The Librarian of Congress banned the practice of buying a cell phone and unlocking it last October. Tech News Daily pointed out that the librarian provided a 90-day buffer in which wireless customers could purchase and unlock their phones. That period ends on Saturday.

Basically, when one unlocks a phone, it will free the handset from restrictions which ensure the device will work only on a particular network, meaning any other network that runs on a similar wireless standard will be able to play nice with said handset. Those who travel overseas often would find that unlocked phones are the most ideal route to take, while others prefer to have the freedom to switch carriers anytime they like.

But not everyone will have to make do with locked phones. As Mashable notes, "Verizon's iPhone 5 comes out of the box already unlocked, and AT&T will unlock a phone once it is out of contract." What's more, you can pay full-price for a phone, as opposed to the discounted price that comes with a multi-year contract, to receive it "unlocked from the get-go."

Source: appleinsider

 

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According to a new report, Apple's iPhone is actually more susceptible to attacks than other operating systems such as Android, Windows and even BlackBerry.

According to the report, the number of people who want to ditch the iPhone in place of an Android or Windows device just keeps on growing.

Furthermore, out of all the "vulnerabilities" that were recorded for phones of various operating systems, 81% have been found in different iPhone models, whereas only 19% of other phones were found to have these similar vulnerabilities.

Source: ZDNet

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We have heard rumors of an Amazon smartphone for more than a year now, according to Financial Times report, the retail giant uses HTC to help it make its upcoming devices. Three different smartphones have been demonstrated to be in development, according to The Financial Times article, only one of the HTC-made devices is apparently close to completion.

One source warns the paper that while one of the devices is in the advanced stages of development, Amazon has pushed back its timetable before.

Amazon has not responded to requests for discuss the report, though it stated it has "no plans to offer a phone this year". HTC's chief of promoting Ben Ho also declined to discuss the Amazon partnership, but said that the manufacture is "always exploring new opportunities".

 

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Samsung Electronics Co, the world's biggest technology firm by revenue, estimated its July-September operating profit at a record 8.1 trillion Korean won (RM21.9 billion), driven by strong sales of its Galaxy smartphones.

The South Korean firm's guidance - ahead of full quarterly results by October 26 - was higher than an average forecast of 7.6 trillion won by 16 analysts polled by Reuters.

 

Samsung, valued at around US$197 billion, estimated its July-September sales at 52.0 trillion won, compared with a market forecast for 51.7 trillion won.

 

Samsung shares have risen 7.2 per cent since a US court ruled on August 24 that the Korean firm copied parts of rival Apple Inc's iPhone and awarded the California-based firm more than US$1 billion in damages. Apple is up less than one per cent.

 

Source: Reuter

 

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The first is the the Keon(right) is a low end budget smartphone. There's a Snapdragon S1 SoC clocked at 1GHz, full support for the usual 3G and 2G bands, 4GB of storage, and 512MB of RAM. The display is a pokey 3.5-inch 480×320 unit, and there's only a 3-megapixel rear shooter, but there is a micro SD slot, GPS, and 802.11n.

The second phone is the Peak (left), similiar device, difference is it has a 4.3-inch 960×540 display, a front-facing camera, an 8MP rear camera, and a dual-core Snapdragon S4 clocked at 1.2GHz. It's the enthusiast version, in other words.

No pricing available for either device, though the Keon will hopefully come in at around $100-150. Both phones will be available "in February." Both phones, of course, will be fully SIM unlocked, and will receive over-the-air Firefox OS updates.

GeekPhone says both Firefox OS developer smartphones will be available starting next month.

 

https://www.geeksphone.com/

 

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Samsung has now officially been confirmed as top cell phone supplier of 2012. Three research companies have identical results in this matter. According to the strategy analytics, Samsung ended on shipping 213 million cell phones in 2012, with an increase of 21.6 percent in the handset sales and a whopping 213.8 percent increase in the Smartphone sells. In the last quarter of 2012, Samsung shipped 63 million phones; Samsung even beat the previous best record of Nokia with 100 million sales in a year.

According ABI research company, Samsung shipped over 60 million phones in 2012 and IDC reports 67 million. But, according to both of them Samsung ended on top of the shipped. Lastly, the research companies have also named top 3 cellular brand of this year but there is slight conflict in it. According to strategy analytics: Samsung, Apple and Nokia were the top 3 brands, whereas according to the other firms: Samsung, Apple and Huawei were the top three.

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Samsung announced new series of feature phones and India Market will be the one of the first markets to get them. Starting with the top-end REX 90 model, the phone comes with a 3.5-inch 320×480 capacitive touchscreen display, Smart Dual-SIM with hot swap, TouchWiz UI, social networking support, 3.2MP camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 1000mAh battery with 15 hours of talk time.

The REX 80 sports a smaller 3-inch display with 320×240 resolution support, Smart Dual SIM support, 3MP camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 1000mAh battery.

REX 70 is similar to the REX 80 but drops Wi-Fi and lowers camera resolution to 2MP. Additionally, the phone features Smart Dual-SIM with true swap support.

 

REX 60 is the entry-level handset with 2.8-inch resistive touchscreen display (320×240), Smart Dual SIM, 1.3MP camera, Bluetooth and 1000mAh battery.

While Nokia Asha full-touch phones come with 40 free EA games, Samsung's REX series get 10 Gameloft games as well as popular IM services like Gtalk, Yahoo Messenger among others.

The prices for these devices start at INR4,280 ($79) for the REX 60 and go up to INR6,490 for the REX 90 ($120).

Source: Samsung

 

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Samsung Electronics is wants to reach 500 million in handset shipments sometime in 2013, according to industry supply chain sources.

Last year Samsung sold 420 million devices. Since a couple of years Samsung stopped with giving exact figures for its quarterly shipments. The information regarding sales numbers for this year came from the Taiwanese website DigiTimes. Samsung expects to sell the Galaxy S4 for 50 million times, so only the Galaxy S4 will bring Samsung shipment to 10% of the goal 500 million devices. Samsung uses their own AMOLED panels for there high-end models. Low and mid range devices uses LCD from sharp or from Samsung Display self.

Samsung also has panel supply for use in entry-level and midrange handsets from Tianma MIcro-electronics, Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT), AU Optronics (AUO), as well as high-end panel technology from Sharp and Japan Display in addition to supply from Samsung Display, added the sources.

 

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Samsung may already be working on new smartphone models with display sizes ranging from 4 to 5.2 inches.  In addition to the Galaxy Note 3 flagship, which is expected to launch in the coming months.

SamMobile has tracked such unknown devices using a logistics website which has revealed details about alleged Galaxy Note 3 versions and the Galaxy Gear smartwatch in the recent past.

There's no other info on the SM-G9105 and SM-G7102, but UAProf strings on Samsung's mobile website reveal the display resolutions for the other two. The SM-G730A's 4″ screen will have the customary WVGA (800 x 480) screen like all other 4-inch Samsung phones, while the SM-G3815 sports a qHD (540 x 960) resolution, which means it will have a pixel density lower than the Galaxy S4 mini and S4 Zoom, something that will probably put off a few people before the devices even go official.

Check out the screenshot

Source: zauba

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Samsung just held its first Analyst Day event in eight years, offering us a peek at its plans for 2014 and beyond. Probably the most interesting information being released from the event concern the developments in mobile technology the Korean conglomerate needs to create beginning with the coming year.

We begin using what I believe is an essential discovery: Samsung has confirmed they're focusing on their very own application processor. What am i saying? The likes of NVIDIA, Samsung, as well as Apple, have typically licensed processors from ARM after which use them their very own chips. You've most likely heard the terms Cortex A15 or A7 or A9, whoever else. Individuals are ARM designed processors which in turn get put in chips known as Exynos, Tegra, and so forth. Qualcomm doesn't work like this, they design their very own processors, such things as Scorpion and Krait, which are into Snapdragon chips. Beginning with using the apple iphone 5, Apple has additionally designed their very own processors, such things as Quick and Cyclone.

 

Quite simply, Samsung just stated they're likely to pull a Qualcomm as well as an Apple making their very own core. It normally won't say when it'll emerge, however, and it is anyones guess when that'll really happen.

Another two essential things I've discovered have related to shows. In under two several weeks, we're likely to enter 2014, and when Samsung's 35mm slides should be thought, we're likely to have products with AMOLED sections which have a pixel per inch rating of 560. The organization also states we're likely to have 4K shows, in mobile phones, at some stage in 2015. Overkill? Never, produce sharpness or produce dying.

 

Exactly why is Samsung revealing all of this information? Because traders really are a little spooked. While it might be ignorant to state mobile phones have arrived at saturation levels, there's some definite downturn within the top end segment. A style which was repeated in Samsung's 35mm slides was that nobody is finding as quickly as they're in areas like display, memory, and nick fabrication technology.

Oh and something more factor: If this involves flexible shows, Samsung claims they hold one inch every three patents for that technology. Therefore if wearable computing will be a factor, or phones that may bend and flex, Samsung is going to be the main thing on that space.

 

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After having recently unveiled and released their latest mobile operating system updates, new Android and Windows-operated smart phones are expected to be launched during the upcoming year. We have already seen Apple's much rumoured iOS 8-operated iPhone 6 launched in September 2014, and mobile users are now expecting to see the new Android 5.0 Lollipop running on fancier smart phones that are much anticipated in 2015.

When buying a new smart phone you normally have two options; buy the phone on contract or buy the phone outright and get a sim-only contract or pay as you go. There is a third option however, you could buy a mobile phone on finance from a credit catalogue such as Littlewoods, Brighthouse or Argos. You can then pay back the cost of the phone in monthly installments, similar to a phone contract.

Here are 3 of the most popular mobile devices to be released next year.

 

1. Samsung Galaxy S6

 

Samsung's last take on the Galaxy line of smart phones was quite a hit, having decidedly beaten Apple's iPhone 5 in terms of usability, features, and design. We are now expecting Samsung to release the Galaxy S6 during or close to the MWC, which will take place between 2 and 5 March, 2015. The Samsung Galaxy S6 is rumoured to have a slightly flexible body, although the company is expected to stick to the same basic flat screen we've been getting used to for at least one year.

 

Since Google's Android L provides 64-bit support now, the Galaxy S6 is also expected to feature a 64-bit processor, which is going to make the performance of the device sleeker, and mobile users' experience - outstanding.

 

Samsung's Galaxy S6 has also been announced to come with a 20MP camera, which will beat the Galaxy S5's and Note 4's 16MP cameras. Several other features this smart phone will likely be equipped with include a fingerprint scanner, microSD card slot, multi-directional microphones, fast charging, and UV sensor. As for the price, Samsung's upcoming smart phone is expected to cost at least as much as its previous counterpart at launch, selling for £579 upwards during the first few months.

2. Elliptic Labs' Ultrasonic Touch-less Smart phone

 

Elliptic Labs' much anticipated ultrasonic touch-less smart phone is also expected to be released in early 2015. The technology featured in this new line of mobile devices will enable users to open applications and display information without touching the screen, which is undoubtedly going to make their experience more interactive. The smart phone will be capable of registering and responding to "air gestures," as users will be able to simply wave a finger or hand mid-air, and control their smart phones while not making contact with the screen. The company has announced that Elliptic Labs' smart phone is going to feature "Multi Layer Interaction," which will allow the device to display different types of content depending on the distance between the hand and the handset.

3. HTC One M9

We have already admired HTC's One M8 and its greatness, but we are now waiting for its newer counterpart, the M9, to be finally launched at MWC in March 2015. There are many rumours about the upcoming release of HTC's newest model from the One line of smart phones, and many of them include the sapphire crystal screen we have seen in Apple's iPhone 5, as well as a camera with more than 16MP, as compared to One M8's 13MP. The HTC One M9 is also expected to be available in 128GB version just like some Apple iPhones, plus a better build and more attractive design as well.

 

 

Mo Cheng

Editor-In-Chief

YouMobile, Inc.

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January 24th marks the end of Symbian phones from Nokia, as Nokia declared it with a report in which it also unveiled its quarterly earnings. This means, Nokia Pureview 808 launched last year becomes the last phone in the series of Symbian phones. In this tenure, Nokia launched 2.2 million handsets all over the world.

The main reason behind the closure of this phone is the decline in the sales of the phone over the years. With the rise of Android and iOS devices in the market symbian phones has lost their sales significantly. China has been one of the leading centers in which sales has declined quite sharply i.e. 69 percent in the previous year. However, Symbian was once the most dominant phones of the market due to its fantastic camera technology. So, now Nokia would be looking ahead with some new phones in the future and we would be looking forward to it.

Nokia Press Release

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We can't wait to see the demo phone at the CES 2013 next week.  Based on press videos I've seen so far, Ubuntu on a phone looks as polished as iOS and open as Android, which could make for an attractive combination. The platform doesn't require a hardware button for the home screen or task switching. Instead, users swipe from the edge of the phone display for in app navigation, settings and the home screen. Web and native apps will be supported. 

Ubuntu for phones will have two ‘versions', with different hardware requirements. The high-end option will also come with ‘turns into a PC when docked' functionality, just like Ubuntu for Android. The low-end offering won't support this, because the hardware will be tailor made for cheap devices focused on emerging markets.

Press Release:

"At the high end of the smartphone market Ubuntu creates an entirely new ‘superphone' category: a phone that becomes a full PC when docked with a keyboard and monitor. Ubuntu is a popular desktop in security-conscious enterprises and government deployments. It includes thin client software that enables Windows apps to be delivered, securely, from the cloud or the enterprise data centre. That full desktop is included in every high-end Ubuntu phone, and the phone can be managed just like an Ubuntu desktop or server, using standard Ubuntu management tools."

Watch 60 seconds of the stunning features and interaction design that characterise Ubuntu on smartphones.

Source: unwiredview

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A petition that seeks to make the administration to review the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and legalize cellphone unlocking has breached the target number of signatures of 100,000 on February 21, 2013. It can be recalled that a consumer from San Francisco started disseminating the petition online on January 24th to seek the help of the White House in reversing the decision to limit the use of a locked device to a particular carrier.

The petitioner argues that the changes to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act decrease the value of the devices when resold, as well as the choices for consumers to select their desired devices and networks. Since the petition has earned its 100,000th signature, the WH will not be compelled to review it, explain the reason for it and make possible recommendations, if only necessary. It may or may not result to legalization of unlocking or total scrapping of the petition.

More info: WhiteHouse.gov

 

 

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A report by strategy analytics today confirms a shipment of about 1.6 billion mobiles in the year 2012. An increase of two percent from the numbers shipped last year. Samsung was the top brand to be shipped all around the world with nearly 400 million phones shipped during the year, 396.5 million to exact. 1 of the 4 mobiles shipped was relating to Samsung, which allowed them to snatch 25 percent market share in the world of cell phones.

The main reason behind Samsung's successful campaign in 2012 was its beautifully designed Galaxy series. Nokia was the second best brand of 2012 shipping 20 percent of total mobile phones shipped. Nokia was 2011's number one brand but due to Samsung's Galaxy series the demand for its handsets went down during the year. Strategy analytics declared Samsung, Nokia and Apple the top cellular brands of 2012 which was quite obvious after high demands were observed throughout the 2012 for the brands.

Source: businesswire

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In the Windows Phone GDR3 feature list, support for an additional row column will be included the start screen. This resulted in a position to fit three medium-sized square tiles in one row as opposed to the limit of two today. That which was unclear until now was if this additional column is going to be for 1080p devices only or 720p or WVGA devices as well.

The news was confirmed by Joe Belfiore, VP of the Windows Phone program at Microsoft so it's as official as it gets. His tweet also mentions other UI changes the GDR3 update brings specially for 1080p smartphones. The first of them is anticipated to be the Nokia Lumia 1520, which is most likely todebut at the Nokia event in Abu Dabu on October 22.

The Windows Phone 8 GDR3 update rollout will commence in the coming weeks and will continue over several months. Microsoft can't give specific timing as it depends on the user's carrier and make contact with model.

 

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It's not even a question how Google will be able to create an application or an Android feature that lets it integrate weather conditions with photo editing. It's only a matter of when Google will implement it. In fact, it has already patented the idea and what it would do is to automatically adjust a person's photos instantly, depending on the lighting and weather conditions where the shot was taken, as well as weather forecasts in that particular area. Cool, eh?

Using this feature, Google plans to approximate your location based on information from cell towers nearest where you are at the time of the photo shoot. Also, GPS location can be a source for the weather info. Photos can then be adjusted accordingly.

With these future innovations from Google, the Android OS is really set to becoming a better and more exciting platform than it already is.

US Patent & Trademark

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Google's new Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One phones go on sale today, also called the "Google Play Edition"-- and in an unexpected twist, the devices are giving us a glimpse at some subtle changes that appear to be on the way to Android.

If you thought the version of Android installed on the Google Play Editions of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One would be identical to AOSP, think again. Reviewers at some media outlets able to get their hands on test units noted a few, relatively minor differences between stock Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and the software pre-installed on the Google Play Edition phones. Though not much more than subtle UI enhancements, the incongruities are worth a quick look.

Here are some things that have caught my eye so far:

• A new Camera app interface
• A slightly tweaked app drawer design
• A new live wallpaper
• A new default lock screen clock
• A different boot animation

Check out all the details here

 

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