MediaTek announces first true octa-core processor

MediaTek has officially announced the world's first true octa-core processor. The latest SoCs allows all the eight cores to run simultaneously, unlike the Samsung implementation, which can activate up to half of its CPU cores at once. The true octa-core processors offer you enhanced performance, power efficiency and improved user experience.

The MediaTek true octa-core processor allocates processing power to different cores on per-application and per-task basis that gives the ultimate multi-tasking experience. The newest addition to the MediaTek SoCs comes with advanced web browsing feature that has the unique ability to allocate individual browser tabs to CPU cores.
The processor also has the ability to delegate user input to individual cores and renders 3D effects more smoothly and enhances the user interface. The multi-threaded programming in the processor enables improved video framerate processing, which gives superior gaming experiences.
Lastly, the octa processor has an efficient video playback feature that reduces that battery used for decoding HEVC FHD video by up to 18% when compared to the current quad-core processors. The octa-core solution also provides 20% more frames while on display mode.
Unfortunately, there is no word on the specifications and the launch date of the true octa-core processors.

 

IDC: Apple and Samsung lose market share in Q2

According to the latest figures from Internation Data Corporation (IDC) market analysis, Apple and Samsung continue to dominate the smartphone market. However, the companies have seen their shares slip in Q2 of this year compared to what they had last year.
Of the estimated total of 237.9 million smartphones shipped this past quarter, Samsung accounted for some 72.4 million units, or 30.4%. Despite shipping more units in Q2 than for the same period of last year, Samsung's market share dropped from 32.2% due to seasonal sales rates and lost market share to up-and-comers like LG and Lenovo.


LG was able to ship 12.1 million units in Q2, giving it a 5.1% market share, while Lenovo sold 11.3 million units, or 4.7%. Those two saw their shipments increase by 108.6% and 130.6% YoY, respectively.

Apple, meanwhile saw its market share drop by almost a quarter to 13.1% in Q2. The (highly) rumored release of a budget iPhone model alongside the iPhone 5S should hopefully bring things back for the Cupertino-based company, but the effects of those will only be properly felt in Q4.

iCharts

The lost market share is likely of little concern to either Apple or Samsung, as both are raking in huge profits from their smartphone offerings. Particularly Samsung, who is celebrating a record $8.5 billion profit for Q2.

Specs of Samsung Galaxy Note III leak, 5.7-inch display confirmed

The upcoming Galaxy Note phablet has been doing the rounds in the rumorland for quite a while now. The specifications of the third generation Galaxy Note have appeared several times and now we have an official confirmation from a Samsung insider, in front of Business Daily.

Samsung Galaxy Note III is confirmed to feature a 5.7-inch display, 3 GB of RAM and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Furthermore, the alleged spec sheet of Galaxy Note III reveals that the device will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset with the latest 4G LTE-A support.
We will know more about the Galaxy Note III, when Samsung unveils its next generation Galaxy phablet on September 4 in Berlin.

Press render of BlackBerry 9720 Samoa leaks

BlackBerry recently announced that the company will be coming up with a new BlackBerry 7 smartphone. The handset carrying the now obsolete platform is targeted at consumers in the emerging markets and we now have a press render showing what it looks like.

The BlackBerry 9720 Samoa has been leaked, courtesy of evleaks. The image confirms that the phone packs a QWERTY keypad and an optical trackpad with send, menu, end and back keys alongside it.
It looks like the BlackBerry 9720 will come out with few dedicated buttons placed on the sides of the smartphone. The upcoming BB 7 device is rumored to sport a 480 x 360 pixel display, but info on its other specs is scarce at the moment.
Unfortunately, there is no word on the launch date of the smartphone, but with the press renders ready, we expect it to happen pretty soon enough.

Samsung announces record $8.5B profit for Q2

Samsung announced a record $8.5 billion in operating profit, beating the $8.3 billion guidance it released early this month. That's up from the $7.9 billion from the previous quarter and $5.8 billion from the year ago quarter. Net profit was $6.99 billion.
We were a little wary of reports that Samsung had beaten Apple in profitability, but the Cupertino company (and Samsung's main smartphone rival) posted a net profit of $6.9 billion, coming a narrow second this time.
Sales are up across the board for the Samsung divisions, but mobile division actually marked a decrease in operating profit quarter on quarter (it's up YoY), despite the launch of the Galaxy S4 flagship, which has been selling quite well (but not as well as some analysts expected).


Analysts say that while Samsung and Apple dominate the high-end smartphone market, that market has been saturated and the action is now in the mid- and low-end segments. Samsung has carved out a 30.4% market share (down from 32.2%) despite sales rising 43.9% (Apple's sales rose 20%).
Apple doesn’t compete in the low-end just yet, but Samsung does. However, companies like LG and Lenovo saw their sales double and stronger competition from HTC, Sony and Nokia have made things more difficult for Samsung, while the increased spending on R&D and marketing didn’t help either.
Regional growth in sales in America and China is largely due to the launch of the Galaxy S4, which lead sales overall. Smartphone demand increased slightly, despite the weak seasonality. Samsung expect next quarter to see continued growth with LTE driving it in developed markets and emerging markets like China to gobble up mass-market smartphones.
Samsung's tablets were on the rise in emerging markets, but went down in developed markets. Samsung expects high growth in both markets next quarter despite stiffer competition.
Samsung's semiconductor business is seeing low desktop demand but strong mobile and server sales, with growing demand for NAND memory for SSD and phone/tablet storage. DRAM shipments increased and will only go up thanks to demand for graphics memory for the new consoles (Xbox One and PS4).
Samsung's TV and panel business is on the rise too, with increasing average selling price thanks to demand large TVs (60+ inches) and the new UHD panels.

Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 get Android 4.3 today

Google officially announced the latest version of Android operating system, 4.3, at its event today. The newest version of Android is a minor upgrade over the currently present Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS and brings restricted profiles, a few other minor features along with a bunch of performance enhancements.

As one can expect, the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS will be first available on Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10. What might come as a slightly surprise is that you won't even have to wait a day - the update will start rolling today. After the roll-out to the Nexus line-up, the latest Android release will be seeded to the Google Play Editions of Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. We got no time frame for that, but we were promised it will be happening soon.
The Android 4.3 Jelly Bean software update will be available over-the-air (OTA) so keep an eye for that notification.

LG G2 to go on sale in August, the US gets it in September

The LG G2 has leaked numerous times already. This is why we mostly have a handle on the specs it will have – 5.2" 1080p display, Snapdragon 800 chipset with 2GB RAM, Android 4.2.2, 13MP camera and 2,540mAh battery.
We even saw several teaser videos that don't really give away anything but the taglines "To me, you are perfect" and "Learning from you" and show a short glimpse of the characteristic back with two buttons next to the camera.
Now there are a couple of new leaked images of the LG G2, which show a potential change in design. The curved back covered in glossy plastic can be seen in four different color versions – Black, Blue, Red and Purple. That's a departure from the clean glass look of the Optimus G and G Pro.

Leaked images show different colors
At the same time, the teaser site is available in two color versions – White and Black. Clicking between the two nothing but the background changes. Is this a slight hint that the G2 will stick to the black and white colors of its predecessor? Those could be snap-on back panels as one observant reader points out. We'll find out for sure on August 7.
The good news is the event will be livestreamed, so you can watch the unveiling live. We'll put up the video when the time comes and we'll have people on the ground to bring you live photos and first-hand impressions.
Korean publication Khan throws in some more info – the LG G2 will reportedly launch in early August in South Korea, not long after the announcement, then in the US in September. Europe and the rest of the world will get the smartphone in October.