Samsung has sold an impressive 30 Million Samsung Galaxy S III devices. But if you match up sales of all the S Series devices over the years, Samsung has sold a mighty 100 Million in all. This number however does not include the S Plus, S Duos, S Advance etc, rather only the Original Galaxy S, The Galaxy S II and the S III.
The Galaxy S III mini and other variations are included in the number as well. The company also says it is Selling over 500 units of the Galaxy SIII a minute on average.
The Maruti Suzuki Wagon R is one of the highest selling cars in the history of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. The Wagon R, which got a comprehensive model update a couple of years back, has now got a mild facelift to remain fresh in the market.
It may be noted that MSIL realizes the need to regularly spruce up its small cars to fend off the ever increasing competition.
The changes are minimal; however the company claims to improve engine’s efficiency. The makers boast an OBD II complaint engine including other changes that make the vehicle eight percent more efficient than its 2010 edition.
The updated version is powered by a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder K Series petrol motor while power and torque remain unchanged. The car once again will be offered in CNG and Petrol variants. Also the front bumper, headlights and grill are re-designed.
Talking of the interior, beige and black combination gives it a fresh, up class feel along with increased storage space just above the glove box. The best part is improved audio unit which enables USB connectivity. The day/night inside rear view mirror is a cherry on top.
The prices for Maruti Suzuki’s face lifted Wagon R may be announced next week and an increase of 0.5 percent to 2 percent is expected.
As noted by ZDNet, a major security vulnerability in Java 7 has been discovered, with the vulnerability currently being exploited in the wild by malicious parties. In response to threat, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has recommended that users disable the Java 7 browser plug-in entirely until a patch is made available by Oracle.
[quote]
Hackers have discovered a weakness in Java 7 security that could allow the installation of malicious software and malware on machines that could increase the chance of identity theft, or the unauthorized participation in a botnet that could bring down networks or be used to carry out denial-of-service attacks against Web sites.
“We are currently unaware of a practical solution to this problem,” said the DHS’ Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) in a post on its Web site on Thursday evening. “This vulnerability is being attacked in the wild, and is reported to be incorporated into exploit kits. Exploit code for this vulnerability is also publicly available.”
[/quote]
Apple has, however, apparently already moved quickly to address the issue, disabling the Java 7 plug-in on Macs where it is already installed. Apple has achieved this by updating its “Xprotect.plist” blacklist to require a minimum of an as-yet unreleased 1.7.0_10-b19 version of Java 7. With the current publicly-available version of Java 7 being 1.7.0_10-b18, all systems running Java 7 are failing to pass the check initiated through the anti-malware system built into OS X.
The exploit has been described by Sophos as a zero-day attack since it has been found being actively used in malware before developers have had a chance to investigate and patch it. The exploit is currently under review at the National Vulnerability Database and has been given an ID number CVE-2013-0422, where it is still described as relatively unknown.
[MacRumours]
CES 2013 was very fruitful when it came to new chipsets, ST-Ericsson followed the footsteps of Samsung, Qualcomm and NVIDIA to introduce the new NovaThor SoC.
ST-Ericsson confirmed the trend for better, faster, and smaller chipsets, when the manufacturer introduced its brand new NovaThor chipset at CES 2013 – the L8580. The announcement followed the new chipsets by Samsung, Qualcomm and NVIDIA.
[quote]”Building on the architecture of our first generation NovaThor L8540 LTE ModAp announced last year, we believe our new platform represents a real industry breakthrough,” said president and CEO Didier Lamouche in a statement announcing the new NovaThor L8580 LTE ModAp.[/quote]
The NovaThor L8580 shares much in common with the earlier L8540, but there are significant differences, as well. On the things-in-common side, both are based on two ARM Cortex-A9 CPU cores and an Imagination PowerVR SGX544 GPU, which share the same die with a modem that supports LTE FDD/TDD (Cat.3), 42Mbps HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, and EDGE along with support for 1080p video at up to 60fps and a 10-megapixel camera.
That’s where the major similarities end, however – and that’s where the L8580 becomes more interesting. For one thing, the L8540 topped out at 1.85GHz, while the new L8580 is capable of speeds up to 2.5GHz.
The company claims that although the L8580’s CPU cores are 35 per cent faster than tha L8540’s and its GPU and multimedia accelerators are 20 per cent faster, it runs runs cooler when running at 2.5GHz and consumes up to 50 per cent less power than what the company coyly refers to as “rival architectures”.
That higher clock rate and cool, low-power performance are not the L8580’s only trick, however. It’s also the first of ST-Ericsson’s chips to employ a technology they call “eQuad,” which enables each core to not only spin at that speedy 2.5GHz, but also step down to a power-miserly 0.6-volt operation. ST-Ericsson didn’t say what clock rate that low-power mode could achieve, but they do claim that it provides “more than enough computing power for the majority of applications in everyday use.”
[The Register UK]
Making phones or tablet waterproof or water resistant is nothing new. Many manufacturers have been including this added feature into their devices for years. Most recently is Sony with the newly announced Xperia Z. At CES this year Liquipel came back with version 2.0 of their self-sealing nano coating that protects your device from water/liquids.
Liquipel is a dry process that once applied, essentially becomes a part of the device. It will last the lifespan of the device and is completely invisible, but the results are anything but. Liquipel’s booth demo is quite convincing, even without showing the water resistance on a phone itself.
Apparently this second generation is 100 times better than the first go-around, plus can survive about 3.3 feet underwater for 30 minutes.
Though Liquipel did not previously offer a warranty for treated electronics and some users had experienced issues with devices treated with original Liquipel formula not surviving liquid exposure, the company announced its Liquipel Performance Guarantee at CES. The new warranty, which currently covers only U.S. customers but should be extended to other countries in the future, offers protection from damage due to accidental liquid exposure on Liquipel-treated devices.
[quote]The coverage excludes intentional submerging of devices in liquid. However, everyday life events that can cause liquid damage will be covered, such as: rain, splashing, sweat, dropping in the sink or toilet and spilled drinks.[/quote]
While most of the world is seeing Android 4.2.1 as the latest version of Jelly Bean, it looks like Google has quietly begun rolling out something a bit newer. According to new reports, Google has begun rolling out Android 4.2.2 in select countries. So far the reports are pinpointing just two countries — Brazil and Malaysia.
According to a recent report, LG Mobile’s production facility situated in Taubaté, Brazil has already started churning out Nexus 4 smartphones today in hopes of catching up with the overwhelming demands, an interesting twist to this story is that at least a thousand of these quad-core packing monsters have — purportedly — been loaded with Google’s latest version of the Android Jelly Bean platform so don’t be surprised if the Nexus 4 you have ordered via the Play Store portal will come running the Android 4.2.2 operating system.
Also, a new leak reveals the LG Nexus 4 in Malaysia running the new, unannounced software from Google.
True or not, we suggest taking this news with a grain of salt since it’s still unknown if the leaked image is legitimate — but, like we’ve previously mentioned, the fact that Google has stopped letting users download the Android 4.1.2 may give us a vague clue as to what Google is really hiding up its sleeves and the Android 4.2.2 may just be the answer we’ve been waiting for.
source: Adrenaline.uol.com.br
Some of the first promotional material for the upcoming BlackBerry Z10, which we believe the final name to be, has emerged online. It shows off many of RIM’s upcoming BlackBerry 10 features, including the unannounced but highly-suspected BBM Video, which looks an awful lot like FaceTime. It has been said these slides are the official retail marketing for BlackBerry 10, but we’d surely hope RIM would do a way, way better job.
RapidBerry also got its hands on photos of the white and black versions of the upcoming device, and these high-quality stills really show the thoughtful design of the phone and the interesting UI design. These device images are clearly quite old, though, as the app icons are placed in the old, boxy wrapping that has since been updated. The Twitter icon uses the deprecated design, and BlackBerry World is still called App World, though it is cited correctly in the slide headline. These were likely slides shown to carriers or partners.
All of the leaked photos are down in the slideshow so check them out if you’re curious about the upcoming BlackBerry 10 smartphones and the BlackBerry Z10 in particular.N
As we get closer to January 30th, more of these glimpses into BlackBerry 10 will probably get out, and we can’t wait to see the finished result.
[Rapid Berry, Mobile Syrup]
Google has finally launched a beta channel for its own Android web browser, Google Chrome. The beta, now available in the Google Play Store, will be updated more frequently with the latest work-in-progress features for users to try out before they’re ready to go stable. You’ll have to note that betas are not promised to be perfect, so while this is a great way to test new features you might also encounter some bugs and rough edges.
The company posted a blog post citing massive increases to Javascript performance, better HTML5 integration and, hopefully, smoother scrolling on tablets like the Nexus 10.
[quote]Chrome for Android now benefits from all the speed, security and other improvements that have been landing on Chrome’s other platforms. For example, in today’s Beta update we have improved the Octane performance benchmark on average by 25-30%. In addition, this update includes interesting HTML5 features for developers such as CSS Filters. This is just one step of many towards bringing beautiful experiences to the mobile web.[/quote]
It looks like this beta version is running the same source code as the current desktop beta: 25.0.1364.8.
You can grab the new version from the Google Play store now. You will need to use the link as the app can’t be found by simply searching for it.
Apple’s senior VP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller threw Apple-watchers for a loop on Thursday by stating that cheap smartphones will “never be the future of Apple products.” Schiller made the comments to the Shanghai Evening News, noting that Apple’s goal is to use the best technology available in order “to provide the best product to the market.”
Rumours were rampant earlier this week about Apple potentially coming to market with a low-cost iPhone that could possibly compete with Google’s entry-level Android devices. Both the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg‘s sources indicated that we’ll finally see Apple launch an iPhone around the $150 mark by the end of 2013. Unfortunately, as expected, this dream has been shot down by Phil Schiller.
[quote]According to a translation from The Next Web, Schiller said, “At first, non-smartphones were popular in the Chinese market, now cheap smartphones are more popular and non-smartphones are out … Despite the popularity of cheap smartphones, this will never be the future of Apple’s products. In fact, although Apple’s market share of smartphones is just about 20%, we own the 75% of the profit.”[/quote]
Despite these comments, one can simply look at Apple’s iPod lineup to see lower cost alternatives to the iPod touch that wouldn’t be considered cheap yet cost less and still use the best technology available.
Big news for small developers: regardless of size, presence or popularity, all devs can now respond to comments in the Play Store.
Way back in June of 2012, Google began letting developers reply directly to user comments in the Play Store. The one catch with that, this was made available only for a select group of developers, those sporting a “Top Developer Badge.” And well, flash forward back to the present day and it looks like this is now rolling-out to all developers.
Not only will this help establish better relationships between app developers and their customers, but it will also allow developers to provide feedback and answer questions to critical comments or concerns. Trevor Johns, developer programs engineer at Google, previously said that “conversations are meant to be two-sided, and facilitating discussion between developers and users will ultimately yield better apps, to the benefit of everyone.”
The feature doesn’t seem to have rolled out in full, though it should only be a matter of time before your complaints can be heard, and dealt with, in one fell swoop.
Google+ integration was also recently added to the Play Store, forcing members of the social network to post comments under a real name, opening up richer commentary and preventing troll culture from taking over.
Have you ever been scammed into buying an app because of a screenshot that falsely represented the app you were buying? If you have, then there’s some good news for you.
Apple today announced on its Developer Portal that screenshots added to app descriptions will be locked in place once an app has been approved.
[quote]Beginning January 9, app screenshots will be locked in iTunes Connect once your app has been approved. New screenshots may be uploaded when you submit a binary for an update to an existing app or a new app.[/quote]
Before the new policy went into place, app developers would often upload legitimate game screenshots to accompany the app description, then switch them out for screenshots that resembled more popular games once the app was approved. The switch often snagged unsuspecting victims who assumed they were downloading a different app.
For example, in one instance, an unofficial Pokemon Yellow app was uploaded to the App Store. The app snuck by Apple using an unobtrusive set of screenshots, and then switched them out with photos from the Nintendo game, which thousands of people then purchased.
While this presumably means that scamming developers will no longer be able to game the App Store, it also hobbles legitimate developers trying to keep their app descriptions up to date.
[CNET]
Nokia sold 4.4 million Lumia smartphones during the fourth quarter of last year, as the company’s Devices & Services unit exceeded expectations, according to preliminary data.
[quote]Stephen Elop, the company’s often-criticized CEO said, “We are pleased that Q4 2012 was a solid quarter where we exceeded expectations and delivered underlying profitability in Devices & Services.” While net profit was minimal at around $262 million USD, there is reason to be bullish for the next several quarters as Lumia sales continue to rise as the company releases its phones into more markets.[/quote]
The next 12 months will be key for Nokia and Microsoft, and the sale of 4.4 million Lumia smartphones is a step in the right direction, according to Pete Cunningham, principal analyst at market research company Canalys.
Nokia also sold 9.3 million Asha touch smartphones, as well as 2.2 million Symbian smartphones.
During the fourth quarter in 2011 Nokia sold 113.5 million units, including around a million Lumia devices and a total of 19.6 million smartphones.
The 4.4 million Lumia smartphones Nokia sold also compares to the 2.9 million it sold during the third quarter. The company could have sold even more if it hadn’t been for supply constraints, which especially affected the Lumia 920.
Nokia is also getting a €50 million sum from non-recurring IPR income (coincidentally, RIM recently had to pay Nokia €50 million after a patent settlement).
Anyway, the Nokia Siemens networks also exceeded expectations and posted a profit for a third quarter in a row. The non-IFRS operating margin for this division in Q4 2012 is expected to be 13-15%.
While Nokia is ending 2012 on a positive note, the start of 2013 will be less rosy – the seasonally weak quarter will lead to a non-IFRS operating margin of negative 2% (+/- 4%).
Meanwhile, Nokia today launched the Lumia 920, 820 and 620 at an event here in New Delhi.
Samsung has been enjoying a really successful time of things in the last year or so in the smartphone market with a number of hugely successful products on offer. Its recent successes were arguably built on the Samsung Galaxy S2 that was released in 2011 and is still available today. Now though the company has revealed the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus and we have the official specs and details for you.
Initially outfitted with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the original S2 received an update to Android 4.0 last June and is finally due up for Android 4.1 sometime soon.
Otherwise, most of the tech specs between the S2 Plus and the original S2 are the same.
Like its precedessor, the Galaxy S2 Plus will offer a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 4.3-inch WVGA Super AMOLED Plus display. An 8-megapixel camera with an LED flash is on the back, while a 2-MP camera graces the front. But the rear camera now comes with a zero-lag shutter speed that can more easily capture fast-moving objects.
The new phone offers 3G in the form of 21Mbps HSPA+, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 3.0.The Plus’s built-in storage has been trimmed in size to 8GB from the original’s 16GB or 32GB. But the new model’s SD storage can handle up to 64 gigabytes of data, while the original maxed out at 32GB. The Plus also includes an option for near-field communications support so people can use the phone for mobile payments.
At the time of writing Samsung has yet to reveal any pricing or availability for the new smartphone, but the device is promised to have a big boost in functionality and usability compared to the original Samsung Galaxy S2.
Samsung today took the wraps off an 8-core processor known as the Exynos 5 Octa.
Stephen Woo, president of Samsung’s System LSI business, said during a keynote address here at CES that the Exynos 5 Octa will offer a “level of pure processing power never before seen in a mobile device.”
The Exynos 5 Octa is an eight-core SoC destined for tablets and high-end smartphones.
Not all of these CPU cores are created equal: four of them are high-performance Cortex-A15 cores, the very same found in the Exynos 5 Dual that powers the Nexus 10 and Samsung’s ARM Chromebook. The other four are Cortex-A7 CPU cores—these have the same feature set and capabilities as the A15 cores, but are optimized for power efficiency rather than performance.
This makes the Exynos 5 Octa one of the first products to actually use ARM’s big.LITTLE processor switching technology. The SoC is designed to dynamically split the workload between the high-performance and the high-efficiency CPU cores based on the task at hand—less strenuous activities like browsing an app store or checking e-mail might be done on the A7 cores, for instance, while gaming and number crunching could be handed off to the A15 cores.
Both sets of cores are said to work in tandem together and offer great speeds without compromising on battery consumption.This differs from Nvidia’s Tegra 3 and Tegra 4 SoCs, which include a low-power Cortex-A9 and a Cortex-A15 (respectively) “companion core” that can only be used when all of the SoC’s other CPU cores are powered down
The new SoC will be manufactured using a 28nm process as opposed to the 32nm process used by the Exynos 5 Dual, hence claiming to be more power-efficient. According to Samsung, the SoC can deliver twice the performance of quad-core Exynos CPUs, while using 70 percent less power.
What Samsung has not yet revealed is when the first devices running the Exynos 5 Octa will be available on the market, nor at what cost.
It’s coming — soon. But we wouldn’t miss one last opportunity to see BlackBerry 10 before it is announced on January 30th. There are still plenty of features of the OS that we haven’t yet seen and RIM is doing a good job of keeping some secrets under wraps until launch day.
Forbes got a great look at the almost-finished OS running on the Dev Alpha B hardware, which we believe to be quite similar in specs to the finished hardware, which we know as BlackBerry Z10. As we’ve seen before, the exciting things (that have already been revealed) are the keyboard, the Peek and Flow gestures for notifications, and the centralized Hub where all your important content is stored.
As we’ve heard before, the keyboard has heat-mapping which will learn over time where you most commonly hit keys in error and adjust accordingly to increase accuracy.
We’re getting excited as Launch Day approaches, and can’t wait to try out the device for ourselves. What do you think? Does this whet your appetite for the upcoming BlackBerry 10 phone?
[Mobile Syrup, Crackberry]