TechnaBlogRoll

Asus is reportedly working on Windows 8 laptops that are equipped with Microsoft’s Kinect technology. The Daily recently reported that it was able to “check out” two different prototype laptops that “appeared” to be made by Asus. The Kinect sensor was built into the area where a notebook’s camera would typically reside, and The Daily also noted a set of LEDs below the screen. Microsoft reportedly confirmed that the notebooks were Kinect-enabled prototypes. As The Daily points out, a Kinect-enabled notebook could allow a user to interact with Windows 8 or play games using motion controls, much like Xbox 360 Kinect users are able to do now. It is unclear when, or even if, the notebooks will ever be released.

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Author: boygeniusreport.com

Verizon released the DROID RAZR MAXX on Thursday for $299.99 with a new two-year agreement. The device features a massive 3,300 mAh battery and a slightly thicker frame than its predecessor, the DROID RAZR. Other than that, the handsets are identical. Droid-Life confirmed on Friday that both devices run the same exact software, in fact — the Android version on both devices features the same build number, same kernel and same baseband version. We have seen similar products in the past (DROID 2 and DROID R2D2), but they all carried slightly different software versions to accommodate various changes. With the DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX however, it looks like everything is interchangeable, so savvy users already have a wide range custom ROMs to choose from.

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Author: boygeniusreport.com

Global mobile phone shipments grew 14% annually to shatter the previous shipment record in 2011. Market research firm Strategy Analytics estimates that 1.6 billion cell phones were shipped last year, representing more than one-fifth of the world’s total population, which surpassed 7 billion in late October last year according to the Population Reference Bureau. An earlier report from the GSMA estimated that there are now more than 6 billion total mobile connections worldwide. Read on for more.

Handset shipments grew 11% to reach 445 million units globally last quarter according to Strategy Analytics, 155 million of which were smartphones. Nokia retained its No.1 position globally with mobile phone shipments totaling 113.5 million units, and Samsung followed with 95 million units. With just one smartphone line that includes just three models, Apple was the world’s No.3 cell phone vendor last quarter with shipments totaling 37 million units.

Nokia was also the top vendor for the full year, having shipped 417.1 million phones globally according to Strategy Analytics’s figures. Samsung shipped 327.4 million units in 2011 and Apple sold 93 million iPhones into distribution channels.

“Smartphone specialist Apple shipped 93.0 million handsets worldwide in 2011, nearly doubling the previous year’s volumes,” Strategy Analytics analyst Tom Kang said. “Currently in just its fifth year of participation in the handset market, Apple is on track to ship well over 100 million units during 2012. China is becoming a key market for Apple this year, and we expect Apple’s share to grow rapidly in 2012, despite countless copycat rivals.” The firm’s full press release follows below.

Strategy Analytics: Global Handset Shipments Reach 1.6 Billion Units in 2011

Boston, MA – January 26, 2012 – According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global handset shipments grew 11 percent annually to reach 445 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011. Apple was the star performer, capturing a record 8 percent market share worldwide during the quarter. Full-year handset shipments reached 1.6 billion units globally in 2011, with annual growth of 14 percent.

Alex Spektor, Associate Director at Strategy Analytics, said, “Despite continued macroeconomic difficulties in major markets like Western Europe, global handset shipments grew a reasonable 11 percent annually to reach 445 million units in Q4 2011. Apple was the star performer, shipping 37.0 million iPhones worldwide and capturing a highest-ever 8 percent market share. Apple’s growth was fuelled by intense demand for its refreshed iPhone 4S, as well as the availability of three generations of iPhones at a variety of price points at operators like AT&T in the United States.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Nokia’s global handset shipments declined 8 percent annually to 113.5 million units in Q4 2011. Volumes were buoyed by the sales of Nokia’s low-end dual-SIM models in emerging markets like Southeast Asia, but were a little soft overall, as initial shipments of Microsoft Lumia phones could not offset declining Symbian sales. Hot on Nokia’s heels, second-ranked Samsung captured 21 percent share with shipments of 95.0 million units. Samsung’s 18 percent annual growth was fuelled by robust shipments of its broad Galaxy-branded 3G portfolio, headlined by the Galaxy S2 superphone.”

Tom Kang, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Smartphone specialist Apple shipped 93.0 million handsets worldwide in 2011, nearly doubling the previous year’s volumes. Currently in just its fifth year of participation in the handset market, Apple is on track to ship well over 100 million units during 2012. China is becoming a key market for Apple this year, and we expect Apple’s share to grow rapidly in 2012, despite countless copycat rivals.”

Exhibit 1: Global Handset Vendor Shipments and Market Share in Q4 2011

[See chart above]

The full report, Global Handset Shipments Reach 445 Million Units in Q4 2011, is published by the Strategy Analytics Wireless Device Strategies (WDS) service, details of which can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/3tbnzb6.

Author: boygeniusreport.com

Although Apple outsold all Android vendors in the fourth quarter, the Cupertino-based company’s share of mobile internet usage is reportedly beginning to slide. An analysis of last year’s Internet usage shows that in the United States, the proportion of Android mobile web visitors overtook Apple users by the end of the year, according to 51Degrees.mobi. The share of Apple’s iOS web traffic in December fell to 34.1%, while Android increased to 36.6%. In Europe, Apple remained ahead with 42.6% however, despite an increase in Android traffic that pushed the platform to 25.5% by the end of 2011. RIM’s BlackBerry devices remained stable in both regions with roughly 9% of all mobile web usage. “The battle for mobile operating system dominance is far from over”, said 51Degrees.mobi CEO James Rosewell. “Apple experienced record sales of iPad2 and iPhone devices, yet its share of mobile web traffic declined in the US and Europe – indicating just how many more Android based products were used online in the same period.” The firm’s full press release follows after the break.

Decline in Apple share of mobile internet usage shows battle to dominate mobile phones and tablets is far from over

Apple’s dominance of mobile web traffic appears to be fading

Android traffic now ahead in the US; Apple still leads in the UK

BlackBerry share of web traffic remains stable

Nokia starting to slide in India

51Degrees.mobi, the leading provider of device detection and web optimisation solutions, has today published an analysis of the mobile devices its online partners detected browsing the internet last year.

The 51Degrees.mobi Mobile Web Trends 2011 white paper shows that the proportion of mobile web visitors in the USA with Android devices overtook Apple users by the end of the year. The share of Apple iOS web traffic in December 2011 fell to 34.1% in the US, while Android increased to 36.6%.

In Europe, Apple remained ahead with 42.6% of mobile web visits despite an increase in Android usage to 25.5% by the end of 2011.

Figures for RIM’s BlackBerry OS were stable in the USA and Europe throughout the second half of 2011, varying by just a fraction of a percentage point. Both regions saw BlackBerry usage remain at around 9% of all mobile web traffic.

Unlike the mobile market in Europe and the USA, mobile phone use in India has been dominated by Nokia and its Symbian operating system for several years. Nokia mobile web visits fell in H2 2011 from 57.3% of the total figure to 50.6% by the end of the year.

The data has been collated from customers who use 51Degrees.mobi free and premium device detection services.

“The battle for mobile operating system dominance is far from over”, said 51Degrees.mobi CEO James Rosewell. “Apple experienced record sales of iPad2 and iPhone devices, yet its share of mobile web traffic declined in the US and Europe – indicating just how many more Android based products were used online in the same period.”

Author: boygeniusreport.com

Twitter announced recently that it now has the ability to, and will begin to, censor content on the social network by country. “As we continue to grow internationally, we will enter countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression,” the company said in a blog post Thursday. “Some differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there.” Twitter gave France and Germany as examples, two countries that ban pro-Nazi rhetoric from being posted on the Internet. Previously, Twitter would have had to delete specific content worldwide in order to prevent it from being visible, but it can now remove content on a country-by-country basis. Read on for more.

The company’s announcement has caused some to worry Twitter might cross a line that is already blurred. For example, the new policy could prohibit a country’s citizens from using Twitter as a means to band together and stage an uprising. No doubt much of 2011′s Arab Spring uprisings were fueled by social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, and censorship could have killed the powerful voices that helped topple a number of regimes.

“We haven’t yet used this ability, but if and when we are required to withhold a Tweet in a specific country, we will attempt to let the user know, and we will clearly mark when the content has been withheld,” Twitter said. “One of our core values as a company is to defend and respect each user’s voice. We try to keep content up wherever and whenever we can, and we will be transparent with users when we can’t. The Tweets must continue to flow.”

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Author: boygeniusreport.com

I have been using a Sprint BlackBerry Curve 9350 on and off for the last month or so and I have to say I really am drawn to the device. It feels like RIM finally came up with a BlackBerry Curve model that didn’t have a sacrifices like a low resolution screen or no flash. They also upped the quality of the device to the point where it feels sleek. Read on to see what I mean.

On the BlackBerry Curve 9350 RIM decided to not force users to make too many compromises and actually offers benefits that even the Bold line does not have. The first thing you notice when you pick up a BlackBerry Curve 9350 (or Curve 9360 and Curve 9370 for that matter) is that the device is super thin and light. It also has a very “Curvy” design that fits beautifully in your hand. The volume control and mute buttons on the right side are perfectly placed and easy to press and the lock button on top has just the right amount of give. The keyboard is still a plastic-y Curve style keyboard but the build quality seems even better than the previous generation 9300 models. The only real complaint I have is that the call, menu, back, and end call buttons require more effort than I would like to push in.

I have to admit that I am a bit of a klutz and actually dropped this Sprint 9350 at least 4 times since I started using it and there is not even a scratch on it and no pealed off chrome like previous models. The only thing that ever happened is that the case needed to be squeezed back together once since some snap had let loose. The front of the device looks really slick and has the same sequential light on and off system as the rest of the BlackBerry 7 line. The gripes I had with the design was that they only put one convenience key on the new Curve and they flipped the MicroUSB port to face backwards from what you are used to.

One of the compromises RIM did make with the new Curve line is that the battery capacity is smaller than previous generations. (About 10% or so) I thought this was a problem since the new 800Mhz processor would eat through the battery faster but I have not noticed any real world differences. I still get through a whole day just fine.

The screen on the BlackBerry Curve 9350 is a real beauty. They finally raised the resolution from the previous 320×240 resolution on previous Curve devices to a much nicer 480×360. This is not as high as the 640×480 on the BlackBerry Bold 9900 but for the smaller screen size it looks bright and vivid. I have to say that is my favorite part of the 9350. It sort of reminds me of my old BlackBerry Curve 8300 but way improved. Its not the sharp steel lines of the 9900 but rather a sleek light plastic package with all the bells and whistles like NFC, Flash, nice Camera, etc.

The reason I delayed this review was because the first Sprint 9350 I received had some issues with random reboots that I wanted to check out before recommending the device. Sprint kindly sent me a replacement since it seems like the original phone I received was defective. I tested the new 9350 with both the stock OS and afterwards loaded a later unofficial OS from another carrier on the new device. The stock OS still had one random reboot but once I moved to the later unofficial OS the random reboots totally stopped and I am really liking the BlackBerry Curve 9350. I think that the BlackBerry Curve 9350 is the perfect classic BlackBerry experience. It gets the job done and sort of reminds me of a BlackBerry Bold 9700 that is lighter, faster, and thinner. A simple way to think of the device is as a improved BlackBerry Bold 9700 with a curve keyboard.

To wrap this all up I have to say that the amazing part about the BlackBerry Curve 9350 is that in some ways I prefer it over my BlackBerry Bold 9900 that is just sitting in a drawer for now. The lack of a touchscreen means less accidental button presses though I do miss it for web browsing. I have to say I am impressed with what RIM did with the Curve and hope Sprint will release a new OS 7.1 for the device shortly to enable even more of its features.

If you have a BlackBerry Curve 9350/9360/9370 yourself let us know what you think of it in the comments!

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• Sprint Launches BlackBerry Curve 9350 After Delays
• Sprint BlackBerry Curve 9350 Coming September 9th for $79.99 or Less
• Sprint BlackBerry Curve 9350 Delayed Until October 2nd Due to “Unexpected Circumstances”
• Sprint Rolling Out OS 7.1 for Bold 9930 & Torch 9850 – Curve 9350 Coming Soon?
• Leaked Documentation Shows New Sprint Release Dates for 9930 9850 & 9350

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, January 27, 2012, 5:41 pm. |
Sprint BlackBerry Curve 9350 Review |
Leave a comment |

Author: berryreview

One of our anonymous tipsters let us know about BibbyCam becoming available on App World. The app tries to compete with Instagram by offering up 14 photo filters on your BlackBerry smartphone. It also lets you connect your account to Facebook or Twitter to share the filtered pics and like/comment on others pics.  It also has BBM connectivity if you have OS 6.1+.

I have not managed to get the app to work on my BlackBerry 9350 but a friend who tried it out said it is pretty solid for a free app. You can pick up BibbyCam for free in App World and let me know what you think!

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• Add Some Clipart Flair or Filters to Your Photos With FunCam (OS 7.0+)
• Free Stock Quotes On Your BlackBerry With Market Filters Mobile
• Freemium Photo Filters app for BlackBerry
• Free Mobli Location Photo Sharing & Filters App for BlackBerry
• FileScout Updated With BlackBerry Messenger Social Platform Integration

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, January 27, 2012, 12:05 pm. |
Free BibbyCam Filters Your BlackBerry Photos With 14 Filters & Social Integration |
2 comments |

Author: berryreview

ComScore released an interesting new study that shows the breakdown in ages and household income in the US. They found that compared to the index BlackBerry users were about 12-20% more likely to be between 35 and 64 compared to the median smartphone user. They also found that they were 4% lower than the median in ages 13-17 and 11-17% lower in the 18-34 age space. Not huge variances but actually shows that it is not as skewed as some analysts make it sound.

What is also interesting is that BlackBerry users are 2-9% more likely than than the index to be making over $75,000 in household income and are 10-152% more likely to have at least partial to full employer reimbursement for their wireless bills. Interesting stuff though once again statistics can say whatever you want.

via Comscore via BGR

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• FAQ: Appointments Older Than 90 Days Removed From BlackBerry On BES
• BlackBerrys Gaining Stronger Penetration in Younger Market
• HOT! Free Crowd Sourced Caller ID & Contacts Backup from Mr. Number (aka SkyDeck)
• RIM Had Highest Retention Rate (69.9%) During July in the UK
• RIM Does Their Own Video Comparison of BlackBerry 7 Devices to Older Models

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, January 27, 2012, 11:48 am. |
BlackBerry User Base Slightly Skewed Towards Affluent & Older Crowd in the US? |
One comment |

Author: berryreview

We have seen signs pointing to Skype coming to the BlackBerry PlayBook since January of 2011. We also saw it again in April of 2011 in another leaked slide. I actually heard from a few sources that the reason it never launched was because Skype wanted RIM to pay them to bring their video chat platform to the PlayBook and RIM declined sort of like what Verizon did with Skype and BlackBerry. RIM has had an interesting relationship with Skype where they actually developed a Skype BlackBerry smartphone app that even Skype called “very efficient” and then scratched it because carriers did not like it.

Now we have a large clamoring of users who really want to see Skype on the BlackBerry PlayBook. Microsoft has now acquired Skype and they do not even support their own Windows Phone platform. A group of BlackBerry users have gotten together to appeal to Skype’s CEO and Vice President on February 1st to bring Skype to the BlackBerry PlayBook. You can join their appeal which started on CrackBerry forums on both Facebook and Twitter.

I wish you guys the best of luck! Hopefully we can turn the tide on this one now that RIM has a better relationship with Microsoft.

Thanks Phillip for pointing this one out!

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• Skype Found in App World for PlayBook for $2.99?
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• Skype For BlackBerry Will Not Be True VOIP… Surprised?
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• Skype Tells Us to Wait Patiently for BlackBerry App

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, January 27, 2012, 10:52 am. |
Join the Petition for Skype on the BlackBerry PlayBook |
6 comments |

Author: berryreview

ToySoft let us know about their latest app FunCam which aims to help you create funny pictures specifically on OS 7.0+ devices. It has a library of 40+ fun clipart pictures like hair, glasses, etc that you can spice up your pictures with. It also has custom effects/filters like grayscale, emboss, negative, paint, sepia, and scatter available to you.

You can check out FunCam in App World for a relatively inexpensive $0.99

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• Free BibbyCam Filters Your BlackBerry Photos With 14 Filters & Social Integration
• Freemium Photo Filters app for BlackBerry
• FAQ: BIS Filters Have Implicit Wildcards & Top Bottom Processing of Filters
• aPic Photo Editor Offering $0.99 Limited Time Launch Sale
• Giveaway: imgEdit From Toysoft 30 Free Copies

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, January 27, 2012, 10:42 am. |
Add Some Clipart Flair or Filters to Your Photos With FunCam (OS 7.0+) |
Leave a comment |

Author: berryreview

Breaking news this morning has new RIM board member Prem Watsa increasing his stake in RIM to 5.12%.  Prem Watsa is the CEO of Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd.  Mr. Watsa, Fairfax, and other companies related to them bought 6,499,500 shares of RIM on Wednesday and an additional 7,550,700 on Thursday, according to filings with U.S. securities regulators. This seemed to be initially good to investors as RIM was up as high as 1.5% in pre-market trading, but, as of 9:13 am est they have gone down to no change since yesterday.  It will be interesting how this plays throughout the day on the stock.

**** Update**** As of 10:07 am est the stock is up 3.38%.  RIM stock has now fully recovered from the initial drop after the CEO announcement on Monday.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• RIM’s Newest Board Member Prem Watsa is Betting Big on RIM
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• Staples Canada Stocking BlackBerry PlayBooks – 16GB and 32GB Sizes for Now
• Rogers Canada Giving Away a BlackBerry Curve 8520 Every Day!
• RIM Selected as Canada’s Top Business New Story for 2011 by Large Gap

Posted by BBA Brian for ©BerryReview, January 27, 2012, 10:00 am. |
Prem Watsa “The Warren Buffett of Canada” Doubles Stake in RIM |
2 comments |

Author: berryreview

Oh, look – it's another BlackBerry Bold! But what's the catch? And where is the difference really? Sure it looks a bit smaller than the 9900 but it's the same QWERTY / touchscreen combo. So far, so good…

Author: gsmarena.com

Nokia have now confirmed via their official Twitter feed that major updates have already begun rolling out to a number of devices currently running Symbian Anna, bumping them up to Symbian Belle, news that a lot of Nokia fans will no doubt welcome with open arms.

Devices including the N8, as well as the likes of Nokia's E7, C7, E6, X7, C6-01 and 500 will all now ship with Symbian Belle…

Author: gsmarena.com

A recently leaked RIM roadmap reveals all the upcoming BlackBerries for 2012. Unfortunately there is nothing really interesting scheduled before November this year.

Notice you should consider the mentioned months, not quarters

RIM is preparing two new mid-range Curves for the spring season – 9220 and 9320 – for Q1 and Q2 release respectively. White Bold 9790 and Curve 9380 will hit the…

Author: gsmarena.com