Expected to launch in August, Samsung and Intel's baby , Tizen has been delayed till 2014

Last year, Samsung teamed up with Intel and the Linux Foundation to develop Tizen, and open-source operating system for mobile devices. Tizen is one of a few new operating systems (including Firefox OS) to compete with Android for the non-iOS smartphone market. Now, it appears that Samsung may have softened on ditching Android in favor of Tizen.Samsung has been working on the Tizen mobile operating system platform along with Intel. In recent past, Samsung was rumored of dropping the development of Tizen based devices. However, now DigiTimes , quoting its sources, said that Samsung has just slowed down the development of Tizen mobile OS and not dropping it entirely.

Samsung's executive vice president, Lee Young Hee had informed Bloomberg that Tizen based smartphones can be expected in August-September this year. These Tizen smartphones will be of high-end category. Now since we are in August, there is no sign of the Tizen-based high-end smartphone from Samsung.

Tizen mobile platform is based on the Linux Kernel and is expected to launch with thousands of Apps . Even if the first Tizen smartphone boasts of mind-blowing specifications, they would be futile without the app eco-system.

Tizen project is being backed by Samsung and Intel together. We can now expect the Tizen devices sometime early 2014.

The delay is reasonable since the planned shift would benefit rivals in the Android camp, including LG Electronics, HTC, Sony Mobile Communications, and Huawei, among others, and so there is no reason for Samsung to push ahead with Tizen at the moment, argued the sources.

Additionally, given that Android has accounted for nearly 80% of the global smartphone market and leads other platforms in terms of popularity, maturity and ecosystem, as well as the fact that Samsung has incorporated Android into its smartphones, tablets, DSCs and notebooks, the possibility is low for Samsung to shift from Android to Tizen overnight barring a drastic overhaul in strategy for Android by Google, the sources commented.

Coming soon ; 4 OS for mobile phones that can create a huge buzz and be a damage to Android, iOS and Windows Phone 8 (Ubuntu Touch, FirefoxOS, Jolla sailfish , Tizen)

We have seen very few OS for mobile phones (iOS, Android , WP8 , BBOS , Symbain) but in the coming year we are going to see a lot more with 4 OS for mobile coming up. Can these OS make a difference only time will tell. Here we take a look at them : 

1.UBUNTU TOUCH

Ubuntu Touch is a touch-friendly interface based on the desktop Unity interface. It is based on Qt and QML and various software frameworks originally developed for Maemo and MeeGo such as oFono as telephony stack, accounts-sso for single sign-on, and Maliit for input. Utilizing libhybris the system can often be used with Linux kernels used in Android, which makes it easily ported to most recent Android smartphones.
Ubuntu Touch utilizes the same core technologies as the Ubuntu Desktop, so applications designed for the latter platform run on the former and vice versa. Additionally, Ubuntu Desktop components come with the Ubuntu Touch system; allowing Ubuntu Touch devices to provide a full desktop experience when connected to an external monitor. Ubuntu Touch devices can be equipped with a full Ubuntu session and may change into a full desktop operating system when plugged into a docking station. If plugged the device can use all the features of Ubuntu and user can perform office work or even play ARM-ready games on such device.

2.FIREFOX OS

Firefox OS (project name: Boot to Gecko, also known as B2G) is a Linux-based open-source operating system for smartphones and tablet computers. It is being developed by Mozilla, the non-profit organization best known for the Firefox web browser. It is designed to provide a "complete" community-based alternative system for mobile devices, using open standards and approaches such as HTML5 applications, JavaScript, a robust privilege model, open web APIs to communicate directly with cellphone hardware,and application marketplace. As such, it competes with proprietary systems such as Apple's iOS, Google's Android, and Microsoft's Windows Phone as well as other upcoming open source systems under development such as Ubuntu Touch.

Firefox OS was publicly demonstrated in February 2012, on Android-compatible smartphones, and again in 2013 running on Raspberry Pi. In January 2013, at CES 2013, ZTE confirmed they would be shipping a smartphone with Firefox OS, and on July 2, 2013, Telefónica launched the first commercial Firefox OS based phone, ZTE Open, in Spain which was quickly followed by Geeksphone's Peak+

3.JOLLA SAILFISH

Sailfish is a Linux-based mobile operating system developed by Jolla in cooperation with the Mer project and supported by the Sailfish Alliance. It is to be used in upcoming smartphones by Jolla and other licencees. Although it is primarily targeted at mobile phones, it is also intended to support other categories of devices.

4.TIZEN

Tizen  is an operating system for devices including smartphones, tablets, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) devices, and smart TVs. It is an open source system that aims to offer a consistent user experience across devices. Tizen's main components are the Linux kernel and the WebKit runtime. The Tizen project resides within the Linux Foundation and is governed by a Technical Steering Group (TSG) composed of Intel and Samsung

Android rules with 80% market share. iOS and WPOS in 2nd and 3rd spot. BBOS and SymbianOS at the depth

Android is marching its way toward outright dominance in the smartphone operating system market.

During the second quarter of 2013, Android captured a record 80 percent of the worldwide smartphone market, research firm Strategy Analytics reported Thursday. Out of the 229.6 million smartphones that shipped during the period, 182.6 million of those were Android-based handsets. Apple's iOS came in second place with 13.6 percent market share on 31.2 million shipments. Windows Phone was able to nab 3.9 percent share on 8.9 million unit shipments.

"Competitive licensing costs, numerous hardware partners, and a large apps store continue to be among the main drivers of Android's success," Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston said in a statement. "Apple iOS reached 14 percent global smartphone share in the quarter, its lowest level since Q2 2010."

Despite the decline for iOS, it was still a strong quarter for Apple, which saw shipments rise from 26 million in the second quarter of 2012. Android device shipments were 108.7 million in the second quarter of 2012. All told, just 156.5 million smartphones were shipped in the second quarter of 2012 -- 73 million less units than this year.

Strategy Analytics noted that Windows Phone is making some strides in the mobile space, but cautioned that the only way for Microsoft to nab serious market share is if the company charges less for software licensing, making its platform "more competitive to compete with Android in lower price-bands." The other section has BlackberryOS which had its way below the WindowsPhoneOS (something for Microsoft to cherish about) and Nokia's soon-to-vanish Symbian OSIt's clear that the days of neck and neck competition are behind us.

Geeksphone Peak+ up for pre order with FIREFOX OS and 1GB RAM

Spain based manufacturer Geeksphone has started taking pre-orders for the Peak+ Firefox-powered phone. Geeksphone typically makes phones targeted at devs or tech savvy enthusiast, but says the Peak+ is also ready for consumers.

It's a small upgrade over the regular Peak – the RAM has been doubled to 1GB and the material used for the exterior has been changed to make it feel better to the touch. The phone will come with Firefox OS 1.1 out of the box, the same version the other two (Peak and Keon) recently got.

Other than that, you're still getting a Snapdragon 8225 S4 Play chipset (dual-core Cortex-A5 at 1.2GHz, Adreno 203 GPU), 4.3" IPS screen qHD (540 x 960) resolution, 4GB storage plus microSD cards slot and a 1,800mAh battery. The phone sports a 4.3-inch qHD IPS Multitouch display that features a resolution of 540x960 pixels. The Peek+ is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 8225 processor, and has 1GB of RAM. It runs Firefox OS 1.1 out of the box. The phone's form factor has also been revamped and it looks unique, specially with the back that sports a partially curved design. 

The phone features an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, and a 2-megapixel front camera, and includes 4GB of internal storage which is expandable via microSD card. The phone boasts of features like FM Radio and connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, and GPS.

The Peek+ phone comes with an 1800 mAh battery. The phone is available for pre-order at a promo price of EUR 150 (Rs.11,700 approximately) but the company says that the price will go up after the initial batch is sold out. People who pre-order now will get their phones shipped in mid-September.

The original Peak phone went on sale in April and was sold out in a very short time. The Peak is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and sports a 4.3-inch qHD IPS screen. It also features an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front camera. Along with the Peak, GeeksPhone had also launched the Keon smartphone. The Keon is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1Ghz processor, has 512MB RAM and features 4GB of internal memory. It features a 4.3-inch qHD IPS screen, an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front camera.

While the Keon was available at a price of $119 (approximately Rs. 6,445), the Peak smartphone was priced at $194 (approximately Rs. 10,500). The phones were first unveiled in January.

GeeksPhone Peak+ key specifications

* 4.3-inch qHD IPS Multitouch screen
* Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 8225 1.2Ghz dual-core CPU
* 1GB RAM
* Camera - 8-megapixel (back) + 2-megapixel (front)
* 4 GB Internal storage
* MicroSD card, Wifi N, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR, Radio FM, Light & Prox. Sensor, G-Sensor, GPS, MicroUSB
* UMTS 2100/1900/900 (3G HSPA)
* GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (2G EDGE)
* Battery - 1800 mAh

The other consumer devices running Firefox OS are expected to launch by summer in Brazil, Colombia, Hungary, Mexico, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Venezuela. Mozilla plans to reach 11 more markets by the end of the year, and the US in 2014.

Mozilla had first previewed the Firefox Mobile OS in February during the Mobile World Congress. With Firefox OS, the foundation aims to offer entry-level devices and plans to bring mobile web content directly to users with web apps. Phone makers that plan to make Firefox phones include Huawei and ZTE of China, LG of Korea and Sony. All the phones will run on chips supplied by Qualcomm.

The Geeksphone Peak+ pre-order is at a promo price of €150 ($200), the same as the original Peak. This price will go up slightly after the initial batch of units is sold out (there's no indication what the standard price will be). The original Peak sold out fairly quickly.

If you pre-order now, Geeksphone will ship your Peak+ in mid-September.

Purported Ubuntu Edge smartphone images surface online

Canonical is expected to launch its first smartphone, dubbed as Ubuntu Edge , with open source Ubuntu mobile operating system. Sebastian Meas, an Ubuntu app developer, has now posted , on his Google+ account, the list of images tagged with Ubuntu Edge, with a timer at the Canonical website. As of now, there is minimal clarity on whether the upcoming announcement is about the first Ubuntu based smartphone or the Ubuntu mobile OS.

From the images, it is quite clear that there is a smartphone running Ubuntu for smartphones platform meant for the superfone. Its box-like design of the phone is quite unusual and there is no branding at all on the front. At the back is the Ubuntu logo. That logo placement is quite similar to the placement of the Apple logo on the iPhone. The volume control buttons are located on the left side upper half of the phone. Power and Sleep button seems to be located on the top.

The phone has quite a rectangular design and has a square camera lens with LED Flash on the top right at the back side. Apparently, two ports are not clearly visible - micro USB for charging and 3.5 mm audio port.

I believe that the said image is merely a placeholder or mockup of the upcoming Ubuntu Edge smartphone. It is certainly not a prank or concept design since the images were spotted at the Ubuntu.com website and later were removed or protected from public access.

No timeline for the Ubuntu Edge was spotted but only the promotional text - The line where two surfaces meet.

Firefox OS available for Geeksphone Keon and Peak

 announced earlier this year and the developer designed devices are now getting a new version of the HTML 5 based Firefox OS.Betting on Mozilla's mobile operating system? There's a good chance, then, that you're kicking around a Geeksphone, one of the few devices known for running Firefox OS. Owners of the company's Keon and Peak handsets can now manually upgrade their devices to Firefox 1.1, which -- according to enthusiasts on the Geeksphone forums and Twitter -- speeds up boot times, patches an assortment of bugs and tacks on minor navigational and display improvements. According to early adopters’ reports, Firefox 1.1 speeds up the boot time, improves the display, Email app and the calendar app, enhanced navigation and other minor bug fixes to improve the overall user experience Naturally, users interested in trying the build will have to download and flash it themselves.

Nokia Rolls Out Update To Offline Maps For Their Symbian Phones

Nokia is taking lot of steps to improve user experience for for their windows phone 8 platform, but that doesn't mean that the company is neglecting it's older symbian models. The Finnish handset maker has rolled out an update to the Symbian Maps Suite bringing road and location updates.

Users will be able to update the maps over the air or update it on their mass memory using Nokia Suite on a Windows PC. The existing maps need to be removed before new ones are installed. However, places marked as favorites will be retained.'Map Loader' from the settings menu in Nokia Maps, then tap on 'Check for Updates.'

With the new update symbian's offline Map app is now up to date as the HERE Maps for Nokia's Windows Phone 8 devices.

Meanwhile Gi Group, a leading Italian multinational company dedicated to the human resources market, has chosen Nokia Lumia as its business smartphone, replacing BlackBerry.

"Our people need to be able to connect with colleagues and access and edit Microsoft Office documents, wherever they happen to be," said Barbara Cottini, HR manager at Gi Group.

"They also need to access our customer relationship management systems as well as their professional social media networks without having to have a laptop with them at all times. Nokia Lumia offered us a unique way of doing this, with elegant, modern smartphones and a user experience that is immediately familiar." She added

Talking about maps, Nokia Lumia will offer HERE Maps with LiveSight (augmented reality overlay view of buildings) and HERE Drive, with free, turn-by-turn navigation to Gi Group employees.

HP launches SlateBook x2 in India with a tag of 39990

Aiming to strengthen its place in the rapidly expanding PC and mobility devices space, computer maker Hewlett-Packard today launched a series of touch-enabled notebook, two-in-ones and all-in-one PC for the Indian market. The products launched today by the US-headquartered firm offer affordable touch technology, multi operating system (OS) options among others targeting consumers who are looking for products that offer them a seamless integration in the office, home as well as on the move. The products launched for the consumer market include notebooks, two-in-one devices, ultrabook and all-in-one PCs. “People today demand extreme mobility and performance in their computing devices, to access and create content effortlessly anytime and anywhere,” HP India Consumer Product Category PPS Director Ketan Patel said here. These new products bring novel touch experiences to help people connect, share and create in ways they never imagined, he added.

The two-in-one devices, HP SlateBook x2 and the HP Split x2, offer full functionality of a notebook with a removable screen that acts as a tablet. While Slatebook x2 sports the Android Jelly Bean operating system priced at Rs 39,990, Split x2 runs of Windows 8 and is priced at Rs 64,990. Both the devices have touch-enabled features.

In the all-in-one PC segment, the firm launched HP Envy Rove 20, which is its first mobile all-in-one PC. Priced at Rs 69,990, Envy Rove 20 has a 10-point touch enabled 20-inch diagonal IPS widescreen, LED backlit display that enables wide viewing angles. It is powered by the 4th generation Intel Core processors and Intel HD graphics.

The HP Pavilion 11 TouchSmart notebook enables consumers to transform their work, play and online worlds with the power of touch, all in a powerful notebook that is thin and light enough to take almost anywhere. Sporting a 11.6-inch diagonal capacitive touchscreen with 10 point-finger gesture support that maximises the Windows 8 experience, the Pavilion 11 TouchSmart notebook is priced competitively at Rs 31,990.

The HP Envy TouchSmart 14 ultrabook is designed for the ultimate in gaming. It is powered by NVIDIA discrete graphics and 2GB of video memory. The ultrabook is priced at Rs 64,990.

The HP Slate 21 All-in-One PC offers seamless integration of technology into busy lives by leveraging on an array of operating systems. It has multi-user support with Android OS Jelly Bean. The PC sports Tegra 4 quad-core NVIDIA processor, as well as an intuitive optical touchscreen with true pinch and zoom functionality. HP Slate 21 all-in-one is priced at Rs 24,990.

The products launched today are slated to hit the market from this month-end onwards.

BBM makes Voice on its app (Pun intended)

Voice and Chat apps are the new trend. With apps like Viber and WeChat growing their facilities BBM decided to not saty back. Along with the launch of Blackberry Q5 smartphone in India, BlackBerry has also announced the availability of Blackberry Messenger Voice (BBM Voice) for all BlackBerry smartphone users. The users of BlackBerry smartphones with Blackberry OS 5 and above will now be able to use BBM Voice for free. BBM Voice is the voice-enabled chat messenger, which essentially allows a user to talk or send voice messages to any of his or her BBM contacts over WiFi . With an intent to reiterate its commitment to devices running older versions of its operating system, BlackBerry announced that the update to its BlackBerry Messenger app, BBM 7 that adds BBM Voice is now available for devices running OS 5.0, OS 6.0 and OS 7.0. BlackBerry had launched BBM Voice on BlackBerry OS 6.0 and later devices in December 2012 and had promised that it would update BBM for BlackBerry OS 5 customers, in early 2013 bringing the Voice functionality. Some of the other features that have been added to BBM 7 are multi-tasking with split screen. With this new feature, users can check BBM text chats, emails or even navigate other apps while being on a call. Another feature added with the new BBM 7 is that BBM users can check when a contact is available for a voice chat. The new version also adds BlackBerry ID Integration which is optional and simplifies OS and device upgrades. A BlackBerry ID is required for BBM Voice and this can be set up when upgrading the app. The data will also be carried over when a user moves to BlackBerry 10.The updated version of BBM 7 can be downloaded from BlackBerry World. With the update, BlackBerry wants to give users of its existing budget devices a reason to stay with the brand. This announcement is a good move by Blackberry for users who are still using older generation Blackberry smartphone and also for the sales of Blackberry smartphones based on OS 7. BBM Voice currently will only work over a WiFi network and doesn't support mobile data connections. If you have a BlackBerry device with OS 5.0 and above, you can upgrade your BBM to version 7.0.1.23 from the App World to use the Voice feature.

Samsung Galaxy Tab3 ........... Coming Soon

                                Samsung will be launching its new line of Galaxy Tab3 in the coming weeks. The devices will be arriving in 3 different sizes 10.1 , 8.0 and 7.0 inches and will launch on July7th in the US. Its is already up for pre order and will be priced 399$ and 299$ respectively

                                          The Galaxy Tab3 8.0 will have 2G, 3G and 4G connectivity and will adapt a micro-sim while it will weigh 314g. The display will have a capacitive touch and a screen size of 8inch. The memory is brilliant with 1.5 GB ram and 16/32 GB internal memory . It also has a microSD card slot supporting upto 64GB. It will also have features like bluetooth, usb and Wifi. The primary camera will be only 5MP while the secondary camera will have 1.3MP. It will run on a dual core 1.4Ghz processor and run on Android Jelly Bean.

                                             The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will weigh 510g and have a 10.1 inch screen and a 1GBram. The primary camera will be 3MP all other features will be same.
                                         The galaxy tab 7.0 wont have 4G and will weigh 306g. The internal memory will be 8/16GB and 1GB ram. The front camera will be 3.15Mp. Other all features will be same to galaxy tab3 8.0

BBM (BlackBerryMessanger) to soon be a part of Android and iOS handsets !

                                 

 All you Android/iOS users wishing to have a BlackBerry device for its instant messaging app BBM, heres a good news. BBM SOON TO BE AVAILABLE FOR ANDROID AND APPLE USERS. As the hardware sales keep falling BB is losing its grip on its most valued service. The company on May14 announced that this summer it will release iPhone and Android compatible versions of BBM, a service that allows users to share instant messages and make voice calls to other BB owners through its wireless services without extra charges. The service transmits more than 10Billion messages daily to its 60M worldwide users. It was time to bring BBM to a greater audience no matter what device they carry as BB was losing its grip over the handsets. The android and iOS version will handle only messages now and will support voice later. While BB's latest handsets not selling as fast as some of the competition, the canadian mobile maker thought of selling its services to get some ground. This decision makes sense as opponents of BBM like Whatsapp(200M users), Viber and WeChat are available on multiple platforms and have an edge over BBM as more number of android phones are being sold in this quarter than BB.Market research confirms that messages sent through apps are far more than sent in SMSes. The question is that without BBM how will the production and consumption of BB devices increase? Can this be a bold move ? only time will tell !

Samsung Galaxy Core up for pre-order

                          Earlier this week, Samsung's new mid range smartphone Samsung Galaxy Core was spotted on many e-commerce websites up for pre order which shall be available for INR 15350 and will start shipping from 1 July.
                        It is a dual gsm device that supports both 2G and 3G. It weighs about 124g and has a massive 4.3 inch screen. The memory is pretty good with 8GB internal memory and 1GB ram , it also has a micro SD slot which can support upto 64GB. Bluetooth , WiFi and Usb2.0 are few other important features. It has a pretty ordinary camera of 5.0MP and a VGA front camera. Video recording can also be done. It is a dual core 1.2Ghz fast device and has the latest Os from Android , JellyBean.
                      Priced around 15000 it will receive competition from LG Optimus Black, Sony Xperia J and HTC Desire X. Overall a good way to invest 15k bucks but the ram and camera are disappointing factors. 

Do-Not-Track by Firefox advances

The Mozilla is advancing plans to have the Firefox browser block by default many types of tracing used by numerous advertisers despite strong opposition. Mozilla is currently working on changing the dynamics so that the trackers behave better. 21% of the computers in the world use the Mozilla Firefox browser. According to reports, this feature will hit the web in few months from now. The blocking technology is based on Apple's Safari which blocks all third party cookies. Advertisers use these cookies to track users across multiple websites. This cookie blocking is now being adapted by many browsers. It is also being said that this feature will also be available on your Android device. DNT wont stop advts however it may change the types of ads you see. Ads targeted to your interests will only be displaced.

Apple vs Jelly

                     Apple's website now shows pie chart of iOS fragmentation just like the one that Android released few days ago. Apple ofcourse updated their fragmentation chart to show how they WEREN'T fragmented. The highlight was that mere 1% of Apple's app store visitors still use a version older than iOS5 which was released in Oct'11 & a paltry 6% are using last year's iOS5 while full 93% have shifted to iOS6.
                    Comparing that to Google's Android which REALLY IS FRAGMENTED, the highest portion of android users still rely on android 2.3 gingerbread (36.5%) which was released in 2010. The low point was that 4.8% users still have clung to 1,6 , 2.2 & 2.1 viz Donut Froyo and Eclair  respectively. Another 25.6 are still using Android4.0 Icecream Sandwitch which was released the same moth of iOS5. Only 33% are using the latest major version Android 4.1 Jelly bean (psst and this info is only about the devices that frequently use Google Play excluding products like Amazon Kindle Fire and many million devices in China which dosent use Google's services)