Latest Mobile Phone News

Microsoft found its latest mobile goldmine and it is not Windows Phone. The company doesn’t even need to make or sell the product. It is Android, which is a mobile phone platform made by its rival Google. In the last nine months, Microsoft went after several companies that manufacture Android tablets and smartphones. It has filed lawsuits or asked the companies to pay licensing fees for technologies found in the Android platform. Microsoft claimed that it owns the patents for the technologies involved.

Four companies agreed to pay licensing fees to Microsoft for selling smartphones and tablets running on Android. One of them is the major Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC, which entered a licensing agreement with Microsoft in April. It agreed to pay $5 per Android phone made. Microsoft has also in discussion with Samsung, the world’s biggest Android smartphone maker. Google, Microsoft and Samsung decline to give any comments with regards to the issue. Microsoft chief attorney Brad Smith said that the company is happy to entertain licensing agreement deals with companies that make Android smartphones and tablets. Once Microsoft can get every Android device maker to pay $5 for every device, the company could earn up to $913 million a year. That’s based on 500,000 new devices a day.

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A teardown of the HTC Thunderbolt Treveals one of the highest bill of materials (BOM) ever seen on a cell phone. Components for the popular 4G LTE smartphone cost $262. It is significantly higher than the $171.35 cost of Verizon iPhone elements and comparable to media tablets. The most expensive element of the Thunderbolt was its 4G LTE wireless standard, which made up $39.75 of the tab. Most of this expense come from a first-generation LTE baseband chip, Qualcomm MDM9600. Because of the high cost of a 4G LTE standard next iPhone, rumored to support 4G LTE, will cost Apple 23 percent more – $211.10 – to make if Apple decides to use the same first-generation LTE chipsets as the Thunderbolt does.

It remains to be seen whether the next Apple iPhone set for introduction in September will support 4G LTE. However, if it does, two things are clear. First, the iPhone’s minuscule printed circuit board (PCB) will have to grow in size in order to support the first-generation LTE baseband processor as well as all the supporting chipset. Second, the next iPhone’s BOM value certainly will increase substantially compared to the iPhone 4 if LTE is implemented in the same manner as in the HTC Thunderbolt.

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Apple isn’t giving up any ground in its patent infringement battle with Samsung: the company has now filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission asking the agency to block the import and sale of devices it claims infringe on seven technology and design patents. “Samsung has followed each of Apple’s groundbreaking products with imitation products that incorporate Apple’s technology and distinctive design,” Apple wrote in its complaint to the ITC. Although Apple and Samsung remain partners in components and manufacturing—Apple is one of Samsung’s largest customers—Apple has accused Samsung of blatantly imitating its iPhone and iPad products with its Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab Android-powered smartphones and tablets. The companies’ legal battle over patent infringement in mobile devices now includes litigation in at least four countries: the United States, South Korea, Japan, and Germany. Industry watchers generally believe Apple is unlikely to get an import injunction against allegedly-infringing Samsung products in the United States. Apple is likely using the filing as a way to raise the stakes in its dispute with Samsung, potentially giving it a stronger position in any negotiations or settlement talks the companies may have. Apple’s latest move comes on the heels of Samsung dropping one of its patent infringement suits against Apple in the United States, although Samsung characterized dropping the case as an effort to streamline proceedings.

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The Droid Bionic, successor to the Droid and the Droid X, looks to be locked for launch.  The good folks over at This Is My Next have published a Best Buy promo advertisement featuring the Bionic. The ad seems real enough, although the poster is missing the precise launch dates and a spec lists. What we can tell from the advert is that the Bionic is aesthetic: a face-lift, some nipping and tucking, and some rounding around the corners. In fact, if you just glance at the Bionic, you could be forgiven for confusing the thing for an iPhone 4. It seems identical, except the Apple home button has been swapped with the familiar Droid button array.

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The Xperia series of the smartphones by Sony Ericsson have been extremely popular among users. On Wednesday, Sony Ericsson ook the wraps of a couple of new smartphones for its Xperia series. The unveiled Xperia smartphones are Xperia Active and Xperia Ray. Xperia Active boasts of a 3 inch display capable of displaying pictures of resolution measuring 320×480 pixels. It runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and is equipped with a 5 MP camera along with a 2GB memory card. The memory card can be expanded to 32GB and comes with several integrated apps. It also has an on-screen heart rate and pulse monitor. The phone is also dust and water resistant. The pricing of the phone is yet to be revealed. On the other hand Xperia Ray has a larger screen (3.3 inches) and similar to Xperia Active it runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. It however has 8.1MP camera and comes with 4GB integrated memory which is also expandable up to 32 GB. Pricing of Ray also has not been revealed.

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We’ve all seen the world of mobile technology explode in recent years. Everything’s getting faster, better, and smaller with every attempt and with models like the 4G Phone Samsung Exhibit, it’s become a big business that’s finding its way into our huge economy. It’s a field where progress is measured in gigabytes and features and companies, all over the globe, are at each other’s throats trying to gain any competitive edge over the other. This was apparent at the auctioning off of Nortel’s mobile patents. If you’re wondering how much that edge is worth, well it’s apparently worth 4.5 billion dollars. Read the rest of this entry »

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Apparently, curiosity is one of the reasons why folks even posted the video in YouTube, showing a teardown of Sprint Wireless phone, the HTC Evo 3D. The phone is worth $199 with a 2 year contract, so semi-destroying the phone to reveal its components inside is a heartbreaking scenery especially if you’re not rich. According to Youtube’s video stat, the HTC Evo 3D teardown already attracted 18,000 viewers, majority are male viewers living in United States. HTC Evo 3D is the first 3D Android smartphone launched in United States. According to specs sheet, the HTC Evo 3D is a screamer with 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, two 5 MP rear shooter for shooting HD 3D or 2D videos and photos, and the phone is also capable of initiating or receiving video calls courtesy of recently hacked Skype app for Android. HTC Evo 3D is also expected to arrive in United Kingdom courtesy of Vodafone that recently dumped LG’s Optimus 3D in favor of the Taiwan based company. However, the LG Optimus 3D will arrive in UK first courtesy of Carphone Warehouse. In United States, LG is also expected to release the phone courtesy of AT&T, with a new brand name, LG Thrill 4G. Apparently, the phone will join the carrier’s HSPA+ phone lineup.

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You’ve probably seen ad campaigns from the major U.S. carriers boasting about their 4G networks. In short, it’s next-generation wireless technology that promises data speeds at least two times faster than today’s current 3G networks. For you, that means you should experience faster Web browsing, quicker downloads and other benefits on your smartphone. Here are some of the latest 4G phones to get your mobile moving faster.

T-Mobile G2x : The T-Mobile G2x features an Nvidia Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core processor that delivers great performance. It also has a sharp design, plenty of multimedia features, and HSPA+ speeds. The T-Mobile G2x’s photo quality did not meet our expectations. The call quality could also be slightly better.

HTC Evo 3D (Sprint): The HTC Evo 3D improves on its predecessor with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and a larger battery. The Android Gingerbread smartphone also features a glasses-free 3-D display and can capture 3-D photos and video. It doesn’t offer much internal memory, and call quality could be better. The glasses-free 3-D display has limited viewing angles and depth of field

Samsung Infuse 4G (AT&T): The Samsung Infuse 4G features a large and vibrant 4.5-inch touch screen that’s great for browsing and videos. The Android smartphone is ultrathin and has an 8-megapixel camera and snappy performance. The lower-resolution screen makes text look a bit pixelated. AT&T’s 4G data speeds are slow.

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Sony Ericsson has preclaimed the release of two new smart phones and a new feature phone on Asia-Pacific markets in a bid to support its business position as a communication entertainment brand and to make itself the markets’ leading supplier of mobile phones based on the Android. The new phones – the Xperia ray, the Xperia Active and the Sony Ericsson txt – will be available by the end of this year. Sony Ericsson’s corporate vice president and head of Asia-Pacific region Matthew Lang said that the firm wanted to become the No 1 supplier of Android-based mobile phones and it saw the opportunity for growth in Asia Pacific. “We see great opportunities in the market for our new products. We have great expectations for active markets such as Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and India. We need to be No 1 in Android-based mobile phones to be the market leader,” he said. Moreover, Lang said Sony Ericsson would introduce a new tablet PC to the market when it was able to develop something unique and different. At present, it is waiting to see how the market segment emerges.

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications International’s corporate vice president and head of marketing Steve Walker said that the growth of the Asia-Pacific mobile-phone market had led his company to unveil the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray and Xperia active, to give consumers access to the world of Sony Ericsson and Android. The Xperia ray and Xperia active smart phones both run the latest version of the Android platform (Gingerbread 2.3) and deliver rich consumer experiences. “As the Android platform gains market share in Asia Pacific, the Xperia portfolio is positioned to deliver consumers a unique and differentiated experience. We continue to deliver a portfolio to make the Sony Ericsson experience available to a broad range of consumers,” he said.

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The heat is building between Apple and Samsung as issues over patent infringement filed lawsuits and accusations have sparked media attention between the two tech giant’s escalating rivalry.  Official injunctions were filed by Apple to try and block four of Samsung’s mobile devices from hitting the U.S. market.  The four Samsung devices listed were Galaxy S 4G smartphone, Infuse 4G smartphone, Droid Charge smartphone, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1.  Apple’s devices included iPhones and iPads.Outside of the courtroom, another clash is brewing as the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S2 approach their rumored launch dates.The iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S2 models have been key devices in the patent filing cases.  Accusations from Apple included Samsung’s “slavishly copying” iPhone and iPad designs.  The two companies have attempted to demand seeing each other’s prototypes for upcoming mobile products, but those requests have not yet fallen through.  Samsung filed suit to see Apple’s iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad 3 designs after Apple’s initial request.

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We are hearing that the latest buzzword on smartphones is dual processor, but what does dual processor mean and what will it do to improve user experience?

Dual core processors (which are really system on chip) are essentially the equivalent of having two processors on board your smartphone. When a phone manufacturer specifies phones such as the Samsungs Galaxy S II as having a 1.2 GHz dual core processor, what they are saying is that the phone has the equivalent of two processors both with an operating speed of 1.2 GHz. In simple terms, if you double the processors you double the smartphone’s performance. Read the rest of this entry »

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