The latest figures are in from IDC: the top three global smartphone makers are Nokia, Samsung and Apple, in that order. Drilling down into the figures finds some surprises: Cupertino's third-place with only 8.7 percent of the market, while the giants of Korea and Finland are duking it out with 22.8 percent and 26.6 respectively. LG and ZTE are tied for fourth, but that's hardly good news for Goldstar, given that it's lost a staggering 42.2 percent of its market share in the last twelve months (Nokia was the other loser, eating 8.2 percent). The cause for the drop is in part the world's rejection of feature-phones (dropped faster than fashionistas rightly abandoned Ugg Boots and Jeggings) as millions upgraded to smartphones. After the break we've got the tables in full for anyone who wants to have their mind blown at the sheer quantity of handsets shipped in the last year, both financial and calendar.

Continue reading IDC: Nokia, Samsung, Apple are the new top 3 handset makers

IDC: Nokia, Samsung, Apple are the new top 3 handset makers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The fine folks at Verizon's Innovation Labs in Waltham, Massachusetts have posted a couple of videos of their efforts that include their vision of how Verizon plans to deliver TV to all the devices in your home, over both wired and wireless networks in HD, served off of a centralized media server. In addition to tablets, game consoles and computers, the media server will also serve content to smaller, more energy efficient thin clients at the other HDTVs in your home. Besides the obvious benefits of more content in more places, a centralized approach like this also offers the promise of being more user friendly by making the experience consistent across every screen -- no more walking to another room to schedule recordings. We're told the media server is expected to roll out late next year, but sadly, FiOS TV isn't exactly known for delivering new technologies when promised.

Verizon FiOS TV's new media server scheduled for late 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yes, Sony Ericsson has already gone about communicating its intention to deliver Android 4.0 to its Xperia smartphone collection, but the company is now sharing further details about the pending arrival. So, we thought you'd like to be in on the know. For starters, the first devices to receive the upgrade will be the Arc S, Neo V and Ray, each of which are on-track for a late March / early April rollout. Then, beginning in late April / early May, Sony intends to deliver Ice Cream Sandwich to the Active, Arc, Mini, Mini Pro, Neo, Play and Xperia Pro handsets. Even the Live with Walkman is set to receive a new lease on life during the time frame. In each case, the latest version of Android will be rolled out in phases, over the course of a few weeks. Now, let's just hope that Sony Ericsson is able to keep to its schedule.

Sony details Xperia's Ice Cream Sandwich progress, remains on track for late March kick-off originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Do you live in one of Bell's LTE markets and own a laptop? Do you wish your machine could hitch a ride on the Canadian carrier's 4G waves? Well sir or ma'am, may we submit for your consideration, the Novatel U679 Turbo Stick -- an LTE USB modem that can hit a maximum speed of 75Mbps. (Though, generally you're looking at between 7Mbps and 14Mbps.) When LTE is unavailable, the U679 falls back on 42Mbps, dual-carrier HSPA+ or plain ol' 21Mbps HSPA+. You can pick one up today for just $60 with a three-year contract, but those with a fear of commitment will have to plunk down $120 to avoid being locked into a service contract. If you've still got questions, might we suggest peeping the PR after the break.

Continue reading Novatel U679 Turbo Stick delivers 4G LTE to Bell laptop customers for $60, with 3-year contract

Novatel U679 Turbo Stick delivers 4G LTE to Bell laptop customers for $60, with 3-year contract originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Sep 2011 04:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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