Please let the newest HTC Windows tablet rumors be just that: rumors
Another month brings another set of HTC tablet rumors. Maybe the company is looking to build Windows tablets but I can’t think of a single reason why. Read more »
Why the time has come for Android @Home to finally make a splash
Android @Home has been missing in action ever since it was announced in 2011. There’s a good chance that this will change at next week’s Google I/O conference. Read more »
Google lets iOS apps direct users to Chrome instead of Safari
Google is helping third-party iOS app makers send their users to Chrome instead of the default Safari browser. It’s yet another step in the company finding ways to reach its users on Apple’s own platform. Read more »
Elon Musk: Your Tesla may come with “autopilot” sooner than you think
The Tesla CEO says he’s weighing a form of autonomous driving technology that would do away with the expensive laser tracking systems adopted by most automakers and instead uses cameras to sense the car’s surroundings. Read more »
What do we mean when we talk about “messaging” services?
photo: Corbis / Jim Frazier
It’s fun to compare the different ways of sending a digital message, but is there a point to doing so? According to one irate analyst, the debate – as currently framed – is futile. Read more »
Sponsored post: ShoreTel Dock turns workers’ iPads and iPhones into UC end points
ShoreTel Mobility enables iPads and iPhones with a unified communications solution to give users a productivity tool supporting their own work rhythm. With ShoreTel Dock, workers can click their device into the dock to gain benefits of a desk phone including a handset, keypad and speakerphone. Read more »
Need instant Wi-Fi? Boingo makes it an iTunes in-app purchase
Boingo is the latest company to take advantage of in-app payments on iOS devices. An update to the Boingo Wi-Finder app lets you sign up for a $7.99 monthly Wi-Fi plan simply by typing your iTunes password. Read more »
STMicro taps Quantenna’s gigabit Wi-Fi technology for future chips
Quantenna has developed a 802.11ac chipset that uses multiple antennas and multiple frequencies to deliver up to 2 Gbps of bandwidth. The partnership with STMicro will expand Quantenna’s scope beyond home networking to other industries. Read more »
Whoops! Windows 8 do-over on the way
Uh oh. Looks like Windows 8 is due for some changes, according to a Financial Times report featuring thoughts from a Microsoft executive. Read more »
Lace up your sneakers, Pebble watch owners, you’ve got RunKeeper!
Owners of the Pebble ePaper watch have a new app available for their wrist today. The promised integration with RunKeeper is here, showing pace, distance and more on the wrist. Read more »
Viber morphs into full-blown Skype rival by releasing desktop app
Until now, Viber has been a mobile-only play that sits somewhere in between Skype and WhatsApp. Now it’s on the desktop too, and the different platform versions are very tightly integrated indeed. Read more »
Google keeps fighting for the heart of the iPhone with new Gmail update
Even as Apple has decoupled its iPhone partnership with Google for everything except search, the web company has still found a way to reach its users who have iPhones and iPads. Read more »
How an old-school telco gear maker got the cloud religion. Can it convert the carriers?
Metaswitch is bringing the cloud model to telcos by open sourcing it’s new IMS core software that runs on commodity hardware. IT’s a good first step for the telcos but they must go further. Read more »
Intel debuts Silvermont: mobile chips with powerful battery-sipping abilities
photo: Intel
Does Intel still stand a chance in the highly-competitive mobile chip market? Yes, if the company’s new Silvermont chip lives up to its promise of 3x the performance of today’s Atom or 5x the power efficiency. Read more »
Recruiting new iPhone carriers may be harder than adding individual users
The key to Apple’s growth is finding international carriers that will sell the iPhone to new smartphone users. But, as Bloomberg points out, that’s getting harder to do because of Apple’s requirements. Read more »
First impressions of a new flagship, the LG Optimus G Pro for AT&T
AT&T’s exclusive LG Optimus G Pro arrives on May 10. An early review unit shows another contender for the flagship phone market but there’s a few design decisions that puzzle me. Read more »
Clearwire board: Sprint buyout is our best chance of survival
In a letter to shareholders, Clearwire argued that the Sprint’s proposed takeover represents the best deal for Clearwire’s shareholders despite Dish’s offer to invest in the WiMAX provider. Read more »
EU warns Motorola over standards-essential patent ‘abuse’
Europe’s antitrust authorities have invited Motorola to defend itself over its use of essential patents as legal weapons against Apple, despite Apple’s willingness to pay what it considered a reasonable royalty rate. Read more »
Why retailers should forget showrooming and turn to in-store Wi-Fi
Given the documented ability of mobile apps, search, and social networking to lift sales, it makes forehead-smacking sense for retailers to shift their focus away from sales lost to showrooming into harnessing the shopper’s in-store wireless experience for themselves and their brands. Read more »
ICYMI Podcasts: Chrome apps, smart power companies and the end of Apple’s skeuomorphism
Catch up on our recent podcasts: This week we tell you why Packaged Apps are important to Google Chrome, how an energy company uses tech to manage pricing and why Apple may make major user interface changes in iOS. Read more »
For the wearable tech market to thrive, it needs to get in better shape
The wearable fitness tech market is booming but also crowded and some evidence suggests it’s already ripe for major consolidation. For companies – and the entire segment – to survive and thrive, a few key issues need to be addressed. Read more »
Android this week: Nexus 11 leaked; Wii Fit turns into smart scale; LG Optimus Pro here
Is a Nexus 11 tablet coming later this month? Leaked information suggests it could happen. LG’s new Optimus G Pro is here and first impressions are very positive, while a free app turns the Wii Fit Balance Board into a smart scale. Read more »
iPhone remains top US smartphone, while iOS gains a bit of ground on Android
photo: Samsung
The U.S. smartphone story didn’t change too drastically in the first quarter of 2013: Android is still used by more than half of all smartphones and the iPhone is still by far the most popular smartphone in the U.S. Read more »
How will we measure the internet of things?
The internet of things is purportedly going to change our lives, boost our profits and create loads of economic opportunity. I don’t doubt this, but I do want to know how we’ll measure these gains. Read more »
The Google Now dilemma: Yes, it’s kind of creepy — but it’s also incredibly useful
There’s no question the kind of data collection Google has to do in the background to power its Google Now service can be a little intrusive — perhaps too intrusive for some. But it also makes the results extremely useful. Read more »
Acer teases a $169 Aspire A1 Android tablet, debuts the P3 convertible Ultrabook
Acer has a pair of new tablets to show off. The Aspire A1 looks like an iPad mini, runs Android and costs $169. Acer’s Aspire P3 is a convertible Ultrabook with Windows 8 and starts at $799. Read more »
Apple devices coming to regional carrier U.S. Cellular this year
The carrier didn’t specify which Apple devices, but the iPhone seems a safe bet, in addition to possible LTE-capable iPads. Read more »
Spotify buys music discovery app Tunigo
Spotify has acquired the music app Tunigo, which helps users discover Spotify playlists and browse music and music-related news. Read more »
Ericsson trials HetNet-friendly ‘City Site’: Would you like ads with your base station?
photo: Ericsson
The Swedish networking firm and China Mobile have launched a commercial trial of Ericsson’s City Site package. It provides a good hint of the sort of street furniture ‘network densification’ may require. Read more »
Jolla swaps out its CEO yet again, this time bringing in a logistics veteran
The Finnish handset firm, which is reviving the Linux-based MeeGo operating system as the Sailfish OS, has just announced its first new CEO in a whole seven months. Read more »
Barnes & Noble integrating Google Play into Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets
Barnes & Noble is integrating many Google services — including Google Play, Gmail, Google Maps and the Chrome browser — into its Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets. Read more »
Spark Core brings open hardware plus a cloud service to the internet of things
photo: Spark Devices
Spark Devices is using Kickstarter and DIYers as the gateway into building a hardware and cloud-based platform for the internet of things. Today it’s DIY, but tomorrow it hopes to have corporate clients. Read more »
That Chromebook Pixel with LTE might work with other mobile networks after all
The LTE radio in the Chromebook Pixel is great, provided you’re in an LTE coverage area on Verizon’s network: There’s no 3G fall back. Turns out the modem actually supports various 3G technologies that perhaps could be enabled in the future. Read more »
Free Android app turns Nintendo Wii Fit board into a smart scale
Before you spend upwards of $100, $200 or more on a web-connected intelligent scale, you might want to dig around the house for a Nintendo Wii Fit Balance Board. With the FitScales Android app, you already have what you need. Read more »
Targus aims at Galaxy S 4, Galaxy Note 8.0 with new “sexy” case line
When you hear the word Targus, does “understated sexiness” come to mind? Probably not, but the company hopes to change your mind with its new Midnight Collection of cases, first for the Galaxy S 4 and Galaxy Note 8.0. Read more »
HTC barely ekes out a profit, expects HTC One to turn fortunes around
Once the brightest rising stars in this new smartphone era, HTC has been falling from grace for nearly two years. The company’s latest quarterly results reflect the situation. Can the HTC One help a turnaround or is there more HTC needs to do? Read more »
One Linux over all: Mark Shuttleworth’s ambitious post-PC plans for Ubuntu
Canonical Founder Mark Shuttleworth has really big, plans to put Ubuntu on your smartphone, on your tablet and (via OpenStack). What he doesn’t offer is details on revenue. Read more »
Besieged by a changing market, Intel chooses new CEO from the inside
photo: Flickr user huangjiahui
Intel on Thursday named a new CEO and a new president. While both are internal candidates, the new president has experience that should help her face the challenges Intel has in the mobile and data center market. Read more »
Skobbler’s online-offline ForeverMap2 app is now available on iOS
The OpenStreetMap-based app, already out there for Android users, can now be downloaded for iPhone and iPad. It’s a consumer play, but also a B2B showcase for Skobbler’s mapping technology. Read more »
iPad is top selling tablet, but Android now most common tablet OS, says IDC
Tablet sellers had a really good first quarter. As a result, Apple’s overall share of tablet sales is slipping. Read more »
