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Samsung has launched Music Hub on its new Galaxy S III in five countries. The service is touted as the “first completely integrated, all-in-one mobile music service” but it’s not exactly new. Samsung’s Music Hub debuted in 2010 and the company keeps trying to improve it. Read More »

MetaWatch announced two key improvements for its smartwatch development platform in an effort to better compete with up-and-comer products. The MetaWatch now has support to get wireless data from iOS devices and also aims for better battery life with the addition of a Bluetooth 4.0 radio. … Read More »

 
 

Supplies of the HTC EVO 4G LTE are reportedly through U.S. Customs and on the way to Sprint stores as well as customers. Thanks to a custom software workaround for an Apple patent, the phones are in Sprint warehouses and will be delivered by May 24. Read More »

Apple may be planning to add 3G data support for FaceTime on iOS devices, based on some recently published screenshots. Many have wanted FaceTime on a mobile broadband instead of Wi-Fi networks. But I’m not sold that it’s a good idea. Here’s why. Read More »

In this week’s audio podcast, Matt shares a customer service horror story between AT&T and Amazon Wireless while Kevin loves the latest Kickstarter project: A smart home screen for Android tablets. Also: here’s what we know so far about the HTC EVO 4G LTE delivery delays. Read More »

China is expected to rule soon on Google’s proposed acquisition of Motorola, with the deal already approved elsewhere. Google needs the deal, especially for tablets, says Goldman Sachs, because the costs are too high to be the default search engine on Apple’s iPad. Read More »

Apple’s next iPhone model will have at least a 4-inch display according to sources “familiar with the matter” says the Wall Street Journal. A larger iPhone simply makes sense at this point in time due to increased consumption of the mobile web, video and apps. Read More »

Google’s Chrome browser is will appear on Apple’s iOS devices this quarter suggests Macquarie (USA) Equities Research, reducing the payments that Google makes to Apple for search results in Safari. That sounds great but Apple’s third-party browser limitations will surely minimize any benefits for Google. Read More »

There’s quite a ruckus going on over ARM-powered Windows 8 tablets: Mozilla and Google are crying foul over third-party browser restrictions Microsoft has put in place in Windows 8. Here’s why this isn’t really a new problem and why it’s likely to get worse over time. Read More »

This one is a doozy even by the standards of the runaway smartphone litigation of the past few years. A New Jersey company claims it owns 3G technology and wants the entire industry to pay up. Read More »

Apple devices have enjoyed wireless music playback through AirPlay speakers, but Windows users generally have been left out in the cold, until now. Aperion’s Aris wireless speaker lets Windows 7 and Windows 8 Consumer Preview computers pipe tunes wirelessly using Microsoft’s “Play To” feature. Read More »

Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse has agreed to have his compensation slashed by $3.25 million under the pressure of Sprint’s shareholders that are unhappy about the high upfront costs that Sprint has to pay for the iPhone. Read More »

More Must Reads

Only 20 percent of smartphones sold last year had dual-core chips, but among those, Samsung sold the lion’s share: 60 percent of all dual core smartphones sold in 2011 had a Samsung processor. Who’s poised best to challenge in 2012? Only one company for now. Read More »

The tablets and smartphones are continuing to disrupt many old businesses and at the same time creating new opportunities. Retail outlets and hospitality industry are next frontiers for these devices, as research from Motorola finds out. And that’s good news for Apple and Square amongst many. Read More »

Microsoft’s effort to merge the Windows Phone look and feel with Windows 8 will pay off in the form of causing Google Android to “fade away” says a mobile market watcher. That’s possible because Microsoft — and Apple, as well — have something that Google doesn’t. Read More »

Apple hasn’t confirmed an LTE version of its iPhone, but Sprint has confirmed that if such a device launches, the carrier would keep its unlimited data plans. That may be a big differentiating factor when at least 3 of 4 U.S. carriers offer LTE iPhones. Read More »

Taiwan-based handset maker HTC suggests that its highly profitable days in the U.S. smartphone market are in the past, mainly due to Apple’s iPhone. The HTC One series may help sales in the U.S. but like Apple, HTC is turning to China for future growth. 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 »

A Kickstarter project to bring a new smartwatch to market blew through its $100,000 funding goal in its first day, and two hours later it crossed the $200,000 mark. What’s so unique about the Pebble E-Paper Watch? It works with both Android devices and the iPhone. Read More »

In this week’s mobile tech audio podcast, Matt and Kevin share hands on impressions with 2 LTE devices: the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab 7.7. Plus thoughts on RIM, Apple’s new iPad, and Nokia’s Lumia 900 along with a free task manager for Windows Phone handsets. Read More »

It’s obvious by now that iOS and Android are the top dogs in mobile, so the battle is on for the third platform player. Windows Phone is looking better to be No. 3 to my eyes, but mobile analytics firm Flurry suggests a different player: Amazon. Read More »

The year of denial is over at Research in Motion. In a frank and overdue conversation with investors Thursday, new CEO Thorsten Heins finally admitted that the situation was dire and that “substantial change” is needed. Does he have enough time to effect that change? Read More »

Along with a promised upgrade to Android 4.0, Samsung is adding more functionality to the S Pen stylus used with the Galaxy Note. The 5.3-inch handset will gain more stylus-supported apps along with new software and better recognition of handwritten text from the S Pen. Read More »

“Our designers and animators are working day and night to optimize our apps (for the new iPad)… We’ve made this our highest priority.” Nicolas Calloway of Calloway Digital Arts made the comment to USA Today, and he wasn’t the only developer to make note of the … Read More »

We already knew from Apple’s iPad product page that the new tablet has a much higher battery capacity over the prior iPad. But is there a special or new 4G LTE chip to help? Based on iFixit’s teardown, it’s a battery-only solution; no advanced LTE chip. Read More »

After leading the world in smartphone sales, the U.S. reign is over. China will take over the top spot this year and has no plans of looking back. India and Brazil are also moving up, bringing a “second coming of the smartphone” to the world. Read More »

With each passing March Madness tournament, we’re a more mobile society. So what apps can we best leverage to enjoy all 67 NCAA games? Here are my “final four,” with links for each supported platform so you’re ready for tip-off; most are free or relatively inexpensive. Read More »

In the final quarter of 2011, Apple sold more iPads than any traditional computer maker sold PCs. Are we headed toward what Apple calls a “post-PC” era? A former Apple director of 10 years suggests an interesting reason for the company’s positioning of “post-PC” devices. Read More »

This week on the podcast, Matt and Kevin chat about the new iPad and share which versions they bought, along with their reasons. Microsoft Windows 8 on an old netbook runs nicely, but even better if you know the correct driver tweak, shared on the show. … Read More »

The latest iOS photo-sharing software has a unique twist. SpinCam not only takes 360-degree panoramic photos, but it can also take a 360-degree image of a single object. The software reminds me of the “bullet time” photo approach made famous in The Matrix movie. Read More »

Amid the various upgrades announced for Apple’s new iPad was a hot new wireless technology. You might think I’m referring to the tablet’s 4G LTE mobile broadband support, but I’m not. I’m talking about the far less sexy, but no less important, inclusion of Bluetooth 4.0. Read More »

By 2016, one-third of the U.S. population will own a tablet, says Forrester. This figure — 112.5 million people — is an upward revision due to two names in the tablet market: Apple and Amazon. All other tablet makers should leave Android for Windows, says Forrester. Read More »

Mobile ad provider Jumptap said data gathered through its ad network indicates that the Kindle Fire has grown to 33 percent of tablet traffic in January, up from 20 percent in December and 4 percent in November when it launched. Read More »

Searching for a new lease of life, Mozilla is joining forces with Spanish operator Telefónica to build handsets that have web technologies at their heart. But can Mozilla succeed where Palm failed? And is there room in a difficult market for more players? Read More »

What will 2012 bring to our mobile world where tablets are trying to take the place of PCs and we’re carrying small computers in our pockets? ComScore helps predict 2012 by looking at 2011 in its Mobile Future in Focus report, published on Thursday. Read More »

Apple and EMI announced that the iTunes store is exclusively selling ringtones from The Beatles for $1.29 each. The 30-second tones are from the The Beatles no. 1 hits album called 1, which represent the 27 top Beatles tunes in the U.S. and UK. Read More »

Apple is testing smaller screens for a new mini iPad model, according to The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. It’s about time a smaller iPad arrived for a number a reasons. And the idea that iOS won’t work on a 7- or 7.85-inch touchscreen is flawed. Read More »

Based on a growing number of data points, Android’s sales dominance may be nearing its apex while iOS is on the rise. Even as a daily user of both an Android smartphone and tablet, I can’t deny the facts that Android’s future won’t rival Android’s past. Read More »

HTC reported weak fourth quarter results and forecast an even tougher first quarter as competition from Apple and Samsung squeezed the Taiwanese smartphone maker. HTC said it was expecting first quarter revenue of between 65 billion and 70 billion Taiwanese dollars, well below analyst expectations. Read More »

Samsung expanded its smartphone lineup on Monday, announcing the Galaxy S Advance for various markets around the world. But there’s little here to “advance” the Galaxy S design; it’s as if Samsung is now making Android handsets with spare parts left over from other models. Read More »

Motorola Mobility said its newly re-envisioned Razr led the way to increases in total device shipments and revenue in the fourth quarter, but considering Moto’s vastly reduced market share, those increases didn’t lead to much. It shipped 5.3 million smartphones and a paltry 200,000 tablets. Read More »

Choosing a home automation network standard can be a hassle. It’s too bad there isn’t a ubiquitous network standard to use in plug-and-play modules. Oh wait: what about Wi-Fi? Belkin’s new WeMo products use Wi-Fi, which may help move home automation from geeks to the mainstream. Read More »

After my Gmail account was hijacked last year, I looked into Google’s two-step verification process. It relies on your having your smartphone with you, even when logging in on a PC. Here are two ways to use your smartphone to better protect your Google account access. Read More »

According to a Verizon executive, Big Red will no longer accept smartphones and tablets unless they have LTE connectivity. The revelation shows just how aggressive Verizon is pushing its 4G strategy and almost certainly indicates the next iPhone will have LTE. Read More »

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