Samsung Galaxy S5 in Stores 11 April

Australia will be one of the first markets in the world to get the Galaxy S5 when it launches on the 11th of April. The local roll out of Samsung's latest Galaxy will take place a whole 10 days after HTC's One M8 is released.

Australia will be one of the first markets in the world to get the Galaxy S5 when it launches on the 11th of April. The local roll out of Samsung's latest Galaxy will take place a whole 10 days after HTC's One M8 is released.

Samsung has revealed the Australian version of the Galaxy S5 will come with a quad-core 2.5GHz CPU--and not the eight-core Exynos 5 CPU--at its Australian launch event held at the Museum of Contemporary Arts.

What's new, Galaxy?

Several innovations separate the next generation Galaxy S5 from its predecessor, including IP67 certification, a higher resolution camera and biometric features.

Samsung has taken a page from Sony's books by giving the S5 tough credentials. The Galaxy S5 can be plunged into water one metre deep for thirty minutes, and it is protected from the ingression of dust. Customers would traditionally have to settle for the less capable (and less attractive) Galaxy Active for such ruggedness.

Photos will be captured at twice the resolution with a new 16MP camera. The improved S5 camera can autofocus in 0.3 of a second, benefits from phase detection and has advanced shooting modes such as high dynamic range (HDR).

Videos captured with the Galaxy S5 can be recorded in the upcoming Ultra high-definition (UHD, aka 4K) standard. Ultra high-definition videos capture four times the detail of the current Full HD standard.

Biometrics is a strong focus of the Galaxy S5. A finger scanner safeguards data housed on the smartphone in a fashion similar to that of Apple's TouchID. However, Samsung has taken it one step further by allowing S5 owners to make payments with the swipe of a finger.

Samsung has continually innovated the connectivity repertoire of its Galaxy range. The Galaxy S5 continues this tradition by bonding the latest Wi-Fi ac standard with cellular 4G LTE technology in a new a feature called 'Download Booster'. The result is the downloading of a gigabyte movie in just thirty seconds, Samsung claims.

5.1in screen, Australia's Quad-core CPU

Samsung has made little changes to the display used on the Galaxy S5. The Super AMOLED panel supports a 1920x1080 (Full HD resolution) over a marginally larger 5.1-inches. This gives the smartphone a density of 432 pixels-per-inch.

Android's latest version 4.4 KitKat will be used on the device, along with a less cluttered version of Samsung's proprietary TouchWiz overly. Simplifying the user interface of the Galaxy S5 is one way Samsung is going "back to basics".

Powering the Galaxy S5 in Australia will be a quad-core 2.5GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM and up to 32GB of internal storage. Support for microSDXC memory cards make it possible to expand storage by an additional 64GB.

Interestingly, Samsung has not increased the RAM in its Galaxy S5. This is contrary to flagships from Sony and LG opting for 3GB of RAM.

The Galaxy S5 has a new perforated back cover that can be removed. Under it is a 2800 milliamp-hour battery that, when in 'ultra power saving mode', can deliver 24 hours of standby battery from just 10 per cent charge. The new mode achieves this by deactivating superfluous features and reverting to a black-and-white only display.

Samsung will be offering its Galaxy S5 in four colours locally: Electric Blue, Copper Gold, Shimmer White and Charcoal Black.

Australian availability

Australians will be able to walk into a store empty handed and walk out with a pristine Galaxy S5 on the 11 April. Australia's big four carriers have already announced they will be ranging the smartphone. 

Samsung is offering the Galaxy S5 outright for $929.

BlackBerry slashes Z30 price

BlackBerry slashed price of its latest smartphone Z30 by 12 % to Rs. 34,990 for a limited period following a good response to earlier discount offer on Z10 handsets.

"We have seen a phenomenal response to our initial promotional offer on BlackBerry Z10 and are confident we will see similar offtake for the 5-inch screen BlackBerry Z30," BlackBerry India Director for Sales Channel, Hitesh Shah, said in a statement.

"This anniversary price of  Rs. 34,990 will ensure that consumers are able to experience the latest technology," he said on the eve of BlackBerry's 10th anniversary in India.

The company has launched this offer for period of 60 days starting March 27.

The offer will run across all BlackBerry retail networks. The white BlackBerry Z30 will be exclusively available on online marketplace Flipkart at the same price of Rs. 34,990, the statement said.

The company had launched Z30, equipped with the biggest screen among all BlackBerry handsets, in October 2013 for Rs. 39,990.

Early this month, BlackBerry cleared all the stock of Z10 smartphones within a week of announcing heavy discount offer to sell it for Rs. 17,990 against the launch price of Rs. 43,990.

BlackBerry lowered handset prices in the face of losses due to declining sales and build-up of inventory across the globe. In December, the company offered incentives on handset sales, especially devices built on its latest platform BlackBerry 10.

BlackBerry posted a loss of $4.4 billion in its third quarter ended November 30, mainly due to unsold handsets.

The company recorded a primarily non-cash, pre-tax charge against inventory and supply commitments of approximately USD 1.6 billion in the quarter of fiscal 2014, which was primarily attributable to BlackBerry 10 devices.

During the quarter, BlackBerry sold about 4.3 million smartphones to customers, of which 3.2 million were BlackBerry 7 devices, including models such as the BlackBerry Curve, Bold and Torch.

Apple hits 500 millionth iPhone sale landmark

Apple has reportedly sold its 500 millionth iPhone, a number that marks the growing success of the iPhone maker.

Apple has up till now launched eight devices, with iPhone 5s and 5c being the latest to join the squad.

Meanwhile, iPhone 5c reportedly outsold its rivals in the run up to Christmas.

According to the Daily Star, the original iPhone was launched by former Apple Chief, Steve Jobs, in 2007 and went on to shift a mere 6.1 million units.

A recent report from CoreBrand showed that Apple is the most powerful brand in tech.

New iPhone 6 screens to enter production as early as May: sources

Apple Inc suppliers will begin mass producing displays as early as May for the next iPhone, expected to be launched this autumn, with a 4.7-inch screen likely to be produced first while a 5.5-inch version could be delayed, supply chain sources said.

Japan Display Inc, Sharp Corp and South Korea's LG Display Co Ltd have all been tapped to make the screens, said the sources, who asked not to be identified.

Representatives for the three suppliers and for Apple declined to comment.

Both iPhone 6 screens will be larger than the 4.0-inch panels on Apple's existing iPhone 5S and 5C models.

Larger iPhones, the subject of months of speculation, would mark yet another incremental tweak to the popular smartphone line and an attempt to catch up to rivals like Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.

The company that helped to define American technology innovation is under increasing pressure to once again revolutionise the gadget industry, but CEO Tim Cook, while promising only "new product categories" for 2014, has played his cards close to his chest.

Apple's shares have languished below $600 since November 2012, in part because of worries about smartphone market saturation and its ability to stay at the forefront of tech innovation.

Both iPhone 6 screens are expected to use in-cell touch panel technology - built into the screen and allowing for thinner construction than with standard touch panel films - that was introduced with the iPhone 5, the sources said.

But due to difficulties with in-cell production technology for the larger 5.5-inch size, one of the sources said, a decision was made to begin mass production with the 4.7-inch version alone.

Production of 5.5-inch screens is expected to start several months later, with the possibility of a shift to a film sensor instead of in-cell technology for that size, the source said.

Japan Display will be the first supplier to start production, at its flagship plant at Mobara, east of Tokyo, as early as May, the sources said. The others are due to begin output around June.

iSnore. Do you? You need to get help

Ever had a situation when you could not go to sleep because your room-mate or spouse was snoring away? Quite often the culprit is not even aware of the “crime.” Equally, the person may be struggling on the cusp of sleep, unable to go into deep slumber.

According to a recent study, 5-6% of people suffer from sleep disorder, many of them severe. This can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic heart disease and several other problems. If you feel you are not waking up fresh, or your spouse complains that you snore, read on: some of these gadgets maybe able to help you. Remember, this is not a medical advisory.

Apps

Sleep Cycle (R55, for iOS) or SleepBot (Android, free)

These apps are the first step to mapping your sleep pattern. Having installed the app, plug your phone into its charger and put it next to your pillow with the app running. The apps use the phone’s motion sensors to monitor how many times you toss and turn and periods of complete inactivity; they give the best results if your mattress is firm. If you move around a lot while sleeping, this may not work. Your phone may heat up while being charged.

Gadgets

Basis @ $199 ( Rs. 12,000)

Basis is a fitness tracker that looks like a watch, but in addition to counting the steps you take, it also measures your heart rate, your body mass index, your perspiration rate and skin temperature — and maps your sleep. All you need to do is to wear it. The data gathered can be synchronised to the Basis cloud service to get a detailed analysis, and suggest the best time for you to hit the hay or tell you when to wake up.

Beddit

@ $149 ( Rs. 9,000)

Many people don’t like gadgets around while sleeping. Beddit, which is set to be launched in the US and Europe soon, is a band that is placed under your bedsheet. It ‘talks’ to your smartphone via Bluetooth, mapping your sleep pattern, observing things such as how long you were still, how many times you were tossing and turning, your posture your snoring time.

Mechanical assistant

Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) machine @ Rs. R30,000 and up

The PAP is a home-use machine from Philips that generates positive air pressure that will keep your breathing tract open and help you breathe better. The downside is that you would need to sleep with a mask on, which would also restrict your posture. Though is easy to use, it should be used only on doctor’s recommendation.

In any case, if any of the previous devices tells you that you have a sleep disorder, do take it seriously and consider a doctor for specialised advise

Oracle overtakes IBM as second-largest software vendor, Gartner says

Oracle has overtaken rival IBM as the world's second-largest software vendor by pulling in $29.6 billion in software revenue during 2013, according to analyst firm Gartner."Global trends around big data and analytics with business investment in database and cloud-based applications helped to drive Oracle's top-line growth," Gartner research vice president Chad Eschinger said in a statement.Microsoft retained its first-place ranking, at $65.7 billion in software revenue, while IBM moved down to third place with $29.1 billion. SAP remained in fourth place, at $18.5 billion, Gartner said.

Symantec, EMC, Hewlett-Packard, VMware, CA Technologies and Salesforce.com rounded out the top 10 vendors. Others accounted for $234.6 billion of the $407.3 billion total.Global spending on software increased 4.8 percent overall last year to $407.3 billion, with developed countries making up for "relative sluggishness" in emerging market areas, according to Gartner.

SaaS (software as a service) is having a major impact on both buying habits and spending totals, according to Gartner. For the first time, a pure SaaS vendor cracked the list of top 10 software companies by revenue, with the arrival of Salesforce.com in 10th place, with $3.8 billion in sales. In addition, Salesforce.com is now among the industry's five largest application software vendors, Gartner said.

Subscription pricing offered by SaaS vendors is giving customers the ability to make investments "where it makes sense to grow and advance the business," while spending money to support their existing systems, Gartner said.

Android to power half of all devices sold worldwide by 2015

Phone and tablet sales will continue to rise in 2014 and 2015 as PC shipments remain on a downward trend, according to the latest predictions from Gartner. By 2015, the research firm estimates that one out of every two devices shipped will be an Android device.

Tablet sales are expected to climb by 38.5 % in 2014 and by 29 % in 2015. In the phone market, where overall sales volumes are much higher, shipments  rise by a more modest 4.8 % and 3 % respectively in the two years in question. Things are looking less rosy for the PC market, where Gartner estimates shipments will decline by 6.5 % in 2014 and 4.9 % in the following year. However, both of these figures indicate a slower drop in sales than the estimated 11.3 % decline in 2013, reported by the research firm last October.

In terms of volume, Gartner predicts the sale of 1.89 billion mobile phones, 276 million PCs and 270 million tablets in 2014. Gartner estimates that a total 2.48 billion devices will be sold over the current year, representing a 6.9 % increase over 2013.

Among operating systems, sales will increase for Windows, iOS/OS and Android alike over the coming two years, but Android is poised to strengthen its leading market share. Gartner forecasts that Google's operating system will be present on 51 % of devices sold worldwide in 2015 (compared to 38% in 2013 and 47% in 2014).