Smartphones

Slowing smartphone sales hit Samsung profits

BBC NEWS

Samsung Electronics has been hit by falling sales for its smartphones and semiconductors.

The "difficult business environment and slowing IT demand" sent net profit for the fourth quarter to December down by 40% to 3.2tn won ($2.7bn, £1.9bn).

The South Korean giant warned it would be difficult to maintain profits this year at the same level as 2015.

Revenue for 2015 fell 5.6tn won to 200.6tn won ($165.5bn, £116bn) compared with the previous 12 months.

Strong competition from cheaper Chinese rivals such as Xiaomi and Huawei at the bottom of the market, as well as Apple at the premium end, has dented Samsung's smartphone sales.

The Galaxy S6, the most recent top-of-the-range handset launched last April, failed to excite consumers and the company has struggled to maintain market share.

'Tough time ahead'

Jake Saunders, Asia-Pacific director at ABI Research, told the BBC: "It's showing that they are under pressure - about half of their revenue comes from mobile devices.

"Xiaomi is getting traction in markets like India and Indonesia, which are very large markets for smartphone devices and it's also where we see strong growth.

"The overall market only grew by a little bit over 2 % in 2015 so they are going to have a tough time," Mr Saunders cautioned.

Samsung forecast single-digit percentage growth in both smartphone and tablet sales amid "softening demand and intensifying competition".

"Despite this challenging environment, the company will focus on increasing smartphone shipments and maintaining a double-digit margin through releases of competitive devices," the firm said.

Its other core business, semiconductors, has also met headwinds following weaker demand for personal computers.

Samsung makes components for the iPhone, which is itself facing a slowdown in sales.

Apple said on Tuesday it expected to report the first year-on-year decline in iPhone sales in the current quarter.

Shares in Samsung Electronics fell 2% in Seoul.

Smartphones

iPhone 6s Features

3D Touch The next generation of Multi‑Touch.

The original iPhone introduced the world to Multi-Touch, forever changing the way people experience technology. With 3D Touch, you can do things that were never possible before. It senses how deeply you press the display, letting you do all kinds of essential things more quickly and simply. And it gives you real-time feedback in the form of subtle taps from the all-new Taptic Engine.

Cameras 12MP pictures. 4K videos.
Live Photos. Lasting memories.

The world’s most popular camera is more advanced than ever. The 12-megapixel iSight camera captures sharp, detailed photos. It takes brilliant 4K video, up to four times the resolution of 1080p HD video. iPhone 6s also takes selfies worthy of a self-portrait with the new 5-megapixel FaceTime HD camera. And it introduces Live Photos, a new way to relive your favourite memories. It captures the moments just before and after your picture and sets it in motion with just the press of a finger.

Technology A9. The most advanced chip
ever in a smartphone.

iPhone 6s is powered by the custom-designed 64-bit A9 chip. It delivers performance once found only in desktop computers. You’ll experience up to 70 percent faster CPU performance, and up to 90 percent faster GPU performance for all your favorite graphics-intensive games and apps.

Design A breakthrough design.
Pushed even further.

Innovation isn’t always obvious to the eye, but look a little closer at iPhone 6s and you’ll find it’s been fundamentally improved. The enclosure is made from a new alloy of 7000 Series aluminum — the same grade used in the aerospace industry. The cover glass is the strongest, most durable glass used in any smartphone. And a new rose gold finish joins space gray, silver, and gold.

Touch ID Advanced security. Right at your fingertip.

Using a highly advanced fingerprint sensor that’s now faster and better than ever, Touch ID makes unlocking your phone easy and secure. And it lets you use Apple Pay at over a million stores and within participating apps.

Wireless Faster LTE.
Faster Wi‑Fi.

iPhone 6s features LTE Advanced with speeds up to twice as fast as the previous generation.* It supports more LTE bands than any other smartphone. And when you’re connected to Wi-Fi, iPhone 6s lets you do things like browse the web and download apps at speeds up to twice as fast, too.

iOS 9 An experience unlike any other. On a phone unlike any other.

iOS 9 is the most advanced, intelligent, and secure mobile operating system in the world. Powerful new built-in apps, advanced features in Siri, and enhancements throughout the system make it smarter and more essential than ever. Deep integration with Apple hardware makes everything work together beautifully. And the App Store is full of incredible apps that have been tailored to take advantage of what iPhone is capable of.

Smartphone

Smartphones may decrease sedentary time: Study

People bored of following sedentary lifestyle should start consulting their smartphones as it can help them get active and reduce chances of weight gain, a new study has claimed.

According to a pilot study, using smartphone reminders to prompt people to get moving may help reduce sedentary behaviour, increase activity and reduce chances of weight gain, higher body mass index (BMI) and obesity.

Researchers Darla E. Kendzor, PhD of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and Kerem Shuval, PhD of the American Cancer Society, explored whether smartphone interventions have the potential to influence sedentary behaviour.

Participants wore accelerometers to measure movement and carried smartphones for seven consecutive days.

Participants who reported more than two hours of sitting during the day received a message emphasizing that long uninterrupted sitting is bad for health. It encouraged them to stand up and move around more and to sit less.

Over the seven-day study period, participants had significantly fewer minutes of daily sedentary time and more daily minutes of active time than controls.

Accelerometers recorded three per cent less sedentary time than control participants, equalling about 25 minutes of time spent engaged in activity rather than in sedentary behaviour on any given day.

"Smartphone prompts appear to be a promising strategy for reducing sedentary behaviour and increasing activity," the authors said.

Adults in the US spend an average of about 8 waking hours per day being sedentary.

The study, supported by the American Cancer Society, appeared in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Smartphones

SAMSUNG GALAXY S6 EDGE+ FEATURES

LOVE THE VIEW
The larger dual-edge display is more than beautiful. It lends depth to your movies, breathes life into your games. There’s room for you to experience more, feel more.

PLAYING FAVOURITES
Assign a colour and place on People Edge to five of your favourite contacts. Reach out to them at any time by simply swiping inwards from the Edge Handle.

MORE THAN WORDS
When words aren’t enough, send a poke or an emoticon to your People Edge contacts. OnCircle lets you communicate in ways that really count.

SAVOUR THE SOUND
When it comes to your favourite tracks, sound quality matters. Enjoy rich, balanced audio with Bluetooth audio accessories that support UHQ Audio.

SHARE IN REAL-TIME
Celebrations are always better when you are sharing. Livestream the fun straight from your Galaxy S6 edge+ using the camera’s Live Broadcast function. 4GB RAM and LTE Cat.9 support ensure uninterrupted streaming.

STEADY FOOTAGE
No more shaky handheld videos. Video Digital Imaging Stabilisation meets Optical Image Stabilisation to ensure you get clear and steady footage everytime.

FOUR STORIES
Capture amazing moments with friends by activating the camera’s Collage mode. Shoot four video clips and combine them into one great video collage.

GO WIRE-FREE
Just pop your Galaxy S6 edge+ down for a power nap and pick it up fully charged just two hours later.

POWER ON
Whether you are streaming videos or playing games, cable charging is so fast that you can keep going with only a minimum of interruptions. Go from a flat battery to full charge in just 90 minutes.

POWERFUL OPTIONS

Watching videos, going for a run and partying on a Saturday night all call for different outfits and charging accessories. Choose the right one for the moment.

CLEARER MEMORIES

Whether it’s dark and cloudy out or fair and sunny, you can snap away in the knowledge that every photo you take will turn out looking fantastically clear and blur-free.

BETTER SELFIES

Take better selfies than ever with the camera’s Advanced Selfie technology and a host of incredible filters designed to accentuate your best features.

Smartphones

Samsung Galaxy S6 feature

Exquisitely Crafted, Captivatingly Brilliant

 Inspired by the works of glassblowers and artisan metalsmiths, the Samsung Galaxy S6 represents a seamless fusion of glass and metal. Make a breathtaking design statement with its beautiful curves and radiant glass surfaces that reflect a wide spectrum of dazzling colours.

Improved Aperture, Clearer Pictures

Both of the Samsung Galaxy S6’s front and rear cameras feature higher resolution and F1.9 aperture, allowing you to take clearer images wherever you are. What's more, simply press the home button twice to go straight into camera mode – so you'll never miss an important moment again.

Ultra-fast Charging

Never worry about your battery again thanks to the Samsung Galaxy S6’s lightning-fast charging speed, which is up to 1.5 times faster than previous models. Its wireless charging compatibility means you can simply pop the Samsung Galaxy S6 onto a compatible charging pad for a wire-free recharge.

Peerless Performance

With twice the booting speed of previous models and super-fast app launching, the Samsung Galaxy S6 gives you unbeatable performance and improved energy efficiency. Its 64-bit architecture is truly powerful, letting you take multitasking and multimedia functions to the next level.

Dazzling Display

Equipped with a 5.1” Quad HD (2560X1440) Super AMOLED display, the Samsung Galaxy S6 provides an impeccably sharp viewing experience. Featuring an adaptive display, it provides unbeatable clarity both indoors and outside. Plus, improved brightness levels and pixel density let you take superb images wherever you are.

Enhanced Security

Enjoy unprecedented peace of mind with the Samsung Galaxy S6’s powerful security solutions: KNOX and a fingerprint scanner.

Smart Manager

The new Smart Manager application lets you check an array of useful information such as battery status, storage, RAM, security and more at a glance.

Smartphones

                                               10 Best Smartphones in the World

                                               1.  Samsung Galaxy S6

                                               2.  Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

                                               3.  LG G4

                                               4.  Google Nexus 6P

                                               5.  Apple iPhone 6s

                                               6.  OnePlus 2

                                               7.  Vodafone Smart Prime 6

                                               8.  OnePlus X

                                               9.  Sony Xperia Z5 Compact

                                              10. BlackBerry Priv                              

Smartphones

A smartphone is a mobile phone with an advanced mobile operating system which combines features of a personal computer operating system with other features useful for mobile or handheld use. They typically combine the features of a cell phone with those of other popular mobile devices, such as personal digital assistant (PDA), media player and GPS navigation unit. Most smartphones can access the Internet, have a touchscreen user interface, with either a Gorilla Glass, sapphire, or similar screen, can run third-party apps, music players and are camera phones. Most smartphones produced from 2012 onwards also have high-speed mobile broadband 4G LTE internet, motion sensors, and mobile payment and with a smartphone anyone can reach friends and family even if they are living in different countries with application such as whatapp or a skype and that too paying just a very small amount of money.

In 2007, Apple Inc. introduced the iPhone, one of the first smartphones to use a multi-touch interface. The iPhone was notable for its use of a large touchscreen for direct finger input as its main means of interaction, instead of a stylus, keyboard, or keypad typical for smartphones at the time.

2008 saw the release of the first phone to use Android called the HTC Dream (also known as the T-Mobile G1). Android is an open-source platform founded by Andy Rubinand now owned by Google. Although Android's adoption was relatively slow at first, it started to gain widespread popularity in 2010, and now dominates the market.