Knowledge Update

​Barcelona, Feb 27 (IANS) Seventeen years after its debut, the much-awaited Nokia 3310 has been relaunched in an all new revamped look featuring a colour screen at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) here. The device, to be sold under licence by the Finnish start-up HMD Global, is available in four distinctive colours - gloss-finished warm red and yellow, and a matte-finished dark blue and grey. It will cost buyers only 49 Euros ($52) and will be available from the second quarter of this year. Considered as iconic because of its popularity and sturdiness, Nokia sold more than 126 million devices before it was phased out in 2005. "Our efforts in bringing together world class manufacturers, operating systems and technology partners sees us proudly unveiling our first global portfolio of smartphones with a Nokia soul, delivering the very best experience to everyone," Arto Nummela, CEO of HMD Global, said in a statement. Having a 2.4-inch display, the new Nokia 3310 qualifies as a "feature phone" rather than a smartphone as it only provides limited internet facilities. It relies on 2.5G connectivity and is powered by the S30+ operating system. With 1,200mAh battery, the device offers a 22 hours of talk time and has up to a month's standby time. The battery of the new device is removable, like its older version. However, the 2017 model is rechargeable through a microUSB port. Its single camera is also restricted to 2MP. According to HMD Global, which owns the rights to the Nokia brand, the device also comes with the modern version of the classic game Snake pre-installed. The device will power through up to 51 hours of MP3 playback too, as well as up to 39 hours of FM radio playback. "What HMD has created is remarkable. We're excited to see the launch of a new family of smartphones, built to the standards that Nokia is known for." "We believe that their strong design and quality will appeal to Nokia fans around the world and the return of the Nokia 3310 has us smiling too!" Brad Rodrigues, interim President of Nokia Technologies, added. HMD also confirmed the Nokia 6 Android smartphone would be released worldwide following its China debut in January. The device has a 16MP rear camera and a 5.5-inch 1080p display. The new range of Nokia smartphones run on Android Nougat OS and offer a pure and secure experience with an all-feature Google Assistant. The unibody of the Nokia 6 is crafted from a single block of 6000 series aluminium. The smart audio amplifier with dual speakers allow consumers to experience a deeper bass and clarity, whilst Dolby Atmos sound delivers a powerfully moving entertainment experience. Available in four colours - Matte Black, Silver, Tempered Blue and Copper - the Nokia 6 will retail at an average global retail price of 229 Euros ($242). With 64GB storage and 4GB RAM, Nokia also unveiled Nokia 6 Arte Black Limited Edition available for retail price of 299 Euros ($315). In addition, the firm showed off smaller, lower-range Nokia 5 and Nokia 3 models. Nokia 5 has a Corning Gorilla Glass laminated 5.2-inch IPS HD display. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor and is available in four colours -- Matte Black, Silver, Tempered Blue and Copper. It is priced at 189 euros ($199). The Nokia 3 has a Corning Gorilla Glass laminated 5-inch display and 8MP wide aperture front and back cameras. Available in four distinctive colours -- silver white, matte black, tempered blue and copper white - the Nokia 3 will retail at an average global retail price of 139 euros ($146).

​Barcelona, Feb 26 (IANS) Targetting today's mobile professionals who want a stylish device that is easy to use, HP Inc on Sunday announced a dynamic new commercial 2-in-1 detachable laptop at Mobile World Congress 2017 here. The new HP Pro x2 612 G2 is a versatile 2-in-1 detachable laptop, featuring multiple modes ideal for commercial use, including presentation mode, inking mode for taking notes, tablet mode for data collection, and notebook mode. "Today, more than 60 percent of Millennials work from more than one location and by 2020 they will be a majority of the workforce. They want sexy mobile devices that meet their on-the-go work styles and IT needs these devices to be manageable, serviceable and secure," said Michael Park, Vice President and General Manager, Mobility, Personal Systems, HP Inc. "Only HP is combining these amazing mobile form factors with the built-in security and vertical workflow capabilities with a lower total cost of ownership," Park said. The Pro x2 can be configured with a choice of the latest seventh generation Intel processors, providing reliable performance to meet a variety of end-user-needs. The Pro x2 includes a USB-C connection for quick charging and data transfers and USB-A for accessing traditional legacy peripherals. The device was built from the ground up for secure work environments and includes a built-in smart card reader, a removable SSD, and the HP Client Security Suite Gen3, along with an optional fingerprint sensor and optional Near Field Communications (NFC), HP said. HP also announced a range of new vertical workflow accessories for the company's x2 lineup and Elite x3 platform. These accessories are designed with versatility in mind, helping mobile professionals be productive and remain connected whether they are in the office or on the go, HP said.

New York, Feb 24 (IANS) Facebook Live videos will soon be interrupted by 20-second ads as the social media giant has decided to make money from all the live videos it shares on its network. According to a report in ReCode on Thursday, Facebook would soon start putting ads in the middle of publishers' videos, much like TV commercials. The new update was being tested with a small group of US publishers currently. The ad revenue would be split between these publishers and Facebook, with the latter getting 45 per cent of the share, it said. "This is a big news for publishers, many of whom have trouble making money from videos they share to Facebook," the report said. As a policy, the ads appearing in the middle of a live stream cannot run until a video has crossed 20 seconds. Also, the ads must be at least two minutes apart. "Publishers need to be live for at least four minutes before they can take an ad break, and the stream must have at least 300 concurrent viewers. Each ad will last 20 seconds," a Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying.

​New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Mobile communication app Truecaller has become the only platform apart from Facebook and Google that delivers over 100 million impressions in a single day, a company statement said on Friday. An impression is when an ad is fetched from its source, and is countable. Whether the ad is clicked or not is not taken into account. Each time an ad is fetched, it is counted as one impression. The daily impression on Truecaller's ad platform has grown with over 200 per cent during the past six months, the company said. "Our targeting capabilities backed by call intent based approach ensures brands witness desired visibility and engagement with Truecaller users," said Tejinder Gill, Head of India Operations, Truecaller, in a statement. The mobile communication app delivered over 133 million impressions for e-commerce portal Jabong. "Truecaller has been fantastic for us in terms of delivering high impact and reach amongst smartphone users," added Rahul Taneja, Chief Business Officer, Jabong.

​New York, Feb 21 (IANS) The much-anticipated video recording 'Spectacles' from photo-sharing service Snapchat is now available online for users in the US at $129.99. Snapchat 'Spectacles' record video and pair to user's phone over Bluetooth or WiFi which can then be uploaded to the user's Snapchat account. According to a report in Fortune, 'Spectacles' come with a charging case and cable in three shades including black, coral red and teal blue. "Snap's (Snapchat's parent company) IPO is expected to take place on March 2, so the move to sell Spectacles to the masses could give Snap a stronger footing as it tries to court investors during its whirlwind roadshow over the next two weeks," the report said. 'Spectacles' was launched in September last year and was available for purchase from vending machines at surprise locations in the US. The five-year-old Snap Inc, which filed documents for one of the biggest IPO by a technology company, is valued at $20-$25 billion.

​Spain, Feb 21 (IANS) Chinese smartphone maker Oppo will unveil a new smartphone with 5x zooming ability at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, later this month. The company has teased the smartphone with the tagline 'Go 5x further' on its Facebook page. "We chose MWC to unveil the 5x technology with the belief that we can inspire the industry to aim higher, and continue to create pioneering products that give amazing experiences to consumers," GSMArena.com quoted Sky Li, Vice President, Oppo and Managing Director, International Mobile Business & President, Oppo India, as saying. According to a recent report from market analytics firm Counterpoint Research, "Oppo, Huawei, Vivo, Meizu and Gionee captured a combined 58 per cent of the total Chinese smartphone market in 2016."

​London, Feb 20 (IANS) Online retail giant Amazon has said it will create 5,000 new full-time jobs in the UK this year, the media reported on Monday. The firm said it was looking for a range of staff, including software developers and warehouse staff, reports the BBC. There will be jobs at Amazon's head office in London, as well as in the Edinburgh customer service centre and in three new warehouses. The recruitment will take Amazon's workforce in the UK to more than 24,000. Doug Gurr, the head of Amazon's UK business, said: "We are creating thousands of new UK jobs including hundreds of apprenticeship opportunities as we continue to innovate for our customers and provide them with even faster delivery, more selection and better value." The expansion reflects the importance of the UK market, which is Amazon's second biggest outside the US, behind Germany. Services which are developed in the US are usually launched in the UK first, such as Amazon Fresh, the grocery service which was launched in parts of Britain last year.

​New York, Feb 18 (IANS) Photo-sharing mobile service Snapchat is reportedly planning to launch an Android smartphone that will give consumers more control over the camera features. "A California-based marketing firm has unveiled a concept handset equip with a 360-degree camera, buttons that let users scroll through filters and a one touch capture function for easy sharing," Daily Mail reported. The device might also inlcude a lock screen that allows users to easily swipe for Snapchat notifications and updates, messaging, and syncing with Spectacles. It may also pack Discover screen that combines GPS and maps, Snapchat Stories, and advertisements. Earlier this year, Snap Inc., parent company Snapchat, has made its long-awaited initial public offering (IPO) filing public, seeking to raise up to $3 billion. Snapchat aims to derive most of its revenue from advertising where it will compete against Google, Facebook and Twitter. Snap Inc. has recently rolled out major changes in its app that will make it easier to navigate the app with a universal search bar that's always accessible at the top of the app. Snapchat is also introducing "Our Story" -- a new global live story that any user can contribute to at any time.

​Beijing, Feb 17 (IANS) Chinese smartphone maker ZTE is set to launch the "Gigabit" phone at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona later this month. "The ZTE Gigabit phone will revolutionise connectivity with a new standard of download speeds, 1Gbps, bringing a qualitative leap to a new world of mobile experience by making 360-degree panoramic VR video, instant Cloud storage, entertainment upgrades and fast cache of ultra Hi-Fi music and movies possible," the company said in a statement on Friday. ZTE will focus on leading 5G evolution, advancing cloudification, creating the Internet of Everything (IoT) and developing state of art devices. The company will also showcase the newly updated "Axon 7" with both Android Nougat and Daydream by Google along with a range of new devices as part of the highly acclaimed Blade series.

​Mumbai, Feb 16 (IANS) As global smartphone sales to end-users hit nearly 432 million units in the fourth quarter of 2016, once a market leader BlackBerry now virtually has a zero per cent share. According to the market research firm Gartner, out of more than 431.5 million smartphones sold last year, about 200,000 were BlackBerry devices that were running on its own operating system but that gives it less than half the unit volume of the "other OS" category. "This wasn't hard to see coming given BlackBerry's years-long decline, gradual shift toward Android and recent focus on services," Engadget reported. Microsoft's Windows phones are not doing good either. The share of Windows fell from 1.1 percent to 0.3 percent in the last quarter of 2016. In a bid to provide acceleration to BlackBerry's transition into a security software and services company, BlackBerry and TCL Communication Technology Holdings Limited entered into a long-term licensing agreement recently. Under the terms, BlackBerry will license its security software and service suite, as well as related brand assets, to TCL Communication who will design, manufacture, sell and provide customer support for BlackBerry-branded mobile devices. TCL Communication will be the exclusive global manufacturer and distributor for all BlackBerry-branded smartphones with the exception of the following countries -- India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Indonesia. The company announced partnership with Optiemus, a Delhi-based telecom enterprise to licence software and services for the production of secure Android handsets in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. Under the terms of the agreement, BlackBerry will licence its security software and services suite, as well as related brand assets to Optiemus Infracom Ltd. The partner will design, manufacture, sell, promote and provide customer support for BlackBerry-branded mobile devices that offer the full BlackBerry experience, including the trusted BlackBerry for Android secure software.