Apple and Samsung are closer than ever to a possible settlement in their long-running legal showdown over smartphone and tablet technologies. The both companies agreed to send their respective chief executives and general counsel to meet face-to-face in the next 90 days. Read More »
Google’s Chrome browser for Android is still in beta, yet it keeps improving quickly; the latest update is now available. The browser, only supported on Android 4.0 smartphones and tablets, gains support for 31 additional languages and adds new features making a great browser even better. Read More »
As smartphone ownership skyrockets and flash sales and local offers prove the importance of proximity, it’s clear that this is the era of hyper local mobile. Here we examine forces at play, and how effective are hyper local mobile ads actually are. Read More »
Verizon Wireless plans to launch 27 new LTE markets on Thursday and has been expanding its mobile broadband footprint in cities where it already offers 4G. All of that activity will amount to only 9 million new people covered, but it represents a massive geographical expansion. Read More »
Here’s a nifty Japan-only product that looks like a small wireless keyboard. But it pulls double duty: Hold the device up to your ear and it works as a wireless handset for VoIP, Skype or other audio chat applications on mobile devices. Read More »
Research In Motion is reportedly weighing options with financial advisors in an effort to stem the company’s continued fall from grace. RIM doesn’t plan to sell itself, but is considering a strategic investment and would lean towards licensing its BlackBerry software. But who might want it? Read More »
Read It Later is making its app completely free — no more premium version — and renaming it Pocket to express the fact that users can save any type of content, not just articles. Read More »
Samsung Galaxy S II handsets not tied to a carrier no longer have to wait for their Android 4.0 upgrade. Unlocked Galaxy S II phones can now download and install the software, known as Ice Cream Sandwich, which also includes a fresh version of Samsung’s TouchWiz. Read More »
Mobile devices are finding their way into the workplace faster than ever. But it’s not just office jobs. We talk to a pilot about the devices and apps he uses to prepare for flights and replace pounds of flight manuals and stacks of paper charts. Read More »
Most Berlin startups are looking to get acquired, but here’s one that’s doing the buying: Madvertise, which has just picked up Turkey’s top mobile advertising company Mobilike for an undisclosed sum. Madvertise is already the leading mobile ad firm in Germany, Austria … Read More »
Smartphone sales surged both in the U.S. and worldwide, carriers struggled to cope with the ever-increasing consumption of mobile data, and the fight for spectrum remained front and center in the first quarter. Our latest quarterly wrap-up analyzes these trends and more.
After a month of rumors surrounding a funding round being picked up by mobile social networking startup Path, the company has finally closed the deal and officially announced that it has raised more than $30 million in a Series B financing round led by Redpoint Ventures. Read More »
More Must Reads
Microsoft has chosen the brand names under which it will sell Windows 8, the company’s most important product launch in a generation. It has smartly cut down on the number of versions but it has chosen to give its first ARM-friendly operating system a weird name. Read More »
AT&T’s networks are getting an upgrade that will transform them from static cellular grids into a kind of network organism whose cells will grow and shrink as customers move through them. Ultimately these self-optimizing networks will be a critical component in providing cheap and ubiquitous mobile …
Android could become the the ideal operating system for the world’s armies, navies and security agencies. The versatile, open and free OS already has most of the necessary pieces in place to power military-grade apps. The only thing Android is missing is security and ruggedization. Read More »
While most developers won’t see a big Instagram-like exit for their apps, they are gaining a new way to make money from their apps by selling them on Apptopia, a new marketplace for developers. The service launched online last week. Read More »
Google can’t keep fighting against Apple and Microsoft with just Android, when both rivals have a mobile and a desktop system. ChromeOS could be that system for Google, but it’s not a hit yet. What might help? Motorola’s LapDock system to pair up Android and ChromeOS. Read More »
Samsung will take the wraps off its latest Galaxy handset at an event in London on May 3. You’re all thinking this will be the Galaxy S III, and you’re probably right, but there may be more to this event than a mere smartphone unveiling. Read More »
The mobile industry isn’t all about smartphones — yet. Two of the leading companies behind operator-branded services on low-end phones have merged to form an operation with 1.8 billion potential users. Read More »
Sprint’s Galaxy Nexus with LTE arrives in stores and online April 22 for $199 with two-year contract. That’s $100 less than the Verizon version, but Sprint is sweetening the deal even further. Buyers who activate Google Wallet will see $50 in credits in their Wallet account. Read More »
Avid cyclists needing to communicate on a group ride might consider the Cardo BK-1. At $279, it’s not cheap, but the Bluetooth headset pairs with a radio module that attaches to a bike helmet. With it, riders have a light walkie-talkie to stay in touch. Read More »
The new iPad will arrive in 12 new countries this Friday. By the following Friday, it’ll hit nine more, for a total of 56 in six weeks. This year’s roll out his far ahead of Apple’s 2011 pace. Read More »
Social games development company, Zattikka incorporated on Monday, has gone public on London’s AIM exchange and is rolling up independent studios it hopes can give it some of Zynga’s gold. It was started by Virgin Interactive games executives Tim Chaney (pictured) and Mark Opzoomer. Read More »
Matt describes all the differences between the AT&T Galaxy Note and the international addition, while Kevin convinces Matt consider buying a MotoActv. Hands on with the HTC One S and X international editions and thoughts on Nokia’s response to the Lumia 900 connectivity issues. Read More »
On Monday, Google will get a chance to defend Android–the leading mobile operating system in the world, the linchpin of its mobile strategy and a lightning rod for criticism–in open court against those who charge Google has stolen its way into smartphones. A primer: Read More »
We’re testing carrier coverage to give consumers a real-world look at mobile data performance. As part of this process, we measured performances across multiple LTE markets during the first quarter and have put together a head-to-head comparison of AT&T and Verizon’s LTE networks. Read More »
Samsung isn’t ceding the 7-inch tablet market to the Kindle Fire and Nook Color: This week it launched the Galaxy Tab 2. Amazon added in-app purchases to its Appstore while I found out firsthand that the MotoActv health gadget is three great devices in one. Read More »
The CTIA wants you to know that Americans used 123 percent more wireless data in 2011 than 2010, but the wireless industry’s lobby apparently doesn’t want you to know exactly how that translates in any way a normal person understands. Instead it turned to song. Read More »
Ting, the innovative startup that resells Sprint’s cellular service in consumer-friendly plans, will soon be adding 4G LTE service to its lineup. If pricing is competitive on a per gigabyte basis, Ting’s shared plan component could bring a boost to Sprint’s new LTE network. Read More »
The U.S. government has ordered a prototype contact lens that will help the military see virtual information directly on a pair of glasses while still viewing their surroundings. The contacts could take the place of heads-up displays, smart glasses or other consumer augmented reality solutions. Read More »
This is a victory for Motorola: Not only did the judge agree that an earlier injunction granted against Apple’s cloud e-mail services should be upheld, Apple was also ordered to pay Motorola unspecified damages, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Read More »
In attempting to showcase its rich history of NFC, Nokia has actually managed to outline everything that’s gone wrong with the company over the past few years. Will it ever really understand what’s happened to it? Read More »
One year into the second coming of Larry Page, a lot has changed but one thing hasn’t: Google is still making boatloads of money off its core search product and still having to face questions about whether it is prepared for its world to change. Read More »
For the last year Sprint has been talking up how it would replace its old Nextel iDEN systems with a shiny new LTE network, but until today it hadn’t revealed when. On Thursday, Sprint network engineering president Steve Elfman provided that critical detail, 2014, FierceWireless reported. Read More »
The app world is getting a reality check, thanks to apps like Girls Around Me, Placeme or even Highlight. In the past month one word has kept popping up to describe the current direction of social apps: creepy. Instead of SoLoMoCo, this one is an uh-oh. Read More »
Tired of running with a smartphone, I dropped $199 for a MotoActv last week. Yet, I’ve unexpectedly found myself wearing it every minute of the day since I bought it. Why? It’s essentially equal parts FitBit health tracker, iPod Nano and exercise tracking app. Read More »
If you are one of the 64 percent of people who read in bed, do you need a dedicated front-lit e-reader? Yes, says Barnes & Noble, so that you don’t disturb that special someone sleeping beside you. Hence the new $139 Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight. Read More »
Verizon’s joint marketing pact with the cable providers may be facing some serious scrutiny, but Verizon and its partners don’t seem to have noticed. On Thursday, Time Warner Cable blithely announced they would launch bundled mobile and cable services together in five markets. Read More »
Uber has launched a new mobile website that at m.uber.com, aimed at allowing Blackberry and Windows Phone owners to use the service. That will help expand its potential user base, especially as it expands to more than 15 new cities worldwide this year. Read More »
MLB’s office of Advanced Media has had the video streaming and mobile game figured out far longer any of its American peers in professional sports. And their mobile app is having a record-setting season in 2012, with 3 million downloads just a week into baseball season. Read More »
GetJar COO Chris Dury is taking over the reins of the scrappy Android app retailer, allowing its Lithuania-based CEO and founder Ilja Laurs to focus more on evangelizing the concept of the alternate and open app store, GetJar said on Thursday. Read More »
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 2, a Wi-Fi tablet running Android 4.0 hits the market on April 22. With its $249.99 price tag, this is Samsung’s first real attempt at taking on Amazon’s successful Kindle Fire, but it may be reaching for a smaller potential target audience. Read More »
A Texas shell company says Apple and others have infringed on technology for basic smartphone gestures like dragging and “double tap.” The patents were issued in 2007 to a Taiwanese maker of touchpad technology. Read More »
Microsoft is facing a challenge in getting developers to make apps for its upcoming Windows 8 tablets: getting their attention. But there’s also a practical concern of having the right hardware. A rather unlikely middleman is looking to help bridge this gap. Read More »
Placeme for iOS and Android may be both the scariest and amazingly futuristic app I’ve seen yet. The free software uses every sensor in your handset to track your activities, location and environment. Scary, yes, but it could power the smartphone personal assistant of the future. Read More »
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