OnePlus One: A high-end device that may kill Nexus 5, iPhone 5S

Chinese phone company OnePlus today announced its first Android phone called OnePlus One, a flagship device that will be sold at a price of just $299.

OnePlus, a phone company founded last year in China, on Wednesday announced its first Android phone called OnePlus One, a flagship device that will be sold at a price of just $299. Despite its price, which is lower than even the price of Google Nexus 5, on paper OnePlus One looks every bit like a flagship device with good design and powerful hardware.

"Embodying the OnePlus motto of 'Never Settle', the OnePlus One boasts industry leading design, superior build quality and top of the line specs at a disruptive price point," the company said on Wednesday.

OnePlus was founded by Pete Lau in December 2013. Lau was earlier vice president at Oppo, a phone company that has made a name for itself in China by selling attractive and high-end phones at affordable prices.

For OnePlus One, the firm has tied up with Qualcomm for the core hardware. For software, it has tied up with Cyanogen Inc, a group that modifies Android to make it more suitable for older devices as well as to make it more feature rich.

"I am incredibly proud of the effort our team has put in to the CyanogenMod build for the OnePlus One. We've brought out the full potential of the hardware and complemented it with innovative new features to give users a fresh new experience and the tools to tailor the One to their personal style," said Steve Kondik. "We will continue to expand this effort to provide a genuinely enjoyable and powerful operating system for the user."

Kondik kickstarted the software modding for Android phones in 2008 when he managed to root an Android phone. He also later worked for Samsung.

OnePlus One is powered by Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor running at 2.5GHz. It has 3GB RAM, option of 16GB to 64GB internal storage, 5.5-inch screen with 1080P resolution, 13MP camera with F2.0 aperture and Sony image sensor, 5MP front camera, 3100 mAh battery, NFC and stereo speakers. The device weighs 162 grams and has a thickness of 8.9mm. While the shell of the phone is made using plastic, OnePlus says that wood, Kevlar and denim backcovers will be available as accessories.

The phone runs a custom version of CyanogenMod based on Android 4.4.

"By paying attention to the smallest details, taking a holistic approach to product design, and working with the best partners such as Cyanogen Inc. and Qualcomm Technologies, we have been able to create the greatest day to day user experience in a smartphone without compromise," said Pete Lau, CEO of OnePlus.

The OnePlus One will be available in May in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States in 16GB Silk White for $299/269 and in 64GB Sandstone Black for $349/299.

At the moment the price is the real appeal of OnePlus One. The other flagship phones like iPhone 5S and Galaxy S5 cost over $600.

Sony beats own estimates, sells 7 million PS4s

Sony says it has sold seven million PlayStation 4 worldwide since its launch last year and admitted it can't make them fast enough, in a welcome change of fortune for the Japanese consumer electronics giant.

"The response from the global gaming community for PS4 (PlayStation 4) has been overwhelming and we are truly humbled that gamers are selecting PS4 as their next generation console of choice," Andrew House, president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., said in a statement.

"The PS4 journey has just begun, and although we are still facing difficulties keeping up with the strong demand worldwide, we remain steadfast in our commitment to meet the needs of our customers," he said.

Software sales for the console are also strong, with more than 20.5 million copies sold in retail stores worldwide and through digital downloads on PlayStation Store as of April 13, 2014, it said.

The PS4 is up against Microsoft's Xbox One, and Nintendo's Wii U for dominance of the digital home entertainment market at a time that consoles are under intense pressure to prove their worth in a world of ubiquitous smartphones and tablets for games and videos.

By comparison, the Wii U, launched in late 2012, took more than a year to sell 5.86 million units.

Sony's gaming division has emerged as a potential saviour for the company, which is struggling to reinvent itself in the digital age, having been left in the dust by nimbler rivals like South Korea's Samsung.

Sony launched the PS4 in the global company's homeland Japan on February 22, more than four months after it debuted in the United States and well behind many other markets.

The company said it had wanted to give developers more time to exploit the potential of the console in the Japanese gaming market, where top-selling titles are often markedly different from popular offerings in the US and Europe.

Reports surfaced last month saying that Sony will sell properties at a prestigious Tokyo site where it had its headquarters for six decades, as the once-world beating firm struggles to improve its bottom line.

Sony warned in February that it would book a $1.08 billion loss in the fiscal year to March as well as cut 5,000 jobs and exit the stagnant PC market.

The embattled company said in January last year it was selling its US headquarters in Manhattan for $1.1 billion.

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