NEW DELHI: Even as the mobile phone marketis expected to expand by over 5% to about 1.91 billion units by 2014, the opportunity for smartphones in the premium category is now fading, global research firm Gartner has said. The firm expects mobile phone shipments to touch 1.81 billion units this year against to 1.74 billion units in 2012. "The mobile phone market will continue to experience steady growth, but the opportunity for high average selling price (ASP) smartphones is now ending," Gartner said, while giving its global outlook for the PC, tablet and mobile phone shipments. The firm added that growth is expected to come from mid- tier smartphones in mature markets and low-end Android smartphones in emerging markets, like India. Worldwide combined shipments of devices (PCs, tablets and mobile phones) are projected to reach 2.32 billion units in 2013, a 4.5% increase from 2012, it said. "The market is being driven by a shift to lower-priced devices in nearly all device categories," Gartner said. Android will remain the leading device operating system (OS), as it is on pace to account for 38% of shipments in 2013, it said. Windows OS is projected to decline 4.3% in 2013 as a result of the decline in traditional PC sales, but will return to growth in 2014 with device OS shipments increasing 9.7%, it added. Similarly, another global research firm IDC also said that mobile phone shipments will increase aided by sub-$200 smartphones. Worldwide smartphone shipments are forecast to grow 40% year-over-year to more than 1 billion units in 2013. "High smartphone growth is the result of a variety of factors, including steep device subsidies from carriers, especially in mature economic markets, as well as a growing array of sub-$200 smartphones," it added. Total smartphone shipments are forecast to reach 1.7 billion units in 2017, IDC said. Overall mobile phone market is growing faster than previously forecast thanks to a stronger-than-expected first half of the year driven by strong gains in emerging markets like India and the sub-$200 smartphone segment. "IDC previously projected 5.8% growth for the year. Vendors are now forecast to ship more than 1.8 billion mobile phones this year, growing to over 2.3 billion mobile phones in 2017," the research firm said.
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Samsung seems to be planning another big launch in the country for the coming festive season. According to a report on AndroidOS.in website, the company is all set to launch its flip phone Galaxy Golden in India.As per the news report, "The company has already imported around 1650 units of the phone in the country, which will soon reach the retail stores." An official announcement is expected sometime next week.Launched in South Korea in August this year, Galaxy Golden has a clamshell design and sports two 3.7" Super AMOLED displays with WVGA resolution. The phone with dual touchscreens also has a alphanumeric keypad.Galaxy Golden is powered by a dual-core 1.7 GHz processor. On camera front, there's an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and a 1.9MP front camera. The phone runs on Android 4.2 operating system and packs 1820mAh battery.Though there is no official word on the Galaxy Golden's pricing in India, reports suggest that the phone is likely to be priced above Rs 45,000. Earlier this month, Samsung fan website SamMobile too reported that the company will soon launch a flip-phone in a few Asian countries, including India.Samsung Galaxy Golden was launched in South Korea in August this year.Samsung recently added another flip phone in its portfolio: Galaxy W789. Samsung Galaxy W789 has two 3.3-inch TFT touchscreens with 480x320p resolution. It is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system and runs on 1.2GHz quad-core processor. It has a 1,500mAh battery and comes with a 5MP camera. The phone was launched in China earlier this year.
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Home bred handset maker MicromaxInformatics is ready for its next phase of growth. To start with, the company is planning to launch smartphones in Russia by the year end, as it starts on an aggressive road map of international expansion, having roped in Hollywood star Hugh Jackman as its brand ambassador, says co-founder Rahul Sharma. In an interview with ET, Sharma says the company is also planning to launch 4-G enabled handsets by December 2014 and a Windows phone next year. Excerpts: Do you think Nokia's sale to Microsoft has had any impact on players like yourself? Are you planning to make Windows smartphones sometime in the future?It has been good for us because they have chosen to stick to the Windows operating system. Had they chosen Android, it would have been a threat for us. But now we're certain that they will not look at Android, which means lesser competition for us. We are working on a Windows phone and you might see something from us around mid of next year. Globally, and in India, LTE that allows ultra high-speed internet is catching up fast. However, the ecosystem around devices has not developed at all. We see some handset makers looking at LTE devices, but what are your plans?We want to establish ourselves on LTE and offer products that are LTE ready by December, so that consumers would not need to change their handsets whenever voice over LTE becomes available, be it six months or eight months later. What are your thoughts about manufacturing handsets in India? What challenges do you face for indigenous production?We've already put up a big factory in Rudrapur from where we're manufacturing and assembling tablets and televisions. I want to take mobile phones out there. We've created space for this purpose, so that we're the first ones to start manufacturing when the conditions are right. Our internal target is to double sales (production) to around 50 million by next year since we're going global. Within 12- 18 months you should see some action from our side (in local manufacturing). But at the moment, I have to import everything right from chipset, fab, memory to screen. The government should give benefits that encourage companies like us that have massive scale now. Where does Micromax plan to go next after establishing itself in India? Have you thought of tapping the developed markets which are more open to unlocked phone makers than before?After worldwide adoption of Android, our aspiration is to become a global player. We've tested waters in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, where we are in the top 3 players by overall sales. India has not seen a global player from hardware, that's our ambition. We're launching in Russia by December, where more than 1 million smartphones are being sold a month. Success in Russia will open doors to Eastern Europe, countries like Romania. We're also exploring Pakistan, which is similar to India and automobile makers have tasted success there. The end goal is to finish in the US and do something around the Superbowl, maybe next year. Markets in these geographies are changing with unlocked phones becoming more popular. In the UK for instance, the share between locked and unlocked phones is 50:50 now. What kind of growth are you expecting by the end of the fiscal? Are you thinking of an IPO now? What about acquiring a local player?Last year, we closed our sales at Rs 3,168 crore. Within six months of this fiscal, we've crossed this number and we're on the way to double this by the end of the financial year. Right now, the situation is quite uncertain for an IPO. It makes sense for us to acquire a player in software, not in hardware.
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NEW DELHI: Google's launch of the Nexus 5smartphone and Android 4.4 KitKat mobile operating system has been delayed by a month. It is expected that Google will now make the announcement in November, instead of October 28 as planned earlier, according to a report by Phones Review website. Earlier, there had been media reports and also hints from KitKat's Twitter account that both the products would be launched on October 28. Google had recently 'leaked' the pricing details of the Nexus 5 on its Play Store which had also strengthened the rumours of an October release. It is being speculated the delay could have been caused due to LG's curved smartphone G Flex, which reportedly runs on the latest Android OS. The delay in the G Flex's release could have affected the new Android's release timings as well. However, there is no official word from Google or LG on the issue. The LG made Nexus 5 smartphone, codenamed Hammerhead, would reportedly have a 2.3GHz Quad-core processor complemented by an Adreno 330 graphics processor. Its 5-inch display will have 1920x1080p resolution, with on-screen resolution being 1794x1080p. It is expected to have a 13 MP rear camera and 2GB RAM. Reports about the Android KitKat have said it would have a totally new design and user interface. Apart from having its own printing options, the new OS would also have a new wireless NFC payment system within its Settings. It would also have the option to save images as PDF files on the device. Some reports have stated that Google Now will have the 'always-on' functionality of Moto X in Android 4.4 and could accept commands in several languages, not just English. Android 4.4 might also introduce SMS function to Google Hangouts app. Android 4.4 KitKat will come with pre-loaded apps like Google Drive and Google Keep. There is also speculation that Google will also unveil Nexus 10 tablet alongside the Nexus 5 and Android KitKat. This tablet is rumoured to be manufactured by Asus this year, instead of Samsungwhich had made last year's model, and could have a full HD screen.
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NEW YORK: I doubt I was alone in rolling my eyes when I first used Windows 8 a year ago. I found its touch controls and gestures awkward, and I was troubled by how little its primary, tile-based interface could do on its own.For many basic tasks, I had to return to the system's traditional desktop mode, the one that resembles older versions of Windows. It felt as though I was working on two different computers at once.Since then, I've warmed up to many of those touch controls and gestures, such that I've even tried to use them absentmindedly out of habit on my touch-less MacBook laptop. And the free Windows 8.1update released addresses many of my remaining gripes.Windows is still far from perfect. It continues to come across as a work in progress. But Windows 8.1 shows Microsoft is listening. People who already have Windows 8 will find digital life more pleasant with the update.What was so bad about Windows 8's tile mode previously?I could open only 10 webpages at a time in Internet Explorer and pages would automatically close once I had hit the limit, without any prompts or choice of which one. With Windows 8.1, there's no limit.The browser in Windows 8 didn't let me view more than one webpage at once. Sure, I could open 10 tabs, but I could see only one at a time. I couldn't leave a news site or Facebook open on one side of Window's new split screen for multitasking while I checked Gmail on another. With Windows 8.1, I can open a "new window" rather than a "new tab" using a right click to have a second page visible.That limitation also applied to Window 8's Mail app. With Windows 8.1, I can now have two messages open at once. And if I click on an attachment, it opens to the side rather than replace what I'm reading. The Mail app's layout adjusts to fit into the remaining space.I could access some computer settings from the tile-based interface, but Windows 8 sent me to the desktop for many others, including changing the display screen's resolution and controlling how quickly energy-saving measures kicked in. Now I can adjust that and more from the tile-based interface in Windows 8.1, though I still can't check the specific percentage of battery life I have left without going to the desktop.Beyond fixes, Windows 8.1 offers these improvements:*Universal search. With one search command, I can access files stored on my computer along with web content on the internet. Type in "Shakira," for instance, and I'm invited to hear her songs through Xbox Music or watch her videos on YouTube. I also get links to her biography, official website and Wikipedia entry. Type in "Toronto" and a map, suggested attractions and the current weather there will pop up. In both cases, I am also shown documents on my computer with those words in the text.*New features. I can diagnose my medical condition by tapping on a body part on the screen and checking off symptoms. I can also keep track of my workouts, recipes and shopping lists. Another feature lets me save content from webpages and apps to read later offline.*Customization. I can rearrange tiles and rename groups of apps more easily. With one swipe up from the home screen, I can see all my apps and arrange them by name, category, installation date or frequency of use.*Old habits. I can set the computer to always boot up in the desktop mode, allowing me to minimize my interaction with the tile-based interface. That said, this seems like cheating, an admission that the tile mode isn't working, when Microsoft is banking its future on it.That gets me to the things Windows 8.1 doesn't fix:*It still feels like two separate computers at times. Each mode has its own Internet Explorer browser. Pages I have open in one won't automatically appear in the other. Many programs, including Microsoft's Office, work only in desktop. I can customize the background images so both modes match, but that's cosmetic.*Although Windows 8.1 lets me adjust how much screen space each visible app takes, that slider only moves left to right. So with three or four apps open, all of the apps are vertical. That's awkward for video and word processing. And while Windows 8.1 doubles to four the number of apps I can have side by side, it was unlimited before Windows 8.*There's no easy way to open apps without going to the full-page start screen. Before Windows 8, there was a Start button on the lower left corner to do that. The Start button has been restored in Windows 8.1, but its functionality has not. So if I have video playing, it stops as I switch from app to app or do one of those universal searches.*The touch controls can still be confounding. Windows 8.1 comes with new gesture controls, such as the ability to accept word suggestions as you type by swiping and tapping the spacebar. Too often, I simply add unneeded spaces instead.Microsoft's tile and touch approach will take time to get used to, even with Windows 8.1. That approach works fine on phones and tablets, but not necessarily on desktops and laptops.I know change is inevitable. I eventually embraced Apple's Mac OS X, introduced in 2001, after more than a decade of growing up on what became known as Classic. But it took me until 2006 to fully switch. It's been only a year with the new Windows. I'm not ready to cede my Windows 7and Mac computers quite yet.If you're buying a new Windows computer or already have Windows 8, your choices are limited. In that case, you might as well accept Windows 8.1, which is far better than Windows 8.(The author is technology writer for AP)
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Google is expected to soon launch the Nexus 5 smartphone and Android 4.4 (KitKat) operating system. While most details about the smartphone are already known from leaked photos and rumours, the tech community is largely in the dark about the new features that the upcoming version of Google's mobile OS will bring to the table.
Until now, that is.
A new batch of leaked photos of Nexus 5 running on KitKat operating system has revealed some of the new features that the next Android update will have. The photos come courtesy Italian technology website TuttoAndroid and show that the Notification Bar, which have remained solid black in colour till now, will be transparent and icons like battery, signal strength etc will be white. Same is the case with Navigation Bar, where the Home, Back and App Switcher software keys are located.
(Image courtesy: Tutto Android)
With Android 4.2, Google made it possible for users to access the Camera app from the locked screen by swiping to the right. While that option remains in Android 4.4, the new OS also features a Camera icon on the lower right corner for easy access, similar to iOS 7.
In the app menu, the background - which used to be black in colour in previous Android version - now has the look of the Home Screen wallpaper. The icons are bigger in size and have a flatter look. The quick-start applications have been limited to just two in Android KitKat; previously, users could add up to four apps of their choice or create folders for more app to access commonly used apps from any Home Screen.
The report says that Google Now will have the 'always-on' functionality of Moto X in Android 4.4 and may accept commands in several languages, not just English. In line with previous reports, Android 4.4 may also introduce SMS function to Google Hangouts app. It also states that Android 4.4 is much lighter and faster than Android 4.3 and previous versions.
Google Nexus 5 will come with optical image stabilization feature, says the report; this had been rumoured for long but leaked images had not been able to confirm the same until now. Codenamed Hammerhead, Google Nexus 5 is said to run on Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 800 chipset, which is the most powerful in the world right now. The quad-core application processor will be clocked at 2.3GHz and will be complemented by Adreno 330 graphics processor.
Nexus 5 is said to have a 5-inch screen with 1920x1080p resolution, with on-screen resolutionbeing 1794x1080p. It is said that the next Nexus smartphone will be manufactured by LG, which makes the current model. Nexus 5 is said to be based on the recently unveiled LG G2 smartphone and it is expected that the device will feature 2GB RAM and 13MP rear camera.
It is expected that Google will also unveil the Nexus 10 tablet alongside Nexus 5 and Android KitKat. This tablet is rumoured to be manufactured by Asus this year, instead of Samsung which made last year's iteration, and have a full HD screen.
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NEW DELHI: Apple wants product import ban on Samsung devices in the US to be broadened to possibly include more devices. The tech giant has appealed against decision of United StatesInternational Trade Commission (ITC) to impose an import ban against only a few of theSamsung Electronics gadgets. ITC website recently published Apple's official appeal.In the appeal, published by ITC on its website, Apple seeks to overturn the unfavourable parts of the final ITC ruling on its complaint against Samsung. The Cupertino-based company aims to reverse ITC decisions which it believes allow Samsung to design workarounds for its products despite the ban.ITC has already found Samsung guilty of infringing two patents. Apple's appeal wants ITC to review three more patent cases. The present ban mostly covers discontinued models of Samsung.Samsung Electronics is expected to appeal against Apple's petition.In another case, Samsung reportedly lost a bid to block a ruling requiring it to produce information about the extent of its violation of a court order protecting Apple's patent licensing agreements.According to the Bloomberg report, US District Judge Lucy H Koh in San Jose, California, upheld US Magistrate Paul S Grewal's sanction requiring Samsung to produce Apple e-mails, communications among Samsung employees, and to make available to Apple various witnesses because of its violation.Samsung is said to have argued that Grewal's order was "grossly overbroad," and would cause it to violate attorney-client protections.Obama administration recently vetoed a product ban that would have forced Apple to stop selling some iPhones and iPads in the United States, in what was seen as a rare intervention by the White House.
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