Samsung full report for Q2 is out, sales and profit increase

Samsung's full report of its Q2 performance is out (there was a preliminary report earlier this month) and gives us a more detailed picture of how the tech giant did in the second quarter. Sales for the company as a whole reached $41.8 billion (up 21% year on year), operating profit was $5.9 billion (up 72% YoY) and net profit was $4.6 billion (a 48% increase YoY).

Just the handset division of Samsung accounted for $18 billion in sales, a 75% increase from the sales from Q2 last year. IT & Mobile communications (of which the handset division is a part of) reports $21.1 billion in sales and an operating profit of $3.7 billion - a massive 145% jump up year on year.

During Q2 of this year, Samsung shipped an estimated 50 million smartphones, compared to Apple's 26 million iPhones. According to Reuters, Samsung broke a smartphone sales record in Q2.

Demand for Samsung's smartphones increased QoQ by a "low single digit %", while feature phone sales cooled off. The newly launched Galaxy S III flagship and strong sales of the Galaxy Note phoneblet along with higher demand for other high-end Samsung smartphones are behind the increased profit. The Average Selling Price also went up.

Samsung predicts better smartphone sales in Q3 and expects feature phones to bounce back. There will be new "products with diverse price ranges" and tablet competition will continue with "new product launches" (we'll see what they deliver on August 15).

Samsung, of course, makes a lot more than just phones. You can read their report for all the details, but here's a quick summary. Sales of LTE network equipment decreased quarter-on-quarter. TV sales increased a bit and now over 60% are LED TVs (up from mid 50%), 3D displays are also in demand. Mobile/server DRAM is selling better than desktop DRAM, NAND demand improved due to new mobile product launches.

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2011 Xperias won't get Jelly Bean, no ICS for Optimus 2X and Black

Every time Google announces a new version of its Android mobile OS, every droid user out there starts asking - will my smartphone get it? Well, we have some bad news for Sony Ericsson phones regarding Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and worse still - LG cancelled the ICS update for two of its phones.

Sony (actually, Sony Ericsson at the time) made sure to announce early on that its 2011 Xperia lineup will be updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (even if the company wasn't so quick to actually deliver the updates). And now is has revealed that the Xperia arc S and Xperia mini pro won't be getting Jelly Bean.

This is coming from John Cooper, UK Product Manager for Sony Mobile, and while he didn’t say anything about other models, they all use the same chipset (with the arc S using an overclocked version). This means it's more than likely that the entire 2011 lineup will be missing out on the Android 4.1 JB fun.

As for the 2012 Xperia phones, Cooper says they're still reviewing which handsets are "the best for the Jelly Bean update" and promised Sony will announce its decision on Facebook once it figures it out.

No Jelly Bean sounds rough, but LG Canada had some worse news for some of its users - no Ice Cream Sandwich update for the LG Optimus 2X and Optimus Black. The LG Optimus 2X was expected to get Ice Cream Sandwich in Q2 but got delayed to Q3 and the Optimus Black was originally scheduled for Q3.

@PaddyJJ16 The Optimus 2X will not be receiving the ICS upgrade. The original upgrade announcement was a general statement issued from HQ.Wed Jul 25 21:33:25 via Twitter for MacLG Canada
LGCanada

@Peter_Soi The Optimus Black will not be receiving the ICS upgrade. The original upgrade announcement was a general statement issued from HQThu Jul 26 14:24:03 via Twitter for MacLG Canada
LGCanada

Now it turns out that the ICS update for both phones has been canceled - in Canada, at least. The statement doesn't make it entirely clear if this is a country-specific thing or if all Optimus 2X and Black phones will remain stuck on Gingerbread.

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Google had warned Samsung from copying Apple's designs

And the juicy details keep flowing in. Like we mentioned in our previous article about leaked iPhone prototype designs, the Apple vs. Samsung legal battle is resulting in a lot of never before seen information reaching the public through legal documents.

The latest bit of info comes regarding Samsung and how it was repeatedly warned against Apple's designs. One of the warnings came from Google themselves back in 2010, who noticed that Samsung's tablets ‘P1’ (Galaxy Tab) and ‘P3’ (Galaxy Tab 10.1) were “too similar” to the iPad and demanded “distinguishable design vis-à-vis the iPad for the P3.” Google even asked Samsung to make the tablets noticeably different, starting from the front side.

Another interesting things is that Samsung's own Product Design Group also noted in 2011 that it is “regrettable” that the Galaxy S “looks similar” to the older iPhone models.

Also interesting is the fact that famous designers as part of a Samsung sponsored evaluation said that the Galaxy S “looked like it copied the iPhone too much” and that “innovation is needed.” They felt that the design resembles the iPhone's design too closely so that the buyer would confuse between the two and that all you have to do is cover up the logo and there won't be any difference between them.

The Verge is also reporting that Samsung was so hell bent on beating Apple, they made it their official internal goal for 2012. Earlier documents also reveal that Samsung specifically requested to have features like the iOS' bounce effect while scrolling be implemented in their browser.

One of 2011's notes also say that Samsung diverted their attention away from Nokia and towards Apple as it was their main competitor and that Samsung's UX compared to Apple was like “that of Heaven and Earth”.

One last and rather damning piece of evidence against Samsung is a document that says that in seven out of the thirty Best Buy stores that Samsung surveyed, the main reason for returning Samsung's tablets was that people bought them thinking they were iPads, thus proving Apple's original point for suing Samsung.

There is a lot more to find in the source links below. One thing's for sure, if you thought Samsung was innocent all this time, you could not have been more wrong.

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Apple's court filings reveal early iPhone designs

The legal battle between Apple and Samsung may have become tiring to some but you can't deny the juiciness of some of the secrets that have been uncovered through internal documents since the two started going at each other.

Case in point being the latest Apple's internal documents that have been filed by Samsung in court that show some of the early iPhone 3D design models before the first iPhone hit the market.

One of these has been designed by Apple designer Shin Nishibori back in the day. Steve Jobs was a great admirer of Sony designs, which is why when the iPhone was being designed, the first thought was to do what Sony would do.

The resultant product is what you see in the pictures above. Apple designers even put a Sony logo on the renders to make it look like Sony designed it, except for the one image above that has the letters ‘S’ replaced with a ‘J’ to make it Jony (for Jonathan Ive).

It's important to note here that this design is not based on any actual Sony product but a mere result of Apple designers putting themselves in the shoes of Sony's designers and making something Sony's designers would. Sony themselves never made a product that looked like this.

Needless to say, it did not make it to the final stage as the first iPhone looked significantly different. However, this particular design does bear resemblance to the iPhone 4/4S design.

The other design is something that looks like an iPod Mini, with the same curved sides, but with a large display instead of a click wheel. We also see the famous Home button making an appearance here, which was missing in the previous renders.

The last one has an octagonal design with tapered edges. Other than the edges, this model looks identical to the iPhone 3G and the 3GS.

Now the point of all these images is that Samsung wants to use them to prove in the court that Apple too used inspiration in designing their products. But if that's the argument they are going to make then it must be said it's a weak one. Unlike Apple's design that weren't based on any actual product and never actually shipped, Samsung has been accused of selling products that copy the designs of actual Apple products that are on sale right now.

We'll see how the court proceedings go and in whose favor the court rules. Whichever way it goes, we will let you know about it.

You will find some more images in the source link below.

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Apple reports third quarter results, makes $8.8 billion in profit

Apple today announced the results of the third financial quarter of the year and as usual the numbers are impressive.

The company reported a quarterly revenue of $35 billion, with quarterly net profit of $8.8 billion. Compared to this, last year Apple made $28.6 billion in revenue and $7.3 billion in profit, in the same quarter.

But even though the year-over-year growth is impressive, this was a slow quarter for Apple, as numbers dropped from the second quarter this year.

The major reason for the drop is due to the iPhone sales, which although sold an impressive 26 million units this quarter, could not match the 35.1 million from the last quarter. And since Apple earns a big chunk of its revenue from the iPhone, the drop in iPhone sales has also resulted in a drop in the overall revenue and thus the profits. It has also resulted in Apple missing the analysts target, even though it surpassed its own.

The reason for the drop in the iPhone sales is speculated upon the arrival of the next generation model in the coming months. As usual, consumers are doing the smart thing of waiting to see what Apple comes up with next before signing that two-year contract for their next iPhone.

Due to this behavior, it is predicted that the next quarter will also be slow for Apple, until the first financial quarter of next year when it finally gets back in the game due to the holiday sales and the release of new products.

As far as other products are concerned, the iPad is the only one that showed growth, with a stunning 17 million units sold this quarter. The Mac sold 4 million units this quarter, same as the last one and the iPod continues its slow decline with 6.8 million units sold.

Below you will find a table detailing this quarter's results compared to the previous one this year and the one last year.

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Toshiba announces REGZA T-02D Android smartphone for Japan

The T-02D is the latest in Toshiba's range of REGZA smartphones for Japan. This one comes with a 13.1 megapixel Sony EXMOR R BSI sensor and claims to go as high as ISO 25,600 equivalent ISO, although what kind of images you'll get at that sensitivity remains to be seen.

Other features on this phone include a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM, 4.3-inch, qHD NEW AMOLED Plus display with Corning Gorilla Glass coating, fingerprint sensor, water IPX5/8) and dust-resistance (IPX5), 1,800mAh battery and Android 4.0.

The phone will be available on NTT DOCOMO network, starting July 26.

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Samsung 'Gogh' SPH-L300 images leak

It seems Samsung is planning a new smartphone for Sprint's equally new 4G LTE network and we have got some pictures of it as well. The Samsung SPH-L300 or '‘Gogh’ as it is known for now, comes across as a mid-range smartphone but with some pretty good specs.

For starters, it is said to have a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, same as the one inside the US version of the Galaxy S III, except on the Gogh it has been underclocked to 1.2GHz from 1.5GHz. Other specs include 4-inch, 800 x 480 Super AMOLED Plus display, 1GB RAM, 5 megapixel camera, NFC with Google Wallet support and Android 4.0.4, Ice Cream Sandwich.

The phone has a very simple and almost bland look to it. It also looks quite similar to some of HTC's phones, such as the Desire.

No price or release date is available at the moment but the phone is said to be announced soon. Check the source link for more pictures.

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ZTE N880E is the company's first Android 4.1 Jelly Bean device

In case you were expecting Samsung, HTC, LG, or Huawei to be the first to launch an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean smartphone, which is not part of the Google Nexus family, we have a surprise for you. The ZTE N880E is the first non-Nexus device to enter the currently small club of handsets, which boot Android 4.1 out of the box.

ZTE boast that the impressive feat has been accomplished thanks to the Chinese giant's good relationship with Google, combined with the company's "extensive R&D capabilities and our experience of customizing devices for partners around the world." Regardless of the reasons though, we think it's a remarkable event anyway you look at it.

In terms of specs, the ZTE N880E will hardly blow you away. Launched back in May with Android 2.3 Gingerbread on board, the smartphone features a single-core Qualcomm CPU, clocked at 1GHz and 512MB of RAM. A 4" WVGA display, 3.2MP camera, 4GB of expandable memory, and 1650mAh battery complete the highlights of the spec sheet. The measures of the N880E are 119mm x 61mm x 10.4mm, and its weight comes at 130 grams.

Source | Via

Xiaomi MI-2 leaks, might be the cheapest quad-core out there

   
The Xiaomi MI-2

Xiaomi is the Chinese manufacturer, which brought us the MI-1 - an affordable and capable dual-core smartphone with a deeply customized Android experience, thanks to its MIUI launcher.

Now, almost a year later we got a glimpse of what's next to come from Xiaomi. Allegedly named the MI-2, the device in the leaked photosis reportedly a quad-core phone with a 720p display. It's supposed to offer a dual-LED camera on the back and a two-tone back panel - a black strip around the camera and the loudspeaker, and a side-removable blue panel.

The Xiaomi MI-2 is rumored to cost 1.999 Yuan or around $313 (€259), which is a pretty tempting price for an unlocked handset. The MI-2 is expected to be officially unveiled next month.

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Next iPhone will feature a 19-pin connector, Reuters confirms

We're hearing new reports about a smaller dock connector debuting on the iPhone 5 - this time courtesy of insider sources close to Reuters. While we've heard before that the next iPhone will feature a smaller dock connector this is the first time we get a sneak peek at the actual size. According to the undisclosed sources the new dock connector will be 19-pin, instead of the previous 30-pin one.

The new smaller dock will open up space at the bottom for the migrating 3.5 mm headphone jack (which makes its way down from the top of the device), whilst keeping the microphone and speaker grills at their previous locations, albeit with a different design.

A new connector will surely infuriate the numerous owners of accessories, tailored for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. And it makes us think why put a brand new connector instead of just switching to the popular microUSB. Apple is sure to have its reasons, but on the surface it looks like a move motivated mostly by the company's aim to sell more accessories.

In other news DigiTimes reports that Taiwan-based Pegatron has begun production of the next iPhone in their Shanghai factory. The iPhone 5 should hit the shelves around October with sources suggesting it will feature a bigger display of 16:9 aspect ratio, an updated design and finally sporting the shiny newiOS 6 (but you knew that already, didn't you).

Source 1 | Source 2 | Via

Jelly Bean updates for Galaxy S III, S II already in the works?

Unlike HTC, Samsung is yet to announce the list of devices that will get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Insiders have talked to SamMobile, however, and said that Samsung is already testing Jelly Bean on the Samsung Galaxy S III.

The new flagship is proving to be a strong seller and Samsung is reportedly close to finishing up the update - there's no planned date yet, but August or September are reportedly a realistic target.

An update for the predecessor - the Samsung Galaxy S II - is also being tested, but it is less certain as Samsung is yet to evaluate how well the new OS with its customizations on top runs on the older hardware.

The company will reportedly place more focus on updating its high-end devices, so the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab 7.7 (which use pretty much the same internals as the S II) also have a chance of getting an update.

By the way, both the Galaxy S III and the S II have alreadygot the chance to taste Jelly Bean through CyanogenMod 10 (and other ROMs too). Still, Samsung hasn’t committed to any updates officially, so which devices get what and when is yet uncertain.

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Samsung Galaxy S III sales have hit the 10 million mark

Samsung Galaxy S III has reached the 10 million units sold mark. Shin Jong-kyun, Samsung's president of information technology and mobile communication division broke the news about the impressive milestone, which is hardly a surprise, given the 9 million preorders for the device from carriers worldwide.

The mark has been reached earlier than the initial prediction, which pointed at the end of this month as the likely timeframe, at the approximate rate of 190,000 units sold every day. It was also accomplished a lot quicker than the time it took the Galaxy S III's predecessor to find 10 million owners.

Samsung expect strong demand for the Galaxy S III to continue in the coming months, as the launch of Apple's next iPhone is not likely to take place before this Fall. Furthermore, the sales of the Galaxy S III for the entre 2012 could reach 40 million units, thus making the smartphone the most succesfull one to come from the Korean company.

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Android 4.x ICS is officially a no go for HTC Desire HD

It looks like the saga surrounding the official Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update of the much beloved HTC Desire HD is finally over, folks. HTC have officially removed the 2010 Android monster from the official list of devices scheduled to get the ICS treatment.

Here goes HTC's official statement on the matter:

After extensive testing, we’ve determined that the current version of HTC Sense with Android provides customers with the best experience on the HTC Desire HD. When we consider new versions of software, we weigh a number of factors, but ultimately the customer experience on the product is the deciding factor. We apologize for any confusion this change may have caused our customers.

This means that, should they want to see their device run a more up-to-date Android version, the owners of the HTC Desire HD will have to install it in an unofficial fashion.

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Leaked images of international Sony Xperia LT29i 'Hayabusa'

   
Pictures of the international Sony LT29i

We came across some leaked images that show the international version of the Sony LT29i, codenamedXperia Hayabusa. The images confirm a very close resemblance to the Japan-bound, LTE-capable Xperia GX, save for the lack of the FeliCa (Sony's NFC-based payment system in Japan) logo under the LED flash and the different chrome rim around the phone.

Other details further fortify the belief that we'll see the LT29i Hayabusa as an international counterpart of the Xperia GX. The Sony LT29i has passed though the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US. Information is still scarce but the LT29i will have a pentaband 3G radio with HSPA capabilities.

We've seen leaked images of the Xperia Hayabusa before - it's rumored to feature an HD (720 x 1280 pixels) display sized at 4.55 inches, one gig of RAM, a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor with an Adreno 320 GPU and a 13 MP camera. The Xperia GX, which was already unveiled as a Japan-exclusive, is similarbut features LTE, a 4.6" display, and is powered by a dual-core 1.5GHz Krait processor with Adreno 225 GPU.

There's still no word on when to expect the LT29i Xperia Hayabusa to hit the global market, but we figure it will be before this year's end.

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Samsung may announce new Galaxy device on August 15

Samsung Electronics America sent out "Save the date" notes to the press that they will be announcing a new Galaxy device on August 15. They kept the note all mysterious and offered no info on the device, but the words "major announcement and unveiling of the newest GALAXY device" are enough to draw plenty of interest on their own.

So, what's it going to be? The Samsung Galaxy Note II has been going around the rumor mill for a while now, but the latest rumors put its announcement two weeks later -August 30, just before the IFA start.

The other Note - the Galaxy Note 10.1 - is a likelier candidate. It has gone through a redesign (its CPU got updated to four cores and a slot was added for the S Pen stylus) and even briefly popped up (by mistake) for pre-order on J&R. The pre-order deal was $499 for the 16GB version and $549 for the 32GB version, but that page has since been pulled.

It has been pointed out that the note comes from Samsung Electronics America, not Samsung Telecommunications America (who usually handle phones), which lends some credence to the Note 10.1 theory.

Then there's the possibility of something new (or new to America at least). Anyway, the full details will be revealed during the August 15 press conference, but maybe the upcoming invitation for the event will give us some more info.

Note: the image above is just an old Galaxy S teaser image and not from the note sent out by Samsung.

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Samsung Jasper gets leaked again, this time with pictures

The Samsung SCH-I200, better known as Jasper, has been leaked again, and this time we get to see what the device looks like.
The upcoming device was leaked via Twitter, and will feature Android ICS out of box, alongside a dual-core Snapdragon 1.5GHz MSM8960 processor and WVGA screen. 
As you can see from the back panel, the smartphone will run on Verizon’s 4G LTE network and will not have an LED flash for its rear-facing camera.

Nothing is known on when or at what price Verizon plans to launch the Jasper, but as soon as some news is revealed along those fronts.

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Stephen Elop suggests an October release for Windows Phone 8

Speaking to the New York Times, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop let it slip that the upcoming successor to Windows Phone 7, namely WP8, will be coming in October of this year.

This would make perfect sense because of the imminent October 26 release of Windows 8, so it's within the realm of possibility that there could be a simultaneous launch of both operating systems.

Elop did not go on to confirm that the launch would coincide with the release of new WP8 devices, despite the fact that he was was discussing Nokia's Q2 earnings when he said that WP8 would further lift sales of Lumia devices.

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Acer Liquid Dual-SIM Gallant Duo got leaked

An upcoming dual SIM device from Acer was briefly posted on a web retailer 's website, before being taken down quickly as it turned out the device was not slated for official announcement yet.

Not soon enough, however, for its key specs to be known to one and all:

• 4.3 inch qHD display
• 5MP camera
• 1GHz dual-core processor
• 4GB of internal memory
• 1GB of RAM
• 1,500 mAh battery

The smartphone has the usual slew of connectivity options, which include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a microSD slot. It's set to hit retail on August 8th for about £148.99, at which point you'll probably be able to get it from Expansys.

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Samsung says 64GB Galaxy S III is a go, but only for some regions

After UK retailer Expansys started cancelling orders for the 64GB variety of the Galaxy S III, we feared that Samsung may have given up on the device. Apparently, that's not the case, as today a company's spokesperson has stepped in to clarify the situation.

Here's what he told Android Central about the Galaxy S III 64GB model being cancelled by retailers in Europe:

"The 64GB model of the GALAXY S III will be available during the second half of this year. The market availability and timing may vary and will be determined at the time of release."

So, Galaxy S III fans who've been waiting for the 64GB model should breathe a sigh of relief, even though the wait isn't over. After all, if you absolutely must have 128GB of storage (with a 64GB microSD card), you waiting a couple of extra months shouldn't be too hard for you.

Unfortunately, Samsung hasn't disclosed the market availability and which regions will enjoy its flagship smartphone.

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Motorola Android import ban starts today, few will care

A few months ago Microsoft won its case against Motorola and scored an import ban. The ITC had then decided that the Google-owned company has violated a Microsoft-owned ActiveSync patent and ruled that starting today Motorola will no longer be allowed to import the infringing device.

As you might have noticed Motorola isn't too worried about it and hasn’t really tried hard to find a workaround or achieve an agreement with Microsoft and prevent the decision from coming into effect. The ban only applies to importing the devices in question and not actually selling them to customers, so Moto was probably able to bring enough units into the country by yesterday.

ITC ruled that 33 cents need to be paid for the import of every infringing unit in this review period, but it was probably worth it. If Motorola had chosen to sign a deal with Microsoft instead and license the patents, it would have probably ended up paying several dollars per device.

The ban applies to the following smartphones and tablets: Atrix, Backflip, Bravo, Charm, Cliq, Cliq 2, Cliq XT, Defy, Devour, Droid 2, Droid 2 Global, Droid Pro, Droid X, Droid X2, Flipout, Flipside, Spice, and Xoom. As you can see none of these are exactly holding the key to Motorola's market success in the upcoming quarters and the company could probably easily get by without their sales altogether.

So Motorola might have emerged unscratched from this legal battle, but Microsoft is getting ready for another round. The software giant claims that there are other Motorola devices that infringe on its patents, but weren't mentioned in the ITC ruling so we might see a new lawsuit involving those two in the near future.

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Apple gives iPhone 3GS owners some love, lets them taste Shared Photo Streams and VIP Mail in iOS 6

Anyone who's been scanning to see who gets what in iOS 6 has noticed that the iPhone 3GS is the red-headed stepchild of the family -- some features that really don't need a cutting-edge phone have been left on the chopping block. Apple is showing those owners some TLC, after all, by officially flicking on support for Shared Photo Streams and VIP Mail lists through the entire iOS 6-ready device list. With the exception of Safari's Offline Reading List, the only features now left out for iPhone 3GS owners are the ones you'd expect to be excluded from a 3-year-old phone, such as FaceTime, Siri and those 3D-heavy map flyovers. While the iPhone 4S is still the darling of the lot, 3GS owners can now cling to their agingveteran phones a little more securely for at least another year.

MacRumors Apple

Microsoft gives a tease of Office for Windows Phone 8, talks up Office 2013 integration

Microsoft may have told us a lot about Windows Phone 8 in June, but it left out much of what the Office component's update would entail. Thankfully, Partner Group program lead John Jendrezak has voluntered to let us peek under the hood, including our first real glimpse of the new Office Hub. The app's connection to Office 2013 is more than the skin deep looks you see here: Office documents will sync more seamlessly from desktop to phone, and it's implied that the reading position sync from the desktop version will extend to the mobile realm as well. Many mysteries still remain as to what's exactly different in the more pocketable version of Office. There's more about the new work suite's communion with the cloud at the source link, however, so dig in if an offline Office feels like a prison.

Phone Scoop Office Next

Steve Wozniak reveals contents of his backpack, has a lot of stuff

This is what happens when you're someone who co-founded Apple.

Gizmodo

Qualcomm previews APQ8064 chipset with quad-core Krait CPU and Adreno 320 GPU

The Krait powered Qualcomm S4 chipsets are great, right? They give you the best per-core performance of any architecture out there and have the best power efficiency thanks to that 28nm manufacturing process. The only problem is that Krait-powered chipsets are only available in dual-core flavor for now, while competing solutions give you twice that.

It seems as though that this might change sooner than you think, as Qualcomm have just previewed their first S4 Pro chipset (the MSM8960 belonged to the lower-standing S4 Plus series). The Qualcomm APQ8064 was shown powering a development tablet with its four Krait cores and Adreno 320 GPU.

The four cores run at up to 1.5 GHz when they are all engaged or at up to 1.7 GHz when only one is used. Here’s the video of the chipset in action.

Previously we heard that the APQ8064 chipset should become available in an actual device before the end of the year, but despite the encouraging demo we got no new information on availability this time around.

Here’s to hoping we’ll be able to get our hands on some of those quad-core Krait beasts in time for Christmas.

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