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Xiaomi CEO gives us a look into Xiaomi’s grand plans
042 days
by J
Xiaomi may not be a household name just yet, but company founder and CEO, Lei Jun has some lofty aspirations for the budding smartphone maker. Speaking at the Global Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing, Jun outlined Xiaomi’s past, present and its future.
The near future
For a company which was essentially born only three years ago, Xiaomi’s rise to the limelight can only be described as meteoric. You may remember the sales record of the Mi-2S, that recently made headlines around the world, after 200,000 smartphones were sold in 45 seconds. (Are you listening Google? Now that’s how you sell smartphones!)
But Xiaomi is expecting much bigger things, with Jun recently claiming he expects to sell 15 million smartphones this year, double the amount Xiaomi sold in 2012. With a loyal fan base and some incredible devices it certainly isn’t outside Xiaomi’s reach.
With its two-phone strategy, Xiaomi hopes to cover both sides of the market. Jun said that the 0 Mi-2S is aimed at students, while the 1 Mi-2A is a “simplified version” with a lower price.
One small step for Xiaomi, one giant leap for Chinese smartphone makers
One question that comes to people’s lips when they see brilliant devices from Chinese smartphone makers is: when will we see it in international markets? ZTE, Huawei and Lenovo are both struggling with this problem, as it is simply more difficult to cut your own path in crowded international markets.
After announcing plans for launching its devices in Taiwan and Hong Kong, rumors lit up, suggesting that Xiaomi was ready to move into international markets. However, Jun brushed off the rumors, explaining that Xiaomi is just testing the waters to see how its phones compare against smartphones from larger companies like Samsung and HTC.
Xiaomi Mi-2A
However, should the waters in Taiwan and Hong Kong taste syrupy sweet, well who knows where Xiaomi will be headed?
“Chinese Apple”?
Xiaomi is often described as the “Chinese Apple,” with its loyal fan base, however, Jun said he sees his company in a different light.
Jun mentioned that Xiaomi began by making the MiUi software before moving into the hardware business and pointed out the difference in the way Xiaomi builds its software. While Steve Jobs once famously claimed that Apple build products that its employees like to use, Xiaomi is constantly listening to its customers input, with Jun claiming: “Fans are a huge part of me.”
Wrap up
Xiaomi is in a brilliant position, with a loyal fan base and great products, we expect to see more from the company in the future and hopefully that means we get to see them outside of Asia as well.
Interested in an Xiaomi smartphone? Hope Xiaomi will branch out into international markets?
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A quick look at the BlackBerry Q10 official accessories
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Safety first, and that means cases!
Alongside the BlackBerry Q10 devices proper, many retail locations in Toronto have been selling accessories. For your viewing pleasure, we grabbed as many of the official BlackBerry ones as possible (third party ones weren’t in stock quite this early).
First off, there were hard shells and soft shells, in both white and black. Each installed super easily and looked great with their corresponding color. Frankly, I can’t abide by Kevin’s cookie-based fashion sense. There’s a clear pink soft case too, for those that are interested in something a little more colorful while still staying understated.
Besides cases, there was was the strapless leather pouch, and the secure leather holster. Both had enough wriggle room to allow for one of the shells to be on, which is nice. Take a closer look at the range below – just keep in mind that there are a few more official accessories that we haven’t had a chance to check out just yet.
If you have a Q10, you should definitely grab your accessories from ShopCrackBerry at the links below; we’ve got some solid discounts going that will make most of them cheaper than what you’ll see in stores.
Tags: accessories, black, colorful-while, devices-proper, holster, installed-super, official, strapless, viewing
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RSS Copyright © Hottest Mobile Phone News & Reviews | PhoneInferno [A quick look at the BlackBerry Q10 official accessories], All Right Reserved. 2013.
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Un-bagging safe solvent: A look at Martin Reisch’s camera gear
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Martin Reisch, aka safe solvent is iMore’s go-to videographer for events like CES and Macworld, and he’s just joined us in New York City for our big, upcoming [Redacted]. The moment he landed he walked in with a giant Crumpler Dry Red No. 9 gear bag, and we just knew we had to get a look inside it.
Starting at the top, Martin had his 5D Mark III, and since he’s a firm believer in backup bodies, he had his 5D Mark II as well. For lenses, he brought with him his Canon 24-70 F2.8 L, Canon 50 F1.2 L, and Canon 70-200 F2.8 L.
He also packed his RED Scarlet, a massively impressive 4K camera with an EF mount that lets him use the very same Canon lenses.
Despite all that glass, Martin’s daily driver is still his iPhone 5, along with a Joby Gorilla Pod GripTight. You can see samples of that work over on Instagram, and as for the work he’s doing this week…
… Stay tuned!
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RSS Copyright © Hottest Mobile Phone News & Reviews | PhoneInferno [Un-bagging safe solvent: A look at Martin Reisch's camera gear], All Right Reserved. 2013. Powered by Readers From RSS 2 Blog Hottest Mobile Phone News & Reviews | PhoneInferno Recommended ReadingThe new look of Google management089 days
by J
Technology is a funny thing. Constantly moving, evolving, shifting, and transforming. Progressive fields are like that, naturally, so we really shouldn’t be surprised when a company like Google changes things up a bit. The recent management shakeup in Mountain View was significant, but not for the reasons we may think. Moving onThe biggest shock to our system was Andy Rubin leaving Android. The founder and father of our favorite mobile platform is moving on to another project, in another building. Where and what will be next for Andy, nobody really knows. Speculation about going to Google X abound, but to no end. All we know is that Andy is leaving, and we wish him well. A few days after that announcement, we learned that Jeff Hubel was moving on as well. Hubel, who was heading up Maps, Commerce, and Payments, will be headed to Google X. In both instances, the respective divisions those two ran will be merged with other properties inside of Google. This isn’t representative of two guys who wanted a different challenge as much it is a restructuring within Google. Re-alignmentTo get a better understanding of what’s going on at Google, let’s get an idea of who is doing what these days. We know what both Andy and Jeff were doing before moving on, but where did their products end up? What does it mean? First, a list of who is doing what.
That’s five managers, heading up nine services. This is just an example of the “more wood behind fewer arrows” edict Larry Page mentioned in a Google+ post regarding Google becoming a more focused company. We can learn a lot from this alignment of stars, and get a good idea of just what might be coming.
ChangesChange is a bit frightening at times, but also needed. What are the challenges each manager faces? How will they progress their respective divisions? Even those whose services remained untouched will be affected by the dominoes around them falling into place.
Sundar PichaiSundar has done a fabulous job with Chrome, but Android is a wholly different beast. There wasn’t even a Chrome browser for Android until last year, and the browser has been around for quite some time. This is perhaps representative of two services with very different ideas on how to move forward, which could prove to be Sundar’s largest immediate challenge. He now has two very different teams that may have some conflicting ideas on direction. The combination of the Chrome and Android camps is significant. This doesn’t necessarily mean the two services will merged, but it does represent that they will be moving in a very similar direction on the same trajectory. Android is Google’s mobile trump card, and the company has made clear its intentions to be a mobile-centric one. Chrome has proven itself invaluable as a browser,and the OS is coming along nicely. Android could provide Chrome with the necessary tools needed to grow and diversify, while Chrome might inject some needed energy into the Android team.
Alan EustaceHaving already taken the reigns of Search, the addition of Maps to Alan’s arsenal is curious. Why merge these two services together? It seems that the ability to find things while exploring is an increasing part of Google’s strategy. This is a natural fit for services like Offers, and technology like Glass. This move seems to signify that Google is keenly aware of our surroundings, even if we’re not.
Susan WojcickiSusan was already taking care of advertising services, but the addition of commerce and payments is a no-brainer. Those are all services that fit together, and should be under one roof. This is significant in Google’s ongoing effort to attract businesses and advertising to their services. This move, above all, is more wood behind an arrow that has locked onto a target.
Vic GundotraWhile Vic’s job may not have changed, it didn’t have to. Google+ is meant as the spine that runs through Google, and connects all services together. Google has been serious about social, moving Google+ along at a very respectable pace. It’s a tricky line that Vic is walking, though. Google+ is a singular service of a company with a diversity of interests, with the aim to tie everything in. In simply considering social, Google+ has pinched a bit from everyone. It’s a little like twitter, a lot like Facebook, and remains attractive for LinkedIn users. If anyone is spread too thin, it may be Vic. The again, if anyone can make magic happen… it’s Vic.
Salar KamangarYouTube uploads 30 hours of video every minute of the day. In that minute, there are 2,300 views. Inside of 60 seconds, there are more than one full days worth of issues, from copyright to term of service issues. Like Vic, Salar has a single title that encompasses a myriad of things daily. YouTube is attempting to attract original content, as well as exploring the streaming radio realm. Aside from the larger task at hand, there just isn’t another service that would have made sense to bundle with YouTube.
What does it all mean?This all constitutes a concentrated effort to drive Google further. What was once a company of isolated services is becoming one designed to react swiftly and act decisively as one. Google X is a fantastic curiosity, but those are all very clandestine ideas that may never see the light of day. What has been done to Google as an entity is much more striking to our daily lives. At the end of the day, we’re going to see a Google that puts out brilliant products and services meant to enhance our experience every step of the way. Many lament the deletion of services like Google Reader, but that action is part of a larger breadth for Google. This management shakeup is like taking your car in for a tune-up and having the mechanic supercharge it for you at no cost. Same car you’re used to, just faster and more nimble. Larry Page seems to be quite the archer these days, and his quiver of arrows is exceedingly impressive.
The post The new look of Google management appeared first on Android Authority. Recommended ReadingLook out Gorilla Glass, next gen devices might feature sapphire displays090 days
by J
Have you ever dropped your smartphone or tablet? Not a pleasant experience, I know. As always, the relentless pursuit of innovation is yielding achievements and developments in areas not previously thought possible. Science once confined to the limits of military and security applications has been leaping over to the cutthroat mobile device market for some time now. When it comes to protecting the displays of our precious devices, Corning’s Gorilla Glass is currently state of the art. Here’s a demo we’ve seen at MWC in February. Sapphire could be the next wonder materialSapphire itself is a special material. With a melting point of 2,030C, it remains virtually impervious to pretty much everything that’s thrown at it. As the second hardest material next to diamond, it is significantly more abundant and less expensive, making it perfect for our beloved mobile devices. What’s more is that it has long enjoyed success in a variety of applications – namely bulletproofing the cars of some very special people, and on Rolex watches to ensure that the face stays scratch free throughout years of use. And there’s many more. 
Extremetech GT Advanced Technologies sapphire glass prototypes. Can you spot the one for the iPhone 5 on the far left? The sum of it is that sapphire is ten times more scratch resistant than normal glass, and, while we don’t have real world tests of how it will stack up next to Corning’s famous Gorilla Glass, we’d have to say that it’s likely to yield some drastic improvements for people that tend to drop their devices more than they ought to. Naturally, it’s still a material that has a crystalline structure, and is therefore still capable of shattering or cracking, but the fact remains, it is significantly harder and stronger than the materials used in our smartphone displays today. While it remains roughly ten times as expensive as its immediate competitor – Gorilla Glass, economies of scale in the furiously competitive mobile device economy will result in it becoming much cheaper in a relatively short period of time. According to the talented nerds at ExtremeTech:
If you’ve taken the time to see our drop tests, you’ll know that most devices don’t hold up very well against concrete. Assuming similar advancements are made in other materials, we one day could all own devices that are incredibly hard to smash, shatter, and break. Is this a welcome advancement? Have you ever shattered or broken your devices display? The post Look out Gorilla Glass, next gen devices might feature sapphire displays appeared first on Android Authority. Recommended ReadingGoogle Play Store 4 reportedly leaks with a brand new look0
Today we received a few neat little treats from Google. First they launched their new app Google Keep, and now we’re seeing what looks to be a brand new version of the Google Play Store. While everyone is currently on Play Store version 3.10.14 or so, the folks from Droid-Life reportedly have the brand new version that’s coming soon. They received an apk listed as version 4.0.16 and it’s showing a brand new Play Store.
We’re not really sure what to make of this leak, especially considering the Play Store doesn’t ever leak out until it’s actually ready for prime-time. The version reportedly received by DL clearly isn’t ready for mass consumption, and has a few issues and doesn’t fully work. That being said, that could be a sign this is indeed the real deal and Google’s backend isn’t up and running for it yet. This is a brand new look we haven’t seen from Google. Not just a slight change like the Store has undergone over the past months. They’ve completely changed everything and given the UI an overhaul and brought it more in line with their Holo design guidelines. Everything is simple and clean, the font has changed, and all the colors have too. Each category has a bigger header and the colors match as usual, but it has a grainy look and isn’t completely filled in. Take that as you will. If this is indeed real, we’re loving the new look. All the icons are larger, everything is all about content and looks much cleaner. All the apps are listed with a similar look and feel as Google Now cards when you head to the “My Apps” section, and as you see above the icons are clearly larger. There’s big icons, large magazine photos and album artwork everywhere to grab your attention.
We won’t go over everything as for now this doesn’t appear to be confirmed. It looks pretty legit, but we’ll reserve judgement until we hear or see more details. For a full rundown hit the source link below and see what Droid-Life has to say about it. What do you guys think? Could this be an early look at where Google’s headed with 5.0 Key Lime Pie? [via Droid-Life] Story Timeline
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RSS Copyright © Hottest Mobile Phone News & Reviews | PhoneInferno [Google Play Store 4 reportedly leaks with a brand new look], All Right Reserved. 2013. Powered by Readers From RSS 2 Blog Open thread: What would your dream Galaxy S4 look like?0101 days
by J
With mere days left until Samsung lifts the veil on the Galaxy S4, we’re curious what you, Android fans, expect from the most important phone of the year. Sound off in the comments. It’s that time of the year! The Galaxy S4 is coming. Android blogs are in overdrive. Samsung fans are giddy with excitement. HTC fans look bored (but slightly anxious), while iPhone fans look downright terrified (we kid, we love you guys). No one can argue that the launch of the Galaxy S4 is a momentous event for Android and the tech world in general. Samsung is surely keen to unveil its new flagship with the biggest possible bang – the tech giant took over Times Square in New York, and booked the Radio City Music Hall for the launch event. We all wait to see what Samsung is having in store, and, just like with the Galaxy S3, expectations are sky high. So, we are curious to see, how would your dream Galaxy S4 look like?
Tell us in the comments and stick around, for we’ll be covering every last piece of Galaxy S4 news in the next few days! The post Open thread: What would your dream Galaxy S4 look like? appeared first on Android Authority. Recommended ReadingHere are the first two legitimate renders of what the Samsung GS4 will look like0107 days
by J
The man or woman behind the Twitter account @evleaks just dropped two huge bombshells on us. They’ve published two renders of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4. Should you trust @evleaks? We do. We can’t count the number of times that they’ve published accurate information. In fact, we’re not even sure if @evleaks has ever said anything that was incorrect.
But enough about that, let’s discuss the renders. The device looks more square than the GS3. We’d go so far as to say that it even looks a bit like the original 5.3 inch Galaxy Note. The bezels are insanely thin, which we like, and there appears to be no front facing buttons. If true, that would be amazing, since that’s the number one complaint we have about Samsung hardware. That and cheap plastic that flexes far too easily. Looking at the top, the hole for the front facing camera looks massive. Earlier today we filed a report that said the GS4 would include a feature that tracked a user’s eyes while they were reading a web page. When the user reaches the end of the last paragraph, the device scrolls automatically for them. Having an advanced front facing camera is needed for that. Let’s also not forget about all the wide angle stuff HTC has been doing with their front facing cameras. Perhaps this is Samsung taking a lesson from their enemy in Taiwan. We’re 100% sure that more leaks are going to take place between now and the 14th, when Samsung officially announces the GS4. You’re either going to love the leaks or hate them. This writer falls into the latter camp, but at the same time he also understands that most people love this sort of stuff. That’s life. The post Here are the first two legitimate renders of what the Samsung GS4 will look like appeared first on Android Authority. Recommended ReadingThe Samsung Galaxy Note 8 – First Look video and image gallery!0115 days
by J
Just a couple of days ago, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 became official. It is the world’s first truly tablet-sized phone. It’ll come with a quad-core, 1.6GHz Exynos 4 processor, 2GB of RAM, HSPA+ 21 megabit per second radio, a 4,600mAh battery, a 1280 by 800 display, and it runs Android 4.1.2. It also makes phone calls. Our initial impressions were mixed. While we loved the Galaxy Note 2, the Galaxy Note 8 looked like a giant Galaxy S3 with fairly similar specs as the Galaxy Note 2. So the Galaxy Note 8 really doesn’t bring much new to the table except being the only tablet that can make phone calls. At Mobile World Congress 2013, our own Darcy LaCouvee and Joshua Vergara got a hands-on look at the Galaxy Note 8. If you don’t feel like reading, the video and gallery are posted below! What we liked about the Galaxy Note 8Everything we liked about the Galaxy Note 8 happens to also be on the list of everything we liked about the Galaxy Note 2. This is both good and bad news. It’s good news because the Galaxy Note 2 is an amazing device and is still among the best available today. It’s bad new because that means the Galaxy Note 8 isn’t bringing anything new to the table. Anyway, here’s what we liked about the Galaxy Note 8:
What we didn’t like about the Galaxy Note 8Unfortunately, the Galaxy Note 8 isn’t all cookies and milk. There are a few flaws we found with the device. Most of it revolves around the idea that Samsung really isn’t breaking new ground with the Galaxy Note 8. It’s more like they’re repaving the road they’ve already traveled. Here’s what we didn’t like in more detail.
We at Android Authority have unanimously agreed that, if this tablet is going to be popular, then it will need to have a competitive price. It’s going to be hard to convince people to buy one of these when there are more exciting devices coming out like this year’s Nexus tablets. Alternatively, it’s going to be hard to convince people to buy it if it can’t compete with the already capable Nexus 7, Amazon Kindle Fire HD, and the newly announced HP Slate 7 in terms of price. Is the Galaxy Note 8 a nice device? Oh yes, it’s definitely a nice device. Would we recommend it? Well, let’s see how much Samsung intends to charge for it first. Meanwhile, check out our first look video above and our image gallery below. Also keep an eye out because we’ll be pitting it up against some of today’s best tablets in our classic versus battles. What does everyone think of the Galaxy Note 8?                              Recommended ReadingVideo: Here’s what Android 4.2.1 will look like when Samsung updates the GS30115 days
by J
All of Samsung’s latest devices, by that we mean the Galaxy S3, the second generation Note, and that newly announced Note 8.0, run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Thing is, the latest version of Android is actually 4.2. Thanks to a leak that hit the internet less than 24 hours ago, Android 4.2 is now out for the GS3, but it’s obviously not official. YouTube user “Damian Kidd” took said leaked ROM, threw it on his Telstra branded GS3, and recorded a nice 5+ minute video showing off all the new things he found. For those of you who can’t watch the embedded video above because you’re at work or you’re on a slow connection, here’s a quick summary: Lock screen widget support has been added. Whether or not lock screen widgets are useful is a whole different story, but they’re there. With regards to the notification panel, you know all those toggle switches Samsung likes to throw in there? Well, they’re kicking things up a notch. With a tap of one button you can see every toggle the device offers. Two new toggles are included: Hotspot Mode, and Flight Mode. There’s also some new voice commands. When you have the camera open, for example, you can say “smile” or “cheese” and the camera will snap a photo. We’ve seen that before, on LG’s Android skin, so it isn’t exactly a new feature. Some people say this new ROM also has some memory management improvements, but Mr. Kidd didn’t notice them. Again, this is probably not final software. Rumor has it that this update will go out roughly around the same time that the GS4 hits store shelves, so we’re looking at a wait time of roughly one month, maximum two. And again, just because the video above shows off the GS3, that doesn’t mean the rest of Samsung’s portfolio isn’t going to get the same kind of love. The second generation Note and Note 8.0 will definitely get this update, though we can’t be sure about the S2 and the first Note. One more thing: Someone asked Damian if Photo Sphere is in the ROM; the answer is no. Recommended Reading
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