Mobile Phones News Blog

Posts Tagged ‘consumer’

Nokia will launch at least one new high end smartphone at Mobile World Congress, in a few weeks’ time in Barcelona, according to a report published by Forbes.

An unnamed source said that the handset will debut at the tradeshow and won’t be AT&T’s Lumia 900 which was presented at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.

The source – according to Elizabeth Woyke – added that it was unsure whether the device will be a Windows Phone handset but singled out the fact that the phone would run an “unusual software feature” normally found on high end smartphones (ed : we hope it’s not 3D).

Many expect the phone to be an updated version of the Lumia 900 for the European markets, one called the 910, which would come with a 12-megapixel camera like the Nokia N8.

Could it be that Nokia will release either a Windows-based tablet, in a bid to play catch up in a market dominated by Android and Apple’s iOS?

Or will Nokia ruffle some feathers by announcing a high end smartphone based on Symbian, Nokia’s own mobile platform.

Either way, Nokia will be holding a press conference on the first day of the MWC event in the morning and we will be part of the audience.

With Nokia and Microsoft partnering to offer some amazing devices in 2012, analysts are predicting these two companies will witness a surge in sales this year. The two partners will offer updated hardware and are also planning some heavy promotional activity.

According to analysts at global financial services firm Morgan Stanley, Nokia’s Windows Phone shipment will touch 37 million units in the current year, and in 2013 this figure will be 64 million units.

In fact, HTC will also ship more Windows Phone Devices this year, with the analysts predicting the total number of Windows Phone handsets shipped this year to be more than 40 million units.

Steve Ballmer, CEO at Microsoft, commented during the Consumer Electronics Show, “we’ve got a lot of room to go in selling Windows Phones,” further adding,”but I feel very much like the work we’re doing is really going to pay off,” Mobiledia reports.

Nokia and Microsoft have already hit the market with the entry level Lumia 710, and more high-end Lumia 800 which have had positive reviews. The Lumia 900 has also just been announced, and should be hitting markets soon, see pics and video here.

The rules of the game have changed. Just a few years ago, handheld consoles such as the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP ruled the roost of portable gaming. I remember in my childhood being captivated by Zelda DX and Pokémon Blue on my Game Boy Colour; back then the must-have device for gaming on the go. The birth of the app and evolution of smartphones have brought to light an increase in the quality of apps games available on your mobile phone. Not only do the likes of Android and iOS offer quick fix games such as Angry Birds, or Plants vs Zombies but fully fledged blockbusters with lengthy storylines and awe blasting 3D graphics such as GTA III and Infinity Blade II. With the next generation of smartphone releases set to run faster and blast even more power, is it game over for the portable games console?

The Problem

Statistics from Flurry Analytics suggests that portable consoles are losing their slice of the pie. In 2009, Sony PSP and Nintendo DS were recipients of 81% of total portable game software revenue in the United States. Fast forward to the end of 2011, and their share has halved to 42%. Where has it gone? Smartphone operating systems iOS and Android have leapt from a combined 19% share in 2009, to a dominating 58% in just two years.

Out of control?

Hard core gamers may criticise iOS and Android games apps for their lack of a physical game pad to control the game; often the player has to touch the screen repeatedly. Even this hindrance can be removed thanks to an Android app which allows Bluetooth synchronisation with your PS3 controller. It won’t be long before apps games have this feature coded into their official titles and smartphones steal another life from the portable games console.

Power to the smartphone!

The iPhone 4S released with a dual-core A5 chip, has given the 1UP in smartphone apps games and offers power and graphics unseen in mobile devices previously. Even consoles such as the Nintendo 3DS, which offers 3D gaming without the need for glasses, could be matched for technology. We’ve already seen the release of the LG Optimus 3D smartphone and further rumours suggest the Samsung Galaxy S3 will come with eye trickery technology to match Nintendo.

Apps Games cost less

The apps games streamlined digital approach, eliminates the need for physical manufacturers and distributers. This means cheaper games for the consumer. Combine this factor with an ultra-competitive OS platform that releases new games daily, and you create a market where £6 chart toppers are frowned upon as too expensive – effectively the price of a bargain bin Nintendo DS game in the supermarket. Why would you pay £40 for the latest handheld title when you can download entertaining apps games that all your friends have for under £3?

What does the future hold for portable gaming hardware? Visit our blog tomorrow for Part 2 of our apps games review…

Get the Nintendo 3DS as a free gift on selected contracts.

What titles currently top the Apps Games Chart?
Android | iOS | Windows Phone

Word on the street is that Nokia is all set to roll out its brand new products namely the Lumia 900 and the Lumia 719 at the upcoming Consumer Electronic Show, to be held in January 2012 in Las Vegas.

Apparently, the rumours started with a self proclaimed anonymous Nokia employee revealing the ‘secret plans’ of the Finnish phone maker for CES 2012 to the DGui team.

And as one could guess, like most other rumours floating around on the Web, the rumours of Nokia unveiling Lumia 719 and 900 have yet to be backed any concrete statements or details from the company.

The Lumia 900 is likely to be pretty similar to the Lumia 800, but with a larger 4.3 inch toucscreen display alongside 4G LTE connectivity.

And about the other device, the Nokia Lumia 719, there is simply not much information available. However, judging by the model number (that’s all we have as of now), it is highly likely that the 719 will be an enhanced version of the current Lumia 710 model.

All speculation aside, we will just have to wait until the CES in January to learn more about Nokia’s plans for its mobile phone line.

Microsoft has signed yet another patent licensing deal with an Android device maker as it continues to use the might of its patents to make money from the popularity of Android.

The Windows maker, which struggling to compete with Android with its Windows Phone 7 platform, announced that it had signed licensing deal with Taiwan based device maker Compal Electronics, which covers tablets, mobile phones and other consumer devices that run on either Google’s Android or Chrome platforms.

Microsoft announced that the patent deal, which is the tenth such deal, now means that the company has licensing deals with device makers that make half of the Android devices in the market. “We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Compal, one of the leaders in the original design manufacturing, or ODM, industry,” said Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel, Intellectual Property Group at Microsoft.

“Together with the license agreements signed in the past few months with Wistron and Quanta Computer, today’s agreement with Compal means more than half of the world’s ODM industry for Android and Chrome devices is now under license to Microsoft’s patent portfolio,” he added.

Apart from Wistron and Quanta, the company has also struck patent licensing deals with HTC, Samsung, Acer and ViewSonic among others.