Apple Inc. has announced the launch of its new iPhone on Oct 4. The US based company invited the media to an event titled “Let’s talk iPhone” at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, but did not specify any other details about the product. Analysts and industry insiders claim that the new iPhone may come with voice recognition software along with a better camera and a faster processor.

This new iPhone will be the first product launch for the company after Steve Jobs resigned in August. While Apple did not specify who will be responsible for the launch, sources claim that Tim Cook, CEO, will introduce the new product. The new iPhone will most likely come with the iOS 5, Apples latest operating system, as well as will feature Apple’s cloud-based media service, iCloud.

Further, in order to expand its reach in the market, Apple is expected to increase the network carrier for its iPhone. Recent rumours suggested that Sprint Nextel Corp. will also be offering Apple’s new iPhone in the US with unlimited data plans. Apple may also drop the price of the current iPhone model in order to make it more affordable for consumers.

Apple has reportedly sold 40 million iPhones during the first half of this calendar year, with analysts expecting as many as 110 million new iPhones to be sold in 2012. Apple’s stock has gone up by 24 percent this year, closing at $399.26 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

 

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According to reports, KDDI Corp. has signed an agreement with US based Apple Inc. for the sale of its iPhone 5. The deal is a major concern for Softbank Corp., who had a monopoly on the sale of iPhones in Japan for the past three years.

KDDI is expected to sell the iPhone 5 in November, a little later than its expected release in the US. This comes as great news for Apple iPhone loyalists and android users looking to switch to the iPhone. For KDDI, this contract will help the carrier enhance its customer base, as many users shift operators when they buy an iPhone. However for Softbank on the other hand, losing the monopoly could hamper the company’s earnings, which is largely supported by the iPhone.

Sources claim that the speculation around this deal has caused KDDI’s shares to rise up by 2.1% while Softbank’s shares saw a dip of 7.3% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

 

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With the competition between rivals, Apple and Samsung refusing to settle down, new reports suggest that Samsung Electronics looks to ban the sale of Apple’s new unreleased iPhone 5. As reported earlier by Wireless Federation, Samsung and Apple have been involved in legal battles across the globe citing patent infringements.

Apple had filed a suit against Samsung claiming that the South Korean handset manufacturer had copied the design and look of Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices. In response to this, Samsung plans to file a claim against Apple citing infringement of its wireless technology patents.  As per reports, company insiders believe that it would be impossible for Apple to sell its i-branded products without using their patents and that they will stick to a strong stance against Apple during the lingering legal fights.

Sources claim that if Samsung is able to get a ban on Apple’s new iPhone, the South Korean handset maker may take the battle to other countries where Apple has attempted to get a ban on Samsung’s Galaxy tablet.

 

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BlackBerry’s handset and Playbook maker, Research In Motion (RIM), has suffered another setback with poor second-quarter sales of its older handsets. With the craze surrounding Apple and Google refusing to settle down, RIM was able to sell a mere 200,000 Playbook tablets, lesser than the estimated amount of 550,000.

According to reports, Jim Balsillie, Co-Chief Executive, RIM, has said that overall, unit shipments in the quarter were slightly below their forecast due to lower than expected demand for older models. He further added they will continue to build on the success of the BlackBerry 7 launch to drive the business as they focus their development efforts on delivering the next generation, QNX-based mobile platform next year.

Revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 was $4.2 billion, down 15% from $4.9 billion in the previous quarter and down 10% from $4.6 billion in the same quarter of last year.

 

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HTC Corp’s recently launched 3D phone, the HTC EVO 3D will be available in Australia this month. The handset will be carried by Vodafone Australia and Telstra. The phone comes with a touch screen of 4.3” that enables the user to view photos and videos in 3D without the glasses. It has an internal storage capacity of 1GB, two cameras of 5MP with auto focus and a 1.2 GHz dual core processor.

As per reports, the handset is expected to be available on Vodafone by 14th September and on Telstra by 20th September. The EVO 3D has added a new dimension to the way users capture photos and videos and enjoy mobile gaming, and has been creating quite a buzz among the smartphone users.

 

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Mobile phones were initially launched as simple communication devices, enabling people to stay connected with one another, while on the move. However, with the mobile now performing a host of services, it has become a significant element in one’s everyday life.

Recent reports suggest that an average Indian smartphone user spends more time on the internet and entertainment activities than on voice and text services. As much as 72 per cent of the time spent on the smartphone is on gaming activities, apps and other sources of entertainment, while only 28 per cent of the time is accounted for by voice calls and text messages.

With India being considered as one of the fastest growing mobile markets globally, an understanding of the user’s preferred services will help businesses target their audience in a better manner. The youth, a significant target group for mobile technology, spends more time on text messages and chat than on voice calls.

A recent study showed that consumers under the age of 25 years spent approximately three hours on their smartphones of which two hours were spent on surfing the internet and entertainment activities. Chat and text messages accounted for half an hour, while the remaining thirty minutes were spent on regular activities such as contacts and alarms. On the other hand, consumers over the age of 31 years spent about two hours on their smartphones with an hour dedicated to entertainment activities, about fifteen minutes spent on chat and text services and almost forty-five minutes spent on regular activities.

 

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HTC Corp has filed a third lawsuit against the iPhone maker, Apple Inc. using the nine patents obtained from Google a week ago. As per reports, HTC has lodged its complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC), claiming that Apple has violated four HTC patents, which originally belonged to Motorola. Reports suggest that the lawsuit filed by HTC accuses Apple of infringing patents across a range of products and services including the Mac computer, iPhone, iPod, iPad, iCloud and iTunes.

This lawsuit is not the only legal battle taking place in the mobile world. Apple had earlier sued HTC for infringing on 20 patents related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware. Apple has also been involved in a legal tussle with South Korean manufacturer Samsung Electronics, claiming that the Samsung Galaxy S2 had copied the design and look of Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices. Samsung had counter-sued Apple claiming that the US based company had violated Samsung’s wireless patents.

Analysts suggest that with the phenomenal increase in demand for smartphones and tablets, these manufacturers have been using legal battles as a means of competition in order to delay rival companies from launching their products in the market.

 

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Sprint Nextel Corp. will offer Apple Inc.’s iPhone next month with unlimited data service plans as reported by Bloomsberg News. The move is expected to help Sprint increase its customer base and compete with rivals, AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless. Sprint, the third-largest U.S. wireless carrier, plans to begin selling the device in mid-October under a deal with Apple for its latest model, the iPhone 5.

Matthew Thornton, an analyst at Avian Securities LLC, has reportedly said that the addition of the iPhone to Sprint’s lineup will help it win customers. The Kansas based company has been struggling to compete against larger rivals and has lost money for 15 consecutive quarters. He further said that it’s a competitive disadvantage if the two larger competitors have the iPhone while Sprint doesn’t; adding that getting the iPhone closes that gap.

Sprint already offers unlimited data plans for smartphones such as Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry and HTC Corp.’s Evo, which runs on Google Inc.’s Android operating system. Sprint’s unlimited voice and data service costs $99.99 a month. According to Peter Rhamey, an analyst at Bank of Montreal, the advantage of unlimited is that it’s cheaper for the big users. The plans may draw other customers because people don’t like bill shock, with consumers paying a premium for unlimited.

As per the news report, Apple’s iPhone has proved to be a valuable recruitment tool for rivals. Of the 5.6 million smartphones AT&T sold in the second quarter, the device accounted for 3.6 million. A quarter of the subscribers who bought the iPhone were new to AT&T. Sprint has been using the iPhone’s launch as retention tool with its executives, as it expects the addition of the device to boost its stock price.

 

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Amidst all rumours and discussions about Apple’s latest iphone, new reports claim that Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores will be taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5. The iPhone expected to be launched on 7th October in the USA, has garnered large amounts of speculation regarding its release date and mobile carriers.

According to sources, a recent leaked document suggests that the retail giant will begin taking the pre-orders for the iPhone later this week and will start selling them in the first week of October.

 

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A new study has revealed that scientists can map population movements based on location data from the mobile handsets. This information will allow organizations providing aid to channel relief supplies to the most affected areas.

This development was used to provide aid to victims of the 2010 Haitian earthquake. The impact of the earthquake caused many people to flee the capital, Port au Prince. Reports suggest that the data enables scientists and researchers to locate concentrations of displaced people on a map, which can then be forwarded to aid coordinators working in the field. This helps in verifying the number of evacuees as well as in arranging supplies for specific locations.

As per reports, since almost 86 per cent of the world uses mobile phones, this technology can be implemented almost everywhere, enabling quicker response to victims in the event of a crisis.

 

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