HTC releases unaudited report for Q2, revenue down by over a half

It has not been a very good quarter for HTC - in Europe, the financial crisis meant lower demand, while in the US the patent battle with Apple meant delayed shipments, both of which hurt HTCs performance.

HTC has yet to release the full report, but the unaudited numbers (PDF) show that the companys predictions from Q1 of revenue climbing back to 2011 levels did not come true.

The companys revenue for Q2 was $3 billion and the net profit reached $247.7 million. Thats up quarter on quarter but down by over 50% compared to the net profit of $585.1 million in Q2 of 2011.

For the second and third months of Q2 (May and June) HTCs sales were equal and reached $1 billion, but thats down 33.4% compared to June of 2011.

HTC will be launching new devices in the second half of this year, but Peter Liao (an analyst at Nomura Securities) is skeptical about the company's prospects in Q3. HTC phones will have to compete with the Galaxy S III (Samsung is predicting strong sales for their flagship) and with the new iPhone thats coming later this year.

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Galaxy Nexus ban in the US gets temporarily suspended

First we learned that Apple managed to win a temporary injunction against Samsung, which resulted in the Galaxy Nexus being banned from selling in the US. Then Google also pulled the phone from the Play Store, promising to issue a software update which should circumvent the reason for which the phone was banned.

Now we are hearing that the court has temporarily suspended the ban on the Galaxy Nexus until it gets an official response from Apple on the matter, which will happen on July 12. Once Apple responds, the court will decide whether or not the ban will be in place as the case goes to trial. Remember, this is just a temporary injunction. Apple is gunning for a permanent injunction, which is yet to be provided.

The phone may not be available online for sale at the moment but you may be able to get it next week.

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Samsung explains the reason for the exploded Galaxy S III

Remember the Galaxy S III that exploded not so long ago? After the accident in Ireland, Samsung started an investigation to see what caused it and it's back with the results.

The company even contracted Fire Investigations UK (FIUK) to help them get to the bottom of it and they've concluded that it's a external heat source, presumably a domestic microwave oven.

Here's what the report states:

The only way it was possible to produce damage similar to the damage recorded within the owner's damaged device was to place the devices or component parts within a domestic microwave

After the statement, the owner of the overheated Galaxy S III has since brought more light as to how it all happened and has even retracted his accusations towards Samsung. According to him, the phone was exposed to water and "another person" had been trying to mend it.

Thanks for the tip, George!

Source | Via

New iPhone to supposedly feature quad-core CPU based on Exynos 4

HTC, Samsung, LG and Meizu are among the big-name manufacturers to release quad-core smartphones during this year, and it seems like Apple will be putting its name on that list.

Rumors abound that the upcoming new iPhone will feature a quad-core A6 processor produced by Samsung, which will essentially be a modified quad-core Exynos 4 series chip.

Like ZTE and Huawei, however, it seems like Apple are planning to wait until the second half of the year to release its device, just before the holiday shopping season begins.

Qualcomm will be adding fuel to a quad-core fire of their own with their upcoming APQ8064A chipset, which will integrate an LTE radio and the Adreno 320 GPU all into a 28nm process. Expect these impressive Snapdragons to also hit the shelves around Q4 of this year.

Source | Via

Samsung posts record profit,  Galaxy S III to hit 19M sales in Q3

Samsung hasnt released its full Q2 financial report yet, but it unveiled some salient details on its performance. Largely thanks to the Galaxy line of Android smartphones, Samsung's profit reached a record $5.9 billion (up 79% year on year). Executives expect it to grow even further, 36% quarter-on-quarter for Q3.

Samsung's mobile division is responsible for over 70% of the company's earnings. In the second quarter of this year, the Korean giant sold around 50 million smartphones and expects profits to have doubled, reaching $3.87 billion.

One Samsung exec predicts that sales of Galaxy S III flagship will hit the 19 million mark in Q3, growing in the absence of a new iPhone.

When the new Apple smartphone inevitably comes, the growth of the Samsung's mobile division is expected to slow down, but the Korean company's semiconductor business will benefit from the launch as Samsung provides screens and chips for Apple's gadgets (and maybe even an Exynos-based quad-core chipset for the next iPhone).

Samsung's biggest worry at the moment is the Euro crisis - Europe is the biggest market for Samsung electronics and the fall of the euro compared to the Korean won cuts into its profits.

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Amazon said to be developing its own smartphone

Amazon is said to be in the midst of developing its own smartphone, which will compete against the iPhone and the Android smartphones, says Bloomberg. The world's largest online retailer is said to have partnered with Foxconn to manufacture the handset for it.

There are no other details available at the moment but if Amazon plans to compete with iPhone their phone has to be high-end, unlike the Kindle Fire, which was a budget offering. We don't know what software it would be running but it's fair to assume it would be a heavily customized version of Android such as the one on the Kindle Fire.

Considering Amazon has its own application store, along with books, music, movies and loads of other stuff, it really doesn't matter if it doesn't allow access to the Google Play Store (assuming you're in the US).

Amazon may not have the same brand value when it comes to smartphone, seeing as it doesn't have any so far, but it does run the world's most popular online store, where it can advertise the phone on every page. This, coupled with the content from its store and possibly an attractive price tag means the Amazon smartphone could be a success, just like the Kindle Fire.

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Motorola ATRIX HD for AT&T becomes official

We have seen the Motorola ATRIX HD in the past, back when it was known as Dinara. Now suddenly we find the product page live on Motorola's website even before the company made any official announcements.

Looking at the ATRIX HD you can see a strong resemblance to the RAZR. The phone has a similar sleek profile and a Kevlar covered back that curves upwards near the camera. And the specs of the phone match its good looks. On the front we have a 4.5-inch HD LCD with ColorBoost technology and a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera. On the back is a 8 megapixel shooter that can also capture 1080p videos. Inside there is a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB memory (expandable) and a 1,780mAh battery.

The phone runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and you can even see that it uses on-screen navigation controls like the Galaxy Nexus. The phone will be available on AT&T's LTE network. Pricing and release dates should be available when Motorola makes the official announcement.

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Samsung will manufacture 28nm Qualcomm Snapdragon chips

Yes, you read that right. Samsung, one of Qualcomm's main competitors in the business with mobile silicon, is going to help its rival produce the 28nm Snapdragon S4 SoC.

The reason for this is that Qualcomm's current manufacturing partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, better known as TSMC, can't keep up with the demand. As a result, Qualcomm has reached out to the biggest players in the business for help - United Microelectronics (UMC) and Samsung.

UMC is said to start producing the 28nm Snapdragon S4 chips in Q4 of this at the very earliest. However, it's unknown when Samsung will chime in and start the manufacturing process.

One thing is certain though - Samsung isn't happy that its own Exynos chips aren't as preferred as Qualcomm ones in the US because of their lack of LTE support, and more specifically the 700MHz band. As a result, it's swaps them for Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 solution in order to compete in the US market.

Source | Via

LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy S III launching in Korea next week

The LTE-packing Samsung Galaxy S III for the Korean market has been officially announced. Unlike its US siblings, this one uses a quad-core Exynos chipset rather than a Qualcomm Snapdragon.

As expected, the phone is a bit thicker than the international Galaxy S III - measuring 9mm thick (compared to 8.6mm). It's chock full of wireless connectivity though - GSM, WCDMA, CDMA (for the LG+ carrier only) and LTE, plus NFC, T-DMB television and of course Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0.

It will run Android 4.0 ICS at launch with the brand new Nature UX in tow. The Korean Samsung Galaxy S III is powered by a quad-core Exynos with 2GB of RAM and features 32GB of built-in storage (expandable with microSD cards). The battery remains unchanged with 2100mAh capacity.

The Samsung flagship droid will launch on its home turf next Monday, July 9, on the three major carriers SKT, KT and LG+. A non-LTE version of the Galaxy S III is already on sale in Korea.

Source (in Korean) | Via

Nokia says Google Nexus 7 tablet infringes its patents

It appears that the patent wars between smartphone manufacturers are far from over as virtually every new device is said to infringe on someone else's patents now. And it appears that we are going to have a new big player involved as Nokia just officially accused ASUS of using its patents with Google Nexus 7 tablet without license.

The patents in question refer to the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard, which the Nexus 7 supports. Nokia said that it has licensed said patents to 40 licenses mobile device manufacturers, but neither Google nor ASUS are on the list.

However, Nokia won't have as aggressive approach as Apple and is unlikely to file a case against Asus. Instead, the company has kindly invited Asus and Google to sign up for a license.

We'll be following ASUS and Google's response and see if this could turn up to be the next big court case against the Nexus devices.

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Rumored Sony Xperia SL LT26ii might bring a CPU upgrade

About a week ago, a Sony Xperia SL LT26ii showed up on the Indonesia's version of the FCC. The site offered no info on its specs, but immediately there were speculation that the SL will be to the Xperia S as the arc S was to the Xperia arc.

Now, a tipster has contacted XperiaBlog and told them that the Xperia SL will offer a CPU upgrade and will be available in a new color. The tipster didnt offer any details on the potential new processor, but if we follow the arc - arc S example, it should be a frequency bump (the MSM8260 chipset is clocked at 1.5GHz in the Xperia S, but can run at up to 1.7GHz).

It's clear that they can't call the new phone Xperia S S, but the letter L might have been chosen for another reason. Remember the Xperia neo L, which increased the screen size of the neo V and launched with ICS instead of Gingerbread.

So far, this is all deep inside the rumor mill and we'd wait for more evidence confirming the existence and specs of the Sony Xperia SL - a leaked user agent XML or a camera sample accidentally uploaded to Picasa are usually how it happens.

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Nokia Lumia 900 review: Europass

Introduction

It took the Nokia Lumia 900 just a few days to top the US sales charts and see delighted handshakes quickly turn into group hugs, as Nokia, Microsoft and AT&T, which carries it exclusively stateside, were busy celebrating the flagship's performance in recent months.

The Lumia 900 has finally made the trip across the pond but it's not the return home it must've dreamed of. Not quite the triumphant welcome from thousands flocking to retail outlets and carriers. Yes, there's a big question mark hanging over the global version of the Nokia Lumia 900. The news that Windows Phone 8 is out of reach has taken the shine off its appeal. But its character is intact - and the Lumia 900 has enough of that to spare.

Nokia Lumia 900 official photos

A big, quality screen, fluid and stylish OS and premium build are all sprinkled with Nokia's magic in a package that's made to impress. We've been there already - and we don't mean the review we have of the Lumia 900 for AT&T. After all, it's a Lumia 800 all over again, only the screen got bigger. And yet, we are delighted to meet this smartphone again - and we'll give it that, it looks stunning in white.

You'll also be happy to know that this time around we're putting the Lumia 900 to all our usual tests. AT&T's Lumia 900 was reviewed away from the office but this one will not simply walk in and out of our labs without getting a taste of our torture routine.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• Quad-band 3G with 42 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA support
• 4.3" 16M-color AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of 480 x 800 pixel resolution
• Scratch resistant Gorilla glass display with anti-glare polarizer
• 8 megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash, 720p@27fps video recording and fast f/2.2 lens
• 1MP front camera
• Windows Phone 7.5 OS (Mango), upgradeable to WP 7.8
• 1.4GHz Scorpion CPU, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8255 chipset, 512MB of RAM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• Non-painted polycarbonate unibody
• GPS receiver with A-GPS support and free lifetime voice-guided navigation
• Digital compass
• 16GB of on-board storage
• Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic
• Built-in accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack; FM Radio with RDS
• microUSB port
• Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP and EDR
• Impressively deep and coherent SNS integration throughout the interface

Main disadvantages

• Won't get WP 8
• No USB mass storage (Zune only file management and sync)
• No native video calls
• Non-user-replaceable battery
• No memory card slot (and no 64GB version like the N9)
• microSIM card slot
• No native DivX/XviD support, videos have to be transcoded by Zune

The newly announced Windows Phone 8 has given us plenty to look forward to, but a WP8 upgrade is not on the cards for the Nokia Lumia 900. WP 7.8 is coming later this year to all compatible single-core devices and it will be the last update they are about to get. Both Nokia and Microsoft promise to continue the support though they will most likely be focusing their efforts on multiple-core WP8 smartphones.

Nokia Lumia 900 live pictures

But don't close the page on the Lumia 900 just yet. The Windows Phone experience is impressive even on single-core chipsets and the OS is beautifully simple and charmingly social. The proprietary apps are a major lift too - Nokia Reading was recently added to the familiar Drive, Maps and Music.

It will be a while before the new WP8 devices start hitting the market, so the Nokia Lumia 900 will be the Windows Phone flagship for a good few months. With a shadow always looming over it, the Lumia 900 will stand tall or fall short. But it won't go unnoticed.

HTC DROID INCREDIBLE 4G LTE coming to Verizon on July 5

Verizon has announced that the previously unveiled HTC DROID INCREDIBLE 4G LTE will now be available from them exclusively starting Thursday, July 5. The phone will be sold for $149.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate and two-year contract.

Other than a name that's straight out of the Android Phone Name Generator, the HTC DROID INCREDIBLE 4G LTE has a 4-inch, qHD Super LCD, 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 8 megapixel rear camera with 1080p video recording, 8GB memory (expandable), Beats Audio and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

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Nokia has a backup plan if Windows Phone 8 fails

Nokia has been frantically rejecting the possibility of putting Android on its smartphones, but this might change if Windows Phone 8 fails to gain traction.

In an interview aired on a Finnish TV, Risto Siilasmaa, a member of the Nokia board of directors, said that Android is the company's "backup plan" if Windows Phone 8 fails.

However, Siilasmaa also added that he is happy with how things are currently shaping up for Windows Phone 8 and switching to plan B probably won't be required. Microsoft and Nokia are betting on more features and less bugs to turn things in their favor.

Many people are going to be quite happy if in fact Nokia joins the Android camp and starts manufacturing some truly high-end devices. However, such a turn of events seems unlikely as the contract between Nokia and Microsoft is said to contain clauses, which force the Finns to focus all their effort on WP.

Update: Nokia got in touch with us and it turns out the interview was wrongly interpreted. When asked what the company's backup plan was, Nokia's chairman hasn't explicitly stated that Android is in it. Here's the exact quote: "[...] like any responsible board, we must be prepared for alternatives, but that is not our focus today [...]".

However, we can't think of any other mobile OS, which can be a viable alternative to the Windows Phone strategy, other than Android.

Source | Via

Android 4.0 user base increases to 10.9 percent

As a bi-monthly tradition, Google has updated the Android user base pie chart on its developer website.

Now there is some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the Android 4.0 adoption is at an all time high. You may remember that we reported last month that the Android 4.0 user base stands at 7.1 percent. In a span of just one month, that has jumped to 10.9 percent, which is quite impressive.

The reason for this could be attributed to several popular new handsets such as the HTC One series and the Samsung Galaxy S III shipping with Android 4.0 out of the box. Also, a lot of the older phones are now finally getting the Android 4.0 update.

Now comes the bad news. Despite the increase in the adoption rate, one can't ignore the fact that Android 4.0 is now 8.5 months old and even then it is still running on 10.9 percent of all the Android devices out there.

Secondly, and this is worse, a staggering 64 percent of Android users are still stuck on Gingerbread, which is 19 months old. And even worse, 17.3 percent of Android users are on Froyo, which was released 26 months ago. And then there are some who are still on Eclair, which was released some time during the Stone Age.

What this tells us is that if you're waiting to get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on your non-Nexus devices, you are going to have to wait for a long, long time.

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You can now pre-order the Sony Xperia go in the UK

The Sony Xperia go, a tough little dual-core droid, has swam to British shores and has began taking pre-orders. Right now, it's only offered SIM-free from multiple online retailers.

Clove UK is asking 225 for the IP67 certified phone. Right now only the black version can be selected (but the white and yellow ones are listed too) and there's a note saying that the first stock is due this week.

Unlocked-mobiles has it a tad cheaper - 220 - and they say they have the Xperia go in stock (but oddly it's still a pre-order) and should start shipping today.

Play.com will be a little late to the party - their site lists the phone as due for release on July 18 but you can pre-order it now for 235. Both Unlocked-mobiles and Play.com make no mention of other color options.

Expansys does list all three color versions of the Sony Xperia go - Black, White and Yellow - but they say nothing about price or launch date on any of them.

We checked the sites of UK carriers and none of them currently offer the rugged Xperia.

Thanks to Faiz Shaikh for the tip!

PR1.3 update for Nokia N9 goes live in some regions

It looks like Nokia has released PR1.3 for the N9 without much fanfare. After the Finnish company laid off some 10,000 employees last month, it was rumored that any future MeeGo updates would also be scrapped, especially considering that the N9 is the only Nokia smartphone to run the OS.

It seems that despite all of the internal issues Nokia has, there are at least a few people left in the MeeGo department, at least for now. Rumor was that this update was in preparation for PR1.4, but all of that was before the layoffs.

The update version number is v40.2012.21-3.001.19 and comes in at 204.8 MB. Quite a lot of users have already reported having received the update, so it's global rollout should be complete soon.

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Samsung Omnia W gets Windows Phone Tango update

Yesterday, we reported that the ageing Dell Venue Pro got the Tango update. Now another, newer and far more popular Windows Phone, the Samsung Omnia W, is getting ready to Tango.

Several users in India are reporting that their Omnia W has gotten the Window Phone Tango update. As usual, the update has to be downloaded by connecting your phone to a desktop computer.

The changes this update brings include ability to add media files in MMS, export and import contacts to and from the phone and other performance improvements. Unfortunately, the Internet sharing feature that Nokia promised for the Lumia phones is not available here.

If you have got this phone, you should have gotten the notification by now. Even if you haven't, connect it to Zune on the PC and see if the update is available for download.

Source (Thanks, Sameer)

Dell Venue Pro receives Windows Phone Tango update

If you were concerned whether your non-Nokia Windows Phone will receive the Windows Phone Tango update then you can heave a sigh of relief, particularly if you are one of the few people who are still rocking the Dell Venue Pro.

Despite the fact that the Venue Pro is almost two years old now and was one of the first Windows Phone to hit the market, it is still receiving the latest updates. So far, we only know of one user in Germany who has received this update for his phone but other should follow suit.

Do note that this is not the Windows Phone 7.8 update that was promised to current Windows Phone 7.5 devices and there is no guarantee that this phone will receive that update. But the fact that Dell is still updating a two year-old phone should give you some hope.

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LG Optimus 4X HD P880 review: Firing on all fours

Introduction

Last year LG was in pole position in the dual-core game with the Optimus 2X. It was the phone everyone looked up to, before there was a Galaxy S II and before there was an HTC Sensation.

There was obviously no rush this time although, to be fair, LG did announce their forthcoming flagship well on time. The Optimus 4X HD was among the headliners at the MWC in February, right next to the HTC One X. Back then, the Samsung Galaxy S3 was but a distant rumor.

LG Optimus 4X HD P880 official photos

In the end, LG were beaten to market by their closest rivals. A bit beyond fashionably late to the quad-core party, you can bet it doesn't want to miss out on the action. Its name is on the guest list and, if things like 4X and HD don't get them in the VIP lounge, we don't know what will.

There's more to the Optimus 4X HD though than multiple CPU cores and a 720p screen. LG may be late but not behind. They made sure that, at least specs-wise, their quad-core flagship matches the competition.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G support
• 21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
• 4.7" 16M-color True HD-IPS capacitive touchscreen of 720p resolution (720 x 1280 pixels), ~312 ppi; Gorilla glass
• Android OS v4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich with Optimus UI v3.0
• 1.5 GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 CPUs, low-power companion core, ULP GeForce 2 GPU, Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset
• 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB (12.26 GB user accessible) of storage
• microSD card support (up to 32 GB)
• 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash; face and smile detection , geotagging and image stabilization
• 1080p and 720p video recording @ 30fps with stereo sound
• 1.3 MP 720p-capable front-facing camera for video-chat
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n and DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
• GPS with A-GPS
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Accelerometer, proximity sensor and auto-brightness sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v4.0
• MHL TV-out (requires MHL-to-HDMI adapter)
• DivX/XviD video support
• High-capacity 2150 Li-Ion battery
• Smart dialing, voice dialing
• NFC support
• LG SmartWorld app

Main disadvantages

• No native video calls
• Video recording has autofocus serious issues
• Tegra 3 CPUs are built on 40nm process, while Exynos uses 32nm
• Disappointing audio output

The Optimus 4X HD is Tegra-powered just like its dual-core predecessor. It's the Tegra 3 platform this time around, adding two more cores to do the heavy lifting and an extra one to discretely handle the low-key computing.

Unlike last year's Optimus 2X, which was behind the curve on Android 2.2 Froyo, the LG 4X HD has Android ICS 4.0.3 right out of the box and the custom Optimus launcher is doing its best to offer both visual and functional improvements.

LG Optimus 4X live shots

LG has pulled all the stops out to design a phone that can hold up against the heaviest competition imaginable. The screen resolution and processing power are the minimum requirements for entry into the elite club. It's from then on that the contenders are trying to make a difference. It's now LG's turn to present their credentials to the discriminating user. Ready to be impressed once again?

Nokia Belle Feature Pack 2 leaked video shows new features

A video of a pre-release Feature Pack 2 for Symbian Belle has leaked. Currently available on Nokia's RDA (Remote Device Access), which only Nokia registered developers have access to, allows for Symbian Belle FP2 to be tried out in an emulator.

As the final Symbian hurrah for Nokia, Feature Pack 2 is expected to bring quite a lot to Symbian Belle. The user interface will see most of the changes with a new swipe to unlock, camera UI, navigation bar, widgets and better transition effects.

As demonstrated on the demo video below, the keyboard is now predictive and offers word completion. Also updated are the web browser, gallery and image editor. The music player will now place its own controls in the notifications bar.

That's just some of the changes coming in Feature Pack 2, some of them you can see in action in the video below.

Currently, there's no established timeframe of the Feature Pack 2's release, but it's certain that the Nokia 808 PureView will be among the first to get it.

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