Smartphone

Samsung profits fall in Q1 on slowing high-end smartphone sales

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Samsung said profit fell for a second straight quarter as sales in its smartphone division continued to dip. The South Korean electronics giant announced its earnings for Q1 2014 this morning, and its operating profits for the period fell 3.3% from the year-ago-quarter.

Investors are particularly concerned with the growing trend of slumping handset sales—Samsung's mobile division is also down 1.2% year-over-year. The just-released Galaxy S5 is expected to give its Q2 numbers a boost, but the future beyond that is less than certain...

Amazon’s smartphone said to feature unique, tilt-based gesture interface

Cody Lee ∙ April 22, 2014

According to a bevy of recent reports, Amazon is preparing to launch a smartphone. It's a tough market to try to bust into this late in the game—with Apple and Samsung taking home a large share of the profits already—but from what we've heard, the e-commerce giant is going to try to differentiate itself with unique features.

Today, following up its report from last week on a purported prototype of the Amazon phone, BGR has offered up some new details. Apparently, in addition to glasses-free 3D and head-tracking tech, the handset will also feature a number of motion-based gestures that can be activated by tilting the device in various directions...

Amazon smartphone head-tracking and 3D UI detailed, possible device prototype leaks

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 15, 2014

As we told you this past weekend, The Wall Street Journal has it on good authority that the online retail giant Amazon is gearing up to launch its rumored smartphone with a 3D screen around September, after entering the crowded living room market with its own $99 set-top box, the Fire TV.

TechCrunch is now chiming in with new details regarding the handset's head-tracking capabilities that are thought to offer up some "limited 3D effects" via a few built-in gestures. Also, a scoop from BGR claims to show a prototype Amazon smartphone device that may or may not have entered in production...

WSJ: Amazon preparing to launch 3D smartphone in September

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

The Wall Street Journal added its weight to speculation that Amazon is preparing to launch a smartphone. The outlet reported late yesterday that the e-commerce giant has been showing off prototypes of the handset to developers, and it plans to take it public later this year.

What's really interesting about the device is that The Journal says its screen is capable of displaying three-dimensional images without the need for special glasses. And it accomplishes this by using retina-tracking technology that's embedded into four front-facing cameras...

HTC launches new ‘One (M8)’ flagship handset

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Following Samsung's unveiling of the Galaxy S5 last month, HTC today introduced its new flagship smartphone: the HTC One (M8). The handset is the direct descendent of the critically-successful HTC One, and it encapsulates the company's latest effort to boost flagging device sales.

The new One is both bigger and faster than its predecessor. While it keeps the same gorgeous all-metal body, the display has been bumped from 4.7 to 5-inches, and the quad-core processor runs at 2.3GHz. It also sports 2GB RAM, an UltraPixel camera, a 2600mAh battery and more...

Amazon said to be launching smartphone with 6 cameras soon

Cody Lee ∙ March 20, 2014

With Amazon set to unveil its set-top box next month, the e-commerce giant is approaching full-on Apple competitor. It has the tablets, and the ecosystem, all it needs is a smartphone. And according to a new report, that could be arriving soon as well.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a solid reputation for accurately predicting tech company product plans, says Amazon is preparing to launch its long-awaited handset within the next 3 months. And get this: apparently it'll have 6 cameras...

Amazon said to be working with HTC to build smartphone

Cody Lee ∙ October 16, 2013

We've been hearing about Amazon's plans for the smartphone space for years now—at least since 2011. Pundits feel that since the tech giant has already waded into the hardware waters with a tablet, a handset is the obvious next step.

But the chatter has really picked up over the past week or so, with the Financial Times, and now Bloomberg, reporting that Amazon has been in talks with HTC since June to develop handsets for sale to users of Amazon's Prime service...

Smartphone theft fight gains UK support

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 13, 2013

The issue over smartphone thefts has taken on a British flavor. London's mayor now says he supports calls by American law enforcement officials asking Apple and others to beef up ways to prevent stolen phones.

In a statement, London Mayor Boris Johnson said smartphone makers should "take this issue seriously." Already, a half-dozen American officials have joined the 'Secure Our Smartphones' campaign, stretching from Hawaii to Delaware...

BRIC nations to overtake US as top smartphone markets by 2018

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 2, 2013

So-called BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are set to dominate smartphone market share by 2018, comprising four of the top seven markets, according to research released Tuesday. As a result, smartphone shipments to the US and Western Europe are forecast to drop to 33 percent of the smartphone market share, down from the current 39 percent.

At the same time, the top five countries in 2018 will account for just over half - 51 percent - of smartphone shipments globally. BRIC nations will account for a third of the shipments, according to ABI Research. The changing landscape means smartphone makers will need to keep pace...

Amazon said to be developing glasses-free 3D smartphone

Cody Lee ∙ May 9, 2013

Now that Facebook has finally fulfilled the prophecies, and entered the smartphone market, all eyes are on Amazon. The online retail giant has also long been rumored to be looking to get into the space with its own handset.

And today comes a new report that adds weight to the story. Citing sources familiar with the company's plans, The WSJ says Amazon is working on a number of new hardware products, including a glasses-free 3D smartphone...

HTC shows off new ‘First’ smartphone running Facebook Home

Cody Lee ∙ April 4, 2013

Facebook's media event just ended and as expected, most of what was talked about had to do with a new Facebook experience on Android. The social network unveiled a new 'people first' launcher, or shell if you will, for Android devices called Facebook Home.

But software wasn't the only topic of discussion today. Right before ending the press conference, Mark Zuckerberg pulled a Steve Jobs'-like 'one more thing,' and called HTC's CEO Peter Chou on stage to introduce the long-rumored HTC First smartphone...

HTC to host huge media event tomorrow morning

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

HTC has sent out invitations for a huge media event tomorrow morning. How huge? Huge enough to spread across two continents. The handset-maker will be hosting simultaneous keynotes in both London and New York.

What's on the menu? Well, it's no secret that the company has a new flagship handset in the wings. And word has it that it's readying a new version of its 'Sense' Android shell. But the real question is: does anyone care?