Samsung Galaxy Trend Lite and Galaxy Fame Lite launched

Samsung has quietly introduced the Galaxy Trend Lite and Galaxy Fame Lite respectively in the Netherlands, the more basic versions of the two existing smartphones, the Galaxy Trend and Galaxy Fame.

The smartphones have been announced for the the Netherlands market, however, the company has not revealed the pricing and availability details of the devices. For now, there is also no word on the roll out of the both the Galaxy Trend Lite and Galaxy Fame Lite smartphones to other markets either.

The Samsung Galaxy Trend Lite comes with a 4-inch WVGA (480x800) TFT display and is powered by a 1GHz processor (unspecified chipset). It is a single-SIM device, unlike the Galaxy Trend, which supports dual-SIM (GSM+GSM). The device runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, while the Galaxy Trend is based on dated Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The device has dimensions 121.5x63.1x10.85mm and weighs 126 grams.

The Galaxy Trend Lite sports a 3-megapixel rear camera with no flash. The device comes with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of inbuilt storage, out of which only 2.05GB is user-accessible. It also supports expandable storage up to 64GB via microSD card. Connectivity features on the device include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, EDGE, GPRS and 3G. There is a 1500mAh battery backing the device which the company claims can deliver up to 8 hours of talktime.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Fame Lite comes with 3.5-inch HVGA (320 x 480) display and is powered by 850MHz processor instead of 1GHz processor seen on Galaxy Fame. Other specifications on the device include 512MB RAM, 4GB of inbuilt storage, 1300mAh battery and 3-megapixel rear camera while there is no front-facing camera. The Galaxy Fame Lite measures 113.2x61.6x11.9mm and weighs 118.9 grams. It runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The Galaxy Fame Lite is also single-SIM, unlike its elder sibling, though of course, this could be a regional variant.

Samsung Galaxy Trend Lite key specifications

• 4-inch WVGA (480x800) TFT display
• 1GHz processor (unspecified chipset)
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB inbuilt storage, expandable up to 64GB via microSD card
• 3-megapixel rear camera
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• 121.5x63.1x10.85mm and weighs 126 grams

Samsung Galaxy Fame Lite key specifications

• 3.5-inch HVGA display
• 1 GHz processor
• 512 MB of RAM
• 4GB of internal storage, expandable by up to 32GB via microSD card
• 3-megapixel auto focus camera
• 1,300mAh battery
• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)

Samsung Galaxy Round curved display smartphone launched as Note 3 variant

 Samsung Electronics Co Ltd on Wednesday launched the world's first smartphone with a curved display, a variant of the Galaxy Note which moves the Asian giant a step closer to achieving wearable devices with flexible - even unbreakable - screens.

Curved displays are on the frontlines of Samsung's innovation war with rivals such as Apple Inc and LG Electronics Inc, as the South Korean firm seeks to expand its lead in the slowing market for high-end smartphones.

"It's a step forward for having unbreakable gadgets and flexible devices eventually. But for now, the new phone is more of a symbolic product," said Hana Daetoo Securities analyst Nam Dae-jong, adding that Samsung did not yet have capacity for large-scale production of curved touch-screens for the new Galaxy Round.

The Galaxy Round is Samsung's attempt to gauge consumer appetite for curved phones although its lack of other eye-catching features means it is unlikely to be a hit, he said.

"I don't think it'll be massively compelling enough for gadget buyers as the curved display doesn't come with many unique features," he said.

The Galaxy Round's 5.7-inch (14.4-centimetre) display has a slight horizontal curve and weighs less than the Galaxy Note 3, allowing a more comfortable grip than other flat-screen models on the market, Samsung said in a statement.

Its key features include a tilt function which allows users to check information such as missed calls and battery life, even when the home screen is off. Users can also scroll through media files by pressing the screen's right or left, the company said.

The phone initially would be available only in South Korea and no decision had been made about releasing it in other markets.

Google unveils HP Chromebook 11

Google is introducing a new, cheap laptop based on its Chrome operating system.

Hewlett Packard Co. is making the new HP Chromebook 11. It starts selling Tuesday for $279.

Unlike Windows and Mac laptops, Chromebooks rely heavily on having a continuous Internet connection to run Google and other online services. Many apps don't run directly on the device but over the Internet.

The price of the Chromebook 11 is in line with most other Chromebooks using Chrome OS, but the new model sports many design features that are usually found on pricier devices. The laptop has plastic frame with no sharp edges or corners. Its display is 11.6-inches measured diagonally, and it weighs less than 2 pounds.

Apple "not in the junk business": CEO Tim Cook on iPhone 5c's high price

Apple has no intention of competing in the "junk" segment of the electronics market, chief executive Tim Cook says.

In an interview published Thursday as Apple prepared to launch sales of two new iPhones, Cook said he remains unfazed by Apple's eroding share of the smartphone market.

"There's always a large junk part of the market. We're not in the junk business," he said in the interview with Bloomberg Businessweek.

"There's a segment of the market that really wants a product that does a lot for them, and I want to compete like crazy for those customers."

The comments come with Apple facing criticism for maintaining a comparatively high price for its new iPhone 5c (Review), which had been seen as a smartphone for emerging markets and budget-conscious consumers.

The iPhone 5c will sell for $549 in the United States, and higher in China and other markets, where carrier subsidies are rare.

"We never had an objective to sell a low-cost phone," Cook told the magazine. "Our primary objective is to sell a great phone and provide a great experience, and we figured out a way to do it at a lower cost."

He added that ""I'm not going to lose sleep over that other market, because it's just not who we are. Fortunately, both of these markets are so big, and there's so many people that care and want a great experience from their phone or their tablet, that Apple can have a really good business."

Cook said he was not overly concerned about the decline in Apple's stock price, which has fallen sharply since hitting a peak last year.

iPhone 5c to compete with iPhone 4 and 4s in India

Apple's new iPhone 5c may face fierce competition from iPhone 4 series in the country, since these models are likely to fall in the same price bracket, according to analysts.

The California-based firm will roll out the iPhone 5c its cheapest handset till date in the US, China and Japan among other countries starting September 20. Apple CEO Tim Cook called iPhone 5c "more fun and colourful" than any other iPhone.

The device is expected to hit India by the end of the year, though no official confirmation was available. Analysts say the phone will be a premium product in India.

Gartner Principal Research Analyst Anshul Gupta said: "iPhone 5c will not be the cheapest Apple handset in India. It will face competition from iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S." He, however, added that Apple, with the new launch, is trying to protect its margins.

"Price point of iPhone 5c could be in the range of Rs. 30,000-35,000, which will not be seen as a low-end product. Apple will have to calibrate the Indian market carefully for its launch," IDC India Country Head Jaideep Mehta told PTI.

KPMG (India) Partner Telecom Practice Jaideep Ghosh said: "iPhone 5c is not a mass phone, it's a high-end smart phone. I think it will play in the high-end smartphone market."

The unlocked 16GB version of the iPhone 5c will be available for USD 549 (about Rs. 34,700) in the US, while the model in China would be priced at USD 729 (about Rs. 46,000). Apple's iPhone 4 (8GB) is priced in the range of Rs. 23,000-24,500 in India, while iPhone 4S (16GB) is in the range of Rs. 38,000-39,000.

The iPhone 5c will feature an all-new design and will be available in 5 colours blue, green, pink, yellow and white. It features a four-inch Retina display, A6 chip, an 8 MP iSight camera and is powered by latest iOS 7 operating system. iPhone 5c is priced at USD 99 for the 16GB model and USD 199 for the 32GB model (with a 2-year contract) in the US.

Apple's strongest competitor Samsung had launched the latest version of its flagship model, Galaxy S4, earlier this year. BlackBerry launched the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q5 as part of its attempts to make a comeback in the smartphone race. Nokia is also trying to gain traction with its Lumia range of smartphones and Asha range of devices, which are targeted at emerging countries like India.

Apple also launched its flagship iPhone 5s, which it referred to as the "world's first and only smartphone" with a 64-bit chip. The handset introduces a fingerprint sensor 'Touch ID' for the iPhone. Built into the home button, Touch ID takes a high-resolution image of the user's fingerprint to unlock the device.

Apple claims claims 10 hours of talk time on 3G networks for the iPhone 5s, and up to 10 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi and LTE networks. It will be available in three colours Silver, Slate, and Gold and will cost USD 199 for 16GB, USD 299 for 32GB and USD 399 for 64GB with a standard two-year contract in the US.

Source:  http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/iphone-5c-to-compete-with-affordable-iphone-4-and-4s-in-india-analysts-417679

Cheaper iPhone failed - iPhone 5c price disappointment

Apple unveiled two new iPhones at a special event held at its Cupertino headquarters on Tuesday. It announced iPhone 5s, successor to the iPhone 5, which comes with a lot of new features like a brand new A7 processor, the first 64-bit chip inside a smartphone, improved camera, and, the highlight of the device, a fingerprint-scanner called Touch ID.

Apple also unveiled iPhone 5c, which was widely anticipated to be the low-cost iPhone, but it turned out to be a big disappointment on that aspect. While the iPhone 5c boasts impressive hardware specifications and comes in a wide variety of colours, the key criteria for this iPhone was always going to be the price, and this is where it disappoints.

The iPhone 5c was supposed to be Apple's weapon to take on Android in at least the mid-level smartphone segment, if an entry-level pricing was never going to come to fruition. However, one look at the off-contract pricing for the iPhone 5s in various regions, and all those hopes can be put to rest.

The entry-level 16GB iPhone 5c without a contract has been priced at $549 in the US. That comes out to a whopping Rs. 35,000 at current exchange rates (1 USD = 63.65 INR) and does not include the duties and other charges that come in while pricing a product in India. If you were hoping for a sub-Rs. 25,000 pricing for the iPhone 5c in India, it's safe to say we won't see anything like that.

The pricing in other regions is even worse, with the iPhone 5c priced at 599 euros (approximately Rs. 50,500) in Germany and 469 pounds in the UK (approximately Rs. 47,000). Of course both those prices include VAT, which can be sizeable. Pricing in Hong Kong is HKD 4,688 (approximately Rs. 38,500). However, it's the pricing in China, one of two "emerging markets" - the other being India - that the iPhone 5c was said to be targeting that is really surprising. The iPhone 5c price in China is 4488 Chinese Yuan Renminbi, which works out to over Rs. 46,500, without duties or any other charges.

With just a $100 price difference between the iPhone 5c and the iPhone 5s, it's a little difficult to fathom why the iPhone 5c even exists. The iPhone 5c surely won't help Apple penetrate into any newer markets, and its only selling point seems to the number of colours it's available in.

It seems Apple is not willing to shed its 'premium' tag just yet, and that, more than anything else from Tuesday's event. will surely disappoint millions who were hoping to see Apple in a more 'affordable' avatar.

Source: -    http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/iphone-5c-price-disappointment-cheaper-iphone-fails-to-check-in-417065

Apple unveils its iphone 5c and 5s

Apple Inc introduced two new iPhones on Tuesday including the "iPhone 5c" that comes in five colors and starts at $99 with a contract, priced to bring one of the industry's costliest smartphones within reach of the masses in poorer emerging markets.

Chief Executive Tim Cook kicked off the event at the company's Cupertino headquarters which also ushered in the pricier iPhone 5s. Shares in Apple, which had been in negative territory most of the morning, briefly went positive and were down just 0.5 percent at $503.48.

Cook expects Apple to ship the 700 millionth device - an iPhone or iPad - based on iOS mobile software sometime next month.

The world's most valuable technology company is trying to beat back rivals like Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd in markets like India and China, where it is quickly losing ground.

Wall Street approves of the move to offer a more basic version of the device, although some investors warned initially that it would reduce margins and potentially tarnish a brand that has been linked to premium users since its 2007 inception.

Now they hope a bigger emerging-market presence can help reverse a 29 percent fall in the company's share price since it hit a record high of $702.10 a year ago. The selloff was fueled by fears of slowing growth and a perception that Apple's ability to innovate and shake up industries was dwindling.

The new iPhones, coupled with a belief that Apple will announce a deal with the world's largest carrier in China, have spurred investors to build bullish share and options positions in the company over the past two weeks.

Also sparking Apple's upward momentum was hedge fund billionaire Carl Icahn's revelation last month that he had taken a large position and was pushing for the company to expand its program of share buybacks.

He has said the stock may rise to as much as $700 if Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook pushed for a larger buyback. The shares were down 0.5 percent at $503.64 in morning trading.

Industry observers said Apple had not turned out a category-defining electronic device since late co-founder Steve Jobs made a bet on the iPad in 2010. Speculation revolves around a smartwatch along the same lines as Samsung's recently introduced Galaxy Gear, or some sort of TV product.

But analysts said neither was likely to generate numbers anywhere in the neighborhood of the iPhone, which supplies half of Apple's revenue and is the company's highest-margin product.

"Apple needs to demonstrate in the coming months that it has other product lines which can start to make up for slowing growth and falling margins in (the) iPhone and iPad," said Jan Dawson, a chief telecoms analyst for Ovum Research. "That's a tall order."

More immediately, Apple will get a boost if it succeeds in enlisting China Mobile Ltd in its iPhone network. For the first time, the company will host media in Beijing just nine hours after its Cupertino, California, launch, spurring speculation it will announce a distribution agreement with the Chinese carrier.

The world's largest wireless carrier serves more than 740 million users and is perceived as more amenable to carrying the popular smartphone now that profit and subscriber growth are decelerating. Net income grew just 2 percent in the quarter that ended in June.

And smaller rivals China Unicom and China Telecom, which both already sell Apple's iPhone are making headway against the market leader.

Separately, Japan's largest carrier, NTT DoCoMo, is expected to begin selling it as soon as this fall, other sources said.

One key question is whether Apple will also sell its cheaper iPhone 5c in more mature markets like Europe or the United States, heightening the risk that it will begin cannibalizing sales of the flagship 5s.

Globally, the market for cheaper smartphones priced around $300 - the iPhone 5 now starts at $649 without a contract - may grow to 900 million units by 2015, Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi estimated. Assuming Apple manages to capture just 10 percent of that market, the 5c would bring in revenue of $30 billion annually.

"The only real potential to surprise investors (on Tuesday) seems to be in the scope and velocity of a new China strategy, and any new features within iOS 7 and fingerprint scanner technology," said Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes.

"Since it missed the trend toward larger screened phones and seems poised for only incremental iPad improvements, we believe that Apple needs to prove it can innovate in software and services."

Source : http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/apple-unveils-iphone-5c-and-iphone-5s-417021

Apple's iphone 5s - Introduced Touch Id (fingerprint scanner)

Apple unveiled the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c at a special event held at its headquarters in Cupertino. While the iPhone 5c did not live up to its promise of being a 'low-cost iPhone', the iPhone 5s showed off some promising innovations, like the new Apple A7 chip and, perhaps  the highlight of the event, a built-in fingerprint scanner called Touch ID.

Touch ID can be used to unlock the phone, by simply placing a finger on the Home button. It can also be used to confirm purchases made on the App Store, iBookstore or the iTunes Store.

You can scan and add multiple fingerprints (e.g. left and right thumbs, as well as index fingers), including those from multiple people (e.g. your wife or kids), and Touch ID will authenticate based on any of stored prints.

In case you are worried about privacy, Apple assures that fingerprints are encrypted and stored in a secure area inside the new A7 chip. Fingerprints are not accessible to any third-party apps, and nor are they sent to Apple's servers or backed onto iCloud.

So what's the technology behind Apple's latest innovation? The Touch ID capacitive sensor embedded in the Home button scans your finger at 500ppi resolution to get a high resolution image of your finger. The sensor embedded in the Home button is just 170 microns thin.

The new Home button is made out of sapphire crystal, one of the "clearest, hardest" materials out there. The Home button protects the fingerprint sensor and also acts as a lens to precisely beam your fingerprint to the scanner. The Home button is surrounded by a steel ring, that can detect touches and tell Touch ID to start scanning when a finger is placed.

The sensor uses advanced capacitive touch to take high-resolution image of the sub-epidermal layers of your skin. The resultant image is then analysed, and grouped into one of three fingerprint types: Arch, Loop or Whorl. It then analyses ridges and other details too small for the human eye to see, to come up with a match for one of the stored fingerprints.

Mtv Video Music Awards 2013

The MTV Video Music Awards 2013 was another big hit in Brooklyn New York, on the 25^th Aug, 2013. The show had young artist who made the leading nominees like Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars, Robin Thicke and many more. Even though there were a few things that both critics and fans didn’t expect to see the show put up by Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke for their erotic and sexually of their hit songs “We can`t Stop”, and “Blurred Lines”. Sad to know that there was no host this year even though Kevin Hart tried to make a few appearances during the broadcast just to crack a few jokes. 

Justin Timberlake was awarded with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for his profound effect on the MTV culture.

Justin Timberlake won Video of the Year for “Mirrors”

 Bruno Mars won the Best Male Video Award for “Locked Out Of Heaven”

Taylor Swift won the Best Female Video Award for “I knew You were Trouble”.

Austin Mahone took the Award Artist to Watch for “What About Love”.

Best Pop Video was achieved by Selena Gomez with the song “Come and Get it”

30 Seconds to Mars won Best Rock Video for “Up in the Air”

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton took home the Best Hip- Hop Video.

Pink and Nate Ruess won Best Collaboration for “Just Give me a Reason”.

Justin Timberlake (featuring Jay-Z) — "Suit & Tie" (Director: 

David Fincher) won the award for Best Direction.

Bruno Mars — "Treasure" (Choreographer: Bruno Mars)

bagged the award for Best Choreography

Capital Cities — "Safe and Sound" (Visual Effects: Grady

 Hall, Jonathan Wu and Derek Johnson) won the moon man

 for Best Visual Effects

One Direction — "Best Song Ever" achieved the award for

Best Song of the Summer.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (featuring Ray Dalton) —

 "Can't Hold Us" (Directors of Photography: Jason

 Koenig, Ryan Lewis and Mego Lin) achieved for Best 

Cinematography

Janelle Monáe (featuring Erykah Badu) — "Q.U.E.E.N." (Art

 Director: Veronica Logsdon)  took home the award for Best

 Art Direction

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (featuring Ray Dalton) —

 "Can't Hold Us" (Directors of Photography: Jason

 Koenig, Ryan Lewis and Mego Lin) achieved for Best

 Cinematography

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (featuring Mary Lambert) —

 "Same Love" won the award for Best Video with a Social

 Message

These are the videos that achieved all the different awards in the Video Music Awards of 2013.

The show also had a first appearance of N Sync since they last broke up in 2002.

Katy Perry closed the show with her performance of “Roar”.