Handsets
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...
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...
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...
Physical by Smartphone Becoming Real Possibility
May 2, 2013 8:34 am | by Lauran Neergaard, AP Medical Writer | News | CommentsIt's not a "Star Trek" tricorder, but by hooking a variety of gadgets onto a smartphone you could almost get a complete physical — without the paper gown or even a visit to the doctor's office. Blood pressure? Just plug the arm cuff into the phone for a quick reading...
Smartphones Overtake 'Dumb' Phones Worldwide
April 29, 2013 9:32 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsResearch firm IDC said more smartphones than "dumb" phones are being made this year, a milestone in a shift that's putting computing power and Internet access in millions of hands worldwide. Manufacturers shipped 216 million smartphones worldwide in the first three months of this year...
Report: Android Market Gains Tied to Sprint's Samsung Sales
April 4, 2013 11:13 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsAndroid continues grabbing more market share, snagging 51.2 percent of smartphone sales in the United States during the three-month period that ended in February, according to a report from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. Apple's iOS took second place...
Featurephone Upgrades Hold the Key to Smartphone Growth in the US in 2013
March 28, 2013 9:25 am | by Mary-Ann Parlato, Global Insight Director, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech | Articles | CommentsWith many products sharing the same OS platform, and with OS loyalty high among existing smartphone users, marketers in the U.S. will need to focus on growth drivers other than OS affiliation if they hope to come out on top in 2013. Chief among these considerations...
Report: Smartphones Account for 93 Percent of Gross Handset Profits
March 20, 2013 10:01 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsSmartphone margins are where it's at if you're a handset manufacturer these days. According to a new report from IHS iSuppli, smartphones accounted for 87 percent of handset industry revenue in 2012 and a staggering 93 percent of gross profits...
ZTE Taps Intrepidus for Smartphone Security
March 19, 2013 10:18 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsChinese smartphone manufacturer ZTE today said it is partnering with Intrepidus on providing security for its devices. ZTE said it seeks to become a "leader in smartphone security." As part of the agreement, Intrepidus will evaluate the security mechanisms of ZTE...
Report: Smartphone Shipments to Overtake Feature Phones in 2013
March 4, 2013 9:12 am | News | CommentsGlobal shipments of smartphones will exceed feature phone shipments for the first time in 2013, according to an annual report from IDC. OEMs will ship 918.6 million smartphones this year, or 50.1 percent of the total mobile phone shipments worldwide...
Momentum Grows for Alternative Phone System Tizen
February 27, 2013 9:30 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsThe junior league of smartphone operating systems is getting more competitive. Phones from yet another contender — Tizen — will go on sale this year with a view to eventually competing with the industry leaders, Apple's iOS and Google's Android...
Firefox OS is Not the Third OS U.S. Operators Are Looking For
February 26, 2013 1:29 pm | by Andrew Berg | Blogs | CommentsThe idea that Mozilla's Firefox OS will compete for significant market share on the same court as iOS and Android is laughable but that's exactly what much of the mainstream media seems determined to report. I have read a number of articles desperate to make the case that Firefox OS...
Microsoft and Huawei Launch Phone for Africa
February 5, 2013 9:17 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsChinese phone maker Huawei and Microsoft are combining forces to sell a new smartphone in Africa, which they say is the world's fastest growing mobile phone market. The two companies launched the Huawei 4Afrika Tuesday. The phone runs Windows Phone 8...
Dell Shares Rise on Report of Buyout Plans
February 1, 2013 10:05 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsShares of Dell Inc. rose 7 percent in premarket trading on new reports that the computer company is nearing a deal to sell itself to a group including its CEO, a major private equity firm and Microsoft Corp. in a deal that could mark the largest leveraged buyout since the Great Recession...
Lenovo Profit Boosted by Smartphones, Tablets
January 30, 2013 10:35 am | by Joe McDonald,AP Business Writer | News | CommentsPersonal computer maker Lenovo Group said Wednesday its quarterly profit rose 34 percent to a record high on strong sales of smartphones and tablet computers.The company, vying with Hewlett-Packard Co. to become the world's biggest PC maker...
Corning 4Q Net Income Falls, but Beats Predictions
January 29, 2013 10:17 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsRevenue surged at Corning during the fourth quarter on strong demand for its Gorilla Glass, which is used in many smartphones and computer tablets. Sales in the company's specialty materials division, which makes the glass...
Unlocking Your Cell Phone is Now A Crime
January 28, 2013 10:47 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsAn order issued Saturday by the U.S. Copyright Office of the Library of Congress will make unlocking a cell phone illegal under certain conditions. An amendment to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act will apply to all cell phones...
Samsung 4Q Profits Jump 76 Percent on Galaxy Sales
January 25, 2013 10:47 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsA doubling of profits from Samsung's Galaxy line of smartphones boosted the company's overall fourth quarter profits by nearly 76 percent over the previous quarter. Samsung recorded net profits for the fourth quarter of $6.6 billion...
North Korea Loosens Restrictions on Foreign Cellphones
January 21, 2013 9:24 am | by Jean H. Lee, Associated Press | News | CommentsNorth Korea is loosening some restrictions on foreign cellphones by allowing visitors to bring their own phones into the country. However, security regulations still prohibit mobile phone calls between foreigners and locals. For years, North Korea required...
A Disturbance in the Force: The Smartphone Market is Changing
January 18, 2013 5:19 pm | by Andrew Berg | Blogs | CommentsCan you hear it? That's the sound of the device market changing. It sounds a little like the whispers that RIM just might have something with BlackBerry 10. It also sounds a little like rumors that Amazon has the right kind of content ecosystem...
Investors Cheer RadioShack Split with Target Mobile
January 15, 2013 10:04 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsRadioShack and Target have chosen to part ways, dissolving Radio Shack's hand in Target's mobile phone vending operation. According to statement from RadioShack today, the company is shutting down its Target Mobile stores, which are currenrly present in 1,500 Target stores...
Facebook Announcement Stirs More Handset Speculation
January 14, 2013 11:33 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsSpeculation is running rampant around the Facebook media event scheduled for tomorrow. The hubbub around a possible big announcement has even sent the company's struggling stock up above $30 per share. Perhaps the biggest surprise possible tomorrow would...
Microsoft May Have Exited Gadget Show Prematurely
January 14, 2013 10:58 am | by Michael Liedtke, Ryan Nakashima, AP Business Writers | News | CommentsMicrosoft may have relinquished its starring role in America's gaudiest gadget show a year too early. After 13 straight years in the spotlight, Microsoft's decision to scale back its presence at this week's International CES deprived the software maker of a prime opportunity...
Samsung Sells 100 Million Galaxy S Smartphones
January 14, 2013 10:37 am | by Youkyung Lee, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsSamsung Electronics Co. said Monday that global sales of its Galaxy S smartphones surpassed 100 million units since the first model in the series was released less than three years ago. Samsung said it has sold more than 25 million Galaxy S smartphones...
Nokia Stock Soars on Revised Guidance, Lumia Sales
January 10, 2013 10:19 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsShares of Nokia soared over 20 percent in premarket trading today on revised fourth quarter guidance that estimates the company's mobile devices business has exceeded expectations and achieved underlying profitability. According to a press release, Nokia's Devices...
