Facebook launched its native app for Apple’s iPad on Monday, but the bigger story is wider support for web technologies as Facebook tries to be everywhere on every device. The company shared news with developers explaining how social app discovery using HTML5 can reap greater engagement. Read more »
Customers on U.S. GSM networks have two similar Samsung Galaxy S II smartphones to choose from: one for AT&T and one for T-Mobile. I’ve spent time using both and highlight the key differences that could influence your purchase decision: networks, screens and other small variances. Read more »
Google’s Nexus Prime may have a high definition screen, but it’s not alone. LG’s True HD IPS screen with 1280×720 resolution, will power the LG Optimus LTE in Korea. With a 4.5-inch screen, that’s 326 pixels per inch, or nearly the same as Apple’s Retina Display. Read more »
T-Mobile’s HTC Amaze 4G and Samsung Galaxy S II have arrived; hear Matt and Kevin’s hands-on thoughts in this week’s mobile tech podcast. Plus a recap of the iPhone 4S and iOS 5 news; who’s buying an iPhone and who’s waiting for a Nexus Prime? Read more »
Samsung and Google have delayed the expected debut of Android’s next version as well as the introduction of the Nexus Prime smartphone. Minecraft gained support for most Android phones, and I took a good look at iOS 5 from an Android owner’s perspective. It impresses. Read more »
Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon S4 chips are expected next year and will be the first to support all of the major 2G, 3G and 4G networks with a single integrated modem. It’s smaller, more powerful and should improve battery life on 4G smartphones, tablets and other devices. Read more »
The Samsung Unpacked event that was expected to introduce the Google Nexus Prime smartphone next week has been postponed to a future date. Meanwhile we have leaked specs and what appears to be a legitimate hands-on video with the Nexus Prime and Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Read more »
The mobile app economy is growing faster than earlier predictions, now expected to account for 98 billion downloads by 2015. Consumers want their smartphones to have numerous functions and apps, which drive downloads. Meanwhile, music services could be slowing digital music sales. Developers should take note. Read more »
Hoping to solve the challenge of developing mobile apps for multiple platforms, Myriad announced its Alien Dalvik 2.0 product. With it, developers can create an Android app that runs on any number of non-Android devices; even Apple’s iPad, which Myriad will demonstrate next week at CTIA. Read more »
Hundreds of millions of handset owners worldwide without data plans have a new way to access Facebook while mobile thanks to Gemalto. The Amsterdam-based company has a SIM card that uses SMS to provide Facebook access for Personal Argentina’s 17.4 million customers; no data plan required. Read more »
Google’s third flagship Android phone, code-named the Nexus Prime, is expected to launch next week. Thursday a list of believeable specifications surfaced. The phone could be a Verizon exclusive in the U.S., explaining why the carrier opted to pass on Samsung’s Galaxy S II: no LTE. Read more »
From May to August of this year, Samsung and Apple continue to grow handset sales in the U.S. while Motorola, Research in Motion and LG are losing ground. Making matters worse for the laggards: the smartphone is becoming central for more activities in our lives. Read more »
Although the new iPod nano took a back seat to the iPhone 4S and iOS 5, it did gain a software update and could morph into a smartwatch of the future. Should competing products such as the MetaWatch and Live View be worried? Not just yet. Read more »
Apple unveiled its latest handset, the iPhone 4S, at the company’s Cupertino headquarters on Tuesday, showing off new software and updated hardware features. Although I’ve been a full-time Android user for the past 22 months, there’s much to like about Apple’s new hardware and software. Read more »
Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet is on pace to be the best selling Google Android tablet of the year, even though you wouldn’t know it runs Android. Leaked sales figures reported by the Cult of Android site show that Amazon has already taken more than 254,000 pre-orders. Read more »
Wireless Internet access on planes is helping to make those long flights bearable, but so too are the influx of personal media devices such as smartphones and tablets. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to buy content in-flight and take it with you after landing! Read more »
Blogger John Gruber noted that Apple and Amazon are the the mobile content kings as all others have no “razor blades” to sell. Actually that’s not true, as Samsung and HTC are building up their media offerings. Here’s a comparison between Apple, Amazon and Samsung. Read more »
Washington, D.C.’s largest and oldest daily newspaper, the Washington Post, launched a free Android application on Monday. I tested the software and found it to be intuitive to use and full of valuable news content, photo galleries and real-time local data for the metro D.C. area. Read more »
T-Mobile announced Monday that it would begin to sell $30 monthly unlimited text and data plans in a partnership with Walmart, beginning on Oct. 16. The no-contract plan only offers 100 voice minutes, but consumers are slowly shifting from voice calls to data services. Read more »
Join Matt and Kevin for an audio recap of recent Samsung tablet and phone news plus hands on with the AT&T Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab 8.9. Plus an update on Windows Phone 7.5 , Matt’s BlackBerry experiment and thoughts on next week’s Apple iPhone announcement. Read more »
A AT&T Galaxy S II video shows what to expect before the phone goes on sale. Samsung is planning an event with Google that could bring the next Nexus. And Amazon’s Kindle Fire may be the best Android tablet yet, even though you won’t see Android. Read more »
Amazon’s Kindle Fire may be a feature-rich 7-inch tablet, but it has a key attribute that competitors need to pay attention to going forward: the $199 price tag. The market simply won’t support $499 tablets of this size, so look for cheaper tablets in the future. Read more »
Earlier this week, we held our two-day Mobilize 2011 event, which was jam packed with interviews, discussion panels and fireside chats all revolving around the mobile industry. This morning, Rob Woodbridge hosted me on a video summary of Mobilize, which distills the event’s high level themes. Read more »
Samsung officially announced the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, saying the 7-inch Android tablet will initially launch in Austria and Indonesia, but later expand to the U.S. and other regions. Some of the hardware upgrades appeal, but a key issue remains: selling tablets with lengthy contracts. Read more »
AT&T will make the Samsung Galaxy S II available Sunday, October 2 for $199 after contract, but there’s no need to wait until then to see it. I’ve used a review unit of this Google Android smartphone for several days and have a brief video overview. Read more »
Shazam, a popular music tagging mobile app, announced on Thursday that it would remove the five-song limit from the free version of its iOS software. Why? More tagging leads to more sharing, more Apple iAd impressions and more revenue-generating music purchases from partners. Read more »
T-Mobile announced its first two smartphones capable of fully utilizing the operator’s 42 Mbps mobile broadband network. The carrier’s version of the Samsung Galaxy S II and the HTC Amaze 4G were introduced along with a new 42 Mbps MiFi, the T-Mobile Sonic 4G Mobile Hotspot. Read more »
My first hands-on look at AT&T’s Galaxy S II shows a powerful smartphone with brilliant display and fast mobile broadband. Amazon’s tablet is expected to launch next week, although it runs on Google’s platform, you may not see Android. Hulu Plus fans gain a software upgrade. Read more »
AT&T’s Galaxy S II launches on Oct. 2, but a review unit just landed on my doorstep. Here are several photos and my initial impressions of Samsung’s latest and greatest Android phone designed for AT&T’s HSPA+ network. So far, I’m most impressed. Read more »
Given that a press invite from Amazon just hit my Inbox for next Wednesday, it’s a safe bet that the long wait for Amazon’s tablet entry is about to end. It’s not meant to compete with the iPad, but at $250, it ought to sell well. Read more »
Microsoft’s newest Windows Phone browser, coming soon via the Mango software update, shows improvements, but tabs aren’t part of the redesign. The small screen of a smartphone limits what controls can be in the browser, but we’ve seen some clever ways to make it work. Read more »
Smartphones and tablets now trump laptops as the newer, more mobile devices use airport Wi-Fi more than traditional computers, according to data collected by Boingo Wireless. Although laptops outnumber mobile devices by a factor of five, the smaller devices use nearly 60 percent of airport Wi-Fi. Read more »
Since there isn’t one social network to rule them all just yet, I have at least a half-dozen apps on my smartphone to navigate the crazy social currents. But LiveGO for iOS aggregates Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ along with support for several IM services. Read more »
Tablet sales will continue to rise from 17.6 million sales last year to 326.3 million by 2015, says Gartner, but the iPad will still dominate the market. There’s good reason to believe Gartner’s iPad estimates, but some of the other platform numbers don’t quite make sense. Read more »
Microsoft’s next major software update is nearly ready for Windows Phone handsets, expected in the next week or two. Windows Phone is set to gain momentum due to the improvements in the Mango software, making it a real contender for the No. 3 mobile platform. Read more »
The fastest selling Samsung smartphone, the Galaxy S II, arrives on AT&T’s network October 2 for $199 after contract. That’s right before an expected introduction of Apple’s newest iPhone. Which super smartphone will AT&T customers choose: the best Android phone or Apple’s latest and greatest? Read more »
Amid lackluster BlackBerry PlayBook sales, 1,000 production line workers have been let go at Quanta in Taiwan where the tablets are made. Instead of jumping in the tablet game with an incomplete product, RIM may have been better off to get QNX on its smartphones first. Read more »
There’s talk today of Samsung open-sourcing its Bada smartphone platform next year, but the company has little to gain and much to lose if it does. Why give up control of the one asset Samsung has that no successful handset maker outside of Apple enjoys? Read more »
HTC today introduced the Rhyme, a plum-colored Google Android smartphone, as a lifestyle device that’s aimed at female customers, calling it “elegant”. The $199 phone for Verizon includes a charging dock and supports a wired charm that glows upon incoming calls or messages. Read more »
What’s an iOS app developer to do when a client asks to have a mobile app stress tested by snapping 10,000 images from an Apple iPad? Hiring an intern is one way to solve the problem, but building a LEGO robot might be the better option. Read more »
