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Tag: TCL

  • Samsung May Bring Its Free TV Plus to Third-Party TVs

    Samsung May Bring Its Free TV Plus to Third-Party TVs

    Samsung may bring its popular TV Plus streaming app to third-party TVs, according to a new report.

    Samsung includes its free TV Plus streaming app on its own TVs, but tech reporter Janko Roettgers reports that the company has been approaching other manufacturers to discuss bundling TV Plus with their TVs. While Samsung is not commenting publicly, Roettgers cites multiple unnamed sources familiar with the discussions.

    TCL is one manufacturer that Samsung has evidently discussed a deal with, although TCL declined to comment.

    As Roettgers points out, TV Plus is a rare hit for Samsung, as the company has historically struggled to gain traction with its own services. It’s little wonder the company is eager to capitalize on its success.

  • Google’s North American Smartphone Share Grew 230% in Q2 2022

    Google’s North American Smartphone Share Grew 230% in Q2 2022

    Google was the big winner among smartphone makers in Q2 2022, with its market share growing a whopping 230%.

    Q2 2022 was not a good quarter for North American smartphone shipments, with the overall industry experiencing a 6% decline. Despite that, there were a few bright spots, according to Canalys.

    Apple and Samsung continued to dominate the market, being the most popular smartphone models among NA buyers. Despite the overall downturn, Apple’s share grew by 3%, Samsung’s share grew by 4%, and Motorola’s grew by a mere 1%. TCL’s share dropped by 1%, while “Others” dropped by 61%.

    The real winner, however, was Google. Despite its Pixel series not breaking the top ten most popular, the company saw a 230% increase in its market share, bringing it to 2% overall.

    Google has struggled to make significant headway in the market, despite its Pixel line of phones generally receiving favorable reviews. It appears the company has finally hit a winning combination with its Pixel 6 redesign.

  • The 5G Blackberry Dream Is Over As OnwardMobility Loses Blackberry Rights

    The 5G Blackberry Dream Is Over As OnwardMobility Loses Blackberry Rights

    Just a month after OnwardMobility reassured prospective customers it was still working on a revived Blackberry, new reports indicate the project is vaporware.

    OnwardMobility acquired the rights to make Blackberry phones in August 2020, after TCL lost the license. Since then, the company has teased a 5G-equipped Blackberry phone, complete with a physical keyboard, the likes of which made the brand famous.

    Unfortunately, months passed with no visible progress being made, prompting the company to reassure prospective buyers that it was still making progress.

    To all of you who have patiently waited so long for updates from OnwardMobility, we are humbly aware that we owe you some form of communication as we enter 2022. And to misquote Mark Twain, as so many do, “Contrary to popular belief, we are not dead.”

    It would appear, however, the above statement is not true. According to CrackBerry, multiple sources have confirmed the project is dead. Android Police was also able to confirm the rumors.

    Interestingly, at the end of January, Blackberry sold off roughly $600 million in patents related to its legacy phone business. It’s unclear what role this may have played in the demise of the OnwardMobility project, but it seems likely the two events are related. It’s possible Blackberry pulled OnwardMobility’s license so they could offload the patents, or they may have decided to sell the patents once it became apparent OnwardMobility couldn’t deliver.

    This wouldn’t the first time the company has ended a contract with a third-party maker of Blackberry-branded phones. Perhaps the company just decided the whole endeavor was more trouble than it was worth, and took multiple steps to permanently end its involvement in the phone industry.

  • Yes, the Blackberry 5G Phone Is Still Coming

    Yes, the Blackberry 5G Phone Is Still Coming

    Despite delays, a 5G Blackberry phone is still in development, complete with the iconic physical keyboard.

    Blackberry devices were once some of the most popular PDAs and smartphones on the market, before getting trounced by Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Despite its fall from grace, the Blackberry maintains a loyal customer base, with many preferring the physical keyboard to software-based, onscreen options.

    Blackberry no longer manufactures its own devices, but has licensed the rights to do so to outside companies. TCL lost its license to make Blackberry devices in February 2020, but OnwardMobility gained the contract in August 2020, and promised to deliver a new, 5G model in 2021.

    Despite 2021 having passed with no new Blackberry, OnwardMobility wants its customers to know they are coming.

    To all of you who have patiently waited so long for updates from OnwardMobility, we are humbly aware that we owe you some form of communication as we enter 2022. And to misquote Mark Twain, as so many do, “Contrary to popular belief, we are not dead.”

    The company also promises to provide more updates to future customers moving forward.

    While we encountered various delays that prevented us from shipping in 2021, we will be providing more regular updates starting this month that will clarify and answer many of your questions about the ultra-secure 5G enterprise smartphone (still with a keyboard!) we’re bringing to market.

  • TCL Phone Will Have Slide-Out Screen, Doubles As Tablet

    TCL Phone Will Have Slide-Out Screen, Doubles As Tablet

    Mobile World Congress 2020 was cancelled due to the coronavirus, robbing vendors of one of the best launch events of the year.

    It appears TCL was planning on unveiling a head-turning new smartphone design that doubles as a tablet. According to leaked photos provided to CNET by a trusted source, TCL’s design features a type of slide-out mechanism to transform a somewhat traditional looking smartphone into a tablet form factor.

    The design is a major departure from foldable phones, such as those from Samsung and Motorola. Exactly how the mechanism works is unclear, but CNET’s Jessica Dolcourt makes the following observations:

    Image Credit: CNET
    Image Credit: CNET

    “Poring over the photos, the design of this TCL concept phone appears to use one continuous display, with curved screens on either side. Between the center of the phone and the dual front-facing camera along the right side, there’s a break in the chassis where you can pull the two sides apart to expose the surplus screen. It’d be much like sliding back the sides of your dining room table to add a leaf that seats more guests.

    “It isn’t clear exactly how the mechanism inside would work, but my best guess is that one portion of the flexible display bends or wraps behind the other. This might make the phone a little thicker than usual.”

    Hopefully there will be an official announcement, along with specs and pricing, available soon. TCL’s innovative take on the design is likely to win a fair share of customers.

     

    Image Credit: CNET

  • Roku TV, Smart TVs Built on Roku, Now Pre-Orderable

    If you’re a big streamer and your Roku box or Roku stick is the most-used device attached to your TV, you can finally cut out the middleman. Roku has just launched the first Roku TVs, smart TVs with the Roku platform baked right in, a little over seven months after debuting them at CES.

    Roku has two manufacturers making their new smart TV – TCL and Hisense. The former comes in 32-inch, 40-inch, 48-inch and 55-inch models and starts at $229 for the smallest, going all the way up to $650 for the largest. They are 1080p and 120Hz and are available for pre-order now. The latter will be available in 40-inch, 48-inch, 50-inch and 55-inch models, and will hit retailers in September. Prices on those have yet to be announced.

    According to Roku, the experience is a comprehensive one – not just the equivalent of “sticking a Roku player inside a TV”

    “Just like our Roku players, Roku TV offers an exceptional streaming experience filled with endless entertainment choices. But we didn’t just stick a Roku player inside the TV. We enhanced the Roku operating system to power the entire TV experience. That means we’ve applied our philosophy of simple and powerful across the entire TV – from the home screen to the remote control to picture settings. Combining the Roku OS with our partners expertise in TV hardware design, manufacturing and scale, we’re thrilled to deliver the best Smart TV in the market,” says CEO Anthony Wood.

    Image via Roku TV

  • Roku TV Is The Latest Smart TV On The Block

    For years now, there’s been a rumor that Apple would finally ditch its set top box Apple TV and just make an actual television. After all these years, we’re still no closer to finally seeing such a device. You’d think it might just be impossible to transition from a set top box to an actual television, but Roku is proving that notion wrong at CES.

    Roku announced this morning that it will be bringing its own television to CES in the form of the Roku TV. Now, it won’t actually be making its own televisions, but rather it will be partnering with TV manufacturers to pre-load televisions with its smart TV software.

    Since all the major TV manufacturers already have their own smart TV platforms, Roku has had to team up with some of the lesser known manufacturers to get the Roku TV out on the market. TCL, which Roku claims is the third largest TV manufacturer in the world, is the first partner and will be selling Roku TVs later this fall. Hisense, another small Chinese TV manufacturer, has also signed up to offer Roku TVs later this year.

    “Consumers will enjoy the ease and satisfaction of Roku TV while manufacturers leverage our design specifications, content relationships and software expertise. At the same time the content community will gain additional distribution and revenues through an already popular and trusted streaming platform – now in the TV,” said Roku Chief Executive Officer Anthony Wood. “I’m very excited about our partnerships with TV manufacturers and the first Roku TV models planned for release this fall from TCL and Hisense.”

    Roku TVs will be available in sizes from 32 to 55 inches. There’s no word on pricing yet, but they will be available in both the U.S. and Canada in the fall.

    It’s certainly an interesting concept, and one that Google has already exploited for its own Google TV software. With Roku TV, Roku will be able to get into more homes through those that upgrade to larger televisions through cheaper manufacturers like TCL and Hisense. As the year goes on, Roku will most likely snag even more partners to expand the reach of its platforms.

    Image via Roku/Business Wire