Use this Spigen Magnetic Clip to keep your OEM Leather Flip Case closed
You may recall, back in December, I reviewed the OEM Leather Flip case for the BlackBerry Passport. It was not a case I was going to use again as I wasn’t happy with it. The case was made with good quality but it was just a bit stiff that it didn’t close properly and that was my main gripe. Even the fact that the case required you to stick it onto your Passport with adhesive didn’t put me off. It was just that it didn’t close. I tried to loosen it up. It helped to close it a bit further but if I opened the flip all the way to the back, to use the device, then it would just make it sit more open again.
Emberify launch Follow Mail for BlackBerry 10
On the off chance that you don’t find your BlackBerry 10 device as efficient as possible when it comes to email, you may want to check out the latest offering from Emberify. Follow Mail has launched today and offers some additional productivity features.
FTC rules that throttled unlimited data doesn’t qualify as ‘unlimited’
In a ruling that’s resulted in a $40 million fine, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s smacking down TracFone’s speed throttling of customers that were paying for unlimited data service. The case in question only applies to TracFone, but it helps to reinforce a precedent that could apply to even the larger carriers in the United States.
NPR One lands for Windows and Windows Phone as a gorgeous universal app
National Public Radio today has released their new NPR One app for Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 8.1. The app is universal, appearing to use the same code across both platforms. It is also very minimalist, modern, and well done.
NPR One is not your standard public radio app. Instead, it is a new effort by NPR to create a more “personalised” experience based on your preferences. You get a combination of live radio from your local radio station, in addition to suggesting programs. You can also search things you are interested in, and the service will begin to cater to your tastes.
EA Access members rewarded with free copy of Battlefield 4 ‘Second Assault’ expansion
Good news for Battlefield 4 fans out there: EA announced today that it is giving out free copies of the Battlefield 4 Second Assault expansion pack to EA Access members on the Xbox One starting tomorrow, January 29.
Weekly photo contest: Cold
After a brief hiatus, the Windows Central weekly photo contests are back! Now we’ve had the holidays, CES and the Windows 10 event come and go, it’s time to return to (some) normality. So, we’ve got a new contest for all the Windows Phone photographers out there with a theme that’s pretty apt for a lot of people right now. Cold.
That’s not to say that you need to take a picture of snow. Be imaginative, be creative, and show us absolutely anything you think represents cold! The image up top was taken by our own Daniel Rubino with Lumia Camera 5 on the Lumia 930 with a little added HDR for good measure.
FLAC support will also come to Windows 10 for phones
While we already knew that Windows 10 would be bringing native access to lossless audio in the form of FLAC support, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore took to Twitter today to confirm that support for FLAC files will come to Windows Phones as well.
Xbox Music for Windows Phone picks up substantial bug fixing update for January
Microsoft today pushed out an update for Xbox Music on Windows Phone 8.1. The update is the first for 2015 and the first since the update last December.
Although no new features were introduced, the 2.6.656.0 update does address numerous user complaints and issues with the app. The changelog itself is quite substantial, and we will post it in its entirety.
BlackBerry Classic officially launched in the Philippines
With Australia now taken care of, it was onto the next region for the BlackBerry Classic and this time it has now been officially announced for the Philippines although you’ll still have to wait a few days before you can purchase one. Teaming up with MemoXpress, BlackBerry has now announced the BlackBerry Classic will go on sale in the Philippines starting February 5th, 2015 with a suggested retail price of PHP 20,990.
Apple ties with Samsung for title of world’s largest smartphone manufacturer
Apple’s stellar quarter – during which it sold 74.5 million iPhones – has allowed the manufacturer to catch up to Samsung. According to data from market research firm Strategy Analytics, both Apple and Samsung control a market share of 19.6 percent and are now tied for the title of the world’s largest smartphone vendor.
With a profit of $18 billion and overall revenue of $74.6 billion, Apple had the best-ever quarter by a public company. Apple’s fourth quarter sales amounted to 38.6 percent of its yearly sales, highlighting the sheer increase in sales seen last quarter.
Strong showing in China (where Apple is now the number one vendor) followed by an increase in sales in Samsung’s home market as well as Japan allowed Apple to narrow the gap with Samsung.
The numbers highlight the decline Samsung witnessed in 2014 when seen against previous years. The South Korean vendor sold 11.5 million smartphones less than what it did in Q4 2013. For the latest quarter, Samsung posted a sales decline of 11 percent from the same period in 2013, and a profit decline of 27 percent.
Meanwhile, Lenovo’s acquisition of Motorola enabled the Chinese manufacturer to edge out Huawei to take the number three spot with a combined market share of 6.4 percent. Motorola’s return to China and Lenovo’s efforts to increase its focus in the country means that the Chinese vendor will be looking to challenge the likes of Huawei and Xiaomi aggressively this year. Huawei is also on the rise, with its 24.1 million shipments in Q4 2014 amounting to nearly a third of its yearly sales.
The smartphone market as a whole grew by 31 percent last year, with 1.3 billion smartphones shipped globally over the course of the year, with a strong growth seen in emerging markets like India and China.
Source: Strategy Analytics
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