Mobile and Wireless Industry News
Current business and technology news about the mobile and wireless industries.
Constantly updated from news sources around the world.
How IT Views RIM's Future: Exclusive Research - 2 days ago
IT professionals have strong feelings about RIM, its products, and its plight. But the real issue is end user device preference.
iPhone App Contains Secret Tethering Capability - 2 days ago
By entering the codes "1984" and "31337" in iRandomizer Numbers, you can create a sharable Internet connection using your iPhone.
InformationWeek's RSS Feed is brought to you by - 2 days ago
Mobile Phone Growth Slides In Fourth Quarter - 3 days ago
Mobile phone shipments on a global basis reached 427.4 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011 -- a tepid 6.1 percent rise from the year earlier period, IDC says. The global handset market's single-digit growth in the seasonally strong fourth quarter shows that handset vendors are not immune to weaker macroeconomic conditions worldwide, the firm's analysts said Thursday. A surge in smartphone purchases led by Apple's iPhone 4S in the final three months of 2011 also caused feature phone shipments to decline faster than analysts had expected. Smartphone growth in Western Europe was not enough to offset the feature phones decline, despite successful product performances from Apple and Samsung. With the exception of Apple, feature phones still account for a majority of unit sales at four of the five top handset vendors, said IDC Research Analyst Kevin Restivo. "The introduction of high-growth products such as the iPhone 4S, which shipped in the fourth quarter, bolstered smartphone growth," Restivo said. "Yet overall market growth fell to its lowest point since the third quarter of 2009 -- when the global economic recession was in full bloom." Strong iPhone Customer Loyalty Unit shipments of Apple's red-hot iPhone 4S reached a record 37 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011, which propelled the company into the No. 3 slot in the global handset market overall. During last year as a whole, Apple shipped 93.2 million iPhones. According to Strategy Analytics, Apple is on track to ship well more than 100 million iPhones during 2012. "China is becoming a key market for Apple this year, and we expect Apple's share to grow rapidly in 2012, despite countless copycat rivals," said Strategy Analytics Director Tom Kang. Investment firm Piper Jaffray expects Apple to ship 134 million iPhone units during calendar year 2012. "Despite the lack of...
National Security Agency Plans Smartphone Adoption - 3 days ago
NSA is piloting secure smartphones now and plans broader adoption of commercially available devices that can access classified networks.
Smartphones Overtake Computers and Tablets - 3 days ago
Move over, computers and tablets. For the first time, annual worldwide shipments of smartphones are larger than PCs and tablets. According to figures released Friday by industry research firm Canalys, there were more than 158 million smartphones shipped in the fourth quarter of last year, a whopping 57 percent increase over the same quarter in 2010. For the entire year, smartphones were up 63 percent, to 487.7 million units. 'Significant Milestone' By contrast, the global client PC market grew 15 percent last year, to 414.6 million units. This includes a huge, 274 percent growth in tablets, which are now the fast-growing segment in the client PC category. Chris Jones, Canalys vice president and principal analyst, said in a statement that this is a "significant milestone." Jones said that, within a few years, smartphones "have grown from being a niche product segment at the high end of the mobile phone market to becoming a truly mass-market proposition." The milestone comes as a previous report from Canalys, released earlier this week, showed that tablets are now 22 percent of all PC shipments. Coupled with Friday's report on the growth of smartphones, it's clear that the center of mobile computing is now in smartphones and tablets. The Canalys report said that, while decreasing price points have been a key driver of the smartphone growth, there also has been an "increasing consumer appetite" for using smartphones for Net browsing, content consumption and apps. However, the era of smart phones being more popular than computers or tablets may be short-lived. Canalys said it expects smartphone growth to slow this year, as vendors begin to emphasize cost control and profitability. As an example, the company noted that some vendors who have focused on the low end, such as Huawei, ZTE and LG, are now turning their attention to higher-level, pricier models that cost more,...
Google's Bouncer Searches for Misbehaving Android Apps - 3 days ago
Looking to bolster confidence in the security of its fast-growing market for mobile applications, Google is posting a bouncer at the door. The service analyzes new applications in the Android Market as well as those already posted, and even developer accounts, looking for known malware, spyware and trojans. Google's Bouncer also looks for "behaviors that indicate an application might be misbehaving," according to a post on Google's mobile blog Thursday announcing the service. The service develops a baseline of previously analyzed apps and compares it with new ones for signs of trouble. "We actually run every application on Google's cloud infrastructure and simulate how it will run on an Android device to look for hidden, malicious behavior," writes Hiroshi Lockheimer, vice president of engineering for Google's Android division. And Stay Out! Bouncer will also scrutinize new developer accounts to make sure those who are tossed as repeat offenders do not come back. Bouncer works in addition to existing Android tools such as sandboxing, which builds virtual walls between applications and other software on the device so malware can't access data; permissions, which scrutinizes the capabilities of apps to help users make decisions; and malware removal tools that can remotely scrub intruders from a phone or tablet. Still, the Android Market's growth -- it topped 11 billion downloads -- has made it a top source of malware. Juniper Networks in November announced that its Global Threat Center believes the easy process for posting apps led to a 472 percent increase in malware samples since the previous July. "These days, it seems all you need is a developer account, that is relatively easy to anonymize, pay $25 and you can post your applications," wrote Juniper on its threat center blog. Lack of sufficient screening means poorly defined, unscreened apps will only be removed if malware is reported or detected by...
RIM Sees Continued BlackBerry Growth From Government Users - 3 days ago
RIM hopes new government security certifications and a device management platform will bolster the platform's position against iOS, Android.
Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 Reportedly Will Share Code - 3 days ago
With Windows 8 moving toward release later this year, providing an integrated operating system for laptops, desktops and tablets, new details are beginning to emerge about Microsoft's plans for its next phone OS. Recent reports point to the ways in which Windows Phone 8, code-named Apollo, will advance the company's mobile platform and tie in with the tablet and computer OS. The online reports began appearing this week. They build on a leaked video of a Microsoft phone executive, Joe Belfiore, which reportedly had been intended only for the eyes of Nokia executives, as well as various postings and hints by Microsoft. Web Browsing, NFC, BitLocker According to the reports, the Apollo OS will provide support for multi-core processors, four different screen resolutions, removable microSD cards, wireless e-commerce, and near-field communication, which allows tap-to-share functionality that will work with other phones, computers and tablets. From the perspective of user interface and application development, the interfaces between Windows 8 and Apollo are expected to be similar, and Phone 8 is expected to reuse the kernel, network stacks, security and multimedia coding of Windows 8. As a result, applications developed for Windows 8 could potentially run, with relatively little modification, on Apollo phones. To speed up Web browsing, Apollo will also reportedly use proxy servers that compress and deliver pages to the Internet Explorer 10 browser on the phone, a la the Opera browser. The reports also indicate that a revised Skype, now owned by Microsoft, will be integrated with Apollo, there will be automatic Wi-Fi connectivity, and Microsoft's 128-bit BitLocker will be used for full disk encryption, which is expected to appeal to businesses. Support for SkyDrive will allow data to be shared among Windows 8/Phone 8 devices. Apollo's release schedule has not yet been announced, but it is expected to occur sometime after the coming...
Challenge to Schools: Embracing Digital Textbooks - 3 days ago
Are hardbound textbooks going the way of slide rules and typewriters in schools? Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski on Wednesday challenged schools and companies to get digital textbooks in students' hands within five years. The Obama administration's push comes two weeks after Apple Inc. announced it would start to sell electronic versions of a few standard high-school books for use on its iPad tablet. Digital books are viewed as a way to provide interactive learning, potentially save money and get updated material faster to students. Digital learning environments have been embraced in Florida, Idaho, Utah, and California, as well as in individual schools and districts such as Joplin, Mo., where laptops replaced textbooks destroyed in a tornado. But many schools lack the broadband capacity or the computers or tablets to adopt the technology, and finding the money to go completely digital is difficult for many schools in tough economic times. And, in some places, adopting new textbooks is an arduous process. At a time when technology has transformed how people interact and even led to social uprisings in the Middle East, education has too often lagged, Duncan said. "Do we want kids walking around with 50-pound backpacks and every book in those backpacks costing 50, 60, 70 dollars and many of them being out of date? Or, do we want students walking around with a mobile device that has much more content than was even imaginable a couple years ago and can be constantly updated? I think it's a very simple choice," Duncan said in an interview. Tied to Wednesday's announcement at a digital town hall was the government's release of a 67-page "playbook" to schools that promotes the use of digital textbooks and offers guidance. The administration hopes that dollars spent on traditional textbooks can instead go toward...
Windows Phone 8 Details Leak - 4 days ago
Windows Phone 8 has major changes en route, according to Microsoft's Joe Belfiore. Look for better hardware support, Windows 8 compatibility, and enterprise security.
Apple Now 3rd-Biggest Phone Maker, Thanks to iPhone 4S - 4 days ago
Having established itself recently as the world's leading computer maker, Apple has now moved into third place among phone makers worldwide. According to a new report, the jump from the fifth spot is largely due to record-breaking shipments of its iPhone 4S smartphone. The report, from industry research firm IDC, noted that sales of the 4S were particularly strong in Japan as well as the U.S. It also found that, while the overall mobile phone market grew 6.1 percent in the fourth quarter compared with a year ago, this is the lowest growth in over two years because the feature phone market is dropping fast. The third quarter of last year showed 9.3 percent growth overall. Few 'Stupid' Phones Anymore Although smartphone sales are growing, most of the phones shipped are still feature phones. Ramon Llamas, an IDC senior research analyst, said in a statement that, "even though their proportion is ending, feature phones maintain their appeal on the basis of price and ease of use." Even as the boundary between smartphones and small tablets is becoming less distinct, so is the difference between smartphones and feature phones. The IDC report noted that feature phones "are becoming more like smartphones, incorporating mobile Internet and third-party applications." Michael Gartenberg, research director at Gartner, said that "it's hard to tell what's a smartphone anymore." He added that feature phones are showing more capabilities, and smartphones can be obtained through carriers for little or nothing. "It's difficult to find a stupid phone these days," he said. Gartenberg pointed out that, when the 4S was released, many observers expressed disappointment that it wasn't more innovative, more of an advance over previous models. But, he said, "Apple has sold boatloads of them," which has now pushed its position higher on the worldwide scale. Nokia Still No. 1 The IDC report noted that Nokia...
Review: Super Bowl Online Decent, Won't Replace TV - 4 days ago
The television set won't be the only place to watch video of the New York Giants and the New England Patriots this Sunday. For the first time, U.S. football fans will be able to watch the Super Bowl live on a computer or on a phone. You may be wondering whether anyone without super-strength eyesight would be able to follow the football on a tiny phone screen. And what about the ads? After all, many people tune in more for the commercials than for the game. I got a chance to test the offering with a pair of playoff games and last weekend's all-star Pro Bowl. Although it's impossible to say what will happen Sunday, I have found the experience decent so far, but no substitute for the big screen. The phone offering is made possible through a collaboration involving the National Football League, Comcast Corp.'s NBC and Verizon Wireless. The nation's largest wireless carrier had rights to carry NBC's Sunday night broadcasts live during the regular season, as well as some games from the NFL Network and ESPN. The post-season games broadcast by NBC are an extension of that package. That means you'll need service through Verizon Wireless to watch on an iPhone or an Android phone. Unless you have the higher-speed 4G service through Verizon, you'll also need its V Cast video service, which costs $3 a day or $10 a month on top of your regular phone bill. A generous data plan or a Wi-Fi connection will help you avoid additional charges. If you don't have the right phone or wireless carrier, or if you have a super-cheap data plan with low caps, you can watch for free on a computer instead at NBCSports.com. You can interact with the game more that way, but you won't get the same commercials. To get started...
Sony's Hirai To Replace Stringer as CEO in April - 4 days ago
Sony Corp. announced Wednesday that Kazuo Hirai, who leads the company's core consumer products business, will replace Howard Stringer as CEO and president effective April 1, as the electronics and entertainment company desperately tries to engineer a turnaround. The 51-year-old Hirai, currently executive deputy president, was widely expected to succeed Stringer. The Welsh-born Stringer, one of the few foreigners to lead a major Japanese company, will retain his post as chairman of the board, Sony said in a statement. In 2009, Hirai, who has also led the company's gaming business in the past, was named as part of a new management team to lead Sony, and Stringer had recommended to the board that Hirai replace him. Hirai, who is fluent in English, will be Sony's youngest CEO. Sony has been fighting to regain its image as a global leader in gadgets as consumers have increasingly turned to rival offerings such as the iPod and iPhone from Apple Inc., making the Walkman brand a has-been. It has also fallen behind in liquid-crystal displays for TVs to South Korean manufacturer Samsung Electronics Co. "Kaz is a globally focused executive," Stringer said in a statement. "I believe his tough-mindedness and leadership skills will be of great benefit to the company and its customers in the months and years ahead. I look forward to helping Kaz in every way I can so that succession leads inevitably to success." The management shuffle came a day before the company was to announce fiscal third-quarter earnings. Battered by a strong yen and poor sales in its flat-panel TV business, Sony has forecast its fourth straight year of net losses for the fiscal year through March. The company has gone through massive cost cuts and restructuring and is hoping to recover in flat-panel TV, gaming and personal computer businesses. "The path we must take is...
Super Bowl Advertisers Go After 'Second Screens' - 4 days ago
Call it the "second-screen" Super Bowl. About two-thirds of smartphone and tablet owners use their gadgets to do things like text or post on Twitter while watching TV, according to research firm Nielsen. So, for Sunday's game, companies from Coke to Chevy are trying to reach fans on all the "second screens" they have. Chevrolet rolled out the first Super Bowl smartphone app that allows Big Game watchers to enter a contest to win everything from pizza to a new Camaro. Kia is the first company to show its Super Bowl ad ahead of the game in movie theaters. And Coca Cola set up a Facebook page and Web site so viewers can see its animated polar bears -- one cheering for the New England Patriots and the other for the New York Giants -- reacting to the game in real time. "The world is changing," says Pio Schunker, Coca Cola's vice president for creative excellence. "We needed to come to the party with something new and different." Advertisers have big incentives to stand out. With more than 111 million viewers expected to tune into the game, the Super Bowl is by far the biggest stage for marketers. It's also not cheap -- NBC is charging an average of $3.5 million for a 30-second spot. And the competition is fierce: there will be more than 70 TV ads during the Super Bowl battling for attention. To create buzz, it's no longer enough for marketers to simply get people talking at the water cooler the morning after the game. They also want to engage the people who like reacting to big events like the Super Bowl by posting on Twitter or Facebook or texting their friends, says David Berkowitz, vice president at digital marketing agency 360i. "People are glued to their digital devices, sometimes sharing far...
Galaxy S3 Delay Could Mean Head to Head Challenge to iPhone - 4 days ago
Samsung is flooding the mobile market with a galaxy of Galaxy products. From the original Galaxy S phones launched in March 2010 to the Galaxy Tab tablets, Galaxy S II phones and the new Galaxy Note, the South Korean manufacturer is making the most of its grandiose brand name, which has been well received by critics and consumers. Now the company is gearing up for the third generation of its powerful, large-touchscreen handsets, with the Galaxy S3, and its launch may well coincide with the expected launch of archrival Apple's eagerly awaited iPhone 5 this summer. Samsung raised some eyebrows by announcing Wednesday that it will not showcase the Galaxy S3 at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, later this month. Galaxy Far, Far Away? "Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012," the company said in a statement first reported by the Web site TechRadar. "The successor to the Galaxy S2 smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product." The U.S. versions of the Galaxy phones, with a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, 1-GHz processor and 5-megapixel camera were first announced in June 2010 as T-Mobile's Vibrant, AT&T's Captivate, Sprint's Epic, and Verizon Wireless's Fascinate. U.S. Cellular later added a variant called the Mesmerize, and MetroPCS added the Galaxy Indulge. The Galaxy S II was unveiled almost a year ago at the Mobile World Congress with upgraded features such as a 1.2 GHz, dual-core processor, 1 gigabyte of RAM, a 4.3-inch WVGA Super AMOLED Plus screen display and 8-megapixel camera with flash and 1080p high-definition recording. The Galaxy Nexus, the first to run Google's Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system and with a 4.65-inch screen and near-field communication technology for...
Counterclank Apps To Remain In Android Market - 5 days ago
Some security experts call Counterclank apps malware, not adware. But Google says the apps comply with the company's terms of service.
RIM BlackBerry 10 Image Leaks - 5 days ago
RIM 'London' BlackBerry 10 picture shows no keyboard; BlackBerry 7 platform wins security certification for U.S. and Canadian government employees.
Mint's Android Tablet App Wrangles Your Finances - 5 days ago
Intuit's popular, free personal finance tool comes to Google Android tablets.
iPhone 5 Could Be Game-Changer For Mobile Payments - 6 days ago
Some developers are betting the next Apple iPhone will have NFC capability and pave the way for mobile payment technology to finally take off.
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