ICYMI: March 28, 2015
A lot can happen in a week. Seven days might not seem like much, but it can be an eternity in the tech news cycle. Between Windows news, hardware and software developments and Microsoft’s fast-paced movements throughout the technology landscape, it’s never easy to keep your hand on the pulse of technology. Not to mention everything that’s going on right here at Windows Central!
Every week we’re going to compile the biggest stories into one post, so you never fall behind – In Case You Missed It (ICYMI).
Windows Phone Weekly Digest: March 21, 2015
There’s a lot going on in the world of Windows Phone. So much, in fact, that it is sometimes tough to catch every important story. Device rumors come and go. New apps join the Windows Phone Store, and your favorite app can get a big update with a new look or new features. Therefore, every week we will compile a list of the Windows Phone news that you just shouldn’t miss.
Welcome to the “Windows Phone Weekly Digest.”
Profits almost doubled for ZTE last year
To consumers in the United States, ZTE is not nearly as recognizable as other hardware manufacturers. The company, though, sits behind Apple, Samsung, and LG as the fourth largest smartphone manufacturer in the United States. Its performance around the world has improved so much that the company came close to doubling its profits in 2014. So, yes, ZTE is a company that is alive and well in various markets.
ZTE’s profits rose to $423.4 million last year, up from $219 million in 2013. That is an increase of almost 100%. The company has no plans to stop here and accept its current status. Unlike other Chinese manufacturers (such as Xiaomi), ZTE has committed to North America. ZTE already sells devices in the market but plans to expand its recognition by spending more on marketing. Already having ties with the NBA helps, but ZTE really wants people to know its name.
Hit the break for the full press release.
ZTE Posts 94% Jump in Full-Year Net Profit as 4G Sales Surge
Innovative 4G solutions including Cloud Radio, QCell and UBR made ZTE the fastest-growing provider of 4G solutions in the world in 2014
25 March 2015, Shenzhen, China – ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the Mobile Internet, today announced a 94% rise in full-year net profit, as higher sales of 4G network equipment and smartphones lifted the company’s profit margins.
Net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company increased to RMB 2.63 billion (US$423.5 million) in 2014, according to the annual results announcement posted by ZTE Today. Basic earnings per share climbed to RMB 0.77, while revenue rose 8.3% to RMB 81.47 billion.
ZTE proposed a cash dividend of RMB2.0 (including tax) for every 10 shares held, in addition to the issue of 2 bonus shares for every 10 shares by way of capitalization of capital reserve.
ZTE was the fastest-growing provider of 4G solutions globally in 2014, as the introduction of innovative network solutions including Cloud Radio, QCell, UBR and Magic Radio helped the company win business internationally, and consolidated its leadership in China’s 4G market. ZTE is leveraging its strong position in 4G to take the lead in research of 5G technology,becoming the first company in the industry to offer pre5G base stations.
In 2014, ZTE unveiled its new M-ICT strategy to put the company in a better position to harness its capabilities in telecommunications, enterprise ICT and consumer devices to offer customers converged solutions and technology innovations in the era of mobile broadband and Internet of Things.
In cloud computing and IT products, ZTEachieved increased penetration of the financial services market, helped by the company’s industry-leading large data processing platforms and distributed database technologies. ZTE also posted growth in its data center products business.
In ZTE’s Mobile Devices division, the company posted growth in sales of 4G smartphones and 3G mobile phones internationally. ZTE streamlined its product lines in smartphones, and benefited from improved branding, channel distribution and services.
In wireline and optical communications products, ZTE achieved increased market share in the optical transport networks market, maintained industry leadership in PTN, EPON products, and posted growth in access terminals and GPON products.
ZTE posted revenue of RMB 40.89 billion from international operations, accounting for 50.2% of revenue. Operations in China contributed revenue of RMB 40.58 billion.
Looking ahead to 2015, growth in the traditional telecom market is facing a bottleneck, but due to the high growth data services, carriers are also transitioning to Internet services. At the same time all the mobile Internet era will become the main theme of the development of the telecommunications industry, from traditional interpersonal communication, gradually expand to the communication of persons and objects.
In Carriers’ Networks, operators are demanding network optimization solutions to increase capacity, maximize performance and depth of coverage. ZTE is in a strong position to help customers deploy networks with enhanced intelligence and flexibility, through the multidimensional data management and large-enabled platforms. ZTE is committed to helping operators transition to next-generation business models to generate increased business value.
In enterprise ICT, converged solutions combining telecommunications and ICT technologies, cloud computing, big data and high-power wireless charging and other emerging technologies are bringing transformative changes to industries and workplaces. ZTE will pursue opportunities in RCS, cloud services, smart city to help enterprise customers navigate the “Industry 4.0″ or “Industrial Internet” transformation.
In connection with mobile terminals, the next generation of intelligent machines will be more intelligent, flexible, fusion, new generation of voice control technology, artificial intelligence and mobile security will become the Group’s new strategic focus. At the same time, ZTE’s CGO innovation laboratory will be the focus of incubation of emerging technologies including smart voice, artificial intelligence, wireless charging, and distributed power generation, large data platforms and applications, Internet banking, and mobile payments.
Come comment on this article: Profits almost doubled for ZTE last year
Emvio’s smartwatch will tell you when you’re stressing out
Smartwatches are growing ever more capable by the day. Sometimes, though, there’s no harm in a little focus. Enter Emvio, a watch with one core goal: to help you manage stress. There are no message notifications or apps, instead, Emvio monitors variations in your heart rate (HRV), only bothering you (ironically) once your stress levels start to rise. Your daily data is also fed to an app which can help you spot trends or individual stress triggering events, helping you better plan to manage them in the future. Can a single-focus connected watch cut it against growing competition? Its creators certainly think so, and they’re hoping enough people on Kickstarter will, too.
You might be thinking that we usually know when we’re stressed, right? Maybe, when it’s very pronounced. Emvio wants to help with those every day challenges we might not notice: overreacting to minor things, dealing with bad news, or perhaps your reactions to traffic on your commute. Because you can instantly see where you are on a scale of one to 10, the idea is you’ll be more mindful of your current state, and take action to deal with it. Emvio let us try an early prototype, and it was interesting to see that times when I could have said I “felt normal” Emvio indicated I was moderately stressed (or, more so than I expected). Only later, when taking a break or relaxing would levels return to normal, and I’d notice the difference. It’s not hard to imagine that a little more awareness might go some way to changing habits, like taking a break, or reassessing your reaction to a situation. In the longer term, the benefits could mean less visits to the doctor, or, who knows, just a better life?
What we didn’t get to look at, was the app. It’s worth mentioning, that the app is iOS initially, but an Android version will be available if the (ambitious) $440k (Canadian dollars) stretch goal is reached. Being able to see how stressed you are throughout the day is neat (something other devices also claim to do), but it’s making use of that data over time that will provide the real value. This does raise a few questions, though. Once you’ve established a few stress triggers, and incorporated mechanisms to deal with them, what next? Are you just left with a curious looking watch? Anthony Moskalenko from Emvio thinks it’s a long term deal, saying the watch “will help users to develop stress-control habits and cultivate more mindfulness… stressful events will never go away, though our ways of dealing with it will evolve.”
Despite the focus on stress, Emvio does have a few other features. Obviously, one being that it can read your pulse for non-stress situations, too. Like fitness. Handy, as the watch also works as an activity tracker, too, making it something of an all-round “wellbeing” device. If the Kickstarter is successful, Emvio will come in two sizes (dubbed “Romeo” or “Juliet”), will support wireless charging and cost $206 (CAD) each (unless you’re quick enough to snap up one of the early-bird pledges which are running at $130.) If backing reaches the $375k mark, an “Elite” edition with a chrome metal face will be unlocked for those who prefer a metal finish. Lofty targets for sure, but what price would you put on a lower stress life?
Filed under: Wearables
Source: Kickstarter
Sony Xperia Z3 + Z2 owners, how’s the Lollipop update treating you?
Sony’s first Lollipop updates are starting to trickle out — how have you been getting on?
Sony’s first batch of Lollipop updates landed this past week, bringing the Xperia Z2, Z3 and Z3 Compact up to Android 5.0.2. The updates have been a long time coming, arriving a couple weeks outside Sony’s original target of February. Next up is Sony’s late-2013 Z1 series.
Pebble Time concludes Kickstarter campaign, pledges exceed $20 million
Late in February, the successor to the very popular Pebble smartwatch was announced. Just as the original, the Pebble Time found its home launching through a Kickstarter campaign. Consumers could make pledges and receive units of their own for less than the future retail price. We knew that the Pebble Time would be successful on Kickstarter. After all, the original Pebble was backed by nearly 70,000 people. The Pebble Time surpassed that mark with 78,471 backers and a pledge total reached $20,338,986. This means that the Pebble Time holds the title as the most funded project in Kickstarter’s history.
Backers will start receiving Pebble Time units in May.
Source: Pebble Time (Kickstarter)
Come comment on this article: Pebble Time concludes Kickstarter campaign, pledges exceed $20 million
HTC One M9 preorders ship starting March 30
HTC has sent out emails to people in the U.S. who have pre-ordered the HTC One M9, informing them that the first shipments of the smartphone should begin on Monday, March 30.
Android Central received the following email from HTC concerning the shipment status of the HTC One M9
Transparent Machines game revealed for Windows 10 and Xbox One
UK-developer Freeman Apps has announced plans to create a cyberpunk-themed game, Transparent Machines, that will be released for Windows 10 and the Xbox One under Microsoft’s ID@Xbox program.
Mysterious Huawei Honor handset pictures leak
The Honor series belonging to Huawei apparently has a new device coming as leaked photographs show an unannounced handset. The images obtained by Hi-Tech.Mail.Ru show the device’s back and front. Based on what we see in the leaked images, Huawei is designing an Honor device with a clean and sharp look. The specifications inside suggest something between a mid-range and high-end device. Details have not been provided, but apparently it has a 5-inch display and an octa-core processor based on 64-bit architecture. The cameras are said to be 13MP/5MP and Huawei will include dual-SIM support.
Hit the break for images of the front.
Source: Hi-Tech.Mail.Ru
Via: VR-Zone
Come comment on this article: Mysterious Huawei Honor handset pictures leak
Apple reminds us Apple Watch will be available in London, Paris, Tokyo department stores
Apple has posted more information on the special stores-within-stores in Tokyo, London, and Paris that will also host Apple Watch try-ons come April 10.
This follows up the press release from last month that announced the Apple Watch would appear at Selfridges in London, Galeries Lafayette in Paris and Isetan in Tokyo on April 10, the same day try-ons go live at Apple Retail Stores. All Apple Watch collections should be available at the locations, along with specifically trained staff to assist customers in getting just exactly the watch they want.
Again, none of this is new or changed information, it’s just part of the ongoing marketing blitz aimed at sustaining and increasing interest in the Apple Watch leading up to launch.
Beyond Apple Watch, the stores-within-stores will be limited in services offered, as the website notes that should you require a Genius for product support, you’ll need to head to a local Apple Store. While the stores are expected to open on April 10, the Apple Watch will not be available to take home until April 24.
Here are Apple’s highlight pages for the department store locations:
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