Mars Orbiter gets ready for InSight Lander’s touchdown
NASA’s InSight Lander won’t be reaching the red planet until 2016, but the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is already preparing for its welcome party. In order to make sure that it’s at the right place to be able to receive radio transmissions from InSight during the landing process, the MRO is firing six intermediate-sized thrusters (it has one set of bigger and another set of smaller ones) for 77 seconds today, July 29th. Those thrusters are capable of producing five pounds of thrust each, and firing them will adjust the spracecraft’s orbit timing from crossing the equator every 3PM local solar time to 2:30PM. The last time the MRO performed a maneuver of this magnitude was in 2006, and the next instances are scheduled to happen in 2016 and 2017 to return it to its original orbit timing.
When the Insight lander lifts off in March 2016, it will come with two CubeSats that will act as communications-relay satellites that can instantly transmit messages to the ground team. However, the MRO will also record those radio transmissions for later playback, just like it did for Curiosity and the Phoenix lander. That will serve as the official documentation of those critical minutes before InSight touches down and starts digging into the planet’s surface.
Filed under: Science
Source: NASA
LG posts flat Q2 revenue as flagship shipments fall short
Analysts have been gradually reducing their profit and smartphone shipment forecasts ahead of today’s official figures announced by LG. While not as bad as rivals HTC and Sony, LG has also fallen short of expectations so far this year.
Year on year and quarterly shipments have remained virtually unchanged. LG shipped 14.1 million phones in Q2, down from 15.4 million in Q1 and 15.5 million in Q4 2014. However, this includes the launch of its latest flagship G4 smartphone, so Q2 was expected to see a jump in sales.
Overall, the company generated sales worth KRW 3.65 trillion ($3.33 billion), just a one percent increase compared with Q2 2014. This comes in a year when LG had planned to sell over 70 million smartphones. Total company revenue fell by 7.6 percent year on year, suggesting that smartphones are outperforming some of the giant’s other business arms.
LG has been gradually bringing high-end features to its mid-range products, which might be helping sales.
The problem mostly seems to be associated with a lack of demand in the high-end market. No doubt due to the increasing competition from lower cost Chinese manufacturers. LG called the quarter “challenging”, but expects to recover lost ground in the third quarter. On the plus side, LG has seen revenue from North America improve by 36 percent YoY, thanks to strong sales from mid-range phones and tablets.
LG actually managed to sell a record 8.1 million LTE capable smartphones in Q2. Overall, the company’s quarterly sales were only down by 3 percent compared with the same time last year, suggesting that mid-range sales have helped to offset the lack of demand for premium smartphones.
See also: HTC declares unaudited loss for Q2 2015
LG states that it will continue to pursue both the high and mid-range markets going forward, and that the company will be paying particular attention to emerging markets. Perhaps LG’s second flagship this year can turn its high-end fortunes around too.
Samsung’s latest camera sensor is thinner, without compromising quality
The camera on the Galaxy Note 5, coming August 13, might protrude a tiny bit less thanks to the use of Samsung’s new 1-micron sensor.
Samsung announced today the availability of a new 16MP camera sensor for smartphones, featuring 1-micron pixels. Dubbed S5K3P3, the new sensor uses ISOCELL technology, which physically separates neighboring pixels, reducing unwanted crosstalk by 30 percent and increasing the chief ray angle by 20 percent. In plain English, that means ISOCELL sensors can capture colors that are more accurate, with less noise, even when the light in the scene is less than ideal.
See also: Samsung Galaxy S5’s ISOCELL image sensor explained
The new sensor’s 1-micron pixels are roughly 10 percent smaller than the previous step (1.12-micron), but the sensor itself is 20 percent thinner than its predecessor. At less than 5 millimeter in thickness, using the sensor could mean that upcoming smartphones can be thinner or feature camera’s that protrude less from the body.
Normally, smaller pixels result in worse images, simply because a small pixel can capture less light from the scene. But Samsung claims that S5K3P3 performs just as well as the previous generation.
On the highly praised Galaxy S6 camera, Samsung used both its own ISOCELL sensor and the MX240 from Sony (the image quality was largely the same though). It’s very likely that the sensor announced today will find its way in the Galaxy Note 5, either in all units or shared with a Sony sensor.
The S5K3P3 is available to manufacturers from today.
See also: Who’s who in the smartphone camera business
Samsung is one of the largest makers of camera sensors, in addition to systems-on-a-chip, RAM and storage modules, and many other semiconductors. However, Sony leads the industry: its Exmor sensors are found in many high-end devices from everyone from Apple to Samsung, to a smattering of Chinese companies, though ironically, Sony’s own devices don’t necessarily use the best Sony sensors on the market.
We will find out if your hunch about the camera sensor in the Galaxy Note 5 is correct on August 13. The Korean giant will hold its Unpacked 2015 event in New York, and we will be there to report on it.
Which do you prefer? The OnePlus 2 vs the Moto X Style
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In case you missed it, yesterday was a pretty huge day. Two of what look like the best value Android smartphones out there were announced, the OnePlus 2 and the Motorola Moto X Style. The OnePlus 2 we always suspected would be fantastic value, much like its predecessor the OnePlus One, however the Moto X Style was a pleasant surprise, also touting fantastic value for flagship level specifications.
Just to quickly recap the OnePlus 2, for its second device OnePlus released a great package inside a 5.5-inch 1080p package. On the inside, the OnePlus 2 is powered by a Snapdragon 810 processor, with two variants at 4GB RAM and 3GB RAM, and both with a 3,300mAh battery. You’ll get a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera and it perhaps most notably comes with a USB Type-C port, something no other phone has right now. It’s not all great as some unusual omissions like NFC and QuickCharge functionality means that the OnePlus 2 isn’t quite the absolute all-rounder we were hoping for. Still, starting at the price of $329 USD for the 3GB variant and $389 USD for the 4GB version, it’s hard to argue with what you get.
In the other corner, we have the Moto X Style, an unusually massive device at 5.7-inches. It has a Quad HD display, which is powered by a Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB RAM, 16/32/64GB storage with microSD expansion and has a 3,000mAh camera. The rear camera is a 21MP shooter and the front camera is a wide angle 5MP camera with a front facing flash. It’s also customizable on the Moto Maker website, giving it a ridiculous number of custom permutations. At $399 USD outright, we’re a bit stumped as to how Motorola is offering the Moto X Style at this price, but again, we’re not complaining. Oh, and in the US, the Moto X Style is known as the Moto X Pure Edition, in case you were confused.
What we’re really interested in at the moment is which one you prefer: the OnePlus 2 vs the Moto X Style? Let us know your choice in the comments below.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
The post Which do you prefer? The OnePlus 2 vs the Moto X Style appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Motorola smartwatch passes through the FCC, new Moto 360 on the way?
If you haven’t had your fill of new Motorola devices following yesterday’s announcements, a Motorola branded smartwatch has just been spotted passing through the FCC in the US.
The FCC listing clearly states that this new product is a smartwatch, but unfortunately doesn’t give us many details about the hardware and there aren’t any pictures either. Although we can spot that the watch features Bluetooth 3.0 and LE 4.0 technologies, along with WiFi b/g/n support, which is rather standard stuff.
Our first thoughts immediately jump to a potential successor to Motorola’s Moto 360 smartwatch, but it seems that yesterday would have been the ideal time to launch such a product.
A listing at the FCC suggests that a release is not too far away, not to mention leaks earlier this year and all of the Moto 360 price drops lately. Perhaps we will hear something about Motorola’s new smartwatch at the IFA conference in September?
What is on your wishlist for Motorola’s next smartwatch? A new design, the same circular display, better hardware, or some other features?
New screenshots show off Sony’s Concept for Android OS
Last week, Sony released a few details about its new Concept for Android OS and began the search for 500 Swedish beta testers. Now, a few leaked screenshots have shown up, giving us a little look at Sony’s experimental vision for Android.
Overall, Sony’s Concept for Android is rather stock looking piece of software, with minimal clutter and the grey and white menus that you would usually find on a Nexus handset, which is sure to be a contentious point of preference.
All we know about Sony’s latest concept OS so far is that it is based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and is designed to be close to a stock Android experience. The company is keeping its own input to a minimum, with only a small selection of its own most popular apps included with the OS. Sony’s Album, Camera, Music and Xperia Lounge apps are still present in the screenshots.
Sony is using the beta program to figure out what features customers like, as well as to tweak and bug test. Future updates may add or remove features based on feedback. The company is also said to be deciding whether or not this type of slimmed down OS would be suitable for some of its future products.
Do you like the thought of more stock-like Xperia devices, or is Sony doing itself a disservice by rolling back its software tweaks?
LG may announce the G Flex 3 in March 2016
A new report has just surfaced claiming that LG is now planning the successor to its curved, self-healing phablet of 2015. The G Flex 3 is set to be unveiled in March 2016 and is believed to pack some pretty impressive internals.
Rumor has it that the slate will have a 6-inch QHD display, Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 820 chipset, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, a 20.7-megapixel rear-facing camera, an 8-megapixel front-facing shooter and a 3,000mAh non-removable battery on board.
The device is expected to retain the button arrangement of its predecessor, so the volume up/down keys will still be on the rear. It will, however, come with a fingerprint scanner embedded in the power button, which will also be located on the back of the handset.
Unfortunately, as with all leaks and rumors, we have to take these alleged specifications with a pinch of salt until LG provides us with some evidence with regards to what it has in store for its next flagship phablet, but hopefully we won’t have to wait too much longer to find out.
Source: MobiPicker
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Motorola is considering setting up a production unit in India
Motorola is the latest company looking to join the Make in India program. According to Marcus Frost, Senior Marketing Director of Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific at Motorola, the firm is currently evaluating options to set up a production unit in the country.
It would make perfect sense for Motorola to set up a production unit in India seeing as the majority of sales for its budget-friendly smartphones, predominantly the Moto E and Moto G, come from the region. This would enable the Lenovo-owned company to save money when it comes to importing the devices.
At present, nothing has been confirmed, but it’s certainly a feasible option if Motorola wants to cut costs and widen its profit margins.
Source: Financial Express
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New Motorola-branded smart watch passes through the FCC
Earlier today, an unannounced Motorola smart watch made a pitstop at the United States of America’s official certification authority — the FCC. Information included in the brief filing documentation reveals that we’re more than likely looking at the upcoming successor to the company’s Moto 360 from last year.
Unfortunately, the paperwork doesn’t disclose anything about the internals or the design of the device, but we do know that it is set to pack a variety of different connectivity options, including support for Bluetooth Class 1 (Version 4.0, LE+EDR) and dual-band WiFi (802.11b/802.11g/802.11n).
If you wish to view the full FCC filing – hit the source link below.
Source: FCC
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LG’s Mobile Division ekes out a $200,000 profit in Q2 2015
LG has released its earnings report for the second quarter of 2015, and it’s a snap-shot of how competitive the smartphone market has become. LG’s Mobile Communications Company brought in $3.33 billion for the period, showing a small increase of 1% and generating a modest profit of just $200,000.
Despite shipping 3% fewer smartphones globally, LG managed to increase its year-on-year revenues earned in North America by 36%. The increased earnings were mostly down to selling more mid-range smartphones and devices, a trend that is likely to continue with the release of devices such as the Bello II. In its home country, Korea, sales of its premium handsets were affected by weak demand, although LG managed to sell its highest number of LTE-equipped phones worldwide, coming in at 8.1 million units. It should probably be noted that the G4 has only been on sale for around two months, so it may have a greater impact on this 3rd quarter. LG is also planning on releasing another premium handset closer to the final quarter of 2015, which could give its figures a nice little boost before 2016.
LG’s Home Entertainment division had a disappointing second quarter of 2015, reporting a 22.7 percent fall in sales. LG says that this is down to ‘soft’ demand for LCD televisions, but it is optimistic about the demand for its 4K OLED TV’s, with plans to release fresh designs that are priced more aggressively.
Luckily, its Home Appliance division achieved a 10 percent increase over the previous quarter with an operating profit of $266 million.
Overall, LG’s second-quarter sales were down 7.6 percent, with a net profit of just $206.38 billion from $12.69 billion worth of sales.
Source: LG
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