Windows Phone and iOS surge as Android shrinks in Europe - Telegraph.co.uk

"Featurephone owners present a huge opportunity, representing more than half of all mobile users globally and this will be the new battleground over the next year. With the iPhone 4 and lower end or older Samsung Galaxy models selling well among first time smartphone owners, there is plenty of competition for these customers."

Globally, Apple and Android continue to dominate sales. Android is far stronger across the major European markets and China where it accounted for around 70 per cent of smartphone sales during the past quarter, while Apple continues to perform very well in the USA where it has grown its share to 43.4 per cent of sales.

"Apple and Android must focus on a balance between retaining existing customers and attracting featurephone owners to trade up if they want to continue their success over the next year," said Sunnebo.

Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch launch date revealed - Telegraph.co.uk

The plans also suggested the watch would be able to make and receive phone calls, send emails and texts, store information and access the internet.

Documents on the Moveplayer news site showed then that the company has registered the names Samsung Galaxy Gear for the US market and Samsung Gear for South Korea.

The South Korean company is making the first major launch in what may soon become a crowded market: Google and Apple have filed patent documents suggesting they plan to develop watches, while Microsoft has confirmed it is working on a version of its own.

Meanwhile, specs for the Galaxy Note III have been leaked online, suggesting the device will have a 5.68-inch 1080p display, 3 GB of RAM, a 13 megapixel camera and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor.

IBM reports a surprise fall in third quarter sales - BBC News

16 October 2013 Last updated at 20:10 ET

IBM has reported a 4% decline in sales in the three months to September, which was worse than analysts had been expecting.

The world's biggest technology services firm has not reported a rise in quarterly sales since the fourth quarter of 2011.

But the company still delivered a net income of $4bn (£2.5bn), a rise of 6%.

IBM's computer hardware division had a particularly weak quarter with a 17% fall in sales.

"I think that the hardware business is going to be something they need to work through and growth markets are down much more than expected," said Josh Olson analyst, Edward Jones .

Shares in IBM fell 6% in after hours trading.

How would you change HP's Envy Sleekbook 6z? - Engadget

HP's range of thin-and-light notebooks like the Sleekbook 6z were designed to undercut the Ultrabook with cheaper internals. However, when the base model retails for around $600 and a bone-fide Ultrabook isn't that much more expensive, was there any point to this device? When we reviewed it, we found that the performance was sluggish and there was a finicky touchpad that detracted from its comfortable keyboard and decent battery life. So, let's imagine that Meg Whitman invited you to design the follow-up, tell us, how would you change it?

Can I scan barcodes with a Sony Xperia Z? - Telegraph.co.uk

It is not surprising, and entirely understandable that it takes a while for newcomers to get to grips with all of the features on smartphones and tablets, so let us begin with reading barcodes. Nowadays they come in two varieties: original UPC (Universal Product Code) barcodes; which are the familiar blocks of vertical lines of varying width and spacing; and QR or Quick Response codes, square boxes, filled with a pattern of small blocks. In both cases they are captured by the smartphone or tablet's camera and decoded by an app, which uses the phone's Internet connection to identify the product or load a web page. On some phones you have to download a barcode reader app but one is pre-installed on the Xperia Z, called Neoreader. Just tap the Neoreader icon and point the camera at the barcode. The phone vibrates when it has been successfully read and it displays the search results or web page on the screen.

Microsoft's Now-Deleted Anti-iPhone Commercial Is The Funniest Thing From ... - TechCrunch

It's Friday, kids, so calm down and have a laugh. Do this: Stop caring about Apple and Microsoft and Google and the phone in your pocket and the platform of your dreams and all that. Instead, giggle at the following video clip in which Microsoft takes on Apple in a way that I honestly did not see coming.

Microsoft knew that the clip would cause controversy, and they yanked it quickly, likely as planned. Whatever. It's still farking hilarious and worth watching. If you can't laugh, you can't take a joke and that means you are three points of calcification from being a statue. Laugh!

Enjoy:

Go nuts if you want but I'm busy laughing. Have another coffee.

Top Image Credit: Sean MacEntee

Nokia leaks Lumia 1520 details on Chinese online store: 20MP PureView ... - Engadget

Looking for more evidence that Nokia's about to unleash an oversized Windows Phone? You've got it: the company's official Tmall store (an online marketplace in China) recently published a product page for the fabled Lumia 1520. There's no images to speak of, but the listing agrees with the handset's rumored 6-inch 1080p display and 20-megapixel PureView camera. The page also promises a Snapdragon 800 CPU and a 4,999 Yuan (about $819) price tag. That said, the page seems to just be a placeholder for now, but the phone is expected to be officially announced at Nokia World later this week. Hopefully, it'll be worth the wait.