It is no secret that HTC is trying to reinvent itself and transform its somewhat geeky brand image. It's off to a good start, as its flagship HTC One handset is getting very positive reviews and giving Samsung’s Galaxy S4 a run for its money, but all is not going well.
Smartphone wars are becoming rather predictable. Every quarter sales notch up and every quarter Samsung emerges as the big winner. The last quarter was no exception. However, growth is slowing as the market matures, although there is still plenty of room for growth in emerging markets.
The French government is seriously considering a new tax on smartphones and tablets. The one percent tax would be imposed on a range of “internet compatible devices” and it could yield about 86 million euro per year.
Although many countries around the world have struggled to get 4G widely available, Samsung has claimed it has made a major breakthrough at the core of 5G, the next generation of mobile communications.
Although high resolution screens, elaborate application processors and cameras tend to grab all the smartphone headlines, another change is starting to take shape under the bonnet of our favourite toys.
PC churner Lenovo is getting serious about the smartphone market, so serious in fact that it is planning to sell 60 million smartphones over the next 12 months.
What comes after Google's Nexus 7 and 10 tablets? The Nexus 11, of course, which is rumored to feature an 11” Super PLS TFT display, along with an Octa-Core A15 / A7 (Samsung Exynos 5410) SoC, front/back cameras and a 64 GB Micro SD.
Samsung has rolled out its third-gen Galaxy Tab, which can best be described as a 7-inch Android phablet available with optional 3G capabilities that can also functions as a phone.
Sales of oversized smartphones and tablets are strong, and according to Transparency Market Research, the trend is set to continue over the next five years.
