HMD Global raises $100 million, will invest in growth of Nokia

HMD Global - the home of Nokia phones, today announced that it has raised additional $100 million from multiple investors to scale business operations and fund the company’s growth in its second year. This round of investment has been led by Geneva-based, Ginko Ventures via Alpha Ginko Ltd. with participation from DMJ Asia Investment Opportunity Limited and Wonderful Stars Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of FIH Mobile Ltd. With the current round of funding, the market valuation exceeds $1 billions, and HMD Global have said to make strategic investments in scaling its fast-growing business operations. In 2018, the company plans to expand its portfolio of Nokia smartphones aggressively, and double down on expanding channel reach in strategic markets. In its first year, HMD Global has shipped more than 70 million Nokia branded phones in over 80 countries with phone activations coming from 170 countries. The Nokia phones are now being sold at over 250,000 retail outlets across the world, and more than 600 direct trade partners are committed to joining soon. In the financial year 2017, HMD Global posted a total revenue of EUR 1.8 billion (USD 2.13 billion) along with an operational loss of EUR 65 million (USD 77 million). Florian Seiche, CEO, HMD Global, ...

Qualcomm, Facebook partner to bring high-speed internet connectivity in urban areas

Qualcomm has partnered with Facebook to deliver high-speed internet connectivity with Facebook’s Terragraph technology through the development of a multi-node wireless system based on 60GHz technology from Qualcomm. This terrestrial system improves speed, efficiency, and quality of internet connectivity around the world at only a fraction of the cost of fiber deployments. Qualcomm will integrate its QCA6438 and QCA6428 chipsets with Facebook's Terragraph technology and will help in building 60GHz mmWave solutions using the unlicensed 60GHz spectrum and provide Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) consumers in urban areas access to high-speed broadband connections. Yael Maguire, vice president of connectivity, Facebook said: We’re excited to work with Qualcomm Technologies to advance the adoption of pre-802.11ay and 802.11ad 60GHz technologies and build a robust ecosystem of interoperable solutions based on Terragraph. With Terragraph, our goal is to enable people living in urban areas to access high-quality connectivity that can help create new opportunities and strengthen communities. Irvind Ghai, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Atheros said: Our collaboration with Facebook will bring advanced 11ad and pre-11ay technologies to market increasing broadband penetration and enabling operators to reduce their capex for last mile access. Terragraph cloud controller and TDMA architecture coupled with Qualcomm Technologies solution’s 10 Gbps link rate, low power consumption and early interference mitigation ...

Qualcomm introduces first 5G NR solution for small cells and remote radio heads

Qualcomm today has announced an industry first 5G NR solution targeted for small cells and remote radio head deployments that is built on proven Qualcomm FSM Platform for 3G and 4G small cells. It supports 5G NR in both mmWave and sub-6 GHz spectrum. This solution enables OEMs to use both software and hardware designs across sub-6 and mmWave products with support for both .high-bandwidth and robust coverage for mobile subscribers around the globe. The 'Small Cell Densification' will again be a critical component of 5G network deployments. The FSM100xx applies Qualcomm Technologies’ expertise in 10nm mobile technologies to bring improved power consumption and performance in critical outdoor deployments and challenging indoor scenarios. Irvind Ghai, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Atheros, Inc said: Qualcomm Technologies is leading the world to 5G by providing this 5G NR small cell solution to support 5G NR in both sub-6Hz and mmWave spectrum. With small cells expected to play a critical role in 5G networks, we are happy to announce our highly flexible FSM100xx solution capable of supporting a wide range of use case and deployment models, and to support our customers to deliver on the promise of 5G. Source

Vodafone launches VoLTE services in Kolkata

After Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa and Rajasthan,Haryana,  Uttar Pradesh (UP) west, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh (UP) East,  Punjab, Chennai and Kerala, Vodafone has finally launched VoLTE (Voice Over LTE) services in Kolkata. Vodafone is calling it Super VoLTE and said that the technology delivers high-quality sound over voice calls across the Vodafone SuperNet 4G network so that users will experience ultra-clear voice quality and reduced background noise. If you have a VoLTE enabled handset, you can SMS 4G CHECK to 199 to know if you your smartphone is Vodafone Super VoLTE compatible. If you have Dual SIM handset, Vodafone SIM should be inserted in the SIM slot with data capability and network mode should be set as “4G/3G/2G (Auto)”. Vodafone said that it has invested over Rs 6,000 crore till date in Kerala circle including more than Rs 200 crore last year. With the investment, it rolled out over 4000 sites in the last one year, which is equivalent to 11 sites per day. Vodafone already said that it will extended the service across the country in a phased manner over the next few months. You can check out the list of Vodafone VoLTE supported devices here. Commenting on the launch of VoLTE in the state, Arvinder Singh Sachdev, Business Head – Kolkata and ROB, ...

LG Q7, Q7+ and Q7α with 5.5-inch FHD+ FullVision Display, water-resistant body, military-level durability announced

LG just announced Q7, the company's latest smartphone in the 'Q series' and the successor of last year's Q6, after several leaks. It has the same 5.5-inch  FHD+ FullVision Display and packs the same 3,000mAh built-in battery, but this is powered by a new 1.5GHz Octa-core / 1.8 GHz Octa-core SoC and runs Android 8.0 (Oreo). The top-end Q7+ comes with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, as well as a 16-megapixel rear cameras, while the Q7 and budget Q7α features a 13-megapixel rear camera, 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. In addition to military grade durability with MIL-STD 810G, same as the predecessor, this is also IP68-certified for water and dust resistance. It also has Portrait mode, QLens, Hi-Fi quality audio, DTS:X 3D Surround Sound, and the top-end Q7+ also comes with Hi-Fi Quad DAC. Even though it has the same 3000mAh battery has the predecessor, LG has added support for Qualcomm’s Fast Charge technology that change the phone from 0 to 50%  in 30 minutes and it also has USB Type-C, replacing the micro USB on the Q6. LG Q7, Q7+ and Q7α specifications 5.5-inch 18:9 FHD+ (2160 x 1080 pixels) FullVision 442ppi Display 1.5GHz Octa-core / 1.8 GHz Octa-core processor 3GB RAM with 32GB storage (Q7 and Q7α) /  4GB RAM with 64GB storage ...

Samsung Galaxy S Lite Luxury Edition with 5.8-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity display, Snapdragon 660, water-resistant body announced

Samsung has finally introduced the rumored Galaxy S8 Lite smartphone as Samsung Galaxy S Lite Luxury Edition (SM-G8750) in China. It has a 5.8-inch Full HD+ Infinity display, is powered by Snapdragon 660 with 4GB RAM, comes with a 16-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera, both with f/1.7 aperture. It runs Android 8.0 (Oreo) with Samsung's own experience UI on top. It has a glass back with metal frame, comes with hybrid dual SIM slots and packs a 3000mAh battery as the Galaxy S8. It has a fingerprint sensor and Iris recognition as well, but it doesn't have a heart rate sensor. Samsung Galaxy S Light Luxury Edition specifications 5.8-inch FHD+ (2220×1080 pixels) Super AMOLED Infinity display Octa Core Snapdragon 660 14nm Mobile Platform (Quad 2.2GHz Kryo 260 + Quad 1.8GHz Kryo 260 CPUs) with Adreno 512 GPU 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Android 8.0 (Oreo) Single / Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD) 12MP Dual Pixel rear camera with LED Flash, f/1.7 aperture, 1/2.55″ sensor size, OIS, 1.4µm pixel size 8MP auto focus front-facing camera with f/1.7 aperture, 1/3.6″ sensor size, 1.22µm pixel size, 80-degree wide-angle lens Water and dust resistant (IP68) Sensors – Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, ...

Nokia partners with Crypto Startup Streamr for remote community hosted networks

Nokia has announced that it is partnering with Streamr who has just launched Real-time Data Marketplace. This connects data producers and consumers. The main motto behind this is to offer connectivity to remote rural areas and enjoy the benefits that follow. The partnership will see the development of the next generation of mobile base stations and enable Nokia customers to monetize their data. Streamr will play a major role in building the next generation of mobile base stations and Nokia’s Kuha transportable base stations will be integrated into Streamr’s data Marketplace so customers can monetize their data while receiving a better offer when it comes to connecting to a range of IoT sensors and devices. With the hosted networks, remote towns, and villages can set up and monitor their new mobile broadband service themselves. On the other hand, Streamr’s Marketplace is a web-based application where data providers can list real-time data streams, and data consumers can subscribe and pay for access to those data streams. Interesting this is that the pricing and time-based access control are coded in Ethereum smart contracts by using Streamr’s cryptographic token. Martti Ylikoski, Radio System Evolution Lead at Nokia said: Providing smart mobile coverage for up to four billion individuals across the world is a major challenge and current ...

Realme 1 Review

Realme, the sub-brand of OPPO, a few days back launched its first phone in the Indian market dubbed as Realme 1 in an exclusively tie up with Amazon. This mid-ranger is launched to take on Xiaomi's Redmi Note 5, Note 5 Pro, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 and other smartphones at the price segment. Starting at Rs. 8,990, does it have all the might to defeat the competitor? Let's check it out here. Unboxing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOOnIqQ4GW0 Box Contents Realme 1 in Diamond Black color 2-pin charger (5V-2A) Micro USB cable SIM ejector tool Screen protector Silicon back case User manual and warranty information Display, Design, and Hardware The Realme 1 sports a 6-inch (2160 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ IPS display with 1.98mm slim bezels on the sides and 84.8% screen-to-body ratio. The display is bright, text looks sharp, color reproduction is on point and viewing angles are good. The display is perfectly readable under sunlight conditions and other outdoor scenarios as well. [gallery link="file" columns="2" size="large" ids="252836,252844"] This device also offers screen Color temperatures adjustments — Default, Warm and Cold. It also has a 'Night Shield' feature that reduces blue light from the screen thus preventing the eye strain. Users can schedule the time upon which, it turns ...

Vivo X21 with in-display fingerprint sensor launching in India on May 29 exclusively on Flipkart

Update: Flipkart has confirmed that Vivo is indeed launching the in-display fingerprint sensor version of the X21 in India on May 29th exclusively with them. Earlier: Vivo just sent an invite to launch a new smartphone in India on May 29th. The invite has a big 'X' so it will be 'X series' smartphone, which will likely be the X21 that was introduced in China back in March. The under-display fingerprint sensor version was also launched in Singapore last week. It is not clear if the company is planning both the standard version with rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and the top-end version of the phone with under-display fingerprint sensor. There is also X21i that got certified in China today with Helio P60 SoC and a 24-megapixel front camera. Vivo X21 specifications 6.28-inch (2280 × 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 19:9 Super AMOLED display Octa Core Snapdragon 660 AIE 14nm Mobile Platform (Quad 2.2GHz Kryo 260 + Quad 1.8GHz Kryo 260 CPUs) with Adreno 512 GPU 6GB RAM, 128GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano/microSD) Funtouch OS 4.0 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo) 12MP rear camera with LED flash, f/1.8 aperture, secondary 5MP camera with f/2.4 aperture 12MP front-facing camera ...

Samsung Galaxy A6 and Galaxy A6+ with Super AMOLED Infinity displays launched in India starting at Rs. 21990

Samsung along with the new J series smartphones, also introduced its Galaxy A6 smartphones that were introduced earlier this month.  Both the phones come with Super AMOLED Infinity displays with 18.5:9 screen ratio, but the A6 comes with a 5.6-inch HD+ screen while the A6+ features a 6-inch FHD+ screen. Both the phones have a 16-megapixel rear camera with f/1.7 aperture, and the A6+ also has a secondary 5-megapixel rear camera with Live Focus mode that lets you control the depth of field and bokeh effect before or even after the shot is taken. The Galaxy A6 has a 16-megapixel front camera and the A6+ features a 24-megapixel front camera, both with LED flash. Both the phone shave a  sleek metal design that promises improved durability and comfortable grip for maximum usability. These have Face Recognition, Fingerprint scanning, App Pair to pair two apps, halving time and doubling enjoyment. These also have Always on Display that offers information at a glance without unlocking the phone. These also have support Bixby Vision, Home and Reminder, as well as Samsung Pay mini. Samsung Galaxy A6 specifications 5.6-inch (1480 x 720 pixels) HD+ Super AMOLED 18.5: 9 Infinity 2.5D curved glass display 1.6GHz Octa-Core Exynos 7870 14nm processor with Mali T830 GPU 4GB RAM with 32GB ...