Mobile Mania »
Apps are caught stealing private data stored on smartphones (Android and iOS)
In December 2010 the Wall Street Journal conducted a small test of the 101 most popular apps on iOS and Android, finding fifty-six apps transmitted the phone unique device ID to third parties, forty-seven apps transmitted the phone’s location to third parties, and five transmitted age, gender and other personal [...]
Microsoft releases Windows 8 Consumer Preview: Try out Windows 8 for free, without that pesky “release” label
This morning at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, Microsoft released Windows 8 Consumer Preview. Essentially a “Beta”, this release is intended to let Windows users see if Windows 8 is right for them. But what’s new in Windows 8 that Microsoft wants you to try? Their site gives [...]
Read More »Verizon Wireless backs off, drops $2 “convenience” fee
You know that $2 “convenience” fee Verizon Wireless planned to start charging starting January 15, 2012? That fee that literally charged you $2 for paying your bill? Yeah, well, after 24-hours of public outcry – and a passive-aggressive threat by the Federal Communications Commission – Verizon has decided to eliminate [...]
Verizon Wireless to charge customers $2 per month to pay bills starting Jan 2012
There is no such thing as a free lunch. Apparently there is also no such thing as hard-working, honest Americans paying their monthly phone bill without being charged for the privilege. Starting January 15, 2012 Verizon Wireless is going to charge their customers $2 per month for anyone that pays [...]
Tip: Condition your new cell phone’s battery to make it last longer (but be sure to condition it properly)
We all like getting new phones, right? In all the excitement of a new cell phone, many consumers forget about the battery. After all, the battery is just the thing you throw into the cell phone to make it work – why must we worry about it instead of playing [...]
Read More »ITC judge rules Motorola violated Microsoft patent but no bans yet
In what can be considered another indirect blow to Android, today a U.S. International Trade Commission judge ruled Motorola Mobility has violated a Microsoft patent (U.S. Patent No. 6,370,566) that deals with “generating meeting requests and group scheduling from a mobile device”.
While the patent in question definitely appears to [...]
Read More »AT&T decides to not buy T-Mobile USA, pays $3 billion, and signs roaming agreement
If you follow the mobile industry in the USA in even the slightest, chances are you heard about how AT&T signed a deal with Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile USA’s parent company, to purchase T-Mobile USA. Since that deal was announced there was an uproar from pretty much everyone except AT&T and [...]
ITC sides with Apple, finds HTC guilty, bans some HTC phones
Remember that legal battle over patents Apple has with, um, everyone? Yeah, well, Apple 1, HTC 0.
Yesterday the U.S. International Trade Commission passed final judgement on the matter of Apple’s complaint that HTC devices were violating Apple patents. The ITC ruled HTC did indeed violate Apple’s ’647 patent — [...]
Read More »Tip: HP Touchpads are coming back for $99/$149 this weekend, this time on eBay
Missed out the previous HP Touchpad fire sale? Here is your second chance. Starting December 11, 2011 at 6 PM (CST), HP is going to sell HP Touchpads for the now-familiar $99/$149 (16 GB/32 GB) price tag on eBay, with the option to buy a case, charging dock, and wireless [...]
[Android, Symbian] Free Handy Safe Pro!
App Description
The following is a description of Handy Safe Pro, as per the developer:
Handy Safe Pro – a new level of usability comes to data management applications with unbeatable security functionality. Customized graphical cards represent all your confidential information in an easy-to-use interface, and 448-bit Blowfish encryption
[...]
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[USA] Republic Wireless now offering contract-free “unlimited” data, talk, and text for $19/month
Back in November I posted about Republic Wireless, a new cell phone service provider in the USA. In the article I mentioned Republic Wireless was launching November 8, but aside from that we didn’t have many more details. Republic Wireless has launched. We have more details. Let’s talk. (Pun intended.)[...]
Get a taste of Windows Phone 7 on an iOS or Android device via an interactive online emulator
Want to know how the other 5% live? Microsoft has launched a web-based Windows Phone 7 emulator (probably written in HTML5), allowing iOS and Android device owners to see if the grass is truly greener on the other side by simply visiting http://aka.ms/wpdemo in their web browser.
The online emulator [...]
Read More »New Samsung ad mocks iPhone fans, earns points for being funny
The battle between Samsung and Apple has been raging for months (years?), most recently in courts of law. It appears all legal lawyer talk has not dumbed down Samsung’s marketing humor; a new ad – shown in the video found above – mocks iPhone fans in a humorous manner.
The [...]
Read More »Adobe axes Flash for mobile devices, +1 for Apple
Remember last year how Apple snubbed Adobe, not allowing Flash on iDevices? Apple proclaimed Flash was a closed platform (the irony), it was inefficient, bulky, insecure, etc. as reasons for not allowing it on Apple’s mobile devices. At the time many shrugged it off as Apple being Apple, especially since [...]
[iOS, Android, and Others] New versions of Opera Mobile and Opera Mini help you track data usage
On PC Opera arguably has one of the most underestimated browsers. On mobile platforms, however, Opera browsers flourish. With excellent useability and handy features – such as Opera Turbo – Opera is as an excellent choice of alternative browser for those who don’t like the built-in browsers that come with [...]
Superior customer service is the reason why Amazon will dominate content delivery on mobile devices (smartphones/tablets)
It may sound like a foreign concept to some, but mobile devices – and the content on those mobile devices, such as apps – are consumed by… consumers. When it comes to content delivery on said devices, everything is well and good — until it is not; at that point, [...]
[USA] New carrier offers $19/month unlimited voice, text, and data
Think you are paying too much for cellular service? Then Republic Wireless may be what you have been waiting for. On November 8, Republic Wireless, a new cell phone service provider in the USA owned by Bandwidth.com, will start offering unlimited voice, text, and data for $19 per month. Too [...]
[iOS, Android] Dolphin browser found to have major privacy flaw, demonstrates why you should stick to stock browser
Dolphin – available as Dolphin Browser HD and Dolphin Browser Mini on Android and Dolphin Browser on iOS – is an extremely popular third party browser much loved by many users. The developer of Dolphin, however, decided to abuse that love by introducing a major breach of privacy with their [...]
Samsung dethrones Apple, ships millions more smartphones than iPhone
My, how (South) Korea has progressed: Once a country who’s products no one wanted; now a country who’s companies are besting American rivals. Sort of, anyway. Quoting “a person familiar with the situation”, The Wall Street Journal is reporting Samsung shipped “more than 20 million smartphones” in their quarter 3 [...]