The edge-to-edge screen Android phone

#android #mobile #EssentialProducts #Apple #Samsung #technology #newtech #gadgets

Andy Rubin, the co-creator of the Android mobile phone operating system, launched a new company called Essential Products. The Palo Alto based company will be selling its first high-end smartphone and home assistant device.

The new phone will be featuring an edge-to-edge screen, a titanium & ceramic case and dual cameras. The phone will be running the Android OS and the price tag of $699, will make Samsung and Apple it’s main competitors.

The voice assistant will compete against Amazon’s Echo and Google home speaker. However, the Essential’s voice assistant will let the user choose between Alexa, Google assistant and Siri. The device is also supposed to be able to connect to home network and communicate with devices such as lights and thermostats.

Tencent Holdings, Foxconn, Redpoint Ventures and Altimeter Capital are the main investors in Essential.

Read the full article here

Apple and Samsung have long since dominated the mobile market. Maybe it is time for a change.

Xiaomi overtakes Apple and Samsung in India

#Xiaomi #Apple #Samsung #India #mobile #smartphone #technology

Around more than 75% mobile users in India still use a feature phone rather than a smartphone, hence it is considered one of the biggest markets for smartphone makers like Apple and Samsung. However, As per a recent report by Strategic Analytics, Xiaomi may be the front runner when it comes to choosing which is the most preferred smartphone brand for Indian Android owners looking to upgrade their devices in 2017.

According to the report, Xiaomi is preferred by at least 26% of the users, where as Samsung and Apple both lie at 12%.

Xiaomi is known to focus more on areas like network speed, processor performance and availability rather than camera, megapixels, screen resolution, etc. which happens to be more preferential among brands like Apple and Samsung. Another important reason is the cost of Xiaomi smartphones, which stands at almost half the price or less of Apple/Samsung phones.

Read the full article here

I have never used a Xiaomi before, but this seems rather interesting if it is an Android with good performance and speed.

iPhone 8 to be available this September

#Apple #iPhone8 #iPhone7S #iPhone7SPlus #mobile #techonology

Apple is supposedly to launch three phones this September, iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus and iPhone 8, iPhone 8 being available in ‘limited’ quantities till the end of the year probably due to the slow supply of OLED displays for the phone.

iPhone 8 will boast a more complicated manufacturing process, higher ASPs, wireless charging (including iPhone 7s and Plus), a 5.8 inch OLED display with a 5.15 inch of usable space. The phone also introduces virtual buttons, Touch ID that is embedded underneath the display, 3D sensor module in the front, a dual camera setup and a film based Force Touch solution. (Personally, I am looking forward to iPhone 8!)

Read the full article here.

Next iPhone will lead to a big ‘paradigm shift’

#Apple #iPhone #mobile #computing #technology #AugmentedReality #GeneMuster

Gene Muster, the managing partner at VC firm Loop Ventures, said that Apple’s next iPhone will lead to a paradigm shift with augmented reality as its foundation. (Augmented reality differs from virtual reality in that it is not completely immersive). The change might not impact the sales in the short-term, but it will “lay the foundation of the next computing paradigm”.

Apple is investing heavily in augmented reality, though both acquisitions and hiring new talent, according to a report in Bloomberg.

Read the full article here.

Nokia shares fall.

Nokia shares fell by nearly 5 percent on Thursday in Helsinki.

Nokia’s patent license contract with Apple expires at the end of the year. Nokia has accused Apple of violating some of its technology patents, and Apple has complained about being overcharged on the same. Nokia said that it has now filed 40 patents suits in 11 countries covering different technologies.

Patent royalties represent a sliver of Nokia’s overall revenue, more than 90 percent of which comes from sales of telecom network equipment. But the licensing payments are highly profitable at a time when the network business is suffering an industry-wide slump.

Nokia sold its handset business to Microsoft in 2014 and focused on its network business as well as a portfolio of mobile device patents. Wells Fargo Securities analyst Maynard Um, who follows both companies, said the lawsuits were negative for Apple and Nokia due to litigation costs and uncertainty over the outcome.

Nokia’s patents cover technology that reduces the need for hardware components in a phone, conserves battery life, increases radio reception, helps in recovering lost phones and enables voice recognition, among other features. Read the full article here.

Is Mac been forsaken by Apple?

Many people are saying that Apple is facing serious challenges in its Mac business, however Apple is saying that everything is fine. Apple hasn’t updated the iMac since October 2015 or the Mac mini since 2014, and the Mac Pro since it’s release in December 2013! Whereas, Microsoft, is innovating on the desktop with Surface Studio.

Interviews with people familiar with Apple’s inner workings reveal that the Mac is feeling less important that before. The Mac team lost the industrial design group led by Jony Ive and even the company’s software team. The problem also arises due to the lack of definite directions from senior management and departures of key people who were working on Mac hardware.

iPhone accounts for 63 percent of Apple’s total revenues whereas Mac accounts for only 11 percent. Hence, it can be understood why Apple has dedicated more resources to the iPhone than Mac.

In a company message board posting, CEO Tim Cook said that the desktop is very strategic for Apple. The current generation iMac is the best desktop ever made by Apple and the beautiful Retina 5K display is the best desktop display in the world. If there’s any doubt about with out teams, let me be very clear: we have great desktops in our roadmap. Nobody should worry about that. Read the whole article here.

Samsung Galaxy 8, will you buy it?

Due to the debacle of battery-fuelled Galaxy Note 7, Samsung has been under quite a lot of pressure in the public eye. Samsung’s Q3 2016 sale is already low with Q4 2016 to follow even lower. It did release the Shiny black Galaxy S7 to compete with iPhone’s 7 Jet black, but it might not be able to cover up the lost amount by Samsung in this year.

Therefore, Samsung Galaxy 8 needs to get it right, from the moment it is released and goes on sale to the consumers. Samsung has revealed its annual models at the start of Mobile World Congress in February, but 2017 will be different. Samsung is planning to release Galaxy S8 in April, almost eight weeks after the expected launch date. This delay is to allow all the issues with Note 7 to clear up and also allow the marketing teams to build up increased levels of consumer confidence.

Samsung will be targeting Galaxy S6 users who will be coming to an end of their two-year cellphone contract. Read the full article here.

Where did the Pokémon Go for Apple iWatch go

Developer Ninatic revealed Pokémon Go at Apple’s iPhone 7 event. But what Ninatic showed during the event was an unfinished port as per he sources. This is strange as it was described as a companion app having features such being able to tap the Apple Watch as you approached a PokeStop.

Pokémon Go developer Ninatic revealed on twitter that the app will still come to iWatch but the exact date or other details about the release was not mentioned.

At his point Ninatic hasn’t given detailed about why it stopped the development of the Pokémon Go iWatch app. In a email response from Ninatic, the respond regarding the app was “If demand for an Apple Watch port increases, we will continue development of a port.”

Read the full article here.

How to photoshoot better!

Apple has put out some tips on photography for those using iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus. Being in the category, I thought I should share this with everyone.

Portrait mode guides you in real-time a live preview of the depth effect, including how to best distance the camera from the subject.

Adjust Camera settings to enable “Record Video at 60 FPS” to capture 1080p HD video.

Whether you’re standing still or on the go, your Time-lapse videos will look smoother than ever before. On iPhone 7 Plus you can also capture Time-lapse videos at 1x or 2x zoom to get closer to the action.

Using optical zoom with dual 12MP cameras on iPhone 7 Plus, you can now get videos with optical zoom at 2x and better digital zoom up to 10x, so you can get that perfect shot even if you’re further away than you’d like to be.

You can look for more tips on this page!

Apple’s OLED iPhone in 2017?

Apple is expected to realease at least one iPhone with OLED display next year alongside other typical LCD models. It is expected that out of the models released in 2017, the OLED model will be the most popular.

The main reasons for the OLED model to be the best are its looks, a more responsive phone and better image quality!

The OLED iPhone is expected to have a glass back with display curves into both sides of the device. Consider the iPhone 7’s, 6s’ and 6’s have been getting the same exterior designs, it will be a massive change, and a change the Apple fans will be looking forward to.

A more responsive experience means that OLEDs will have much better pixel response times than LCDs. A display’s pixel response time (in milliseconds) is how quickly it can change its pixels from black to white or gray to gray. The response time difference between an OLED and a LCD is in the ratio of 1:5, that is the OLED display takes (1/5)th of the time taken by a LCD.

Apple mobile LCDs deliver the best image quality currently, but in comparison with an OLED it isn’t the best. With much better black levels in OLED, an LCD beating an OLED in image quality is impossible. Read the whole article here.

Please pray for the Indonesian earthquake victims!