HTC will reportedly reverse course and offer a “Google Edition” HTC One phone, with the official announcement expected next week. That could give HTC a boost by getting more marketing help and making pure Android fans happier. Read more »
With no refresh of the $199 Nexus 7, the latest Android tablet from Hisense is worth a look. It has nearly all of the same hardware features as Google’s tablet, plus a few more, but costs $50 less. Read more »
The HTC First with Facebook Home pre-installed was set to launch in the U.K. next month but that’s not going to happen. EE says Facebook has decided to cancel the launch and focus on the Facebook Home software. Read more »
After months of slowing smartphone sales and reduced profits, some HTC employees aren’t waiting for the company’s turnaround. Is it possible that HTC is planning to focus more on Asia over the U.S.? Read more »
Roughly half a dozen new mobile operating systems will come to market over the next 6 to 12 months. Many of these look to be more sophisticated than the older ones controlled by Apple and Google, for whom serious competition could be just around the corner. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Intel could get its largest mobile design win yet: Two different benchmark sites indicate that at the very least, Samsung is testing an Intel Atom chip inside the upcoming Galaxy Tab 3 Read more »
Still carrying last year’s Galaxy S 3 but pining for the newer model? A software update may appease your desire: Several of the Galaxy S 4 software features are included in this Android 4.2.2 update for the Galaxy S 3. Read more »
After picking up the MeeGo torch, Jolla’s first phone running the Sailfish operating system is official and can be pre-ordered. It won’t arrive until year-end, however, and faces a huge uphill battle in market dominated by Android and iOS. Read more »
No new hardware appeared at Google I/O, but a recently released phone debuts as a Nexus-like device. Meanwhile, Google updated Android, without adding further fragmentation issues, through dozens of new services, apps and APIs. Read more »
Google’s support for the Bluetooth Smart Ready platform in Android is one step forward for the radio technology’s dominance in the internet of things. But the Bluetooth SIG has a lot more up its sleeve. Read more »
How do you deliver a new mobile operating system version without actually making it available for download? Give developers the tools to add new features through APIs and services: No muss, no fuss, and no additional device fragmentation. Read more »
Those (like me) expecting hardware at Google I/O were disappointed. But in hindsight, Google’s “merger” of Chrome and Android through services and APIs may be more important for the company’s future. Hardware can always follow. Read more »
A new service — two years in the making — from VMware and Verizon claims to enable true “dual persona” smart phones for enterprise use. Read more »
Google said it will introduce location-oriented APIs so Android developers can build richer applications that make the most of the sensors on Android devices. Read more »
Starting at 9am PT we’ll bring you live coverage of Google I/O 2013 right here. Don’t miss Google’s most significant public event of the year. Read more »
Our live coverage from Google I/O 2013, Google’s most significant public event of the year, can be found right here. Read more »
A recent survey found that 76 percent of respondents store their digital photos on multiple devices using multiple services.That means ample opportunity exists for companies offering solutions that tackle this “dispersed photo problem.” This report analyzes the aforementioned survey’s results, and also measures 18 different vendors against what respondents value most when it comes to photo-organizing solutions. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Here you’ll find all our coverage of Google I/O 2013, Google’s annual showcase of its technology prowess. Read more »
Google’s annual I/O developer event will be heavy on Chrome and light on Android based on the event schedule. While Google execs suggest that this year I/O is less about devices, that could be a smokescreen for what’s to come. Read more »
Reports are surfacing that AT&T plans to discontinue Facebook’s HTC First phone, which just launched last month. The carrier had already dropped the price of the phone to 99 cents, it announced last week, and could spell bad news for Facebook’s mobile plans. Read more »
Task management app Any.DO surprised many by launching first on Google’s Android platform and finding success. An iOS version followed and it’s proving popular too. Now the Any.DO team has $3.5M in seed funding to keep expanding. Read more »
From phones that can take pictures underwater to handsets with larger screens in a small phone body, the quality of design in current Android flagships is at an all-time high. Read more »
In advance of Google I/O more Nexus 7 refresh thoughts hit the web this week. Will Google move to a 1080p or better display? Android @Home could be a surprise feature at I/O, while Google’s X Phone may have been FCC tested Read more »
The expectations of a new Nexus 7 keep rising. This week an analyst notes that Google will use a 1920 x 1200 display and Snapdragon 600 chip for an updated small tablet. Read more »
Microsoft already has a stake in Nook Media, and now it is reportedly seeking to buy out the entire company. In Nook, Microsoft sees a shot at competing against Amazon and Apple — in a way it might not be able to do from scratch. Read more at paidContent »
While it’s just a promotion that could end at any time, AT&T is now discounting the HTC First to under a buck with contract. Something tells me that Facebook’s phone is a solution in search of a problem. Read more »
Relying on the smartphone’s built-in camera, the app for last-minute, day-of bookings is looking to enhance its curated hotel choices with photo-oriented user reviews. Read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Tablet sellers had a really good first quarter. As a result, Apple’s overall share of tablet sales is slipping. 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 »
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 »
Saturated markets and a slumping global economy shrank sales of mobile phones in 2012. But demand for smartphones will help restore growth moving forward, as shipments of smartphones worldwide will surpass those of feature phones in 2013. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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 »
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 »
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 »
