Tag Archive for: Smartphones

World to make 1.37 billion smartphones in 2021 says IDC – about one for every six humans • The Register


1.37 billion smartphones will ship in 2021, says analyst firm IDC, and 570 million of them will be 5G-ready.

The company’s latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker predicts growth of 7.4 per cent to reach that colossal number, but also notes “2021 shipments have managed to display minimal growth compared to 2019 (pre-pandemic) volumes”.

Shipments of Apple devices are predicted to jump 13.8 per cent, with Androids growing by 6.2 per cent. Premium phones continue to be in demand, with shipments of kit priced at $1000 or more growing 116 per cent year-over-year compared to Q2 in 2020.

“The world’s largest markets – China, the United States, and Western Europe – will still be down from 2019, but growing markets such as India, Japan, the Middle East, and Africa are fueling the recovery,” IDC writes.

Punters want 5G and are willing to pay for it.

“5G shipments continue to be a primary driver of 2021 growth as both vendors and channels focus on 5G devices that carry a significantly higher average selling price (ASP) than older 4G devices,” the firm states.

The ASP of a 5G smartphone will therefore reach $634 in 2021 – up just a tick from 2020’s $632. Even at that price, shipments of 5G phones will grow by 123.4 per cent to 570 million.

“China will continue to lead the market with 47.1 per cent of the 5G global market share, followed by the USA at 16 per cent, India at 6.1 per cent, and Japan at 4.1 per cent,” IDC suggests. “By the end of 2022, 5G units are expected to make up more than half of all smartphone shipments with a 54.1 per cent share.”

4G phones are headed for the bargain basement, with ASP expected to land at $206 – almost 30 per cent down from 2020’s $277.

Earth’s human population is on track to hit around 7.9 billion in 2021. This year’s smartphone harvest therefore means there’s a new handset for about…

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Walmart Unveils Associate App, Giving 740,000 Associates Smartphones


“We’re proud that Samsung’s innovative technology is playing a key role in enabling Walmart to transform their retail associate experience,” Hamshy Raveendran, head of product management and go to market, Mobile B2B Business, Samsung Electronics Americas, told RIS. “Our Galaxy XCover Pro, combined with Walmart’s all-in-one [email protected] app, will put everything associates need at their fingertips to help them better serve their customers. And outside the store, they’ll have an exceptional device for their personal use. We’re excited to support Walmart as they lead the retail industry in leveraging mobile to empower their frontline employees.”

The devices and app will give Walmart associates access to mobile experiences such as:

  • Push-to-Talk: Associates can instantly connect with one another by using push-to-talk, allowing them to work as a team and quickly react to customers’ needs.
  • Scheduling: The app lets associates view their shifts up to two weeks in advance, check on their upcoming paid time off and request changes to their schedule, if needed.
  • Mobile Clock In: Using geofencing technology, associates can clock in with a tap of a button once they arrive at their store.
  • Ask Sam: A voice-activated personal assistant for work, the Ask Sam feature lets associates ask the app questions to quickly locate merchandise and get answers for customers. Associates can even look up the metrics that drive their business. This feature was previously available to some associates as a separate app, but is now available to all through [email protected] Last year Walmart expanded its capabilities to include details about COVID-19.
  • Personal Security: The Samsung Knox mobile security suite is being used to create the boundaries between personal and work-related information. Walmart will not have access to any associates’ personal data.
  • Knox Services: Walmart will leverage the extensive capabilities found in the Samsung Knox Suite.  This includes tools to help with automated enrollment, firmware management, device and WiFi network analytics, loss prevention and deep device customization. 

In addition, Walmart said it will add another feature to the

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Thousands of smartphones have been infected with fake beepost SMS, these are the results


Belga Photo Laurie Dieffembach

Miguel de Brooker, director of the Center for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB), talks about the virus that was transmitted via fake SMS messages from BePost and which has infected thousands of smartphones in Belgium.

Initially the Bipost fake SMS scam was unfortunately a success for cyber criminals. A few days ago, at least 9,000 devices were infected with computer viruses.

Infected smartphones send hundreds of text messages every day

“Generally, a malware campaign infects 400 to 500 systems in our country,” said Miguel de Brooker, director of the Center for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB), to our colleagues at Nieuwsblad. “In this case, there are already thousands who send hundreds of messages every day. Our telecom providers are also blocking millions.”

Why has this malware spread so quickly?

This malware (computer virus) is a fluobot, which uses “flu” in English for “flu” and “bot” for “robot”, as it spreads like a flu virus. That is, it infects users and in turn sends viruses to their contacts in an attempt to infect them. In the case of the Bipost scandal, Miguel de Bruyker explains this unfortunate success by the fact that it is SMS, as we are less skeptical about email. Then, if the SMS announces that it comes from BPost, our antitrust gauge falls even further.

The only way to click on the link

Once the malware hits the phone, it is done, all you have to do is reset the device to “fix” it. “This is no longer a common application, but rather a system service,” says De Brooker, who is still in Nieuwsblad. “So you can’t delete it.” Once intruded into the smartphone, the stream can make the appropriate SMS and send them automatically, as well as steal contacts. but that’s not all ! It can also display websites, specifically a screen similar to a banking service, hoping that the user trusts it and enters its information.

Are infected smartphones ready for an attack?

And as soon as this information is collected by the malware, it is too late, because it sends it to another infected device via a central server. All these smartphones infected with the BePost scam are called “botnets”, ie a set of…

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Cubed Mobile Lets Businesses Combine Personal Phones and Business Smartphones with Its Super App


This unique app enables enterprises to reduce their mobile phone costs by 80-90%, enhancing their data cybersecurity and making their mobile management more efficient.

Cubed Mobile, a global IT services company, introduces an app that turns any mobile device into two – one personal, one enterprise. Recognized by the international research firm Gartner as a “Cool Vendor in Communications Service Provider Business Operations,” the company’s app can be installed on any device. Its app-based system creates complete, secure silos, ensuring protection, communication, and productivity. Not only does it simplify the corporate mobile experience, but it also strengthens a user’s privacy and assists with work-life balance. This solution is the only system of its type globally.

“Cubed Mobile goes beyond enterprise mobile security. It also strengthens security, smooths communication coordination, and eases the management of BYOD with a new approach to the Mobile Device Management (MDM) ecosystem,” the spokesperson of the company said.

“With this solution, businesses can now create workspaces with different settings, apps, and access-rights based on user parameters. Let your admins invite and remove users, edit personal details, settings, and virtual lines, filter lists of associated devices. Anytime, you can remotely backup, restore, and wipe entire workspaces immediately.”

Cubed Mobile eliminates the need for a second mobile device by delivering a fully functional self-contained corporate virtual smartphone, complete with SIM-less phone lines, allow users to communicate via web browser, apps, a self-service homegrown and external application store, environment and app configurations, access control settings, integrated VPN, and a built-in multipurpose UC suite – all controlled remotely in real-time and deployed in a managed workspace.

Cubed Mobile Management Solution also streamlines and automates deployment, provisioning, policy management, app delivery, and updates with built-in enterprise-class security. Cubed Mobile provides a unified corporate communication and mobile device management solution for CSPs, MSPs, VARs, and other resellers to offer their SME and SMB…

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