Samsung redesigns the Galaxy Tab following ban on sales in Germany (South Korea)
South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung has reportedly changed the design of one its tablet computers following a court order to ban sales in Germany. As reported by Wireless Federation earlier, Apple had filed a lawsuit against Samsung citing design similarities of the Galaxy Tab to the iPad.
As per sources, the new Galaxy Tab 10.1N is expected to be made available by the end of this month. The firm has changed the design of the metal frame to include the sides as well as moved the speakers.
However, industry analysts say that Apple could apply for a new injunction on the grounds that the new device infringes the current court order.
Apple and Samsung have been involved in a number of legal battles across the world. While Apple has accused Samsung of imitating its touch screen and violating the gesture intellectual rights, Samsung has counter claimed that Apple has infringed its 3G wireless technologies.
Telefonica Czech Republic to offer O2 wallet mobile app (Europe)
As per sources, the O2 Wallet would enable customers to administer their bank account, transfer money, pay for services or goods and use city transport. Further, they would also receive discount offers, vouchers and coupons directly on their mobile phones.
Vodafone Ghana Q3 service revenue rises by 32.5 percent (Ghana)
Vodafone Ghana, an operating company of Vodafone Group Plc., the world’s leading mobile telecommunications company, is reportedly the only operator in the country to introduce its own custom-made affordable mobile handsets and other devices for users in the country.
According to reports, the company has unveiled 14 of its branded handsets along with a number of different devices such as Mi-fi, Torres, Ideos and Webbox among others, in order to cater to the specific users requirements in Ghana. Further, reports suggest that Vodafone has been a pioneer in introducing users in Ghana to high-end devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tablet and the Galaxy SII along with the HTC Sensation.
As per sources, Evans Boake, Portfolio Manager for Terminals, Vodafone Ghana has said that they are the only telecom company in Ghana that goes to the market to look for what people want and then commission handset manufacturers to design handsets from concept in order to meet the specific needs of the different categories of their customers. He added that other telecom operators buy existing brands like Nokia and others and put their sticker on them, but they actually order the phones to be custom-made and branded Vodafone from source.
According to company reports, Vodafone recorded an increase of 32.5 percent in service revenue in the third quarter, with a major contributing factor being attributed to its value offerings, inclusive of packages on its affordable handsets.
RIM to lose Google’s Gmail app for BlackBerry (Canada)
Things seem to be getting from bad to worse for Canada based BlackBerry maker, Research In Motion (RIM), with Google reportedly announcing that it will no longer support the Gmail app for blackberry smartphones. According to reports, Google’s web-based e-mail app will not be supported after 22nd November; however, users who have already downloaded the app may continue to use it.
RIM has already been losing a significant amount of its market share with users preferring the Apple iPhone and the Samsung smartphones. As per sources, industry analysts claim that this move by Google is more of a signal to RIM as BlackBerry users would still be able to access their Gmail accounts on their phone’s Web browser, or by synchronizing their Google account with their BlackBerry service, but the app just makes it more convenient.
According to reports, RIM’s share of the global smartphone market fell from 15 percent for the third quarter in 2011 to 10 percent this year. Further, the handset maker witnessed a massive decline in the U.S. market alone wherein its market share fell from 24 percent to just 9 percent.
Apple iPhone leads the way with more than half of the industry profits
According to industry reports, Apple iPhone is leading the smartphone industry, accounting for more than half (52 percent) of the industry’s total profits in the third quarter. Samsung had raced ahead of Apple during the second quarter but found itself in second place with the launch of Apple’s new iPhone 4S. Further, as per reports, during the third quarter of 2011, Apple and Samsung were responsible for as much as 81 percent of the revenues in the smartphone market. The remaining major manufacturers such as RIM, Sony, Motorola, Nokia, LG, HTC and Ericsson, all fell under 10 percent of the profits.
When compared to a few years ago, sources reveal that Nokia was dominating the smartphone industry with over 67 percent of the profits four years ago as compared to Apple’s profits of only 4 percent. Industry analysts believe that Apple’s position is only going to get stronger in the fourth quarter and may take as much as 60 percent of the industry profits. According to sources, Apple is expected to sell 29 million iPhones by December 2011 and over 100 million iPhones by the end of next year.
Mobile handsets to soon be operated by touchless hand gestures (South Korea)
In what could revolutionize the way customers use their mobile handsets, Korean handset manufacturer Pantech has reportedly announced that it plans to launch an Android handset which offers users a touchless gesture recognition technology which will in turn be provided by the Israeli firm ‘eyeSight’. As per reports, Pantech has said that the handset will enable users to perform tasks such as answer incoming calls, activate their MP3 players and play games by using simple hand gestures.
Sources claim that the LTE handset will come with a 4.5 inch screen and will be powered by a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor. Further, the device is expected to include an 8 mega-pixel camera, 16 GB of internal memory with a 1GB RAM. Gideon Shmuel, CEO, eyesight has reportedly said that Pantech users will be able to enjoy a completely new user experience by controlling their device with their natural and intuitive hand gestures. Further, mobile phone giant, Samsung has also announced that it plans to launch new smartphone devices next year that will feature a flexible display screen.
Nokia to target the U.S. smartphone market in 2012 (USA)
Nokia has reportedly announced that it plans to re-enter the United States smartphone market by early next year with its new range of devices running on Microsoft’s Windows operating system. According to reports, Nokia has suffered a loss of over $85 billion since 2007 when Apple launched its first iPhone. Further, as per industry sources, Nokia’s market share dropped from 50.8 percent to 20.9 percent in the second quarter of 2007. Sources claim that Stephen Elop, CEO, Nokia has said that they plan to be very competitive and to go head-on with the appropriate devices at the appropriate price points. He added that the company plans to extend its new product line by introducing more economical as well as more expensive phone than the previously launched Lumia 800 and Lumia 710.
As per reports, Elop has said that while they haven’t yet announced any plans to launch a tablet-computer, they do see the opportunity offered in the tablet market segment. Further, he said that the new Windows 8 is expected to have a tiled user interface which is like a ‘supercharged’ version for the tablets. Industry sources reveal that Samsung and Apple have rapidly overtaken Nokia in the smartphone segment, and that the Windows phones maybe the company’s final chance to regain some of its lost market share. Regarding the number of apps for its smartphones, Elop has reportedly said that that they will take the necessary measures to ensure that the most popular apps are offered on their platform. According to reports, the Lumia 800 phone has been priced much lower than the Apple iPhone 4S at $ 590 and has a higher resolution camera than the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
Verizon and Telefonica along with VMware offer Android users dual-number phone software (USA, Europe)
Mobile operators Verizon Wireless in the United States and Telefonica in Europe are reportedly working with software provider VMware, on a dual-number phone software which will enable users to maintain separate profiles for their personal and professional lives. According to reports, the VMware Horizon Mobile business solution will enable users to have two different phone numbers on their mobile handsets, for personal and business use. Further, Horizon Mobile users will be able to choose their own voice and data plans which will be completely separate from their corporate plan, managed by the user’s company.
As per sources, VMware claims that the solution helps to securely provision, manage and de-provision a corporate mobile workspace (email, applications, data, etc.) of a customer that uses an Android device. Handset makers LG and Samsung will reportedly be building the mobile phones containing this solution.
According to reports, Janet Schijns, vice president, Business Solutions Group, Verizon Wireless has said that Verizon Wireless and VMware are delivering a compelling new mobile security and management experience leveraging their most reliable 3G and 4G LTE network along with the proven virtualization and cloud computing platform leadership of VMware to address this enterprise trend.
Samsung unveils the new Galaxy Nexus smartphone (Hong Kong)
The Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the first smartphone to run on Google’s latest Android 4.0 operating system also known as the Ice Cream Sandwich, was unveiled earlier this week. The Galaxy Nexus is quite thin at just 8.49 millimeters and comes with a 4.65 inch screen display. The smartphone is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual core processor and a 1GB RAM.
However, the Nexus comes with a 5 mega-pixel rear camera, as compared to the 8 megapixel camera offered by most of its competitors. The Galaxy Nexus seeks to defy the Android norm of including the four standard buttons for menu, home, search and back; and will not feature any physical buttons on the device. Further, the Ice Cream Sandwich introduces a new font called ‘Roboto’, specifically designed for improved clarity on the smartphone’s display screen.
The smartphone is also expected to include a screenshot feature, improved keyboard, and facial recognition technology termed ‘face lock’ for users to secure their phone. Further, Google’s ‘Android Beam’ based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, will enable users to share data between devices in a more secured manner. The smartphone is expected to be available in Asia, Europe and the U.S. by November this year.
Samsung to pay Microsoft royalties on Android devices (Korea, USA)
Korean handset manufacturer, Samsung has accepted to pay Microsoft royalties for every Android based smartphone and tablet sold. Microsoft had accused Google’s Android of violating its patents. However, Google has responded saying that they remain focused on building new technology and supporting Android partners.
As per reports, Microsoft has said that under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will receive royalties for Samsung’s mobile phones and tablets running on the Android mobile platform. In addition, the companies agreed to cooperate in the development and marketing of Windows Phone. Andy Lees, President, Microsoft’s Windows Phone division said that Microsoft and Samsung see the opportunity for dramatic growth in Windows Phone and are investing to make that a reality.
According to reports, Dr. Won-Pyo Hong, Executive Vice President of Global product Strategy at Samsung’s mobile communication division has said that through the cross-licensing of their respective patent portfolios, Samsung and Microsoft can continue to bring the latest innovations to the mobile industry. Ha added that they were pleased to build upon their long history of working together to open a new chapter of collaboration beginning with their Windows Phone ‘Mango’ launch this fall.
