Samsung tops Apple in global mobile phone shipments

Samsung is on a tear and dominating worldwide mobile phone shipments, according to two market research firms. Nokia is losing steam in a hurry.
Samsung's smartphone shipments soared over the same period last year, allowing it to easily grab the lion's share of the global market, while Nokia's share plummeted, a market researcher said Thursday. Another market researcher put Samsung No.1 in the overall cell phone market.
The South Korean electronics giant's share went from 12.2 percent in the first quarter of 2011 to a whopping 30.6 percent in the first quarter of this year, according to Strategy Analytics (see chart below).
Apple's growth isn't too shabby either: it jumped from an 18.1 percent share last year (which at that time was larger than Samsung's) to 24.1 percent.
Overall global smartphone shipments grew 41 percent annually to reach 145 million units in the first quarter of 2012. More than half of that being Samsung and Apple combined.
"Samsung and Apple are outcompeting most of their major rivals and the smartphone market is at risk of becoming a two-horse race," Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, said in a statement.
Samsung's growth is coming from its Galaxy models, among other products. "Samsung's global smartphone shipments rose 253 percent annually...as demand surged for its popular Galaxy models such as the Note, S2 and Y," Strategy Analytics said.

(Credit: Strategy Analytics)

The loser in all of this is Nokia, whose share dropped like a rock from 23.5 percent in the first quarter of last year to 8.2 percent this year.
"This is Nokia's lowest market share level in the smartphone category since 2002," Tom Kang, director at Strategy Analytics, said in a statement. "Nokia's new Microsoft Lumia portfolio has recently gotten off to an encouraging start in the critical United States market, but shipments there are not yet large enough to offset the firm's tumbling Symbian volumes in the rest of the world."
iSuppli puts Apple at No. 1 in smartphones but Samsung No. 1 in the larger cell phone market
A second market research firm, IHS iSuppli, ranks Apple No.1 in smartphone market, while placing Samsung in the No.1 spot for cell phones (see charts below).
In the "smartphone segment of the cell phone market," iSuppli shows Apple shipping 35 million units in the first quarter, while Samsung shipped 32 million.
"Apple remained in the same position in smartphones that it captured in the fourth quarter of 2011 -- at No. 1 --while Samsung held on to second place," iSuppli said.
That said, iSuppli ranks Samsung No.1 overall in the cell phone market, with 92 million cell phones shipped in the first quarter, compared to Nokia's 83 million.

 

Source: news.cnet

Get an Optoma HD20 1080p projector for $649.99

It's refurbished, yes, but still an amazing deal on a projector that can make your favorite movies and TV shows wall-size.

The Optoma HD20 brings full 1080p goodness to your home theater.

(Credit: Amazon)

Want a really big TV? Forget LCDs and plasmas -- get yourself a wall.
Just last night, while watching the incomparable "Planet Earth" on Blu-ray, I thought: "This is pretty nice at 55 inches, but it really deserves to be 10 feet."
Hence today's deal. For a limited time, BuyDig has the refurbished Optoma HD20 1080p projector for $649.99 shipped when you apply coupon code BGTaxRefund15. That's tied with the lowest price I've seen.
The HD20 delivers full 1,920 by 1,080 resolution and has a contrast ratio of 4,000:1. It can muster 1,700 ANSI lumens of brightness (meaning you'll need a reasonably dark room for maximum enjoyment) and can project on screens as large as 300 inches (that's 25 feet to you and me).
With two available HDMI inputs, you can connect, say, your cable box and your Blu-ray player. Need more inputs? You can always toss in an inexpensive HDMI switch.
I haven't found many professional reviews of the HD20, but over at Amazon, nearly 200 buyers rated the HD20 4.4 stars on average. It's obviously a very popular model.
Of course, because it's refurbished, you get only a 90-day warranty. Cause for concern? Perhaps, but usually with projectors it's the bulb you need to worry about. Replacing the HD20's will cost you around $140 -- crazy-expensive, but not at all unusual. You should be able to get a couple years from the supplied bulb, if my projector experience is any indication.
Although $650 is a pretty hefty chunk of change, I think this projector is a steal at this price. If you've never experienced the joy that is wall-size HD, here's your chance.
Source: news.cnet
 

Google begins selling unlocked Galaxy Nexus

Google gets back in the business of offering Android smartphones with the direct-to-consumer model. The GSM Galaxy Nexus is now on sale in the Google Play store.

Will Google have success in selling directly to consumers the second time around?

(Credit: Google)

Google today announced that it is now offering unlocked Galaxy Nexus handsets directly to consumers.

On the company's mobile blog, Android chief Andy Rubin wrote that the company has added a new Devices section to its Google Play store. Initially available only to U.S. consumers, the GSM Galaxy Nexus carries an attractive $399 price tag.

"We've worked with developers and content partners to launch Google Play, offering more than 500,000 apps, millions of songs and books, and thousands of movies. And we've implemented new customer support services to improve the purchasing experience on Google Play," Rubin wrote. "We've taken all of this into consideration in designing Devices on Google Play."

The feature list is unchanged from the device that CNET reviewed late last year. It's compatible with both T-Mobile and AT&T and supports each carrier's HSPA+ network.

We'll have to see whether Google will add more models to Google Play, but it appears that it is leaving the door wide open. I'll be eager to see whether it decides to offer handsets or tabletsthat aren't considered "Pure Google" experience or tied to service agreements.

It makes me wonder whether this will be a complete return to a storefront that gives consumers access to nearly all Android products. Assuming for a moment that Google offers only its own branded devices, it would be a perfect place to promote that rumored tablet.

As Android continues to grow the Google Play rebranding lends itself to plenty of opportunity. No longer tied directly to Android applications only, the store has become a hub for multiple types of media.

As new visitors stumble onto the Web site and discover the wealth of available content, Google is making it a little bit easier to pick a device that delivers on all fronts.

Source: news.cnet

Former Nokia exec says Nokia's in trouble, Elop is to blame

Losing money, senior talent, and cash cow Symbian OS was the wrong move, a former Nokia executive tells CNET UK.

If Nokia's Windows Phone gamble fails, what next?

(Credit: Josh Miller/ CNET)

Here in the U.S., the Nokia Lumia 900 Windows phone has sold better than Nokia expected, but significant profit loss elsewhere has led to some vocal -- and colorful -- opinions from a former Nokia executive.

Speaking exclusively to CNET UK, Lee Williams, who served as Nokia's senior vice president of Symbian Series 60 OS from 2006 to 2009, paints a portrait of Nokia CEO Stephen Elop as a cost-slashing leader who lacks long-term vision.

Williams goes even further to accuse Elop of sacrificing Nokia's fat and healthy cash cow -- Symbian -- for the chance at "US cultural magic," at the expense of the company's Finnish identity.

In one tidbit:

"Elop is operating like a CFO [chief financial officer] -- CFOs are very practical, always looking at costs, always internally focused...I don't think he's really projecting anything forward or sitting around with his team imaging what the future looks like. I think it's 's**t how do I get rid of a third of this overhead in R&D?.'"

You can read the full interview at CNET UK.

 Source: news.cnet

T-Mobile's trade-in promotion program begins today

In an effort to get customers upgrading to its 4G network, T-Mobile launches "Magenta Deal Days."

(Credit: T-Mobile)

Starting today and lasting through May 8, T-Mobile customers can swap out their old phones (even if they're from a different carrier), and get a guaranteed trade-in value that ranges from $50 to $200.

The credit can then go toward purchasing a new T-Mobile 4G phone, such as the Samsung Galaxy S II, the HTC Radar 4G, or the HTC One S.

T-Mobile is calling it Magenta Deal Days, and promises $200 back for any iPhone, and at least $100 for any device running Android, BlackBerry, Windows, or even Symbian 9.0+.

If your used handset is valued more than the promotion (like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which chugged out a value of $200) you will receive the higher value. All the deal requires is that the phone you're trading away actually work.

To see how much your old phone is worth, check out T-Mobile's calculator here. Keep in mind that the generated value is how much you would have gotten before the promotion. An iPhone 3G, for example, would have been $60.

I entered in some devices' names just to see what the resale value was. Although I wasn't surprised that a used Nexus will still get you back a decent amount of dough, it's a little disheartening, but completely expected, to see that Cricket's ZTE Chorus will fetch you only 7 bucks on the market. That's barely enough to cover a Filet-O-Fish meal at McDonald's.

Source: news.cnet

Sony's Tablet S flavored with Ice Cream Sandwich

The company says that the Tablet S will prompt users to update the system software when they connect to a Wi-Fi network.

The Sony Tablet S is now running Ice Cream Sandwich.

(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)

Sony's Tablet S has a new flavor.

The company announced today that the tablet, which boasts a 9.4-inch screen and support for a host of Sony services, including Music Unlimited, is now upgradeable to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). The next time Tablet S owners connect to a Wi-Fi network, they'll be prompted to update the software, Sony says.

With the addition of Ice Cream Sandwich, Tablet S owners will now have direct access to the contents on their SD card, and an enhanced lock screen that offers easy access to notifications. Ice Cream Sandwich also boasts support for a panoramic camera mode and the ability to create folders by dragging icons together, among other features.

Sony's Tablet S started shipping last year with Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). Back in December, the company confirmed that Ice Cream Sandwich would be coming to the Tablet S, and said last month that it would launch in April.

In addition to the software update, Sony said today that between now and May 12, it's offering a $50 instant rebate on the Tablet S, as well as a free cradle accessory. With that discount, the 16GB model will retail for $349, while the 32GB option will set customers back $449.
Source: news.cnet

Galaxy Note with T-Mobile branding found online

T-Mobile may soon be adding the 5.3-inch smartphone-tablet hybrid to its lineup. But unlike the AT&T device, it may offer Ice Cream Sandwich.

T-Mobile ready to announce their own Galaxy Note?

(Credit: TmoNews)

A T-Mobile branded version of the Samsung Galaxy Note has been spied online, confirming rumors that the phone/tablet hybrid would be expanding to additional carriers.

Pictures obtained by TmoNews indicate that not only is the Galaxy Note close, but also it's bringing dessert with it.

Screen shots show that the T-Mobile-branded SGH-T879 is running Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich. AT&T's model, as many of you know, runs the Gingerbread version of the mobile operating system.

It's Unclear whether the phone is equipped for the carrier's 42Mbps HSPA+ network, though it would be wasted effort if not. I assume that T-Mobile's version will closely resemble AT&T's edition and will include a 1.5Ghz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, and a 5-megapixel camera.

Given the production-ready phone is already in the real world, I might look for T-Mobile to announce the Galaxy Note at CTIA in May.
Source: news.cnet.com