Artemis PR

LG busts out a trio of L-series phones in the run up to MWC

L.K. — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:20:48 +0000

LG’s gotten all excited and spilled even more beans ahead of MWC as to what offerings we’ll see at the big Iberian shindig. The L-Series is a trio of phones we’re already part-way familiar with, given that the budget L3 was leaked back in January. The L5 and L7 are aimed at the mid-range and premium ends of the market, running ICS and packing 4-inch and 4.3-inch displays respectively.

Whilst there’s no further detail about specs, we know that the L-series shares the same DNA as the Prada Phone 3, so we’d imagine that as a good benchmark. The PR boasts of “five aesthetic elements,” all of which seem to emphasize that the phone’s going to be quite thin. After the break we’ve got that brief statement in full and the nagging sense that there’s no surprise forthcoming when LG takes to the stage next week.

Apple tops Google in corporate reputation, study shows

L.K. — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:16:31 +0000

Apple has edged out Google to become the most reputable company of 2012, according to a study from marketing research firm Harris Interactive. The firm’s 13th annual Reputation Quotient (RQ) survey had Apple coming ahead of Google, which held the top spot in 2011′s poll. Coca-Cola, Amazon and Kraft Foods rounding out the top five. “We are seeing the emergence of a group of companies that garner reputation equity by being positively associated with multiple industries,” said Robert Fronk, executive vice president of Harris Interactive. “Companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon.com combine innovation and leadership across multiple business areas, giving them true competitive advantage.” Apple recorded an RQ score of 85.62, the highest in the survey’s history, and was the top ranked in four of the six key dimensions of reputation — financial performance, products and services, vision and leadership and workplace environment.

The Cupertino-based company was topped by Whole Foods in social responsibility, and by Amazon in emotional appeal.

Acer CloudMobile smartphone to debut at MWC

L.K. — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:30:35 +0000

The previously unknown CloudMobile smartphone has received the 2012 iF design award, which recognizes an outstanding achievement in design, according to Pocket-lint. The device is the latest flagship handset to come from Taiwanese manufacturer Acer, and it is expected to be unveiled at this month’s Mobile World Congress trade show.

The CloudMobile is rumored to feature a 4.3-inch high-definition display, Dolby sound and Android 4.0, and it is less than 10 millimeters thick. According to Acer, the handset is the first smartphone to offer AcerCloud technology, which “enhances mobile productivity by providing seamless document management.” The CloudMobile smartphone is currently slated to launch in the third quarter of 2012.

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iPad 3 design revealed as new wave of parts leak; Retina Display possibly pictured

L.K. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:53:14 +0000

More details surrounding the design of Apple’s upcoming iPad 3 have been revealed as images of a variety of internal components have been published online along with new images of the tablet’s rear shell and possibly Apple’s new Retina Display as well. Following reports on Wednesday that emerged surrounding a purported image of the iPad 3′s rear case, Cult of Mac has published higher-quality images of the same component along with a number of additional internal parts. While the various components pictured in the new leak show significant differences in many instances compared to their counterparts in the iPad 2, the external design of the upcoming iPad 3 looks like it will only offer a few minor differences compared to the current model, in line with earlier reports. Read on for more.

Separately, Japanese blog Macotakara has published an image of a 9.7-inch display panel with 2,048 x 1,536-pixel resolution. The panel is not confirmed to be destined for the iPad, the size, timing and alignment with earlier rumors certainly suggest this is the case. Apple’s next-generation iPad 3 is expected to launch early next month. Rumors suggest the new tablet will be an incremental upgrade that features a quad-core A6 processor, a new high-definition Retina Display and an upgraded camera. Additional images follow below.

White Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone to launch later this month

L.K. — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:16:39 +0000

Nokia on Monday officially took the wraps off a white version of its Lumia 800 Windows Phone. Nokia originally launched the device in black and cyan, and the white version adopts a gloss finish instead of the matte coloring of the other models. Nokia says the device will be made available later this month. “Since we began selling it late last year, the Nokia Lumia 800 has received rave reviews around the world,” said Ilari Nurmi, Vice President of Product Marketing, Nokia. “Now in white, the Lumia 800 brings with it an even more premium look and feel with its gloss finish, but packed with power and performance underneath its sleek body.” Nokia’s full press release follows after the break.

White Nokia Lumia 800 available this February

Espoo, Finland – Nokia announced today that the Nokia Lumia 800 will be available in white, beginning later this month.

With Windows ® Phone 7.5 software on board, the white Nokia Lumia 800 features head-turning design and the best social and Internet performance, with one-touch social network access, easy grouping of contacts, integrated communication threads and Internet Explorer 9. It features a 3.7-inch AMOLED ClearBlack curved display blending seamlessly into the reduced body design, and a 1.4 GHz processor with hardware acceleration and a graphics processor. The Lumia 800 contains an instant-share camera experience based on leading Carl Zeiss optics, HD video playback, 16GB of internal user memory and free SkyDrive storage for storing images and music.

Lumia smartphones include signature Nokia experiences optimized for Windows Phone, including Nokia Drive, which delivers a full-fledged personal navigation device (PND) with free, turn-by-turn navigation and dedicated in-car-user-interface; and Nokia Music introducing MixRadio*, a free mobile music-streaming application that delivers hundreds of channels of locally-relevant music. Windows Marketplace also gives Lumia users more than 55 000 apps to choose from.

“Since we began selling it late last year, the Nokia Lumia 800 has received rave reviews around the world,” said Ilari Nurmi, Vice President of Product Marketing, Nokia. “Now in white, the Lumia 800 brings with it an even more premium look and feel with its gloss finish, but packed with power and performance underneath its sleek body.”

More information about the Nokia Lumia 800 can be found at www.nokia.com/lumia800.

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Apple’s mobile web share reportedly slid in Q4 as Android took No.1 spot

L.K. — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:14:21 +0000

Although Apple outsold all Android vendors in the fourth quarter, the Cupertino-based company’s share of mobile internet usage is reportedly beginning to slide. An analysis of last year’s Internet usage shows that in the United States, the proportion of Android mobile web visitors overtook Apple users by the end of the year, according to 51Degrees.mobi. The share of Apple’s iOS web traffic in December fell to 34.1%, while Android increased to 36.6%. In Europe, Apple remained ahead with 42.6% however, despite an increase in Android traffic that pushed the platform to 25.5% by the end of 2011. RIM’s BlackBerry devices remained stable in both regions with roughly 9% of all mobile web usage. “The battle for mobile operating system dominance is far from over”, said 51Degrees.mobi CEO James Rosewell. “Apple experienced record sales of iPad2 and iPhone devices, yet its share of mobile web traffic declined in the US and Europe – indicating just how many more Android based products were used online in the same period.” The firm’s full press release follows after the break.

Decline in Apple share of mobile internet usage shows battle to dominate mobile phones and tablets is far from over

Apple’s dominance of mobile web traffic appears to be fading

Android traffic now ahead in the US; Apple still leads in the UK

BlackBerry share of web traffic remains stable

Nokia starting to slide in India

51Degrees.mobi, the leading provider of device detection and web optimisation solutions, has today published an analysis of the mobile devices its online partners detected browsing the internet last year.

The 51Degrees.mobi Mobile Web Trends 2011 white paper shows that the proportion of mobile web visitors in the USA with Android devices overtook Apple users by the end of the year. The share of Apple iOS web traffic in December 2011 fell to 34.1% in the US, while Android increased to 36.6%.

In Europe, Apple remained ahead with 42.6% of mobile web visits despite an increase in Android usage to 25.5% by the end of 2011.

Figures for RIM’s BlackBerry OS were stable in the USA and Europe throughout the second half of 2011, varying by just a fraction of a percentage point. Both regions saw BlackBerry usage remain at around 9% of all mobile web traffic.

Unlike the mobile market in Europe and the USA, mobile phone use in India has been dominated by Nokia and its Symbian operating system for several years. Nokia mobile web visits fell in H2 2011 from 57.3% of the total figure to 50.6% by the end of the year.

The data has been collated from customers who use 51Degrees.mobi free and premium device detection services.

“The battle for mobile operating system dominance is far from over”, said 51Degrees.mobi CEO James Rosewell. “Apple experienced record sales of iPad2 and iPhone devices, yet its share of mobile web traffic declined in the US and Europe – indicating just how many more Android based products were used online in the same period.”

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Sony ST25i ‘Kumquat’ Android smartphone possibly leaked

L.K. — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:48:02 +0000

Next month we’re sure to hear about the latest smartphones from several of the world’s largest phone makers during Mobile World Congress, however that hasn’t stopped a number of leaks from occurring ahead of the show. The latest is a possible image of what is presumed to be Sony’s upcoming ST25i “Kumquat” Android smartphone.

Specs are still slim at this point and we’re a bit suspicious since it still features the “Sony Ericsson” branding, but this could easily be an early prototype since even the smartphones on display at CES featured the Sony Ericsson name. Sony recently announced it was purchasing Ericsson’s stake in the Sony Ericsson joint venture and its newest phones are now branded “Sony,” but Xperia Blog, which leaked the image, said Sony may still launch devices with Sony Ericsson branding.

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Google to protest SOPA and PIPA on homepage tomorrow

L.K. — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:26:56 +0000

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) have driven the Internet into a frenzy, with numerous Silicon Valley companies objecting the entertainment industry backed bill. Earlier this week, Wikipedia, Reddit and numerous other companies announced blackouts scheduled for Wednesday in protest of both SOPA and PIPA.

Google too plans to make its opposition clear, however the company won’t be blacking out its website. Instead it will raise awareness using the Google search homepage. ”Like many businesses, entrepreneurs, and Web users, we oppose these bills because there are smart, targeted ways to shut down foreign rogue Web sites without asking American companies to censor the Internet,” a Google representative said. “So tomorrow we will be joining many other tech companies to highlight this issue on our U.S. homepage.” When asked how these protest links would be displayed, Google told CNET it will not replace the company’s logo, but it will post a link on its homepage that leads to more information. Google’s homepage is the most visited web page in the world and the company’s actions will definitely draw plenty of attention.

All white Samsung Galaxy Tabs emerge in Vietnam

L.K. — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:17:23 +0000

Samsung has released white versions of several of the company’s mobile devices lately. While the back of the various devices would be white, the front bezel around the screen typically remained black — that is, until now. It would appear that Samsung has been working on a white bezel to integrate into the company’s future milky-colored devices; a white Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus have emerged in Vietnam and feature truly all white design. The specs of the Tab 10.1 and Tab 7.0 Plus remain unchanged, reports claim. No pricing or availability details have been announced.

Lacta chocolate bar conveys message via augmented reality

L.K. — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:53:23 +0000

Here is a break from all the crazy news that comes hard and fast from the CES showfloor – and I am talking about the Lacta chocolate board in Greece, where consumers will be able to harness the power of augmented reality in order to convey a secret message to a friend. Of course, before you can have some sort of secret visual handshake with your mates, you will need to download and install a free Android and iPhone mobile application by OgilvyOne Worldwide. Following that, you will then be able to send a message to a friend or family member through any chocolate bar from Kraft Foods’ Lacta brand.

Before that, think carefully how do you want to compose the message on the Lacta app, where you can then preview it, and WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) applies here, letting you know just how your intended message will appear on the Lacta bar. After that, just enter the name of the recipient – with the only drawback being only Facebook contacts are eligible at the moment. Hopefully future versions will see it be compatible with anyone and everyone else on your phone’s contact list. Once the recipient receives a Facebook notification, and download the app, the camera of their phone will be turned on automatically to reveal the message.