Tag Archives: s sales

Aug 28

Apple seeks ban on U.S. sales of 8 ...

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Apple is seeking to ban 8 Samsung phones

The eight phones include:

Galaxy S II (AT&T variant)

Galaxy S II Skyrocket

Galaxy S II (T-Mobile Variant)

Galaxy S II Epic 4G (Sprint Variant)

Apple Inc., following a trial win against Samsung Electronics co., is seeking a U.S. sales ban on eight models of the South Korean company’s smartphones, including several in its Galaxy line, as well as the extension of a preliminary ban on a Samsung tablet computer.

Apple, which won more than US$1-billion Aug. 24 after a jury found Samsung infringed six of seven patents for its mobile devices, identified the devices it wants barred in a filing today with U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California.

Mark Newman, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein who used to work at Samsung, says the impact on Samsung’s sales will be negligible because the company’s newest smartphones aren’t on Apple’s list of devices, which he said will account for less than 1.4% of Samsung’s profits next year. the impact would be 6.3% if Apple manages to broaden a ban to newer devices and block 80% of all Samsung phones, he said.

“Samsung can live to fight another day,” Newman said in a phone interview.

Samsung shares fell the most in almost four years in Seoul trading today following the Aug. 24 verdict. Suwon, South Korea- based Samsung may have to delay the release of new devices to change their designs, as it seeks to compete with Apple’s new iPhone and possibly a smaller iPad, said Chang In Whan, president of Seoul-based KTB Asset Management co.

Tab 10.1

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, won a ban on U.S. sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in June that the South Korean company said wouldn’t have a significant impact on its business. Apple in a court filing today said Koh should also bar U.S. sales of the cellular version of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer even though the product wasn’t covered by the Aug. 24 verdict.

Samsung sought on Aug. 26 to have the ban on the Tab 10.1 lifted after the jury found the company’s tablet computer didn’t infringe the Apple design patent on which the June 26 court- ordered sales ban was based. the jury instead found that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 infringed three of Apple’s software patents.

Koh hasn’t ruled on any of the requests since the verdict. she scheduled a Sept. 20 hearing for arguments on the potential bans, adding that the date may be changed depending on the scope of Apple’s request.

Adam Yates, a spokesman for Samsung, didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail request for comment.

Sales Ban

Of the 28 Samsung devices accused by Apple of infringement, the eight targeted for a U.S. sales ban include the Galaxy Prevail, which was the top seller by units in the U.S. from mid-2010 to mid-2012, accounting for revenue of US$378-million, according to data submitted by Samsung in a court filing.

Also on Apple’s list are the Galaxy S2 Epic 4G, ranked by Samsung as the third-best seller by units in the U.S. among the accused products; the Galaxy S 4G, the fourth-best; and the Galaxy S2 T-Mobile, the eighth-best seller in the U.S. during the last two years.

Rounding out Apple’s list of devices targeted for a sales ban are the Galaxy S Showcase, the S2 AT&T, the S2 Skyrocket and the Droid Charge.

Samsung’s latest Galaxy model, the S3, wasn’t targeted by Apple in the trial and isn’t on the proposed sales ban list submitted today.

‘A Positive’

Not including the S3 in any sales ban is “a positive for Samsung,” Newman said,

With Apple asking for Samsung to pay a US$30 licensing fee for each handset the company sells, losing the sales of the handsets Apple is trying to get banned would be less harmful to the company’s financial performance than paying the licensing fee, he said.

“If that was applied globally, it would have a massive impact on Samsung,” Newman said of the royalty.

A royalty of US$5 per device would cost Samsung about US$1.2-billion a year, Newman said.

Apple won less than half of what it sought in damages in the first lawsuit to go before a U.S. jury in the fight to dominate the global smartphone market, though Koh may later triple the damages against Samsung under federal law. Samsung avoided a finding of damages for antitrust law violations or breach of contract.

Monetary Damages

The injunction will probably be more important than the monetary damages award, Mark Lemley, a Stanford Law School professor, said in an e-mail following the verdict.

“The real question is whether this is enough to derail the momentum the Android ecosystem has gained in the marketplace,” Lemley said.

Samsung has used Google Inc.’s free Android operating system to build phones that propelled it to the No. 1 spot in the phone market.

The nine-member jury rejected Samsung’s patent counterclaims against Apple, the world’s largest company by market capitalization, and its request for damages. the jury also determined that all of Apple’s patents at stake in the trial were valid. Apple also won findings that Samsung devices diluted the value of its so-called trade dress, or how a product looks.

Suspend Judgment

Samsung said in an Aug. 24 e-mailed statement it will ask the judge to reverse the verdict. if Koh doesn’t overturn the award, Samsung said it will appeal. Samsung today asked Koh to suspend final judgment in the case — which is required before any sales ban can take effect — until she rules on the company’s filings challenging the verdict.

The “verdict should not be viewed as a win for Apple, but as a loss for the American consumer,” Samsung said. “It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies.”

The verdict is the largest jury award of the year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. the verdict is the fourth-largest jury award in a patent case in U.S. history.

Apple rose today 2% to $675.68 in Nasdaq trading.

The case is Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics co. ltd., 11- cv-01846, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Jose).

Apple seeks ban on U.S. sales of 8 Samsung products

Aug 02

DRIV Drops 25%: Tablet Victim? MSFT Tie Bolsters ...

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By Tiernan Ray

Shares of electronic software distributor Digital River (DRIV) are down $4.52, or over 25%, at $13.27 after the company last night reported Q2 revenue below consensus estimates and projected this quarter’s revenue and profit lower, as well as forecasting full-year results well below consensus.

In prepared remarks, CEO Joel Ronning said the company’s sales outlook was affected by “weaker PC sales and uncertainty in the macro economy.”

Estimates are getting chopped across the board, and there are some price target changes, but some bulls have urged faith in the company’s strong relationship with Microsoft (MSFT), which is the source of roughly a third of Digital’s revenue.

For example, FBR Capital’s Daniel Ives reiterates an Outperform rating on the shares this morning, while cutting his price target to $19 from $23, writing that “we continue to believe that Digital River is well positioned to benefit from a Windows 8 upgrade cycle in 4Q.”

While Digital River remains a recovery story with many bumps along the road, we continue to believe that the combination of its massive cash balance, expanded Microsoft relationship, and increased buyback activity will translate into brighter days for the company (and its investors) heading into the seasonally stronger 2H.

Ives cut his estimate for this year to $384.4 million and $1.02 per share, down from $406.1 million and $1.17 previously. That is toward the upper end of the $378 million to $390 million estimate Digital provided last night.

R.W.Baird’s Colin Sebastian this morning reiterates a Neutral rating on the stock, and a $19 price target, writing that the company is falling victim to the spread of tablet computers that is displacing plain-old PC software sales:

We believe that core software sales increased modestly in Q2, although below our original expectations. While some of the weakness may be attributable to software launch delays, the divergence in secular trends for PC’s and tablets/smartphones is notable. Q2 tablet sales of 25 million units were up 67% Y/Y and number almost 50% of consumer PC sales. While Windows 8 may prove to reenergize the PC software market, longer-term issues are likely to persist.

RBC Capital’s Robert Breza reiterates a Sector Perform rating and a $21 price target.

“we believe management is taking a conservative outlook,” writes Breza, ” however, business fundamentals are not likely to accelerate meaningfully until the second half of 2013 when the comparable become easier in the core business.”

Breza cut his estimate for the year to $395.5 million and $1.12, down from $426.7 million and $1.36 previously.

DRIV Drops 25%: Tablet Victim? MSFT Tie Bolsters Bulls

Jul 01

Firms see Windows 8 spurring demand

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Taiwanese notebook manufacturers participating in Computex are counting on Ultrabooks and Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system to stimulate another big wave of replacement demand in the second half of the year and through next year.

Acer Inc (宏碁) and Asustek Computer Inc (華碩), the nation’s largest PC vendors, each announced a number of Windows 8-based devices across the board, including all-in-one PCs, tablets and Ultrabooks, earlier this week at the annual Taipei computer trade show as they hope the touch functions will boost PC sales.

Acer chairman J.T. Wang (王振堂) said on Monday that Windows 8 would help boost global Ultrabook shipments, and forecast Acer’s sales would begin to improve in the third quarter and show a significant pick-up in the fourth quarter. He did not offer exact growth figures.

Asustek’s booth was jampacked with visitors yesterday at Computex, with the section of Windows 8-enabled Ultrabooks receiving a lot of attention.

A company saleswoman said visitors were curious about what these machines can do.

Gigabyte Technology Corp (技嘉), which is known for its motherboards and notebook computers, launched a 14-inch ultra-thin notebook at the end of last month and said it planned to launch new products, like tablets and notebooks equipped with touch screens, to match the launch of Windows 8 in the second half.

Gibabyte senior vice president Richard Ma (馬孟明) said those product launches would help the company grow its shipments by 50 percent annually in the second half, reversing stalled momentum in the first half because of a shortage of hard disk drives and a weak global economy.

Micro-Star International Co (MSI, 微星), a PC vendor and motherboard manufacturer, introduced its convertible Ultrabook Slider S20 this week at the show. The S20 doubles as a tablet and runs Windows 8.

“MSI is fine-tuning the machine, which is scheduled to hit the market in September or October,” said Luc Liao (廖錦清), marketing manager of MSI’s notebook division. “We think this kind of machine will be very competitive, because it’s the mainstream of the PC world, with the touch interface of Windows 8 Metro, cloud computing and apps all in place. We are optimistic about its sales in the second half of the year and beyond.”

Elitegroup Computer Systems Co (精英), a PC original-design manufacturer and motherboard manufacturer, has developed an Intel-approved Ultrabook, which is being optimized for running Windows 8, a company sales manager surnamed Chen said.

“End users are still getting familiar with the new operating system, but with the touch function and Ivy Bridge processor combination, we expect this machine to be a strong rival of Apple MacBook,” he said.

On desktop motherboards, both MSI and Asustek salespeople said they would have Windows 8-compatible motherboards ready for sale when Microsoft launches the operating system, and they all thought it would stimulate replacement demand for PC later this year.

While companies have generally put high hopes on Ultrabooks with touch-enabled Windows 8 and are very optimistic about the outlook of their shipments, analysts said PC vendors still need time to lower costs for the new products before they could become popular.

“The cost of touch modules is the most critical challenge,” Eric Chiou (邱宇彬), WitsView’s research director, said in a report this week.

Firms see Windows 8 spurring demand

Jun 26

Samsung Galaxy S III Review – Smartphones ...

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With the Samsung Galaxy S III (S3), Samsung has done it again. For the third consecutive year, its flagship Galaxy phone is a tidy package of top-flight specs, approachable design, steady performance, and compelling pricing. Starting its U.S. sales debut with five carriers — Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular — makes this smartphone nearly ubiquitous. Samsung’s aggressive distribution strategy gives it a leg up against its chief Android rival, the HTC one X, but it fails to sweep HTC’s finest, and Apple fans will scoff at Samsung’s imitation Siri.

That isn’t to say that the Galaxy S III (henceforth also known as the S3) does not impress. from the outside in, it has a large, vibrant HD display; Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich; a sharp 8-megapixel camera; 4G LTE support; a zippy dual-core processor; and tons of internal memory and 2GB RAM. the $199.99 price tag for the 16GB version is highly competitive, and that, along with its carrier spread, makes the S3 priced to sell.

Some have slammed Samsung for formulaic specs and design, and to some extent, the critics are correct. Samsung isn’t setting hardware standards with new creations, and the S3′s software additions, while interesting and useful, mostly build off existing Android capabilities. regardless, Samsung has continued to produce stronger subsequent models than its first Galaxy S home run. There’s a reason why the Galaxy S II sold over 50 million units worldwide, and why the S3′s preorder sales smashed U.K. records. Samsung clearly has its formula worked out for making higher-end features familiar, expected, and easily within reach — and in the all-around excellent Galaxy S3, it shows.

Pricing and availabilityI don’t usually start a review with pricing information, but in this case, it’s worth the bird’s-eye view of which carrier offers which capacity of each color when, and for how much.

AT&T Samsung Galaxy S III ($199.99): 4G LTE in 39 markets; simultaneous voice and data; 16GB model available in blue, white, and (later this summer, and exclusive to AT&T) red

Sprint Samsung Galaxy S III (16GB, $199.99; 32GB, $249): 3G now, 4G LTE when Sprint launches its LTE network; Google Wallet, unlimited data option; available in 16GB (blue, white) and 32GB (blue, white) models

T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S III (16GB, $229.99, $279.99 [Value plan]; 32GB, $279.99, 329.99 [Classic plan]): HSPA+ 42; simultaneous voice and data; available in 16GB (blue, white) and 32GB (blue, white) models

U.S. Cellular Samsung Galaxy S III (16GB and 32GB, price TBD): 4G LTE in 6 markets, 3G elsewhere; eligible for carrier points; available in 16GB (blue, white) and 32GB (white) models

Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III (16GB, $199.99; 32GB, $249): 4G LTE, 258 markets; eventual global data roaming, voice/data; available in 16GB (blue, white) and 32GB (blue, white) models

This is a review of the 16GB version of T-Mobile’s S3 in pebble blue.

DesignIt won’t wow you with neon colors or evocative, industrial design; it doesn’t have the sharpest screen on the market; and its body isn’t fashioned from ceramic, glass, or micro-arc oxidized aluminum. That said, the Galaxy S3 is about the nicest plastic phone I’ve ever seen. Likely tired of hearing complaints about how cheap-feeling Samsung phones can be, the company decided to focus instead on making the contours more premium — without giving up its light, inexpensive, and shatterproof material of choice.

The Samsung Galaxy S III looks and feels smooth, glossy, and far more luxe than previous Galaxy handsets.

(Credit:Josh Miller/CNET)

Peer closely at the phone (it comes in ceramic white, pebble blue, and later a red shade exclusive to AT&T) and you’ll see that Samsung has rounded the edges and corners to attain smooth spines and trim pieces all around. the phone designers also intentionally arranged the backing to give the phone more of a unibody feel.

Samsung doesn’t shy away from high gloss and sheen in either white or blue models and somehow, it all works. the pebble-blue variety has lighter blue spines than its steel gray-blue backing, and I like the brushed-metal grain to its uncompromisingly plastic finish. in addition, the phone has felt good in my hand every time I’ve picked it up since CTIA. It’s slick and touchable, and seems to warm to the touch, which gives it the sense that it’s conforming to your grip. though smooth, the S3 isn’t slippery, and although fairly light (at 4.7 ounces, just a tad heavier than the one X), it doesn’t feel like it’s missing a battery or other essential components. the handset’s highly reflective surfaces are its most major design flaw.

When it comes to size, the S3 is a big device. at 5.4 inches tall and 2.8 inches wide, it’s slightly larger and thicker than the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Samsung seems to enjoy pushing the envelope when it comes to creating smartphone displays that border on minitablet territory (the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note even became a cult hit, with about 7 million global sales.) yet, the handset’s slim 0.34-inch width, contoured sides, and glossy coating add up to that comfortable handhold.

My hands are fairly small, so I passed the phone around to see what others thought, regardless of their personal phone choice. most initially found the S3 large, but warmed up to it as they played around. Those with smaller hands than mine generally thought it too big. almost all of them commented on the light weight. my colleagues also stuck the S3 in front, back, shirt, and jacket pockets; everyone found a way they said they’d carry it (which really only proves that CNET editors are a resourceful bunch.)

Press and hold the S3′s home button to surface your recent apps. Double-press to launch S Voice.

(Credit:Josh Miller/CNET)

Above the screen are the proximity and ambient light sensors, the indicator LED, and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. below it is a physical home button, which Samsung managed to keep in this handset, as opposed to the typical soft-touch navigation buttons we often see in Android phones. in general, I can get behind this kind of button, but the S3′s is slightly less comfy in its squashed and narrow form than if it were a larger rectangle or a square. Flanking this button are the back key and the menu key, which fade after a few seconds of use. It’s interesting that Samsung kept its menu button rather than the default recent-apps tab in Ice Cream Sandwich. You can still view recent applications by holding down the Home button.

On the right spine is the power button, and on the left you’ll find the volume rocker. You’ll charge through a Micro-USB power button on the bottom, and listen to audio through the 3.5mm headset jack up top. the 8-megapixel camera lens and flash are on the rear, with the microSD card slot and Near-Field Communication (NFC)-capable battery behind the back cover. the Galaxy S III takes a Micro-SIM card.

All about the screen: in terms of screen size, the Galaxy S III’s 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display (with a 1,280×720-pixel resolution) fits right between the Galaxy Nexus (4.65 inches) and the Galaxy Note (5.3 inches), both of them honkers on their own. It’s almost identical to the HTC one X (4.7 inches.) How much you like the size depends on your preference for large-screen phones. If you like ‘em on the smaller side, you’ll find this excessive. If you enjoy having more screen real estate for reading and watching videos, you’ll likely approve.

The HD Super AMOLED screen on the Galaxy S3 (center) was dimmer beside other top smartphones, the HTC one X (top) and iPhone 4S (bottom).

(Credit:Josh Miller/CNET)

Samsung’s new flagship phone is one of the first handsets to use Corning’s Gorilla Glass 2, a thinner, lighter, more responsive cover glass material that the two companies also say lets colors shine brighter. I definitely noticed the screen’s sensitivity; at times I barely had to brush the display for a response. Colors looked bright and vibrant with the phone in a dark setting, but slide to full brightness and the screen sometimes seemed dark, especially when compared with other phones at full throttle.

Like typical AMOLED displays, the S3 overdoes it on the greens, which stand out more than on phones with LCD screens, or when you view photos you took yourself. I downloaded a high-res image with varying contrasts and colors on five phones, also at peak brightness — the S3, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, iPhone 4S, and HTC one X. the Galaxy Note’s resolution was a little looser than that of the other four because of its lower pixel density. the S3 showed a much dimmer picture than the Galaxy Nexus did. Colors on the HTC one X and iPhone 4S were bright and looked truer to life. Blacks looked blacker on the Nexus’ AMOLED screen, but there was far more detail throughout the images on the one X and iPhone 4S, which both use LCD screens with in-plane switching (IPS.) from there, quality was a tossup, with some features of the image looking better on the iPhone, and some looking better on the one X.

Cracking Open the Samsung Galaxy S III (T-Mobile)

Don’t get me wrong — the S3′s screen is still lovely when you aren’t peering at it side by side with another screen, but the comparative image darkness is a little disappointing, and was especially noticeable in my sunny-day photo and video shoots. Part of the screen dimness problem is that some apps, like the browser, were actually less bright by default. even when I changed system settings to full blast, the browser remained dimmer until I changed its individual brightness setting. in general, I appreciate Samsung’s power-saving checks and balances, but checking settings throughout the phone was confusing.

Interface and OS Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich looks great on the S3, especially because Samsung used a lighter hand with its TouchWiz interface than on previous versions. That said, Samsung hasn’t fully adopted all of Google’s visual cues, like the ICS menu (I personally miss this interface touch.) With TouchWiz, Samsung is able to add things like gestures and systems control access in the notifications pull-down. There are also the unique additions that Samsung tacked on to Android Beam.

Android Beam gets a boost in S Beam, which can share videos and photos with a tap.

(Credit:Josh Miller/CNET)

Not every one of the S3′s special additions is essential, and some, like sharing content through AllShare Play and GroupCast, are unnecessarily complicated to set up and use. while Samsung deserves kudos for brainstorming and implementing these features, customers will care more about overall camera performance than the capability to tag friends’ faces in photos.

S Beam: Built on top of Android Beam for Ice Cream Sandwich, the Samsung-only S Beam wields NFC and Wi-Fi Direct to “beam” larger-file photos, videos, and documents — that’s in addition to Android Beam’s capability of sharing URLs, maps, and contact information. behind the scenes, NFC initiates the handshake, and the Wi-Fi Direct protocol takes over for larger files. the combination isn’t groundbreaking, perhaps, but Samsung deserves credit for packing it up in one seamless action. as with Beam, you won’t have to do more than press the backs of the phones together, confirm the beam, and pull the phones apart. the larger the file, the longer it usually takes for the transfer magic to happen.

S Beam worked flawlessly every time I tried it. Samsung really does get a high-five for this addition, which goes beyond simple cleverness to actual usefulness.

S Voice: And then there’s S Voice. Samsung’s answer to Apple’s Siri, S Voice is a personal assistant that plumps up Android’s built-in Voice Actions into the more personal format that Apple popularized with Siri. Vlingo powers S Voice on the listening and interpretation front (Siri uses Nuance), and sources answers from databases like Wolfram Alpha. You launch S Voice by double-pressing the home button, and can wake up S Voice in between commands by saying, “Hello, Galaxy” (this is optional and drains the battery faster.)

You can do a lot with S Voice (left), but only if it understands you (right.)

(Credit:Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

S Voice can launch apps and turn-by-turn navigation; switch into driving mode; voice-dial; tweet; get the weather; compose a memo; search contacts; and schedule tasks. It can also take a photo, place and answer calls, search the Web, adjust the volume, send e-mail and text messages, record voices, and launch the native music player. It also ties into Android 4.0′s lock screen security, so you can use your voice to unlock the phone. as a bonus, you can program four of your own voice commands to open the camera, record your voice, and check for missed calls and messages.

S Voice sounds great in theory, but it didn’t work well. sometimes it didn’t work at all. throughout my testing period, I used S Voice extensively, asking the phone to perform the full range of tasks. sometimes it delivered what I wanted immediately, like driving directions or turning Wi-Fi on and off. Other times, it must have stuffed cotton in its digital ears and repeatedly garbled or blanked on what I wanted. my favorite was when it knew exactly what I said, repeated my command (you can choose voice feedback in addition to text,) and then did nothing. There was also the time that S Voice stalled on deleting an alarm, then ignored my subsequent request to finish the first one.

S Voice is Samsung’s garbled answer to Apple’s Siri.

(Credit:Josh Miller/CNET)

On the whole, S Voice is more rigid than Siri about syntax and the software takes a while to process. unless I’m driving or otherwise hands-free, I find it faster and less frustrating to set your own alarm, or turn on driving directions before engaging the ignition. Siri also has its share of slowness and interpretation issues, but it’s performed more consistently for me in my tests thus far. Stay tuned for a more detailed comparison with Siri, and in the meantime check out our CNET UK editor’s test, in which S Voice clearly won only one out of 15 voice test scenarios, a poor showing that makes S Voice seem more like a beta product than a Siri substitute. I’ll update this review with a similar showdown.

Sharing software: Multimedia sharing is a Galaxy S3 emphasis, with four main ways to share your stuff through different means, like DLNA and Wi-Fi Direct protocols.

AllShare Play uses DLNA to share multimedia across your Samsung TVs, tablets, and phones, so you can play a video you shot on your phone on the TV, and do things like control the volume from your handset. a Web storage element has you access content on your other devices by tapping into a third-party client, SugarSync.

Face recognition software prompts you to tag yourself and your friends, even on photos taken with the front-facing camera, like this one.

(Credit:Josh Miller/CNET)

GroupCast, which you can use as a presentation service, uses AllShare Play. It takes seven steps (including a password and PIN number) to set up the share, but once you do, you can share a folder — like slides or photos — across all phones you’ve invited into the GroupCast. any device can control the screens, and annotate with pen strokes that fade after a few seconds. Samsung should let the GroupCast leader lock it down.

Buddy Photo Share is a neat optional in-camera feature that can e-mail or text a freshly shot photo to the person you tag in it. Photos show up in a “received” folder in the recipient’s gallery.

ShareShot is a camera shooting mode that uses Wi-Fi Direct in the background to automatically send photos to your friends as you shoot them, instead of e-mailing them after the fact. Multiple people can get in on the deal — so long as they’re within about 100 yards, about the length of a football field. Photos also appear in the gallery. You lose ShareShot when you switch shooting modes.

My problem with these tools is that some of them have unintuitive and disjointed user experiences. It isn’t always obvious how to get to a feature, how to sign others up, and how to find your shared content afterward.

FeaturesAn Android Ice Cream Sandwich phone through and through, the S3 is fully loaded with all the Google goodies, and then some. There are the Google apps and services, like Gmail, Maps with turn-by-turn voice navigation, a music player, and YouTube, to name just a few. Wi-Fi, GPS, Wi-Fi Direct, and Bluetooth 4.0 are other communication features, along with NFC (which powers stuff you can do with TecTiles and Google Wallet.)

Samsung Galaxy S III Review – Smartphones – CNET Reviews

Jun 15

Booming Sales Drive Lenovo to #2 PC Spot

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Lenovo recorded booming PC sales for the fourth quarter, almost ten times the rate of the PC industry, the company said.

Lenovo’s notebook PC sales for the fourth quarter topped $4.2 billion, representing 44 percent growth over the same period a year ago. Desktop sales also increased 43 percent to $2.4 billion. both represented increases of almost nine times that of the rest of the industry.

Lenovo’s PC business was the fastest-growing among the top four PC vendors, and the company’s sales have propelled it to the second spot worldwide, the company said, behind HP. Lenovo also claimed it has become the number two tablet provider in China, and number four in the world.

the robust growth drove profits attributable to equity holders to $67 million, a 73 percent increase over the same period a year ago. Sales grow 37 percent to $7.50 billion. For the fiscal year, Lenovo recorded sales of $29.6 billion.

“During the fourth fiscal quarter, Lenovo was the fastest growing among the top PC vendors in Global Emerging Markets, and Commercial Markets, as well as Consumer Markets and Mature Markets, where for the first-time ever, we reached double-digit market share in both,” Yang Yuanqing, Lenovo’s chairman and chief executive, said in a statement. “We furthered our leadership position in the Global Emerging Markets, in which Lenovo already achieved double digit-market share in 15 markets and became number one in India. With the emergence of multiple devices such as smartphones, tablets and smart TV, our industry is entering the PC + era. Lenovo is focused on leading the PC industry, and building upon that leadership in the PC+ era.”

Lenvo recently launched a “new family of ThinkPad notebooks, with new designs and Intel’s new “Ivy Bridge” third-generation Core processors. they include the ThinkPad X1 Carbonand the ThinkPad X230 Tablet.

For more from mark, follow him on Twitter @MarkHachman.

For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.

Booming Sales Drive Lenovo to #2 PC Spot

Apr 29

Sony Losses 2011: Loss Projection Doubles To ...

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TVs were down almost 30 percent in sales. Sales for home audio, video and digital imaging also dipped, and while Sony cut the price of its Playstation 3 in August, sales of the gaming console are still suffering.

To prevent a mass exodus of investors, Sony said it would bounce back by March 2013 with an operating profit of $2.2 billion, but the company's sales of LCD TVs have been extremely poor — a microcosm of the general maiase for TV makers. between Sony, Sharp and Panasonic, poor LCD TV sales have contributed to a combined $17 billion in losses.

“We can improve shareholder equity in several ways, including bolstering cash flow or selling assets,” Kato said. “Equity finance is also an option, but at this moment we have no concrete plan to do so.”

Kato would not confirm the 10,000 job losses on Tuesday, but he did note that the company is making cuts within its chemical business and small LCD operations. What Kato didn't say is that Sony plans to sell off its chemical products division, which will cut about 3,000 workers, and is also going to make cuts within its small and midsize LCD operations. Kato did not say if the job cuts would occur in Japan, overseas, or both.

On April 1, the same day Sony named Kazuo Hirai its new president and CEO, the Tokyo-based company merged its 2,000-person Mobile Display Unit with other small LCD panel businesses from Toshiba and Hitachi to form a new group called “Japan Display.” this move parallels an earlier move made by Samsung, which similarly spun off its LCD business division to launch a new entity called “Samsung Display co.” That company, which also went live on April 1, would also review a merger of the company's LCD and OLED operations as OLED tech, which is primarily featured in Samsung's mobile devices, gains traction. Considering how OLED wowed audiences at CES 2012 with its gorgeous displays and wafer-thin designs, Sony simply wants to keep in stride with Samsung and LG in the greater “display race.”

“The spin-off will allow us to make quicker business decisions and respond to our clients' needs more swiftly,” said Donggun Park, Samsung's executive VP of its LCD business. “Through enhancements in business competitiveness, we will continue to provide superior products and services for the market.”

The new “Japan Display” division could help Sony boost its flat screen sales, but some analysts believe Sony is no longer a competitive player in the TV and flat screen game. this could change if Sony similarly takes to jump on the OLED bandwagon, which is picking up steam for its ability to produce richer colors and better pictures than LCD in a limited amount of space. Think of large, gorgeous TV displays that are thinner than a pencil.

“Under a new CEO, it's easier to cut jobs or go in a new direction,” said Yuuki Sakurai, the head of Fukoku Capital, a fund management firm based in Tokyo. “One of the things I'd like to see is that they shift their resources to other areas outside TVs … If they stick to TVs, they may have to fight a war they may not be able to win.”

Sony, which employs roughly 168,200 workers on a consolidated basis, may also ask its seven-person executive board to return their bonuses to the company. The board includes Howard Stringer, the former CEO of Sony, who now serves as the company's chairman. However, if Sony looks to thrive again, Hirai may consider cutting his entire executive staff. when Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he kept two board members and fired everyone else. To prove to investors that you've changed, profound changes need to take place at the very top, and Hirai needs to acknowledge that and pull the trigger.

Hirai hopes these layoffs can show investors that Sony is serious about becoming a lean, agile company that can compete with the big boys of display-making. a $6.4 billion projected loss for the year is the last straw for Sony, which hasn't seen profit in more than four years. Kazuo believes Sony could be a potential core business for the company's future, but only time and experimentation will tell for sure. If the company looks to move ahead, it must be smart about its fiscal decisions, and spinning off its display business is a good start. it may be too late for the Walkman, but it's never too late to innovate something we've never seen before.

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Sony Losses 2011: Loss Projection Doubles To Record $6.4 Billion; Why Hirai Should Fire The Board

Feb 28

Lenovo Looks to Build Brand as It Reaches for Top ...

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China’s Lenovo, already a top brand in its home country, is focused on becoming a household name in major foreign markets as the company faces the prospect of becoming the world’s largest PC vendor for the first time in its history.

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Chances are the Chinese company could take the title some time in 2012 after achieving the highest growth rate among the top five companies for the last two years. now ranked as the second largest, Lenovo’s market share is just two percentage points below Hewlett-Packard’s 16 percent, according to research firm IDC.

Lenovo’s rise coincides with the world’s largest PC market moving from the U.S. to China starting last year. Back in 1997, Lenovo for the first time became China’s top PC vendor, where it has since gone on to claim a 35.3 percent market share on its home turf, a major factor in driving the company’s growth, according to analysts.

Now fifteen years later, the Chinese PC maker wants to popularize the company’s consumer brand in markets including the U.S., where Lenovo’s sales still lag far behind those of its top competitors.

“We want to be the first big consumer brand to come out of China, which is a big challenge,” said Lenovo’s chief marketing officer David Roman in an interview. “I think within the next few years, we will become a very well-known brand in the personal electronics space.”

Last year, Lenovo launched its first ever global marketing campaign, targeting consumers in North America, Japan, Germany, Russia, Japan and the U.K. This led the company to push ads with its new tagline, “For those who do,” and even place its products in the hit movie “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.”

The campaign’s result has helped double brand awareness among customers aged 18 to 34, according to company surveys, Roman said. “In the U.S., from March 2011 to January 2012, we saw an increase of 204 percent in purchase consideration for Lenovo computers,” he said.

“More and more will depend on the consumer space, which is where the technology is going,” Roman added. “This has been a crucial priority for us.”

It also marks an uphill battle for the Chinese company as it faces off with established consumer brands. Unlike its standing in the world market, Lenovo is the sixth largest PC vendor in the U.S., with a market share of 7.3 percent, according to IDC.

But the Chinese PC maker has managed to grow its business amidst other challenges affecting the market. In the last two years, Apple’s iPad cut into the sales of traditional PC desktops and notebooks. “For every ten PCs sold, three to four of them will be iPads,” said Michael Kauh, an analyst with research firm Canalys. Weak economic conditions have further dampened sales, bringing negative year-over-year growth to PC vendors HP and Acer in 2011.

Lenovo, however, has managed to weather the storm, benefitting from the Chinese PC market’s continued growth. Last year, Lenovo also acquired German PC maker Medion and launched a joint venture with Japan’s NEC, key moves that helped expand the company’s business in mature markets, according to analysts.

At the same time, Lenovo’s rivals have also indirectly contributed to the company’s rise, analysts said. Last year, leading vendor HP said it would spin-off its PC business, only to later change its mind. Taiwan’s Acer also saw the departure of its then CEO Gianfranco Lanci, along with 300 employee layoffs in Europe after finding problems in its distribution channel.

“When those announcements go out, a lot of enterprise customers don’t want to hear that,” Kauh said. “I think (Lenovo) took advantage of a lot of disadvantages that happened to competitors.”

But brand has also played a role. Eileen He, an analyst with research firm Gartner, said a major turning point for Lenovo came in 2005, when the company acquired the popular commercial PC ThinkPad line from IBM. “Lenovo didn’t have a very strong brand, but once they bought the ThinkPad brand, it made their business more stable, and gave them a foundation to build a commercial PC business,” she said.

Currently, the company’s enterprise products outside China have made up the bulk of its global PC sales, accounting for 65 percent of PC sales, versus 35 percent for consumer, according to research firm IDC.

Building Lenovo’s next brand to draw in average consumers won’t be easy, said IDC analyst Bryan Ma, noting that Chinese brands are often associated with low quality. “If someone wonders, ‘Who is this Lenovo company?’ then it raises questions about product quality,” he said. “Lenovo certainly still doesn’t have that cool reputation that Apple commands.”

Lenovo wants to change that, and is partly focused on building products with a “Wow factor”, Roman said. some of those products were unveiled earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, including Lenovo’s “IdeaPad Yoga” product, an ultrabook laptop that can also turn into a tablet.

Roman also emphasized that his company is not simply a Chinese firm, but a global one with headquarters in both the U.S. and China. “All computers, most cellphones and tablets are all made in China, no matter which brand,” he added. “So I think people are used to seeing that a level of high quality is coming from China.”

Lenovo Looks to Build Brand as It Reaches for Top PC Vendor Spot

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Nov 12

Acer posts another loss as Q3 revenues fall 30 ...

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Acer reported loss for the second quarter in a row, as the Taiwanese company struggles with sagging PC sales and the rise of tablets.

Acer’s net loss for the third quarter totalled NT$1.1 billion (US$36 million), lower than the company’s second quarter loss of NT$6.7 billion.

Revenue for the quarter fell 30 percent year on year, to NT$117.3 billion.

Acer, formerly the world’s third-largest PC maker, has fallen to fourth place in the market since the end of last year, according to research firm IDC. IDC said the company saw total shipments in the third quarter fall by 20.6 percent, with sales of mini-notebooks also declining.

The company’s struggles come as growth in the PC market has slowed, with shipments falling below analysts projections. A decline in spending brought on by wider weak economic conditions has caused consumers to look at other devices over the PC, according to IDC.

While most of Acer’s sales come from laptops, the company hopes to reverse its financial decline by selling tablets. Acer has previously said it expects to sell around 7 million tablets this year, with officials anticipating it will help improve revenues.

However, competition in this market is fierce: Market research firm Strategy Analytics reported Friday that Apple still held two-thirds of the tablet market in the third quarter, leaving Acer and other manufacturers of Android tablets to share 27 percent, or 4.5 million units, between them. The remaining 6.7 percent or so was composed of tablets running other operating systems, including Windows and QNX, the OS used in the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Acer posts another loss as Q3 revenues fall 30 percent

Oct 05

Digitimes Research: Android tablet sales growing ...

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Luke Lin, DIGITIMES Research, Taipei [Wednesday 28 September 2011]

Digitimes Research has analyzed figures from Google about the company’s certified devices that have connected to Android Market each month, and pointed out that monthly sales of Google certified Android tablets grew from an average of less than one million units in the second quarter of 2011 to 1.5 million units in August, according to senior analyst of Digitimes Research, Luke Lin.

Within the figures, monthly sales of Android 3.x-based tablets are approaching the level of 7-inch Android 2.x-based products, and total sales of Google-certified Android tablets in the third quarter are expected to reach 4.5-5 million units, accounting for about the 33%-50% of iPad’s sales during the same period, while the annual sales are only expected to match 33% to 40% of iPad’s sales, Lin noted.

Lin pointed out that Android-based smartphones took two years after launch to surpass iPhone in terms of shipments and sales in 2010 and are currently still seeing the gap with iPhone expanding.

In the future, Lin believes Google’s upcoming Android operating system codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich, which will unify its smartphone and tablet platforms into one system, and smartphone’s strong software application ecosystem, which can quickly enhance applications to support tablet products, will help resolve the issues about Android tablets lacking support for software applications.

With Android tablets’ hardware design and price point to gradually reach a consumer satisfying point, Android tablets should see the same come-from-behind results as Android smartphones, and enjoy similar shipment and sale volumes as iPad in 2012, Lin added.

Source: Digitimes Research, compiled by Digitimes, September 2011

Categories: Portable Software, Internet Systems

Tags: Android DIGITIMES Digitimes Insight Digitimes Research research analysis sales tablet PC

Digitimes Research: Android tablet sales growing steadily