Survey: Americans Can Hardly Function Without Smartphones

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The number of Americans who use smartphones is at an all-time high.
Also, the number of people who say they can’t live without them is up.
In a new Bank of America survey, nearly half of Americans say they wouldn’t last one day without their phone.
About 91 percent of people surveyed say their mobile device is just as important as their car, or using deodorant.
Most say it’s more important than coffee or television.
“Before I got a smartphone, I didn’t think I needed one of them,” said Fred Crosby, a smartphone user. “Ever since I got it now when I can’t find it, I go into panic mode.”
Experts say as smartphones continue to grow in popularity, people are less likely to dial back on using them.

Mobile Review: BlackBerry's new Q5 is smart and capable

BlackBerry launched its mid-range Q5 handset on Tuesday afternoon in New Delhi, at a price of Rs.24,990

Why is this handset a big deal? Because BlackBerry's revival rested on its all-new BB 10 software - but the only two BB 10 handsets that have been launched so far have been priced too high to make a difference to markets such as India. The Z10 came in at Rs.43k, and the keyboard-equipped Q10, at a staggering Rs.45k price that was universally criticized.
So while much of the world didn't get very excited about the Q5, India's mobile market has been very curious about it.
The Q5 is a much cheaper Q10. At just over half the price, it gives you almost a Q10-like experience: the same software, in a cheaper package. Where the Q10 felt premium and heavy, with aluminium touches, the all-plastic Q5 is lighter, but feels sturdy - and is in fact easier to hold than the Q10.
In deference to its much lower price, BlackBerry worked hard at distinguishing the Q5, starting with the keypad. It borrows the old Curve model's smaller but more-spaced-out keypad, making the Q5 look older than the Q10. Unlike other reviewers, though, I find I'm typing faster on the Q5's keypad.
The Q5's touch-screen has the same 3.1" square size and 720x720 pixel resolution as the Q10's, but uses LCD (instead of the Q10's more modern AMOLED), making it whiter if mildly less capable in bright sunlight. Yet I found the Q5 touchscreen easier to use, for there's more space under the screen, making it easier to swipe up - an action you use often, to get out of an app.
So the two are well matched. The Q5 is slightly slower, but doesn't feel sluggish. Both use dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processors and 2 GB of memory, but the Q5 runs at 1.2 GHz against the Q10's 1.5 GHz. However, I didn't really load it with apps (there aren't that many BlackBerry 10 apps yet, anyway). Web browser performance on both handsets is terrible.
My one real disappointment with the Q5 is the 5 Mp (megapixel) camera, down from the Q10's 8 Mp. The resolution doesn't really matter, but the Q5 clearly has a cheaper sensor. Outdoor daylight shots are okay, but indoor or low-light shots are mediocre, noisy. There's poor comparison with, say, the HTC One's brilliant 4 Mp sensor, or even the old Phone 4's 5 Mp sensor.
My other disappointment is common to both Q5 and Q10 - the overwhelming touch metaphor. You can't even make or end a call, or speed-dial, without using the touch screen - which makes it a pain to call or answer when driving. The old "call end" button was a great way to exit apps, but now it's all touch. There's no "BlackBerry" key either, to give you quick, context-sensitive menu options on everything - for instance to quickly forward an SMS as an email.
Overall, though, the BlackBerry Q5 is very capable, and, compared to the Q10, very good value. It matches the Q10 on many counts, and if you can live with sacrificing the Q10's cooler look and feel, is the handset to buy. If you want to buy a BlackBerry!
And therein lies the rub. There aren't all that many BlackBerry loyalists. The Q5 isn't sexy enough to make users switch from Android or iPhone. It isn't cheap enough to get low-end-BB users to upgrade from their older Curve.
So we're back to the price. A Rs.25k price still doesn't give BlackBerry a market-saver in India. It desperately needs phones in the Rs.10-15k price range. Yes, there are those old BB 7 handsets, but they are, well, old.
Still, the Q5 is good value, and all the more so because BB 10 no longer requires you to pay for BlackBerry service. You just need a 3G plan. This isn't great for the company - BlackBerry loses some of its service revenue - but it's nice for the user. For now, this is the handset I'm going to be using.

T-Mobile Launches Impressive iPhone 5 Trade-In Offer For Mother's Day

Looking for the perfect Mother’s Day gift? T-Mobile might be able to help out. From May 10, the so-called “un-carrier” is expanding on its already impressive iPhone trade-in program, and is effectively offering iPhone 5 handsets for $0 down when an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S is traded in. Furthermore, in some cases, customers will be able to reduce their monthly payments for the sixth-generation smartphone from $20 to $15.
As first reported by TmoNews:

The offer allows both new and existing qualified customers to trade-in an iPhone 4 or 4S and receive a trade-in amount that helps wipe out the down payment on the iPhone 5. The result being a “$0 down” net payment for customers and a decreased monthly payment of $15, down from $20 saving the customer $5 per month.

There are, however, a few reasonable requirements concerning the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S customers are trading in. Namely, the handset must power on, it must not have a damaged screen, and it must not be liquid damaged or feature any other physical damage.
The good news, though, is that the above offer will be available in-store until June 16, so unless you’re looking for a last minute Mother’s Day gift, there’s no rush.
T-Mobile launched the iPhone 5 back in April, and less than one month later the network announced that it had sold an impressive 500,000 units. Besides the aforementioned trade-in program, the No. 4 iPhone carrier has also promoted the handset through airing a series of TV ads that aim to criticize its competition.
Are you going to take advantage of T-Mobile’s new iPhone trade-in offer?
For further industry news, see: Pentagon To Grant Security Approval For Apple’s iOS Devices Next Week, This Interesting iOS 7 Concept Brings A Stark Visual Change, and A Fourth Apple Retail Store Is Under Construction In Beijing, Set To Open By End Of Year.

Celkon A107 Signature One, C779 launched in India

Celkon has bounced back to India with another Android smartphone called the A107 Signature One which will be accompanied by a basic phone dubbed C779. The company hasn’t mentioned anything about the price and release date details of these devices as yet.
The smartphone in question came close on the heels of the quad core 119Q HD that was introduced in the country earlier this week. It is a hybrid between a phone and a tablet as it flaunts a capacitive multi-touch screen spanning 5 inches diagonally. The driving force behind this device is a dual core chipset processing at a maximum speed of 1GHz and allows prospective customers to launch more than a single application at the same time.

It goes without saying that the handset makes the most of the Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich v4.0 to be precise. The manufacturer hasn’t said anything about upgrading it to Jelly Bean though. Apart from 512MB of RAM, the gadget has been loaded with 512MB of onboard storage out of which 105MB is accessible to users. It is likely to tag along an expansion slot for a microSD card to ensure additional storage for hoarding digital content.
As for the cameras, interested customers will appreciate the fact that the OEM has blessed the device with two of them. An 8MP snapper with usual attributes such as auto focus, digital zoom and a recorder, rests on the back for capturing images and shooting videos, while a VGA one is fitted on the front side for facilitating video conferencing over the web.
Next up is the aforementioned feature phone, the key highlight of which is that it can be charged using an AAA battery. But such a possibility seems highly unlikely as the mobile gadget has been integrated with a relatively powerful 1800mAh battery. In addition to a 2.4-inch screen, the front panel accommodates an alphanumeric keyboard that highly simplifies typing on the run.
And if that’s not enough, the device has been embedded with dual SIM card slots to extend support to two GSM SIM cards at the same time. Its 1.3MP rear-facing shooter comes in handy for clicking pictures and recording videos. The handset operates with the assistance of the proprietary OS.
The Celkon A107 Signature One and C779 should be made available in the country this month itself.
Specifications of the Android smartphone:
- 5-inch capacitive multi-touch display
- 8MP camera, VGA front-mounted webcam
- 1GHz dual core processor
- Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 platform
- 512MB of RAM
- 512MB of onboard storage

Bharti SoftBank invests Rs 37 crore in Hike messaging app, to compete with Whatsapp

With Indian smart-phone and feature phone market expanding at breakneck speed, Bharti SoftBank is investing Rs 37 crore in Hike messaging app that will compete with Whatsapp besides other similar apps
Following the thumping success of its free messaging app “Hike”, which crossed the 5 million active subscribers mark within four months of its launch, the Bharti SoftBank (BSB) is all set to invest USD 7 million (about Rs 37 crore) in the app. The company has also launched the upgraded version of the app called Hike 2.0.
The app that was launched in December 2012 is a product of Bharti Soft Bank, a joint-venture between Bharti Enterprises and SoftBank Corporation, focussing on the mobile-internet space.  According to the company the decision of investing huge amount in the app that is free for use was taken only after looking at the success rate of the app that has earned the tag of being one of the fastest growing free mobile apps globally.

In a statement issued BSB Director Mike Kayamori said: “The traction for hike has been phenomenal, especially in such a competitive market. This new round of investment is an endorsement, of the great work put in by the entire team. What’s unique about hike is its seamless integration between instant messaging and SMS. This is a very powerful feature especially in a market like India where more than 90 per cent of the 900 million strong mobile populations is on feature phones.

The free messaging app Hike that competes with other similar apps including the arch rival Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger and Blackberry Messenger, provides faultless mixing between instant messaging and standard text messaging (SMS).
On the basis of the survey conducted by the company it was ascertained that 60 percent of the hike’s user base comes from India and the rest from Middle East and Europe. At present the app is available on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry and S40 platforms.
Meanwhile, apart from announcing the investment plans, the company has also introduced an update called Hike 2.0, which allows the users to post updates about what they are up to or what they are thinking in real-time to their close friends only.
BSB’s head of product and strategy, Kavin Bharti Mittal said: An upgrade of the app which has been announced will offer new features for users. The Hike 2.0 update features Status Updates with Moods that lets users post updates about what they are up to or what they are thinking in real-time to their close friends only. Users can create a ‘Circle of Friends’ in the app to whom the update goes out to.

iPhone users pay highest phone bills

New data shows that 59 percent of iPhone users spend more than $100 per month on their carrier bill, while 56 percent of Windows phone users and 53 percent of Android users pay that much.

Phone users pay higher phone bills than other smartphone consumers. (Credit: CBS Interactive) Rumors of a cheaper iPhone on the horizon may come as welcome news for fans of the device -- especially because iPhone users reportedly pay the highest monthly phone bills, no matter the carrier, according to AllThingsD.
Android, Windows, and BlackBerry users spend less per month to use their smartphones, according to data by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners that was acquired by AllThingsD. It seems that the higher costs come from carriers charging more for iPhone data plans and additional wireless fees.
"We think it has to do with their data plans and carriers, rather than their usage habits," CIRP co-founder Michael Levin told AllThingsD. "They are all on expensive data plans, unlike Android users, some of which are on prepaid or unsubsidized plans with regional carriers."
The data collected is from October to December 2012 and shows that 59 percent of the iPhone users surveyed spent more than $100 per month on their plan with 10 percent of those users spending $200 or more. Only 6 percent spent $50 or less. Conversely, 13 percent of Android users spent $50 or less and 53 percent spent more than $100. Both Windows and BlackBerry users spent even less overall.

Although the monthly cost difference between the four types of devices is slight, the highest costs are still skewed toward iPhone users. This may be because iPhones are more expensive devices and carriers have to shoulder that burden.
"Given the subsidies on iPhones, the carriers are working hard to make their money back during the course of the contract," CIRP's Josh Levitz told AllThingsD. "With the exception of perhaps the hottest Android phones, we think the subsidies on Android phones are lower, so the carriers make more money even with slightly lower per-subscriber revenue."
If Apple does indeed release a cheaper iPhone, it'll be interesting to see if carriers will also lower monthly charges for the device.

The new entrants in mobile OS segment

The smartphone ecosystem today has two dominant players: Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems. A late entrant, Android, has been quick to catch up with iOS and the Open operating system only seems to be surging ahead.

Given the success of Android, many other Open Source paradigms are being floated, most notably the Free and Open Source projects Firefox (of browser fame) and Ubuntu that are re-making their debut this year in the commercial smartphone segment. Together, these projects that have been successful in the technology segments they currently operate in could perhaps help break into the combined monopoly of Apple and Google in the smartphone segment.

Canonical’s Ubuntu is trying to market the idea that smartphones must be as capable as one’s PC and are trying to port the Ubuntu OS from the desktop with minimum changes so that it can offer a unified experience across all platforms. Mozilla’s Firefox OS too targets the low-end phones (in the smartphone segment) with an all HTML5 approach, implying that every application that would run on the smartphone will offer a website like experience.

PC out of a smartphone

Ubuntu is among the most popular Linux-based desktop operating systems today. The backlash Ubuntu has had to face with its changes in the user interface since its release in April, 2011, has now evolved into the more stable “Unity” interface — a futuristic, touch-oriented graphical user interface. Unity, as the name suggests, was projected as the thread weaving and unifying all the computing environments — PCs, laptops, tablets, TVs and smartphones that run on Ubuntu. The smartphone link had been missing, and now Canonical is all geared up to flex its muscles by porting Ubuntu on the smartphones.

Mark Shuttleworth, in a virtual keynote address to the user community, in January 2013, presented Canonical’s ideas for Ubuntu on smartphones. At the Consumer Electronics Show 2013, Ubuntu OS was demonstrated on Google Nexus.

Ubuntu’s Unity interface is what Canonical is betting big on. The Unity interface, even on desktops yields more space for users with less focus on permanent navigation or menu options. This again if ported well on smartphones will be a plus. The navigation on Unity will be the same across all platforms, unlike Apple’s iOS or Windows OS, which differ on platforms to match up to the hardware constraints. Mr. Shuttleworth describes the Unity interface on laptops, TVs and smartphone as “Individually great in their own right, and coherent as a family”.

Applications are already in plenty for the desktop platform from the Ubuntu Software Center, and Ubuntu has invited developers to write apps for the mobile platform using the Webkit. Canonical has for long had the vision of getting Ubuntu on the mobile platform, and in small steps they have inched close, ready to take the dip in the deluge.

Web all the way

The second most promising entrant in this segment is the Mozilla Foundation’s latest attempt to build an operating system that’s as free as the Web. Mozilla believes that Android is not as Open Source an ecosystem as Google claims and that most design decisions are made by Google and pushed down to the developers and that often the source code of the OS is not released after the devices are shipped. Mozilla claims that Firefox OS will provide an alternative to these “walled gardens”.

Mozilla Foundation started the operating system in the name of Boot to Gecko, now more commonly called the Firefox OS. This is an all HTML5, Javascript and CSS framework, and truly Open Source. Technically, the biggest challenge for a Web-based operating system is to gain access to the hardware such as telephony or camera. For, in conventional browsing environments the Web requests are handled by the native operating system like iOS, Android or Windows, creating an abstraction between hardware and the Web framework. Using Javascript and Web Application Programming Interface (API) Boot to Gecko has already been able to demonstrate most of the functions by directly accessing system resources.

The first prototype of this was demonstrated in the Consumer Electronics Show 2013, on a ZTE-made smartphone. The official statement of Mozilla is that Firefox OS will be in its final form in a couple weeks, ready to be ported and released in the market.

Google announces new Nexus tablets, smartphone

Google announced lots of new hardware today via blog post, after an event in New York was canceled in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy. The big items:

• The Nexus 4 smartphone, developed with LG. It features a quad-core processor, a 4.2-inch display, and a wireless charging feature that lets you power the phone by setting it down on a charging service. It runs Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and a feature called Photo Sphere for creating 360-degree panoramas. The phone goes on sale Nov. 13 for $299.

• The Nexus 7 now comes in new Wi-Fi models that are 16GB (for $199) and 32GB (for $249). Google also is making a version available with an HSPA+ cellular connection -- 32GB for $299. It's on sale Nov. 13.

• The Nexus 10 tablet, developed with Samsung, offers what Google calls the highest-resolution screen in the tablet marketplace at 300 pixels per square inch. That 2560 by 1600 pixel display will still get nine hours of video playback, Google says. And it has an account-switching feature that lets multiple users share the tablet more easily. The 16GB model goes for for $399; the 32GB model costs for $499. It's available Nov. 14.

Google also announced an update to Google Now, its predictive-search feature that presents information on a series of cards without the user having to search. In addition to weather and traffic information, cards will now display flight information, restaurant reservations, hotel confirmations and shipping details, the company said.

Vodafone launches Smart Android 3G smartphone in India

Vodafone India has announced the launch of Vodafone Smart, a 3G Android phone for their customers in India. This smartphone is powered by a Qualcomm incorporated Snapdragon S1 processor and runs on Android 2.2.1 OS. The Vodafone Smart is designed for tech savvy customers, providing them access to mobile apps, games, Internet and social networking platforms on-the-go.

Attractively priced at Rs. 4,995, Vodafone Smart will enable customers to enjoy hundreds of Android applications on the handset, which comes with two years of warranty. Vodafone subscribers will also enjoy a special introductory limited period offer of Double Data Benefit on their 3G subscription. 

The highlighted features of the Vodafone Smart are:

• Android 2.2.1
• 2.8-inches TFT capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 240 x 320
• 3G, Edge, GPRS, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi tethering, Bluetooth
• GPS with A-GPS
• 2MP camera with video recording capabilities
• MicroSD slot expandable up to 32GB
• Stereo FM and MP3 playback support

Apart from the above mentioned specifications, one gets a 2GB memory card free, along with the handset. The Vodafone Smart is available at all leading retail outlets, Vodafone stores and Mini stores across India.