Report: Worldwide Tablet Sales Grew 68 Percent in 2013

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhju13RoSXWU1Q1VoJjknBIyFbquAEJfz-ZrUkSBUwcdBxFuJkyh1MsRf55_iUDajAJoWBbuib0z6DqxsslDkU0T0Q4-QlFXz2ng25dIo_mhP2FdDVQ9DmQ8oy1y9ACIy0TpSOkBcA22FZU/s1600/Worldwide+Tablet+Sales+Grew+68+Percent+in+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhju13RoSXWU1Q1VoJjknBIyFbquAEJfz-ZrUkSBUwcdBxFuJkyh1MsRf55_iUDajAJoWBbuib0z6DqxsslDkU0T0Q4-QlFXz2ng25dIo_mhP2FdDVQ9DmQ8oy1y9ACIy0TpSOkBcA22FZU/s1600/Worldwide+Tablet+Sales+Grew+68+Percent+in+2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Over the years, Android has been gaining dominance in the tablet market sphere and 2013 was the year when it finally managed to surpass Apple’s iPad in sales volume.<br /> <br /> <h4 style="text-align: left;"> See Also:  Announce: HTC Confirms M8 For March 25th</h4> Thanks to a sheer number of low cost options, Android held 62 percent market share in 2013 according to Gartner. Meanwhile, Apple was pushed back to the second spot with a 36 percent share. Microsoft also managed to mark its present with a measly 2.1 percent share. Earlier, Gartner had predicted that Android would only be able to overtake iOS in 2015.<br /> So where did all these extra sales come from? Samsung, as you might have expected. The company saw a growth of 336 percent to ship 37 million units. Its share rose from 7.4 percent to 19.1 percent in the period, a repeat of the smartphone wars from yesteryears Apple was still first though, shipping 70 million iPads, most of which were sold in the fourth quarter. ASUS came in third thanks to the Nexus 7 and PadFone line of tablets. Amazon and Lenovo came in the fourth and fifth position respectively. Overall, 195 million tablets were shipped in the year out of which 120 million were running on Android.<br /> <br /> <i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</i></div>

Report: Worldwide Tablet Sales Grew 68 Percent in 2013

Over the years, Android has been gaining dominance in the tablet market sphere and 2013 was the year when it finally managed to surpass ...

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Report: Sony Announces Plans to Address Reform of PC and TV Businesses

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gRw0ddwdpDwE8sN93LGU6rfzqyPeU5q1e8x1q_OkyEuCw8q9FY3Nx3Et5k0HVG65ha4D62bP9Qyj3b4MoIg4jf_TrHYgrx4uN-_hxPdgwCNL0GxAL62Al7HI5DYoc9m2lXOTaVMzil4/s1600/Sony+Announces+Plans+to+Address+Reform+of+PC+and+TV+Businesses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gRw0ddwdpDwE8sN93LGU6rfzqyPeU5q1e8x1q_OkyEuCw8q9FY3Nx3Et5k0HVG65ha4D62bP9Qyj3b4MoIg4jf_TrHYgrx4uN-_hxPdgwCNL0GxAL62Al7HI5DYoc9m2lXOTaVMzil4/s1600/Sony+Announces+Plans+to+Address+Reform+of+PC+and+TV+Businesses.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> Sony has announced that it will be selling its PC business, that includes VAIO range of notebooks to Japan Industrial Partners Inc. The deal shall be completed by March 2014.<br /> <br /> <h4 style="text-align: left;">  See also: <a href="http://www.circlestech.com/2014/02/many-sony-xperia-ends-software-support.html">Many Sony Xperia Ends Software Support Update</a></h4> The decision comes after a slowdown in the PC business, that has impacted more or less every player in the segment.<br /> Sony would no longer be designing new PCs or laptops and would instead shift its focus to post PC devices (smartphones and tablets). That still means that we might see some Windows running hardware from the company. Manufacturing and sales will also be discontinued after the Spring 2014 lineup gets launched globally.<br /> Meanwhile, Sony has also announced it Q3 earnings. The operating revenue for the company rose 23 percent year on year to $23.7 billion, while the operating income was at $885 million. Sony managed to sell 4.2 million PS4 units last quarter, much more than what Microsoft achieved with the Xbox One in the same period. The smartphone sales grew to 10.7 million units, up from 10 million a quarter ago. LCD TV, camera and camcorder business saw growth in sales as well, while the sales of PlayStation Vita more than doubled from last quarter to 2.0 million units.<br /> <i>Source: <a href="http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/201402/14-019E/index.html">sony</a>  </i><br /> <br /> <br /><i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</i></div>

Report: Sony Announces Plans to Address Reform of PC and TV Businesses

Sony has announced that it will be selling its PC business, that includes VAIO range of notebooks to Japan Industrial Partners Inc. The ...

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Microsoft Board names Satya Nadella as Its Next CEO

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmk7JUBJHNR57qVutsXMbCrKx9ywrF_O_xOvAvz_RqKPzUKg3iAqNxtK8Tzu3ezVsDDmy5wp40CNwdVTk_07n7q-PKRbu4NfFEwhAjlZ1tcB0T3VipZ1aISRM3YlU_rCaTBkV1FiVW89U/s1600/Microsoft+Board+names+Satya+Nadella+as+Its+Next+CEO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmk7JUBJHNR57qVutsXMbCrKx9ywrF_O_xOvAvz_RqKPzUKg3iAqNxtK8Tzu3ezVsDDmy5wp40CNwdVTk_07n7q-PKRbu4NfFEwhAjlZ1tcB0T3VipZ1aISRM3YlU_rCaTBkV1FiVW89U/s1600/Microsoft+Board+names+Satya+Nadella+as+Its+Next+CEO.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> Microsoft’s CEO post has been at the center of rumors and leaks for the last couple of months. Today, the company finally announced the successor to Steve Balmer. Meet Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s new CEO. The appointment takes effect immediately, so Steve Balmer can go into an earlier than anticipated retirement.<br /> A quick background check on Nadella tells that he joined Microsoft 22 years ago from Sun Microsystems. Having his roots based in India, Nadella moved to the US to study computer science at the University of Wisconsin. At Microsoft, Satya has worked on cloud and enterprise business. He has played an active role in taking Office to the cloud.<br /> As the newly appointed CEO, Satya has lots of challenges and tasks to complete. The first of them would be to transform Microsoft from a software focused company to a device and services and software centric one. This would include the Xbox business and the newly acquired handset business from Nokia. Also, Satya would be facing the task of increasing Microsoft’s presence in the smartphone and tablet business, where it still holds next to nothing market share when compared to the biggies.<br /> But he won’t be alone in facing these hurdles, since the company founder Bill Gates will take the role of Founder and Technology Advisor, to help Nadella take the company in the right direction. </div>

Microsoft Board names Satya Nadella as Its Next CEO

Microsoft’s CEO post has been at the center of rumors and leaks for the last couple of months. Today, the company finally announced the ...

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Windows Phone Latest Statistics Report for January 2014

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Even after the minor variations, Windows Phone has been on a steady growth trajectory for quite sometime. However, what’s really concerning here is the fact that most of that growth is coming from the lower end segment.<br /> <br /> <h4 style="text-align: left;">  See also: <a href="http://www.circlestech.com/2014/01/microsoft-slashes-prices-of-dell.html">Microsoft Slashes Prices of (Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, Samsung) Windows 8.1 Tablets!</a><span class="GHUY-LPLB"></span></h4> Lumia 520 and Lumia 620 alone make up for over 50 percent of all WP8 devices, while the Lumia 1020 and 1520 are still to make an impact on the charts.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqq7u-VUTrqXo7vy6yyoVO9TOlYEV-fnUiivl6C-FvitIBjLDbyOYpqh6AeJgIFpGqt7uSv4ucrrGTes8egOcy56_4QgdSivc_nYB5ZP0pqc96Kyy2Zvts4jC88totLdRoR5S824t15PI/s1600/Windows+Phone+Latest+Statistics+Report+for+January+2014+(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqq7u-VUTrqXo7vy6yyoVO9TOlYEV-fnUiivl6C-FvitIBjLDbyOYpqh6AeJgIFpGqt7uSv4ucrrGTes8egOcy56_4QgdSivc_nYB5ZP0pqc96Kyy2Zvts4jC88totLdRoR5S824t15PI/s1600/Windows+Phone+Latest+Statistics+Report+for+January+2014+(1).png" width="640" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> AdDuplex data for the month of January shows that the Lumia 520 and 521 together make up for over 40 percent of all WP8 devices and over one third of all Windows Phones (including WP7 devices). However, its growth has rather slowed down, growing only 0.2 percent from last month. Lumia 625 has taken the reigns instead, growing by 0.4 percentage points.Nokia controls close to 90 percent of the market, while HTC is still hanging there with 5 percent market share. What’s concerning for Microsoft here is the dominance of low end phones on the charts. Nokia Lumia 920 was the only ‘high end’ phone on the charts, while the Lumia 1520 and 1020 were nowhere to be seen.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Nt3VViVgv6FA8SYYzakmZ7zNRbdJ9BGrfCK3XDMOiNSKGmjKa21soWefsiPf-1RtGL16za1w8v0XEeI6S6E6CRU7PSH6nnzaFCYrqslw5keBAD3HXEWVh0_cNofGxlADwS66JXLNiss/s1600/Windows+Phone+Latest+Statistics+Report+for+January+2014+(2).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Nt3VViVgv6FA8SYYzakmZ7zNRbdJ9BGrfCK3XDMOiNSKGmjKa21soWefsiPf-1RtGL16za1w8v0XEeI6S6E6CRU7PSH6nnzaFCYrqslw5keBAD3HXEWVh0_cNofGxlADwS66JXLNiss/s1600/Windows+Phone+Latest+Statistics+Report+for+January+2014+(2).png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Meanwhile, close to 80 percent of all Windows Phone handsets are now running on Windows Phone 8. However, the number is down from last month, which is really bizarre. AdDuplex’s explanation for this behavior is that previous month’s data was collected after Christmas when everyone was unwrapping their new smartphones and loading them up with apps, which eventually died out.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioOvdirhQyfO3lqd19285OiT-ej_RhEgznmoQolqS0yAnQuEKtyG20QfgEqj7uq_VQ1kh0h71eBw3XC27ZTzznuB-3C9zYPXcDeqH8IYW-pzSSN3JNLto2a5zBR5mnh3kH9yHyEleHc-Q/s1600/Windows+Phone+Latest+Statistics+Report+for+January+2014+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioOvdirhQyfO3lqd19285OiT-ej_RhEgznmoQolqS0yAnQuEKtyG20QfgEqj7uq_VQ1kh0h71eBw3XC27ZTzznuB-3C9zYPXcDeqH8IYW-pzSSN3JNLto2a5zBR5mnh3kH9yHyEleHc-Q/s1600/Windows+Phone+Latest+Statistics+Report+for+January+2014+(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> 14 percent devices are now on the GDR3 update, while a majority are still on GDR2. Country wise breakdown reveals that all major markets except Germany have the Lumia 520 as the most popular WP handset. Perhaps it is about time Nokia gave the world a 5 inch champion device we’ve all been waiting for.<br /> Meanwhile, AdDuplex has spotted a Samsung device (SM-W750V) with 1080p display and 4.3 inch display size. It’s running on Windows Phone 8 instead of WP8.1, so we might see it real soon. Another 4 inch device from Nokia (Nokia RM-997) has been spotted, but only in China.<br /> <i>Source: <a href="http://blog.adduplex.com/2014/01/adduplex-windows-phone-statistics.html">adduplex </a></i><br /> <br /> <i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</i></div>

Windows Phone Latest Statistics Report for January 2014

Even after the minor variations, Windows Phone has been on a steady growth trajectory for quite sometime. However, what’s really concernin...

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Google reports record revenue of $16.86 billion in Q4 2013: Announces

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBSzMdCAl-x18rGHohNECjGbiB1xM8L7cFBupnrhSZN4rHehebqtxlwvi2I1Vuu_1w0JIrqOf1tK7aVeBNIRzNhr1CpKT5ceyHWkHLXpxyYyctsyPcDwmw6fpGDGmAKXf6-fn5ZLNKZo/s1600/Google+reports+record+revenue+of+$16.86+billion+in+Q4+2013+Announces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBSzMdCAl-x18rGHohNECjGbiB1xM8L7cFBupnrhSZN4rHehebqtxlwvi2I1Vuu_1w0JIrqOf1tK7aVeBNIRzNhr1CpKT5ceyHWkHLXpxyYyctsyPcDwmw6fpGDGmAKXf6-fn5ZLNKZo/s1600/Google+reports+record+revenue+of+$16.86+billion+in+Q4+2013+Announces.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> Google has announced its earnings for Q4 13 and its raining money at Mountain View. The search giant managed to rake in $16.86 billion in revenue in Q4, up 17 percent over the same period last year.<br /> <br /> <h4 style="text-align: left;">  See also: <a href="http://www.circlestech.com/2014/01/google-confirms-its-selling-motorola.html">Google confirms it’s selling Motorola Mobility to Lenovo for $2.91Billion</a></h4> The GAAP operating income for the fourth quarter stood at $3.92 billion.<br /> Google-owned sites generated a whopping $10.55 billion, or 67% of total Google segment revenues. Its partner sites brought in $3.52 billion, while other revenues stood at $1.65 billion. Paid clicks grew by 13 percent quarter on quarter, but the cost per click was down 2 percent compared to the last quarter. In what might be Motorola’s last contribution (or should we say last loss), the division brought in $1.24 billion, down from $1.51 billion an year ago.<br /> <i>Source:<a href="http://investor.google.com/earnings/2013/Q4_google_earnings.html">investor.google </a></i><br /> <br /> <i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</i></div>

Google reports record revenue of $16.86 billion in Q4 2013: Announces

Google has announced its earnings for Q4 13 and its raining money at Mountain View. The search giant managed to rake in $16.86 billion ...

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IDC: Tablet sales up 50% in 2013, but growth is slowing down

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkY5SXrb1QhE9t1NQwtd16jKVguFBjanNrgZ_6UG27cU41ftM4KwBDbT-fkk2xCA-d5YnAZfX1Bbnr3JhI0DP6oPtaHgivixIaNpjp_Ldrpd9mdBVCqufLXN3NqqgrLxVXGxvTzhmXdU/s1600/IDC+Tablet+sales+up+50%25+in+2013,+but+growth+is+slowing+down.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkY5SXrb1QhE9t1NQwtd16jKVguFBjanNrgZ_6UG27cU41ftM4KwBDbT-fkk2xCA-d5YnAZfX1Bbnr3JhI0DP6oPtaHgivixIaNpjp_Ldrpd9mdBVCqufLXN3NqqgrLxVXGxvTzhmXdU/s1600/IDC+Tablet+sales+up+50%25+in+2013,+but+growth+is+slowing+down.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> With laptop sales slowing, those volumes have to shift somewhere, right? And that’s why tablets have been flying off the shelves in the last couple of years. 2013 was no different and saw a 50.6 percent year on year growth for total shipments of 217.1 million units.<br /> <br /> <h4 style="text-align: left;"> See also: <a href="http://www.circlestech.com/2014/01/microsoft-slashes-prices-of-dell.html">Microsoft Slashes Prices of (Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, Samsung) Windows 8.1 Tablets!</a></h4> 2013 was again no different in the sense that Apple’s iPad spearheaded the sales, with shipments crossing 26 million in the fourth quarter alone. It held a 33.8 percent market share in Q4, but has failed to keep the same pace of growth as the overall industry.<br /> Samsung was second, capturing an 18.8 percent market share in Q4 and clocking a YoY growth of astonishing 85.9 percent. Meanwhile, shipments were down for Amazon in Q4 compared to last year. Asus came in fourth thanks to the Nexus 7 and PadFone range of tablets. It was Lenovo here that stole the show. Although fifth on the charts, it clocked a growth of mind boggling 325 percent.<br /> For the future, here’s what Research Director Tom Mainelli at IDC had to say:<br /> “It’s becoming increasingly clear that markets such as the U.S. are reaching high levels of consumer saturation and while emerging markets continue to show strong growth this has not been enough to sustain the dramatic worldwide growth rates of years past. We expect commercial purchases of tablets to continue to accelerate in mature markets, but softness in the consumer segment—brought about by high penetration rates and increased competition for the consumer dollar—point to a more challenging environment for tablets in 2014 and beyond.”<br /> <i>Source: <a href="http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24650614">idc</a> & <a href="http://blog.gsmarena.com/idc-tablet-market-in-2013-was-doing-great-but-growth-is-slowing-down/">gsmarena</a></i><br /> <br /> <i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</i></div>

IDC: Tablet sales up 50% in 2013, but growth is slowing down

With laptop sales slowing, those volumes have to shift somewhere, right? And that’s why tablets have been flying off the shelves in the ...

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Google confirms it’s selling Motorola Mobility to Lenovo for $2.91Billion

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EVUqmC9Pv5CJzEzNxbV1SS4NlJKMYozHcwfC-it2XMgNpFAVjHDHpctCXFWYaVpX-ngKdPOQTdC5kF-aNfhxW_yOoM8FypDzkj9FXYi9p7n_X48c4mEPfg_dIPJzd7bmVnUvQTlpWw4/s1600/Google+confirms+it%E2%80%99s+selling+Motorola+Mobility+to+Lenovo+for+$2.91Billion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EVUqmC9Pv5CJzEzNxbV1SS4NlJKMYozHcwfC-it2XMgNpFAVjHDHpctCXFWYaVpX-ngKdPOQTdC5kF-aNfhxW_yOoM8FypDzkj9FXYi9p7n_X48c4mEPfg_dIPJzd7bmVnUvQTlpWw4/s1600/Google+confirms+it%E2%80%99s+selling+Motorola+Mobility+to+Lenovo+for+$2.91Billion.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> Seems like Motorola will have to change their logo soon enough as it will no longer be a Google company. Google has decided to sell Motorola Mobility to Lenovo in a deal valued at $2.91 billion.<br /> <br /> <h4 style="text-align: left;">  See also: <a href="http://www.circlestech.com/2014/01/google-buys-deepmind-artificial.html">Google buys DeepMind artificial intelligence firm For $240 Million</a></h4> Now, Motorola was acquired by Google for $12.5 billion in 2012. However, the company isn’t making a loss of close to $10 billion on the deal as you’d think. Instead, it will be keeping a majority of Motorola’s patents, while Lenovo will get the handset business along with the Motorola Mobility brand and its trademarks and close to 2,000 patents. Google will allow Lenovo to licence out the patents the Mountain View giant will be keeping with itself.<br /> Despite Google’s best efforts and launch of devices like the Moto X and the Moto G, Motorola has still been a loss making business at Google for as long as it has managed it. With close ties with Samsung and other manufacturers Google might have though that it doesn’t need the hardware making business afterall. Lenovo on the other hand, will get a much needed foothold in the US market where Motorola still has a strong presence.<br /> We’re hoping that Lenovo can turn around Motorola’s fortunes, the way it did with the ThinkPad after acquiring it from IBM. The deal should be closed after it gets regulatory approvals both in China and the United States.<br /> <i> Source:<a href="http://investor.google.com/releases/2014/0129.html">investor.google</a></i><br /> <i><br /></i> <i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</i></div>

Google confirms it’s selling Motorola Mobility to Lenovo for $2.91Billion

Seems like Motorola will have to change their logo soon enough as it will no longer be a Google company. Google has decided to sell Moto...

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Android OS Captured 79% Share of Worldwide Smartphone Shipments in 2013

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf6Lomv6K-EyTB0jFtorr1QN_6ZJ46KiFmD3cX6GFVCEBioHSldEav69_WrWBdlPGoaTkRnWsA73w7U9V04PtrNgQV0ShyphenhyphenIcBkMh7YW2AQUM20p2D_tq9H8so40FkYeERjmpSfl97bGw/s1600/Android+OS+Captured+79%25+Share+of+Worldwide+Smartphone+Shipments+in+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf6Lomv6K-EyTB0jFtorr1QN_6ZJ46KiFmD3cX6GFVCEBioHSldEav69_WrWBdlPGoaTkRnWsA73w7U9V04PtrNgQV0ShyphenhyphenIcBkMh7YW2AQUM20p2D_tq9H8so40FkYeERjmpSfl97bGw/s1600/Android+OS+Captured+79%25+Share+of+Worldwide+Smartphone+Shipments+in+2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> With 990 million smartphones being sold in 2013 according to Strategy Analytics, a major chunk of them belonged to the droid family. In fact, Android was present on 4 out of every 5 smartphones sold last year.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBsZUYqiPNjl2lvnGagNwD7ZB63dLiFm1lmf2506DyDlgEQvRYYNH-NHJS4s2hllljPCrb6vg4bNKkys__2IWISzDQ71PF-9mnW7SRs68VZcNmyk0XOgQUdQUGCj32vTKhYpORPg1R9k/s1600/Android+OS+Captured+79%25+Share+of+Worldwide+Smartphone+Shipments+in+2013+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBsZUYqiPNjl2lvnGagNwD7ZB63dLiFm1lmf2506DyDlgEQvRYYNH-NHJS4s2hllljPCrb6vg4bNKkys__2IWISzDQ71PF-9mnW7SRs68VZcNmyk0XOgQUdQUGCj32vTKhYpORPg1R9k/s1600/Android+OS+Captured+79%25+Share+of+Worldwide+Smartphone+Shipments+in+2013+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> With 781million Android smartphones in consumers’ hands, Android held a solid 78.9 percent market share, up from 68.8 percent last year. A chunk of that growth came at the expense of Apple’s market share, which despite selling 153 million iPhones (up from 135 million in 2012) saw its market share shrink to 3.6 percent.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKe_UsVr_1AAvz0zHBMVCuXHNB4BYVw6yRwuyzGxpjxcaiOJ83AhtKvmAagHq_Gyu6mEDZrFFxqXXEAworBRLiyBBA_vVSiji_eVftn9h66U2MzE7munF-umkgBMRu2NQ37ATcid6ca8/s1600/Android+OS+Captured+79%25+Share+of+Worldwide+Smartphone+Shipments+in+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKe_UsVr_1AAvz0zHBMVCuXHNB4BYVw6yRwuyzGxpjxcaiOJ83AhtKvmAagHq_Gyu6mEDZrFFxqXXEAworBRLiyBBA_vVSiji_eVftn9h66U2MzE7munF-umkgBMRu2NQ37ATcid6ca8/s1600/Android+OS+Captured+79%25+Share+of+Worldwide+Smartphone+Shipments+in+2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> 2013 also saw Windows Phone being firmly placed in the third spot. Although, with just 35.7 million smartphones sold, it could only capture 3.6 percent of the overall market. That’s not all that bad though, since the number is double of what Microsoft could manage in 2012.<br /> <br /> <h4 style="text-align: left;"> See also: <a href="http://www.circlestech.com/2014/01/reports-global-smartphone-shipments.html">Reports: Global Smartphone Shipments Reach a First Time, Record 990 Million Units in 2013</a></h4> SA expects slowdown of Android in 2014 due to the increasing competition. Meanwhile, BlackBerry has dropped out of the main list and joined others. That’s all we need to know how it performed in 2013.<br /> <i>Image:<a href="http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_article_large/public/2013/05/17/android.jpg">ibtimes </a>Source: <a href="http://blogs.strategyanalytics.com/WSS/post/2014/01/29/Android-Captured-79-Share-of-Global-Smartphone-Shipments-in-2013.aspx">strategyanalytics </a></i><br /> <br /> <i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</i></div>

Android OS Captured 79% Share of Worldwide Smartphone Shipments in 2013

With 990 million smartphones being sold in 2013 according to Strategy Analytics, a major chunk of them belonged to the droid family. In ...

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Reports: Global Smartphone Shipments Reach a First Time, Record 990 Million Units in 2013

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIspCmib6cuCRueI2QoejdJR0EhBmvFJbuN_AJnitRFtyY0C_hI92rFD3T-PssI36Jv4OvKXKZiTSrPFb0iQj3YnUczGm-cKahoqnzqpLGQ4pyzQnCGqmvvS-TE9exi-MiujyTcF63U4/s1600/Reports+Global+Smartphone+Shipments+Reach+a+First+Time,+Record+990+Million+Units+in+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIspCmib6cuCRueI2QoejdJR0EhBmvFJbuN_AJnitRFtyY0C_hI92rFD3T-PssI36Jv4OvKXKZiTSrPFb0iQj3YnUczGm-cKahoqnzqpLGQ4pyzQnCGqmvvS-TE9exi-MiujyTcF63U4/s1600/Reports+Global+Smartphone+Shipments+Reach+a+First+Time,+Record+990+Million+Units+in+2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> Put it this way. If every person on this planet kept one smartphone that they purchased in 2013 for themselves, one in every seven people would have walked with a new smartphone in their hands.<br /> <br /> <h4 style="text-align: left;"> See also: <a href="http://www.circlestech.com/2014/01/samsung-to-pay-ericsson-650-million.html">Samsung to pay Ericsson $650 million plus royalties to end patent spat: See Our Benefits</a></h4> Two separate reports from two analysts put the sales of smartphones in 2013 close to a billion. While, IDC claims the sales topped one billion, Strategy Analysts claim the figure stood at close to 990 million. Still, that’s a lot of smartphones. The annual growth rate was also close to an astonishing 40 percent. No wonder every one wants to get on the phone making bandwagon.<br /> Breakdown of the sales reveals that Samsung accounted to almost a third of all those sales, shipping 319.8 million smartphones worldwide (IDC report puts the number at 313.9 million). And although the Galaxy S4 and the Note 3 were key drivers to the sales, umpteen other models also played their roles well.<br /> Apple came in second, shipping close to 150 million smartphones, or less than half of what Samsung managed. Although, the higher profit margins on the sales of iPhone means the company still made a lot of cash. However, with just 13 percent growth rate, Apple failed to keep up with the market’s pace.<br /> LG, Huawei and Lenovo came in third, fourth and fifth respectively (fifth, third and fourth respectively, according to IDC), selling under 50 million smartphones each. This year also saw local manufacturers offering large sized cheap Androids capture a significant share in markets like Korea, China and India.<br /> <i>Source:<a href="http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24645514"> idc </a> &<a href="http://blogs.strategyanalytics.com/WSS/post/2014/01/27/Global-Smartphone-Shipments-Reach-a-Record-990-Million-Units-in-2013.aspx"> strategyanalytics</a></i><br /> <br /> <i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</i></div>

Reports: Global Smartphone Shipments Reach a First Time, Record 990 Million Units in 2013

Put it this way. If every person on this planet kept one smartphone that they purchased in 2013 for themselves, one in every seven peopl...

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Apple breaks revenue, iPhone, and iPad records in Q1

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDU0cFuujFxkJnwu05KVYTcU5yZB7MIg6vL3kvr3lGDuljkI5UAxW16n3sn-wHOD9RmC1pxaVzkMNnz2Ih2oMGHLDx9IuHkhTQ2Ycf9-RyIogRS02kKwqdt0opyxVthej36JhE-BcFlg/s1600/Apple+breaks+revenue,+iPhone,+and+iPad+records+in+Q1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDU0cFuujFxkJnwu05KVYTcU5yZB7MIg6vL3kvr3lGDuljkI5UAxW16n3sn-wHOD9RmC1pxaVzkMNnz2Ih2oMGHLDx9IuHkhTQ2Ycf9-RyIogRS02kKwqdt0opyxVthej36JhE-BcFlg/s1600/Apple+breaks+revenue,+iPhone,+and+iPad+records+in+Q1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> Although recent numbers have shown Apple loosing market share in most of the markets, its quarterly report paints a different picture. The last quarter of 2013 was the best so far for Apple.<br /> <br /> <h4 style="text-align: left;"> See also:  <a href="http://www.circlestech.com/2014/01/report-apples-iphone-6-design-locked.html">Report: Apple's 'iPhone 6' design 'locked down' with 4.8" display</a></h4> The company managed to ship a whopping 51 million iPhones in the quarter, a new record. Apple hasn’t revealed the 5s, 5c breakdown, but has admitted the sales of the latter have been somewhat disappointing. Still the numbers prove that the company won’t be just swept away with the green wave and can hold its ground pretty well even in tough competition.<br /> Apple also managed to ship 26 million iPads in the same period, which is again an all time high figure. More good news came from Mac sales, whihc reached 4.8 million in the quarter. Although, the iPod sales were down 55 percent year on year.<br /> Still it was a positive picture on the whole for the Cupertino giant, with net revenues of $57.6 billion. The profit was relatively flat at $13.1 billion. For the next quarter, the company expects a revenue of $42-44 billion.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <i></i><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <i>Image+Source: <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/27/apple-record-iphone-ipad-sales/">engadget</a></i><br /> <br /> <i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments. </i></div>

Apple breaks revenue, iPhone, and iPad records in Q1

Although recent numbers have shown Apple loosing market share in most of the markets, its quarterly report paints a different pic...

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Samsung to pay Ericsson $650 million plus royalties to end patent spat: See Our Benefits

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidemnyY-fOJJMb1ZfrFF8khBJXbRGinL-BKcOwIrDbrTXx1aiDkdd7AOphim8YjtJnVrA8lE7NQlDkJ4Z75EJJWbB6Uv6XKQe_7E-54zF0HWNRDUVfVqBSMerk8KJzhGkbXP1z-n1z158/s1600/Samsung+to+pay+Ericsson+$650+million+plus+royalties+to+end+patent+spat+See+Our+Benefits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidemnyY-fOJJMb1ZfrFF8khBJXbRGinL-BKcOwIrDbrTXx1aiDkdd7AOphim8YjtJnVrA8lE7NQlDkJ4Z75EJJWbB6Uv6XKQe_7E-54zF0HWNRDUVfVqBSMerk8KJzhGkbXP1z-n1z158/s1600/Samsung+to+pay+Ericsson+$650+million+plus+royalties+to+end+patent+spat+See+Our+Benefits.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> It seems like Samsung’s new year resolution for 2014 is to avoid patent disputes and making rounds to the courts.<br /> <br /> <h4 style="text-align: left;">  See also: <a href="http://www.circlestech.com/2014/01/samsung-electronics-announces-fourth.html">Samsung Electronics Announces Fourth Quarter And Full-Year Financial 2013 Results</a></h4> Perhaps that why, the company after signing a 10 year cross licencing patent deal with Google, the company has signed another $650 million deal with Swedish company Ericsson in addition to royalty fees for years.<br /> The settlement comes two years after Ericsson sued the company for infringing multiple patents. Some of these were related to touchscreen functions and network efficiency. Initially, Samsung had signed a deal with Ericsson all the way back in 2001, which was then renewed in 2007 again. Although, when the time came to renew it again in 2011, Samsung accused Ericsson of way more than what it felt was reasonable.<br /> Well, now that’s settled, we hope Samsung would soon settle its ongoing dispute with Apple as well. After all, no one likes wasting their hard earned cash on lawyers, do they?<br /> <i>Source:<a href="http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_and_ericsson_to_settle_patent_quarrel_for_650_million-news-7671.php">gsmarena</a> & <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/27/ericsson-samsung-idUSL5N0L10H620140127">reuters</a> </i><br /> <i><br /></i> <i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</i></div>

Samsung to pay Ericsson $650 million plus royalties to end patent spat: See Our Benefits

It seems like Samsung’s new year resolution for 2014 is to avoid patent disputes and making rounds to the courts.  See also: Samsung...

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LG Announces improved Q4, Full Year 2013 Financial Results

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EsumVflIUiQ2H7TGTyyV_M5l9CWAvhUzTsFJbSy3d7EyTceP8R3k54_kPVtRpN8IssnuoD_saY7hfLEFwJePcxFEzx_nmf9cn4Z49Fh6MesMaH4irBoZPSr9XyrbLG-NAwE8Pz-kAYE/s1600/LG+Announces+improved+Q4,+Full+Year+2013+Financial+Results.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EsumVflIUiQ2H7TGTyyV_M5l9CWAvhUzTsFJbSy3d7EyTceP8R3k54_kPVtRpN8IssnuoD_saY7hfLEFwJePcxFEzx_nmf9cn4Z49Fh6MesMaH4irBoZPSr9XyrbLG-NAwE8Pz-kAYE/s1600/LG+Announces+improved+Q4,+Full+Year+2013+Financial+Results.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> LG has announced its Q4 13 results. The overall revenues for the last quarter were at $14.03 billion,but ended the year on a net loss of $60.21 million.<br /> <br /> <h4 style="text-align: left;"> See also:  <a href="http://www.circlestech.com/2014/01/lg-digestion-its-ignore-android-43-and.html">LG Decision: it's ignore Android 4.3 and Move to 4.4 KitKat for Many Devices</a></h4> For the entire year 2013, LG managed to make $53.1 billion in net revenue, with the net profit at $203.65 million, which is much better than what it could manage in 2012.<br /> For Q4, LG’s Home Entertainment division saw strong revenues of $5.58 billion, mainly due to strong demand of HDTVs and OLED TVs in North America. The mobile division also brought in $3.38 billion for the company. With flagships such as LG G2 and the Nexus 5, LG managed to ship 13.2 million smartphones last quarter, a growth of 54 percent over last year.<br /> The company would be announcing new smartphones at MWC, including a new flagship dubbed LG G Pro 2, which would be the successor to the last year’s Optimus G Pro.<br /> <i>Source:<a href="http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_announces_2013_four_quarter_and_full_year_financial_results-news-7668.php">gsmarena</a></i><br /> <br /> <i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</i></div>

LG Announces improved Q4, Full Year 2013 Financial Results

LG has announced its Q4 13 results. The overall revenues for the last quarter were at $14.03 billion,but ended the year on a net loss o...

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Nokia to hold MWC Press Event on February

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQuu8zt0Dw9KeJwOw-F65TXWl6o2yVJxLOp6b7P9dl7d_aJljO16IEJM3-88yp3SZD4iN78YUQhAWRdY3WXmAXeOPGAiUHuEkwCAz7IW4PkJpzCeMB05CIjdOZ0zXo8iDZzz-inUrAQAc/s1600/Nokia+to+hold+MWC+press+event+on+February.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQuu8zt0Dw9KeJwOw-F65TXWl6o2yVJxLOp6b7P9dl7d_aJljO16IEJM3-88yp3SZD4iN78YUQhAWRdY3WXmAXeOPGAiUHuEkwCAz7IW4PkJpzCeMB05CIjdOZ0zXo8iDZzz-inUrAQAc/s1600/Nokia+to+hold+MWC+press+event+on+February.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> The only cure to slowing sales for phone manufacturers is new and more attractive smartphone launches and Nokia seems to be on track for that. The company has revealed its MWC plans and would be hosting its press conference on the first day of Mobile World Congress on 24th February.<br /> <br /> <h4 style="text-align: left;">  See also: <a href="http://www.circlestech.com/2014/01/nokia-asha-502-and-asha-503-how-to-save.html">Nokia Asha 502 And Asha 503 How To Save Battery Life</a><span class="GHUY-LPLB"></span></h4> The event which is held in Barcelona every year, sees dozens of new smartphone launches from manufacturers across the globe.<br /> The invite reads as “Meet us under the tree”. Of course, the phrase can have multiple interpretations. Some of them include the launch of three devices including a smaller version of the Lumia 1520 being dubbed as Lumia 1520V. The alleged specs of the device include a 4.3 inch 1080p display, 2GB RAM, Snapdragon 800 and 32 gigs of storage.<br /> Another rumored device is the Lumia 1820, which is supposed to be the 5 inch flagship from Nokia with killer specs similar to the Lumia 1520. It remains to be seen if Nokia and Microsoft together announce the Windows Phone 8.1 update, like they have in the past. If they do, we’d sure like to see some dual SIM Lumia handsets too.<br /> However, most interesting of them all is the Nokia Normandy. We’re pretty much sure that the Android running Nokia is in works. What remains to be seen is if it will see the light of the day or not.<br /> We’ll have to just sit and wait for now and hope that the upcoming 30 days give us plenty many leaks and reports so that Nokia doesn’t really surprise us on the actual date.<br /> <i> Source:<a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/23/5337720/nokia-mobile-world-congress-2014-press-event">theverge</a></i><br /> <br /> <i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments. </i></div>

Nokia to hold MWC Press Event on February

The only cure to slowing sales for phone manufacturers is new and more attractive smartphone launches and Nokia seems to be on track fo...

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Microsoft to Encrypt Internet Traffic to Stop NSA Spying

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0f51nBYvBVyiySgfbWlHXXitOH0ExgA-zA7LjsgKo_J-WFAhGz1oHsP74d4GusfCsksufqcg_8A20NmIsznEoqKfYMRSpluToqrBT06Edo13OBf5hB07dZfTEOcjXywxMJ5KfjWLRN_4/s1600/url.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0f51nBYvBVyiySgfbWlHXXitOH0ExgA-zA7LjsgKo_J-WFAhGz1oHsP74d4GusfCsksufqcg_8A20NmIsznEoqKfYMRSpluToqrBT06Edo13OBf5hB07dZfTEOcjXywxMJ5KfjWLRN_4/s640/url.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> The NSA. Spying. Surveillance. Edward Snowden.<br /> We’ve been hearing about these left and right in the past year, and it seems that the issue is not going anywhere any time soon. In fact, major tech players have made their voices heard and are taking some steps to counter “alleged” NSA spying. About a month ago, we heard about Yahoo adding email encryption exactly due to that.<br /> <br /> <h4 style="text-align: left;"> See also: <a href="http://www.circlestech.com/2013/11/windows-81-upgrade-and-security-increase.html" target="_blank">Windows 8.1 Upgrade And Security Increase</a></h4> Now, as we look at the end of 2013, Microsoft is also ramping up its security efforts.<br /> <br /> According to a Washinton Post article, Microsoft has already had its own suspicions about the NSA’s activities. Who wouldn’t, after all the talk? As they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Anyhow, when the news came out that the NSA was gaining access to the networks of Google and Yahoo, Microsoft execs decided to do something about it.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaQbrsJGAdg-kkrWIB_7iuFrXCVd1XweVpTlgYD3_W1EzgBU-aCkbydzB1Q4kV_uVW0iWrDHJOtRoSav5AAW2vZ-28fKHNa1NaMKx90WixkFd4atZ_HsYcjl-BZYMdbgntJZId1kYUhI/s1600/nsa-auge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaQbrsJGAdg-kkrWIB_7iuFrXCVd1XweVpTlgYD3_W1EzgBU-aCkbydzB1Q4kV_uVW0iWrDHJOtRoSav5AAW2vZ-28fKHNa1NaMKx90WixkFd4atZ_HsYcjl-BZYMdbgntJZId1kYUhI/s640/nsa-auge.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> There is no solid evidence that the NSA is actually doing something “against” Microsoft, but it is only understandable that the big boys will want to take steps. Just in case.<br /> So what are they doing?<br /> Microsoft is going to join the ranks of its contemporaries who are already beefing up their defenses against intrusions of this kind. The spying issue is much bigger than the tech companies, sure, and the government has to be one to put measures in place in terms of legislation, but at the end of the day, the onus to take care of their products lies on Microsoft et al.<br /> Since we know that “data collection” by the NSA can be done at points outside of the private networks, this beefing up of security – encryption included – is something that should make privacy-focused individuals rest easier. Then again, we know that TAO (NSA’s elite hacking team) exists. Who’s to say they don’t just get around the encryption somehow?<br /> What do you think of this whole brouhaha?<br /> <br /> <br /><i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments. </i></div>

Microsoft to Encrypt Internet Traffic to Stop NSA Spying

The NSA. Spying. Surveillance. Edward Snowden. We’ve been hearing about these left and right in the past year, and it seems that the ...

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Amazon Poor Workers Face increased Risk Of Mental illness

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLyGiypP5Ez4opqXpY9WuM-D7FMRUGv9Ch1ynYUvw3naeNjfpN3edMsBmjR-vr68pD3VULbVf0nNSgXdfNR1iPaMbcCD7h93Pzxb-QyhYSX4GpIwHTGyyVhnqTt6LrBZBNkVb4SJKHN5o/s1600/Amazon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLyGiypP5Ez4opqXpY9WuM-D7FMRUGv9Ch1ynYUvw3naeNjfpN3edMsBmjR-vr68pD3VULbVf0nNSgXdfNR1iPaMbcCD7h93Pzxb-QyhYSX4GpIwHTGyyVhnqTt6LrBZBNkVb4SJKHN5o/s640/Amazon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> The massive online retailer, Amazon, employs more than 20,000 people scattered across their 8 warehouses during the company’s peak holiday season.  However, not all of the workers are as happy as they may first appear.  A BBC Panorama investigation into a UK-based Amazon warehouse has discovered working conditions that a stress expert has said could cause “mental and physical illness”.<br /> <br /> <h4 style="text-align: left;">  See also: <a href="http://www.circlestech.com/2013/11/amazon-online-video-service-arrives-in.html" target="_blank">Amazon Online Video Service Arrives in Japan</a> </h4> <br /> Secret filming of night shifts involving up to 11 miles of walking was shown to Prof. Michael Marmot.  Staff working under these conditions, are expected to collect orders every 33 seconds, as an undercover reporter has discovered.  This news investigation comes as the company is set to employ 15,000 extra staff to cater for the Christmas holiday period.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsptZR3LPByT3FWkTH4OS66LRIDeBJsTYLDbeuMtm6gMeeY-QIdgMKVytzyHsnqVZyKAz4c4oEo_PIfIHQ9JOx2nmZVYEociiGXtjoJUZ6fehbAXmpffTuGXQAcIIBg3mv7ZRUGb0IgiQ/s1600/amazon-facility-650x0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsptZR3LPByT3FWkTH4OS66LRIDeBJsTYLDbeuMtm6gMeeY-QIdgMKVytzyHsnqVZyKAz4c4oEo_PIfIHQ9JOx2nmZVYEociiGXtjoJUZ6fehbAXmpffTuGXQAcIIBg3mv7ZRUGb0IgiQ/s640/amazon-facility-650x0.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> The undercover reporter was 23 year old Adam Littler.  He was employed through an agency at Amazon’s Swansea warehouse in Wales, U.K.  Whilst being undercover, he took a hidden camera inside the warehouse to report for the BBC Panorama program.  This was done to record information about what happened during his shifts.  Adam was employed as a “picker”, collecting orders from 800,000 sq ft of storage.<br /> <br /> <h4 style="text-align: left;">  See also: <a href="http://www.circlestech.com/2013/11/angering-booksellers-is-amazon-source.html" target="_blank">Angering Booksellers is Amazon Source Program</a></h4> <br /> His tool of the trade was a handset that told him what to collect and put into his trolley. The handset allotted him a certain amount of time to find each product. If Adam made a mistake the scanner would beep.  “We are machines, we are robots, we plug our scanner in, we’re holding it, but we might as well be plugging it into ourselves…We don’t think for ourselves, maybe they don’t trust us to think for ourselves as human beings, I don’t know.”  The scanner Adam used tracked his picking rate and sent his performance to managers. If the rate was too low, he was told he could face disciplinary action.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiqblCwG95YAiTFzp9TAqG8BgqJzbAkxHLoKXTICCw5vWFRDnfvZL2K6Xi2IB7qXMi2CsoeCUH30QoWQj6ylZoSTyvRXxcwRrJgoUofBb4hEzY-M4PnbTayfcT8J0ncT6Qz7LiRuYrXc/s1600/amazon-warehouse-600x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiqblCwG95YAiTFzp9TAqG8BgqJzbAkxHLoKXTICCw5vWFRDnfvZL2K6Xi2IB7qXMi2CsoeCUH30QoWQj6ylZoSTyvRXxcwRrJgoUofBb4hEzY-M4PnbTayfcT8J0ncT6Qz7LiRuYrXc/s640/amazon-warehouse-600x400.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Prof Marmot, one of Britain’s leading experts on stress at work, said the working conditions at the warehouse are “all the bad stuff at once…The characteristics of this type of job, the evidence shows increased risk of mental illness and physical illness…There are always going to be menial jobs, but we can make them better or worse. And it seems to me the demands of efficiency at the cost of individual’s health and wellbeing – it’s got to be balanced,” he said.<br /> Amazon has said that official safety inspections had not raised any concerns and that an independent expert appointed by the company advised that the picking job is “similar to jobs in many other industries and does not increase the risk of mental and physical illness”.  Amazon said in a statement, worker safety was its “number one priority”.  Amazon said it had invested £1bn in the UK and has created 5,000 permanent jobs.  The company added that it relied on the good judgement of employees, “Together we’re working hard to make sure we’re better tomorrow than we are today.”<br /> Panorama: The Truth Behind The Click, BBC One, Monday 25 November, 20:30 GMT and then available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer.<br /> <br /> <i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments. </i></div>

Amazon Poor Workers Face increased Risk Of Mental illness

The massive online retailer, Amazon, employs more than 20,000 people scattered across their 8 warehouses during the company’s peak hol...

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Facebook Drives the Most Traffic to Publishers, Beating Twitter andReddit - Circles Tech

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzExLzAyL2Y3L0RyaXZpbmdUcmFmLmRiNGM4LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/83d51863/727/DrivingTraffic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzExLzAyL2Y3L0RyaXZpbmdUcmFmLmRiNGM4LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/83d51863/727/DrivingTraffic.jpg" width="320"></a></div> There's no beating Facebook when it comes to driving traffic to publishers. The world's largest social network directed 10.4% of traffic to websites this past September, according to data from 200,000 publishers.<br> <br> Coming in an unexpected second place, Pinterest drove the second-most traffic to publishers with 3.7%. The photo-sharing website drove three times as much traffic as Twitter, which clocked in at 1.2% in September 2013.<br> </div>

Facebook Drives the Most Traffic to Publishers, Beating Twitter andReddit - Circles Tech

There's no beating Facebook when it comes to driving traffic to publishers. The world's largest social network directed 10.4% of...

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7 Twitter Accounts for Outstanding Longreads+BONUS: Bookmarking Apps -Circles Tech

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Longform journalism is far from dead. This may seem counterintuitive in the age of the 140-character Twitter update, but the digital world still demands quality, in-depth reporting — it's only the medium that has changed.<br /><br />In an email exchange with <i>Forbes</i>'s Lewis DVorkin, Longreads founder Mark Armstrong suggested that "social recommendation" has played a role in the resurgence of interest in longform journalism. "When people read something they really love, they become its biggest cheerleader," he wrote.<br /><br />Twitter has become a beloved resource for everything from job hunting to online shopping, and it can also be an asset in tracking down the skillful, thought-provoking articles you've been craving. You can consult the Twitter feeds of your favorite news outlets to see what longform content they have to offer, or use the hashtag #longreads to see articles recommended in real time by Twitter users. <i>Mashable</i> compiles its own weekly list of must-reads, too.<br /><br />For a more curated experience, consider subscribing to these seven Twitter accounts for longreads to discover the web's hidden gems.<br /><h2>1. <a href="https://twitter.com/Longreads" target="_blank">Longreads</a></h2><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!5df4"></a><br /><div><br /><div></div><br /><img alt="longreads-2" src="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzIyLzA4L2xvbmdyZWFkczIuNzg4YWYuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJMTIwMHg5NjAwPg/f48e1203/75b/longreads-2.jpg" /></div><br /><a name="more"></a><br /><br />Longreads is arguably the "Patient Zero" of curated longform content. In 2009, Longreads founder Mark Armstrong created the #longreads hashtag so Twitter users could share and discuss quality works of fiction and nonfiction of 1,500 words or more. The hashtag blossomed into a Twitter account and a website, which has since partnered with <i>The Atlantic</i> to offer a daily stream of exceptional writing and reporting from places like <i>Grantland</i>, <i>The New York Review of Books</i> and <i>New York</i> magazine.<br /><h2>2. <a href="https://twitter.com/travelreads/" target="_blank">Travelreads</a></h2><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!8eba"></a><br /><div><br /><div></div><br /><img alt="travelreads" src="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzIyL2EyL3RyYXZlbHJlYWRzLmE5YzZjLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/7fcbb309/dc8/travelreads.jpg" /></div><br />Travelreads is a destination-based offshoot of Longreads sponsored by Virgin Atlantic. Longreads contributing editor Jodi Ettenberg curates a selection of serious travel articles from sources like <i>The New Yorker</i>, <i>National Geographic</i> and <i>Wired</i>.<br /><h2>3. <a href="https://twitter.com/longform" target="_blank">Longform</a></h2><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!bf49"></a><br /><div><br /><div></div><br /><img alt="longform" src="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzIyLzJjL2xvbmdmb3JtLjY5N2NlLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/0de8101a/acf/longform.jpg" /></div><br />Longform uses its Twitter, web and tablet platforms to recommend new and classic works of longform nonfiction from places like <i>Der Spiegel</i>, <i>Spin</i> magazine and <i>The New Republic</i>.The site also hosts weekly podcasts with top-tier nonfiction writers like Gay Talese, Elizabeth Wurtzel and Malcolm Gladwell.<br /><h2>4. <a href="https://twitter.com/thefeature" target="_blank">The Feature</a></h2><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!5e16"></a><br /><div><br /><div></div><br /><img alt="thefeature" src="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzIyL2EwL3RoZWZlYXR1cmUuMzVkYmMuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJMTIwMHg5NjAwPg/f5ae39db/827/thefeature.jpg" /></div><br />The Feature showcases works of serious investigative journalism from major outlets like <i>GQ</i>, <i>The Los Angeles Review of Books</i> and <i>Esquire</i>, and from smaller publications that other curators may have overlooked. All articles are archived on The Feature's website and offer a "Read Later" function courtesy of bookmarking app Instapaper.<br /><h2>5. <a href="https://twitter.com/IfYouOnly" target="_blank">If You Only...</a></h2><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!48bb"></a><br /><div><br /><div></div><br /><img alt="ifyouonly" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzIyLzI1L2lmeW91b25seS5hMjU5ZS5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgkxMjAweDk2MDA-/4a6cd619/5e1/ifyouonly.jpg" /></div><br /><i>Matter</i> co-founder Bobbie Johnson started If You Only… with the simplest of concepts: "If you only read one thing today, make it this." Accordingly, Johnson shares a single piece of longform journalism every day, from sources like <i>The Guardian</i>, <i>Gawker</i> and <i>Businessweek</i>. Johnson also offers a weekly email digest for non-Twitter users.<br /><h2>6. <a href="https://twitter.com/TheByliner" target="_blank">Byliner</a></h2><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!c967"></a><br /><div><br /><div></div><br /><img alt="byliner" src="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzIyLzAzL2J5bGluZXIuYzJjZDUuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJMTIwMHg5NjAwPg/66f8f0f7/c3a/byliner.jpg" /></div><br />Byliner is a paid subscription site that commissions and curates longform fiction and nonfiction from renown writers. On its Twitter page, you will find links to rare or exclusive pieces from Christopher Hitchens, Margaret Atwood and Jon Krakauer, among others. Byliner also links to quality content posted at other news sources, and alerts followers to any free pieces available on its website. Recently, for example, Byliner shared nine free stories by Virginia Woolf in honor of the 84th anniversary of <i>A Room of One's Own</i>.<br /><h2>7. <a href="https://twitter.com/theatavist" target="_blank">The Atavist</a></h2><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!0bf0"></a><br /><div><br /><div></div><br /><img alt="atavist" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzIyLzgwL2F0YXZpc3QuOTRmYmQuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJMTIwMHg5NjAwPg/6b3ae90c/480/atavist.jpg" /></div><br />The Atavist is a multimedia publishing platform that commissions bestselling and award-winning works of longform nonfiction that range from magazine to book length. Each feature is sold individually on Atavist's website and is available on its iPhone and iPad apps. Atavist's Creativist storytelling software is now in open public beta, allowing any author to log in and create interactive content that can be shared across the web.<br /><h2>BONUS: Bookmarking Apps</h2><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!e61d"></a><br /><div><br /><div></div><br /><img alt="instapaper" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzIyLzM0L2luc3RhcGFwZXIuNjJiNmIuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJMTIwMHg5NjAwPg/968f52fa/7ed/instapaper.jpg" /></div><br />If you come across an intriguing longread online but don't have the time to read it in full, try one of these free bookmarklets to save articles for offline reading.<br /><ul><br /><li><b><a href="http://www.instapaper.com/" target="_blank">Instapaper</a></b>: Instapaper is a simple bookmarklet that allows you to save your longreads for later via an icon in your Bookmarks Bar. It's available for iPhone, iPad, Android and Kindle.</li><br /><li><b><a href="https://flipboard.com/" target="_blank">Flipboard</a></b>: Flipboard is a content curation platform that lets you browse articles and bundle them into a stunning digital magazine. In addition to searching for content within the app, you can save your favorite articles from the web with the Flipboard bookmarklet. Subscribe to magazines by other Flipboard users for a more personalized experience. The app is compatible with iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire and Nook.</li><br /><li><b><a href="http://www.readability.com/" target="_blank">Readability</a></b>: Readability translates web pages into an easy-to-read format for computers, iPhone, iPad and Android, and offers a bookmarklet to save articles for offline reading.</li><br /><li><b><a href="http://getpocket.com/" target="_blank">Pocket</a></b>: Pocket, formerly known as ReadItLater, allows you to save articles or videos from your browser or from more than 300 apps including Twitter, Flipboard, Pulse — another bookmarklet — and Zite, a content curation app. The Pocket reader is available for iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Kobo and more.</li></ul><br /><i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</i></div>

7 Twitter Accounts for Outstanding Longreads+BONUS: Bookmarking Apps -Circles Tech

Longform journalism is far from dead. This may seem counterintuitive in the age of the 140-character Twitter update, but the digital world s...

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Inkling's E-Books Put the Consumer in Charge - Circles Tech

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> The invention of the Kindle, we're still consuming flat text files on devices capable of so much more.<br> <br> Inkling, a digital publishing company founded by Apple alum Matt MacInnis in 2009, hopes to fulfill the early promises of e-readers by creating beautiful, interactive editions of reference titles with its software, Inkling Habitat.<br> <br> While Amazon and other competitors have taken the traditional book and converted it to a digital format, Inkling is breaking away from the standard text file to create something more usable: interactive decks of cards covered with text, photos and video. With hundreds of titles already available for purchase for Apple devices, Inkling is launching the publishing industry into the digital age.<br> <br> </div>

Inkling's E-Books Put the Consumer in Charge - Circles Tech

The invention of the Kindle, we're still consuming flat text files on devices capable of so much more. Inkling, a digital publishing ...

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Do Teens Really Think Twitter Is 'More Important' Than Facebook? -Circles Tech

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">eens are abandoning Facebook in droves for Twitter.<br /><br />For many, that was the takeaway from an Oct. 10 Piper Jaffray study of 8,650 teens. However, those conclusions were false. The study had a much narrower focus than has been reported and only referred to purchasing activity on the platforms.<br /><br />This key paragraph in the press release explaining the study caused the confusion (emphasis ours):<br /><blockquote>Teens have cited "friends" as the strongest influence over their purchase decisions for the duration of our survey history, but "Internet" is quickly rising in profile. More than <b>half of teens indicate that social media impacts their purchases with Twitter being the most important, eclipsing Facebook</b>, followed closely by Instagram. But the popularity of Facebook is waning among teens with <b>23% citing it as the most important, down from 33% six months ago and 42% a year ago</b>.<br /><a name="more"></a></blockquote><br />There's no doubt the report shows bad news for Facebook. However, the data refers to importance <i>for purchases</i>. The ambiguous wording of the presser — including remarks about the "popularity" of the social networks — didn't help. After all, it was possible to read the last sentence as its own entity in which "most important" referred to most important overall.<br /><br />That may be the case, but that's not what Piper Jaffray was asking about. A rep for the financial advisor says the study was looking specifically at buying behavior and wasn't trying to determine whether teens prefer Twitter to Facebook overall.<br /><br />This sounds like great news for Twitter. However, it's unclear how much of teens' purchasing activity is actually spurred by the social network. A study last year by IBM found that it had exactly zero effect on Black Friday sales. Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube didn't fare much better, generating only 0.34% of online sales on Black Friday.<br /><br />It's also true that Twitter is gaining popularity with teens: A Pew Research study in May showed that the number of teens on Twitter doubled from 2011 to 26%. However, 94% of teens reported being on Facebook. The "teens are tired of Facebook" narrative also picked up over the summer when <i>Mashable</i> ran an op-ed by 13 year-old Ruby Karp explaining that neither she nor her friends were on Facebook.<br /><br />Nevertheless, researcher The Futures Company, which looks closely at teens' behavior, has found that while Facebook use has plateaued (which tends to happen when you hit 94%), teens still aren't leaving the social network en masse.<br /><br />All of which is to say that there may be something to the persistent narrative that teens are getting sick of Facebook. However, the Piper Jaffray report doesn't make that case.</div>

Do Teens Really Think Twitter Is 'More Important' Than Facebook? -Circles Tech

eens are abandoning Facebook in droves for Twitter. For many, that was the takeaway from an Oct. 10 Piper Jaffray study of 8,650 teens. Howe...

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Study: 30% of Americans Get Their News on Facebook - Circles Tech

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">A new study reveals that 30% of Americans get their news on Facebook, and suggests that the social network drives people to media sites who may not have otherwise done so. Of that 30%, more than half — 78% — said they click on news links to media sites after initially logging on for unrelated reasons, such as checking out friends' pictures or updating their statuses. In fact, only 16% of Facebook users say that getting news is the primary reason they log on.<br /><br />The study, published by the Pew Research Center on Thursday, found that almost half of American users click on news in their Facebook feeds. Since 64% of adults in the United States use Facebook, that means one in three Americans consumes news on Facebook.<br /><br />However, only 22% of the 30% who get their news on Facebook think the site is a useful source for information about the world, and only 4% of those think Facebook is "the most important way" to get their news.<br /><a name="more"></a><br /><br />"People go to Facebook to share personal moments — and they discover the news almost incidentally," Amy Mitchell, Pew Research Center’s director of journalism research, said in a statement. "The serendipitous nature of news on Facebook may actually increase its importance as a source of news and information, especially among those who do not follow the news closely."<br /><br />The study quotes one respondent, who said he believes <a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="facebook-is-a-good"></a><br /><blockquote><br /><div></div><br />"Facebook is a good way to find out news without actually looking for it."</blockquote><br />"Facebook is a good way to find out news without actually looking for it."<br /><br />The importance of the social network also depends on how much of a news junkie the user is.<br /><br />Among those who click on news links in their Facebook news feeds, just 38% of heavy news followers think the social network is "an important way to get the news," but among those who follow news "less often," 47% consider Facebook as an important source.<br /><br />On Monday, Facebook announced that it was driving 170% more traffic to media sites this year than in 2012.<br /><br />This is the first of a series of studies on social media and news published by Pew in collaboration with the Knight Foundation. For this study, Pew surveyed 5,173 Americans ages 18 and older. You can read the full report here (.PDF).<br /><br /><i>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</i></div>

Study: 30% of Americans Get Their News on Facebook - Circles Tech

A new study reveals that 30% of Americans get their news on Facebook, and suggests that the social network drives people to media sites who ...

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