Tech PIVI

Samsung's next flagship smartphone, expected to be called the Galaxy S5, might still be far from confirmed, but a new report suggests that the device will hit mass production in January 2014. The report also expects the speculated successor of Samsung Galaxy Gear to be launched alongside the rumoured Galaxy S5. Korean publication,  ET News  reports that the South Korean manufacturer plans to release two versions of the alleged Galaxy S5. As per the report, there will be two variants of the Galaxy S5: a premium variant which will sport a metal chassis and a flexible OLED, and a variant which will come with the usual plastic body, as found on other Galaxy smartphones. Earlier this week, a new set of images purportedly revealing the supposed metal frames of the rumoured Galaxy S5 was spotted online. Further, the report speculates that Samsung will initially manufacture around 8,00,000 to 1 million units of the alleged Galaxy S5 in January, and will inc...

Internet is abuzz with reports that Apple's next flagship smartphone, dubbed as the iPhone 5, may not be featuring Samsung's memory chips, displays and other components. Apple has reportedly shifted some memory-chip orders for its next iPhone from Samsung to other Asian chip makers in an attempt to 'diversify' its lines of supply for memory chips and reduce its dependence on Samsung. Samsung, however, hasn't been completely ousted from the iPhone 5 supply chain. Reuters quotes a person privy to the development as saying that Samsung is still on the list of initial suppliers for the forthcoming iPhone 5, which is expected to be unveiled on September 12. The source, who declined to reveal his/her identity, rejected the notion that the move was an aftermath of the patent-war between the two companies, which recently got murkier with Samsung being asked by a US court to shell out more than $1 billion in damages to Apple for infringing upon the latter's patent...

Samsung's Android-based dual-SIM smartphone 'Galaxy Y Duos Lite' is available for pre-order at the company's e-store for an advance payment of Rs. 1,000. Samsung hasn't yet revealed the price of the device, which is expected to be launched on September 5. Specifications of the Galaxy Y Duos Lite, which is also known as the Galaxy Pocket Duos S5302, are very similar to the recently launched   Galaxy Pocket . The Galaxy Y Duos Lite features a 2.8-inch touch display with 240x320 pixels resolution and supports dual active SIM (GSM + GSM). The Galaxy Y Duos Lite runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and is powered by an 832MHz processor. Memory specifications are as of now, unknown. Other specifications include 2MP camera, FM Radio, built-in storage of 4GB (3GB user available), microSD card slot that supports storage up to 32GB, and a 1,200 mAh battery, which is rated to deliver up to 15 hours of talktime and up to 410 hours of standby time. For connectivity, the...

A Japanese court has ruled in Samsung's favor, finding it did not violate various Apple patents for mobile devices. The verdict differed from the decision a U.S. court issued recently -- one that could cost Samsung $1 billion and put some of its products off the U.S. market. The Japan decision may only be a defensive win for Samsung, but it is a win.   In a development that may alleviate some of the pain Samsung's feeling after a U.S. court ruled that it had infringed several Apple patents, a court in Japan has ruled against Apple in a similar case there. Tokyo District Judge Tamotsu Shoji decided that various Samsung mobile devices did not infringe Apple's patent for syncing music and video data with PCs on which Samsung's Kies software is installed,  Bloomberg reported . The judge ordered Apple to pay the costs of the lawsuit after reportedly stating that it's hard to believe the products in question belong to the range of Apple's technologies. The ...

Apple extended its dominance in tablet computers in the second quarter, shipping nearly seven out of every 10 tablets, according to research firm   IHS iSuppli . Other tablet makers include   Amazon.com Inc , which said on Thursday that it had sold out of the Kindle Fire amid expectations of a new model soon.   A new  iPad  model came out a few weeks before the April-June quarter began. Apple's 69.6 per cent share in the April-June quarter is up from about 58 per cent in the first quarter. It's the highest since the first quarter of last year, when Apple had 70 per cent in a market with fewer competitors then.  Here are the top five manufacturers of  tablets  in the second quarter, as released by IHS iSuppli:  1. -> Apple Inc , maker of the iPad, 17 million shipped worldwide, 69.6 per cent share  2. -> Samsung Electronics  Co, maker of Galaxy line, 2.3 million, 9.2 per cent.  3. ->...

The repercussions of Apple's billion-dollar patent victory over Samsung were still being felt at Europe's biggest consumer electronics show, as the South Korean firm launched a host of new gadgets. After losing the biggest patent case in decades, Samsung came out fighting at the IFA show in Berlin which opens on Friday, with a sweeping media launch of smartphones, tablets, a "smart PC" and a voice-controlled camera. But as Samsung made every effort to shrug off the defeat with a dazzling array of new toys, there were concerns the court case could stifle innovation as firms fear to launch new products that could be the target of patent suits. "Behind closed doors, you can be sure that there will be serious discussions taking place, device makers talking to different platforms makers," said Florian Mueller, an intellectual property expert. "There will be private meetings in which it will be a big issue," he added. "An overprotected ...

Samsung has unveiled a massive portable media player, set to take on the current-generation, and the next generation, Apple iPod Touch. Called the Samsung Galaxy Player 5.8, it features a 5.8-inch 960x540 pixel LCD display, along with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and Samsung TouchWiz UI. The Galaxy Player 5.8 comes in 16GB or 32GB variants, along with microSD card expandability, up to 32GB. It also features front-facing VGA camera, for video chat. Other specifications include 1GB of RAM, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, Google Play store access, and a (exceptionally large, for a PMP) 2,500mAh battery, presumably to meet the demands that not-so-small display will make. For now, Samsung has not revealed all the details about the Galaxy Player 5.8, such as the processor, bundled apps, pricing, or launch schedule. We expect the device to be further showcased at IFA 2012 later in the week, where hopefully, more details will be revealed. So far, the Korean giant ...

Defeat in a bitter patent wrangle with Apple Inc, its smartphone rival and biggest customer, will dent Samsung Electronics Co's $21 billion cash-pile, but could actually help cement its leadership in the global smartphone market. A U.S. court has ordered Samsung - which sold around 50 million phones in April-June, almost twice the number of iPhones - to pay $1.05 billion damages, after ruling that the South Korean firm infringed on some Apple patents. While the verdict was a big win for Apple, the damages are less than half the $2.5 billion compensation it sought - although that could yet be increased by the judge - and are just 1.5 percent of annual revenues from Samsung's telecoms business. That phone and tablet business is the powerhouse behind Samsung's growth, earning around 70 percent of total profit. The group had net profit of $4.5 billion in April-June. Samsung could also see its popular Galaxy smartphone banned from sale in the United St...

Apple and Samsung are going toe-to-toe in a patent dispute, which mirrors a fierce battle for industry supremacy between two rivals. An   Apple   Inc expert witness testified on Friday that consumers would be willing to pay $100 for three patented smartphone features that are at issue in its high stakes trial against   Samsung Electronics   Co Ltd.   John Hauser, a marketing professor at MIT, said he surveyed consumers over the Internet about how much they would pay for some of the technology in the lawsuit, like scrolling and multitouch, which Apple claims Samsung stole from the U.S. company.   However, Samsung hammered Hauser on whether his study actually relates to real world customer decision-making.   Additionally, Apple patent portfolio director Boris Teksler described the company's licensing strategy, saying he could count "on one hand" the number of instances it has permitted other companies to use its design patents. Teksl...

It seems consumers will soon have a third colour option, while opting for a Samsung Galaxy S III. According to a few images posted by the Korean manufacturer on its official   Facebook page , this colour is going to be black. The company has shared six images of the Galaxy S III dressed in black. Currently, Samsung only sells white and pebble blue Galaxy S III units around the globe. Originally launched in May, the smartphone has already been sold more than 10 million times. The Korean firm has seen a heavy demand for the smartphone, which has received great reviews across the board. It features a 4.8-inch HD display, a quad-core processor, an 8MP rear camera, front camera and 16/32GB internal memory. Samsung has also promised to release the 64GB variant of the smartphone sometime later this year. There is no word on the exact release date of the black colour option for the Galaxy S III, however it is expected to bear the same priced tag. On the other hand, Sa...

Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd are embroiled in a high-stakes patent battle in several countries around the world, but only in Australia are they also engaged in "hot tubbing." Rather than a gaggle of lawyers hammering out their differences in the jacuzzi, the term refers to expert witnesses giving evidence in court together - rather than one by one - in the witness box. Officially known by the more staid legal term of "concurrent evidence", the practice has become increasingly common in Australia in complex, technical trials such as the Apple-Samsung patent dispute. Proponents argue that it saves time and resources and, importantly, restrains experts hired by litigants from overstating their case as they can immediately be questioned not only by the judge and lawyers, but by their peers. "I think in a case like this it's quite a good approach," said Mark Summerfield, a patent lawyer and senior associate at Melbourne-based ...

South Korea's  Samsung Electronics  said Friday it would unveil a new  mobile device  this month, just weeks before the likely debut of the iPhone 5 from arch-rival  Apple. A spokesman for Samsung, the world's largest  smartphone  maker, declined to give details of the device to be shown in Berlin on August 29, two days before the opening of Europe's largest consumer electronics show IFA. Analysts said it was likely to be an upgraded version of the Galaxy Note. The announcement comes as the two tech giants are embroiled in a major courtroom battle in California over  patents  for smartphones and tablet computers. Apple is seeking more than $2.5 billion after accusing the Korean firm of infringing designs and other patents. Samsung denies this and counter-charges that Apple infringed its patents for wireless communication. The rivals have launched dozens of legal actions against each other in 10 countries worldwide. The Note, wh...

Samsung Galaxy S III The 32GB variant of the Samsung Galaxy S III is now available in India at Rs. 41,500 via Samsung's eStore. Uptil now, only the 16GB variant of the device was available in the country. The 16GB S III was launched at Rs. 42,500, but is now available for Rs. 38,400 in the market. "Samsung Galaxy S III is now available with 32GB in-built memory capacity," Samsung announced on its official Facebook page. Recently, Samsung announced a 64GB variant of the S III as well, but no price or India launch date of the device was mentioned. If you cannot wait to get your hands on the 32GB S III, you can order it online from the Samsung eStore  here  . To refresh your memory, the Samsung Galaxy S III, is successor to the Samsung Galaxy S II, which was one of the most successful smartphones of 2011. The S III runs on Google Android 4.0.4 OS and is powered by the Exynos 4212 quad-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz with 1GB of RAM. The de...

Apple, Samsung take patent fight to crucial California trial If  Apple  Inc's weaker-than-expected quarterly result is anything to go by, the global smartphone industry is a lot more vulnerable to economic shocks these days than during the 2008-2009 financial crisis.  In developed markets, every other person already owns a smartphone. In emerging markets, penetration rates are much lower, but cheaper phones that cost under $100 are squeezing profit margins.  That was not the case during the last recession, when Apple's iPhone and Google Inc's Android were still in their infancy. Smartphone demand remained strong even as sales of other electronics declined because consumers felt it was worthwhile to upgrade to a device with so much to more to give - touchscreens, email and full Web browsers.  Without a technology breakthrough such as touchscreen - made popular by the first iPhone in 2007 - people are in far less of a hurry to upgrade their phones this time ...

Samsung may introduce Google’s latest OS not only in its current flagship device, the Samsung Galaxy S III   but in the Galaxy S II  as well. According to   sammobile.com , the Samsung Galaxy S III will get the   Jelly Bean   update soon and that Samsung is testing the 4.1 OS on the S II as well. The 4.1 update for the S III is expected to roll out in August/September 2012. The blog also goes on to say that the first tests with Jelly Bean on the S II have shown successful results. Even though the initial tests have been successful, there is no confirmed date when the OS will hit the  Samsung   Galaxy S II . There is also still no word on when other  Samsung  devices such as the Galaxy Note, the Galaxy Tab 2 or the Galaxy Tab 7.7 will receive the update. If you are in the market to pick up the Samsung Galaxy S III, you can read our complete review of the device  here . Even though HTC was one of the first companies to...

For the past few days, Samsung has been drawing quite a lot of attention with the Galaxy S III. Looks like the Korean company can't seem to get enough. Sources of a Korean publication (MK Business News) are suggesting that the Galaxy Note II is due to launch in October this year. Does that ring a bell? Yes, another phablet from Samsung. The Korean manufacturer is planning to release the next version of Galaxy Note in time for Apple's launch of the next iPhone, which is also expected in the month of October.   The smartphone is expected to feature a thin unbreakable plane display (UBP) with a better display resolution and sport a slimmer design. Other rumoured features include a quad-core processor, a 12MP camera, longer battery life and a sturdier build compared to its predecessor. What's more, the smartphone is also likely to run on Jelly Bean, a successor to latest Android version Ice Cream Sandwich. We hope to see Jelly Bean debut at the Google I/O ev...