Samsung acquires mSpot to gives its phones a cloud media boost
How do you make your smartphones stand out in 2012? Well, you could try constantly cramming the latest hardware into your handsets, but everyone else is doing that, too. You can’t rely on the operating system to set your phones apart, either, unless you’re Apple or RIM and no one else can use the OS. Read more...
4G LTE networks hit battery life on some smartphones
While battery capacities in smartphones has increased, 4G LTE networks are taking their toll on battery life for Web browsing and video streaming, according to a new analysis by Metrico Wireless.
Four new smartphones tested 20,000 times on live AT&T and Verizon Wireless LTE networks all delivered less than five hours of battery life for either streaming video or Web browsing, testing service Metrico said in a 10-page report released today.
Streaming video and Web browsing are seen as key selling points behind customer interest in LTE smartphones, making the test findings that much more important, Metrico noted. Read more...
Three incredible new smartphone accessories that are under $30
There is so much that can be done with our smartphones now that we basically never put them down. If we’re not checking in to something or watching a video, we’re surfing the web and/or making phone calls. So in between all that hard work we do with them, why not have a little fun as well? Welcome to the wonderful world of smartphone toys.
We’ve already spent hundreds of dollars on these devices after all, so I went in search of some things under $30 that are cool for just about any phone. Read more...
Cut the contract: How prepaid smartphones can save you money
Smartphones may make our lives easier, but boy, they sure do make our wallets lighter. A typical smartphone setup with one of the major U.S. carriers costs around $70 to $80 a month -- and that's on the lower end of the spectrum. So what if there were a way you could get the same kind of service for less than half the cost?
It turns out there is -- if you're willing to make a few trade-offs. The secret lies in a rapidly growing but rarely discussed segment of the smartphone market known as prepaid or contract-free service. Prepaid service has been around for some time, but in the last couple of years it's started to transform from a source of cheap, bottom-of-the-barrel phones into a viable outlet for compelling smartphones.
So what exactly do you give up by going the prepaid route and is the sacrifice worth the gain? Read on; you might just be surprised. Read more...
ITC rules in Apple’s favor in HTC mobile patent dispute
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on Friday issued a final determination that Apple doesn't infringe certain HTC patents related to smartphones. HTC makes devices based on Google's Android mobile operating system that compete with Apple's iPhone.
The ruling was made on a complaint that HTC filed with the ITC following a complaint lodged by Apple last year. HTC accused Apple of selling products that violate its patents relating to power-management methods and phone-number directories. Read more...
Android security: Don’t let 2012 become the year of the bad app
The massive adoption of smartphones and tablets in 2011 was accentuated by the Christmas period sales figures. According to mobile analytics firm Flurry, close to seven million new smartphones were activated globally on Christmas Day.
In the final week of 2011, the number of downloaded apps passed the billion mark for the first time. In 2012 that level is expected to be commonplace.
Such a large market is immensely attractive to those looking to profit illegally from the boom. Using apps to deliver malicious payloads is not new but there has been a marked increase in the number of bad apps detected over the past two years. Read more...
Visa certifies more smartphones for NFC payments
Visa has added smartphones from Samsung Electronics, Research In Motion and LG Electronics to the list of devices it has certified to work with the 185,000 NFC-based payWave payment terminals in Europe.
All the certified products run Visa's payWave application on a secure SIM card and use NFC (Near Field Communications), a short range communications standard, to securely transmit payment information to a contactless payment terminal, according to Visa.
The first round of certified phones are: Samsung Galaxy S II, LG Optimus NET NFC, BlackBerry Bold 9900, BlackBerry Bold 9790, BlackBerry Curve 9360 and BlackBerry Curve 9380. Read more...
Sharp develops world’s thinnest 12.1 MP CMOS camera module
In the world of smartphones there’s a number of competing size aspects of a handset that help sell a device. The marketing departments of the major manufacturers want the thinnest device possible, with the largest display, and longest battery life. If you hit all three, you’ve gone a long way to producing a popular device.
Making a phone thin comes down to what materials you use in the casing, how you layout the components inside, and just as importantly: what components are available to use. After all, you can only be as thin as the thickest component in the case. Read more...
Android draws closer to military readiness
The U.S. military has been putting Google Android and Apple iOS through the paces over the past year or so in hopes of bringing ever-useful smartphones and tablets to the front lines. Android is poised to secure another edge over iOS as it draws closer to complying with stringent military-grade network requirements.
Beating iOS to the compliance punch gives Android yet another advantage over Apple's platform for broader military enlistment. Android already offers greater flexibility thanks to its open source nature; Apple's relatively inflexible business practices, such as how much it would be willing to accommodate military customers, gives Android an edge, too. What's more, Android devices are less expensive than iDevices.
Still, should the military go with Android, it runs the risk of greater exposure to security risks if it isn't careful as to how it develops and enforces mobile policies: The feds and the military have not been immune to the security risks of the consumerization of IT trend that's affected the business world, according to M86 Security Labs. It's easier for cyber criminals to propagate malware to Android devices via Google's loosey-goosey Android Marketplace than to iPhones and iPads through Apple's tightly controlled App Store. Read more...
Android is half of all smartphone sales
The market share for smartphones running Google Inc.'s Android software doubled in the third quarter as more devices became available and Apple delayed release of a new iPhone, according to the research firm Gartner.
Android had more than half of the worldwide smartphone market in the third quarter, up from 25 percent a year ago. Nokia's Symbian system had 17 percent, down from 36 percent, and Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry devices dropped to 11 percent, compared with 15 percent a year ago.
Apple's iOS system, which runs the iPhone, also dropped — to 15 percent, compared with 17 percent a year ago. Apple typically releases new models over the summer, but the new iPhone didn't come out until after the third quarter ended. Read more...
NEC says new technology doubles lithium battery life
NEC said Monday that it has developed a new lithium-ion battery technology that doubles the life span of conventional models.
The new technology will be used in large batteries for applications such as electrical power systems in buildings and homes, where longevity is a major concern, the Tokyo-based electronics conglomerate said.
Consumers long for batteries that will increase the life of their smartphones and tablets, but a growing market also exists for larger rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in such fixed locations. Read more...
Carriers step up to help businesses adapt to workers’ smartphones
The nation's leading wireless carriers are making more products and services available to businesses to integrate and support their workers using wireless smartphones and tablets.
Verizon Wireless made two announcements Monday, while AT&T made a separate announcement of a service called Toggle that allows enterprise apps to run on any Android phone a user chooses. Separately, Verizon announced the Private Applications Store for Business that allows companies to run in-house or third-party apps on any smartphone or tablet on any network. It will be offered later this year, with pricing set on a per-user/per-month basis, although Verizon didn't specify how much. Read more...
Nokia and RIM, pioneers in wireless, seem to be on the ropes
Tablets and smartphones have shaken up the computing world. Their impact may be most profound for Nokia and Research In Motion (RIM), two pioneers in wireless communications that are now scrambling to adjust to relative newcomers such as Apple and Google.
Both companies are struggling against the success of smartphone and tablet rivals that include Google's Android and Apple's iPhone and iPad. Both Nokia and RIM were clearly powerhouses in mobile phones a decade ago, "seemingly bulletproof," said Jeff Kagan, an independent technology analyst.
"Success or failure [in the wireless industry] is all about hitting the right marketing, public relations and advertising cord...," Kagan said. "Nokia and RIM are struggling with that very issue."
Ramon Llamas, an analyst at IDC, said that while RIM and Nokia are the "old persons on the block, they are facing an evolution in the market that means their means and methods really need to change drastically." Just as RIM faces the need to upgrade successfully to a QNX operating system (OS) for its smartphones, Nokia must adjust as it replaces Symbian with other OSes, he said. Read more...
T-Mobile gets new phones for its HSPA+42 network
The first two smartphones to run on T-Mobile's fast HSPA+42 network are coming soon, the operator announced Monday.
The HTC Amaze 4G and the Samsung Galaxy S II will be the first from T-Mobile capable of download speeds around 8 Mbps (bits per second) or as fast as 20 Mbps depending on availability and network load.
Both phones are expected to become available on T-Mobile's website starting Oct. 10.
T-Mobile USA Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman announced the devices at the Mobilize conference in San Francisco. He indicated that T-Mobile will not get the Apple iPhone if the next version of that device is unveiled next month as expected. Read more...