Mark Bridge writes:
Last week a major retailer with a significant online presence announced plans to release its own-brand smartphone by the end of the year. No, not Amazon. This news came from Tesco.
The supermarket said it’ll apply its Hudl brand – which was seen on many Android tablets at Christmas – to a new handset by the end of 2014. In addition, an updated Hudl 2 tablet is also expected this year.
Huawei had a new phone announcement of its own. The flagship Ascend P6 is being replaced by the Ascend P7, which will be equipped with an 8 megapixel front-facing camera. Apparently this is perfect for what Huawei describes as ‘groufies’: panoramic group selfies. You can tune into Wednesday’s podcast to hear how Iain Graham reacts to this word… although you’ll probably hear his cries of despair if you merely open your window.
Vodafone has been talking about two very different stories in the past few days. It’s added a loyalty card feature to its mobile wallet in Europe – although there’s still no sign of a UK release date – and it’s also committed to fixing its monthly subscription charges in line with Ofcom’s new guidance.
Sticking with money matters, BlackBerry has now agreed to sell much of its Canadian property portfolio, mobile payment provider iZettle has picked up £33 million in new funding and Nokia has announced a £59 million investment in connected cars.
Finally for now, we’re sending best wishes to Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee. Mr Lee is currently recovering after undergoing emergency heart surgery at the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul.
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