Microsoft Says Premium Lumia Smartphones with Windows 10 Coming Soon

Microsoft, after announcing restructuring plans for the phone business, has now confirmed that the company will announce "premium Lumias designed for Windows 10" soon. Additionally, the Redmond giant has confirmed that it will be announcing several devices at this year's IFA.

Microsoft's Terry Myerson, Executive Vice President of the Windows and Devices Group, while speaking at the company's Worldwide Partner Conference on Monday said, "Last week we announced a focusing on our Lumia lineup, but let me be clear: soon you will see premium new Lumias designed for Windows 10." Myerson however did not mention any possibility of Windows 10 powered smartphones launching at the IFA.

Preliminary leaks have suggested that Microsoft is working on two high-end Lumia handsets codenamed 'Cityman' and 'Talkman', both the smartphones are said to be targeted at the premium segment.

In a separate announcement, Microsoft revealed (via Windows Central) that Nick Parker, Corporate Vice President, OEM Division, Microsoft, will deliver a keynote on September 4 at IFA 2015. The keynote titled "Windows 10 Lights up New Devices," will see launch of new Windows 10 devices including tablets, 2-in-1s, premium notebooks, gaming devices and all-in-ones.

Talking about Microsoft's keynote, Jens Heithecker, IFA Executive Director said, "It's about the software and the experiences it enables on devices! Windows 10 is coming - with new capabilities and experiences for consumers and businesses. We are excited to see Microsoft take the keynote stage at IFA to give us a glimpse at how its partners plan to incorporate that future into the devices we rely on for work, home and play."

Considering that the release did not mention phone launch, Microsoft is indicating it will announce the "premium Lumias" at a different event.

Last week, Microsoft announced that it will launch one or maximum two models each year in three different categories catering to affordable segment, business customers, and premium end or the flagship segment.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5, S6 Edge+ to Launch on August

Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Note phablet is said to launch in mid-August, alongside its rumored dual-edge variant.

Digitimes reports citing sources at Taiwanese telecom carriers that Samsung will reveal the Galaxy Note 5 on August 12 at an event in New York and will kick off sales of the smartphone in major markets on August 14. Notably, the new report is in line with an earlier report that claimed Samsung would bring forward the launch of its Galaxy Note 5 ahead of Apple's next iPhones, expected to launch in September.

The report notes, "The mid-August launch will likely put the new Note smartphone model on the market ahead of arch-rival Apple Inc's next iPhones."

Considering that Samsung usually launches its new Galaxy Note-series smartphone in September every year, an advanced launch for the new handset clearly will be an attempt to take on the sales of new iPhones, which is not likely to begin before September-end or early October.

Separately, a report by Sammobile corroborates the August 12 launch date for the Galaxy Note 5, and adds the much-rumored Galaxy S6 Plus with dual-edge display will launch alongside as the Galaxy S6 Edge+. Sammobile also says the smartphones will be released in markets on August 21 and not August 14, which is more in line with the company's usual gap between launches and market availability. Samsung Pay is also tipped to launch alongside in the US.

Previous versions of the Galaxy Note-series, the Galaxy Note 3 (Review | Pictures) and Galaxy Note 4 (Review | Pictures) were launched in September.

Some of the preliminary leaked specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 claim that it will sport a 5.7-inch to 5.89-inch display; measure just 7.9mm thick (compared to Galaxy Note 4's 8.5mm); Exynos 7422, and a 4100mAh battery.

An earlier report even claimed that the Galaxy Note 5 would feature a USB 3.1 Type-C port. If the report about Samsung's inclusion of a USB 3.1 Type-C port in its next Note phablet comes out to be true, the smartphone will be able to transfer files with up to 10Gbps speeds while also featuring updated Power Delivery spec which will allow the device to negotiate for up to 100W of power.

Flipkart to launch Motorola Moto G in India on February 5th

 Flipkart has just sent us a press invite for the launch, slated on February 5th, the same date that Motorola said it wouldreveal more details about the Moto G launch in India. Motorola service center list for India got leaked last week. We already reviewed the phone last year. Check out our Motorola Moto G review, if you are planning to get it.

Motorola Moto G specifications

• 4.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) edge-to-edge display at 329 ppi with Corning Gorilla Glass protection
• 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with Adreno 305 GPU
• Dual SIM (Optional)
• Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) with option to upgrade to Android 4.4 (KitKat)
• 5MP rear camera with LED flash, 720p HD video recording at 30fps
• 1.3MP front-facing camera
• 6.0-11.6 mm thick (curve) and weighs 143 grams
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• 720p HD video playback
• 1GB RAM, 8GB/16GB internal memory
• 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, GLONASS
• 2070 mAh battery

On the launch day, Flipkart would offer lots of deals for the Moto G buyers, such as Free Flipkart eBook vouchers worth Rs. 500, Rs. 1000 off on clothing, 70% off on Moto G shells and more. We should have the pricing for both the 8GB and 16GB variants on February 5th.

Samsung shares fall after Galaxy S4 release

Shares in Samsung Electronics fell 2.63 percent in Seoul on Friday, following the launch of the company's latest flagship smartphone in New York City.

Samsung closed at 1,480,000 won on profit-taking led by foreign investors, with analysts saying the release of the Galaxy S4 had already been factored in and investors were concerned the share price had hit a ceiling.

"It's not because the Galaxy S4 failed to meet expectations. It's just that investors feel technical smartphone upgrades are flattening out,"  Bae Seung-Young of Hyundai Securities told AFP.

The Galaxy S4, which will roll out in 155 countries in late April, has a high-definition, five-inch (12.7-centimeter) screen, enhanced picture-taking capabilities and the capacity to translate to and from nine languages.

Samsung's share price has held steady this year, while rival Apple has tumbled 20 percent as disappointing sales of iPhones raised fears that its dominance may be slipping.

The South Korean giant captured 29 percent of the smartphone market in 2012, to Apple's 21.8 percent, and 23 percent of the overall mobile phone market, ahead of Nokia's 17.9 percent.

Compare

In real terms, Samsung Galaxy S4 cannot be compared to any other smartphone that is available in the market, as the company has gifted Galaxy S IV with the combination of all those best features that are present in small numbers in the other rivals, such as Nokia Lumia 920, HTC One, HTC Butterfly, Sony Xperia Z, BlackBerry Z10, Apple iPhone 5 and many more. The wireless charging feature and the adapt display feature have been adopted from Nokia Lumia 920 while the other features and sensors have already been introduced by other pioneers, so Galaxy S4 is not the pioneer in that term. The strongest and the most toughest competitor of Samsung Galaxy S4 will the upcoming Apple iPhone 5S that is expected to hit the shelves somewhere around Q2 2013.

  Samsung Galaxy S4 is the latest flagship offering by the South Korean giant that is launched at a grand event on 14th March 2013 organized in Manhattan's iconic Radio City Music Hall in the New York City. It will be available for purchase in the market from the first week of April 2013 in some of the international markets. However, the company has spill out no word on the pricing and availability of Samsung Galaxy S4 in India, but according to the internal sources the gadget will touch the ground latest by May or June 2013.

 

 

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