BlackBerry Priv Android Apps Hit Google Play, 'Productivity Edge' Leaked

BlackBerry's much-anticipated Priv Android slider smartphone is now up for pre-orders at $699 (roughly Rs. 45,500), and is slated to begin shipping in the US starting November 6, 2015

Ahead of the release, some highlight features of the Priv are making it to the Internet and the latest in the series is the handset's 'Productivity Edge' or notifications on the curved edge display. In the meanwhile, BlackBerry has released Priv-specific Android apps to the Google Play store. These include MicrosoftexFAT, Notes, BlackBerry Calendar, Contacts, BlackBerry Hub, BlackBerry Keyboard, BlackBerry Services, Tasks, BlackBerry Device Search, BlackBerry Password Keeper, BlackBerry Launcher, BlackBerry Camera, and DTEK. Some of the apps are brand new, while others have been updated. The apps listings were first spotted by BlackBerry Central. Also new, is the release of the BlackBerry Content Transfer app for BlackBerry Priv users, available on BlackBerry World.

The Content Transfer for BlackBerry app will allow users to switch to the new Priv by moving data that is saved on an old BlackBerry 10 device (running 10.2.1 and later).

"Data that is associated with a web-based account, such as contacts and calendar events, is transferred when you add the account to your new device. Your data can be transferred with password-protected encryption using Google Drive, your media card, or a private Wi-Fi network," explains the app listing in the Store.

BlackBerry previously revealed updates for its device roadmap for the year which primarily included Priv Android smartphone. Notably, BlackBerry has been pitching its first Android smartphone as a flagship slider device.

Getting back to the leaked Productivity Edge, to recall, the BlackBerry Priv sports a 5.4-inch Oled QHD (2560 x 1440) display with curved edges, something we have already seen on the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and Galaxy S6 Edge+. However, the Canadian company has so far not detailed the function of the Priv's curved edges.

A Crackberry Forum member however, has shared images from a Priv simulator, hinting at several unannounced features. In one of the slides, the Priv's 'Productivity Edge' has been detailed and shows how users can select an icon to view app preview. The slider reads, "Tap the Home icon. Drag out the Productivity Edge tab. Select an icon to view an app view. Select another icon to view an app preview. Tap the Settings icon."

In the leaked slider, an image of Productivity Edge on the Priv can be seen with icons for quick viewing calendar, mails, tasks, and contacts. BlackBerry's 'Productivity Edge' sounds similar to Samsung's People Edge, which majorly allows user to quickly access select contacts. Samsung also includes an option to light up the edge screen when mails, messages, or calls arrive.

Another leaked slider shows 'Pop-up widgets' feature which appears when swiping an icon. We can expect the company to detail the functions at the release of the handset.-Independent News

Sony: Bracing for smartphone slowdown

Tawfique Infotech Online Desk :

Sony Corp, widely regarded as a key supplier of image sensors for Apple Inc's iPhones, said it was bracing for a slowdown in the premium smartphone market after sales of its sensors fell in the third quarter, reports ‘The Times of India’.

Videogame sales and cost cuts in Sony's flagging mobile unit pushed October-December operating profit up 11 percent, beating analyst estimates, but the firm confirmed a much-feared hit to a segment that in recent quarters helped it shake off years of losses.

"Demand for image sensors from certain customers has slowed since November due to a slowdown in the high-end smartphone market," chief financial officer Kenichiro Yoshida told reporters at a briefing, without naming the clients.

Worries about weaker iPhone sales and a slowdown in China's smartphone market -- the world's biggest -- have weighed on Sony shares in recent weeks. The stock closed up 6.1% ahead of earnings, still down around 16% since the start of 2016.

Yoshida said Sony was planning its budget for the next year assuming a fall in global demand for high-end smartphones.

Sony also said October-December sales of devices, including image sensors, fell 13% from a year earlier. The segment, also hit by weak battery sales, booked a loss of 11.7 billion yen compared with a 53.8 billion yen profit in the year prior.

In addition to image sensors, Sony has depended on cost cuts and strong sales of PlayStation 4 games to improve its bottom line over the past year.

The two factors helped its fiscal third-quarter operating profit rise 11% from a year earlier to 202.1 billion yen ($1.68 billion), beating the average 175 billion yen forecast of 8 analysts according to Thomson Reuters data.

It said quarterly sales of its game and network services division rose 11%, helped by strong holiday sales of PlayStation 4 videogames. It raised its full-year forecast for the division to an operating profit of 85 billion yen from an October forecast of 80 billion.

In mobile, sales fell 15% in a division struggling to compete with Apple and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, as well as low-cost Asian rivals. But operating income more than doubled to 24 billion yen as Sony cut spending on marketing and development and gave up its pursuit of market share.

The company maintained its outlook for full-year operating profit to grow to 320 billion yen from 68.5 billion in the previous year.unb