Dhruv Bhutani | Fone Arena

BBM 2.0 for Android, iOS bring Channels and Voice support

Using BBM on an Android or iOS device? You have reason to be delighted as the company is rolling out version 2.0 of its popular messenger application. The headline feature here is of course support for BBM Voice. The service allows users to place voice calls over WiFi and cellular connections for free and helps connect BBM users across the world.

Additionally, the new update also brings BBM Channels to both Android and iOS. The service that was launched earlier last year allows users to engage in conversation with like minded BBM users on topics of common interest. Glympse based location sharing is another feature that we feel particularly stands out from the competition. You can switch on location sharing for a pre defined period of time. Continue reading “BBM 2.0 for Android, iOS bring Channels and Voice support”

Nokia Lumia Icon heads to Verizon, packs Snapdragon 800 processor & 5 inch 1080p display

The long rumored Nokia Lumia Icon has finally been announced and it packs quite a punch. The device that is exclusive to Verizon, combines the specifications of the Lumia 1520 with the size of the Nokia Lumia 928. The phone sports a 5 inch OLED display with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. Packed into the five inch frame this gives it a pixel density of 441ppi. The dimensions of the phone are fairly svelte at 5.39” x 2.79” x 0.39” inches while the weight comes in at 166 grams. The Lumia Icon is wrapped in a metallic shell with ceramic keys which should help it look and feel decidedly less plasticky compared to the Lumia 928. Continue reading “Nokia Lumia Icon heads to Verizon, packs Snapdragon 800 processor & 5 inch 1080p display”

Nokia Lumia 1320 Review

Back in October at it’s Nokia World event, the Finnish smartphone manufacturer showed off two devices that were meant to capitalize on the trend favoring larger screen sizes. Packed with 6 inch panels and some special Nokia bits baked into Windows Phone 8, the two devices were intriguing to say the least. Fast forward to today and we’ve spent some quality time with both the phones. A few days back we brought you our review of the Nokia Lumia 1520 and here’s our take on the Lumia 1320. Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 1320 Review”

TSMC switching to 8 inch processing for TouchID sensors

TSMC or the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is responsible for manufacturing Touch ID sensors for the Apple iPhone. Apple had previously contracted TSMC to produce fingerprint sensors at their 12 inch processing facility using a 65nm process. Due to risks associated with the 12 inch Wafer Level Packaging (WLP) process, the production yield has so far been limited to between 70-80%. This is set to change. Continue reading “TSMC switching to 8 inch processing for TouchID sensors”

HTC reports Q4 2013 financial results, revenue drops to NT$42.9 billion

HTC just published its financial reports for the third quarter of 2014 and has unfortunately reported yet another decline in sales. The company reported revenues of NT$42.9 billion. This is a substantial year on year drop from the NT$60 billion reported in Q4 2012. The 28% drop amounts to a drop of about USD 0.6 billion YoY in terms of revenue.

HTC’s operating margin was reported as -3.7 percent with a quarterly profit of NT $0.31 billion. HTC has forecast even lower revenue for Q1 2014. The company expects to make about NT$35 billion in the first quarter of 2014. This can be accounted to the lack of new launches especially in the upper end segment. We reported earlier that HTC plans to make a broader push towards strengthening their lower and mid range product portfolio. Continue reading “HTC reports Q4 2013 financial results, revenue drops to NT$42.9 billion”

HTC M8 Mini to go light on specs, include 720p 4.5″ screen, 1.4 Ghz Snapdragon 400 processor

The Moto G and Xperia Z 1 compact are the two benchmark devices for ‘mini’ phones across price segments. While the Moto G aims to give you an extremely value for money experience, the Z1 compact goes the other way around by stuffing top of the line specifications in a tiny shell. The likes of HTC on the have have typically aimed at creating a device that might have a passing resemblance to their higher end models but pack much lower specifications. If the latest leak is to be believed, this will continue to be true.

HTC M8 mini (mem_ul): SD400 (1.4GHz x4), 4.5″, 720p, 1GB/16GB (+microSD), 13MP/5MP, a/b/g/n/ac, BT4.0, KK4.4.2, Sense6.0, buttons on screen.

— @evleaks (@evleaks) February 8, 2014

Evleaks has provided us a glance at what are expected to be the specifications of the HTC M8 Mini. This device will accompany the higher end HTC M8. Specifications include a 1.4 Ghz Quad Core Snapdragon 400 processor which has recently been seen powering the Moto G. Paired with this will be 1GB of RAM which does seem a bit low. A 4.5 inch 720p display is what’ll be placed up front. Running Android 4.4 KitKat, expect to see Sense 6.0 on board. The rear camera is expected to be a 13MP unit paired with a 5MP front camera. The device should ideally be revealed at the upcoming Mobile World Congress alongside the flagship device ie the M8. While the specifications of the phone aren’t particularly exciting, a mix of good industrial design and pricing to match could make it an interesting device. We’ll be there to bring you the lowdown on the phone straight from the showfloor!

PlasticLogic debuts flexible AMOLED display

Remember PlasticLogic? The company was all set to debut its QUE proReader back in 2010 with an ultrafast (by e-ink standards) refresh rate and a legitimitely usable touchscreen experience. However the product was canned due to changing market scenarios. The company has since then been working on flexible display technology. At Flextech 2014, it announced its new flexible AMOLED screen technology.

In its first incarnation, the display can show only red colors instead of the complete RGB (Red, Green, Blue) spectrum that is expected for a production display. That said, the screen is a very early prototype and retail products based on it are expected in late 2015. PlasticLogic is working closely with NovaLED which specializes in organic LED related technologies. Continue reading “PlasticLogic debuts flexible AMOLED display”

Notification Center for Windows Phone 8.1 spotted in fresh leak

A new leak doing the rounds today is giving us a first glimpse of what is expected to be the notification center in Windows Phone 8.1 . Obtained from a confidential slide deck sent internally at Microsoft, the notification center will be dubbed ‘Action Center’ but will pack all the functionality that we’ve come to expect from such a feature.

Continue reading “Notification Center for Windows Phone 8.1 spotted in fresh leak”

HTC and Nokia enter patent, technology licensing agreement

Last year an ITC Judge ruled that HTC infringed on two essential patents owned by Nokia. The patents covered ways to remove error from signals as well as a process to deal with different radio frequencies. Today, Nokia announced that the two companies have entered into a patent and technology licensing agreement wherein the Taiwanese company will pay royalties to Nokia to end the dispute. Continue reading “HTC and Nokia enter patent, technology licensing agreement”

Samsung partners with Tata Motors to bring Drive Link infotainment system to cars

At the ongoing Auto Expo, Samsung and Tata Motors have announced a tie up to bring closer integration between smartphones and automobiles. The collaboration revolves around bringing Samsung’s Drive Link application to Tata’s fleet of vehicles. A derivative of MirrorLink technology, it will let users duplicate their smartphone interface on an in car display and use it for navigation, media access as well as to answer calls. Tata is expected to introduce Drive Link integration in its passenger car range early next year. Continue reading “Samsung partners with Tata Motors to bring Drive Link infotainment system to cars”

GT Advanced ramps up production capacity for Sapphire Crystal iPhone displays

GT Advanced, manufacturer of sapphire crystal components for Apple is ramping up production. According to SEC Filings, the company entered a partnership with Apple last year which came with an exclusivity clause for “Consumer Electronics Products”. The company currently manufactures sapphire crystal components like Apple Touch ID fingerprint readers and caps for camera sensors. GT Advanced already has 518 sapphire crystal furnace units and has placed orders for 420 additional units. Continue reading “GT Advanced ramps up production capacity for Sapphire Crystal iPhone displays”

ARM reports earnings of $130.4 million in Q4 2013, falls below analyst expectations

ARM Holdings, the British semiconductor company whose processor chip designs power most smartphones reported its earnings for Q4 2013. While the earnings were up 7% year on year, it fellow below analyst estimates owing to slowdown in smartphone sales. The company was estimated to rake in $138 million but reported processor royalties of $130.4m in the fourth quarter of 2013. Continue reading “ARM reports earnings of $130.4 million in Q4 2013, falls below analyst expectations”

Android leads with 51.8% US Smartphone market share, Motorola jumps to 3rd place

comScore published its quarterly report for the period of Q4 2013 today and the results show a slight dip in market share for Android. Compared to Q3 2013, Android showed a 0.3 percent dip to reach 51.5 percent market penetration. Trailing Android is Apple with 41.8 percent of the smartphone market being powered by iOS. This was a slight rise from the 40.60% market share it enjoyed in Q3 2013. The launch of the iPhone 5s and 5c are expected to have played a role in this rise. The remaining marketshare was split between with BlackBerry and Microsoft which are at third and fourth spots respectively with 3.4%, 3.1% penetration. Continue reading “Android leads with 51.8% US Smartphone market share, Motorola jumps to 3rd place”

Google Nexus 5 in Bright Red goes official, available in India now

Nexus 5 Red

Hankering for a bit of color in your favorite Google edition device? The Nexus 5 in red is now available on the Play Store in the same 16 and 32GB capacities as the other variants. The phone has a dual tone finish with the front being black, and the matte red finish extending to the edges. The specifications of the phone remain identical to the black and white versions and are detailed below. Continue reading “Google Nexus 5 in Bright Red goes official, available in India now”

AOSP commit suggests Android to replace Dalvik with ART in upcoming release

When Android KitKat rolled out we got our first glimpse of what could be the new runtime heading to Android. Dubbed ART, it was introduced as a preview for enthusiast users and came with a fare share of warnings. Code changes spotted in a recent commit to the AOSP ie Android Open Source Project suggest that the switchover from Dalvik to ART may be coming sooner rather than later. Owing to the rapid adoption in the community, numerous bug reports, it is quite possible that the Android team has managed to get the runtime ready for primetime sooner than expected. Continue reading “AOSP commit suggests Android to replace Dalvik with ART in upcoming release”