Devices
Report: Google Offers $1.1 Billion to Acquire Mapping Service Waze
June 10, 2013 10:18 am | News | CommentsGoogle is offering $1.1 billion to acquire the crowd-sourced maps company Waze, according to a Bloomberg report. The news comes after earlier reports that Apple had been interested in Waze. Waze's mobile app for iOS and Android gathers map information from its 40 million users...
Music Service, Mobile Software Expected from Apple
June 10, 2013 9:34 am | by Anick Jesdanun, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsApple is expected to reveal a digital radio service and changes to the software behind iPhones and iPads on Monday as the company opens its annual conference for software developers. Apple hasn't said what it will unveil at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco...
ITC Rules for Samsung, Bans iPhone 4 Imports
June 5, 2013 9:25 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsA U.S. trade agency on Tuesday issued a ban on imports of Apple's iPhone 4 and a variant of the iPad 2 after finding the devices violate a patent held by South Korean rival Samsung Electronics. Because the devices are assembled in China...
New BlackBerry with Keyboard to Hit US Stores
June 5, 2013 8:55 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsThe first keyboard-equipped BlackBerry sporting the company's radically new operating system is hitting U.S. stores this week. T-Mobile USA will start selling the BlackBerry Q10 on Wednesday. Verizon Wireless started taking pre-orders last week and says it will ship by Thursday...
Report: Apple Readies Mobile Ad Business for New Music Service
June 4, 2013 9:34 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsApple is gearing up for the unveiling of a new streaming music service next week by shifting some of its iAd personnel over to the new service. The move is part of an effort to change the way Apple sells mobile advertising to cater to customers that might be looking to engage an listening audience, according to a report...
Verizon Smartphone Sales Grow on Windows Popularity
June 3, 2013 10:23 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsVerizon took the lion's share of smarpthone sales in the United States, due in part to the growth of Windows Phone, according to new numbers from Kantar Worldpanel Comtech. Of the carriers, Verizon grabbed 36.3 percent of smartphones sold, an annual increase of 1.8 percent. Sprint Nextel accounted for 13.1 percent of smartphones sold...
Report: HTC Scraps Plans for Full-Sized Windows RT Tablet
May 31, 2013 10:46 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsHTC is tossing out its plans for a full-sized Windows RT tablet, citing weak demand for devices running the RT operating system and the overall cost of producing a large tablet. Bloomberg cited people familiar with the matter who indicated that HTC still plans to release a 7-inch Windows 8 tablet optimized for ARM chipsets later this year.
Google to Sell HTC One with Unmodified Android
May 31, 2013 9:35 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsGoogle is adding the recently released HTC One to its lineup of smartphones running on an unmodified version of its latest Android software. An HTC One model relying on the same version of Android as Google's Nexus brand will go on sale on June 26 for $599...
Report: Apple Taps Pegatron to Make Low-Cost iPhone
May 30, 2013 9:34 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsApple is moving to a new manufacturer to produce a low-cost iPhone, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. As it seeks to lessen its dependence on Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn in an effort to diversify its supply chain, Apple has reportedly tasked a company called Pegatron with producing a forthcoming version of the iPhone...
Cook: Apple Focused on Quality, Not Quantity
May 29, 2013 10:23 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsTim Cook, Apple's CEO, doesn't have his head stuck in the sand. He's aware of the company's stock slide. He's aware of Android's popularity, but he's not particularly worried about anything more than creating great products. That was the word yesterday from Cook's talk at the Wall Street Journal's D: All Things Digital conference, which was posted online...
IDC: Tablet Shipments to Pass Laptops in 2013
May 28, 2013 10:48 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsIDC is predicting global tablet shipments to hit 229.3 million units in 2013, representing a 58.7 percent increase over 2012 and leaving predicted laptop shipments for 2013 in the dust. As the PC industry continues to suffer, IDC predicts that global tablet shipments will exceed the entire PC market by 2015.
Report: Hon Hai to Produce Firefox OS Phone
May 28, 2013 10:01 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsTaiwanese OEM Hon Hai is partnering with Mozilla on a new mobile device, according to a Reuter's report released this morning. The new device will run Mozilla's Firefox operating system, and is an attempt by Hon Hai to diversify away from its current dependence on Apple products. The report, which cites a Taipei-based...
Lenovo Says Quarterly Profit up 90 Percent
May 23, 2013 10:20 am | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsComputer maker Lenovo Group said Thursday its latest quarterly profit rose 90 percent as sales of smartphones and mobile computing technology expanded.Lenovo said it earned $127 million, or 1.22 cents per share, in the three months ending March 31. Revenue rose 4 percent over a year earlier to $7.8 billion...
Galaxy S4 to Top 10M in Sales by Next Week
May 17, 2013 10:19 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsSamsung says it expects sales of its flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4, to surpass 10 million units by next week. The company began selling the S4 in Korea on April 26 and has since begun selling the device in 60 other countries. According to a report in the Korean Times...
Google's Products Dig Deeper into People's Lives
May 17, 2013 9:11 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsFor Google CEO Larry Page, happiness is a warm computer. "Technology should do the hard work so people can get on doing the things that make them happiest in life," Page told a crowd of 6,000 software developers and entrepreneurs who flocked to San Francisco Wednesday for...
Windows Phone Ousts BB for Third Place in Market Share
May 16, 2013 8:42 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsWindows Phone posted the largest year-over-year gain in market share among the leading mobile operating systems, more than doubling its size from a year ago, according to numbers released today from International Data Corporation (IDC)...
Samsung Generates More Profit from Android than Google Does
May 16, 2013 8:13 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsSamsung may be generating more revenue and profit from the Android platform than Google does, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics. According to the report, Samsung took 95 percent of $5 billion in first quarter profits generated from overall global Android shipments...
Sharp Reshuffles Management After Record Loss
May 14, 2013 10:02 am | by Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsJapanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. named a new president Tuesday, reshuffling its top management to help restore profitability after reporting a record loss. The Osaka, Japan-based maker of Aquos TVs said that Kozo Takahashi, currently an executive vice president...
BlackBerry Focuses on Cool Factor as It Returns to Orlando for Annual Event
May 13, 2013 9:00 am | by David Friend, The Canadian Press | News | CommentsBlackBerry will pull out all the stops this week as the company welcomes thousands of industry players for BlackBerry Live, it's annual three-day conference which promises to offer some perspective into its future. Chief executive Thorsten Heins will take the stage on Tuesday and...
Report: Amazon Preparing 3D Smartphone, Other Hardware
May 10, 2013 9:06 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsAs one of the major players in the tablet market, Amazon is again generating rumors that it's ready to take the next step and offer its customers a branded smartphone. Amazon is reportedly developing a range of new hardware, including a glasses-free...
New Boingo iOS App Leverages iTunes Account for Payment
May 8, 2013 9:50 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsWi-Fi provider Boingo Wireless has announced that iOS users can now use their iTunes account to purchase a Boingo subscription. According to a press release, the latest version of Boingo’s iOS app links directly to a customer’s iTunes account, streamlining subscription sign-up and monthly billing...
Nokia Remains Focused on Windows Phone
May 7, 2013 9:59 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsNokia will continue to focus on Windows Phone, according to a report from Reuters today, which cited comments from Nokia CEO Stephen Elop prior to the company's annual general meeting. Elop said that while the company continues to make adjustments as it goes...
Microsoft Touching Up Windows 8 to Address Gripes
May 7, 2013 8:42 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsMicrosoft is retooling the latest version of its Windows operating system to address complaints and confusion that have been blamed for deepening a slump in personal computer sales. The tune up announced Tuesday won't be released to consumers...
B&N to Offer Google Play on Nook Tablets
May 6, 2013 9:50 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsAlong with lowering the price of its Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets, Barnes & Noble has announced that it will be adding Google Play access to those devices. The move will gives its users unfettered access to all of the apps and content in the Google Play store...
US Cellular Embraces iPhone After Rejecting It
May 3, 2013 3:26 pm | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsU.S. Cellular, the fifth largest cellphone company and the only major one to resist the iPhone, says it's going to start selling it this year. CEO Mary Dillon announced the reversal Friday on a call with investors and analysts. She didn't specify exactly when the company would start...
