Galaxy S4 to help Samsung double its market share lead

Samsung is looking to take an even larger lead over the competition this year, thanks largely to its new Galaxy S4 flagship.

In 2011, just two short years ago, Nokia was the top dog in terms of phones sold, holding some 30% of the market. Then Samsung, which rides the Android wave better than anyone else, took center, rising to 29% in just one year, with most of that market share being taken straight from Nokia.

Market research firm IHS iSuppli has predicted that Samsung will double its lead in 2013 - in other words it will lead the next largest OEM by 11 percent points rather than 5. Although it did not care to predict exactly how much of the market Samsung will control in 2013, it did say that thanks to its "massive worldwide rollout through almost every operator, the lifestyle focus of the S4 will help drive Samsung’s market share sharply in 2013."

Given how well the Samsung Galaxy S4 looked in our preview, it's not hard to envision another great year for Samsung.

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Nokia rolls out Camera Extras and Cinemagraph apps for WP7

Nokia has just launched two new camera apps for the first generation Lumia devices.The new apps are Camera Extras and Cinemagraph and are available for Lumia WP7-running 510, 610, 710, 800 and 900.

Both camera apps were previously only available on Windows Phone 8-powered Lumias. The Camera Extras offers Smart Shoot, Action Shot, Panorama and self-shot feature, while the Cinemagraph shoots a few seconds short video and transforms in into an animated picture (gif).

You can find both apps in the Windows Phone 7 marketplace right now. You can also hit the source link below and scan the bar codes.

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Here's the Samsung Galaxy S4 versions breakdown by countries

Samsung announced the Galaxy S4 with an Exynos 5 Octa chipset, but what the presenters didn’t say during the announcement is that a lot of countries will be getting the Snapdragon 600 version instead. And it’s not just North America either.

SamMobile has compiled a list that shows which country gets which model. The I9500 is the non-LTE Exynos model while the I9505 is the 4G-enabled Snapdragon model. It's worth pointing out that some lucky countries are getting both.

Here’s the list plus known prices so far. Note that it's incomplete and may not be 100% accurate.

North America

• I9505 - Canada
• I9505 - United States, $580

Africa

• I9500 – Algeria
• I9500 – Egypt
• I9500 – Kenya
• I9500 – Lybia
• I9500 – Marocco
• I9500 – Nigeria

Asia / Middle East

• I9500 – Afghanistan
• I9500 – Bangladesh
• I9500 – China
• I9500 / I9505 – Hong Kong
• I9500 – India
• I9500 – Indonesia
• I9500 – Iran
• I9500 – Iraq
• I9500 – Kazakhstan
• I9500 / I9505 – Korea
• I9500 / I9505 – Malaysia
• I9500 – Nepal
• I9500 – Pakistan
• I9500 / I9505 – Philippines
• I9500 – Russia, 30,000 rubles ($970), April 26 launch
• I9500 / I9505 – Saudi Arabia
• I9505 – Singapore
• I9500 – Sri Lanka
• I9500 – Taiwan
• I9500 – Thailand
• I9500 – Turkey
• I9500 / I9505 – United Arab Emirates
• I9500 – Uzbekistan
• I9500 – Vietnam

Australia

• I9505 – Australia

Europe

• I9505 – Austria
• I9505 – Baltic
• I9505 – Belgium / Luxemburg
• I9505 – Bosnia and Herzegovina
• I9505 – Bulgaria
• I9505 – Cyprus
• I9505 – Czech Republic
• I9500 / I9505 – France
• I9500 / I9505 – Germany, €650
• I9505 – Greece
• I9500 / I9505 – Italy, €700
• I9505 – Macedonia
• I9505 - Nordic Countries
• I9500 / I9505 – Poland
• I9500 / I9505 – Romania, 3,000 Lei ($878) for I9500
• I9500 – Russia
• I9505 – Portugal
• I9505 – Slovakia
• I9505 – Slovenia
• I9505 – Spain
• I9505 - Sweden, starting at SEK 220 / $34 a month
• I9505 – Switzerland
• I9505 – The Netherlands
• I9500 / I9505 – United Kingdom, £530, April 26 launch
• I9500 – Ukraine

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Some Sony Xperia Z handsets reportedly suffering sudden death

A number of Sony Xperia Z users have reported their devices suffering from sudden death. Apparently, Sony's flagship has been shutting down for no apparent reason with subsequent efforts to bring it back to life proving unsuccessful, save for a hard reset in a few cases.

There is no particular reason for the occurrence. Some users have blamed low battery for the issue, but others have had their Xperia Z expire with plenty of charge left in its battery.

Sony has acknowledged the issue and promised that a fix is in the works. It will be delivered to the users via an upcoming software update.

Via

The iPhone passcode can still be bypassed after the iOS 6.1.3 update

It was just yesterday Apple released the iOS 6.1.3 update to address the lockscreen passcode bypass issue. Unfortunately, there is another work-around that will still give you access to the Phone app without entering the pass code.

To make this work though, all you need is a SIM ejecting tool or a paperclip. The good news is you can make your iPhone immune to this workaround by simply disabling voice dial in your passcode lock settings screen.

Here is how it’s done:

Let the countdown to iOS 6.1.4 begin, then.

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Jelly Bean update for Optimus 4X HD, Optimus L7 comes this month

LG has confirmed via its official German blog that it's planning to release a Jelly Bean update for its last year high-end and mid-range offerings - the Optimus 4X HD and Optimus L7.

More specifically, LG says it'll push Android 4.1.2 only to the unlocked versions of the devices. Presumably, those purchased under carrier subsidizing will have to wait for their carrier to approve of the update.

The Jelly Bean update will bring the UI optimizations of Project Butter and will make Google Now available. Newly added features include faster NFC transmission through Android Beam 2.0, Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS), as well as expandable notifications.

LG says the update will roll out by the end of March. Users will be able to update via LG's Mobile Support-Tool. You can find more detailed instructions on how to check and install the update by visiting the source link below.

Source (in German) | Via

LG accuses Samsung Galaxy S4 of violating its eye-tracking patent

At the day of the Galaxy S4 event, LG officially announced its Smart Video feature for the Optimus G Pro, and later Samsung touted a similar Smart Pause feature for its flagship.

As a result, LG says Samsung violates its eye-tracking patent with Smart Pause. The patent in question is applied for in 2009, but LG suspects its domestic rival of violating more patents dating as far back as 2005.

LG will start investigating once the Samsung Galaxy S4 hits the market next month. Naturally, Samsung denied the accusations, stating that it uses different methodology to implement its Smart Pause feature.

We'll see if LG and Samsung go in court over the eye-tracking patent in a month when both the Optimus G Pro and Galaxy S4 will go on sale.

Source | Via