Moblily-china mobile phone news

Strategy Analytics: Apple ruled the LTE device market in Q3 2014

With the end of September Apple marked another quarter with top results in terms of LTE device revenue. The report issued today by Strategic Analytics also puts Samsung and LG very close by the California tech giant, but more surprisingly two Chinese manufacturers - OPPO and Vivo are also on the list. And it is not that the list is overly long - it shows metrics for 20 major vendors, the two companies have both actually shown such amazing LTE sales numbers that are now, for the first time ever, in the top five.

The LTE market also seems to be one of the fastest growing segments with a whopping quarter to quarter growth of 57% from Q2 to Q3 of 2014. Apple's current device lineup is consistently dominating the area and it will come as no surprise if the numbers at the end of the calendar year are even more assertive of the fact.

In any case, with the holidays around the corner, we will be checking back pretty soon to evaluate the bigger yearly picture.

Source | Via

Oppo N3 unboxing and first impressions

http://vondroid.com/threads/oppo-n3-unboxing-and-first-impressions.30050/#.VIJrz_mUflo

Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director’s Cut makes its way to Google Play for Android tablets

Following its success on the PC, Shadowrun: Dragonfall Director’s Cut has just been released to the Google Play Store. The game is a standalone version from the Shadowrun campaign from developer Hairbrained Schemes. The release brings a slew of new features, missions, alternate endings, and more, all to the mobile platform.

For those who are unfamiliar with the game, it’s set in the year 2054. The lines between man and machine have been blurred, and the entire world is in chaos. Germany is in shambles, elves and trolls are a part of everyday life, and huge companies are controlling everything. You play as a team of shadowrunners, awaiting the return of the Great Dragon Feuerschwinge, which is possibly the only hope of survival.

This game is incredibly story-heavy and offers tons of character development, allowing you to be engulfed in the cyberpunk-fantasy world. The aim of the game is to lead your team of shadowrunners to victory using tactical skills and unique strengths (and weaknesses) as your characters progress and develop. The game takes more of a classic RPG route and uses turn-based tactical combat.

For those interested, the game will run you $6.99. It doesn’t have any in-app purchases, so once you get over the big price tag, you can play the game to the fullest. It’s also a pretty big download, coming in at almost 1GB, so make sure you have enough space on your device before you try to download it and that you’re connected to Wi-Fi if data usage is an issue. Whether you’re a fan of the series or just classic RPGs in general, this game is certainly worth checking out. Download it from Google Play today!

Kingsoft, Xiaomi, etc. announce new $35 million investment fund to develop new IP

On Friday, Chinese web security company Kingsoft announced that together in concert with Xiaomi, Zhigu, and more, it has established a new RMB 200 million (US$35 million) investment fund. According to Techweb, the fund will be used primarily for investments relating to the development of new intellectual property.

It’s not certain exactly what kind of IP the fund will invest in, but all signs point to the fund being a reaction to China’s antitrust investigation of Qualcomm and the subsequent decision to make Qualcomm ditch its “reverse patent license.”

The reverse patent license forced Qualcomm clients – which included many Chinese tech companies – to lift their patent fees when working with each other. But with Qualcomm now ordered to abandon that system, Chinese tech companies with numerous hardware patents (primarily Huawei and ZTE) could be in a position to gouge tech companies that don’t own as much of their IP (like Xiaomi). The establishment of this new fund suggests that rather than pay to license patents that were previously free, Xiaomi and other tech companies are interested in developing new patents of their own.

Kingsoft and Zhigu have both reportedly put RMB 10 million (US$1.6 million) into the fund, while Xiaomi has kicked in RMB 30 million (US$4.8 million). The remainder of the money will come from the fund’s other partners.

See: Xiaomi’s fitness wearables partner raises $35 million in series B funding

Ridiculous-looking Hilfiger jacket charges your phone via the sun

You’re out and about town and it happens: your phone warns you it’s down to just a few percentages of life before it quits on you leaving you completely sad, alone and without your trusted portal to the web and your favorite apps. But wait, it’s 2014, it is the future — so you simply plug your phone into your coat, it starts charging, and you’re good to go. Or at least that’s apparently clothing company Tommy Hilfiger’s vision for the future of mobile charging.

In partnership with solar manufacturer Pvilion, Tommy Hilfiger’s unique new jacket contains 7 to 10 solar panels on the back and stores the energy it collects from the sun’s rays into a special power bank that stores up to 6000 mAh of energy. The battery can then be connected to up to two devices via USB while you wear the jacket, providing plenty of extra juice. Tommy doesn’t specify how long it actually takes to charge up the battery, but it is worth noting that the battery and panels are completely removable for washing and the battery can also be charged up through a regular outlet.

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We have to admit that this thing sounds cool, but it certainly doesn’t look too appealing. This thing is just oozing with fashion, or not. While there are versions of the jacket for both men and women, we find it hard to believe anyone would feel that comfortable wearing this in public. Perhaps as a camping trip accessory, then? Only if you don’t mind paying $599 for something arguably so ugly, and therefore niche, that you’ll barely ever wear it.

With a high price tag and unconventional design you might wonder why Tommy Hilfiger even bothered. To their credit, the limited edition jacket is probably more about making a statement then bringing in the dough. Further confirming that pure profit isn’t the aim here, Hilfiger is donating 50 percent of the proceeds from the jacket towards the Fresh Air Fund – a non-profit agency that provides free summer vacations to the country for New York City children from disadvantaged neighborhoods.

What do you think of this unique charging jacket, if it were a bit cheaper and a touch less hideous, would consider picking something like this up?