Displaying items by tag: Smartphones

Chinese smartphone maker vivo, one of the three main brands owned by B.B.K. Electronics, has announced discounts on some of its models from 1 April as an Easter promotion.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre says it is aware of disruptions being experienced on some Department of Parliamentary Services-issued smartphones and tablets over this weekend.

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has seen its net profit grow by 36.7% in the final quarter of 2020 to 3.2 billion yuan (A$647 million), the company said, adding that revenue for the quarter was 70.5 billion yuan.

The world's sixth largest PC maker, Acer, appears to have been hit by the Windows REvil ransomware — aka Sodinokibi — and the Taiwan-based company says it has reported "recent abnormal situations observed" to law enforcement.

In what is also an obvious promotion for reviews site Reviews.org, the company has cleverly come up with a digital detox challenge for one person in the US, and another in Australia, offering USD or AUD $2400 to each successful applicant to do just that.

Global smartphone shipments in 2021 are predicted to grow 13.9% year-on-year in the first quarter and 5.5% for the full year, the technology analyst firm IDC says.

Australia's biggest telco, Telstra has announced eSIM activation for all its MVNOs through Telstra Wholesale after a successful trial with two MVNO partners" in what is an Australian first in this space, with MVNOs to offer the service "in the next few months".

The Dutch company ASML, the biggest manufacturer of lithography equipment for making semiconductors, has extended a deal with Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, China's biggest chip maker, according to a short statement issued on Wednesday.

The European smartphone market had a rollercoaster of a year in 2020, experiencing a drop of 14% in sales year-on-year with April being the worst month with sales down by almost 50% on the corresponding month in 2019.

Samsung Electronics has announced that the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has released an "updated Security Configuration Guidance" that includes a range of new Samsung Galaxy devices which can now be used by Australian government departments and Critical Infrastructure agencies.

Apple has overtaken Samsung in global smartphone sales to end users during a quarter for the first time since 2016, the technology research firm Gartner says, adding that total global smartphone sales fell 5.4% for the fourth quarter of 2020 and 12.5% for the whole year.

The number of Huawei smartphones manufactured this year will be between 70 million and 80 million units, the website Nikkei Asia reports, adding that this would be about a 60% decline from the 189 million units made in 2020.

Shipments of smartphones to India, the globe's second biggest market, in 2020 fell after a number of years of growth, with 150 million units being shipped, a drop of 1.7% year-on-year, the technology analyst firm IDC reports.

Although you still hear ads on the radio for people to buy digital radios, which do offer excellent sound quality and no need for a data plan, the latest stats show that radio listening via phones and smart speakers has surged.

Chinese smartphone manufacturer OPPO has cut a deal with Australian behemoth Harvey Norman to stock its devices across the country.

Global sales of smartphones in 2021 are forecast to reach 1.5 billion units with 5G devices to make up 35% of this total, the technology research firm Gartner says.

The global semiconductor market grew by 5.4% in 2020 the pandemic notwithstanding, pulling in US$442 billion (A$581 billion), a better than expected showing, the technology research firm IDC says.

Apple and Samsung were the only two companies to see an increase in smartphone sales in the US in the fourth quarter of 2020, with a 6% decline in sales year-on-year being experienced overall.

With the school holidays now over, and back to school now the new reality, at least in Australia where the COVID-19 threat is almost non-existent, a whole stack of kids will be getting their first smartphone - but what should you know before you give them one?

Global smartphone shipments have returned to positive growth in the final quarter of 2020, led by Apple, with its iPhone 12 helping the company to ship a record 395.9 million units and take top spot for the three-month period, according to technology research firm Counterpoint Research.