Smartphones

The days when smartphone buyers valued devices that fit neatly into their hands appear to be over — nowadays it’s all about the big, beautiful display. A new survey from Strategy Analytics has found that consumers are increasingly attracted to smartphones with larger screens, indicating that the trend Samsung started with its Galaxy Note line of phablets has taken hold. Overall, the survey found that consumers preferred an average smartphone size of around 4.5 inches in the second half of 2012, or right in the middle of Apple’s 4-inch iPhone 5 and Samsung’s 5-inch Galaxy S4. What’s more, the survey also found that many smartphone owners have a case of “phablet envy” since “the majority of consumers surveyed indicated that they preferred prototypes that have a larger screen than their current phone.”

Mobile devices have come a long way in a short period of time. It seems as if smartphones and tablets are capable of just about anything, however battery restrictions are holding these powerful devices back. The rate of innovation has not be been the same in the battery field and users are forced to bring chargers with them wherever they go. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are looking to change that with a new lithium-ion battery that is 2,000 times more powerful than comparable  technologies. More →

We’re rapidly approaching a time when we can start referring to smartphones as simply “phones.” According to the latest projections from market research firm IDC, smartphone shipments will top feature phone shipments for the first time ever this year, with China accounting for nearly one-third of all smartphones projected to ship in 2013. According to IDC, vendors will sell 918.6 million smartphones into channels in 2013, including 301.2 million devices shipped to China, 137.5 million shipped to the United States and 35.5 million shipped to the United Kingdom. More →