Microsoft's mobile platform Windows Phone has made significant gains in terms of shipment volume as well as market share and has managed to surpass BlackBerry OS in Q1 2013.

This was disclosed in a new report released by popular research firm IDC. The report shows that Windows Phone has now become the world's third-largest mobile operating system, behind Google's Android and Apple's iOS. The platform showed satisfactory growth in the first quarter of 2013 as compared to that during the same period in 2012. The total number of units shipped worldwide increased from 3.0 million in Q1 2012 to 7.0 million in Q1 2013 while market share rose from 2.0% to 3.2% respectively.

IDC's senior research analyst Kevin Restivo said:

Windows Phone claiming the third spot is a first and helps validate the direction taken by Microsoft and key partner Nokia. Given the relatively low volume generated, the Windows Phone camp will need to show further gains to solidify its status as an alternative to Android or iOS.

IDC's official press release mentioned that Windows Phone showed the highest year-on-year growth of 133.3% and more than doubled its shipping volume in 2013. Microsoft's strategic partner Nokia was key in driving Windows Phone smartphone sales and accounted for 79.0% of the devices sold in the quarter.

The press release also mentioned:

Since Nokia began shipping Windows Phone devices, the company has shipped a total of 20.3 million units and grown the footprint worldwide to include address multiple market segments. Meanwhile, other vendors continue to offer Windows Phone devices, but mainly as an alternative to their signature Android devices. Still, the gains made by Windows Phone demonstrate both end-user demand and OEM support.

You can read IDC's complete quarterly report by following the source link given below.

Source: IDC via VentureBeat

Google's Android OS is on a roll and continues to grow at an impressive rate. According to a prominent research organization, it has accounted for three-fourths of overall sales for new smartphones in the first quarter of 2013.

These stats were released by leading IT research firm Gartner which reported that 210 million smartphone units were sold in the January-March period. Out of these 210 million units, over 156 million were Android handsets showing a staggering 50% increase as compared to last year's sales. Android units accounted for 56.9% market share (83 million units) in the first quarter of 2012.

Gartner's principal research analyst, Anshul Gupta said:

There are two clear leaders in the OS market and Android’s dominance in the OS market is unshakable. With new OSs coming to market such as Tizen, Firefox and Jolla we expect some market share to be eroded but not enough to question Android’s volume leadership.

The image above shows a full list of mobile operating systems with their Q1 2013 and Q1 2012 shares.

As far as individual mobile manufacturers are concerned, Samsung remains the world's leading vendor with 30.8% smartphone market share. Samsung sold 64,740 handsets in Q1 2013. A distant second is Apple with 18.2% share followed by LG, Huawei and ZTE with single-digit market shares.

You can view the complete report by visiting the source link given below.

Source: Gartner via CNET

Korean technology giant Samsung has announced the world's first 5G wireless technology that it claims will be several hundred times faster than the currently available 4G LTE technology.

The news was announced on Samsung's official blog Samsung Tomorrow. Samsung said that it has successfully developed the adaptive array transceiver technology that forms the core of 5G wireless communication and data transfer. When introduced commercially, this new technology will allow data transfer in Gbps (Gigabits per second) instead of Mbps (Megabits per second) available on existing 4G LTE networks.

In a brief press statement, Samsung Electronics executive VP and head of R&D, ChangYeong Kim said:

The millimetre wave band is the most effective solution to recent surges in wireless internet usage. Samsung's recent success in developing the adaptive array transceiver technology has brought us one step closer to the commercialization of the 5G mobile communications in the millimetre-wave bands.

Samsung further explained:

Samsung’s new adaptive array transceiver technology has proved itself as a successful solution. It transmits data in the millimeter-wave band at a frequency of 28 GHz at a speed of up to 1.056 Gbps to a distance of up to 2 kilometers. The adaptive array transceiver technology, using 64 antenna elements, can be a viable solution for overcoming the radio propagation loss at millimeter-wave bands, much higher than the conventional frequency bands ranging from several hundred MHz to several GHz.

Samsung plans to continue its testing and research of the adaptive array transceiver and hopes to commercialize the 5G technology by 2020.

Source: BrisbaneTimes | SamsungTomorrow

BlackBerry Q10 4G LTE is the newest smartphone release from Canadian manufacturer BlackBerry (previously RIM). It is in stock now and you can buy it online from MobiCity.

The handset features a trademark BlackBerry design that provides a full physical QWERTY keypad for convenient text input. In addition to the QWERTY keypad, the phone boasts a 3.1-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display with a screen resolution of 720 x 720 pixels. Running on a Dual-core processor, it is powered by the latest BlackBerry 10 OS which comes with a gesture-controlled user interface. Some key specs of the Q10 include 4G LTE & Wi-Fi connectivity, NFC, BlackBerry Messenger and a 2100mAh Li-Ion battery.

You can buy, compare or view more information by clicking and going to our BlackBerry Q10 4G LTE product page.

Sony has released a couple of stunning but similar top-tier Xperia devices this year, the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL.

So why bring out 2 devices with 5 inch Full HD screens at the same time? It's a common question and our friends at KABOOtech have put together this quick comparison and review video to help you spot the differences and find the one that's best for you.

Check out the video below to see what sets these two Sony superphones apart.

Japanese manufacturer Sony has revealed its plans of updating several Xperia series smartphones to Android Jelly Bean 4.1.

The news was announced on Sony's official Twitter account Sony Xperia News (@SonyMobileNews). According to the tweet, Jelly Bean testing for these Android handsets is now in the final stages. Almost all of Sony's phones released in 2012 came pre-loaded with Android OS v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).

The tweet read:

Just a quick update to say we hear you re: JB 4.1 for Xperia P & Go, (S, SL, acro S and ion). Work's in v. final stage - more news next week

Although the tweet did not mention when the updates will be pushed out, it is expected that the roll-out could not be too far away as Google is all geared up to release its next version (v5.0) of Android (Key Lime Pie) in two months time. Bearing that in mind, Sony would do well to update its 2012 handsets to v4.1 to stay competitive in Android market segment.

Jelly Bean 4.1 brings a lot of improvements to the previous Android experience, most notably notifications. It introduces a card-based Google Now for a more refined search and performs smoother with a very responsive and remodelled interface (Project Butter).

Sony will release more info about the roll-out next week.

Source:  SonyXperiaNews via AndroidAuthority

Google Inc. has been hugely successful with its Android OS for smart devices and has actually managed to beat analysts' expectations for the number of activations.

Android reached 1.3 million daily activations in the third quarter of 2012 taking the total number of activations to 500 million devices. Google's Executive Chairman, Eric Schmidt, at that time commented that 2013 will be the year when Android doubles up on that and exceeds the coveted 1 billion mark. According to the latest statistics revealed by the executive at a technology conference, the company is slowly but steadily getting there.

While speaking at this year's Dive Into Mobile conference at New York, Eric Schmidt mentioned:

320 operators, 160 countries, 700,000 apps in the Play Store, and 1.5 million sales / activations of Android every single day. We'll cross a billion towards the end of this year. That gives you a sense of the reach. Android is the primary vehicle of smartphones -- we'll quickly get to the $100 price point, which is the key for those next five billion people looking to get connected.

If Android manages to reach the 1 billion mark in 2013, it will clear ABI Research's estimate by a whopping 200 million activations.

Schmidt was all-praise for Android smartphone manufacturer Samsung and predicted that smart devices will become cheaper in the coming years:

Our goal is to reach everybody. Today, Samsung is the number one vendor in terms of unit volume. Because of tech trends, these devices today will be significantly cheaper in two years. As long as memory requirements don't massively increase, these devices will trickle down.

Source: Engadget | TomsHardware

View the full video at http://youtu.be/_GMQWOZzjdg

Sony Xperia Z sales have crossed the 4.6 million unit mark establishing it as a clear leader among all Full HD 1080p phablets released recently.

The flagship smartphone from Sony achieved the given mark within 40 days of official launch, according to analysts. This estimates up to 115,000 handsets sold every day, which seems pretty neat for Sony. The device was unveiled at this year's CES 2013 and immediately captured interest of reviewers and customers alike due to its high-end features.

Sony Xperia Z features a very durable dust & waterproof body and trumps other smartphones with its phenomenal 13MP rear camera embedded with Sony's powerful dual Exmor RS sensors. It is also Sony's first with a Full HD 1080p display. Other specs include a Quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and Android Jelly Bean 4.1.

Sony gained advantage on other manufacturers by releasing the Xperia Z much before they could launch their flagships for 2013. DigitalTrends noted:

Having a few months to dominate the high-res market has definitely worked in Sony’s favor here. The LG Optimus G Pro was launched this month, but if the estimates are to be believed, LG’s latest hasn’t made much of an impact on Sony. Major competition like the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 have since been announced, but aren’t quite ready for release.

Sony Xperia Z is currently available in 3G and 4G LTE variants.

Source: DigitalTrends

Everyone knows about the newly released next-generation Galaxy S4 from Samsung, but very few know about its impressive sensors and their features. Fortunately for those, Samsung has released an interesting info-graphic that explains everything clearly.

The info-graphic was published on Samsung Tomorrow and shows exactly what each of Galaxy S4's nine sensors do. The post said:

The GALAXY S4 has seamlessly combined nine sensors and a wide array of recognition technologies that understand user behavior, thus delivering an effortless user experience, making things convenient and hassle-free. This goes beyond simple functions like making phone calls and running applications; users can focus on themselves and loved ones, with the GALAXY S4 working with them to strip away the complications of life.

Here's a quick round-up:

Accelerometer - This sensor measures motion and movement (acceleration). Whenever you move your phone, it is the accelerometer that detects it based on 3-axes. It is also used to control movement in games by tilting the device and to calculate how many steps a user has taken (useful for Galaxy S4's Walking Mate / passometer).

Gyro - The gyro (or gyroscope) is a sensor that is used to rotate the screen of the Galaxy S4. Just like the accelerometer, it is also based on 3-axes

Temperature/Humidity Sensor - This new sensor at the base of Galaxy S4 detects approximate temperature and level of humidity of the environment. This is especially useful for S Health app.

Barometer - The barometer measures atmospheric pressure at the present location. This sensor is useful for those who lead an active lifestyle and have interest in hiking or trekking. Samsung Galaxy S4's barometer also determines altitude and calculates calories burned after a session of hike. This sensor is also integrated into S Health app.

Geomagnetic Sensor - It approximates terrestrial magnetic field. Very handy for the great outdoors, the geomagnetic sensor is based on 3-axes and serves as a digital compass for mapping and navigation.

Proximity Sensor - Detects the Galaxy S4's proximity with respect to user and predicts the user's action. The phone's Direct Call feature uses this sensor.

Gesture Sensor - This sensor of the Galaxy S4 is responsible for recognizing the user's hand movements. It employs infrared rays for that purpose and is the core element responsible for Air Gesture & Air View features which allow user to control the phone without actually touching it.

RGB Sensor - Measure colour intensity (Red, Green, Blue and White) of light and adjusts optimum display settings for Samsung Adapt Display.

Hall Sensor - Designed especially for the S View Cover, this sensor detects if the cover is on or not. It is useful in conserving battery when the cover is detected as closed.

You can visit the source links given below to view the full info-graphic poster.

Source: SamsungTomorrow via GSMArena