HTC posts loss in Q3, predicts declining revenue in Q4

HTC's unaudited report for the third quarter of this year pointed to the first quarterly loss in the company's history. The final report confirms that and doesn’t paint a rosy picture for Q4 either.
The company's revenue for Q3 this year was $1.6 billion. That's a sizeable drop from the $2.4 billion in last year's Q3, and $4.54 billion for the same quarter in 2011. The gross margin was 20.4%, down from 25% last year, while operating margin was -7.4% compared to a positive 7% in Q3 last year.
HTC posted lower monthly revenues for the three months of Q3, despite a nearly 40% rise in revenue month to month in the last month of the quarter, September. Q4 isn't starting off well with decreased revenues both month on month and year on year.


For Q4 this year, HTC is forecasting $1.4-1.5 billion in revenue with a gross margin of around 20%. HTC made $2 billion in revenue during last year's Q4.
It's not all gloomy – Peter Chou says with the launch of the One mini and One Max, plus midrange and entry-level phones in the Desire line, HTC has offerings in all price segments. “We have delivered good progress in the third quarter, with the introduction of HTC One Mini and One Max, we now have an HTC One for everyone,” says Chou.
HTC's campaign starring Robert Downey Jr. is paying off, having raised brand awareness by 12% and "brand momentum" by 15%. Will that be enough? We'll see if HTC manages to beat expectations in Q4 or if it will continue its decline.
Source 1 (PDF) • Source 2 (XLSX

Nokia Lumia 525 gets certified in China, new images appear

The Nokia Lumia 525 has bouncing around in rumorland by its codename "Glee" for quite a while now. The upcoming device will be the replacement for the hugely successful Lumia 520, and naturally, the smartphone is set to compete strongly in the midrange sector.
We now have the first leaked images of the Lumia 520 successor, which comes from China's mobile certification agency TENAA, which is equivalent to the FCC in the US.

According to the certification, the Lumia 525 is said to be a music oriented smartphone. The hardware specifications of the device are rumored to be similar to what we found on the Lumia 520, except for the RAM being boosted from 512MB to 1GB.
Sources say the Nokia Lumia 525 will be announced by the end of the year and the smartphone will be available in White, Yellow, Black and Orange color options.
Via

LG offering developers a device for 30 days to test their apps

Looking for an Android device to test your app on but don't have access to the latest hardware? If you live in US or Canada, LG has got you covered.

Android developers in the above mentioned areas can now sign up for LG's developer program to request an LG G2 or even the older Optimus G Pro and Optimus G for up to 30 days to test their applications on.
You can sign up for the LG Device Loaner Program from the link below.
Source

Nokia is reportedly working on a compact Windows RT tablet dubbed Illusionist

As the Nokia Lumia 2520 enjoys its fair share of attention, a report on the company’s second Windows RT tablet made the rounds. Allegedly, an 8” Windows RT slate dubbed Nokia Illusionist is in development.

Reportedly the Nokia Illusionist will be released in early 2014 with Qualcomm silicon on board. The slate will slot perfectly in the range between the 10” Nokia Lumia 2520 and the 6” Lumia 1520 Phablet.
Unsurprisingly, the upcoming 8” Lumia tablet will sport similar design to the 2520 (think a stretched Lumia smartphone). The device is said to sport a lower model number than the one of its larger relative.
Source 1 | Source 2

Nikon Df is a modern full frame DSLR in a classic body

Nikon has announced a new member of their high-end FX format DSLRs. The Nikon Df straddles the line between a classic Nikon camera designed around the lines of the old Nikon ‘F’ series of 35mm film cameras and a modern day DSLR.

On the outside, the Df is all retro. The body is made out of magnesium alloy and leather. On the top sits a roof mounted pentaprism with a hotshoe. The camera comes with a smattering of mechanical dials to adjust everything, from ISO to exposure compensation, release mode and exposure mode and a body mounted shutter button with threaded release port. The Df is being released with the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Special Edition lens that is designed to match the look of the camera.

On the inside, the Df is basically the previously launched Nikon D4. It has the same 16.2 megapixel full-frame FX format CMOS sensor with an ISO range of 100 to 12,800, expandable up to 204,800. The 39-point auto-focus system, however, has been borrowed from the Nikon D610. The Df also has a high resolution 921k dot 3.2-inch LCD on the back. One thing missing from the Df, however, is a video recording mode.
The Nikon Df will be available in black and silver for $2,749.95 (body only) and for $2,999.95 with the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Special Edition lens later this month.

Last week the Federal Aviation Authority in the United States issued a ruling which allows the airlines to expand the use of personal electronics during flight. Today, Amazon decided to celebrate the occasion with a one-day sale of its Kindle family of tablets. Today only, users can snag an Amazon Kindle tablet with 15% off its regular price. The promotion is valid for the regular Amazon Kindle, the Kindle Fire HD, as well as the brand new Kindle Fire HDX. The last one is particularly attractive as it offers a package of Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC and FullHD display for less than $200 today only.

Last week the Federal Aviation Authority in the United States issued a ruling which allows the airlines to expand the use of personal electronics during flight. Today, Amazon decided to celebrate the occasion with a one-day sale of its Kindle family of tablets.

Today only, users can snag an Amazon Kindle tablet with 15% off its regular price. The promotion is valid for the regular Amazon Kindle, the Kindle Fire HD, as well as the brand new Kindle Fire HDX. The last one is particularly attractive as it offers a package of Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC and FullHD display for less than $200 today only.

Google announces Helpouts

Google Helpouts is a brand new service from Google that will let you get help on any topic you want from real people over the internet through a video call. The service offers you a bunch of topics to choose from and you can also type in what you need help with.

Helpouts then presents you with options that match your query. You will see a list of Helpouts that you can choose from that best match your query, with the name of the people who will be conducting the call. You can start a Helpout call with the person immediately or schedule it for later.
Most of the Helpouts are paid and you will be paying from $1 onwards (I’ve seen some costing over $100 per call) depending upon the person you will be contacting. Some Helpouts are free but those are few and far between.