Huawei smartphone sales grow by 40% in 2014 according to leaked memo
It is no secret by now that Chinese smartphone manufacturers are finally starting to generate some significant momentum in gaining market share through increasing sales of devices. A leaked memo floating around Huawei as the company preps for the public announcement of their 2014 results reveals strong growth for the manufacturer. According to the data revealed in the memo, sales rose by almost one-third to $11.8 billion in 2014 on the back of a 40% increase in smartphone shipments. If there is any downside, it is the fact that Huawei’s estimated 75 million smartphones shipped lags below their target of 80 million units for the year.
Huawei is not the only Chinese manufacturer expected to report on major success during 2014. Xiaomi sold 26 million smartphones during the first half of 2014 and is thought to be on its way to meeting a target of 60 million for the year. If they succeed, Xiaomi’s sales will have tripled compared to the prior year. Things are looking so good for Xiaomi that they received a new infusion of equity financing this week based on their $45 billion valuation which pegs them at the top spot in the whole world for a private technology company.
Another manufacturer of note is LG Electronics which reportedly has seen smartphone shipments increase by around 26 percent during 2014 according to analysts.
These three manufacturers represent a growing tide of companies that are rising up to grab significant market share for smartphones. That growth is expected to come at the expense of the large companies like Samsung which is expected to have flat shipment numbers for 2014 and Apple which anticipates 20 percent growth. Looking ahead to 2015, analysts expect Lenovo, thanks to their recent acquisition of Motorola, will be in the running with Huawei and Xiaomi to be the top Chinese smartphone vendor in 2015.
source: Reuters
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Reflect on the past you never had with Choice of Robots
There are plenty of games you could pick up and play on the eve of the new year. Do you play an:
A) RPG
B) party game
C) co-op game
D) first person shooter
E) text-based interactive sci-fi novel about robotic sentience, nostalgia, and the very meaning of humanity
Today, I picked E and downloaded Choice of Robots, a text-adventure game that captivated my mind and won my heart.
As part of working at iMore, I have a lot of little games lined up to test, play, and otherwise review. I wasn’t planning on actually playing Choice of Robots today, but after just about every one of my game-loving friends started praising the text adventure, I sat down and opened it. My initial intention was to play the first chapter or so while I waited for some article photos to upload; and yet, two hours later, I found myself glued to my iPhone for the closing scene.
Choice of Robots is just that good. The basic plot starts you off as a graduate student about to invent a robot, but it quickly unspools from there, sending you across time as you live out the paths of their life — through hedonistic parties, corporate espionage, war, rebellion, and robot ethics.
The story is backed up by excellent writing, intriguing story branches, moral quandaries, and even a bit of romance. It creates an incredible empathetic experience for the player; the game got into my head the way few first-person titles dare to, and on more than one occasion had me questioning my judgements: Am I really speaking for my character, or for me? Would I make that choice in real life?
On the eve of 2015, when most of us are questioning and reflecting the decisions we’ve made over the past twelve months, Choice of Robots lets you step into the life of another person and make another set of decisions — ones whose consequences are revealed much faster than the passage of a year’s time. I don’t know if there’s a better game to play tonight.
Apple Hit With Class Action Lawsuit Over Large iOS 8 Storage Space
A new class action lawsuit was filed against Apple on Tuesday in a U.S. federal court, alleging the company’s newest version of iOS doesn’t properly inform its users just how much storage space it will occupy once downloaded.
As reported by Siliconbeat, the lawsuit is claiming that iOS 8 can take up as much as 23.1 percent of the overall storage capacity of an iOS device, but that fact isn’t actively advertised when customers purchase a new Apple product, or go to download the new software update. The plaintiffs point to personal moments akin to sporting events or weddings where users are desperate for more storage as Apple preying on consumers for more profit.
“Using these sharp business tactics, defendant gives less storage capacity than advertised, only to offer to sell that capacity in a desperate moment, e.g., when a consumer is trying to record or take photos at a child or grandchild’s recital, basketball game or wedding,” alleges the plaintiffs in the case.
William Anderson, the plaintiffs’ attorney of Cuneo Gilbert & Laduca, a Washington, D.C.-based law firm, seeks both damages and changes to Apple’s policies specifically under California state law.
“We feel that there are a substantial number of Apple consumers that have been shortchanged,” Anderson said in a statement. “And we’ll be pursuing the claims vigorously.”
Anderson continued to sound off support not only for consumers facing storage issue following the download of iOS 8, but those who purchased an iPhone or iPad with iOS 8 already installed.
iOS 8 launched back in September, including a bevy of new features like Continuity and allowing third-parties to access Touch ID and its keyboard functionality. A few days after launch, problems such as battery drain and slow Wi-Fi began cropping up for some iOS 8 users. Apple’s further attempts to remedy the rocky launch with steady updates caused even larger problems with cell service outage and spotty Touch ID issues.
A late-October update brought much-anticipated support for Apple Pay, amongst other features, and began putting the service back on track. As of early November the newest operating system was installed on 60 percent of active iOS devices.
Despite the company’s continued efforts to address iOS 8 bugs, the plaintiffs of the new class action are attempting to use Apple’s own branding of iOS 8 – “The biggest iOS release ever” – as a hidden piece of subtext hinting at the hefty amount of storage the operating system requires.
Android Authority End of the year survey
The year is coming to a close, and what a year it has been! Not only have we seen tons of great developments in the world of Android (Android Wear, Lollipop, etc), Android Authority has also seen its community expand greatly over these past twelve months.
We understand that without you, our dear readers, we wouldn’t be where we are today and for that we are eternally grateful. With that in mind, we wish to conclude 2014 and ring in the new year by conducting a short survey. It’s important to us to know where our readers are coming from and what they feel our site does best. Equally important, we wish to know how we can best serve you in 2015 and in the many years to come.
You can fill out the survey below or click here to load the survey in a new tab.
Remember, your comments and suggestions mean the world to us! Happy New Year to you and your loved ones, from your friends at Android Authority!
Motorola ends 2014 with the addition of a 64GB Moto X to Moto Maker
The year is coming to a close rather quickly, for some it has already rolled over. With the end of a great year on the horizon many look forward to what 2015 will bring and particularly what wonderful and amazing things will be shown off at CES next week. While the show is sure to […]
The post Motorola ends 2014 with the addition of a 64GB Moto X to Moto Maker appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Moto X 2014 now available with 64 GB of memory
Everyone may be winding down their day as they get ready to ring in 2015, but that has not stopped Motorola from posting one last surprise for 2014 on their web site. They have added a new option to Moto Maker that let’s buyers interested in the Moto X (2014) select 64 GB of memory to stuff into their smartphone. In order to take advantage of this expanded memory option, buyers have to get the Pure Edition version, which is probably not a bad option either. Pumping up the memory to 64 GB does add $100 to the price of the device, so the cheapest you can get the device for is $599.99.
The Moto X 2014 made it to the TalkAndroid short list as one of the best smartphones of 2014 and it benefited from receiving the Android Lollipop update super fast. This additional memory option can only sweeten the deal for buyers who want a lot of onboard memory.
If you want to place an order, or at least price out a Moto X (2014), hit the source link below to visit the Motorola Moto Maker site.
source: Motorola
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Phones4U iPhone and iPad Inventory Being Liquidated at Low Prices by UK Auction House [iOS Blog]
UK retailer Phones4U shut down its online store and closed its retail operations earlier this year when the struggling company entered administration, the UK equivalent of bankruptcy. Now in the middle of the administration process, Phones4U is ready to liquidate its existing stock of products, including its entire inventory of iPhones, iPads and Beats headphones.
UK auction house John Pye Auctions is handling the liquidation of Phones4U stock, which includes more than 600,000 items worth £10.8m in what is the UK’s biggest auction of the year. Among the auction items are Beats headphones, iPhone 5/5c units, iPad Air and iPad mini models.
The items are being sold in individual lots for public purchasing and not wholesale trade job orders. Online bidding is active now with many auctions listed with zero bids. For auctions that do have bids, prices are currently very low. Some entry-level iPad mini and iPad Air models are available for as little as £2 ($3USD).
It appears that the auction site will accept bids from both within the UK and from international buyers, but the auction house will not be shipping items. Buyers must pick up items in person or make their own arrangements for shipment.
Bidding on the auction ends Tuesday, January 6, 2015 with a public showing available on Monday, January 5, 2015 from 10am to 2pm at John Pye & Sons warehouse in Staffordshire.
Amazon pushes another $110 of free apps to customers for the New Year, includes République and Sparkle 2 Evo
Amazon pushed the largest app deals promo in their history for the Holiday with a grand total of $220 worth of apps up for free. I am more than certain a large number of you participated and grabbed at least a few of those. It looks like Amazon has one more big app push for […]
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64GB Moto X Pure Edition now available from Motorola
If you want to buy a Moto X (2nd Gen.) off-contract, your best bet is to go with the unlocked Pure Edition. However, that unfortunately means you’ll be stuck with only 16 or 32GB of on-board storage. And remember, the Moto X doesn’t have any room for expandable storage, so 32GB is the most you can get… well, up until now.
On Twitter earlier today, Motorola announced that the Pure Edition Moto X now comes in a 64GB variant. In fact, the 64GB model is a Pure Edition exclusive, so anyone trying to grab extra storage will need to make their way off-contract. You can purchase the new Pure Edition Moto X variant right now from Moto Maker for $599.99. That’s quite a big price tag, but we’re assuming many users won’t mind paying the extra $100 to up the storage.
Motorola’s Moto X was one of our favorite phones that released in 2014. It features a perfectly-sized 5.2-inch display, speedy software updates, a slew of Motorola’s software enhancements and customizable hardware. If you’d like more information on the Moto X, check out our full review below!
Have you been waiting for a 64GB variant of the Pure Edition Moto X? Let us know if you’re picking one up!
Flipboard for Windows Phone updates with bug fixes and performance improvements
Flipboard for Windows Phone has received a tiny update today. It follows the app’s big update earlier this month that brought support for 512MB devices and more. Today’s update, version 2.5.1, has the same changelog as version 2.5, with one small addition:
- More bug fixes and performance improvements
The update for the app is rolling out through the Windows Phone Store right now. Thanks to Angella J. for the tip!
AIVAnet 