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.

When will your i9500 S4 1:1 smartphone get Android 4.3-Priceangels.com

Now that Google has released Android 4.3, so begins the agonizing process of figuring out which i9500 S4 phones and tablets will get the upgrade, and when. Not surprisingly, most Android phone makers are being cagey about their upgrade plans.It's often assumed that the major bottlenecks in the upgrade process are due to software customizations that carriers and phone makers add on top of stock Android. But as Sony's blog post explains, hardware is also a major piece of the puzzle, because phone makers need to spend time making sure all the components of their handsets work properly with Google's software.

If it's any consolation, Android 4.3 isn't a major upgrade, and many of Android 4.3's features are already available on state-of-the-art phones like the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4. Those phones, for instance, already support OpenGL ES 3.0 and Bluetooth Low Energy. The fact that Android 4.3 now supports these features just means they'll come standard in many more phones to come.gff45DG3s

The biggest Android 4.3 feature that users might want is Restricted Profiles, which will allow parents to create kid-friendly user profiles on their phones or tablets. But considering that many phones—including the HTC One—are still stuck on Android 4.1, any sort of upgrade at this point would be welcome. Like always, all we can do is wait.

Despite positive quarterly results from Apple and Samsung, it is clear that smartphone sales growth in developed economies is leveling off. The next wave of growth will come from emerging markets, which is why Apple, for example, is as focused on developing a high quality, but lower cost device for Asia and Latin/South America as it is on the next wow-factor phone for the U.S. and other developed countries. We are in a new, market segmentation mode for smartphones: devices for different price points, and screen size choices to meet form factor preferences.

I'd argue that there has not been a "must have" new device for quite some time. Witness how sales of the iPhone 4/4S have held up so well despite the fact that the iPhone 5 (whose main distinguishing feature is LTE) has been available for nearly a year. There have been loads of other high-end devices launched over the past year, but none have been of the "change your life, pay the ETF, pawn your existing phone off on your spouse or kid" variety. Fact is, any mid-tier or better smartphone in the market today is pretty fabulous.

i9500 S4 1:1 smartphones bear a resemblance to the commoditized PC market. Plus, there has been a lot effort among OEMs to somehow combine the PC and tablet form factors. But there's an unnaturalness to that. There's actually a greater convergence between the phone and tablet (look at the relatively narrow difference between the large screen phone and the small screen tablet). Might there be a device that effectively combines the best of both?

Slowing Demand For Pricey i9500 S4 1:1 Smartphones Clouds Outlook-Priceangels.com

Rising competition from other manufacturers such as Samsungalong with fears that the high-end i9500 S4 smartphone market is nearing saturation have weighed heavily on the company’s shares, magnified by the uncertainty that has always surrounded Apple AAPL -1.76%’s future product launches.
Specifically with the iPhone driving almost 50% of the company’s value, we will be interested in seeing what the demand for the iPhone 5 has been in two quarters after its launch in the face of competition from Samsung’s recently launched Galaxy S4. Smartphone upgrades have been a key driver of smartphone sales and are slowing down, according to a recent UBS report.

Last year, 68 million people in the U.S. upgraded their smartphones down by about 9% over 2011. The same seems to be taking a toll on Samsung as well whose earnings guidance for the June quarter came in below already modest analyst expectations. Considering that Q3 has traditionally been a slow quarter for Apple, iPhone sales are likely to see a sequential decline. But the y-o-y growth or decline will be key to understanding the resilience of iPhone demand in a high-end smartphone market that is nearing saturation.fd5aDJK6

The saturation being seen at the high-end of the market shows that Apple needs to tap the smartphone growth in emerging markets such as China better. Despite being only in the early stages of smartphone adoption, China has already pulled ahead of the U.S. as the world’s largest i9500 S4 1:1 smartphone market by volume. This is an incredible statistic given that 3G penetration in China is in the mid-20s currently. Considering the huge 2G subscriber base of more than 850 million that the Chinese carriers are looking to upgrade to 3G, the potential for Apple to ride the boom is huge.

The curved back is similar to that of the Lumia 720, and the screen is rounded at the edge, like the high-end Lumia 920 -- a nice touch that we wouldn't expect on a budget phone. Overall it reminds us of the bargain-tastic Lumia 620, although our first impression is that the screen isn't as sharp and bright as the 620's impressive display. And at 201 pixels per inch, it shows off half the detail of more expensive but similarly sized phones, like the Galaxy S4.

The 625 hits shop shelves in early September in the U.K., when it'll cost a very affordable 200 pounds, depending on who you buy it from. You can choose from Vodafone or O2; 4G network EE; or at retailers Phones 4U and Carphone Warehouse.The three phones introduced Tuesday are the $199 Droid Ultra, which executives touted as the world’s thinnest LTE smartphone; the $299 Droid Maxx, which boasts 48 hours of battery life; and the $99 Droid Mini, which has a 4.3-inch screen.

Doesn't Own The i9500 S4 1:1 Smartphone Market Any More-Priceangels.com

This isn’t exactly an original observation, that Apple AAPL 0% doesn’t any longer own the i9500 S4 smartphone market in quite the way that it once did. But we’ve another little set of stories, leading up to the results, that show that the process is continuing.For example, none of the three major networks in Russia now offer the Apple iPhone as a standard choice.

But 10 months later, there’s not an iPhone to be had at any of the big three carriers’ stores. Last week the last hold-out — VimpleCom, which sells phones under the Beeline brand — cut its ties with Apple (AAPL) and began offering its customers Samsung’s Galaxy S4 instead.Between January and March, Apple sold some 120,000 iPhones in India, down from the 230,000 in the October-December quarter of last year, according to IDC. That translated into its share falling from 4.7% to 2.1%.

At the same time, iOS market share grew from 2% to 6.2% in Brazil, but actually declined from 8.6% to 4.7% in Mexico. Android vendors have recently gone on a price cutting binge in Latin America, slashing prices of smartphones to well below 300 reals in Brazil. The iPhone pricing in Brazil levitates around 2’000-3’000 reals. A subsidized model coming bundled with an expensive monthly plan can be had for 1’200 reals.

Apple might need to make some hard choices about emerging market product pricing very soon or face the prospect of Samsung building a 3-to-1 or 4-to-1 volume advantage in the global smartphone race. Samsung’s massive 50 million unit quarterly smartphone unit volume is already giving it an advantage in component sourcing and economies of scale will benefit Samsung more each quarter it extends its global lead.

Fewer people are upgrading their smartphones—a trend that could make it harder for companies from AT&T T +0.22% Inc. to Apple Inc. to keep up the pace of revenue growth.sdM6Scfs

The rates at which American cellphone users have traded in their devices for more advanced models have declined over the last few years, according to analysts at UBS UBS +1.18% AG. They turned negative last year, when about 68 million people upgraded their phones in the U.S., down more than 9% from a year earlier.

The problem with this is that most of the current population who are likely to get a smartphone already have one. And if they’re not upgrading like they used to then all that’s really left is replacement devices for those that wear out (figure a 5 year cycle for this) and then just demographics. It’s not quite that bad but it’s certainly very different from the boom years when 5 or 10% of the population was buying a i9500 S4 1:1 smartphone for the first time each year.

To counter the “damage caused” by “Apple shunning Samsung” for the iPhone 6 processor, the Korean company is developing a processor with an integrated 3G/4G modem for low-cost phones to compete with Qualcomm QCOM +1.23% and MediaTek , the report said.The trade-in programs serve another purpose: They create a source of gently used smartphones that can be sold to customers on the lower end of the spectrum. Low-cost prepaid customers seem to be of increasing interest to the phone carriers.

Shopping on a i9500 S4 1:1 smartphone sucks-Priceangels.com

Now imagine someone asking this every time you want to purchase something with your smartphone, and you might understand why many mobile shoppers are abandoning their virtual shopping carts just before checkout.

Harris Interactive, in a study commissioned by Jumio, reported that 66 percent of people who use their i9500 S4 smartphones to shop have abandoned a shopping cart “due to obstacles encountered during checkout.” SeeWhy claims that the abandonment rate is closer to 97 percent and cites difficulty entering payment and shipping information on a mobile device as a problem for many shoppers. Either way, the mobile Web has more abandoned shopping carts than a Walmart parking lot.

Payvia’s service automatically detects a shopper’s cellphone number while they’re shopping and, with two taps, allows those shoppers to charge an item’s cost to their monthly phone bill. A text message confirming the charge is sent after the transaction has completed, and recurring subscriptions tell users at the end of each month how much they paid and when they’ll be charged again.fgvdsa3SD

This might be especially appealing in emerging markets, Wedd argues, because of the rising popularity of cellphones and smartphones. Payvia is partnering with Mobile XL, a Web browser for feature (“dumb”) phones, to spur that adoption within those markets. ”In terms of having a means for customers in emerging markets to transact the carrier is the perfect method,” Wedd says. “They have their phone, they use their phone, and they should be able to transact with that phone.”

As demand for smartphones continues to increase, mobile-related crime has risen with it. In the US, not only are smartphones a prime target for thieves looking to make a quick buck, organized crime gangs are paying large sums of money to ship devices outside the country. The Huffington Post takes a look at the massive global market for smartphones, detailing the operation of a US company that accepted so many stolen iPhones and iPads (to ship overseas) it needed an armored truck to deliver the stacks of cash it used to pay for them all.

While there are strict processes in place to restrict the trading of stolen smartphones in the US and neighboring regions, carriers lack arrangements with other countries, which allows international i9500 S4 1:1 smartphone trafficking to thrive. It explains why some stolen handsets are often traced to the Middle East and Southeast Asia, where smartphone prices can be up to ten times higher than in western markets.

According to Engadget Chinese, the ZTE Geek will indeed be the “world’s first Tegra 4 superphone” and comes with some pretty decent specs for a ZTE device too. Don’t get it confused with the previous geek-phone rocking an Intel Atom processor, this one is all NVIDIA silicon.Along with a micro-SD slot and a large battery of unknown size, the Geek U988S will be launched exclusively on China Mobile. For now this is the first smartphone to rock the Tegra 4. Previously all reports have been tablets (linked to below) but hopefully more smartphones make an appearance. We’re looking forward to the Tegra 4i with 4G LTE support, which will be arriving later this year or early 2014.

the Samsung Lumia 1020 Smartphone Bets Big on Photos-Priceangels.com

Samsung i9500 S4 is hoping you want to take better photos with your smartphone and that to do so, you’re willing to pay $300 with a two-year AT&T contract for the privilege. Oh, and you’ll need to get comfortable with Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform as well.

This isn’t the first megapixel-heavy phone we’ve heard about from Samsung i9500 S4. More than a year ago, the company rolled out the 41-megapixel 808 PureView. By most accounts, the phone took great photos, but the fact that it ran the Symbian operating system (and was the final Samsung i9500 S4 phone to do so) made it somewhat of a non-starter. At the time the PureView 808 was released, I wondered if Samsung i9500 S4 would “eventually merge this camera technology into future Windows Phone products…as the company’s partnership with Microsoft continues moving forward.”

It looks like that’s exactly what’s going on with the Samsung i9500 S4 Lumia 1020, announced today at a press event in New York. Like the 808, the Lumia 1020 will feature a 41-megapixel camera, along with a few extras. As The Verge reports, “Samsung i9500 S4’s brought two significant improvements to the Lumia 1020 that weren’t present in the 808 PureView: a backside-illuminated sensor and optical image stabilization…Combined, the two should help the Lumia 1020 offer pretty great low-light performance.”

As with the 808 PureView, the 41-megapixel camera feature may sound like overkill, but it actually uses up to seven pixels to capture a single pixel in finished photos, which get cobbled together into far more manageable 5-megapixel files. All those extra pixels let you zoom in and out (both before and after you take a picture) without losing as much image quality as you’d lose with a standard smartphone camera.

Samsung i9500 S4's new flagship phone shares the same handsome aesthetic as its tablet kin. And it too survived a dousing.The phone has a lovely 5-inch "Full HD" screen (pixel density 443 ppi). It runs off a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and has a 13-megapixel camera that Samsung i9500 S4 claims takes excellent images in low light. And Samsung i9500 S4 says it has the world's first sensor that applies the imaging technique known as HDR (High-Dynamic Range) not only to still images but to video.dfg343WEW

Among the other features is a battery stamina mode that shuts down wireless radios and background activity when the device is not in use — it's of course meant to keep the phone juiced up longer (but I haven't had a chance to do any formal battery tests). T-Mobile and Samsung i9500 S4 are also pushing the device's NFC (near field communication) capabilities.

As with the Xperia Z tablet, and for that matter, the Samsung i9500 S4 1:1 Galaxy S4 Active smartphone that I also recently reviewed, the phone meets a specification that allows it to be under 1 meter of water for up to a half hour, provided all the ports and covers are closed.

At T-Mobile, qualified buyers can get the device for $99.99 down with 24 equal monthly device payments of $20. It reaches those stores on July 17.

Starting today, you can also buy it directly in physical Samsung i9500 S4 Stores or online using a Samsung i9500 S4 Financial Services card by putting nothing down and paying and $25 a month for 24 months. Or you can pay $579.99 upfront. Early buyers may be eligible to receive a free Samsung i9500 S4 Bluetooth speaker with the purchase of the phone, while supplies last.

The country's largest landline phone company-Priceangels.com

In late June, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed an emergency petition with state regulators to stop Verizon from replacing copper lines with alternatives in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. He says seasonal residents who find their i9500 S4 phone lines don't work at their summer homes are steered by Verizon to its Voice Link wireless product. Only if the customer forcefully refuses will Verizon restore the copper phone line, he says. Verizon says Voice Link is just an option available to customers.

In New Jersey, state regulators are talking to Verizon about Mantoloking but haven't approved the landline-to-wireless switch that Verizon has already started. It could, at least in theory, deny Verizon's application and force it to rewire copper phone lines back into the town.

In Washington, the Federal Communications Commission is looking at an application from the country's largest landline phone company, AT&T Inc. AT&T isn't dealing with storm damage, so it has the leisure of taking a longer view. It wants to explore what a future without phone lines will look like by starting trials in yet-to-be-decided areas.fR5sqf24

"We need kind of a process where we can figure out what we don't know," says Bob Quinn, one of AT&T's top lobbyists in Washington. "The trouble is not going to be identifying the issues everybody can see. It's going to be finding the unexpected issues that you have to conquer."

At Public Knowledge, Feld agrees with AT&T's deliberative approach. Among the issues that need to be looked at, he says, is whether consumer protections that apply to landline phone service should apply to whatever replaces it. For instance, if a consumer misses a monthly payment, phone companies are prohibited from cutting landline phone service right away."There are all kinds of state and federal rights around your phone bill ... which don't apply to these competitive alternatives," Feld says.

Sean Lev, the FCC's general counsel, said in a blog post that "we should do everything we can to speed the way while protecting consumers, competition, and public safety." But he also points out that most i9500 S4 1:1 phone companies aren't set to retire their landline equipment immediately. The equipment has been bought and paid for, and there's no real incentive to shut down a working network. He thinks phone companies will continue to use landlines for five to 10 years, suggesting that regulators have some time to figure out how to tackle the issue.

AT&T would like to have all its landline phone equipment turned off by 2020. Verizon's Maguire envisions a gradual phase-out, starting right now.

A New Leef for Sharing Files to Your Phone-PriceAngels

Transferring files from your computer to your i9500 S4 1:1 phone can be a big hassle, especially when they don’t use the same operating system. With so many Android phones out there, it’s an annoyance a lot of people face.The Leef Bridge, a USB thumb drive, takes a stab at the problem, and it’s a step in the right direction, even if it’s not quite there yet.The Leef Bridge has two plugs, an standard USB on one side and a Micro USB on the other. The idea is you plug the standard side into a computer, load up the files you want. Then move the Bridge to your phone and plug in the micro USB.

It seems simple enough, but the fault in the Bridge lies not with Leef, but with the Android. Various phones handle the external drive differently and none I tried were easy, although the Samsung Galaxy S4 was easiest.First, before you can use the Bridge, your phone (or tablet) has to run on Android’s Jelly Bean 4.1 operating system or a newer one, and the device has to accommodate the USB OTG (On-The-Go) standard. On top of that, you may need a file management software; Leef suggests Astro File Manager.

With help from Leef, I was able to use the file manager on an HTC One; the trick is not to open the manager until after you plug in the Bridge. A Samsung Galaxy S4 recognized the drive without additional software, which made the transfer easier. Using a Motorola RAZR, I was unable on my own to figure out how make a transfer, even with the file management software.gdfsQ2FDQ

So, is this easier than using software like DoubleTwist that connects your computer and phone ? I’d say they are about equal. Both are manageable once you are over the considerable learning curve.You may be wondering if you can do the same thing with any thumb drive and an adapter cable, like this $1.50 one from Monoprice. You can. But it still doesn’t solve the complexity of the file management system.The Bridge might become more sensible when more phones recognize drives the way the Galaxy S4 does, or if someone were to make some smart, simple file manager. Maybe one to go specifically with the Leef (are you listening, Leef?).

Until Apple introduced the iPhone and the touch-screen genre, almost all i9500 S4 phones had a physical keyboard. The coolest phones had a full QWERTY keyboard for fast message typing.But after the iPhone, every manufacturer jumped on the big, touch-screen bandwagon and all phones look pretty much alike.But a few manufacturers are going retro and introducing models with a physical keyboard, including the BlackBerry Q10, but today we’re looking at the NEC Terrain.

Visual Studio 2013 hints at upcoming 1080p display support for Windows Phone-PriceAngels

Although Microsoft took a pass on 1080p display support in i9500 S4, that support is looking more likely for later this year.Justin Angel, a developer who formerly worked for Nokia and Microsoft, has discovered 1920-by-1080 resolution emulator files for Windows Phone 8 in a preview version of Visual Studio 2013. As WPCentral notes, these files will allow developers to see how their Windows Phone apps look on higher-resolution screens, using software emulation.

This isn't the first sign of 1080p support coming to Windows Phone. In April, both ZDNet and The Verge reported that Windows Phone 8 will get 1080p support by the end of the year.It's a logical step for Microsoft, which added 720p display support the platform last fall, but now faces competition from Android phones with even sharper displays. The lack of 1080p support has been a sticking point for phone makers such as HTC, which reportedly canceled its plans for a large-screen Windows Phone last year due to the concerns over display resolution. To date, no hardware makers have released Windows Phones with screens larger than 4.8 inches, and most phone makers have stuck with screen sizes of 4.5 inches or less.

With 1080p support, Microsoft may open the door to Windows Phone "phablets," which would compete with devices like Samsung's Galaxy Note and LG's Optimus G Pro. These devices may even get modified Start screens with room for an additional column of live tiles, ZDNet reported. Nokia is reportedly working on one of these jumbo phones for later this year.df24ggEDsd

Reports suggest that Microsoft will offer 1080p support as part of a special update for phone makers, dubbed GDR3, but the timing is uncertain. In any case, The Verge reports that a resolution bump will likely be a separate release from Windows Phone Blue, a consumer-facing update that may come several months after the final launch of Windows 8.1.

An executive of TerraCom Inc., a i9500 S4 1:1 phone company collecting millions of dollars from the federal Lifeline program, on Wednesday defended his company’s business practices as smart, effective and moral.Chief Operating Officer Dale Schmick testified before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, which in April began investigating the Oklahoma-based company’s explosive growth in the Hoosier state.

The Lifeline program subsidizes phone service for qualified low-income households, working with numerous phone companies nationwide. Phone carriers receive at least $9.25 a month for each household they serve.Aside from TerraCom, the expansion of federal Lifeline from landline service to cellphones in 2005 led to a cascade of complaints about waste, fraud and abuse in the federal program -- such as participating companies unscrupulously expanding their subscriber bases and individuals wrongly receiving multiple phones.

British Airways soothes traveler impatience, relaxes phone rules-PriceAngels

For British Airways, apparently important enough to be the first European airline to relax restrictions on using cell phones and other electronic devices while planes are taxiing after landing.The airline has announced that starting July 1, passengers will be able to text, make i9500 S4 phone calls, check emails and play with other electronic devices as soon as arriving aircraft land and taxi off the runway.


For passengers in Europe, the move means no more having to wait until the aircraft arrives at the terminal before shrieking "Yeah, I'm at the airport, we just landed!" into their phones.As anyone who flies knows, many passengers ignore the rules on cell phone use after arrival and use their electronics anyway.

"Customers will no longer have the frustration of having to wait until their plane has arrived at the terminal building before being able to use their mobile phones and other hand held electronic devices," an empathetic airline spokesperson says."Now they'll have that extra time to phone ahead for that important business meeting, check their emails or make sure someone is there to meet them at the airport."

The new policy might represent a minor breakthrough in the ongoing "Why can't I use my phone on the plane?" global whinge-fest, but it still doesn't give passengers what they really want -- in-flight, in-your-face, full-on airborne phone privileges.There hasn't been any conclusive proof that devices such as phones and e-readers are a danger.fd3ADSAa23

Presently, it is so irritating to hear i9500 S4 1:1 cellphone users when boarding the aircraft, each speaking on a cellphone with one hand while trying to put their oversized bag with the other hand in the overhead bin.Well, there will be trouble in the skies, I predict, and that will be between passengers.That trouble will be between those who want a quiet and pleasant trip, and the obnoxious cellphone users who are loudly speaking on the phone so everyone can hear how "important" they are.

The rampant fraud that spurred Brazil’s banking industry to become one of the world’s most technologically advanced is turning into a hurdle as credit-card processor Cielo SA (CIEL3) tries to persuade consumers to use mobile phones for payments.Cielo, which has had phone-payment capabilities since the end of 2010, will expand its mobile and e-commerce offerings as soon as next year in Brazil after buying Redwood City, California-based Merchant e-Solutions for $670 million in September, Chief Executive Officer Romulo Dias said.

Kingwood-area retailers host cell-phone drop-off -PriceAngels

Three Humble-area retailers are collecting used i9500 S4 cell phones and cell-phone accessories to be recycled to provide calling cards for military service members stationed overseas.Cell Phones for Soldiers, is a 501(3) organization that was launched in 2004 by Massachusetts teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist. It started as a way to show the Bergquist family's appreciation for service personnel.

The program collects cell phones that are sent to a recycling center in Ohio.The recycling center will, depending on the condition of the phone, strip the phone of the small metal components to be reused in other phones, or the phones will be refurbished to be resold in other markets.Brittany Bergquist said the type of cell phones they collect are typically the older flip phones that are quickly disappearing from the market, but they will take all kinds.

"Any type of phone is acceptable," she said. "Even bag phones, car phones and those old brick phones from when cell phones first came out."Bergquist said the phones don't have to be in working condition to be accepted.They have accepted phones that are water-logged, have been run over or smashed beyond repair.

"We accept all of them," she said.The money derived from the Ohio recycling center for those old cell phones is used to purchase calling cards that are sent to the troops overseas.The inspiration for Cell Phones for Soldiers came as a result of a news story that Brittany and Robbie Bergquist had seen in their hometown about a soldier who'd amassed an $8,000 cell-phone bill to speak with loved ones from his overseas location.

"It was the first time we'd ever heard that the troops had to pay for their own phone calls home," she said."We knew we wanted to do something to make a difference."Their first hope was to pay off the soldier's i9500 S4 1:1 cell phone bill, but when they realized they could do more to help, they became inspired.DSsSed2ed

"We knew this was our calling," she said.Calling cards can be requested by the military service member's family or through the service members command by contacting Cell Phones for Soldiers through their website.Bergquist said Cell phones for Soldiers has sent out requests for as many as 5,000 calling cards at one time, which were distributed by unit chaplains or commanders who often work tirelessly to maintain good morale among the troops.

"It makes us feel good that we can support our troops and really help our heroes," she said.Since the launch of the nonprofit, it has provided 2.5 million phone cards, which equates to 181 million minutes of talk time.The program has also recycled more about 10.8 million cell phones, reducing their impact on landfills throughout the United States.

"This is what Cell Phones for Soldiers has become, and it's incredible to have touched so many lives," Bergquist said.Through July 31, the PostNet locations will be collecting used cell phones during regular business hours.

Pick Up the Phone!-PriceAngels

This summer, I am taking it upon myself to assist people in exploring ways to communicate. This is going to be much easier than you might imagine. I have something to tell each and every one of you: That invention that you use to type text messages can also be used to make i9500 S4 phone calls!

I cannot tell you how many conversations I have had in the last few weeks with people who are sick and tired of people sending them nothing but text messages. For people under 30, I am going to sound like an old man, but here it goes: If you want to tell someone something important, you can actually pick up the phone and call them to speak to them and make sure that they understand you correctly. I know that this may sound crazy, but some people out there do not even have text messaging on their phones, so when you think you are communicating with them, you are not.

Last week I was at a party where a friend was telling me that during a recent family emergency, her family members sent her urgent text messages telling her to rush to the hospital. But guess what? She has never had text messaging on her phone. Her family had no response when she later asked, "Why didn't you simply call me to tell me about the emergency?" They were embarrassed to admit that none of them had even thought of actually dialing her number and speaking with her.sfko32ds2f

The second statement he made was even sweeter. He told me, "When I pick up the phone to chat with someone, I feel like I am visiting with them." What a novel idea to make someone feel special and actually hear their voice.

To this I say, "Amen!" You would not believe how well you can communicate when you actually pick up the phone to speak with someone. How many times have you read an email and asked yourself, "What the hell is this person saying?" Forget about all the text lingo and shortened words that people use. How many times have you meant something one way and it has been interpreted differently by the person receiving the text? And for those of you who have no clue what some of the text lingo being used is, check this out.

What I am getting at is this: If you want to make sure that what you are saying is communicated correctly, pick up the i9500 S4 1:1 phone. And in today's dating world, if you want to make someone feel special, try speaking to them instead of sending them a text. You will be surprised by how many people will say, "Thanks for the call. It was great hearing from you."

For all of you out there who think I am crazy for telling you to pick up the phone and actually speak to someone, I have this to say: HAND, ATB, KC, T+, TTFN. For those of you who are wondering what the hell that means, have a nice day, all the best, keep cool, think positive, and ta-ta for now.