Samsung unveils Exynos 5 Octa chip with ARM technology

Samsung has launched its latest top-of-the-range smart device processor – Exynos 5 Octa – which it says has 20% more power than its predecessor.

The South Korean electronics giants claimed that the four 1.3GHz Cortex-A7 cores and as many 1.8GHz ARM Cortex-A15 processors in the chip allow it to boast 20% more CPU processing power than in the earlier Exynos 5410, used to power some versions of its Galaxy S4 handset.

The firm said that the mobile chip is capable of almost doubling the graphical prowess of the devices. The chip uses a new image-compression solution to reduce the power consumption.

The extremely powerful chip offers “desktop-quality” video editing and supporst 1080p high-definition video playback at 60 frames per second, it said.

Exynos 5 is the first production-ready chip to feature ARM Holding’s latest GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) architecture. The potential of GPUs has not remained limited to video games graphics and they are widely being used to handle the general computing tasks today.

Though GPUs are relevantly slower at performing single calculations than CPUs, their advantage is that they can carry numerous calculations at the same time. Specifically they are capable of handling the highly “parallelizable” tasks such as running augmented reality apps and applying filters to photographs effectively.

Using GPU isn’t very popular among the smart device manufacturers and the vast majority of smart devices use ARM-designed CPUs. The Cambridge-based ARM accounted for about 20% of the overall Android phone sales last year.

The newly-developed chip will replace Exynos Samsung’s current octa-core processor as the firm’s flagship chip. Octa-core processor was used in Samsung’s flagship device Galaxy S4 but despite of its remarkable success, Exynos chips failed to attract the attention of most of tech firms, who continue to favor Qualcomm Snapdragon and Nvidia Tegra chipsets.

For more information on the world head to Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona, taking place from 24-27 February, 2014. Contact EAS for best in quality accommodation, marketing and event management, venues, hotels near the Fira Gran Via.  For further information, click here.

Huawei unveiled world’s slimmest Smartphone

Huawei Technologies Co, the telecom-network equipment giants, unveiled the world’s slimmest Smartphone – Ascend P6 – at an event in London on Tuesday.

Just over 6mm thick, Ascend P6 will be available for sale in China this month and in Western Europe in July, with the recommended price of €449 (£385).

Ascent P6 is packed with strong hardware features like 4.7-inch display, 1.5 gigahertz quad-core processor, dust-proof metal casing, a powerful 5 megapixels front and 8 megapixels rear camera. The device runs on a customized version of Google’s Android Operating system.

P6 is made up of glass and metal unlike its predecessors, the new version isn’t compatible with the 4G networks. The device comes in white, black and baby pink colors.

The touch screen of the phone is extremely sensitive and it responds only to the gloved hands.

The London event, held at Camden’s Roundhouse, was the first stand-alone global product launch of Huawei, who previously unveiled its new phones rather silently at the trade shows such as the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Huawei has been most successful as the maker of telecom-network equipment such as antennas and base stations, surpassing American and European competitors to become the second largest vendor after Sweden’s Ericsson.

However, the company’s smartphone business is competing with an uphill battle. The release of a new Smartphone shows that the Shenzhen-based company is aspiring to establish itself as a customer brand by increasing its marketing efforts.

The analysts believe the latest flagship device will determine the future of the company’s Smartphone business.

The company is planning to release P6 in 19 countries including China, Germany, Italy and France by the end of July and 100 more afterwards.

For more information on the world head to Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona, taking place from 24-27 February, 2014. Contact EAS for best in quality accommodation, marketing and event management.  Check out our hotel deals for Mobile World Congress 2014.

Sony unveiled giant waterproof Xperia Z Ultra Smartphone

Japanese Electronics giants Sony have launched a waterproof Android Smartphone – Xperia Z Ultra – with a 6.4in screen (16.3cm), describing it as  the ‘slimmest large-screened handset on the market’.

The new device is 6.5mm thick – slightly deeper than the thinnest device on the market, Ascend P6, launched recently by the Chinese telecom-network equipment giants Huawei.

Like original Xperia Z, which was unveiled in January, the enhanced version is also equipped with stunning features, one of which is that in addition to an optional stylus, it also accepts notes or sketches written using metal-tipped pen or a standard pencil.

Xperia Z ultra comes up with a 1080p resolution screen with in-built software to upgrade lower definition photos and videos. It has an 8 megapixel rear camera, and a powerful battery that offers up to 11 hours talk time. The 16 GB of internal storage of the device can be expanded to 64GB with the support of microSD cards.

The Ultra follow-up is highly water-resistant and can be submerged to a deeper limit – 1.5m (4.9ft) in freshwater for up to 30 minutes.

Xperia Z Ultra will be available for sale in Singapore and China sometime in July-August and in Europe from September.

Sony said it aspires to challenge Samsung’s supremacy of the jumbo-sized handset sector with its new flagship device.

The firm is not alone in seeking to grind down the lead of Korean Electronics giant. Several other players in the market have also jumped into the competition with their large-screened handsets. These devices include Huawei’s 6.1inch Ascend Mode, Acer’s 5.7inch Liquid S1; ZTE’s 5.7inch Grand Memo; Asus’ 6inch FonePad Note and Lenovo’s 5.5inch Ideaphone K900.

For more information on the world of mobile, head to Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona, taking place from 24-27 February, 2014. Contact EAS for the best in quality accommodation, marketing and event management.  For further information, click here.

Vodafone Group confirms Kabel Deutschland talks

Vodafone Group confirms
Kabel Deutschland talks

Vodafone Group has confirmed the long-running speculation that it has been approached by Germany’s biggest cable operator – Kabel Deutschland – about a probable multi-billion dollar take-over, a move which would boost U.K. mobile company’s broadband and TV offerings.

According to reports, Vodafone has offered between €81-82 (£68-69) to Kabel Deutschland but it has dismissed the offer citing it as too low. The mobile company is now reportedly considering increasing its offer.

Since the unearthing of the U.K. Company’s interest in Kabel Deutschland about four months ago, the shares of the cable firm have rose by as much as 27%.

The acquisition of Kabel Deutschland, which has around 8.5 million customers across Germany, would help Vodafone to bolster its mobile and broadband footing in Germany, where it acquired a leading telecom provider – Mannesmann AG – in a takeover worth $180 billion in 2000.

Vodafone, the world’s No. 2 mobile operator by revenue after China Mobile Ltd, last month recorded its first revenue drop in eight years, with rivals offering more competitive service bundles. .

The U.K. Company is also loosening its clutches over the German broadband operations, acquired in the Mannesmann deal, as Deutsche Telekom AG and Unitymedia Kabel have lured millions of its customers with awe-inspiring packages during the past few years.

Since the German takeover law demands the bidders to offer at least the average share price from the past three months, Vodafone would need to put a value on Kabel Deutschland of at least €6.39 billion to proceed with the offer.

And if the deal goes ahead, it will be Vodafone Group’s largest since it started operations in India in 2007 and it will look forward to attract more customers by bundling mobile, fixed-line, TV and broadband services.

For more information on the use of mobile internet worldwide head down to the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2014. For the best hotels, rentedapartments for mobile world congress and other accommodation choices contact EAS, your local travel agents. With our expert knowledge and experience we’ll make sure you have an unforgettable stay. And we’ll even organise your transportation and nightly entertainment too. Click on this link to fill in our request form.

Intex Aqua I-5 Smartphone launched in India

Intex Technologies has released its Intex Aqua I-5 Smartphone for the Indian customers. The new Smartphone runs on Android 4.2 and is powered by 1.2GHz quad-core processor.

The Smartphone will be offered in two colors –white and black – and is available at a best buy price of Rs. 11,690 (€ 150) at a wide range of retailers across the country.

Intex Aqua I-5 has a 5.0-inch qHD capacitive touch-screen.  The device comes up with a 2000mAh battery which provides a talk time of up to five hours and about seven days of standby time. The dual-SIM functionality of the phone works on both GSM + GSM technologies, the company affirmed.

The Smartphone has  4GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 32GB through a microSD card and 1 GB RAM. It also features a 2-megapixel front camera and a 12-megapixel rear auto-focus camera with flash. The connectivity options include Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth, A-GPS and micro USB.

The device is also equipped with four sensors; Proximity Sensor, G sensor, Motion Sensor and Environment Light Sensor. Some other features of the handset are FM radio, Flip-mute, face screen unlock, voice screen unlock and pattern lock security.

Intex Aqua I-5 is expected to make tough competition to the other quad-core device offerings in the sub-continental country that are in the range of Rs 16,000 such as Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro, Zen Ultrafone 701 HD, Micromax A110Q Canvas 2 Plus and others.

Intex, who has released a dozen mid-range Smartphones in the Aqua range, said it is planning to unveil 20 more handsets in the next quarter. The company aspires to sell more than 2 million Aqua handsets in the fiscal year of 2013-2014, which will raise its revenue by 300 percent.

For more information on the world head to MWC 2014 inBarcelona, taking place from 24-27 February, 2014. Contact EAS for best in quality accommodation, marketing and event management.  For further information, click here.

Israelis are world’s most fervent Smartphone users

A recently published global survey conducted by Google and Ipsos MediaCT states that Israelis are the most fervent Smartphone users in the world.

The survey, taken in the first quarter of 2013, was based on the responses of 1,000 global Smartphone users between the ages of 18 and 64.

In 2012, the Smartphone penetration in the Israeli market stood at 35%, while so far this year it has gone up to 57%, witnessing a substantial 22% rise. Britain is the only country ahead of Israel, where 62% of the population own Smartphone.

Spain came in third with 55% Smartphone users while France and Germany are ranked 4^th and 5^threspectively with 42% and 40% of their populations owning Smartphones.

While Britain slightly edged Israel in terms of Smartphone ownership, but in terms of the device’s usage, the middle-eastern country surpassed all the European countries and America.

According to the survey, the most extensive use of Smartphone in Israel takes place at home (87%), at work (77%) or while travelling home from work or during a walk (72%).

The survey also revealed the details of Israelis’ Smartphone use habits. The country’s people make more use of searches (93%), applications (86%), maps (84%) and social network updates (82%) than people of any other country.

Israelis are also ahead of all other nations in watching videos on the small screens, with 77% viewing the clips on YouTube and other video sharing websites and 48% watching the full length TV shows online.

Israeli Smartphone users left the other nations behind them in every possible parameter. However, an area where they appeared more conservative than the other countries, is online shopping with only 31% saying they used their handsets to purchase items online, compared with 46% of Americans and 39% of Britons.

For more information on the world of mobile head to the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona, taking place 24-27 February, 2014. Contact EAS for best in quality accommodation, marketing and event management.  For further information, click here.