Jolla smartphone with Sailfish OS!

The "Jolla smartphone", if you've never heard of it, a company formed by a group of former Nokia employees that refused to let go of MeeGo after the Finnish mobile manufacturer abandoned it, has announced the launch of the first smartphone based on the new Sailfish operating system, called Jolla. It will be launched on November 27 by Jolla in partnership with Finnish telecom operator DNA.

Jolla's website notes that the Jolla smartphone is priced at Euros 399. The company plans to handover 450 pre-booked Jolla phones on November 27 and the rest would be available at DNA Kauppa outlets in early December, the statement said.

Inside is a 1.4GHz dual-core processor made by Qualcomm and 1GB of RAM. There's 16GB of storage and a microSD card slot underneath the rear cover for adding more. A 2100mAh battery is removable, includes a 4.5-inch (540x960 pixels) display, the Jolla smartphone will sport an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera alongside an LED flash, while there is a 2-megapixel front-facing camera as well. It also features changeable smart covers.

The Sailfish OS

Sailfish is closest in likeness to BlackBerry 10 OS. It's got no navigation buttons to speak of and is therefore gesture based.

Everything is about swiping, so apart from swiping up and down between the three aforementioned sections, there are three main things you can do. Swiping from the left or right edge of the screen will take you from an open app back to the homescreen, swiping from the top of the screen closes the app and swiping from the bottom displays your notifications.

The homescreen displays apps in a very similar way to BlackBerry 10, as you open more apps they get smaller to fit on the screen. However, if you have more than nine open, you can only see your most recent. The app tray at the bottom of the homescreen can be customised to your favourite apps.

From this initial hands-on we came away with the impression that Sailfish OS has a great deal of potential. It has a huge leg up from the core work already done by Intel and Nokia and its UI is genuinely innovative while taking a mixture of the best aspects from other platforms. On the hardware side whether the ‘Other half’ functionality of covers can be a genuine differentiator is less clear cut, but we can see it being popular in younger age groups. 

That said where the real battle lies for Sailfish is not in convincing people it is a viable platform, but that it is preferable to the existing heavyweights. Our feeling is Jolla will have to reduce its handset price to achieve that, provide tight Android app integration from the outset and pick its markets carefully.

Aside from this the other battle is with three more newcomers: the Samsung/Intel funded Tizen, Firefox OS and Ubuntu. The first two will also have phones out in 2013 with the latter expecting to debut in early 2014. 

Instagram Is Finally On Windows Phone!

Instagram officially lands on Windows Phone devices later today along with another popular app already on Android and iPhone called Waze. (Waze is a mapping application that's now owned by Google). It'll be available in the Windows Phone app store later this afternoon.

The Instagram app available through the Windows Phone Marketplace claims to be a beta of the app so it is likely that the Facebook-owned photo-sharing platform will issue updates to the app soon.

"While our global market share is around 4%, it's still the fastest growing," said Todd Brix, the general manager of the Windows app store.

Nokia, the biggest maker of Windows Phones, continues to report increasing shipments of its Windows Phones quarter over quarter. Microsoft's next challenge isn't necessarily to get the current library of hot apps on Windows Phone, it's to make sure developers think of making stuff for Windows Phone.

Micromax To Launch Windows Phone Devices Next Year

After hiring Hugh Jackman for the Canvas Turbo and revealing its intentions of entering European markets via Russia, the Indian smartphone brand is also planning to launch LTE and Windows Phone smartphones. Due to the rising popularity of Windows Phone devices in the affordable smartphone segment, Micromax is probably hoping to provide a cheaper Lumia alternative in the market. One thing is for sure, any OEM joining the platform is a good news for the Windows Phone ecosystem.

In an interview with the Economic Times, Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma revealed that Micromax would launch its LTE smartphones in December, “We want to establish ourselves on LTE and offer products that are LTE ready by December, so that consumers would not need to change their handsets whenever voice over LTE becomes available, be it six months or eight months later,” Sharma is quoted as saying.

Nokia Lumia 1520

Credit : engadget

Nokia Lumia 1520, the long-rumored, big-screened smartphone, which has finally been announced at Nokia World in Abu Dhabi. With a 6-inch display it’s the biggest Windows Phone ever, and its 1080p resolution is a first for Microsoft’s mobile operating system.

The new Lumia 1520 is a top-end phablet that comes with a 20MP BSI F/2.4 PureView camera with OIS and Carl Zeiss lens. There's also something Nokia calls the Refocus Lens, which is a fruit of the company's Scalado acquisition; this lens is like a software-based version of Lytro, which uses "clever algorithms" to let you change the focus of your photo after it's taken. (This lens will debut on the 1520 and eventually make it to older Lumia devices, such as the 900 series.). It's 8.6mm thick, 85.4mm-wide and runs on a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 chipset. The handset also has 2GB RAM, 32GB expandable storage, 3,400mAh battery, NFC and wireless charging.

Nokia Lumia 1020 vs. Smasung Galaxy Note 3

At the international unveiling of the device, Nokia said it will be priced at $749 excluding taxes.

Nokia is expected to soon launch its Lumia 1520 phablet in the Indian market and has already listed the device on its official website for the country. The India website of the company does not have the local pricing of the handset.

Here's how Nokia's 41-Megapixel Smartphone Works!

The Finnish company has released a comprehensive introduction to technology used inside Nokia’s new flagship Lumia 1020.  The company claims it has features only found in SLR cameras, giving you an idea of how advanced Nokia’s system is.

First, the sensor size is 1/1.5-inch (up to five times larger than typical smartphone sensors), 41-megapixel, with both 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios. The lens itself uses a system of six lenses (five molded high performance plastic elements, one high precision glass element), f/2.2, mechanical shutter and new optical image stabilization tech.

Additionally, Nokia has developed new image processing and pixel oversampling tech specifically for the 1020, along with new algorithms for auto-exposure, auto-focus and auto-white-balance for better image quality. There’s also a Xenon flash onboard for more evenly dispersed flash shots.

Through a combination of oversampling and high resolution zoom, the Lumia 1020 is able to utilize a dual capture method that produces quality yet unseen in the smartphone market. Nokia explains that the 41-megapixel sensor is able to capture 34-megapixel and 38-megapixel images at 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios, respectively. At the very same time, the device captures a 5-megapixel oversampled image, which uses data from up to seven pixels of the sensor.

With those capabilities, the large sensor ensures no drop in quality for the 5-megapixel image when zoomed. “In other words, the high resolution image is lossless,” Nokia said. “At maximum zoom, the Lumia 1020 system behaves more like a traditional camera, but there are still some advantages: as only the center part of the optics is used, the optical and geometric distortions are minimal and vignetting is negligible.”

Facebook launches Internet.org Initiative To Connect The Unconnected World

To make the worldwide web available to two-thirds of the planet still not connected to the Internet Facebook announced the launch of Internet.org -- a global partnership with six other technology giants, namely Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm and Samsung.

According to Facebook, only 2.7 billion people — just over a third of the world’s population — around the world currently have access to the Internet. And, the goal of Internet.org is to connect the remaining five billion people and provide the same opportunities enjoyed by those in the connected third of the world.

On the launch of Internet.org, Zuckerberg said, "For nine years, we've been on a mission to connect the world. We now connect more than 1 billion people, but to connect the next 5 billion we must solve a much bigger problem: the vast majority of people don't have access to the internet.”



"There are huge barriers in developing countries to connecting and joining the knowledge economy. Internet.org brings together a global partnership that will work to overcome these challenges, including making internet access available to those who cannot currently afford it," he added.

According to Facebook, the partners will focus on developing technologies that make mobile connectivity more affordable and decrease the cost of delivering data to people worldwide. This would also include collaborations to develop lower-cost, higher-quality smartphones. They will also work on ways to use less data by improving the efficiency of the apps built and how they can help businesses drive internet access to get people online.

The Internet.org website is currently live and provides an overview of its mission and goals.

Recently Internet search giant Google announced its ‘Project Loon’, a balloon-mounted Internet access service that is expected to help provide Internet access to rural and remote areas.

Few months earlier Cisco released the infographic below: “What Will The World Look Like When We Connect The Unconnected, Internet Of Everything“.

Credit : Cisco

Nokia Lumia 2520 : Nokia's first Windows tablet

Credit : The Verge

The moment has finally come for Nokia’s first Windows tablet. While it's been rumored for what feels like years, Nokia’s Lumia 2520 is the Finnish smartphone-maker’s take on a Lumia-style tablet. It’s everything you’d expect from Nokia, and it looks just like a much bigger version of a Lumia Windows Phone. Microsoft might be buying Nokia’s device business, but for the next few months they’re going to be battling it out as competitors for Windows-based tablet market share.

Credit : The Verge

Nokia has opted for a 10.1-inch display on its Lumia 2520 with a body that’s styled just like a Lumia Windows Phone. It looks beautiful in red, white, cyan, and black. The easiest way to describe this device is just to imagine a rounded Lumia like the 720 and then increase it in size to 10 inches. It really takes Nokia’s design language and places it almost perfectly into a tablet form factor. The 1920 x 1080 display (218ppi) is perhaps one of the best I’ve seen on a tablet. Viewing angles are great and the brightness is equally impressive. Color reproduction is incredibly accurate, and it’s clear Nokia has really aimed high with the display on its first tablet.

Credit : The Verge

LTE included, the Lumia 2520's unsubsidized price is $499 in either a red/white glossy finish, or cyan and black matte paintjob when it ships in Q4. Also included are quick charging capabilities that let its 800mAh battery go from drained to 50 percent charge in just 40 minutes. The Nokia Power Keyboard accessory shown above costs an extra $149, and promises an extra five hours of battery life plus two extra USB ports.

Finally : Official Instagram app coming to Windows Phone!

Tuesday at Nokia World, Nokia announced that a few of the most popular apps from iOS and Android -- Flipboard, Instagram, and Vine -- are at last coming to Windows Phone.

After months of pressure from Nokia, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom confirmed today that an official client will be made available to Windows Phone users shortly. "Our ultimate goal is to bring Instagram to everyone who wants to use it," says Systrom. "We're looking forward to watching the Windows Phone community use Instagram to capture and share beautiful moments in the coming weeks." The app closes a big hole in the Windows Phone ecosystem, allowing owners to use an officially supported Instagram client. Until now, those with a Windows Phone device had to rely on third-party clients to get their Vine and Instagram fixes.

Instagram is a big deal for Microsoft and Windows Phone. It also furthers the case for Windows Phone as the number three mobile OS as Nokia continues to push the market share in the right direction.

Is this the fall of Blackberry?

The end of a Smartphone giant! A shock to some, and a predictable outcome for others, it was obvious that the path blackberry has chosen will either take their ship of glory struggling in the sea of smartphones and the storm of iOS and Android to the shore or it will finally sink. And right during this storm, the co-CEOs of RIM decided to step down and leave the company in a limbo.

Blackberry needed that magic again that could take them away from their economic breakdown; we waited and waited for that time, but it never came. And now it seems that Blackberry has finally given up on the smartphone race and admitted its defeat.

But what truly brought about this eventual decay that forced BlackBerry to forfeit and sell off to Fairfax Financial Holding for $4.7 billion?

My personal opinion says that Blackberry is itself responsible for it; various small aspects and fatal miscalculations like poor pricing proved to be one of the many factors that eventually lead to their downfall. Let's have a look!

Operating System: Strike one!

Blackberry had to take care of three things and most important of them was their OS, the central nervous system of a smartphone. Blackberry always underestimated the power of Android and iOS, they were satisfied with their OS and never showed any interest in upgrading it, until the market exploded with iOS and Android which finally made them realized the biggest mistake they’ve ever made. Even Nokia’s with its ever-faithful Symbian OS started running out of options and finally adopted windows as their life-saver. Blackberry also panicked and introduced the BB 10 to the masses in the year 2011. Unfortunately, they were a little too late for the party as Android and iOS had the cake, and ate it too.

Hardware: Strike two!

Blackberry never had much power under the hood to keep up with the competition like Apple and Samsung, while they were fighting with each other to stay first in the race by adding more power in their devices Blackberry was thinking slow and steady wins the race; but this was not the case with Apple and Samsung and they were launching device after another to show how much of 'technology' they could give on your palm. BlackBerry finally launched a noteworthy smartphone in the form of BlackBerry Z10. It placed BlackBerry right in the competition; it was smart in all the right sense and complimented the all new operating system; it also gave BlackBerry a new direction, when they finally gave up their typical QWERTY keypad design for a full-touch interface. We thought BlackBerry had finally arrived. We were horribly wrong, again.

Pricing: Strike three...and you are out!

Desperate times require desperate measures, but Blackberry never took it seriously. BlackBerry was always known to flaunt a hefty price tag for their handsets. For the outdated hardware and software that came bundled, the prices were outrageous; BlackBerry stuck to their pricing, and did the same for their “would’ve been lifesaver”, the BlackBerry Z10. A phone that had all the potential to take things forward for BlackBerry, the Z10 was priced absurdly high at of Rs.42,000/-!! Taking the hardware and price into consideration, a customer could easily get the all-powerful Samsung Galaxy S4 or the iPhone in the same price that was equipped with more firepower and housed Android or iOS as an OS.

The share of BlackBerry Limited in the Indian smartphone market dropped to 2% during the April-June period of 2013 down from 7% a year ago, according to IDC. Even the launch of new models by BlackBerry Limited with a new OS could not prevent the decline in its market share and rather than rectifying their mistakes, BlackBerry launched two more smartphones, the Q5 and the Q10. Both handsets based on its signature QWERTY layout, the phones were meant to be BlackBerry's second grace, and yet again, the poor pricing led it another wave of failure sweeping them off.

The final nail in the coffin: BBM!

Once people used to buy Blackberry just to use BBM, it was once ACE Card for the Blackberry. It was a rage internationally with teenagers purchasing BlackBerry for the sole reason of using the instant messaging service. BBM finally found its worthy opponents in the form of instant messaging apps like WhatsApp, WeChat etc. that are hosted for free on numerous operating systems but BBM is still not free in Blackberry devices.  As far as Android and iOS are concerned they should have launched BBM few years ago and cemented their feet in the market, and yet they failed at doing so.

There were many other reasons for their failure as well like the mediocre Apps market as compare to Android and iOS, arguably the worst camera among smartphones and not so good customer services made sure that their glory was short-lived.

There could have been various saving graces for BlackBerry; the right upgrade at the right time, lower pricing, introduction of BBM for Android and iPhone among various other things. BlackBerry failed, and so did its legacy for being one of the top contenders in the smartphone market.