CES 2013: Huawei aims for Samsung with world's biggest smartphone-Ascend Mate

The CES Show, which brings us the hottest and newest electronics innovations, is held every year and draws a lot people's attention! This year, If there's one thing that's become quite clear at CES 2013 it's that 5-inch-plus phones are no longer strange.

Samsung launched its Samsung galaxy note 2 with a 5.5 inch display last year, and since then 5-inch or even bigger phones are starting to become common, such as HTC with the 5 inch Droid DNA, Sony’s new flagship phone -Xperia Z, and the world's biggest smartphone-Ascend Mate unveiled by China’s Huawei Technologies on Monday, features a 6.1-inch display.

So today let’s focus on Huawei’s new android phone to take a close look. Is bigger really better?

Ascend Mate runs on android 4.1 jelly bean, and boasts a 720p display. And also it has a Huawei's own Hi-Silicon 1.5 GHz quad-core processor. The highlight on this handset is the phone equipped with a huge 4,050mAh battery, which can provide 48 hours of power, Huawei says, while the Galaxy Note only has a 3100mAh battery. All of these Specs should hypothetically help it approach the snappy performance of the Note II.  Sadly the device has a typical 8MP and 1MP cameras on the rear and front, respectively.

Just like the Nokia Lumia 920, people can wear a glove and still use its capacitive display, called Magic Touch. And also like smartphone giants like Samsung, Huawei adding its own software spin to what Android already offers. These include a map and augmented reality combo called Guiding Wizard to get you places as well as high-speed look-up and word translation through smart reading. The phone also have a Swift Sharing function, which is supposed to let users share files even faster than S Share, offering speeds up to 150 Mbps.

Huawei's consumer business CEO Richard Yu said the company is hoping its latestsmartphones will offer an alternative for people who have to carry around their tabletcomputer, laptop, smartphone and camera all at once. So Huawei may be positioning the Mate at a lower price point.

Details about how much it will cost or how much RAM the phone comes with, Yu didn’t say. But one thing certain is that The Ascend Mate will go on sale in China in February and globally weeks afterwards (Huawei is apparently under discussions with US carriers).

So are you the one who interested in this phone? Welcome to leave your comments.

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Phablet: Have you Got Ready for it?

Condition is, tablets are getting mini and smartphone are getting big. So what’s the middle? The answer is phablet, an informal term for consumer touch-screen devices with screens that are between five and seven inches. You are probably not familiar with the word “phablet”, but you must have heard of the devices between five and seven inches such as the well-known 5.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Note. Following let’s just get some details about it.

The rise of “Pablet”

The word “phablet” is first used by Richi Jennings in his post to analyze the failure of the 5 inch Dell Streak, which is the first phablet released on June 4, 2010.Then the phablet starts its way in the tech markets.

Representative of Phablets in Market

Samsung Galaxy Note
The first released phablet Dell Streak is the failure, and the later Samsung Galaxy Note has become the first phablet to enjoy massive commercial success with over over 5 million sales in only 5 months. The Samsung Galaxy Note sports a 1.5 Ghz dual-core Exynos processor with 5.3 inch 800×1280 super AMOLED display. It includes 1GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. Besides, there are two cameras, an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera. The device runs Android 2.3 OS, and the ICS upgrade will be available for the device.

The main feature about Samsung Galaxy Note is the inclusion of a premium suite of apps optimized for use with the S-Pen stylus.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2
As the first Samsung phone to employ Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 finally came to us at the beginning of October,2012. With a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED screen (1,280x720-pixel resolution), Galaxy Note 2 is bigger than Galaxy Note.And its specs are better includes a 1.6 GHz quad-core Exynos CPU, 2 GiB RAM, 64GB internal storage with up to 64 GB expanded storage,an 8 MP rear camera and 1.9 MP front camera, and a 3,100 mAh battery.

Compared to the original Galaxy Note, this one 's pressure-sensitive S Pen stylus features a slightly thicker design and the new feature Air View allows a user to preview content by hovering the pen over the content.

If the Samsung Galaxy Note develop the phablet, then Note 2 makes the phablet hotter. And it has become the strong competitor of iPhone 5 and Lumia 920.

LG Optimus Vu 2
With the impressive high-end releases like the Optimus 4X HD,LG has stepped up its game in the Android smartphone world.And also it has released the 5″ LG Optimus Vu phablet to compete for the popular Samsung Galaxy Note. And later the successor LG Optimus Vu 2 comes with a 1.5 Ghz dual-core processor,2GB RAM ,up to 32GB memory, a slightly large 2150 mAh battery and an 8MP rear camera and a 1.3MP front camera,and its resolution is 768×1024 with 256ppi.

LG Optimus Vu 2 runs the Android 4.0 Optimus UI. Obviously, Optimus Vu 2 seems very strong but it is really not as good as Note 2.But it is still a great model of phablet.

Panasonic Eluga Power
Running Android 4.0, Panasonic brought us its 5″ Eluga Power phablet with beautifully design and streamline, allowing it to fit quite comfortably in the hand and easy one-handed typing.It uses a 1.5 Ghz dual-core processor and gives us 8GB internal storage and 1GB RAM. The screen comes with 720×1280 resolution(about 294 ppi).It competitiveness stays at NFC support, water and dust resistance, and super-fast charging.

Rumored Phablets

Samsung Galaxy 4
With the dominant of Android smartphone and the success of Samsung Galaxy S3, the rumors of Galaxy S 4 are becoming hot. We can expect the device will include metal chassis just like iPhone 5.The device is rumored to arrive with a 1080p 5-inch HD display (440ppi), 3GB of RAM, 32/64GB of internal memory, ARM Cortex A15 quad-core processor.

ZTE Grand S
Chinese company ZTE plans to bring the thinnest 5-inch Phablet ZTE Grand S which will sports a 5-inch, 1920x1080 pixel screen and a 13-megapixel camera while being just 6.9mm thin. According to Unwired View reports, the device will come with a 1.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 2,500 mAh battery and a ceramic case.The price is rumored to be 2,799 yuan ($449).

Samsung Galaxy Grand
Besides S4, Samsung will release a vibrant 5 inch display Samsung Galaxy grand with a slim build that is pleasant to hold. It is said to run on a 1.2 GHz dual core processor with Android 4.1.2 JellyBean with some features including Direct Call, AllShare Play, S Voice and others.

Sony Xperia Yuga
Looks like Sony is set to bring not only one 5-inch monsters in early 2013. And, one among them is Xperia Yuga. The device is expect to have a 5-inch 1080p HD display , 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM , LTE, NFC and 2400mAh battery life.

HTC Butterfly(previously called HTC Deluxe)
Better known as HTC J Butterfly, HTC Butterfly sports a huge 1080p 5-inch HD display (440ppi) with resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, a 1.5GHz quad –core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM , 16GB of internal memory, an 8- mega pixel camera, NFC, LTE and Android Jelly Bean OS.

Google and windows surface Phablets
After the blooming of Nexus 4, we just expect the Nexus 5 which can probably come with a 5 inch display with Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. Rumors said that Sony Nexus aka LT30i will be the one .And the surface is the most arguable device in 2012, and I believe it will finally come to 5 inch.

It is likely that the 5 inch phablet will be the trend of 2013 smartphone.So, have you got ready for this?

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6 simple tips to fix damaged smartphone you must know

Being a long period of time, smartphones have been an essential part of our daily life, whether on working, or stay at home on weekends, we use the smartphones to contact with others, listen to our favorite music or watch the most enjoyable videos and so on. We can even say that, for most of us, taking a smartphone is no different than carrying our wallet. But like most electronic devices, something or the other can go wrong with the best of them even if you take care of them even you take care of them seriously. So when that happened, what should we do?

When parts of our smartphones go wrong, we will immediately think of taking them to a service center. But many problems are either not covered in the warranty, or a heavy bill and inconvenience awaits the user. In fact, most of the time, the condition of your favorite gadget may actually not be as bad as it seems and you can easily fix the problem yourself by following some simple steps, and here are some tips.

What you do if you’re Phone gets wet?
If your phone gets wet accidentally, remove your phone's battery immediately and then use a towel to dry the physical parts of the smartphone and once finish it, bury your phone and the battery in a bowl full of rice. The rice will absorb all the water and moisture from the device. You should never try to switch the phone on as it may cause short-circuiting in the phone and may lead to a bigger loss for you.

One of the best things you can do is to place the wet smartphone on the back of your PC monitor or TV screen over the heat vents. The conventional heat waves coming out of these devices are perfect to dry and fix your phone. Else, you can place the smartphone in front of the air conditioner as well. Since the cold air coming from the AC is dry, it will dry up your phone quicker than you may expect.
To be on the safer side you can later use a hair dryer to remove the remaining moisture and water from the phone, however, never use a dryer as the first solution. This will worsen the situation by blowing the water droplets into deeper areas of your phone.

Scratches on the screen
The scratches that will appear on screen sooner if you using your smartphone without a screen guard.

But don’t be afraid, toothpaste can help you fix those scratches and make you phone's screen as shiny as your teeth. Just put toothpaste on the screen and gently rub it in circular motion with a soft cloth or cotton and then wipe the whole thing with a soft and slightly damp cloth.

Note: Make sure it is a toothpaste and not a tooth gel.

Stuck pixels
Stuck pixels are the dead pixels that appear on the smartphone screen as a stationary black dot or a bright white or red spot. You can try removing them by gently massaging the area around the stuck pixel with a soft cloth. By this method, you are allowing the pixel to reorient itself and regain color.

Phone shuts-off randomly
If your phone shut off randomly for times, it shows that you have dropped your phone a good number of times or the battery is loose. When this happened, all that you have to do is to take a small bit of paper and fold it. Then open the back cover of your phone and insert the folded bit of paper between the edge of the battery and the edge of the phone, on the opposite side where the terminals of the battery are located. This will keep the battery firmly in place and stop your phone from shutting down.

How to extend battery life?
Have you encountered this problem, recently you bought a new phone battery but it is losing charge within weeks? When face this problem, you can try keeping it in the refrigerator.

Keeping them in cold environment not only extends their life but also increases their power. But make sure that the batteries are wrapped in a poly bag or a zip lock bag while they are inside the refrigerator.

You can also try to solve the problem by turning off screen's auto-rotate function, Bluetooth, reducing the screen brightness and GPS. If you are not really bothered about using the Wi-Fi and have an internet pack activated, you can switch off the Wi-Fi as well. However, if the problem still persists, it is likely a software issue and you must take your phone to a technician.

Fixing crashed Android apps
An Android app can crash within minutes of downloading and can cause your phone to hang. Reasons can be many but you can fix it by following these steps. Pull the battery slowly from the phone. This step is called soft reset and doesn't affect data in your phone, but can help you resolve issues such as a crashed app.
Once your phone restarts, you can go to Google Play > My Apps and then click on the app to update it. If an update is not available then simply uninstall the app and then reinstall it.

If you really enjoyed this article, welcome to share your views and suggestion via comments.

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New Nexus Tablets,Smartphone are Announced By Google Today

Google announced lots of new hardware today via blog post, after an event in New York was canceled in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy. The big items:

• The Nexus 4 smartphone, developed with LG. It features a quad-core processor, a 4.2-inch display, and a wireless charging feature that lets you power the phone by setting it down on a charging service. It runs Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and a feature called Photo Sphere for creating 360-degree panoramas. The phone goes on sale Nov. 13 for $299.
• The Nexus 7 now comes in new Wi-Fi models that are 16GB (for $199) and 32GB (for $249). Google also is making a version available with an HSPA+ cellular connection -- $32GB for $299. It's on sale Nov. 13.
• The Nexus 10 tablet, developed with Samsung, offers what Google calls the highest-resolution screen in the tablet marketplace at 300 pixels per square inch. That 2560 by 1600 pixel display will still get nine hours of video playback, Google says. And it has an account-switching feature that lets multiple users share the tablet more easily. The 16GB model goes for for $399; the 32GB model costs for $499. It's available Nov. 14.

Google also announced an update to Google Now, its predictive-search feature that presents information on a series of cards without the user having to search. In addition to weather and traffic information, cards will now display flight information, restaurant reservations, hotel confirmations and shipping details, the company said.

Source:cnet

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Samsung and Android extends dominance in smartphones worldwide

IDC latest data show that Google’s Android and Apple iOS accounted for 85% of the entire smartphone market in the second quarter of this year.

Samsung Electronics Co. and other phone makers shipped nearly 105 million Android smartphones in the latest quarter, giving Android 68 percent of the worldwide market, up from 47 percent last year. And this helped Google's operating system extend its dominance in the smartphone market. IPhone iOS platform followed, its market share reached 16.9%.

With the expansion of Google’s Android and iOS, the BlackBerry OS, Symbian and Windows mobile phones continue to be squeezed. Although RIM is in financial trouble, the BlackBerry OS still ranked third, accounting for 4.8 percent market share, it is a shame compared to the performance of 11.5% in the second quarter of 2011.

What’s worse, the Symbian system has decreased from 16.9% to 4.4%. The share of Windows phones grew to 3.5 percent, from 2.3 percent, in the latest quarter. The Lumia of Nokia failed to stimulate significant growth of the platform

In the past 12 weeks, the main reason of Android smartphone sales increase is due to many Apple users are waiting for the new iPhone-iPhone5. And Rumors have said the new iPhone will released in September. Although Apple’s market share have increased from 28.7 percent to 38.2 percent in US. But only in UK, Apple's mobile phone market share increased from 20.8% to 22.9 percent this year, the market share of other European countries are varying degrees of decline.

“Samsung’s Galaxy S III phone received good reviews when it was released late in the second quarter”, Dominic Sunnebo said. And that’s why Samsung extends dominance in smartphones worldwide.

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