Breaking news, information, and analysis on the latest mobile phones and mobile technology
Samsung and Apple are currently in the throes of a legal battle spanning infringements on wireless patents to form factors, and as a part of the review process, Samsung is demanding Apple reveal prototypes of their next iPhone and iPad products to see if they’re overly-similar to their own upcoming devices. Apple has apparently already…
Today at the Computex conference in Japan, Asus has announced an interesting new tablet called the Padfone. Yeah, the name leaves a lot to be desired, but the fact that it has a dedicated cavity where you can plug in a custom-made smartphone gives it a unique twist. Once plugged inside the tablet, the Padfone…
Some crisp shots and a video tour of the upcoming BlackBerry Torch 2 (9810) have surfaced, showing it’s alive, well, and running OS 7. It’s not the first time we’ve seen the Torch 2 on video, but it’s certainly the most crisp and comprehensive walkthrough we’ve seen to date. The hardware isn’t particularly exciting since…
For the last week or two I’ve been using my first BlackBerry PlayBook case: the Pop! by Case-Mate. It’s a tough call to slap on a case on a tablet, since you’re already having a hard time keeping the thing portable, but if you’ve already surrendered to carrying your tablet in a purse or emasculating…
Pinch-to-zoom, sideways swipes to access multiple home screens, and even touch-sensitive bezels are becoming common occurrences in smartphones and tablets, but a paper being published by the Association for Computing Machinery suggests Android and iPhone are going about gesture-based user interfaces all wrong. The article argues that many gestures are invisible, unexplained, and inconsistent across…
Citi Analyst Walter Pritchard says Microsoft is earning a licensing fee of $5 per Android device made by HTC. This adds a bit more context to the patent agreement the two mobile giants reached last month, and according to the report, Microsoft is looking to nail other Android smartphone manufacturers with a similar agreement for…
It looks like Research In Motion’s eternal (and sometimes baffling) optimism about BlackBerry’s future has come to bite them in the rear. Earlier this week, an Atlanta firm began investigating RIM to see if they had posted financial statements between December and April that did not disclose everything they were legally required to. As you…
The independent governing body of UK telecom, Ofcom, recently ruled that wireless contracts longer than 24 months are illegal, and that there has to be an option for 12 months or less. Ofcom says “shorter contracts are likely to promote competition and enable consumers to switch providers more easily and benefit from better prices and…
When it comes to RIM’s smartphones these days, most eyes are on the recently-announced BlackBerry 9900 Bold, but there are still a bunch more of OS 7, NFC-packing handsets in the works. Among them is a big-screen touch slate code-named Monaco or Monza (depending on GSM or CDMA model). Recently, it’s been rumoured that 9850/9860…
As Microsoft starts putting up the shutters on their Windows Mobile app marketplace, a fresh browser-based store is in the works for the upcoming Mango release. The web store will host the usual fare, like reviews, screenshots, purchasing, searching, and parental controls. Marketplace apps can be shared via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter. Once you buy…