Author Archive: James Richardson

The Phones 4U Christmas boom

The retailing division of Phones 4u Finance plc, Phones 4u, one of the UK’s leading mobile phone retailers, today publishes a trading update for the month of December 2012. Total sales for the period were £121.6m, up 23.3% compared with December 2011, with like-for-like sales up 15.8%. For the full year total sales were up 20.7% with full-year like-for-like sales up 11.9%.  Online sales continue to grow strongly with revenue up 47.3% in December year-on-year and up 73.2% for the full year.

The strong growth is primarily driven by contract volumes which were up 34.8% year-on-year in December and up 26.8% for the full year.

Tim Whiting Group Chief Executive said:
“Phones 4u is focused on giving customers excellent choice and value, and we continue to trade well in challenging market conditions.  Our impressive Christmas numbers are reflective of consistently strong performance throughout 2012 as we continue to grow market share, especially amongst customers looking for the latest high-end smartphones purchased on contracts.

“It is the knowledge and experience of our 6,000 staff and their commitment to give outstanding service that has delivered these results.  At a time of continued economic uncertainty, it is more important than ever that we give our customers clear advice on the next generation of smartphones and technology.”

Nice to see business is so good in the mobile space.

Posted by: James

ZTE and Nuance to Collaborate on Portfolio of Voice-Enabled Android Devices

Nuance Communications Inc. and ZTE Corporation have announced a multiyear collaboration where Nuance’s voice capabilities will be integrated as part of a new portfolio of ZTE Android devices worldwide.  The result will be a diverse set of mobile applications and devices that foster a more natural, human interaction between people and their ZTE phones – in more than 25 languages.  Among those applications is ZTE’s new Car Mode application unveiled at CES 2013 in Las Vegas.

Car Mode integrates Nuance’s powerful voice capabilities to let users speak to stay connected to the people and content they love, without bringing additional manual-visual distractions into the car.  Taking advantage of Nuance’s automotive-grade voice technology and expertise, ZTE’s Car Mode application is embedded within the device to provide people with a reliable, always available hands-free, eyes-free access to the phone functions that are used the most while driving, such as making phone calls, reading text messages and accessing music. At the same time, no network or data connection is required and the app is designed for noisy automotive environments.

People simply engage Car Mode with a hands-free wake-up word, and the app is at their command to dial contacts and numbers, launch navigation apps, get the local weather, and play music on the device. Furthermore, Car Mode announces incoming callers and reads incoming text messages aloud with Nuance’s natural text to speech, and allows people to barge in with new voice commands or cancel incoming audio when needed. Car Mode also features a “Do not disturb” mode where drivers can further minimise distractions by blocking all incoming calls and text messages until they arrive at their destination – with notifications available of the calls and text messages missed.

Sony announce their new Android flagship smartphone – the Xperia Z

It looks like the leaks were correct – Sony has tonight announced the Xperia Z over at CES in Las Vegas. The new Android flagship is packing some great specs the device could bridge the gap between Sony, HTC and Samsung.

With a 5″ Full HD 1080p Reality Display, Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, 13 megapixel fast-capture camera, 4G LTE, water and dust resistant durable glass display, the Xperia Z will launch in the UK in Q1 2013.

You can catch the full press release below. This one looks a real beauty.

Huawei announce two large Android devices – one so big it’s tablet size!

Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, today launched the smartphone with the largest screen in the world, the HUAWEI Ascend Mate, at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The HUAWEI Ascend Mate features a huge 6.1-inch HD display, a 1.5 GHz Hi-Silicon quad-core processor and a 4050 mAh battery. Together with Huawei’s proprietary Quick Power Control (QPC) and Automated Discontinuous Reception (ADRX) battery efficiency technology and fast sharing technology, the HUAWEI Ascend Mate is proof that bigger is better.

“The HUAWEI Ascend Mate breaks barriers to deliver a supercharged entertainment, communication and creative experience for all your personal and professional needs,” said Richard Yu, CEO, Huawei Consumer Business Group. “The HUAWEI Ascend Mate is an industry-leading smartphone and showcases our innovation as we continue to make great technology available to more people globally.”

HUAWEI Ascend Mate has a screen-to-body ratio of 73% – the highest in the industry – which maximises your viewing pleasure for emails, documents, video or games. The 6.1-inch HD IPS+ LCD screen has a resolution of 1280 x 720 for unsurpassed clarity and colour accuracy, and ‘Magic Touch’ which provides enhanced screen responsiveness even with gloves. The Ascend Mate is slim and stylish, designed to fit comfortably in a single hand at just 6.5mm thin at its narrowest part.