Research In Motion — which has renamed itself BlackBerry — launched its new smartphones at a star-studded event in New York, but responses to the new devices ranged from sharply critical to “ho hum,” and that could be lethal. Read more »
BlackBerry devices took the world by storm and enjoyed several years of dominance. But a slow reaction to a changing market brought RIM’s fall. Now, all of the right pieces are in place for BlackBerry 10. Read more »
A group of Stanford researchers recently ran a complex fluid dynamics workload across more than a million cores on the Sequoia supercomputer. It’s an impressive feat and might foretell a future where parallel programming becomes commonplace even on our smartphones. Read more »
IDC reported its smartphone sales data for the final quarter of 2012 and if I gave you three guesses as to who increased sales the most from the year ago quarter, you still might not guess right. Read more »
Reports indicate that Nokia may have improved its PureView camera sensor enough to put in the next flagship Lumia running Windows Phone. Will it be 41 megapixels like the concept phone? Read more »
Given how CES is now a barometer for such a wide array of technology segments, GigaOM Research decided to ask our readers which way the tech winds will blow over the next year based on what they saw in Las Vegas. (Subscription required) Read more »
Make sure the next pair of pants you buy has big pockets. You may need them if ABI Research is correct when it says 150 million “phablets” will be sold this year. Read more »
LG’s smartphone sales appear to be picking up steam thanks to the LG Optimus G. The hits could continue as the new Optimus G Pro model surfaced in Japan today. Read more »
Microsoft has more good news to take in: After Nokia reported 4.4 million Lumia sales in the last quarter of 2012, Kantar WorldPanel says Windows Phone outsold BlackBerry in the EU during the same period. Read more »
Tired of seeing that “sold out” note on the Google Nexus 4 purchase page? You may not see it for much longer according to LG, which is ramping up production of the Android smartphone. Read more »
Join us for a wrap up of the mobile news from this week as well as a look ahead: The most surprising gadget at CES and the big BlackBerry 10 launch upcoming; we’ll be there! Read more »
Piping Bluetooth audio to a car isn’t all that new, but running smartphone apps on the car is and it’s quickly gaining momentum. Here’s how important my smartphone is to my current vehicle. Read more »
Few major Android devices debuted at this month’s CES, but next month’s Mobile World Congress is looking up when it comes to hardware. And some old devices got new software this week. Read more »
Want to star in our newest podcast? It’s easy! Just call and leave a voicemail, ping me via Twitter, Google+ or email and ask your mobile tech questions. I’ll answer them in a podcast starting next week. Read more »
Instead of spending $100,000 on advertising that may or may not get new customers, Ting is spending that money to get people to switch to its cellular service. The company will pay your ETF to make the move. Read more »
Rhapsody has retooled its relationship with MetroPCS. Instead of bundling its music subscription service in all upper-tier Metro smartphone plans, it’s selling the service for $5 a month to any Metro customer. Read more »
Give us your thoughts and takeaways from CES 2013. Read more »
The mobile platform wars heated up in a big way as 2012 came to a close. Among other trends, Microsoft launched Windows Phone 8, Android’s dominant market share grew, and mobile commerce reached record highs during the holidays. Read more »
Android was everywhere at the 2013 International CES, but the bigger names didn’t offer much this time. Instead, companies like Huawei, ZTE and Vizio showed off new phones. Meanwhile, Dropbox gets a nice upgrade on Android and I share my favorite new Android device from CES. Read more »
Can your current smartphone be any smarter? Sure it can, if the device knows how to better understand its surroundings with the help of internal sensors. Qualcomm’s Project Gimbal does just that for app developers. Here’s a peek at how Paramount is using the technology. Read more »
Although other barriers to success exist, Research In Motion has one less obstacle for its new BlackBerry 10 smartphones: All four major U.S. carriers plan to sell the devices. The world is bigger than the U.S. but here the carriers are still the kingmakers. Read more »
Straight Talk, the $45 a month no-contract provider that resells wireless service from major U.S. carriers, has finally embraced the iPhone 5. Walmart is selling the phone with Straight Talk service and $25 a month no-interest financing. But there’s one major caveat to the deal. Read more »
Broadcom is generally known for its wireless technology prowess, but don’t be surprised to see the company be the chip that puts the smarts in your smartphone or tablet. It signed a licensing agreement with ARM to design and build powerful application processors on Tuesday. Read more »
The task-management market is growing, in part because users need to coordinate with teams via mobile. In this case, heavier-weight solutions like Yammer, IBM Connections, and Podio don’t always suffice. But the demand for digital to-do lists that can be shared across project teams is increasing. Read more »
Designing a new class of device, the really big smartphone, Samsung has owned this growing market. Huawei wants in though and it pulled out all the stops: The company’s new Ascend Mate smartphone has a whopping 6.1-inch display that works even if you’re wearing gloves. Read more »
Can $50 and a contract get you a decent smartphone these days? AT&T thinks so. At CES, the company announced It’s selling the Pantech Discover with Android 4.0, a fast processor, 4G LTE radio, 12.6 megapixel camera and high definition touchscreen for $49. Read more »
Finding hidden product gems at the International Consumer Electronics Show is tricky but three crossed my radar at the first CES mini-event. One is for health tracking, one makes media sharing easier from a phone and one provides 2 weeks of battery life for devices. Read more »
After eight consecutive years of covering the International Consumer Electronics Show, it’s interesting to see how technology has evolved; this year I’m taking less gear than ever before and yet, I’ll likely be more productive. Here’s a glimpse of my CES gear bag over time. Read more »
For the first time since passing the 50 percent market, less than half of all Android devices are running version 2.3. Instead, nearly 40 percent use Android 4.x. It’s easier to get digital magazines in Google Play and a pic of the Galaxy S4 popped up. Read more »
One of the most popular Linux distributions will arrive on smartphones this year: Canonical is bringing Ubuntu to the small screen. But this isn’t a special version of Ubuntu; it’s the actual desktop software platform with touch-friendly mobile interface that could be a disruptor. Read more »
My pick for Android app of the year? AirDroid, which provides wireless management of your Android phone or tablet from any browser on the same Wi-Fi network. You can manage files, videos, music, ringtones and more on any computer, making for a great free companion application. Read more »
Signaling traffic growth is outstripping mobile data traffic by 30 percent to 50 percent and threatening the stability of mobile networks. However, the growth in signaling traffic is not only an indicator of success but also shows that mobile data has come of age. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The 1,000 backers of a cancelled Kickstarter project got an early holiday gift: Apple has revamped its Lightning adapter guidelines, and the POP device charger is now a go. The POP uses Apple’s own 30-pin interface as well as micro-USB for charging phones and tablets. Read more »
One expected debut for next month’s Consumer Electronics Show happened a little early as a Huawei exect showed off the company’s newest smartphone. The device has a whopping 6.1-inch display which is great for most mobile activities, but won’t likely fit in a front pants pocket. Read more »
As the year comes to a close, its time to look back at predictions for 2012. I made 16 of them last December and while I got a fair number right, there were a few clunkers. It’s time to dust off the crystal ball for 2013. Read more »
At a good time for both involved parties, Nokia and Research In Motion have settled all current patent litigation, just in time for RIM to debut BlackBerry 10 devices. Details are confidential, but RIM will make a lump-sum payment and pay ongoing royalties to Nokia. Read more »
The year 2013 may bring real disruption to the mobile industry. Upstart carriers are embracing noncellular technologies to provide cut-rate services, third-party developers are gaining traction with cheap (or free) alternatives to SMS, and a major U.S. operator is preparing to drop handset subsidies. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Toyota’s 2013 Avalon Limited has an integrated charging pad that fills up a phone battery simply by placing the device on the pad. Hopefully, other car manufacturers follow and this jump-starts a wireless power movemet because the scenario is perfect for charging without wires Read more »
Next year, T-Mobile will abolish smartphone subsidies, opting instead to offer devices with an up-front payment and monthly hardware installments for lower rates. But from Dec. 21 though year-end, the carrier is offering a rebate up to $200 on the up-front investment for popular phones. Read more »
The “mobile first” philosophy is under way today. That means a new generation of mobile-centric data centers will arise over the next three years, with chips, servers, and power architectures customized for mobile workloads. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
