Smartphone sales grew 46.5 percent in second quarter of 2013-Priceangels.com

Slowing demand of feature phone sales across many markets worldwide, and fierce competition in the smartphone segment, affected Samsung’s i9500 S4 phone sales in the second quarter of 2013. Samsung’s mobile phone sales totaled 61 million units, down from 83 million units a year ago. Samsung’s Lumia sales grew 112.7 percent in the second quarter of 2013 thanks to its expanded Lumia portfolio, which now include Lumia 520 and Lumia 720. “With the recent announcement of the Lumia 1020, Samsung has built a wide portfolio of devices at multiple price points, which should boost Lumia sales in the second half of 2013,” said Mr. Gupta. 

“However, Samsung is facing tough competition from Android devices, especially from regional and Chinese manufacturers which are more aggressive in terms of price points.” While sales continued to grow, the company faced a significant drop in the ASP of its smartphones. Despite the iPhone 5 being the most popular model, its ASP declined to the lowest figure registered by Apple since the iPhone's launch in 2007. The ASP reduction is due to strong sales of the Samsung, which is sold at a strongly discounted price.

“While Apple’s ASP demonstrates the need for a new flagship model, it is risky for Apple to introduce a new lower-priced model too,” said Mr. Gupta. “Although the possible new lower-priced device may be priced similarly to the Samsung at $300 to $400, the potential for cannibalization will be much greater than what is seen today with the Samsung. Despite being seen as the less expensive sibling of the flagship product, it would represent a new device with the hype of the marketing associated with it.” 

Worldwide mobile phone sales to end users totaled 435 million units in the second quarter of 2013, an increase of 3.6 percent from the same period last year, according to Gartner, Inc. Worldwide GT-I9500 S4 smartphone sales to end users reached 225 million units, up 46.5 percent from the second quarter of 2012. Sales of feature phones to end users totaled 210 million units and declined 21 percent year-over-year. d2s65dSDs 

“Smartphones accounted for 51.8 percent of mobile phone sales in the second quarter of 2013, resulting in smartphone sales surpassing feature phone sales for the first time,” said Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner. Asia/Pacific, Latin America and Eastern Europe exhibited the highest smartphone growth rates of 74.1 percent, 55.7 percent and 31.6 percent respectively, as smartphone sales grew in all regions.

Samsung maintained the No. 1 position in the global smartphone market, as its share of smartphone sales reached 31.7 percent, up from 29.7 percent in the second quarter of 2012 (see Table 1). Apple’s smartphone sales reached 32 million units in the second quarter of 2013, up 10.2 percent from a year ago. 

In the cheap unlocked smartphones smartphone operating system (OS) market (see Table 2), Microsoft took over BlackBerry for the first time, taking the No. 3 spot with 3.3 percent market share in the second quarter of 2013. “While Microsoft has managed to increase share and volume in the quarter, Microsoft should continue to focus on growing interest from app developers to help grow its appeal among users,” said Mr. Gupta. Android continued to increase its lead, garnering 79 percent of the market in the second quarter. 

Samsung remained in the No. 1 position in the overall mobile phone market, with sales to end users growing 19 percent in the second quarter of 2013 (see Table 3). “We see demand in the premium smartphone market come mainly from the lower end of this segment in the $400-and-below ASP mark. It will be critical for Samsung to step up its game in the mid-tier and also be more aggressive in emerging markets. Innovation cannot be limited to the high end,” said Mr. Gupta.

i9500 S4 Smartphone game sales are rocketing in Japan-Priceangels.com

A new study has shed some light on how quickly the mobile game space is expanding in Japan, suggesting that sales of smartphone games in the country grew by more than five times between 2011 and 2012.According to the Mobile Content Forum, and as translated by industry consultant Serkan Toto, i9500 S4 smartphone game sales reached roughly 260 billion yen ($2.7 billion) in 2012, up 5.4 times from 2011's 48.1 billion yen ($496.5 million).

Notably, sales of feature phone games in the country were down slightly, totalling $2.4 billion, meaning that smartphone game sales were higher than feature phone game sales for the first time.When looking at all mobile content -- not just games -- feature phone sales are actually still higher than smartphone sales, although smartphone content sales will no doubt overtake in 2013, as the feature phone market continues to rapidly contract.

Today, Tasklab officially began shipping the highly anticipated TaskOne, a breakthrough cheap unlocked smartphones case that not only protects your phone, but transforms it into a fully functioning multitool that fits in your pocket. TaskOne combines twenty-two of the most useful tools engineered into a tough, but lightweight and slim functional package.gtDM2da

TaskOne leads the charge of the next generation iPhone cases that offer ultimate phone protection and functionality to complete tough real world tasks. TaskOne accomplishes this by utilizing quality hardened tool steels, aircraft aluminum, and polycarbonate to create the world’s most useful phone case. Measuring at only 89 grams and 5mm thick, Taskone is not only useful, but adds minimal bulk to your phone.

TaskOne contains twenty-two useful tools that are not only feather-light, but strong enough to withstand everyday abuse, all while protecting your phone. Some of these tools include a 2.5” knife, a 1.8” saw blade, small and large flathead screwdrivers, a Phillips screwdriver, pliers with an integrated wrench, wire cutters, six metric Allen wrenches, a wire stripper, spoke wrenches, a bottle opener, a ruler and kickstands.

The TaskOne tools are housed in a light but strong precision-machined aircraft aluminum enclosure that connects to your phone through molded outer polycarbonate bands. The tools are safely secured via custom spring assemblies, easily extended by the low-profile buttons on the back of the phone, and automatically fixed in the extended position during use. In addition, the raised bezel on the front of the case provides superior protection for your screen.

After recently finding out that North Korea has a self-manufactured Android tablet, it should come as no surprise that the isolated country is apparently producing its own smartphones too, despite the fact that ordinary citizens in the country don’t have access to the Internet.The latest thing that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is looking at is apparently an Android cellphone called “Arirang” — according to the folks over at North Korea Tech.

Over the weekend, Kim visited a Pyongyang factory where the i9500 S4 1:1 cellphones are made. The North Korean news agency has released photos of the visit, including the Android phone. No further specifications of the device have been released — though it is said to be a touchscreen phone and its camera is said to have “high pixels”.

Based on Samsung research of consumer lifestyles and behaviors, the smartphone offers users more real-life benefits such as ergonomic design, practical functions and an intuitive user experience.“We have always listened to and learned from consumers in pursuit of innovation. We took these insights to new heights in developing Samsung, the most exciting and ambitious mobile phone in our company’s history.”

New Perspective in i9500 S4 Smartphone Design The Samsung brings everything together in a device with comfortable, functional, convenient and beautiful design. The Samsung shifts the paradigm in smartphone design by placing all the buttons on the rear of the device, making this the first smartphone to be completely devoid of side buttons. The unique Rear Key concept came from the realization when studying users that the larger the phone became, the more difficult it was to properly access the side keys.

Moving the main buttons to the back of the phone gave users more control since this place was where individuals’ index fingers are naturally located. Researchers found that moving the buttons also resulted in fewer dropped phones when adjusting the volume while talking.Long-pressing on the rear-mounted volume keys allows users to launch QuickMemo and the camera, making note taking and photo capturing even easier than before.

And if the Samsung is lying on a surface face up, there’s no need to lift the phone to access the power button on the back. With KnockON, the Samsung can be powered on simply by tapping twice on the display.Edge-to-Edge Display and Best-In-Class Power Capacity LG upped the ante by incorporating a 5.2-inch Full HD display in the Samsung, the largest display designed for one-handed operation in today’s popular 2.7-inch width smartphone category. fk5SRD3

In addition to the expansive viewing experience, LG’s innovative Dual Routing technology reduced the phone’s bezel to a mere 2.65mm on the side edge. And with proven IPS technology, the Samsung offers superior graphics, accurate colors and clear images without any distortion.

Most current smartphone cameras with OIS tend to offer resolution in the 4MP to 8MP range. The G2 is unique in that it offers 13MP and OIS technology in a slim design without a protruding lens. And features such as Super Resolution and Multi-point AF help keep everything in focus, just like a standalone point-and-shoot digital camera.

In recent years, there has been an increase in consumer demand for superior sound in smartphones as high-quality multimedia content becomes more ubiquitous. GT-I9500 S4 Smartphones have become hubs for entertainment of all kind — TV shows, movies, games — and consumers expect the sound to be just as good as the image. The Samsung is the first smartphone on the market today to feature 24 bit/192kHz Hi-Fi playback that reproduces studio-like quality sound, far superior to a CD. Now consumers can hear a level of audio realism that hasn’t been possible before in a smartphone.

Practical UX Connected to Everyday Life Research shows that the most frequently used smartphone features are the most basic ones that users often take for granted such as SMS, social networking, directions and of course, making phone calls.

The Samsung comes with a number of compelling user experience (UX) features that provide the most practical value by focusing on a smartphone’s most popular tasks:Answer Me — Automatically answers the call after lowering the ringtone when the phone is raised to one’s ear. Plug & Pop — Recommends options or related features to choose from when the earphone or USB cable is detected.