Mobile & Wireless
15 May 2013
Samsung's 5G mobile claims played down by experts The Guardian
Researchers have played down claims by Samsung to have developed "5G" mobile systems able to transmit data hundreds of times faster than 4G networks, pointing out that its tests only apply to one element of the system needed to implement a standard.
BlackBerry to offer BBM for iPhone and Android - but rivals await The Guardian
BlackBerry is making its Messenger (BBM) real-time messaging service available on Apple's iPhone and iPad and Google's Android platforms from summer, abandoning the platform exclusivity that had for years been a crucial tool in attracting and retaining users.
14 May 2013
Apple, Microsoft, Google, Samsung asked to help fight US mobile phone thefts Los Angeles Times
New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is pressing leading cellphone manufacturers to do more to help stem a growing tide of mobile phone thefts.
13 May 2013
Samsung Claims 5G Mobile Breakthrough Wall Street Journal
Samsung Electronics said Monday it has made a breakthrough in developing mobile technology for fifth-generation networks, though it expects it will take years until the service is brought online for subscribers.
10 May 2013
Mobiles 'to outnumber people next year', says UN agency BBC News
There will be more mobile subscriptions than people in the world by the end of next year, according to a UN agency report.
08 May 2013
Google under pressure to cut $5bn valuation of smartphone patents The Guardian
Google could face pressure to write down the $5bn (£3.2bn) value of the patents in its Motorola subsidiary, as the mobile arm faces fines from Europe's antitrust commissioner for trying to use them to block sales of Apple's iPhone in Germany.
07 May 2013
EU regulator takes aim at Google over Apple mobile patent lawsuit Reuters
The European Commission said it believed Motorola Mobility, a unit of Google, was abusing its market position by seeking and enforcing an injunction against Apple in Germany over patents essential to mobile phone standards.
02 May 2013
Why Aren't Smartphones Making Us More Productive? Wall Street Journal
... By that I mean they can't find how these mobile devices are improving worker productivity, which computers have been doing quite ruthlessly for the last 70 years. Productivity is the reason living standards rise. It's why we have more goods and services than our grandparents could imagine.
01 May 2013
Travellers Craving Wi-Fi, Preferably Free and Really Fast New York Times
Travellers hitting the road with their mobile electronic devices have three questions about staying connected away from home: will there be Wi-Fi, how much will it cost and how well will it work?
Mobile phone data redraws bus routes in Africa BBC News
Researchers at IBM have redrawn the bus routes of Ivory Coast's largest city using mobile phone data.
BlackBerry chief: tablets will be dead in five years' time The Guardian
BlackBerry's chief executive has said that in five years "I don't think there'll be a reason to have a tablet any more" - but he expects the company to sell "tens of millions" of its new keyboard-based Q10 handsets.
29 April 2013
Chat app messaging overtakes SMS texts, Informa says BBC News
Instant messaging on chat apps, such as WhatsApp, has overtaken the traditional SMS text message for the first time, according to research firm Informa.
28 April 2013
UK mobile networks see bright future for electronic wallet The Observer
Britain's big three mobile networks have united on a project to make debit cards of our smartphones. And they're even planning to outsmart Google
27 April 2013
Netflix CEO says future of TV is in apps Washington Post
After Netflix's blockbuster earnings sent its stock soaring this week, the company's chief executive made a bold prediction: TV as we know it is coming to an end.
North Korea embraces 3G service BBC News
Almost two million North Koreans now use the country's only 3G network, reports a blog dedicated to technology news in North Korea.
24 April 2013
Apple blocks Google Motorola's sensor patent challenge BBC News
Google has failed in its latest attempt to convince a US trade agency that Apple has infringed its intellectual property.
22 April 2013
Mobile apps: A spat between Apple and a popular French start-up causes a furore The Economist
The French have always loved Apple. Its elegant products and nimble operating systems, and its underdog struggles against IBM and Microsoft in the 1980s, are especially appealing in a country that prides itself on being chic, clever and revolutionary. Apple's two stores in central Paris nestle in locations that are dear to French hearts -- under the Louvre and directly opposite the Opéra.
18 April 2013
Going over the top: Who is going to profit from the rise of WhatsApp and Viber? The Independent
Smartphone owners now have so many apps at their disposal for communicating with friends across the internet for free, it's like they're confronted with a selection box of assorted digital chocolates. Dozens of companies are jostling for their attention, waving about treats such as voice calling, supersized emoticons (or stickers), gaming and more.
U.S. Accuses Company of Adding Mobile Fees New York Times
Those surreptitious charges for flirting tips, yoga lessons and psychic services, long a problem on landlines, have become a costly nuisance for mobile phone users -- and a new focus for regulators.
Microsoft signs Chrome and Android deal with Foxconn parent Hon Hai The Guardian
Besides Samsung, there's one other company making Android pay: Microsoft. The software giant just signed a patent licensing agreement - including unspecified payment terms - with Hon Hai, the parent of manufacturing company Foxconn for devices running Google's mobile operating system Android and Google's desktop Chrome OS.
17 April 2013
Developers fail to see profits with Google Glass The Independent
Google has been touting Google Glass, its hotly-anticipated high-tech spectacles, as the future of mobile technology. Yet software developers were left wondering how, exactly, they would make money from the invention, after the internet search giant announced that it would not allow them to charge users for their apps.
Apple Named in China Porn App Investigation Wall Street Journal
Apple Inc. is once again in the pages of the People's Daily, this time in an article listing a number of websites and app stores that have been investigated for providing pornographic content in China.
Google's Schmidt sees 1 billion Android phones in use in nine months Reuters
Google Inc Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt predicted on Tuesday that there will be more than a billion smartphones in use featuring its Android software within the next six to nine months.
29 March 2013
The Messaging Apps Taking on Facebook, Phone Giants Wall Street Journal
On a recent Saturday, Johan Dijkland, a 23-year-old student in Emmen, Netherlands, opened a free messaging app called Line on his iPhone. Then he tapped on a virtual sticker of a sleepy panda with a "good night" speech bubble and pressed send to a friend.
Telekom Austria turns unlimited data model on its head Reuters
Telekom Austria has announced new mobile deals abandoning the unlimited data packages that have become commonplace and instead offering free voice and text messages.
