Microsoft overtakes BlackBerry to become third player in smartphone market

Microsoft has increased its global smartphone market share to 3.3%, overtaking BlackBerry for the first time.

According to Gartner, Microsoft’s 3.3% market share puts it in third position in the smartphone race, behind Android (79%) and Apple (14.2%).

nokia_lumia_1020_color_range1.jpg
BlackBerry saw a decline in market share over the past year from 5.2% in the second quarter of 2012 (2Q12), to 2.7% in the second quarter of this year (2Q13).

The mobile manufacturer launched a new operating system, BB10, as well as a new flagship smartphone halfway through the year period, but this has yet to save the troubled company. This week its board of directors has been considering selling the smartphone arm of the company to focus on BB10 and its enterprise server BES10.

Microsoft on the other hand has increased its market share from 2.6% (2Q12) to 3.3% (2Q13).

Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner said that Nokia can be thanked for this increase due to its expanded portfolio of Windows Phone devices. The range includes smartphones like the Lumia 520 at the $200 price point as well as its flagship Lumia 1020 at the top end.

The multiple price points of the Lumia portfolio allowed Windows Phone to be accessible to most users.

“Microsoft should continue to focus on growing interest from app developers to help grow its appeal among users,” said Gupta.

Apple’s iOS sales continued to grow, but its market share dropped from 18.8% to 14.2% year-on-year. Gartner claims that this is because the company dropped the price of its iPhone 4 model, which is still selling strongly alongside the iPhone 5 flagship device.

But Android’s market share continued to grow from 64.2% in 2Q12 to 79% in 2Q13. The operating system’s growth can be linked to the sales of smartphones globally which has overtaken sales of features phones for the first time.

“It’s increasingly becoming a three ecosystem driven market,” said Gupta.

He said that with BlackBerry losing out in the smartphone race, enterprises in mature markets will continue to look at iOS as the smartphone leader.

“But in growth markets, enterprises are going with Android and the added solutions from mobile device management (MDM) players providing security around the platform.”

Smartphone sales hit 225 million units, up 46.5% from the second quarter of 2012, but sales of feature phones reached 210 million units which is a decline of 21% year-on-year.

Gupta said that the decline in feature phone sales is due to the tightened price gap between feature and smartphones.

“Years back, a smartphone device started at $200, now in the first quarter of 2013, smartphones begin at $60. This price gap has shortened significantly. It may not have the latest OS or screen technology, but people are happy because it’s better than a feature phone.”

Samsung kept its number one position in the mobile phone sales, with its market share growing from 21.5% in 2Q12 to 24.7% in 2Q13.

While Nokia’s sales dropped over the year due to the decline of the feature phone market and strong smartphone competition, the company still held on to its second position. Its total mobile phone sales dropped from 83 million (2Q12) to 61 million (2Q13), but sales of its flagship smartphone range, the Lumia grew 112.7% thanks to its varied portfolio at different price points.

Sony PlayStation 3 vs Microsoft Xbox 360 with HD DVD Player

This week, the titans are clashing. Sony and Microsoft, both notorious for pulling out all the stops, are going head to head with their latest game machines. Although not a gamer, I'm drawn to the PS3 and the Xbox 360 (and its new trimmings) as feats of hitherto unseen technological wonder. Both companies have bet recklessly on their platforms, and both see them as gaming plus a whole lot more. So while the gaming world has its own critiques — and while the Nintendo Wii continues to charm with its less performance-based attitude — my desire was to see what the Xbox and PS3 could do in the way of movies, music and other entertainment. I tethered both of them to a smokin' 46-in. Sharp 1080p high-definition LCD TV and let them rip.
Most gamers know that the PS3's delay was caused by its Blu-ray drive, and many suggest that the Blu-ray advantage isn't worth the price or the wait. Sure, movies on Blu-ray have a picture quality six times higher than a standard DVD, but the vast majority of so-called high definition TVs don't even have the 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution (known as 1080p) to show Blu-ray's full glory. From a home-theater point of view, though, the PS3 was not only the first Blu-ray player to be priced well under $1,000, but the first to be introduced from Sony, the mother of the Blu-ray initiative. In other words, for anyone who already has a sweet 1080p TV, or is planning to spend $2,500 or more to get one, the PS3 is almost a requirement, being one of the only reliable sources of full HD video. If you don't know about Blu-ray, it's because it's not the only successor to the DVD. A few companies, including Microsoft, support a different standard for next-generation movie discs, called HD DVD. The conflict between the two formats has made it tough for consumers to make any decisions, so sales have been miniscule. But now that Sony's Blu-ray is appearing in Sony's eagerly anticipated PS3, Microsoft's HD DVD format is appearing in, you guessed it, Microsoft's Xbox 360. Okay, not "in" the Xbox-an accessory drive that connects to the console via USB has just gone on sale for $200. That brings the total for Microsoft's premium high-def-movie playing system to $600, the same price as the premium PS3. I'm a big fan of high-definition TVs, even the more affordable 720p sets, and I can vouch for the fact that whether they're on Blu-ray or HD DVD, movies look much better than they do on standard DVDs. Pop in the Blu-ray edition of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby that comes with the PS3, and you're blown away by the detail (and by how old and pockmarked Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly look up close). Likewise, load up the copy of Peter Jackson's King Kong that ships with the Xbox HD DVD player, fast forward to an action scene and suddenly, there are two T-Rexes and a gorilla duking it out in your living room. I can't spot the difference between Blu-ray and HD DVD movie; no one but the most finicky of videophiles could. So when looking at both game consoles as a source of high-def movie content, forget about differences in video quality and think more about your gaming preferences as well as the movies themselves, the Blu-ray and HD DVD lineups on Amazon.com or Netflix. As similar as they are in movie playback, the two platforms are very different in other areas. The PS3 thinks locally — it handles content best when it's on its hard drive, or on a disc in its drive, or on a memory card or USB keychain that's plugged in directly. The Xbox 360 is all about the network. I take a lot of pictures, and was happy to see that the PS3 came with card readers for not just Sony's Memory Stick, but the more popular SD and CompactFlash as well. You can move photos from memory card to hard drive and back to memory card. I have never seen a device scroll through high-resolution photos faster than the PS3, certainly never blown up on a 46-in. monitor. It even renders your photos in realtime into a 3D animated slideshow, if you so desire. Bringing photos to the PS3 for review makes sense, but in this era, carrying music on CD to the PS3 to listen makes no sense at all. Yet that's what Sony expects you to do: stick in a CD, let the PS3 go online to look up the tracks, then import it to its hard drive, even though you've probably got thousands of songs already ripped into MP3 format on your computer's hard drive. Team Xbox knows about your music collection. If the Xbox 360 is connected to your home network (via Ethernet or a $100 Wi-Fi accessory), you can quickly pull up tracks from PCs around the house. You can also stream photos and videos, although not all formats are supported and the photo browsing, while thorough, lacked the sophistication of the PS3. Team Xbox also knows about your iPod. You plug it directly into the Xbox 360 to play any tracks but the ones you bought on iTunes. If you happen to have a Zune, you may plug that into the Xbox 360 as well. It won't shock you to hear that when I plugged the iPod and the Zune into one of the PS3's many USB ports, nothing happened. Of course, the PS3 does support music served up from the PlayStation Portable, if that's where you keep your tunes. The differences continue. Xbox has a thriving online community and plans to open a video download service on Nov. 22. However, it doesn't give you a web browser. The PS3 does have a browser, plus built-in Wi-Fi and support for Bluetooth wireless earpieces. The craziest thing is that Sony has permitted geeks to load additional operating systems onto the PS3, including Linux. With all that processing power, it's a generous offer, although probably not one that many people will take up. Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 have talent beyond their ability to give gamers their fix. Where the PS3 has a remarkable aesthetic elegance, the Xbox 360 has a rugged connectedness. Photographers should lean towards the PS3, while music lovers will want to stick with the Xbox 360. For movie buffs, the confusion is greater: while the Blu-ray format is backed by more studios, the new Xbox Marketplace movie and TV store may well become a paragon of convenience. The one thing I do know for sure is that you better be ready to pay. While both are expensive, they come with even pricier hidden costs: to maximize your enjoyment, you need a really nice TV. Then again, if you've already got a really nice TV, you can probably afford them both.
As the Earth's population booms and cities grow ever larger, the spotlight on energy innovation becomes greater. TIME looks into the new energy sources powering our world and sustaining our future.


Follow me on Twitter @sajilpl

'Scandal' Star Kerry Washington Secretly Weds NFL Player Nnamdi Asomugha

Kerry Washington is a new bride.

The Scandal star, 36, secretly wed her San Francisco 49ers cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, 31, on June 24 in Hailey, Idaho, according to People, which obtained a copy of their marriage license.

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The news of the wedding -- and even the relationship itself -- came as a big surprise to fans of the actress, who doesn't talk about her personal life.

According to People, the couple listed the witnesses as her parents.

A rep for Washington declined comment.

Sports gossip site Terez Owens first reported the unconfirmed news of the nuptials, claiming the couple began dating last summer. E! News was the first outlet to report it had confirmation of the wedding.

This is the first marriage for Washington, who was previously engaged to actor David Moscow. Her recent film credits include Peeples and Django Unchained.

Asomugha has appeared in such TV shows as The Game, Friday Night Lights and Leverage.

Nadal loses to 135th-ranked player at Wimbledon

LONDON — In one of Wimbledon’s greatest upsets, an ailing Rafael Nadal was knocked out in straight sets Monday by a player ranked 135th — the Spaniard’s first loss in the opening round of a Grand Slam event.

Steve Darcis of Belgium stunned the two-time champion 7-6 (4), 7-6 (8), 6-4. He ended Nadal’s 22-match winning streak and eliminated one of the Big Four of men’s tennis on the very first day of the grass-court Grand Slam.

Nadal was sidelined for seven months with a left knee injury after losing in the second round of Wimbledon last year. He seemed to be struggling physically. He was unable to turn on the speed or use his legs to spring into his groundstrokes, limping and failing to run for some shots.

Darcis was as surprised as everyone else with the result.

“Rafa Nadal didn’t play his best tennis today,” the 29-year-old Belgian said. “The first match on grass is always difficult. It’s his first one. Of course, it’s a big win. I tried to come to the net as soon as I could, not play too far from the baseline. I think it worked pretty good today.”

Nadal was coming off his eighth championship at the French Open last month but, on this day, he never looked like the player who has won 12 Grand Slam titles and established himself as one of the greatest players of his generation.

It’s the second straight early Wimbledon exit for Nadal, who was ousted in the second round last year by 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol.

After that loss, Nadal took the rest of the year off to recover from the knee problem. Since returning to action this year, he had made it to the finals of all nine tournaments he entered, winning seven.

After winning the French Open, Nadal pulled out of a grass-court tuneup in Halle, Germany. He came to Wimbledon without any serious grass-court preparation.

Darcis is the lowest ranked player to beat Nadal at any tournament since Joachim Johansson — ranked No. 690 — defeated the Spaniard in 2006 in Stockholm.

Gustavo Kuerten, in 1997, was the last reigning French Open champion to lose in the first round at Wimbledon.

Darcis, who had won only one previous match at Wimbledon, played the match of his life Monday, going for his shots and moving Nadal from corner to corner. Darcis amassed a total of 53 winners, compared with 32 for Nadal.

Darcis finished the match in style, serving an ace down the middle — his 13th — as Nadal failed to chase after the ball.

Earlier, Roger Federer began his bid for a record eighth title at the All England Club with the same dominance that has defined his grass-court greatness.

Ten years after his first Wimbledon championship, Federer opened the tournament on Centre Court as defending champion and looked right as home as he dismantled Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-3, 6-2, 6-0.

This was a grass-court clinic from Federer that lasted 68 minutes. He had 32 winners, seven aces and just six unforced errors.

He won 90 percent of the points when he put his first serve in. When his serve is clicking, Federer usually is unbeatable. On this day, he won his first 15 service points and 24 out of the first 25.

“I’m happy to get out of there early and quickly,” Federer said. “So it was a perfect day.”

Earlier, Wimbledon produced an upset in the women’s draw with fifth-seeded Sara Errani eliminated by Puerto Rican teenager Monica Puig 6-3, 6-2.

Second-seeded Victoria Azarenka overcame a right knee injury from a scary fall beating Maria Joao Koehler of Portugal 6-1, 6-2.

 

Sony PlayStation 3 vs Microsoft Xbox 360 with HD DVD Player

This week, the titans are clashing. Sony and Microsoft, both notorious for pulling out all the stops, are going head to head with their latest game machines. Although not a gamer, I'm drawn to the PS3 and the Xbox 360 (and its new trimmings) as feats of hitherto unseen technological wonder. Both companies have bet recklessly on their platforms, and both see them as gaming plus a whole lot more. So while the gaming world has its own critiques — and while the Nintendo Wii continues to charm with its less performance-based attitude — my desire was to see what the Xbox and PS3 could do in the way of movies, music and other entertainment. I tethered both of them to a smokin' 46-in. Sharp 1080p high-definition LCD TV and let them rip.

Most gamers know that the PS3's delay was caused by its Blu-ray drive, and many suggest that the Blu-ray advantage isn't worth the price or the wait. Sure, movies on Blu-ray have a picture quality six times higher than a standard DVD, but the vast majority of so-called high definition TVs don't even have the 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution (known as 1080p) to show Blu-ray's full glory. From a home-theater point of view, though, the PS3 was not only the first Blu-ray player to be priced well under $1,000, but the first to be introduced from Sony, the mother of the Blu-ray initiative. In other words, for anyone who already has a sweet 1080p TV, or is planning to spend $2,500 or more to get one, the PS3 is almost a requirement, being one of the only reliable sources of full HD video.

If you don't know about Blu-ray, it's because it's not the only successor to the DVD. A few companies, including Microsoft, support a different standard for next-generation movie discs, called HD DVD. The conflict between the two formats has made it tough for consumers to make any decisions, so sales have been miniscule. But now that Sony's Blu-ray is appearing in Sony's eagerly anticipated PS3, Microsoft's HD DVD format is appearing in, you guessed it, Microsoft's Xbox 360. Okay, not "in" the Xbox-an accessory drive that connects to the console via USB has just gone on sale for $200. That brings the total for Microsoft's premium high-def-movie playing system to $600, the same price as the premium PS3.

I'm a big fan of high-definition TVs, even the more affordable 720p sets, and I can vouch for the fact that whether they're on Blu-ray or HD DVD, movies look much better than they do on standard DVDs. Pop in the Blu-ray edition of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby that comes with the PS3, and you're blown away by the detail (and by how old and pockmarked Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly look up close). Likewise, load up the copy of Peter Jackson's King Kong that ships with the Xbox HD DVD player, fast forward to an action scene and suddenly, there are two T-Rexes and a gorilla duking it out in your living room. I can't spot the difference between Blu-ray and HD DVD movie; no one but the most finicky of videophiles could. So when looking at both game consoles as a source of high-def movie content, forget about differences in video quality and think more about your gaming preferences as well as the movies themselves, the Blu-ray and HD DVD lineups on Amazon.com or Netflix.

As similar as they are in movie playback, the two platforms are very different in other areas. The PS3 thinks locally — it handles content best when it's on its hard drive, or on a disc in its drive, or on a memory card or USB keychain that's plugged in directly. The Xbox 360 is all about the network.

I take a lot of pictures, and was happy to see that the PS3 came with card readers for not just Sony's Memory Stick, but the more popular SD and CompactFlash as well. You can move photos from memory card to hard drive and back to memory card. I have never seen a device scroll through high-resolution photos faster than the PS3, certainly never blown up on a 46-in. monitor. It even renders your photos in realtime into a 3D animated slideshow, if you so desire.

Bringing photos to the PS3 for review makes sense, but in this era, carrying music on CD to the PS3 to listen makes no sense at all. Yet that's what Sony expects you to do: stick in a CD, let the PS3 go online to look up the tracks, then import it to its hard drive, even though you've probably got thousands of songs already ripped into MP3 format on your computer's hard drive.

Team Xbox knows about your music collection. If the Xbox 360 is connected to your home network (via Ethernet or a $100 Wi-Fi accessory), you can quickly pull up tracks from PCs around the house. You can also stream photos and videos, although not all formats are supported and the photo browsing, while thorough, lacked the sophistication of the PS3. Team Xbox also knows about your iPod. You plug it directly into the Xbox 360 to play any tracks but the ones you bought on iTunes. If you happen to have a Zune, you may plug that into the Xbox 360 as well. It won't shock you to hear that when I plugged the iPod and the Zune into one of the PS3's many USB ports, nothing happened. Of course, the PS3 does support music served up from the PlayStation Portable, if that's where you keep your tunes.

The differences continue. Xbox has a thriving online community and plans to open a video download service on Nov. 22. However, it doesn't give you a web browser. The PS3 does have a browser, plus built-in Wi-Fi and support for Bluetooth wireless earpieces. The craziest thing is that Sony has permitted geeks to load additional operating systems onto the PS3, including Linux. With all that processing power, it's a generous offer, although probably not one that many people will take up.

Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 have talent beyond their ability to give gamers their fix. Where the PS3 has a remarkable aesthetic elegance, the Xbox 360 has a rugged connectedness. Photographers should lean towards the PS3, while music lovers will want to stick with the Xbox 360. For movie buffs, the confusion is greater: while the Blu-ray format is backed by more studios, the new Xbox Marketplace movie and TV store may well become a paragon of convenience. The one thing I do know for sure is that you better be ready to pay. While both are expensive, they come with even pricier hidden costs: to maximize your enjoyment, you need a really nice TV. Then again, if you've already got a really nice TV, you can probably afford them both.

As the Earth's population booms and cities grow ever larger, the spotlight on energy innovation becomes greater. TIME looks into the new energy sources powering our world and sustaining our future.