Nokia denies any plans of making any smartphones

If you’ve been holding out for a Nokia device, you might be waiting for nothing. Of course, they could return to the business after the agreement with Microsoft ends in 2016. But it would seem they would want to deny the possibility now. In a statement they said: “Nokia reiterates it currently has no plans to manufacture or sell consumer handsets.”

You could say they could change their tune in the future but for now what we do get from them is the N1 Android tablet, HERE mapping service, and they have just purchased Alcatel-Lucent. We probably would see them in the cloud computing and Internet of Things space more than the consumer smartphone market anytime soon.

Source: Nokia | Via: SlashGear

Sharp tipped to be spinning off smartphone LCD business

Demonstrating just how tough it is to survive in the mobile business, Sharp will reportedly spin off its smartphone LCD division to help keep the company afloat. The move will reportedly be made in the current fiscal year, maybe around next March. The announcement will reportedly be made before Sharp announces its restructuring plans in  May. The company won't give confirmation about the plans just yet but they are saying that they are still considering reorganization options. 

Source: Reuters + Wall Street Journal | Via: Engadget

Smart Lock via Activity Recognition tipped to land on Android

Smart Lock is a Google feature that will let Chromebook users unlock their devices with their smartphones without having to enter a password. It would seem this feature might be getting an update in the future. Android Police has discovered a possible new feature during an APK teardown of the newest Google Play services. It says Smart Lock can be triggered using Activity Recognition. It is described as an experimental feature so it might take a while before we see it. Activity Recognition could mean anything though. For example, maybe in the way you walk or shaking your phone in a particular pattern. But that might be a tough way to unlock a phone. Perhaps we’ll hear more about it at this year’s Google I/O. Any guesses on what the application could be like?

Source: Android Police | Via: Ubergizmo

Video: Demo of the dual-display YotaPhone 2 at CES 2015

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

YotaPhone 2 is a new Android smartphone that has a 1080p HD display in the front and an eInk display in the back. It is ideal for reading eBooks or for usage of apps in a low-powered, black and white setting. The front and the back are made of Gorilla Glass 3 which makes it durable. No word on Canadian availability yet but it would be great to see this device come our market.