Amazon Introduces the New $50 Fire Tablet

Amazon will begin shipping its new Fire Tablet on September 30. With a price tag of just $50 this limited use-limited application device can be purchased individually or in a 'six-pack'. Undoubtedly this device offers no challenges to the Apple iPad Pro or comparable tablets from Samsung, Sony, Dell, HP or Casio. But is seems to has its niche in the low cost, low end of the tablet market segment for consumers with simple feature requirements.

The Fire Tablet provides a 7" IPS display (171 ppi / 1024 x 600) and fast 1.3 GHz quad-core processor. Rear and front-facing cameras, new Amazon Underground, a one-of-a-kind app store experience where over $10,000 in apps, games and even in-app items are actually free - including extra lives, unlocked levels, unlimited add-on packs and more, access to more than 38 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, apps and games, 8 GB of internal storage, free unlimited cloud storage for all Amazon content and photos taken with Fire devices and  a microSD card for up to 128 GB of additional storage. So how will consumers response to this new mini-tablet? Share your comments with the Smartphone and Tablet Zone.

comScore Releases Smartphone Market Share Report - Apple and Samsung Dominate

As of April 2015, Apple ranked as the top smartphone manufacturer with 43.1 percent OEM market share, while Google Android led as the #1 smartphone platform with 52.2 percent platform market share. Facebook ranked as the top individual smartphone app. 188.6 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones (76.9 percent mobile market penetration) during the three months ending in April.* Apple ranked as the top OEM with 43.1 percent of U.S. smartphone subscribers (up 1.8 percentage points from January). Samsung ranked second with 28.6 percent market share, followed by LG with 8.4 percent (up 0.4 percentage points), Motorola with 4.9 percent and HTC with 3.7 percent (up 0.1 percentage points).

Android ranked as the top smartphone platform in April with 52.2 percent market share, followed by Apple with 43.1 percent (up 1.8 percentage points from January), Microsoft with 3 percent, BlackBerry with 1.5 percent and Symbian with 0.1 percent. Meanwhile, Facebook ranked as the top smartphone app, reaching 71.1 percent of the app audience, followed by YouTube (57 percent), Google Search (51.8 percent) and Facebook Messenger (51.8 percent). Read the complete report at: https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Market-Rankings . Send your comments with the Smartphone and Tablet Zone.

High Tech Hit Parade: Samsung in August, Apple in September and Microsoft in October - What's on Tap?

Following major hardware announcements by Samsung in August and Apple this past week, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will unveil a line of Windows 10 devices at a New York event on October 6. Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) did not release any details about which products it would present. But the company is widely expected to announce a new Surface Pro 4, two Lumia smartphones, and possibly even a new wearable or an update to its existing Microsoft Band smartwatch. A spokesman declined to comment on specifics. He would only say there will be a "variety of Windows 10 devices."

Microsoft's new gadgets are expected to build on the new features of Windows 10, which debuted in July. The Surface Pro, for example, is a full-powered PC that looks and acts like a tablet. The latest model, the Surface Pro 3, has a 12-inch screen, a kickstand, and weighs less than two pounds. It's meant to attract people who want a three-in-one device -- a popular customer base that other tech companies are going after too.Can Microsoft break-through? Share your comments with the Smartphone and Tablet Zone.

Apple's Big Announcement: The Day After - Awaiting Customer Reaction

Yesterday Apple dazzled the tech world with multiple 'upgrade' announcement to the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV. With a tech brand second to none around the world both Apple and the tech media wait to her customer reaction. While enhancements to existing products are almost always good for customers the big question remains: Will these enhanced products fuel Apple's voracious revenue and market share growth worldwide?

In short, time will tell. A larger iPad, upgraded IoS driving the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, Apple Watch improvements and a more robust Apple TV offering should enable Apple to stay on track for innovation, customer satisfaction and sustained revenue growth. But the question being heard more and more often is what comes next? Yes, there is significant growth potential in each of these product categories. Nonetheless, what is the next big technology niche which Apple may not just enter, but conquer? Could it be the Apple Car? Or some other little known, yet emerging market segment, which could pave the way for the next upward move in the company's global growth for 5-10 years to come. Send your comments and predictions to the Smartphone and Tablet Zone. In the interim, read Apple's press releases from yesterday's announcements at: http://www.apple.com/pr/

Apple Announces iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, iPad Pro, Apple Watch and Apple TV Upgrades

Holding true to its established pattern of announcing new products in September and shipping the products in the following months, Apple stayed the course today with upgrades to the iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, iPad Pro, Apple Watch and Apple TV. This announcements will hopefully give customers - both consumers and businesses what they have been asking in terms of increased functionality and performance.

Two key questions remain: First, what will competitors such as Samsung, Google and others have to say about these news products? And second, will the two iPhone upgrades delivery the revenue streams necessary for continued growth until the iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV reach escape velocity? In the meantime, share your comments with the Smartphone and Tablet Zone. Watch the complete event on taped delay at: http://www.apple.com/apple-events/september-2015/

Motorola Debuts MOTO X Pure Edition Android Smartphone

The newest smartphone from Motorola Mobile Computing System includes 2.5GHz Qualcomm^® Snapdragon™ 801 with quad-core CPU (MSM 8974-AC), Adreno 330 @ 578 MHz GPU, Natural Language Processor, Contextual Computing Processor. The display screen is 5.2" AMOLED 1080p FULL HD 1920x1080 423 ppi Corning^® Gorilla^® Glass 3. 

Bands (by model include): Moto X - Pure Edition (GSM Unlocked with T-Mobile SIM - XT1095): GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1700 (AWS), 1900, 2100 MHz), 4G LTE (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 17).  AT&T (XT1097): GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1700 (AWS), 1900, 2100 MHz), 4G LTE (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 17). Verizon (XT1096): GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz), CDMA (850, 1900 MHz)4G LTE (2, 3, 4, 7, 13). How well will the MOTO X be received by consumers around the world? Share your comments here at the Smartphone and Tablet Zone.

Sony Introduces the New Xperia Z5 Premium Smartphone

With a 4K Ultra HD display, this 5.5” smartphone offers times the resolution of Full HD for an unrivalled viewing experience. Xperia Z5 Premium takes a giant leap in display technology, adding more pixels to reach an ultra-sharp 806 PPI. That’s around 10x the pixels of a Full HD TV. It The Xperia Z5 Premium scales up your photos and movies to 4K quality. Xperia uses Android 5.0, Lollipop. Inspired by Google™ material design and advanced by Sony’s expertise.This smartphone comes the Quick Charger UCH10 which provides 5 1/2 hours of battery life in just 10 minutes of charging time.

 Functionality available on Sony Xperia™ Z3, Z3 Compact, Z3 Tablet Compact, Z2 and Z2 Tablet starting from November 2014 include PlayStation®4 System, DUALSHOCK®4, Sony Entertainment Network and high speed internet connection required. Can the Xperia Z5 Preium compete with the Apple iPhone 6 (7?) and Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge+? Share your comments with the Smartphone and Tablet Zone.