quarter.
Lenovo took the third spot with a 5.1 percent market share in the smartphone segment, just ahead of LG Electronics and Huawei, with market shares of 4.8 percent and 4.7 percent respectively.
All the companies are in especially fierce competition in the Chinese market, where customers are still replacing their old models with smartphones.
Of the smartphones sold, 81.9 percent were running on Google's mobile platform Android, while 12.1 percent used Apple's iOS and 3.6 percent were on Microsoft's Windows Mobile, Gartner said.
Worldwide smartphone sales rose nearly 46 percent from last year to 250.2 million units, it said, while overall mobile phone sales were up less than 6 percent at 455.6 million.
"Sales of feature phones (normal handsets) continued to decline and the decrease was more pronounced in markets where the average selling price (ASP) for feature phones was much closer to the ASP of affordable smartphones," said Gartner analyst Anshul Gupta.Samsung Touch Screen
He said he expected smartphone sales of just below 1 billion devices for 2013. Samsung kept the top spot in the smartphone segment, with a 32.1 percent market share, selling 80.36 millionsmartphones, up from 55 million in the same quarter last year, helped by its Note 3 large display smartphone.
Apple sold 23.2 percent more smartphones at 30.33 million, but its market share dropped to 12.1 percent from 14.3 percent.
Sales of Apple's new iPhone 5s and its low-cost iPhone 5c model had a modest impact on sales as both phones went on sale in September, the last month of the quarter.
Lenovo took the third spot with a 5.1 percent market share in the smartphone segment, just ahead of LG Electronics and Huawei, with market shares of 4.8 percent and 4.7 percent respectively.
All the companies are in especially fierce competition in the Chinese market, where customers are still replacing their old models with smartphones.
Of the smartphones sold, 81.9 percent were running on Google's mobile platform Android, while 12.1 percent used Apple's iOS and 3.6 percent were on Microsoft's Windows Mobile, Gartner said.
2013年11月7日星期四
Samsung promises investors new technology to take on Apple, renewed focus on tablets
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd pledged to double its dividend yield, invest in new technology and boost marketing to topple Apple Inc in the mobile sector as it sought to ease investors' concerns over its sagging share price.
The world's leading maker of smartphones, memory chips and televisions outlined its strategy on Wednesday at a rare meeting with analysts designed to reassure investors that it is listening to complaints about low returns and poor use of capital.
But shareholders appeared unconvinced as they drove the stock more than 2 percent lower, versus a 0.1 percent rise in the wider market. Samsung trades at seven times projected earnings, while Apple trades at a premium of 12.Samsung cell phone Parts
"Investors had expected a bag of presents from today's meeting but its dividend payout plan is disappointing," said Kim Sung-soo, a fund manager at LS Asset Management.
The second analyst meeting of its kind in eight years came after a string of record quarterly profits, which have fed a cash pile totalling $50 billion as of September without arresting a 4.7 percent slide in the share price this year.
Shareholder returns are at their lowest in five years, with investors getting just 5.1 percent of profit in 2012 compared with a 15.8 percent total shareholder return in 2007 when Samsung last bought back shares in the market.
"Our management view is that our product valuation multiple does not truly reflect our earnings growth and leadership position in the IT industry," Chief Financial Officer Lee Sang-hoon told analysts at the meeting in Seoul.
He said the South Korean giant would modify its dividend strategy based on a target yield, and flagged a more flexible approach to shareholder returns by vowing to review them every three years to ensure they reflected changes in business conditions.
Rather than specify a target dividend yield, he said the 2013 payout would be around 1 percent of the share price compared with 0.5 percent last year, a level that fueled investors' complaints that the company was hoarding cash at their expense.
Lee said the $50 billion war chest was being prepared for "significant investment" in strategic technologies, mergers or acquisitions, suggesting the company could loosen its purse strings as it chases the next big thing in mobile technology.
"I know we have been somewhat conservative in M&A but it may be different in the future. Based on this, I don't believe the current level of net cash balance is excessive," he said.
"We plan to allocate a significant portion of our annual cash flow into capex and R&D to secure future growth and shareholder return," he said. Eyes on tablets Faced with slowing growth in the market for its top-selling Galaxy range of high-end smartphones, Samsung said it would target the tablet segment where Apple's iPads dominate.
"Our tablet sales significantly increased already this year. So we are ready for the next step," said J.K. Shin, co-chief executive and head of Samsung's mobile business.
The mobile business brings in two thirds of Samsung's total profit, and Shin said the $228 billion company would continue to invest heavily in marketing to create "buzz" and boost sales of its latest gadgets.
"We have technologies ready to bring new innovation into the market soon. At the same time, we'll leverage our Galaxy brand, distribution channel and global networks," he said.
Samsung, whose smartphone market share rose to a record 35.2 percent in the July-September quarter versus Apple's 13.4 percent, remains a second player in the tablet market. It had 20.4 percent of the tablet business in the third quarter versus Apple's 29.6 percent, according to researcher IDC.
Shin said Samsung would expand its mobile "experience shops", hold more global events like the launch of its Galaxy S4 smartphone at Manhattan's iconic Radio City Music Hall in March, and try out new marketing formats such as collaboration with fashion shows.
Assuming conservatively that Samsung will keep its marketing budget stable at last year's 6.5 percent of sales, outlays are expected to increase 16 percent to a staggering $14.2 billion this year, on par with its R&D spending.
The world's leading maker of smartphones, memory chips and televisions outlined its strategy on Wednesday at a rare meeting with analysts designed to reassure investors that it is listening to complaints about low returns and poor use of capital.
But shareholders appeared unconvinced as they drove the stock more than 2 percent lower, versus a 0.1 percent rise in the wider market. Samsung trades at seven times projected earnings, while Apple trades at a premium of 12.Samsung cell phone Parts
"Investors had expected a bag of presents from today's meeting but its dividend payout plan is disappointing," said Kim Sung-soo, a fund manager at LS Asset Management.
The second analyst meeting of its kind in eight years came after a string of record quarterly profits, which have fed a cash pile totalling $50 billion as of September without arresting a 4.7 percent slide in the share price this year.
Shareholder returns are at their lowest in five years, with investors getting just 5.1 percent of profit in 2012 compared with a 15.8 percent total shareholder return in 2007 when Samsung last bought back shares in the market.
"Our management view is that our product valuation multiple does not truly reflect our earnings growth and leadership position in the IT industry," Chief Financial Officer Lee Sang-hoon told analysts at the meeting in Seoul.
He said the South Korean giant would modify its dividend strategy based on a target yield, and flagged a more flexible approach to shareholder returns by vowing to review them every three years to ensure they reflected changes in business conditions.
Rather than specify a target dividend yield, he said the 2013 payout would be around 1 percent of the share price compared with 0.5 percent last year, a level that fueled investors' complaints that the company was hoarding cash at their expense.
Lee said the $50 billion war chest was being prepared for "significant investment" in strategic technologies, mergers or acquisitions, suggesting the company could loosen its purse strings as it chases the next big thing in mobile technology.
"I know we have been somewhat conservative in M&A but it may be different in the future. Based on this, I don't believe the current level of net cash balance is excessive," he said.
"We plan to allocate a significant portion of our annual cash flow into capex and R&D to secure future growth and shareholder return," he said. Eyes on tablets Faced with slowing growth in the market for its top-selling Galaxy range of high-end smartphones, Samsung said it would target the tablet segment where Apple's iPads dominate.
"Our tablet sales significantly increased already this year. So we are ready for the next step," said J.K. Shin, co-chief executive and head of Samsung's mobile business.
The mobile business brings in two thirds of Samsung's total profit, and Shin said the $228 billion company would continue to invest heavily in marketing to create "buzz" and boost sales of its latest gadgets.
"We have technologies ready to bring new innovation into the market soon. At the same time, we'll leverage our Galaxy brand, distribution channel and global networks," he said.
Samsung, whose smartphone market share rose to a record 35.2 percent in the July-September quarter versus Apple's 13.4 percent, remains a second player in the tablet market. It had 20.4 percent of the tablet business in the third quarter versus Apple's 29.6 percent, according to researcher IDC.
Shin said Samsung would expand its mobile "experience shops", hold more global events like the launch of its Galaxy S4 smartphone at Manhattan's iconic Radio City Music Hall in March, and try out new marketing formats such as collaboration with fashion shows.
Assuming conservatively that Samsung will keep its marketing budget stable at last year's 6.5 percent of sales, outlays are expected to increase 16 percent to a staggering $14.2 billion this year, on par with its R&D spending.
2013年11月5日星期二
250 million smartphones shipped in Q3
Everyday seems to bring another analyst report or memo declaring the continuing proliferation of smartphones worldwide, and that trend certainly rolled right through the third quarter.
This time the update comes from Canalys, which revealed smartphone shipments grew by 44 percent year-over-year in Q3. But the number to know is simple yet astounding. The tech insight firm cited that nearly a quarter of a billion (yes, billion) smartphones shipped over the three-month period.Samsung cell phone Parts
Naturally, there were some familiar names leading the way, such as Samsung and Apple. The mobile phone rivals maintained the top two spots on the global vendor charts with with market shares of 34 percent and 15 percent respectively. Huawei, Lenovo and LG rounded out the top five.
Interestingly, Android and iOS don't appear to have actually grown much, but Canalys highlighted that Microsoft's Windows Mobile grew its share of the pie by 4 percent.
Another lesson that could be extracted from the report is the most successful screen size. With more than 56 million units shipped in Q3, the five-inch and above bracket for form factors is looking like the sweet spot now in the smartphone space. But looking at the global figures on a more local level, shipments are accelerating the most outside of the United States. Nicole Peng, a research director at Canalys covering China, hinted in the report at how the mobile OEMs play into this: Samsung was the leading vendor across all regions except North America, where Apple held the top spot. These two vendors account for almost 70 percent of the market there. LG held onto third place in North America, while Nokia has moved from eighth to fourth place after making gains from its competitors with its new flagship products, the Lumia 1020 and 925.
Namely, Greater China (China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) again grew the most by 64 percent with nearly 100 million units shipped.
Latin America followed with the second highest growth rate at 59 percent -- despite being the smallest smartphone market with 19 million units shipping.
Source:CNET
This time the update comes from Canalys, which revealed smartphone shipments grew by 44 percent year-over-year in Q3. But the number to know is simple yet astounding. The tech insight firm cited that nearly a quarter of a billion (yes, billion) smartphones shipped over the three-month period.Samsung cell phone Parts
Naturally, there were some familiar names leading the way, such as Samsung and Apple. The mobile phone rivals maintained the top two spots on the global vendor charts with with market shares of 34 percent and 15 percent respectively. Huawei, Lenovo and LG rounded out the top five.
Interestingly, Android and iOS don't appear to have actually grown much, but Canalys highlighted that Microsoft's Windows Mobile grew its share of the pie by 4 percent.
Another lesson that could be extracted from the report is the most successful screen size. With more than 56 million units shipped in Q3, the five-inch and above bracket for form factors is looking like the sweet spot now in the smartphone space. But looking at the global figures on a more local level, shipments are accelerating the most outside of the United States. Nicole Peng, a research director at Canalys covering China, hinted in the report at how the mobile OEMs play into this: Samsung was the leading vendor across all regions except North America, where Apple held the top spot. These two vendors account for almost 70 percent of the market there. LG held onto third place in North America, while Nokia has moved from eighth to fourth place after making gains from its competitors with its new flagship products, the Lumia 1020 and 925.
Namely, Greater China (China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) again grew the most by 64 percent with nearly 100 million units shipped.
Latin America followed with the second highest growth rate at 59 percent -- despite being the smallest smartphone market with 19 million units shipping.
Source:CNET
Essential iPad Air apps
Hurray, the iPad Air is here and you know what that means? There are going to be a lot of first-time users who won't be sure where to start. Apple's latest tablet is a wonderful portable computer, with great built-in functionality, but it's true power can only be unleashed through the use of the many wonderful third-party applications.Apple Parts
There are more than 475,000 apps on the App Store that are specifically designed to take advantage of the iPad's beautiful 9.7" high-resolution display, and if that's not enough, you can always run all the other iPhone applications as well. There are apps for all purposes - navigation, note-taking, movies, weather, drawing, music production, video editing, cooking, learning and so on, and so forth. What you'll find here is a list of essential, must-have apps (no games here) that everyone should seriously consider installing on their brand new iPad.
There are more than 475,000 apps on the App Store that are specifically designed to take advantage of the iPad's beautiful 9.7" high-resolution display, and if that's not enough, you can always run all the other iPhone applications as well. There are apps for all purposes - navigation, note-taking, movies, weather, drawing, music production, video editing, cooking, learning and so on, and so forth. What you'll find here is a list of essential, must-have apps (no games here) that everyone should seriously consider installing on their brand new iPad.
2013年11月3日星期日
Five reasons the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is the best smartphone for road warriors
There are a number of excellent smartphones available today and each of us has our own personal preferences. Here are five reasons I think the Note 3 is perfect for those who hit the road on a regular basis. Feel free to leave a comment if you can think of more.
Removable battery: Many modern smartphones have integrated non-removable batteries, often driven by sleek design considerations. Thankfully, Samsung continues to release Android smartphones with removable batteries. The large 3,200 mAh battery lasts a long time, but when you are out in the field it is still valuable to be able to slap in a fresh battery.Samsung Galaxy Note II LCD
microSD card slot: Just like batteries, most devices have integrated flash storage. Samsung launched the Note 3 with both 32GB and 64GB integrated memory along with a microSD card slot for even more capacity. As users capture video and images it is helpful to be able to transfer these via microSD on the go.
Large display: When you are out on the road and trying to read documents, work with email, browse the web, and more with your smartphone in hand then the large 5.7 inch display can be very useful. Samsung makes the large display even better with its brilliant Super AMOLED technology and multi-window capability.
Infrared port: Various studies show that hotel remote controls may be loaded with germs. A couple newer Android smartphones come with IR ports and the more I travel the more I appreciate having one on my phone. Samsung includes an IR port in the top of the Note 3 with the WatchOn software that makes it easy to connect to most TVs and entertainment systems.
S Pen: While traveling I often meet people and then have a need to jot something down. I rarely carry a paper pad, so it is great to see Samsung's improvements in S Pen functionality. The Action Memo is perfect for jotting down numbers, email addresses, and more. As I explained in my review, there is much more you can do with the S Pen as well.
Removable battery: Many modern smartphones have integrated non-removable batteries, often driven by sleek design considerations. Thankfully, Samsung continues to release Android smartphones with removable batteries. The large 3,200 mAh battery lasts a long time, but when you are out in the field it is still valuable to be able to slap in a fresh battery.Samsung Galaxy Note II LCD
microSD card slot: Just like batteries, most devices have integrated flash storage. Samsung launched the Note 3 with both 32GB and 64GB integrated memory along with a microSD card slot for even more capacity. As users capture video and images it is helpful to be able to transfer these via microSD on the go.
Large display: When you are out on the road and trying to read documents, work with email, browse the web, and more with your smartphone in hand then the large 5.7 inch display can be very useful. Samsung makes the large display even better with its brilliant Super AMOLED technology and multi-window capability.
Infrared port: Various studies show that hotel remote controls may be loaded with germs. A couple newer Android smartphones come with IR ports and the more I travel the more I appreciate having one on my phone. Samsung includes an IR port in the top of the Note 3 with the WatchOn software that makes it easy to connect to most TVs and entertainment systems.
S Pen: While traveling I often meet people and then have a need to jot something down. I rarely carry a paper pad, so it is great to see Samsung's improvements in S Pen functionality. The Action Memo is perfect for jotting down numbers, email addresses, and more. As I explained in my review, there is much more you can do with the S Pen as well.
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