Samsung tipped to be the main chipset supplier for next iPhone

Around 75% of the application processors that would power the next generation iPhone will be supplied by Samsung, according to a report from South Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper, which cited unidentified sources in the semiconductor industry. While there was no word on the financial details of the deal, as well as which other companies, apart from Samsung, will be supplying the processors, a Reuters report noted that the South Korean company will manufacture the chips in its factory in Austin, Texas. Samsung was the company behind the A7 SoC that powered the iPhone 5S, which Apple launched back in 2013. However, the Cupertino-based company ditched Samsung in favour of Taiwan-based TSMC for its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Via 1 | Via...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_tipped_to_be_the_main_chipset_supplier_for_next_iphone-news-10907.php

Samsung will manufacture the Tizen-based Z1 in India

Samsung will manufacture the Tizen-based Z1 smartphone in India. The Korean giant launched the affordable device in the country earlier this month. The device's manufacturing process will take place in Samsung's Noida facility in India. The company's Vice President of Marketing for India confirmed the news. Targeted a first-time smartphone buyers, the dual-SIM Samsung Z1 is priced at Rs 5,700 (about $93). According to industry sources, the Korean giant has sold about 50,000-55,000 units of the handset since its launch in mid-January. This is a stellar achievement for the Tizen device considering the highly competitive price segment it inhabits. Samsung will soon launch the Z1 in Bangladesh. The device is not likely to make it to more mature global markets. Source |...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_will_manufacture_the_tizenbased_z1_in_india-news-10906.php

Walmart offers contract-free Apple iPhone 6 with $150 off

Walmart is offering Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus with significant discount in the United States. Major US carrier versions of both devices are available with $150 off Apple's regular price without contract. A 16GB iPhone 6 is priced at $498, while its bigger brother goes for $598 for a model with 16GB of built-in memory. Apple typically asks $649 and $749 respectively for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. It is worth noting that Walmart's promo is valid for refurbished devices in like new condition with 90-day warranty. Refurbished hardware has been thoroughly inspected and tested before hitting the shelves. Currently available models include 16GB iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus for AT&T and iPhone 6 model for Sprint with the same amount of memory. Larger memory models are not yet available. Source |...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/walmart_offers_contractfree_apple_iphone_6_with_150_off-news-10905.php

Xiaomi-for-iPhone trade-in program reportedly in the works

Xiaomi has a trade-in program for Apple iPhone users in the works. The word about the bold marketing stint arrived from an executive from the ambitious Chinese startup. Reportedly, iPhone 5s owners will be able to trade their device for the freshly announced Xiaomi Mi Note. Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users on the other hand, will be able to set themselves up with the drool-worthy Xiaomi Mi Note Pro. According to the report, users will be able to trade their iPhone in regardless of its condition. However, we do suspect that a functioning device is required for the swap to take place. Official details about the program are yet to be revealed. We reckon that, at least initially, the trade-in program will only be available in China. Source (in Chinese) |...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_for_iphone_tradein_program_reportedly_in_the_works-news-10904.php

Cyanogen looking to break dependence from Google

At an event in San Francisco, the CEO of Cyanogen Inc. Kirt McMaster spoke about the company's bold plans about the future. As it turns out, Cyanogen has ambitions "to take Android away from Google." Cyanogen wants to provide an open version of Android on a deeper level than what's currently available. This will allow the company to offer its partners "tier one services." McMaster gave Google Now as an example. The search giant's mighty personal assistant interacts with the core of Android in a way third-party apps are not allowed to. Cyanogen plans to give such access to apps made by their partners. One example discussed was Yahoo's Aviate launcher, which could benefit from such deep integration into the OS. of course, for that to become a reality, Yahoo would have to team up with Cyanogen, so for now that remains only an example. Furthermore, Cyanogen plans to "not be based on some derivative of Google in three to five years." This means that the company plans to break away from Google Play services. The latter are unsurprisingly firmly controlled by the search giant. Cyanogen plans to break away from Google Play services by creating its own app store in collaboration with partners. The latter is expected to go live within 18 months. Overall, it appears that Cyanogen has more or less had it with Google and its control over Android. We are quite curious to find out if the small, yet ambitious company can materialize its bold plans. So far, only Amazon has somewhat managed to do so, though, it is worth noting, that the retail giant has considerably more resources than Cyanogen. Source...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/cyanogen_looking_to_break_dependence_from_google-news-10903.php

Top 10 trending phones of the week

This week was light on new product launches, especially after the hectic week we had before that. Some of the new devices shot up into the Top 10 though interest quickly cooled off leading to some pretty big shifts in the leaderboard. The Top 10 trending phones chart is a recap list of the devices that gathered the most hits throughout the week. In other words, the chart represents the interests of the majority of you, our visitors, and is an indication of what currently interests you. The Samsung Galaxy A5 catapulted forward from 9th to 3rd place with a newcomer to the Top 10, the Galaxy Core II, taking its former position. Its bigger sibling, the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime, claimed the top spot after the Xiaomi Mi Note Pro ended its short stint in first place (it fell off the Top 10 completely). The Asus Zenfone 2 proved another lightning in a bottle, while the Zenfone 5 remains in the running. .news-item .n-left { float: left; width: 26%; text-align: center; } .news-item .n-right { float: left; width: 74%; } .news-item a { padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; } .news-item .n-right h2, .reviews-item .n-right h2 { clear: both; padding: 0 0 3px 0px; font: 400 19px Oswald, Arial; margin-top: -4px; } .n-right p { margin-top: 25px; line-height: 155%; } .news-item { padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom: 10px; border-top: 1px solid #ccc; } .news-item p { margin-left: 0; } .n-right h2 .phone-name { display: inline-block; width: 252px; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: text-bottom; } .n-right h2 a { text-decoration: none; color: #000; } .flat-button{ text-align:center; text-decoration: none !important; font: 400 22px Oswald,Arial !important; //font-family: sans-serif; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-size: 150%; //background: #0CADA7; padding: 20px 60px !important; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-border-radius: 5px; -moz-border-radius: 5px; border-radius: 5px; margin: 10px 0; -webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; -ms-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; -moz-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; -o-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #fff !important; } .flat-button-1 { background: #0CADA7; } .flat-button-1:hover { background: #0A948F; color: #666666 !important; } .flat-button-2 { background: #FF7E47; } .flat-button-2:hover { background: #EE7440; color: #666666 !important; } .n-right .rank-info { display: inline-block; font-family: "Oswald",​Arial,​sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 100; } .n-right .rank-info .current-rank { font-size: 23px; } .circle { background: none repeat scroll 0 0 #8fb28f; border-radius: 50%; height: 23px; width: 23px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 10px -1px 10px; } .arrow { width: 0; height: 0; border-style: solid; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 10px -1px 10px; } .arrow-up { border-width: 0 15px 25px 15px; border-color: transparent transparent #0cada7 transparent; } .arrow-down { border-width: 25px 15px 0 15px; border-color: #ff7e47 transparent transparent transparent; } Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime RANK: 1WAS: 2 specs review Samsung Galaxy S5 RANK: 2WAS: 3 specs review Samsung Galaxy...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/top_10_trending_phones_of_the_week-news-10888.php