Mihăiță Bamburic

You may remember the OnePlus One as one of the most hyped smartphones of the year thus far. That is for two big reasons: first, it ships with top-of-the-line specifications and, second, the One manages to do that at a price lower than what Google asks for its impressive Nexus 5. (The fact that it looks quite nice does not hurt either.)

On top of that, OnePlus has also employed a clever trick to drum up people's interest in its first smartphone before the official launch. The One will follow a different path to availability, as the company will only allow those who have received an invite to buy it. After all, the exclusive launch adds to the appeal, does it not?

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Cost is often a powerful driver in the battle for market domination. Expensive products while, arguably, extremely capable for the money, may account for a smaller piece of the pie as opposed to free, powerful alternatives which often take the lion's share. For buyers, especially those with tight budgets, diminishing spendings to maximize profits comes naturally, so they tend to favor the latter. The way to go, to capture more market share, is not to compete on the same pricing level, but to make things cheaper so they appeal to more potential customers.

This is the path that Arizona-based software company Axosoft has taken with its bug tracker. Previously costing $70 per user per year, it can now be purchased for a mere $1 per year, no matter the number of users. It is basically free. "We know, it's pretty hard to believe, but we've decided to go after market share which is why we are doing this", says Axosoft CEO Hamid Shojaee.

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For quite a lot of people taking a photograph simply means pointing the camera at the subject followed by a quick press of the shutter button to take the picture. It is a concept best known as point and shoot, due to the simplicity of the actions. There are lots of cameras that cater to the needs of this audience, ranging from cheap devices that can be found in supermarkets (the I-need-a-camera-right-away type) to high-end compacts. The main difference between the two extremes is image quality (build quality, support and others are also better in the latter).

Sony's RX100 is renowned as one of the best high-end compact camera lines, appreciated even by some professionals (the RAW format support being one of the main reasons why). The latest member in the family, the new Cyber-shot DSC RX100 III, takes things further by adding an electronic viewfinder (EVF) and a fast zoom lens (F1.8 at its widest end -- 24 mm equivalent -- to F2.8 on the short telephoto side -- 70 mm equivalent), compared to its older brethren.

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Microsoft may have announced Windows Phone 8.1 early last month, but the first smartphone running the latest tiled operating system only just went on sale. The entry-level Nokia Lumia 630 is now available in Asian markets, with Europe to follow next week.

The first Windows Phone 8.1 device to hit store shelves costs around €119 before any taxes and mobile operator subsidies are applied. Expect to shell out €10 more (€129) for the dual-SIM version. For the money you get a decently-specified smartphone, with a 4.5-inch display.

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Not too long ago, a 4.5-inch display was considered to be on the large side for a smartphone. Manufacturers which dared to go past it were few and far between. Yet here we are today, in a time when that screen size only appears to be associated with small versions of flagships, like HTC's new One mini 2 which is the younger brother of the One (M8). (I wonder what the guys and gals from HTC were thinking right before they decided on the name One mini 2.)

The One mini 2 comes with similar features as its bigger brother, like the Sense 6 user interface, the BoomSound audio and BlinkFeed. It has nothing to be embarrassed about, at least as far as specs go, as HTC uses decent components that should ensure it does not feel underwhelming in daily usage.

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ADW.Launcher developer Ander Webbs has taken to Google+ to share his surprise after finding out his Android app was available in the Nokia Store -- the app store for Nokia X -- seemingly without his permission and without him ever launching the offering there. At first glance it appears Opera, which operates Nokia Store, has jumped the gun by creating an account and uploading the app on his behalf.

Without knowing the context, a number of vocal Google+ users have begun to accuse Nokia of unprofessionalism (bordering on wrongdoing). Fueled by a desire to bring the matter to the public's attention, it has quickly escalated. But, as it turns out, in 2010, Webbs agreed to have ADW.Launcher offered through Handster, which was later purchased by Opera.

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It is hardly a secret that LG is working on the successor of its G2 flagship, as the South Korean maker has officially announced that the upcoming G3 Android smartphone will be unveiled at a press event later this month. It says so in the description of one of its YouTube videos, a teaser of, you guessed it, the G3, as well as on its Facebook page (and, most likely, every other social media page LG has).

We do not need to speculate on the name (G3, obviously), the day of its presentation (May 27) or even the hour (18:00 GMT, 1 pm EST, 10 am PST). But, not to reveal all its cards before the big night, LG is (for now, at least) still keeping the actual smartphone under wraps. Go figure. We can, however, get a pretty good idea on how the G3 looks and what it offers, as the teaser does reveal plenty of details.

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I have long gotten used to the idea that the battery life of a smartphone will never match that of an old phone, so it is not high on my priorities list when I decide which smartphone I should buy next. Considering the advantages, this trade-off is something I can live with. Granted, our preferences may differ, but other traits like design, responsiveness, or camera are of a greater importance to me, and other people I know as well.

So I find it strange when an IDC survey, namely ConsumerScape 360, finds that battery life is the main reason why people buy a certain Android, iOS or Windows Phone smartphone, more so than operating system, screen size, brand or camera resolution. To quote my colleague Wayne Williams, "That seems very unlikely. No one shops for a phone because of battery life. No one".

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With the Moto G, under Google's ownership, Motorola has proved it is capable of making an appealing entry-level Android smartphone that does not employ inferior hardware to launch with a sub-$200 price-tag. The Moto G, unsurprisingly, has turned out to be a popular choice in this segment.

Today, at a press event, Motorola just announced a new version of its successful Moto G which features 4G LTE cellular connectivity. Consumers who shop in the entry-level smartphone market are likely to find the newly-unveiled device even more appealing, compared to its 3G-toting brethren, as the faster cellular data speeds amount to noticeable improvements when used on compatible mobile operator networks.

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South Korean maker LG admits that, at least when it comes to tablets, one size does not fit all. Today, the company announces that the G Pad 8.3, which was unveiled last year, will soon be joined by three new G Pads in its slate lineup, which will range in size from a small 7-inch to a large 10.1 inch option.

The upcoming G Pad 7.0, G Pad 8.0 and G Pad 10.1, together with the G Pad 8.3, can allow LG to reach more potential buyers and, ultimately, establish itself as a top tablet vendor, joining the likes of Apple, Samsung, ASUS and Amazon.

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Windows Phone 8.1 may not be as customizable as Android is, but the newest iteration of the tiled smartphone operating system does give users a fair bit of leeway when it comes to their homescreen layout and appearance. There are quite a few live tile colors to choose from, two background options, and, if that is not custom enough, an image can be set as background for pinned live tiles.

However, users can go even further with the homescreen customization in Windows Phone 8.1 by turning to third-party apps, like Theme+. It can generate custom images which are sized to work properly as live tile backgrounds.

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Microsoft officially announced Windows Phone 8.1 at the Build conference in early-April, and later released a preview build to developers and early adopters. The new iteration of the tiled smartphone operating system comes with important new features and improvements over its aging predecessor, among which being the much-awaited notification center and the Cortana personal assistant. The upgrade has yet to be rolled out to Windows Phone 8 smartphones.

As it is gearing up for the public availability of the OS, Microsoft has detailed some of the most important changes it introduced in Internet Explorer 11 for Windows Phone 8.1. By the looks of it, the browser is finally able to rival what the likes of Chrome offer on competing platforms.

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Nokia XL is part of a highly-anticipated Android lineup the Finnish company unveiled in late-February, before the sale of its Devices & Services business to Microsoft. It is targeted at the entry-level smartphone market, and sports a look similar to more upscale Lumia handsets.

Stephen Elop, former Nokia CEO and current head of Microsoft's Devices and Studios division, has said the software giant would remain committed to the X lineup (despite the role it plays in the Windows Phone market), following the sale's completion. That makes Microsoft an Android vendor (one of many). And with the availability of the Android device in the two extra regions, the software giant is not hindering the smartphone's chances of success.

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Businesses want to have a certain level of control over the smartphones their employees bring into work environments. This means vendors which cater to these kind of needs, through dedicated management tools and software designed to isolate personal and work content, are more likely to get on their good side, and grab significant enterprise market share in the process.

South Korean maker Samsung offers a BYOD-friendly solution that is meant for its top Android devices. Called Knox, it received two major revisions, the most-recent of which was unveiled at MWC 2014 in February, since its introduction more than a year ago. It has been made available for devices like the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3. And, today, Samsung announced Knox (albeit in its latest iteration, version 2.0) also greets the Galaxy S5.

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Any efforts to break the Android and iOS duopoly in the smartphone market appear to be for naught as the pair continues to take the lion's share of shipments and sales. Even third place occupant Windows Phone struggles to gain significant territory, despite higher unit volumes.

A new report from ABI Research shows Android, iOS, and Windows Phone shipments grew in Q1 2014, compared to the same period from 2013. Despite this increase, Apple's platform lost share quarter-over-quarter, dropping from 11 percent to 10 percent. Meanwhile, Android and Windows Phone's shares grew, sequentially, to 44 percent from 39 percent, and to 3 percent from 2 percent, respectively. The numbers are lower than what the likes of IDC report because ABI Research's data combines smartphone and phone shipments.

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