UK faces BlackBerry outage again

UK faces BlackBerry outage again

BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion (RIM) has issued a statement apologising for yet another service outage across the UK, Europe and the Middle East.

RIM said: “We are currently experiencing a BlackBerry service issue affecting some users in Europe, Middle East & Africa. All relevant support teams are working to resolve the issue. We apologise to any customers who may be affected.”

The ailing smartphone company has had a number of high profile outages and is facing commercial pressure from Apple and Android smartphones that are capable of providing "good-enough" email security for all but the most security-conscious IT environments.

In October 2011, users experienced the largest outage in the history of the BlackBerry service. The three-day outage affected major businesses and government departments that rely on RIM's enterprise messaging service to deliver mobile email.

This latest services distribution could put into question whether businesses should rely on BlackBerry smartphones, due to the single point of failure within RIM's network and IT infrastructure.

In the past, users relied on the BlackBerry service – which has proven to be highly resilient – due to the high-level of security offered through the BlackBerry Enterprise Server. The service was certified by the CESG, the UK Government's National Technical Authority for Information Assurance, for restricted data access within the government. But Apple and Android are working towards certification and these outages increase the pressure on RIM.

Samsung becomes first to unveil Windows Phone 8 handset

Samsung becomes first to unveil Windows Phone 8 handset:

Samsung announced a new range of products under the name Ativ last night, making it the first manufacturer to reveal its Windows Phone 8 mobile device.

The Ativ S smartphone was unveiled at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, beating Microsoft’s major partner, Nokia, which is due to launch its own device at a press event in New York next Wednesday.

Samsung’s version houses a 1.5GHz dual core processor, comes with a choice of 16GB or 32GB memory – with support for a microSD card – and two cameras, a forward-facing 1.9MP and a rear-facing 8MP shooter.

The device itself measures in at 137.2mm x 70.5mm, with a 4.8” HD Super AMOLED display, is 8.7 mm thick and weighs just 135g, making it a similar build to Samsung’s Galaxy S III flagship mobile, but with less power inside.

It is not clear when the device will hit the shelves but rumours from the trade show floor claim the end of October is a likely launch date.

As well as the Ativ S smartphone, Samsung also unveiled a new tablet device based on the upcoming Windows 8 light version known as Windows RT. The Activ Tab will have a 10.1” display but weigh 570g and measure 8.9mm in thickness, making it both thinner and lighter than the latest Apple iPad.

It will run on a 1.5GHz dual core processor, come with either 32GB or 64GB memory – as well as support for up to 64GB on a microSD card – and have two cameras, the forward-facing 1.9MP and the rear-facing 5MP device.    

“Samsung is a highly-valued partner and it’s great to see this investment in a global brand for its Windows-based tablets and phones,” said Nick Parker, corporate vice-president of original equipment manufacturers for Microsoft.

“This gives us an increased opportunity to inspire our customers with excitement and confidence as they enjoy Windows experiences across their beautiful Samsung devices, including entertainment scenarios, mobile productivity and cloud services.”

Smartphones to kill off landlines within five years

The majority of UK CIOs believe the work landline will be redundant within the next five years due to the rise in adoption of the smartphone.

The figure was revealed in research from Virgin Media Business, which saw 500 CIOs questioned by Vanson Bourne on its behalf.

A significant 65% of respondents believed landlines would no longer be an everyday tool in corporate environments by 2017, while the vast majority (87%) said smartphones would live on through technology changes in that timeframe.

“The pace of change with technology is having a transformative effect on the way we work,” said Tony Grace, chief operating officer of Virgin Media Business. “A decade ago it would have been unthinkable to suggest an office without telephones. Now it’s hard to imagine being separated from our smartphones.

“Mobile connections to the internet are getting better by the day, and almost everywhere we go we’re able to check-in at the office, social networking sites, or simply contact friends and family. Because of this, businesses have recognised the importance of the mini-computers that smartphones have essentially become. This is leading us to rely increasingly on our smartphones and less on our landlines.”

Despite mobile devices being a key business tool, the rise of the tablet still has some doubters in the corporate world.

Just under a quarter of respondents to the survey (24%) claimed the likes of the iPad would “fall out of fashion” in the next five years, despite 62% of the CIOs believing the PC would follow the landline in becoming redundant, leaving a space for something to take its place.

“The sophistication of mobile technology is also having an impact on the PC,” said Grace. “It’s never been easier to work on the move, making stationary PCs significantly less useful than laptop counterparts.

“However, tablet technology still has a long way to go to justify itself and sit alongside smartphones as essential business equipment.”

Samsung lashes out at Apple after patent defeat

Samsung lashes out at Apple after patent defeat:

Samsung has lashed out at Apple after losing its high-profile US court battle over patents that led to a $12bn loss in market value for Samsung as investors withdrew support.

Samsung’s share price fell 7.5% in Seoul, South Korea on Monday as shareholders reacted to the $1bn fine imposed by a US court on Friday for copying key elements of Apple iPhone.The embattled South Korean company is hoping its drive to innovate will retain the loyalty of consumers. In closing arguments last week, Samsung’s lawyers said that victory for Apple would mean less choice for consumers.

In an internal memo issued after the verdict, Samsung management said: "History has shown there has yet to be a company that has won the hearts and minds of consumers and achieved continuous growth when its primary means to competition has been the outright abuse of patent law, not the pursuit of innovation.

“We trust that the consumers and the market will side with those who prioritise innovation over litigation, and we will prove this beyond doubt."

Ahead of the verdict, analysts said a victory for Apple could lead to the company broadening its attack on other handset makers that use Google's Android operating system and could boost Microsoft partner, Nokia, which is expected to announce new smartphones next month. 

In line with those predictions, Google’s shares fell 1.4% while Nokia shares gained 9% on Monday in New York, according to the Guardian.

Apple’s shares gained almost 2% on news of the patent battle victory.

Samsung has said it will appeal against the verdict, but Judge Lucy Koh could triple the fine because the jury found Samsung's infringement of Apple's patents and designs was "willful".

Apple will also be able to apply for an injunction against the 24 smartphones and tablets named in the suit at a hearing scheduled for 20 September.

In a similar trial that also ended last week, a South Korean court ruled that Apple and Samsung Electronics infringed each other's patents.

Both parties were ordered to pay compensation. Samsung must pay Apple $22,000 while Apple must pay its rival $35,000.

Samsung to power 3’s 4G network

Samsung to power 3’s 4G network:

Samsung today announced it would be providing the backbone for 3 when it rolls out its 4G network in the UK.

The deal is Samsung’s first commercial mobile network deployment in Europe, which will see it install an LTE radio access network (RAN) along with a number of key back-end infrastructure components necessary for 4G roll-out.

It will also be responsible for installing new base stations across the UK and all the kit involved with making them operational.

“[Our] customers will start benefiting from this investment in our core network early next year, and those benefits will grow further as we deploy new spectrum,” said Dave Dyson, CEO of 3. “Samsung’s advanced network technology will help us to continue to deliver the most enjoyable smartphone experience.”

Samsung and 3 will trial the network as early as this year, but it won’t be fully operational until later in 2013. This works with the operator’s schedule for roll-out of its 4G network though, which isn’t expected to begin until September next year.

It was announced this week that 3 had secured a portion of 1800MHz spectrum from Everything Everywhere, just afterOfcom had announced it would allow the spectrum to be liberalised and used by the operator for 4G services.

EE had to sell off some of the band following a European Commission stipulation, put in place when the company was formed out of the merger of Orange and T-Mobile back in 2010.

However, even though it has to sell it off, the spectrum doesn’t have to be cleared and made ready for 3’s use until September 2013, meaning that although 3 has spectrum ready for 4G, it can’t incorporate it into its network for at least another year.

This isn’t stopping 3 from being prepared though.

“This contract is a demonstration of 3’s desire to provide the best possible service and solutions for its customers,” said Mark Thompson, sales and marketing director for Samsung’s European network operations – the division formed in 2011 to push for more mobile deals in the region.

“Currently, one in four LTE connections globally are brokered through Samsung’s LTE infrastructure. 3 will be the first of many European operators to benefit from this wealth of experience.”

RIM plans new contact management features on BB10 devices

RIM plans new contact management features on BB10 devices

Research In Motion plans to provide BlackBerry users with an easy way to tap their contacts' public profiles including blog posts, tweets, emails and other details in its latest push to regain ground in the smartphone market.

The new contact management feature, which pulls in contact details from social media and other Internet sites into a single Blackberry page, will be available on RIM's next generation of smartphones that are set to launch early next year, the company said on Thursday.

RIM has seen its once dominant position in the smartphone market slip away to rivals including Apple Inc and Samsung  and the company's fate depends on the success of the BB10 devices.

"BlackBerry has always had this heritage of productivity ... We are just going to make it better yet again, when we launch BB10," said T.A. McCann, who is spearheading the development of the contacts and BlackBerry Messenger applications for the new platform.

The new smartphones that will replace RIM's current line-up of aging devices will run on the BlackBerry 10 operating system that is currently in development.

McCann said the built-in contacts app on BB10 will aggregate all contact information, status updates and meetings for a contact in one place. It will also pull in any current status updates from contacts on Facebook, Twitter and other places giving users a wealth of up-to-date information on their contacts.

Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM is hoping that its new line of devices will help it regain market share that has been ceded to snazzier devices such as Apple's iPhone and others that run on Google Inc's Android operating system.

McCann, who was the founder and Chief Executive of Seattle-based Gist that was acquired by RIM in early 2011, promises that BlackBerry users will get to enjoy many of Gist's innovative contact management ideas on the new BB10 platform.

McCann said many of the features have already been built into the contact management system on the latest version of the operating system that powers RIM's PlayBook tablet device.

Apple to drop YouTube app from iPhone

Apple to drop YouTube app from iPhone

Apple has confirmed that the latest version of its iOS mobile operating system will not include an app for accessing Google's YouTube video service by default.

The move represents another step away from Google, after Apple previously announced that Google Maps will be replaced with Apple's own application using mapping technology from Dutch satnav partner TomTom in iOS6, which is due out later this year.

Apple said in a statement: "Our licence to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended. Customers can use YouTube in the Safari browser and Google is working on a new YouTube app to be on the App Store."

This means YouTube fans will need to download the app as they would for every other service they want access to on their phone.

YouTube said: “We are working with Apple to ensure we have the best possible YouTube experience for iOS users.”

Since Google's Android operating system emerged as a strong rival to iOS, Apple has been seeking to reduce the iPhone's links with its former partner.

With Google Maps and YouTube gone, speculation is now mounting that Apple will remove Google as the default search button on the iPhone's Safari browser, according to the Guardian.

Apple has already dropped Google in China for local firm Baidu, and news of a change elsewhere could come when Apple is expected to unveil the latest iPhone in September, the paper said.

Apple's deal with Facebook to integrate the social network into iPhones and iPads is also being regarded by some analysts as another challenge to Google, according to theTelegraph.

Samsung Galaxy S III: 10 Million Sold

Samsung Galaxy S III: 10 Million Sold


Samsung reached its 10 million unit sales goal for the Galaxy S III smartphone more than a week early, an executive says.

Samsung predicted that it would sell 10 million Galaxy S III smartphones by the end of July, and it appears that it has already met this goal. Speaking to the Yonhap News Agency, Samsung's mobile chief J.K. Shin said, "It appears that (accumulated sales) has exceeded 10 million units."


What's not clear is if Shin meant sales to end users or shipments to retailers.


The Galaxy S III went on sale across Europe in late May. It reached some U.S. carriers in late June and others in early July. None of the individual carriers has offered any information about sales of the device. In the United States, some wireless network operators are prone to making grandiose 


announcements when devices have a particularly strong opening weekend. So far, there have been no such announcements.


Though the distinction between devices shipped versus devices sold is an important one, even if Samsung has only shipped 10 million devices, it won't be long before they are sold. In 2010, Samsung sold 20 million Galaxy S smartphones, and in 2011, it sold 30 million Galaxy S II smartphones. 


Surely the Galaxy S III will surpass both phones by a significant margin.

The Galaxy S III is one of the strongest devices to reach the market this year. Not only does it boast one of the most impressive spec sheets, its performance is unrivaled when compared to other Android smartphone the market.

In the U.S., the device is available from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile USA, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless. The GS3 comes in white, blue, and red (AT&T exclusive), and costs $199 for the 16-GB version and $249 for the 32-GB version.

The GS3's main competition, the Apple iPhone 4S, is nearly 10 months old. It is also sold for $199 for the 16-GB model, but the 32-GB iPhone 4S costs $299, giving Samsung a bit of a price advantage for the higher capacity version.

Beyond the pricing, the GS3's 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display is significantly larger than the iPhone 4S's 3.5-inch display. Apple is expected to increase the size of the iPhone's display with the next-generation model, but reports point to a modest increase, to just 4 inches across the diagonal.

However, the GS3 will have about a four-month lead on the iPhone 5 by the time it reaches the market. Apple is due to report its second-quarter earnings this week, and expectations for the iPhone are dampened as analysts see slackening demand ahead of the iPhone 5's arrival.

smartphone with Intel Inside

Introducing the Orange smartphone with Intel Inside:-