Visit our other websites:    On CE ... eSP ... Mobile Channels ... ECI news ... rAVe Europe ... Digital Signage News EMEA

Mobile Phones

First Firefox OS Phones Hit the Market

E-mail Print PDF
First Firefox OS Phones Hit the Market

Curious developers and customers can now test out the Mozilla's Firefox OS, courtesy of a pair of developer preview units from small Spanish phone maker Geeksphone.

Once an Android handset maker, Geeksphone now makes part of the Firefox OS evangelists, alongside the likes of ZTE and operators such as Telefonica.

What makes the platform different is the way it handles HTML5 apps-- web apps written in the language are native, meaning Firefox OS apps built should run on other smartphone platforms. Continue reading...

Sapphire, Material of the Mobile Future?

E-mail Print PDF
Sapphire, Material of the Mobile Future?

An unlikely-sounding material might replace glass in the mobile device displays of the future, MIT Technology Review reports-- manufactured sapphire, the strong and scratch-proof transparent material of military choice.

Sapphire is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide harder than any other natural material bar diamond. According to some tests it is up to three times stronger and scratch resistant than Gorilla Glass, the material making the displays (and in some cases the body) of most current high-end smartphones and tablets.

However it is also much more expensive-- a Gorilla Glass smartphone display costs all of $3, while a sapphire display costs around $30, even if increased competition and technology improvement should drive prices to below $20 in the near future. A number of companies already make sapphire sheets, such as Rubicon Technologies, Monocrystal and Sapphire Technology.

Continue reading...

HTC Reveals One X Successor

E-mail Print PDF
HTC Reveals One X Successor

Just days before Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2013 HTC unveils its Android smartphone flagship-- the HTC One, a 4.7-inch successor for the One X mobile family.

Unibody construction is in aluminium with an optically bonded 4.7-inch LCD display featuring 1920 x 1080 resolution and 468ppi pixel density. Inside are a 1.7Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 600 chip, 2GB RAm, 32 or 64GB of internal storage and a 2300mAh battery. Jelly Bean is the Android version of choice, as reskinned with the latest version of HTC Sense UI.

Connectivity options include HSPA, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11ac wifi and IR (allowing use as a TV remote control via HTC Sense TV app).

HTC claims the One offers "the best audio experience" through "BoomSound," the combination of x2 front-facing stereo speakers (apparently with the biggest sound chambers in a phone), integrated Beats Audio technology and a dual-microphone HDR recording option.

Continue reading...

Asus to Intro "Fonepad" at MWC?

E-mail Print PDF
Asus to Intro

According to DigiTimes Asus may have an interesting announcement at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2013-- the Fonepad, a 7-inch Android 4.1 smartphone/tablet hybrid (aka "phablet").

The device will reportedly carry an Intel processor (specifically the Atom Z242), together with a 1280x800 IPS touchscreen, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, 3MP rear-facing camera and 3G, wifi, Bluetooth and GPS support.

The Fonepad name is a reversal of "PadFone", the other Asus hybrid device (a smartphone with a tablet-sized Continue reading...

RIM Launches BlackBerries, Changes Name

E-mail Print PDF
RIM Launches BlackBerries, Changes Name

"BlackBerry" is now more than just a smartphone name-- on the BlackBerry 10 launch Research in Motion renames itself to BlackBerry in a move to consolidate the company brand.

"As we launch BlackBerry 10 around the world, now is the right time to adopt the iconic BlackBerry name" CEO Thorsten Heins says.

Now the hopes of a renamed RIM (sorry, BlackBerry) lie in not one, but two smartphones running on the latest BlackBerry OS version-- the Z10 and the Q10.

The Z10 is the BlackBerry take on the iPhone concept, with a 4.2-inch 1280 x 768 resolution touchscreen, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage (expandable via microSD slot).

Continue reading...

Page 39 of 53