The Nokia Lumia 630, powered by Windows Phone.
CNET
Microsoft’s Nokia handset business is working on an Android-powered phone for its flagship Lumia line, website @evleaks said Monday.
Big news: Android-powered Lumia incoming, from Nokia by Microsoft – http://t.co/KKLstDDVVO
— @evleaks (@evleaks) July 7, 2014
Microsoft purchased Nokia’s handset business in April for about $7.2 billion, in an effort to gain more market share for its Windows Phone mobile operating system and to catch up in the cell phone business against Samsung Electronics and Apple. Nokia, which remains in business as a networking company, was already Microsoft’s closest partner in smartphones prior to the acquisition and was one of the biggest backers of the Windows Phone operating system.
Using Google’s Android operating system in Nokia’s Lumia line would seem to go against Microsoft and Nokia’s
long-term commitment to Windows Phone. However, the benefits of providing an Android-powered phone could help boost sales, as Google’s operating system benefits from a thriving selection of apps and is widely used, while Windows Phone remains an also-ran for developers looking to come out with new mobile software.
Android currently dominates the smartphone operating system market, capturing 81 percent of market share as of the first quarter, while Windows Phone only had about 3 percent share, according to researcher IDC.
A Microsoft representative wasn’t immediately available for comment.
Google’s device line could end up having a particularly important moment in 2023. The company usually announces new Pixel products throughout the year. Google is expected to release its first foldable phone this year, however, which would directly compete with Samsung’s proven line of Galaxy Z Fold devices. Google also introduced its own ChatGPT rival, …
Part digital camera, part smartphone, the 4G Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Camera could be the start of a new generation of digital cameras. And as of this week, both Verizon and AT&T sell it.
On the one hand, Samsung could find some advantage in branching into the digital camera realm early before the trend really takes off. On the other, reaching outside its core technologies into new territory could prove a major misstep for the Korean electronics giant.
Touted as the first 4G LTE camera in the world, the Galaxy Camera deserves a bit of attention. With features such as a 16-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, 21x optical zoom, and full Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, it’s a wonderful experience, at least on paper.
Just think about how cool it is upload your photos and videos directly to the Internet, browse the Web, and download Angry Birds from a point-and-shoot!
Yet the Galaxy Camera doesn’t come cheap when you add up the price of the device and tack on the cost of connecting to the carrier’s network. And if you buy a large-screen smartphone with a strong camera from your carrier, do you really need a second Android camera device?
Price is key
Many Galaxy Camera reviews echo the same sentiment in that its price tag — $500 on AT&T and $550 on Verizon — is high for what you get. Educated consumers and photography enthusiasts will no doubt understand that you can get more camera for the money if you buy a point-and-shoot from traditional camera manufacturers, like Canon, Nikon, and Olympus.
When it comes down to it, what are you really getting? Not astounding photo quality, according to CNET reviewer Joshua Goldman, who calls its photos just average. In fact, he suggests that for photography alone, you find the same specs from Samsung’s WB850F Wi-Fi camera, which costs $330.
I may be wrong here, but I can’t see that many people will be willing to spend $500 or more for Samsung’s camera.
And then there’s that pesky access fee to use it over 4G, and sharing photos immediately is the main reason you’d want something like the Galaxy Camera, isn’t it? Sure, it’s just $5 per month on Verizon and $10 on AT&T to get 4G, but that money adds to the total cost of the device over time.
How important is an always-active Internet connection, anyway? One need only glance at the success of the Wi-Fi-only Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 to see that Wi-Fi is sufficient for a large segment of consumers.
I suspect that resourceful buyers will opt for a less expensive compact digital camera, an Eye-Fi card for getting online, and/or a smartphone. With so many other options to choose from at that price point, I foresee the Galaxy Camera sitting on shelves this season.
A grand experiment?
At the very least, the Samsung camera, like the Nokia 808 PureView’s 41-megapixel camera bulge, proves that more can be done on a smartphone OS. Samsung also has a habit of extending its brand in as many ways as possible.
It’s fair to see if extending the Galaxy brand to an Android camera could get Samsung loyalists excited. After all, it seems to be working with the niche Samsung Galaxy Note 2 “phablet.”
Colors are bright and vivid, but not entirely accurate, according to CNET’s Joshua Goldman.
Joshua Goldman/CNET
There’s no doubt that non-smartphone Android devices, and connected cameras in particular, will become an important trend. Samsung’s attempt isn’t even the first Android-based camera. Nikon recently released one of its own, the Coolpix S800c, though Nikon’s try offers an older Android 2.3 Gingerbread experience.
Samsung, for its part, gives users access to Google Play and thousands of apps. Don’t like the apps that come preloaded on the Galaxy Camera? Swap them out for Instagram, Viddy, and others. Of course, e-mailing or uploading those photos to social networks is a main draw, too. Android users should, for the most part, be able to do many of the same things they do with a Galaxy smartphone or tablet. Though just because you can play games on your shooter doesn’t mean you should.
Who’s it for?
Fellow Android bloggers and enthusiasts agree that the Galaxy Camera is a cool idea but not something that anyone needs. The idea of a connected digital camera that runs Android appeals to me as I prepare for CES. I love the thought of being able to capture photos and videos from the show floor and getting them online in a timely, effortless manner. Looking beyond January, however, it’s harder for me to justify owning one.
In trying to determine the target audience for the Galaxy Camera, I came up with a rather short list. I can certainly see the appeal for a real estate agent, an insurance agent, or someone who spends time in the field. Others who come to mind are construction workers, sports recruiters, landscaping, and emergency service workers.
Save for the last one, it’s hard to imagine this being a simple matter of want outweighing need. That said, the more I consider the Samsung Galaxy Camera for myself, the more it feels like a want. Yes, I want to show my friends and family what this camera does, and ASAP, but I don’t need to. I also wanted to show everyone how cool the 3D video was on my Sprint Evo 3D, but that party trick didn’t last long.
Using the Samsung Galaxy Camera’s touch-screen controls.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Another option is that you take the road that some tablet-seekers do. Buy a simple flip phone to handle calls, and do everything else on a device with a bigger feature set, like an Android camera, for instance.
On the horizon
Fad or future, we’ll soon find out just how big of a deal it is for a digital camera to have Android and 4G LTE connectivity. January’s Consumer Electronics Show is just around the corner, and more Android cameras are sure to be on the menu. I’m curious if other smartphone-makers will soon jump into the same waters as Samsung, and even more curious is the traditional camera-makers latch onto Android.
As a side note, I hope to learn whatever became of Polaroid’s Android-based digital camera from last year’s event. Did it see something that Samsung didn’t?
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Samsung’s Android-powered Galaxy Camera
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If I were able to help shape the future of the Galaxy Camera or connected, Android-based digital cameras, I would do these things: first, strip out the full Google Play and limit the capabilities.
Take a Kindle approach and create a user-friendly experience with access to select, if not preloaded, applications. A vetted storefront with handpicked or highlighted titles is really all that matters. Provide cloud-based storage and sharing options, and the software situation is all but done.
In terms of hardware, I would continue to make the best camera as possible in terms of sensor size and rendering quality, without worrying as much about the “smart” aspects. Android should take over only to apply filters, share, or upload. It would also help to include microSD expansion slot, NFC, MHL, or DLNA connectivity.
Start with a more reasonable price tag in mind and work as much as you can into the device as possible. Do all of this, and the Facebook generation will love you.
Your turn now
Does the idea of a 4G LTE digital camera appeal to you, even if you have to pay a monthly service fee? What about cameras that have Android under the hood? I would love to hear your thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Camera, and your dream connected camera.
The Android-based Garminfone will be available from T-Mobile this spring.
T-Mobile
On Tuesday night, T-Mobile revealed the identity of its newest Google Android device and it’s not exactly the device we were expecting to see.
Instead of the rumored T-Mobile MyTouch 3G Slide, the carrier introduced the Garminfone, a rebranded version of the Garmin-Asus Nuvifone A50, which was first announced at Mobile World Congress 2010. At that time, Garmin said it did not know whether the GPS-enabled smartphone would make it to North America, but T-Mobile will, in fact, be the first to launch the device worldwide when it comes out later this spring.
With Garmin behind the wheel, obviously navigation will play a big role. The Garminfone will offer many of the features found on the company’s standalone GPS devices, including preloaded maps of North America, a database of nearly 6 million points of interest, and voice-guided navigation with text-to-speech directions. You’ll also get lane guidance, junction view, and a new Android app called Garmin Voice Studio, which lets users record and share voice directions with friends and family. The phone’s GPS capabilities can also be used to locate nearby gas prices, restaurants and movie times, real-time traffic, and weather data.
As a phone, the Garminfone sports a 3.5-inch capacitive touch screen and measures 4.57 inches tall by 2.45 inches wide by 0.51 inch thick. It will run Android 1.6 at launch, but T-Mobile was quick to point out that the phone is capable of over-the-air updates. You’ll get the standard Android apps–Gmail, Google Talk, YouTube, Android Market, and so forth–but the device will sport Garmin’s own user interface.
Some other quick specs to check off the list: 3G, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi, HTML Web browser with pinch-to-zoom support, and a 3-megapixel camera with autofocus and digital zoom.
Pricing was not announced at this time, though you can find more details from T-Mobile’s Web site. We’ll be honest: we were really apprehensive about the Nuvifone A50 after the fiasco that was the Garmin Nuvifone G60, but after some hands-on time with the smartphone at MWC 2010, we’re cautiously optimistic. Definitely looking forward to spending more quality time with the Garminfone when we get one in for review.
LAS VEGAS–A new Android smartphone from Samsung will be making its way to North America, as well as other parts of the world, this summer. Dubbed the Samsung Galaxy S, the device was introduced at CTIA 2010 and includes features that boast the multimedia and social experience of the phone.
To start, the Galaxy S boasts a 4-inch Super AMOLED touch screen, which we first saw on the Samsung Wave at Mobile World Congress. Unlike regular AMOLED screens, the Super AMOLED screen places touch sensors right on top of the AMOLED screen, which eliminates the need for an additional touch sensor panel, removes air gaps, and improves touch sensitivity. It’s also less reflective so the screen should be easier to see indoors and outdoors and has wider viewing angles.
The Galaxy S is ideal for viewing video and photos. The president of Samsung’s mobile communications business said that the company will work with content partners to make full-length movies and TV shows available on the Galaxy S as well as e-books and magazines. You will be able to play back HD videos at 720p resolution, and a 1GHz processor is onboard to ensure things run smoothly.
Samsung kept throwing around the term “Smart Life” to describe the user experience on the Galaxy S, which includes user-defined daily briefings for instant access to news, weather, appointments, and so forth, location-based search options, and a Layar Reality Browser that allows you to view augmented reality content. Like the Samsung Wave, the Galaxy S is also meant to be a social hub and it integrates contact information and messages from various accounts to provide a unified view. CNET’s Kent German, who was at the press conference, said it reminded him of Motoblur.
The Samsung Galaxy S will ship running Android 2.1 (yes!) and comes with Bluetooth 3.0, a 5-megapixel camera, a Swype keyboard, and Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) technology for interdevice connectivity. Pricing and carrier information were not released at this time, but the smartphone is a quad-band GSM phone with support for 900/1900/2100MHz 3G bands.
Stay tuned for our hands-on impressions and photo gallery!
