Cortana: Windows Phone's Answer to Siri?

Apple's iPhone has Siri and Android has Google Now, but it looks like Microsoft is developing its own counterpart: a virtual assistant based on the Halocharacter "Cort

ana." In fact, "she has the potential to be a star for Microsoft," said analyst Rob Enderle. "Xbox is Microsoft's strongest platform and Halo is the strongest brand, with Cortana being the cutest character."

For players of Microsoft's Halo video game series, the computer AI character known as "Cortana" can do much more than just provide directions and plot advances in the game. Soon, however, Cortana could become part of Windows Phone users' real lives as well.

Apple Mixes It Up With Sleek, Splashy iPhones

All that worrying about a cheap plastic iPhone in garish colors came to an end Tuesday when Apple trotted out its iPhone 5c. The phone is budget-minded, colorful and, well, polycarbonate, but it's a nice, respectable, well-made iPhone. The iPhone 5s, on the other hand, is something to write home about, with its fancy new fingerprint scanner and A7 chip that boasts 64-bit desktop-class architecture.

At today's official iPhone launch event, Apple delivered five colors for the new polycarbonate entry-level iPhone 5c and introduced its new starship-grade iPhone 5s, which boasts a 64-bit A7 chip, all-new iSight camera with True Tone Flash, and a built-in Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

Apple also announced the delivery date for the already pre-viewed new iOS 7: September 18, which means that is also the date iOS users will get to try out the new iTunes Radio app for streaming music.

Inside the iPhone 5c

Apple did indeed introduce the widely rumored low-end iPhone 5c, but there's more to the new model than its name and colors. It boasts a hard-coated polycarbonate body with a steel frame to hold the components. The interior frame also doubles as the iPhone 5c's antenna.

Mobiles Internet Gaming Tablets Laptops/ PC Apps Social Home Ent. Telecom Cameras Others You are here:Gadgets Home Tablets News $199 Nexus 7 with full-HD screen to be announced at Google I/O: Report

With the Google Nexus I/O just round the corner there are plenty of rumours doing the round as to what Google might announce at this event.According to a news report by AppleInsider, Google might be looking at launching a refreshed Google Nexus 7 at this year's Google I/O. The website is quoting Ming-Chi Kuo, an Analyst with KGI Securities, who shares that the next generation of Google Nexus 7 tablet will come with a high-resolution screen. It is expected that the tablet will have a 7-inch LTPS display with 1,980X1,200 pixel resolution.

Nokia Lumia 928 with Windows Phone 8 officially launched in the US

Nokia will sell a new high-end smartphone through U.S. carrier Verizon Wireless, it said on Friday, aiming to expand its share in the high-margin premium market after years of falling behind Samsung <005930.KS> and Apple Inc .The new Lumia 928, priced at $99 if customers mail-in a $50 rebate and agree to a two-year deal with Verizon Wireless , is similar to the 920 model currently sold through AT&T , but is lighter and slightly different in appearance.

Vertu TI luxury phone launched in India for Rs. 6,49,990

The luxury mobile maker Vertu has launched Vertu TI in India. The smartphone has been priced at a whopping Rs. 6,49,990. Vertu TI smartphone looks much like the earlier Vertu smartphone. On the specs side, it comes with a dual-core 1.7GHz processor along with 1GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. For camera, there is an 8-megapixel camera rear camera that can also record 1080p videos and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera.
Vertu TI sports 3.7-inches WVGA screen and runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). The company has also added its own custom User Interface.

Purported image of next iPhone's motherboard leaks

An image of what is claimed to be a small component of the next generation iPhone's motherboard has leaked online, giving rise to a new set of rumours surrounding Apple's flagship smartphone.

iBall launches Andi 5L and Andi 5Li for Rs. 10,490

The Indian smartphone maker iBall has officially launched Andi 5L and Andi 5Li smartphones.iBall Andi 5L is a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) phone that packs in a 5-inch capacitive touchscreen display with 480X800 pixels resolution. There is a 1GHz Cortex-A9 dual-core processor on-board along with 512MB of RAM. iBall Andi 5L runs on the dated Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich).
It comes with 4GB of internal storage, which can be expanded by up to 32GB via microSD card. For camera, there is an 8-megapixel rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash and VGA one in the front. It comes with Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, G-Sensor and 1800mAh battery.

Nokia unveils Asha 501, revamps Asha platform

 

Nokia has unveiled Asha 501, the first phone from a new family of Asha phones that will run a revamped operating system that Nokia is calling the Asha platform.

The full-touch phone will be available in single and EasySwap dual-SIM variants and feature a 3-inch QVGA TFT capacitive display. It will be available in six colours - Bright Red, Bright Green, Cyan, Yellow, White and Black.

Samsung Galaxy Mega, Galaxy S4 mini, Galaxy S4 Activ and Galaxy S4 Zoom rumoured launch dates revealed

Samsung is expected to launch a number of smartphones under the umbrella of its Galaxy S4 smartphone, and even before the company officially announces them a new report reveals the release timeline of these phones.

Celkon A119Q Signature HD with 1.2GHz quad-core processor, Android 4.2 launched for Rs. 12,499

 The Indian smartphone makers seem to be rushing out their quad-core offerings and Celkon is no different.

The company has launched Celkon A119Q Signature HD in the Indian market for Rs. 12,499. Celkon A119Q Signature HD features a 5-inch display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels. It is powered by 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor along with PowerVR SGX 544MP2 GPU.
Internally, Celkon A119Q Signature HD comes with 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage of which 2.56GB is user accessible. The storage can be further expanded by another 32GB through a microSD card. It is dual-SIM (GSM/WCDMA + GSM) smartphone.

Nokia Lumia 625 rumoured to release with 4.7-inch WVGA screen

It looks like Nokia might be announcing a large screen Lumia device with Windows Phone 8 very soon.

According to a Chinese website (via GSM Insider), Nokia is likely to announce the Lumia 625, a mid-range Windows Phone 8 smartphone that will feature a 4.7-inch display with a resolution of 480x800 pixels. The phone is expected to be powered by a Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 chipset with dual-core processor.

Another leak online BlackBerry R10 pictures and specifications

BlackBerry seems to be gearing up to add more devices in its BlackBerry 10 portfolio. Earlier we heard rumours regarding affordable BlackBerry 10 smartphones being in the works, and there's more buzz around the same.A few purported pictures of this affordable BlackBerry 10 smartphone have been posted online courtesy Chinese website, DGtle. The past rumours suggest that this smartphone will be dubbed BlackBerry R10 and will be an affordable Curve smartphone.

Xolo is all set to launch a new smartphone in the Indian market

Dubbed the Q700, the smartphone will be available in the market for Rs. 9,999, making it the most affordable quad-core offering from Xolo.
Moreover, Xolo Q700 is also the first smartphone from Xolo to offer Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) out of the box. Internally the Xolo Q700 will pack in 1.2GHz quad-core processor with PowerVR SGX544 GPU. The smartphone also offers 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, which can be expanded by up to 32GB.

Google-Motorola patent fight

EU anti-trust officials said on Monday that Google-owned Motorola was abusing its leading position in Germany's mobile phone market by filing a patent injunction against Apple over some core smartphone functions.
A statement said that the European Union had reached a "preliminary view" on a competition investigation opened in April 2012.
It had decided that Motorola Mobility's action "amounts to an abuse of a dominant position prohibited by EU anti-trust rules."

Another online leak but this time the victim is "MOTOROLA XFONE"

Motorola and its much awaited smartphones have been garnering a lot of attention for the last few months. Though no one can say whether it is one device or an entire range of new devices that are being developed, that has not stopped the rumour mill from buzzing.
Now, Twitter user @evleaks has posted pictures of what appears to be Motorola's next flagship smartphone. In one of the images that showcases the back of the smartphone, the model name "XFON" can be seen. @evleaks has posted the caption "Blackboxed Motorola for AT&T", which indicates that this smartphone might be headed to telecom operator AT&T in near future.

first small-screen Windows 8 tablet, accidentally leaked by Amazon.com

Accidental leaks seem to have become a common affair. The latest to suffer the fate is Acer with its W3-810 tablet, which is an 8.1-inch Windows 8 tablet.
According to a news report by PCWorld, Acer W3-810 was accidentally listed by Amazon.com on Friday for $379.99 (Rs. 20,500) but removed soon after.

BB' CEO says no one will use tablets five years from now

During an interview at the Milken Institute conference in Los Angeles, Heins said that he does't think there'll be a reason to have a tablet in five years and that tablets were not a good business model. The interview was reported by Bloomberg.
 "In five years I don't think there'll be a reason to have a tablet anymore," said Heins. "Maybe a big screen in your workspace, but not a tablet as such. Tablets themselves are not a good business model."

It's not the first time that Heins has questioned the tablet business. However, the new comment indicates that the company is not looking at tablets, at all.

Samsung emerges No. 1 phone seller

Samsung has overtaken Nokia to become the largest seller of mobile phones in the country's major markets.

KOLKATA: Samsung has overtaken Nokia to become the largest seller of mobile phones in the country's major markets, as consumers lap up its new feature phones and its smartphones continue to do brisk business.

According to market tracker GfK-Nielsen's data, Samsung's volume market share in urban areas in March rose to 31.4%, surpassing Nokia's 30.1%. GfK-Nielsen urban panel tracks sales in 793 cities and towns with a population of over 50,000, which account for more than 70% of India's total handset sales.

This is the first time the Korean company's volume market share has crossed that of Nokia's in the GfK-Nielsen survey. The all-India figures, which will include rural sales, will be released shortly.

Some months ago, Samsung's market share, measured in value terms, had exceeded that of Nokia's, and there is now a considerable gap between the two due to growing demand for the Korean firm's smartphones.

New models push sales
Last month, Samsung's value market share in urban markets stood at 42.2% compared with Nokia's 20.7%. Analysts say Samsung's gain in volume market share last month is led by the recent introduction of the Rex feature phone series and strong demand for smartphones such as Galaxy Grand and Note 2, the top-selling models at multi-brand retail outlets. Its newest premium smartphone, Galaxy S4, will be launched in India on Friday.
A Nokia India spokesperson said the company did not comment on country-specific market data, and added that it was executing its strategy with 'urgency and at a new clock speed'. The spokesperson said at the higher end of the price spectrum, the company had launched ten Nokia Lumia devices in the past 16 months and claimed that Asha 305 was the best-selling smartphone in India.

"We are competing at every price point with better mobile experience. Nokia will continue to deliver new and innovative solutions to consumers," she said.

Notwithstanding these initiatives, analysts and experts feel that Nokia's more than a decade-long leadership in the Indian handset market is under threat. The company, which once enjoyed a dominant 80% market share, has never completely recovered from its failure to anticipate and react to the dual-SIM handset boom a few years ago.

"It's truly unbelievable the way Nokia fell in India in the past six years. The brand failed to rejuvenate itself and fell prey to customer fatigue. Add to that the speed of execution - while Samsung was taking six months to launch a new model from the drawing board to retail store, Nokia was taking more than a year," said former BlackBerry India head Sunil Dutt, who was Nokia's head of sales till 2007. A Samsung India spokeswoman declined comment on the market share data. But Samsung India's Country Head (mobile phone & digital imaging) Vineet Taneja said the company has gained market share.

"Samsung has created new segments, such as the Note series or the Rex series, which was developed in India. We have developed a strong product portfolio straddling across entry-level smartphones till the premium segment," said Taneja. The Korean company has been the leader in the smartphones segment since end-2011, even as it trailed Nokia in the overall handset market.

 -Article Revised By Pushpendra Kumar Tiwari