| Blackphone to pack Nvidia Tegra 4i processor Apr 28th 2014, 15:23, by Dean Wilson 
SGP Technologies, a Silent Circle and Geeksphone joint venture, has announced that the upcoming super-secure Blackphone will be powered by the Nvidia Tegra 4i mobile processor. Though some of the details of the Blackphone were released at World Mobile Congress 2014, there were some glaring omissions on key specs like the processor. That has been remedied today. The Nvidia Tegra 4i boasts 60 custom GPU cores, quad-core ARM Cortex A9 r4-based CPU, a fifth battery-saver core, and an integrated Nvidia i500 LTE modem. The CPU will clock in at 2.0 GHz. The choice gives the Blackphone plenty of performance, making it an attractive device beyond the privacy-conscious consumer or business user. Beneath the hoodOther specs for the Blackphone include a 4.7-inch IPS high-definition display with four point multi-touch, 1 GB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage, an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera, a 5 megapixel front-facing camera, and Android 4.4, better known as KitKat. "With Blackphone we have engineered a high-end smartphone rivaling the top devices on the market in terms of performance and user experience – and with comprehensive embedded privacy features as a crucial differentiator," said Toby Weir-Jones, CEO of SGP Technologies. "Nvidia's industry leadership and the compelling advantages of their Tegra 4i mobile processor make them a key partner in creating a disruptive product backed by the best components available." Pre-orders for the Blackphone opened in February. The phone launches in the US and EU in June.        |  | Digital interactions will influence 50% of all brick-and-mortal sales Apr 28th 2014, 14:39, by Juan Martinez 
By the end of 2014, digital interactions between shoppers and retailers will influence $1.5 trillion (about £890m, or AU$1.6bn), or 50%, of all in-store sales, according to a recent study by consultancy Deloitte. Mobile-influenced sales on smartphones at brick-and-mortar locations have reached $593 billion (about £352m, or AU$639m), the study revealed. Consumers are 40% more likely to use a mobile device on their shopping journey than those who do not use a device, according to the survey's respondents. Additionally, the research determined 84% of store visitors use their devices before or during a shopping trip and 22% of consumers indicate they had spent more money during their shopping experience as a result of using digital. Fifty-eight percent of US adults own a smartphone, according to Pew Research. In 2013 mobile commerce sales among the 358 US merchants ranked in Internet Retailer's 2014 Mobile 500 was predicted to reach $25.4bn (about £15bn, or AU$27.3bn), a 67% increase compared with 2012. "No thanks. Just browsing."Three out of four consumers told Deloitte that product information found on social channels influenced their shopping behavior and enhanced brand and product loyalty. The information found on digital channels like social media is particularly vital for consumers, given that 80% percent of respondents said they prefer to obtain product information on their own device or from an in-store device, rather than ask a sales associate. This data complements similar responses to a survey conducted by Motorola, which revealed 50% of consumers believe they are more informed than retail associates, and 61% of retail store managers said they believe shoppers are better connected to product information than in-store associates. The Deloitte survey was conducted online for a week in November of last year. The survey polled a sample of 2,006 US consumers.        | | Elop admits that Nokia was scared to go head-to-head with Samsung Apr 28th 2014, 14:27, by Kate Solomon 
The former CEO of former phone company Nokia, Stephen Elop, has explained more behind the company's various controversial decisions over the past few years in an online AMA. The biggest of these was to sell Nokia's device and services division to Elop's former employer Microsoft in a deal that closed last week - Elop predictably denied that he was a Trojan horse sent in by Microsoft to groom the company for a quick and dirty sale. But amid the marketing speak and PR scripted answers, he did have some interesting tidbits to drop. Elop revealed that Nokia chose Windows Phone back in 2011 because it was wary that "a decision to pursue Android would put us on a collision course with Samsung, who already had established a head of steam around Android." Turns out Elop thinks that was the right decision because he sees other Android-makers struggling now: "We have seen virtually all other OEMs from those days pushed to the side." Not like Windows Phone makers, eh? The company did eventually make an Android phone - the Nokia X - but as a budget solution rather than a high-end flagship. iPhone woesHe also explained that the company retired Symbian and other internal OS projects like Meego because they couldn't compete with where the iPhone was already at: "Back in late 2010 and 2011, we carefully assessed the state of the internal Nokia operating system efforts. Unfortunately, we could not see a way that Symbian could be brought to a competitive level with, for example, the iPhone that had shipped THREE years earlier! "And the Meego effort was significantly delayed and did not have the promise of a broad enough portfolio soon enough. We had to make a forceful decision to give Nokia the chance to compete again." Started the fireAs for his time at Nokia, Elop credits his controversial "burning platform" memo with reinvigorating the whole company and its efforts on Windows Phone. "It's hard to comment on what came before, but I do know that the "burning platform" galvanized the mindset of thousands of employees with the recognition that we faced a critical situation," he said. "We brought urgency into the organization and within 6 months we produced our first two Windows Phone devices. This was faster than we had ever gone before and marked the beginning of our cultural change."        | | The first Tizen smartphone could be a Galaxy S4 relation Apr 28th 2014, 09:20, by John McCann 
Tizen has finally found its way into mobile devices but instead of being a smartphone it's actually landed on a trio of Samsung wearables - that may change very soon. According to the Tizen Indonesia blog, a Samsung official has said the firm's first smartphone to sport the operating system could be released as soon as May. Apparently the Tizen smartphone in question will be a high powered offering, with the source claiming it'll mirror the Galaxy S4 in many ways. For Russia, with loveEven if the Samsung Tizen phone does appear next month chances are it'll be tricky to get hold of - the report says it's destined for Russia, with no information on a wider release. There were rumours suggesting Samsung would launch a range of Tizen handsets at MWC 2014, but instead we got the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit.        | | Is Samsung about to release an upgraded Galaxy S5? Apr 28th 2014, 08:55, by John McCann 
Rumours surrounding a super high-spec premium version of the Galaxy S5 are refusing to go away after a new report points towards a possible June launch for the Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime. According to Asia Today the Galaxy S5 Prime will be arriving soon. The key difference between the S5 Prime and the original is the former is rumoured to sport a crystal clear QHD display with boasts a resolution of 1440 x 2560, as well as a new chassis material. We're already impressed by the 5.1-inch, 1080 x 1920 display on the Galaxy S5 so if this rumour does transpire to be correct your eyes may be in for a real treat. Not just a screenPrevious rumours have suggested the S5 Prime will turn up with a full metal chassis as Samsung looks to bridge the gap between its S and Note series. Other reported specs for the Galaxy S5 Prime include a 2.5GHz quad-core processor, 3GB of RAM, Adreno 420 GPU, 16MP camera, 32GB of storage and Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Samsung hasn't provided any hints towards the possible existence of the S5 Prime, but with LG hotly tipped to launch the QHD LG G3 soon it's not totally out of the question its Korean rival will try and steal the show.        | |
No comments:
Post a Comment