Don’t forget to tune in to the BBC 1 Watchdog consumer programme at 8pm.
This week Anne Robinson is taking aim at the Samsung S4 and what Samsung forgot to tell us about its 16gb phone.
I hope this forces Samsung’s hand to announce the availability of the 32/64gb versions at a sensible cost, direct from their website.
If you do decide to opt for the 32gb model, the available memory is around 23gb.
Dropbox has added another 100 million users means integrating with an ever-increasing number of devices and services. For that, it needs developers, so for the first time it will be holding its first-ever DBX developer conference this summer.
The conference will take place on 9th July 2013 at Fort Mason in San Francisco,and will give developers a chance to meet with Dropbox engineers and one another to share ideas about building on the platform.
This probably is important for Dropbox, as SkyDrive is rapidly increasing its users as well as threats from Amazon and Google in its trading space.
I contacted the ASA regarding the Samsung S4 and the lack of memory with the 16gb, the changes in how memory is managed now by using internal memory only for apps and games, and the lack of the 32gb or 64gb models. This is the response.
“Dear Mr Fabiani-Laymond
Thank you for contacting us about an entry on the Samsung UK website.
You raised two points: the availability of the higher memory Galaxy S4 models and also that the ad did not clarify that not all of the 16GB would be available for customers to use.
In relation to the latter point, I’m afraid we have decided not to pursue this aspect of your complaint. We understand that it is standard industry practice for manufacturers of electronic devices to advertise their product in this way. It reflects the actual size of the product memory and in the case of the Samsung UK website, the type of content that can be incorporated is clarified. It’s always difficult to evaluate cases such as this, because each user will have differing requirements and we must look at the content of ads as a whole to ascertain whether they are likely to mislead consumers about the product’s capability. In this example, we don’t believe that to be the case.
On your first point, we put your concern about the availability of the higher memory Galaxy S4 models to Samsung. They explained that Samsung UK sells the Galaxy S4 to retailers and mobile networks, which in turn sell them to consumers. The retailers and mobile networks are able to order any version of the Galaxy S4 (e.g. 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB). However, they said to date, the only version of the Galaxy S4 ordered by the retailers and mobile networks in the UK has been the 16GB version. This is primarily due to the huge demand for the 16GB version.
They did say that consumers may be able to order the 32GB and 64GB from retailers based elsewhere in Europe, and retailers and mobile networks in the UK may order the 32GB and 64GB from Samsung UK if there is consumer demand, so they had included reference to the 32GB and 64GB versions to clarify that those models did exist. However, in order to avoid confusion, they have decided to remove reference to the 32GB and 64GB Galaxy S4 devices until a retailer or mobile network orders them. Having checked the website today, I notice that the amendment has been made.
Given Samsung’s response, we won’t take matters further this time. We would like to thank you, however, for raising your concerns with us. If you would like more information about our work, please visit http://www.asa.org.uk.”
The response is disappointing and weak in my view. All Samsung had had to do is amend their website and now everything is fine. In addition it is apparently ok to mislead consumers with memory claims as well.
Update:
I have challenged the ASA with regards to the memory claims and now am waiting for a further response.
Finally BBM is coming to iOS and android in the summer. This might be the turning point for the company. The official news release is as follows –
WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – May 14, 2013) – BlackBerry® (NASDAQ: BBRY)(TSX: BB) today announced plans to make its ground-breaking mobile social network, BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™), available to iOS® and Android™ users this summer, with support planned for iOS6, and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher, all subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play. BBM sets the standard for mobile instant messaging with a fast, reliable, engaging experience that includes delivered and read statuses, and personalized profiles and avatars. Upon release, BBM customers would be able to broaden their connections to include friends, family and colleagues on other mobile platforms.
In the planned initial release, iOS and Android users would be able to experience the immediacy of BBM chats, including multi-person chats, as well as the ability to share photos and voice notes, and engage in BBM Groups, which allows BBM customers to create groups of up to 30 people.
“For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We’re excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community,” said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, Software Product Management and Ecosystem, at BlackBerry.
BBM is loved by customers for its “D” and “R” statuses, which show up in chats to let people know with certainty that their message has been delivered and read. It provides customers with a high level of control and privacy over who they add to their contact list and how they engage with them, as invites are two-way opt-in. iOS and Android users would be able to add their contacts through PIN, email, SMS or QR code scan, regardless of platform. Android users would also be able to connect using a compatible NFC-capable device.
BBM has more than 60 million monthly active customers, with more than 51 million people using BBM an average of 90 minutes per day. BBM customers collectively send and receive more than 10 billion messages each day, nearly twice as many messages per user per day as compared to other mobile messaging apps. Almost half of BBM messages are read within 20 seconds of being received; indicating how truly engaged BBM customers are.
Today, BlackBerry also announced BBM Channels, a new social engagement platform within BBM that will allow customers to connect with the businesses, brands, celebrities and groups they are passionate about. BlackBerry plans to add support for BBM Channels as well as voice and video chatting for iOS and Android later this year, subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play.
If approved by Apple and Google, the BBM app will be available as a free download in the Apple® App Store(SM) and Google Play store. Additional details about system requirements and availability will be announced closer to the launch.
Nokia held an event this morning from London, where it announced the following –
The Nokia Lumia 925-
-8.7-megapixel with OIS and Carl Ziess optics and flash
-A 4.5-inch OLED display
-The side ia an aluminum frame, and contains the antenna construction. Very strong reception.
-The back shows an inserted plate into the aluminum frame
-Grey and black versions, a polycarbonate rear
-Nokia Smart camera software for combining images, action shot of 10 photos, best shot, motion focus
-Ships in June at 469 euros plus taxes
-Available on T-Mobile US, China Mobile and Unicom, Vodafone UK, Italy and Spain,
-The 925 is slimmer and lighter than the 920 and will have a 32gb exclusive variant
Nokia Smart Camera –
-This software is coming as an amber update to existing Nokia’s.
Nokia Apps –
-Windows Phone has 145,000 apps
What will count with the Nokia Lumia 925 is the camera quality. Will it hold the trophy for the best smartphone camera?
Good news, if you have a Three UK branded HTC One, there is a software update going live today. It should be software v1.29 which fixes a number of bugs and improves the camera HDR mode and normal photos too.
It is not showing yet on my HTC One, but it won’t be long now.
Two great phones but which has the best selection of cases.
Looking at MobileFun it has 76 cases on offer for the HTC One and 242 cases for the Samsung S4. Clove Technology has 18 cases on offer for the HTC One and 43 for the S4. So far the Samsung S4 is trumping the HTC One.
But the real showcase is searching on eBay UK for fitted form cases for each device. The HTC One has 1,460 available to buy. Sounds amazing. But the S4 has 15,069 available!
Clearly the S4 is the clear winner when it comes to finding cases.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has been confirmed to appear at the D11: All Things Digital conference in May, following up on his debut in 2012 by kicking off this year’s proceedings with an opening night interview.
D11 is scheduled to run from May 28 to30, with other tech moguls like Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Motorola Mobility’s Dennis Woodside, Pinterest’s Ben Silbermann, Android head Sundar Pichai and Sony’s Kaz Hirai, among others, slated for interviews.
Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S4 Zoom has been hitting the news recently. So far it is rumoured to have the following features-
– 16-megapixel camera
– 10 x optical zoom (this will be excellent as digital zoom is rubbish)
– a 4.3-inch qHD display
– Android Jelly Bean
As to the other specs, we will just have to wait, but I wonder many features of the standard S4 will be missing from the Zoom?
Thai phone manufacturer i-mobile published a series of pictures of the IQ X and IQ XA, a pair of thin, Android 4.2 devices with a 4.7-inch 720p display and MediaTek’s quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 SoC.
These phones feature a 8MP camera in front (you read that right) and 18 megapixels in rear, both with BSI sensors and autofocus lenses. The phones come with 1GB of RAM, 4GB of built-in storage, a microSD card reader, dual-SIM slots and dual GSM 900/1800MHz radios. The IQ X supports HSPA+ 42Mbps on 850/2100MHz, while the IQ XA swaps those bands for 900/2100MHz.
What’s also neat about these phones is the size. They are not giant sized phones, but easy to hold one handed but with astonishing specifications.
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