ZTE has unveiled the Grand S II, its latest flagship Android smartphone. It can be unlocked with voice commands, similar to the Moto X, and identify different users that have been set up with the handset. Owners will also be able to use their voice to take photographs and control the handset while driving, in what the Chinese smartphone maker is calling ‘My-drive’ mode.
In a press release, ZTE refrained from disclosing any specs for the device. Engadget reports that it has a 5.5-inch 1080p display, 2.3GHz Snapdragon processor, 16GB of internal storage and a 3,000mAh battery, however.
It’s said to run on Android 4.3 and is equipped with a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, alongside a 2-megxapixel shooter on the front.
Pricing and availability is yet to be announced. We’ve reached out to ZTE to find out more and will update this article with any further information we receive.
➤ Press Release [Via Engadget ]
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comScore: Apple ends 2013 with 41.8% US smartphone share, Samsung hits 26.1%; Android back to losing share
In the US, Apple’s dominance as the top smartphone OEM hit a new high at the end of last year: 41.8 percent. Samsung gained share faster than its main competitor for six months straight, though in December they tied as the Korean company hit 26.1 percent. Rounding out the top five were Motorola, HTC, and LG.
In the platform space, Google was still first courtesy of Android, and Apple took second with iOS. Yet Google’s mobile platform slipped at the end of the year, while Apple’s continued to plow forward. Rounding out the top five were BlackBerry, Microsoft, and Symbian, all of which lost share.
The latest data comes from comScore , which regularly surveys over 30,000 mobile subscribers in the US. The market research firm says 156 million Americans owned smartphones (65.2 percent mobile market penetration) in December, up 3.2 percent since July.
During the quarter, here is how the top five smartphones OEMs fared:
As you can see, Apple gained 1.2 percentage points in terms of smartphone subscribers (from 40.6 percent to 41.8 percent) as did Samsung (from 24.9 percent to 26.1 percent). HTC fell from third to fifth as it dropped 1.4 points (to 5.7 percent), Motorola slipped 0.1 points (to 6.7 percent), and LG stayed flat at 6.6 percent.
While Samsung has managed to gain more share than Apple in May, June, July, September, October, and November, the two tied for the holiday month. We would have expected Apple’s gains to be higher, given the recent arrival of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c and the lack of the Samsung Galaxy S5, but consumers were more interested in iPads .
HTC’s woes continue as its One smartphone just isn’t the one. Motorola managed to move into third place, but not because it is doing well: it’s just not tanking as badly as HTC. LG has managed to stop the bleeding, but the Nexus 5 couldn’t help it recover beyond that.
On the software side, Google is still dominating, even with Apple’s steady gains. Android lost share most months in 2013, though in October and November it regained some share. December was, however, back in the red:
Google’s mobile operating system lost 0.3 percentage points (from 51.8 percent to 51.5 percent). Apple meanwhile increased its share by 1.2 percentage points (from 40.6 percent to 41.8 percent, just like for its smartphone share).
BlackBerry was down 0.4 points (from 3.8 percent to 3.4 percent), Microsoft slid 0.2 points (from 3.3 percent to 3.1 percent), and Symbian slid another 0.1 points (to 0.2 percent). The Android-iOS duopoly in the US has once again hit a new high (93.3 percent market share).
Top Image Credit: Jung Yeon-Je /Getty Images
Vodafone Smart III launches in the UK with Android Jelly Bean and a 5MP camera for less than £99
Vodafone announced the Smart III today , a new low-end Android smartphone running version 4.1 firmware (Jelly Bean) for less than £99 ($150 USD) in the United Kingdom.
There’s a 1 GHz single-core ARM A9 processor and 512 MB of RAM, which should be just enough for handling most modern apps in the Google Play store. Everything is thrown up on a 4-inch WVGA touchscreen, at a resolution of 480×800 (233 ppi). It’s a far cry from the 1080p displays found in the Samsung Galaxy S4 or HTC One, but it should serviceable for those looking to buy their first smartphone.
The Smart III comes with 4GB of internal storage, although there’s a microSD slot for up to 32GB of additional space. It’s also equipped with a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, which isn’t bad for a low-end Android device. It can also shoot video at 720p and 30 frames per second, which should be fine for a quick clip on YouTube or Facebook.
The device weights just 136 grams and comes in at 10.9mm thick, which is about right for a smartphone of this size.
The Smart III is exclusive to Vodafone in the UK and there’s no word of a wider release at this point. CNET reports that the device is being made by Alcatel, who is known for producing a plethora of low-end Android smartphones at competitive price-points.
Consumers can pick up the Smart III for £95 as a pay-as-you-go handset, or grab it for free as part of a £13 per month two-year contract. It follows the Smart II , which was launched last year for £70 on pay-as-you-go but only came with Android version 2.3 (Gingerbread). Ouch.
If you know someone who’s looking to buy their first smartphone and wants to spend as little money as possible, you could do the worse than the Smart III in the UK.