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 »
Tablet sellers had a really good first quarter. As a result, Apple’s overall share of tablet sales is slipping. Read more »
Google has long been pushing for more offline and even native-like apps for Chrome OS and the Chrome browser. Now it’s taking the next step: Highlighting these Packaged Apps in the Chrome Web Store. Read more »
It may not be the iPhone 5 they buy — the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S may prove more attractive — but that’s OK. Read more »
T-Mobile’s deal to join with MetroPCs closed and on Wednesday morning, the newly combined company started trading on the NYSE under the ticker TMUS. Read more »
The LG Optimus G Pro arrived in Asia early this year and it’s a hot seller. No wonder AT&T wanted an exclusive for this smartphone. If larger phones appeal, this 5.5-inch beast is worth the look. Read more »
Samsung’s new $650 smart camera, the NX2000, boasts connectivity like the older Galaxy Camera. But this isn’t a camera grafted onto an Android point and shoot. This is more like an appealing DSLR with Wi-Fi and NFC. Read more »
Rushing to finish an overhaul to iOS 7 has meant Mac team members have “been roped in to help the mobile software group finish the job,” Bloomberg reports. Read more »
On this week’s podcast, we dig around some Chrome OS code and find mention of support for Intel’s new chips, so new hardware may be on the horizon. Plus three tips, one listener question answered and more! Read more »
AT&T might be trying to one-up Sprint’s current $100 promotion in the form of a smartphone trade-in program. With it, AT&T will take any relatively new smartphone and offer customers at least a $100 instant credit. Read more »
Everyone’s trying to add geographic data to mobile apps. Heroku says its embrace of PostGIS 2.0 will help devs do that faster and easier. Read more »
BlackBerry’s CEO is making waves again, this time by saying tablets won’t be necessary in five years and that they “aren’t a good business model.” Samsung, Apple and mobile computing trends beg to differ. Read more »
A report on Tuesday indicates Apple has bigger plans for the car beyond a hands-free assistant app: teaming up with carmakers to offer Apple Maps and Siri on a car’s in-dash system. Read more »
Until the Chromebook Pixel, Chrome OS laptops were relegated to use older, slow Intel chips. Looks like that’s changing as new Chrome OS code has numerous references to Intel’s fourth-gen Core chip, which should greatly boost Chromebook battery life. Read more »
Skype in the browser is finally arriving, but there’s a bit of a catch: The service is fully integrated with Microsoft’s Outlook.com email service. It’s a smart move by Microsoft to integrate the service, which will require a browser plug-in. Read more »
Leap2 has a new mobile search app that’s pretty useful as well as a $1.6 million first round of funding. The Kansas City, Mo. startup combines web searching and social in a compelling package. Read more »
Verizon is making its largest commitment to clean power to date with a planned $100 million investment into installing solar panels and fuel cells at its facilities. The company joins the league of Apple and Google with its aggressive investments in distributed, renewable energy. Read more »
Californian startup Pelican has designed a camera composed of multiple smaller cameras, which aims to overcome the noise issues typically associated with tiny smartphone shooters. And it seems imaging-focused Nokia wants in. Read more »
Google has a lineup of Chromebook laptops but no sleeves or cases for them, including the new Chromebook Pixel. It turns out the Apple Store is a great place for Pixels since the laptop is similar in size to the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Read more »
Remote webcams are super for checking in on your home, pets or office. So why aren’t more people using them? They’re too complicated and costly. That’s where Skycam comes in: It leverages Skype to make for an inexpensive, simple solution. Read more »
IBM has a new box for the internet of things, but it’s the MQTT protocol inside that box that’s worth a long look. The protocol could become the messaging layer for the internet of things. Read more »
A Midwest startup wins a big business plan competition by showing the promise of its technology to create a longer-lasting lithium ion battery that also can charge at a faster rate than what batteries in smart phones can deliver today. Read more »
Google may be up-sizing its tablet line in a few weeks: A reported Samsung road-map shows a Nexus 11 tablet with two potential firsts. This could be a Nexus with memory expansion and also use an octa-core Samsung Exynos chip. Read more »
Target will sell electronics products endorsed by the editors of Wired in stores and online. Selections include the Square credit card reader, Fitbit and Belkin WeMo. Target also has an editorial partnership with CNET. Read more »
The feature is available as an update to the iOS Google Search app. It leverages user information in Google mobile apps and desktop services and its knowledge graph, aims to give users relevant answers to questions before they’ve even asked them. Read more »
We’d have to go all the way back to 2010 to find the last rumored merger between Verizon and Vodafone, but the latest crop of rumors are taking speculation to a new extreme. Read more »
According to analysts at Informa, IP-based platforms such as WhatsApp now carry more messages than SMS infrastructure does. However, we should be cautious about how we interpret the figures. Read more »
The mobile devices of tomorrow will be shapeshifters, and experimentation in the design space will make them a reality. Morphees are prototype devices that incorporate smart materials and can morph into different shapes. Read more »
With the sunset of UDID this coming week, a major barrier to mobile ads will fall. The new system for iOS will benefit advertisers while still protecting consumers, and will become a revenue juggernaut for Apple. Read more »
Player.fm’s Android app doesn’t just offer you a way to follow your favorite podcasts – it also lets you subscribe to topics you’re interested in, and lets you access those subscriptions from its website as well. Read more »
Internet architects are realizing that timing is becoming more and more important on packet-based networks. The question is how they can implement precise timing on a distributed architecture. Read more »
Reviews for the Samsung Galaxy S 4 generally agree: Nice hardware improvements and a possibly complicated feature set. HP’s $169 Slate 7 goes up against Google’s $199 Nexus 7 tablet while Mailbox, a hot iOS app for Gmail, could land on Android. Read more »
You can finally buy an HP Slate 7 in the U.S. for $169.99, but will you? I think it’s a tough sell for HP when the Nexus 7 is priced just $30 more and has a better screen. Read more »
A small startup trying to gain traction in the Windy City, Evzdrop has designed geo-social network that doesn’t connect you to your friends but to strangers wherever you happen to be. Read more »
My pick for a must-have Android app in 2013 was AirDroid, but now I have to update that selection. It was just displaced with AirDroid 2 which adds remote phone access over 3G/4G and more features. Read more »
Smartphone shipments eclipsed those of feature phones for the first time ever, says IDC. Who’s the current smartphone king, based on the numbers? Samsung is, with a strategy that started in 2010. Read more »
The UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has announced an industry pilot of the long-range broadband and M2M technology later this year, in order to make sure everything works properly ahead of a likely national deployment next year. Read more »
AT&T’s home automation and security packages is now available in 15 markets and will appear in more soon. It’s impressive, integrated and AT&T promises it will one day be open. Read more »
New media incubator Betaworks has acquired Marco Arment’s popular read-it-later platform Instapaper. Betaworks acquired Digg last year, and the firm is focusing on both short-form and long-form content companies. Read more at paidContent »
Google continues to make it easier for developers to improve the Android app experience on tablets. When submitting apps to Google Play, a new optimization tip tool alerts developers when they’re missing out on tablet support. Read more »
