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Kelly spent the last four years covering mobile technology at places like BGR, Gizmodo and The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Before writing, she spent a few years working with and teaching others how to use Adobe Flash and Macromedia Director. Even earlier than that, she spent several years as a Ph.D student in Microbiology. When she's not writing, she can be found fishing the lakes and hiking the mountains of Western Maine with her husband and tribe of children. You can follow her on Twitter @kellyhodgkins.

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Posts by Kelly Hodgkins

BlackBerry expanding BlackBerry Messenger to iOS and Android this summer

BlackBerry announced today that it is opening up its BlackBerry messenger platform and expanding it to iOS and Android. The expanded service will debut sometime this summer. It’ll launch first with messaging and then will gradually expand its features to include groups, screen sharing and the newly announced channels. Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, Software Product Management and Ecosystem, at BlackBerry said “For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one … Read more

bbm-logo3 2 weeks ago

Kelly Hodgkins

BlackBerry announces the Qwerty-enabled Q5 for emerging markets

BlackBerry kicked off its BlackBerry Live conference by announcing a new, mid-range handset. The BlackBerry Q5 lands under the Q10 and will rock a 3.1-inch touchscreen, a classic QWERTY keyboard and the BlackBerry 10 operating system. It will land this July in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. It will be available in a variety of colors including pink, white, black and red. Pricing is not yet announced. It is not known whether the Q5 will land in the US. [Via BlackBerry]

blackberryq5-stock 2 weeks ago

Kelly Hodgkins

Nokia showcases the PureView 2 camera on its new Lumia 925

Today in a London press event, Nokia introduced its latest Windows Phone handset, the Lumia 925. One of the flagship features of the 925 is its PureView 2 camera, which offers 8.7 megapixels of resolution and 30FPS 1080p HD video recording. It has optical image stabilization for both photos and videos. It also sports the new Nokia Smart Camera Mode software, which will land on all Lumia Windows Phone. Smart Camera Mode lets Lumia owners capture ten images at once and then edit them using a variety of presets like Motion … Read more

lumia925stock 2 weeks ago

Kelly Hodgkins

Google not refreshing the Nexus Q at I/O this week

According to a report in AllThingsD, the Nexus Q won’t be mentioned in this week’s I/O developers conference. The Q was a media device that tied into Google Play and let users control playback with their Android smartphones. The black sphere had an attractive black matte design, but its $300 price tag and limited support for third-party services was its downfall. The device was unveiled at last year’s I/O conference and discontinued shortly after its introduction.   When Google halted the consumer launch of the media device, it said it was … Read more

2 weeks ago

Kelly Hodgkins

Motorola XT1058 handset breezes through the FCC, is this the XFON?

A new Motorola phone with the designation XT1058 has been spotted at the FCC by AndroidGuys. One standout feature of this FCC document is the rendering which suggests the XT1058 is the mystery Motorola X phone (XFON) that keeps appearing in the rumor mill. Compare the leaked photo below and the rendering from the FCC above  — you have to admit that the phones look very similar. Besides physical resemblances, this latest spotting at the FCC also jives with earlier reports that the XFON handset may be slated for AT&T. The latest … Read more

xfon650fcc 2 weeks ago

Kelly Hodgkins

Pegatron CEO refutes report that iPad mini demand is falling

Pegatron announced its quarterly earnings yesterday and held an investors conference to discuss its results. Out of this event came a report from Business Insider that claimed iPad mini demand was on decline. Pegatron CEO Jason Cheng talked to Philip Elmer DeWitt of Apple 2.0 and refuted this report. Bloomberg’s Tim Culpan quotes the Pegatron CEO as saying “A decline in revenue from the iPad Mini ‘is more on demand, while price has been stable.” Cheng, however, says he made the second half of that that statement, but did not … Read more

ipad-and-ipad-mini 2 weeks ago

Kelly Hodgkins

Microsoft looking to buy Nook digital assets from Barnes and Noble for $1B

According to internal documents obtained by TechCrunch, Microsoft is looking to buy Nook Media LLC from Barnes & Noble and other investors. Microsoft is allegedly offering up to $1 billion to buy the Nook’s digital assets. Microsoft already owns an 18% interest in Nook Media, which it acquired with a $300 million investment in late 2012. The document also reveals the product roadmap for the Nook, which calls for a discontinuation of the tablet hardware by the end of fiscal year 2014. The software was expected to become the focus of the … Read more

nookhd+ 2 weeks ago

Kelly Hodgkins

Huawei CEO talks to the press for the first time in 26 years

Normally quiet Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei spoke to the media for the first time in 26 years on Thursday, according to a report in Business Insider. In a statement given to New Zealand reporters, the CEO for the Chinese telecom maker defended his company against accusations that it is aligned with the Chinese government. “Huawei has no connection to the cyber-security issues the U.S. has encountered in the past, current and future, said Ren. “Huawei equipment is almost non-existent in networks currently running in the U.S. We have never sold … Read more

huawei5913 2 weeks ago

Kelly Hodgkins

Rumor suggests Facebook is looking to buy Waze for $1B

Several Israeli websites are reporting that Facebook is close to acquiring social navigation company Waze. Talks have been ongoing for several months, but Facebook is allegedly “in advanced due diligence” in its efforts to acquire the mobile company. A report in the Calcalist claims Facebook is offering between $800 million and $1 billion for Waze. The world’s largest social network is looking to expand its mobile efforts and sees Waze as an attractive acquisition. Waze is based in Israel, and it is not known if a deal will move them … Read more

Waze updates Android app 2 weeks ago

Kelly Hodgkins

Path announces new partnership with Sprint

Path has hit a few road bumps as it grows from unknown startup to influential social network. It hasn’t reached this latter checkpoint yet, but it made a big leap forward today with a new partnership with US wireless carrier Sprint. According to Path’s announcement, the social networking app will appear in Sprint’s Discover-It widget. This widget gives Sprint users a quick and easy way to install popular apps on their Android smartphone. This is only the beginning of a bigger collaboration between Path and Sprint. “Sprint and Path are … Read more

path 2 weeks ago

Kelly Hodgkins

AT&T rolls out LTE in a handful of new markets

Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and now T-Mobile are in the great LTE race of 2013, with the victor laying claim to the best 4G LTE network in the nation. Verizon is in the lead, but AT&T is doubling down on its effort to blanket as many markets as possible this year. As noticed by Droid-Life, AT&T recently rolled out LTE in 20 new cities that span 9 state and one territory. The full list is available below: Beeville, Texas Saginaw, Michigan Bay City, Michigan Monroeville, Alabama Evergreen, Alabama Vieques, Puerto Rico … Read more

AT&T Wireless logo 2 weeks ago

Kelly Hodgkins