The Samsung Nexus S, essentially a flagship Android handset for Google, launches for AT&T’s network on Sunday for $99 with contract. The NFC chip for wireless payments might be used for Google Wallet. LG’s G2x gained Gingerbread while the iPad is still the tablet to beat. Read more »
Google is bringing Samsung’s Nexus S smartphone to AT&T’s network on July 24 for $99 with a two-year contract. Customers can preorder the handset today online or in a Best Buy store. Why launch a handset that’s a bit behind current hardware? Google Wallet comes to mind. Read more »
It turns out Apple wasn’t just a participant in the consortium that won the auction for Nortel’s patent portfolio: It contributed more than half of the $4.5 billion purchase price. Read more »
Netflix certified more Android devices for its software, adding support for a number of handsets and tablets powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 2 processor. That brings the total number of Netflix-capable smartphones and tablets up to 22. Good, because consumers don’t care whose chip powers their device. Read more »
Nokia has long held the top spot for handset sales, but another company is quietly creeping up from behind thanks to a solid smartphone strategy. Samsung is expected to sell 300 million handsets this year, with 60 million of them in the highly profitable smartphone segment. Read more »
Big data and Platform-as-a-Service offerings highlighted the second quarter, suggesting that we can expect to see a shift in enterprise IT practices around application development and analytics very soon. On the PaaS front, we saw new projects like DotCloud and Cloud Foundry gain incredible momentum in just a few short months. The big-data activity ranged from major new Hadoop vendors to heavy investment in flash storage that will speed the serving of data to processing engines. In other areas, we saw an uptick in cloud-computing plans from large vendors, OpenStack continued to mature and pick up both contributors and users, and Facebook caught our eye by launching an open-source project around the designs for its specialized servers and data centers. Additional companies mentioned in this report include VMware, Salesforce.com, IBM, Heroku and Calxeda. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple may rely less on Samsung as an iOS hardware partner, as TSMC is reportedly testing new chips it’s building for future Apple mobile products. This could be due to the current lawsuit between Apple and Samsung, but even if not, it simply makes sense. Read more »
Trying to use green marketing to sell cell phones is a misplaced effort by the phone companies. There, I said it. I’m not even going to do a light-hearted lead into the thesis of this post. Read more »
A motion to accelerate Apple’s suit against Samsung was denied, allowing Samsung more time to prepare for the briefing process. The likely reason? Apple’s business isn’t harmed much right now, based on the fact that the two companies worked for a year to resolve the situation. Read more »
The second quarter of 2011 in mobile was all about smartphones, thanks to Google’s Android, Apple’s iOS and mobile data consumption ramping up. In the tablet space, the iPad lacked any real competition, though that dominance will surely fade as more and more alternatives — from Cisco, HP and others — emerge. Elsewhere, location-based marketing finally made some headlines, and the groundwork for near-field communications looks to be finally falling into place. Additional companies in this report include Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and Research In Motion. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google said Android is a $1 billion business. Microsoft, with its barrage of patent licensing agreements with Android manufacturers, could be on its way to making $1 billion off Android if its licensing deals pan out. That could make Android way more lucrative than WP7. Read more »
Mobile phone manufacturer HTC has purchased VIA Semiconductor’s graphics business. The deal is indicative of the need for compelling graphics on mobiles as well as an admission that mobile device makers may get an edge if they can bring some silicon capabilities in house. Read more »
As a platform, webOS has impressed nearly every reviewer who’s touched it, but it faces a few hurdles. One of those hurdles, the device’s hardware choices, could be cleared easily if the licensing talks HP CEO Leo Apotheker says are underway bear fruit. Read more »
The back-and-forth in the patent dispute between Samsung and Apple continues, with Samsung filing a request for a U.S. import ban against the iPhone, iPad and iPod. The complaint was filed with the ITC on Tuesday and will almost certainly provoke a response in kind. Read more »
Yahoo TV is one of the oldest connected TV platforms still around, but it continues to innovate. Its broadcast interactivity feature offers new ways for broadcasters and advertisers to reach consumers. But with some of its OEMs looking at other platforms, can it fulfill its promise? Read more »
Combine virtualization, big data and solid state memory, and you get a trifecta of technology buzz words that a few startups are trying to combine to deliver faster speeds on top of virtualized infrastructure. Plus, as speed becomes crucial, are hard drives still relevant? Read more »
Lodsys wants more time to address the request by Apple to intervene in its court proceedings against seven small app developers, in the ongoing saga of in-app purchasing patents. Also, Samsung doesn’t get early access to Apple gear, a judge has ruled. Read more »
Tablets have gone mainstream, and now those devices — from the iPad to Research in Motion’s new PlayBook — are headed to the enterprise. This trend is largely driven by end users who prefer to bring their own devices to work, which is creating a fruitful marketplace for both hardware manufacturers and app developers. This report examines the current state of tablets in the enterprise, from use cases to market drivers, and analyzes which players will be worth watching in the coming months. Additional companies mentioned in this report include Apple, Google, Samsung and Nokia. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Samsung is about to knock off Nokia as the top smartphone seller thanks to its calculated Google Android strategy. HTC and LG hope to help their own cause with glasses-free 3-D smartphones. And Swype has a better keyboard for everyone’s Android handsets and tablets. Read more »
Apple has amended its existing complaint against Samsung over intellectual property rights violations, removing a few infringement claims, but adding many more. The Mac-maker also clarified language in an attempt to deflect Samsung’s recent request to see unreleased iPhone and iPad hardware related to the case. Read more »
T-Mobile’s newest phone, the HTC Sensation, arrives in the carrier’s stores this week for $199 with contract. Even with a few minor flaws, the Android 2.3 smartphone offers a great experience, thanks to HTC Sense 3.0, a large high-resolution screen, improved cameras and a dual-core processor. Read more »
The NBA’s effort to increase the amount of video available to fans in the latest season, with the league reporting more website visitors and video streams watched over the course of the 2010/2011 season and postseason than ever before. Read more »
Comcast has partnered with Skype to bring its video chat service to subscriber living rooms. With an adapter box and HD video camera, Comcast subscribers will soon be able to video chat with any other Skype users from the comfort of their living rooms. Read more »
Nokia is about to lose its crown as the smartphone king, but not to Apple. Instead, Samsung will take up the mantle of top smartphone seller according to analysts at Nomura. These five reasons explain how it’s Samsung’s smartphone Galaxy and we just live in it. Read more »
Microsoft is trying to position its six-year-old Xbox 360 less as a video game console and more as an “all-in-one entertainment device.” But it might have difficult getting content providers on board, unless it makes its platform easier to develop for. Read more »
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 launches June 8, but only at a single New York City location. The rest of the U.S. has to wait until June 17 for the device. Samsung promises a software update to differentiate the device, but it will launch with Honeycomb 3.1. Read more »
Comcast could soon make its video services over IP, EVP of Strategy & Development Sam Schwartz wrote in a blog post. The Xcalibur initiative, as it’s called, could revolutionize the way that Comcast customers browse, search and discover content. Read more »
Which tablet records better HD video, the iPad 2 or the Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1? We took both devices for a spin, simultaneously recording some indoor and outdoor footage around our office and then combining the footage to a side-by-side video. The results may surprise you. Read more »
Microsoft’s recent acquisition of Skype is the largest the company has ever made, and it’s raised many questions in the process. This research note examines Skype’s overall value and where it fits strategically into the world of Microsoft. From Office 365 and Bing to Xbox Kinect and Windows Phone, there are numerous ways in which Microsoft can leverage the functionality of its newest addition — and numerous risks it could incur in the process. Additional companies mentioned in this report include Cisco, Panasonic and Google. For a full list of companies and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Maui is set to become a smart grid showcase, courtesy of Japanese giants like Hitachi, Sharp and Hewlett-Packard Japan. These companies are among the partners that signed on to a long-range project announced Tuesday, aimed at integrating the Hawaiian Island’s renewable power and plug-in vehicles to come. Read more »
Google, Samsung and Aver are going to bring Chrome OS-powered hardware to consumers, businesses and educational institutions this summer. End-user pricing for the Chrome hardware starts at $349, and businesses can subscribe to a Chrome OS-powered cloud offering for $28 per month. Read more »
Google distributed some 5,000 Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tablets to attendees of the sold-out Google I/O 2011 developer conference, and GigaOM was in the house for the freebie. Since the device won’t debut publicly until June 8th, we filmed our hands-on unboxing of the new Tab. Read more »
Want to get a feel for the size of Samsung Infuse 4G? I compare it to several other phones, an iPod touch and even a 7-inch tablet. Although the Infuse 4G doesn’t use a dual-core processor, Android 2.2 runs fairly quickly on the 1.2 GHz chip. Read more »
Apple moved into second place in worldwide smartphone shipments during the first quarter of 2011, according to market research firm IDC. Apple is led only by Nokia, and is followed by Research In Motion, Samsung and HTC, to round out the top five. Read more »
Power company AES is in the process of scaling up its lithium-ion grid battery projects to a commercial size, and by the third quarter of this year, plans to start operating a 32-MW project in conjunction with grid operator PJM in West Virginia. Read more »
Kaminario, which provides high-performance storage, has raised a $15 million C round of financing. As SSD startups hit maturity and the market for using solid state drives in data centers for high-performance and energy efficient storage heats up, when will we see the inevitable consolidation? Read more »
Android proves that iOS isn’t the only game in town; it’s the common thread among companies such as HTC, Motorola, LG, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. While Android adoption has helped all five companies, those who embraced Android fully and early on have reaped the biggest benefits. Read more »
Nokia may have divorced the MeeGo platform, but that means LG can start dating it. The company will show developers how to port MeeGo to LG devices at a conference next month, so it can start hedging its Android bet and reverse a declining sales trend. Read more »
Consumer electronics giant Sony (NYSE: SNE) has finally, formally confirmed what people have long been expecting the company to do for month… Read more at paidContent »
