A close look at the Windows Phone landscape in November 2015
Windows 10 Mobile is already running on seven percent of compatible Windows Phone devices, according to a new report from ad network AdDuplex, ahead of the official roll-out. The new smartphone operating system from Microsoft has reached this distribution level thanks to pre-release builds installed by enthusiasts who joined the Windows Insider program.
Windows 10 Mobile is currently the third most popular release of Windows on smartphones, after Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows Phone 8. But there's a long way to the top for the new kid on the block as the current leader, Windows Phone 8.1, powers 78.9 percent of all Windows smartphones.
Huawei unveils new Mate 8 flagship
Huawei has slowly but surely been strengthening its position in the smartphone market, taking the last place on the podium in the third quarter of the year. It may not be a threat to Apple in the near future, but Huawei has a significant advantage in terms of unit shipments over fourth place holder Lenovo.
Part of the company's success can be attributed to its flagship Android devices, which offer similar specs to premium competitors but at a price which is considerably more attractive in the eyes of a wider range of consumers. And its latest flagship, Mate 8, promises to be even more appealing, especially for phablet enthusiasts.
Black Friday shopping and beyond -- Here are the hottest deals in tech right now!
Shopping on Black Friday can be a great way to save money with amazing deals. With that said, why wait? There are plenty of amazing online deals that are live now. Seriously, forget about waiting on long lines and fighting with other shoppers on Friday; you can get all of your Christmas shopping done now while wearing pajamas.
Of course, not all deals are created equal. Actually, some online deals are straight-up wack. Don't worry, your friends at BetaNews have got your back. For the next few days, I will be updating this article with the hottest tech deals I find online. There are no sponsored links; it is just our way to say "thank you" to our readers. If you find any good deals, please share them in the comments and I might add them to the list!
Dear Satya Nadella, the pitiful Lumia 950 signals Microsoft should give up on mobile
Hey, Satya Nadella, you are doing a pretty good job at Microsoft. Windows 10 is a darn good desktop operating system, although you need to work on those confusing privacy settings, bro. Office 2016 is great too, as always, and your cross platform apps are wonderful. Hell, even Bing continues to get better.
We need to have a heart to heart about Windows 10 Mobile, otherwise known as the continuing of Windows Phone, though. Here's the thing -- nobody wants it. Other than some Microsoft fanboys and beat-writers like Paul Thurrott and Mary Jo Foley, it's about as wanted as diarrhea. Yes, Satya, I am comparing your mobile operating system to loose stools. While that sounds a bit extreme, it sadly actually isn't. It's time to give up on mobile. Free your fanboys from their mental prisons.
Toshiba Q300 480GB SATA SSD [Review]
If you are still running your operating system from a traditional hard drive, I want you to slap yourself in the face. Why? You are doing your computing wrong. Sure, a mechanical hard drive is great for storage, but your OS will absolutely fly with a solid state drive. While they used to be expensive, the prices have dropped so dramatically in recent years, there is no excuse not to upgrade. It has become a cliché, but an SSD is the best upgrade you can make.
Recently, I have been testing the Toshiba Q300 SSD. The particular model I have been using is 480GB. Keep in mind, capacity can impact performance, so your mileage may vary based on the size you pick. This is a SATA variant, so performance won't be mind-blowing, but with that said, SATA will remain the most-used connection type for the near future, and for folks upgrading older machines. Is the Q300 a smart choice?
Apple video explains how to use Apple Pay to pay for things... like apples
There's quite a lot of competition in the digital payment arena at the moment. Apple Pay is one of the latest to join the likes of Samsung Pay and Android Pay, and Apple is keen to demonstrate just how easy it is to use its payment system.
For many people, using a smartphone to pay for coffee is an intuitive process, but Apple wants to sell its service to more people. The company needs to break down any barriers that might be standing in the way of new users adopting Apple Pay, and this is the reason for the appearance of a video that serves as a 'how to' guide.
LG announces its own mobile payments service
Korean tech giant LG has announced it will soon be launching its own mobile payment service. The service, which will be a direct competitor to Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Android Pay and other mobile payment systems, will be available in South Korea and the US, for starters.
According to IB Times, LG has registered the trademark LG Pay in South Korea and United States, so it’s very likely that will be the service’s name.
Hisense Sero 8 Pro: Affordable Android tablet, fantastic screen [review]
With tablets it’s usually true that you get what you pay for. The more you can afford to spend on a device, the better the product you’ll end up with. That said, there are some decent, very affordable tablets available. Take the new Amazon Fire, for example, which is a pretty good 7-inch tablet for just $49.99.
The Hisense Sero 8 Pro is a little more expensive -- £108 from Ebuyer -- but for that you get a larger screen, 7.85-inches, with "Retina" graphics (2,048x1,536), that offers excellent color, contrast and detail and is hard to fault. The tablet also packs a quad core ARM Rockchip processor running at 1.61GHz, with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. There’s a microSD slot so you can boost capacity by 32GB should you require more space.
Windows Phone's market share goes into freefall
Windows Phone is becoming an increasingly unattractive proposition in the eyes of smartphone buyers. The tiled operating system dropped to 1.7 percent market share in the third quarter of the year, thanks to extremely weak sales of Lumia devices. Microsoft is the largest vendor of smartphones running the tiled operating system, so its performance has a strong effect on the platform's popularity.
In the third quarter of the year, Windows Phone sales reached 5.87 million units according to research firm Gartner. For the same period, Microsoft says Lumia sales were 5.8 million units, suggesting that its platform market share is close to the 100 percent mark. And things don't look great for Windows 10 Mobile devices either.
Smartwatches set to be big sellers from Black Friday through holiday season
Wearables are going to fly off the virtual shelves in the run-up to Christmas according to a new report from Argus Insights. And when it comes to splashing out on smartwatches and fitness trackers, research shows that price is seen as far less important than quality.
This means that despite its higher price tag, the Apple Watch is the most sought-after device this year. Times may be tough, but market analysts believe that shoppers are going to be willing to cough up for quality this holiday season, with high-end devices such as the Pebble Time Steel and LG Watch Urbane are expected to sell in large numbers behind the Apple Watch.
iPhones generate 94 percent of global smartphone profits
If you ever needed evidence that the iPhone is a huge money maker, it’s safe to say that we now finally have it. On paper, in black and white.
According to a recently published Canaccord Genuity report, Apple has made 94 percent of global smartphone profits during the third quarter of the year, even though it had sold 14.5 percent of all smartphones in the quarter.
Google+ gets a refresh -- you should actually use it now
Google+ is a big joke, right? No one uses it, right? Wrong and wrong. The search-giant's social network is actually quite good and has many active users. I would argue that it is the best such network, superior to both Facebook and Twitter, but I digress. True, it does not have as many active users as the aforementioned competitors, but its focused purpose arguably makes it a better resource. It is brilliant for meeting like-minded individuals by using the "Communities" feature.
With all of that said, the Google+ interface was a bit clunky and confusing. Heck, it was very heavy too, causing web browsers -- in my experience -- to use a lot of resources. Today, Google announces that it is refreshing the service -- a new coat of paint and improved interface. Will this lead to increased usage?
Priv is BlackBerry's last hope -- can it woo consumers and business users?
It’s fair to say that BlackBerry has been struggling a bit in recent times. After initially being a leading light in the smartphone arena last decade, it has since seen its main competitors go on to take control of the market.
The likes of Apple and Samsung are selling more phones than ever and are now -- and have been for some time -- the dominant forces in a world that BlackBerry is struggling to still be a part of. A report from earlier in the year said that Apple now enjoys a 34.1 percent share of the UK smartphone market, with Android leading the way 53.2 percent and BlackBerry bringing up the rear with 1.2 percent.
Adobe announces private data marketplace
Adobe today announced Audience Marketplace, a new data exchange in Adobe Audience Manager, the company’s data management platform (DMP).
Audience Marketplace is a private data marketplace that connects advertisers and content publishers to buy and sell second and third-party data faster and with more simplicity. The data exchange also enables companies to scale their high-value audience segments for personalized and targeted content across marketing channels.
Best Buy reveals its Black Friday deals and sales start now
The holiday shopping season is right around the corner or, in some cases, here now. We've already seen Amazon launch its store which contains the "Lightning Deals" it offers each year as an incentive to keep customers coming back frequently.
Not to be outdone, Best Buy is kicking off its festivities now as well. The company announces today that deals will be available immediately both in stores and online.
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