Analysts project Lenovo to become 2nd largest Android manufacturer


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It’s no secret that Samsung has complete control over the Android smartphone market. The company has a market share of 65%, and has a marketing campaign that essentially squashes the competition.

Its main competitors, LG, HTC, Sony and Motorola have global market shares of 7%, 6%, 5% and 4% respectively.

Analysts are suggesting that these market shares will soon change. Lenovo, which recently purchased Motorola Mobility, will expand the brand to new markets in Europe, China and emerging markets. With a new focus, Lenovo/Motorola may be able to surpass LG’s 7% market share. Although making a run at Samsung may seem a bit far-fetched right now, it might not be in the future.

Source: DigiTimes

Sony’s Xperia T2 Ultra likely headed to T-Mobile USA


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Thanks to the trusty @evleaks twitter account, T-Mobile might be landing Sony’s Xperia T2 Ultra handset sometime this year. T-Mobile also has the Sony Xperia Z1s, so it looks like T-Mobile wants to keep Sony’s devices in their lineup. For power users, the T2 may not be as attractive as it’s more of a mid-range device. You won’t find waterproof capabilities in this one, and the specs include a 6-inch 720p screen, a Snapdragon 400 processor, and 1GB of RAM powered by Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.

No other details on launch date, but more will come as we find out. I’m hoping T-Mobile keeps this Sony trend and also releases the recently unveiled Xperia Z2!

source: evleaks

Single and dual-SIM Sony Xperia E1 now available in India


XperiaE1The Sony Xperia E1 is finally available – in India. Both the single and dual-SIM versions are available for purchase in three colors – black, white, and the purple you see above. The black models are in high demand, and are quickly diminishing from stock. The dual-SIM version is priced at  ₹9,750, or around $160 USD, while the single-SIM variant is oddly more expensive at ₹9,990, or $163.

As a reminder, the Xperia E1 was announced on CES with a 4″ WVGA display and a Snapdragon 200 SoC with dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 processor, Adreno 302 and 512MB of RAM. The smartphone features Jelly Bean 4.3, a 3MP rear camera, a microSD card slot, 3G with HSPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and FM radio.

Source: Unwired View

 

Sony Xperia T2 Ultra makes an appearance both in and out of the retail box


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Sony’s hype machine has been all about the Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z2 tablet as of late, but don’t forget about the Xperia T2 Ultra (D53XX). It appears close to release since we now have a shot of the retail packaging along with a few other candid shots. This model is destined for China Unicom and sports the model number of XM50h.

It will feature a 6-inch 720p IPS display, 1.4 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (MSM8928) processor, Adreno 305 GPU, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, 13MP rear camera, 1.1MP front camera, dual-SIM capability, and 3,000mAh battery. This might be mid-range, but it should last a long time on the battery.

Hit the break for more images.


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Sony introduces “Xperia Themes” for phones running Android 4.3 or later


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Today Sony launched the new “Xperia Themes” for Xperia phones that are running Android 4.3 or later. This allows users to be able to better customize their phones user interface, and according to Sony users will be able to “skin up to 280 assets” on their device. These “assets” will include the users lock screen, icons, navigation bar, and so on.

Xperia Themes is using themes that are already downloadable via Google Play, and to download new themes, you can go to the “Themes” menu on your handset and press the + icon in the top right hand corner of the screen.

Source: Sony

Android 4.4 KitKat update now available for Sony Xperia Z Ultra


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Sony has rolled out the latest Android 4.4 KitKat update for the Xperia Z Ultra. The device was officially announced in June of last year and came with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean on board and now it’s finally ready for Android 4.4 KitKat.

The first Xperia Z Ultra model to get the KitKat update is the C6833 LTE model in Hong Kong, which is available as an over-the-air update, but will also be available to update via PC soon. We expect other markets to receive the update  as well.
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LG G3 expected to be both waterproof and dustproof


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Some of us are required to have our phones on us at all times, so why should we limit the bathtub and the pool as well?

In all seriousness, waterproofing technology has become more popularized on devices in the past year, and LG has recognized this. It is now expected that the LG G3 will feature both waterproofing and dustproof capabilities.

It took a while for other manufacturers to hop aboard, but Sony had been the only company that was both waterproofing and dustproofing its flagship products for some time now. The Galaxy S 5 was also announced to be waterproof and dustproof at Samsung’s special event two weeks ago.

The G3 is also expected to feature fingerprint and eye recognition capabilities, a QHD display and possibly LG’s own SoC, the LG Odin.

Via: G for Games
Source:  ETNews

Xperia Z2 up for pre-order with extras included at Phones 4u


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If you’re in the UK and the Xperia Z2 is your next phone of choice, than you might want to get your pre-order in at Phones 4u. It will be available from free at £47 per month on contract. All pre-orders will also get the Sony SRS-BTX300 wireless speaker (valued at £119), and get 50% of the new Sony Smartband as well as a free Active Pack. Last but not least, if you pre-order the phone on a 4G tariff, they will throw in a £50 Google Play voucher.

So if the Xperia Z2 is in your future, you might as well pre-order to get these extra special deals. We have a the Phones 4u hands on video and press release after the break.


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Sony SmartWatch 2 will receive big update with new watchfaces and customization options


Sony_SmartWatch_2_SW2_USSony’s SmartWatch 2 looks to be on the way of a pretty big update. The demo unit of the SmartWatch 2 at last week’s Mobile World Congress was running 1.0.B.4.80 compared to the current build 1.0.B.3.46. The new firmware shows more information on the screen, including the weather, a pedometer, a battery indicator, the last notification received and the next upcoming alarm.

In addition, the new software includes a scrollable notification drop-down menu , the ability to choose which apps you want to receive notifications from, and customization options like the option to change your wallpaper and which apps are shown on the home screen. The update isn’t rolling out just yet, but should be soon.

Source: Xperia Blog

 

Sony says “once-a-year” flagship strategy is dead


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At MWC 2014 earlier this week, Sony unveiled their latest flagship devices, the Xperia Z2 smartphone and Z2 Tablet. For those not counting the days, this comes only about five and a half months after Sony unveiled the “flagship” Xperia Z1 at IFA 2013. According to Sony Mobile Creative Director Kurozumi Yoshiro, this quick turnaround is a reflection on how fast the industry is moving. According to Kurozumi, “In order to maintain a flagship, you must update at this frequency.” Thus, the Xperia Z2 is the flagship device for the first half of 2014 and buyers can expect a new flagship device to appear before the end of the year to serve in that role for the second half of 2014.


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