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Apple settles U.S. antennagate suit; iPhone 4 buyers to get $15 or bumper case

By Dan Seifert on Saturday February 18, 2012

The class-action lawsuit against Apple over the original iPhone 4's reception problems, commonly known as "antennagate," has come to an end, with Apple agreeing to pay original owners $15 or provide them with a new case. More

industry

news

BlackBerry Playbook to support in-app Android ads, just not RIM's own ad services

By Michael Oryl on Saturday February 18, 2012

RIM drew more comments of "the end is near" late yesterday when it said that it would not support ads in the Android apps that will run on the upcoming PlayBook 2.0 OS update for its PlayBook tablet. The company later clarified its position by saying that the PlayBook would support built-in Android ads, but that it would not initially support RIM's own BlackBerry Ad services. If not for the ability to run in-app advertisements, there would have been virtually no reason for developers to put any effort at all into repackaging their free Android apps for use on the PlayBook. Even with ads, it's still likely going to be hard for RIM to entice Android developers to support its platform.
source: GigaOM

blackberry playbook · rim · blackberry tablet os · tablet

review

VNC Viewer - the Best App Ever...this week

By Michael Oryl on Saturday February 18, 2012

RealVNC's VNC Viewer app for iOS and Android is our pick for Best App Ever...this week. It allows smartphone and tablet users to remotely control a desktop, laptop, or other Windows, Mac, or Linux computer with full mouse and keyboard support. More

software reviews · software

news

MobileBurn.com's Dan Seifert to appear on Engadget Mobile's podcast today at 5 p.m. ET

By Michael Oryl on Friday February 17, 2012

Our friends over at Engadget have invited our own Dan Seifert to be a guest on the Engadget Mobile podcast this afternoon. Expect to hear about all of the latest mobile news that went down this past week, as well as some lively discussion! The show starts at 5 p.m. ET, so head to the source link if you care to tune in.
source: Engadget

industry

news

Microsoft to expand Bing Vision app with newspaper matching next month

By Dan Seifert on Friday February 17, 2012

Bing Vision, Microsoft's answer to Google Goggles for its Windows Phone 7.5 operating system, is slated to be upgraded with more capabilities next month. The Bing Vision feature is built into Bing search on Windows Phone and currently recognizes QR codes, Microsoft tags, barcodes, CDs, DVDs, and books when they are placed in front of the phone's camera. In March, Microsoft will upgrade the feature to also identify print versions of magazine and newspaper articles and then link the user to digital versions. Microsoft says the service will be able to recognize and link to over 3,000 publications world wide.
source: Microsoft, via: The Verge

windows phone · software

news

Wireless carriers to gain access to TV spectrum through federal auctions

By Michael Oryl on Friday February 17, 2012

A payroll tax cut bill that has just passed through the U.S. House and Senate will make it possible for desirable low-frequency TV spectrum to be reallocated for wireless data network use. More

carrier

news

Apple giving away $10,000 gift card to the 25 billionth app downloader

By Dan Seifert on Friday February 17, 2012

Apple's iTunes App Store is rapidly nearing the 25 billion app download mark, To celebrate, Apple is giving away a $10,000 App Store gift card to the lucky user that grabs app number 25 billion. You can go to Apple's contest page to check out the full rules and regulations and then head over to the App Store and start downloading apps.
source: Apple

apple · ios · software

news

HTC adds Verizon Wireless smartphones to Android 4.0 ICS upgrade list

By Dan Seifert on Friday February 17, 2012

HTC has added more smartphones to the list of devices that will be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich at some point in the future. This time HTC has added more Verizon Wireless smartphones, including the HTC Rhyme, HTC Thunderbolt, and DROID Incredible 2, which join the already announced HTC Rezound. HTC Raider owners on Rogers or Bell in Canada can also expect to see an upgrade to Android 4.0 at some point. Now if only HTC would actually release these updates, we can stop complaining about not having Android 4.0 on our smartphones.
source: HTC

verizon · htc · android · smartphone

news

Samsung introduces rugged microSD cards with dashing good looks

By Dan Seifert on Friday February 17, 2012

Samsung has announced a new line of microSD cards (and full-size SD cards) that feature a tough build and attractive exteriors. More

samsung · memory

news

Google dodges privacy settings, hides cookies in Safari for iPhone

By Michael Oryl on Friday February 17, 2012

Google is caught up in what has the potential to be a rather large privacy scandal. The company has acknowledged using a hack in ads served by its Google Ads/DoubleClick service that allowed it to bypass a privacy setting in the iPhone and iPad's Safari browser. More

google · ios · software

news

Renesas MP5232 smartphone processor packs 1.5GHz speed with HSPA+, LTE radios for cheap

By Dan Seifert on Friday February 17, 2012

Renesas has unveiled a new processor for smartphones that combines high performance dual-core processing with HSPA+ and LTE radios on the same chip. The chip is expected to be found in smartphones that cost as little as $150. More

bluetooth / wireless

news

Amazon Kindle Fire nabs number two slot in tablet market, claims new report

By Dan Seifert on Friday February 17, 2012

Though Amazon refuses to spill the beans when it comes to the actual number of Kindle Fire units it has sold to date, we do know that it had a strong holiday quarter with its entertainment slate. A new report from IHS iSuppli seems to back that up. According to iSuppli's research, Amazon is now the number two tablet maker in the world, leap frogging Samsung and taking a distant second to market leader Apple. More

kindle fire · amazon · android · tablet

news

Nokia Lumia 800 bundle now available in Microsoft Stores

By Dan Seifert on Friday February 17, 2012

Nokia has announced that the Lumia 800 bundle that was tipped earlier this month is now available for purchase at Microsoft's retail locations. The bundle includes an unlocked Lumia 800 smartphone that is compatible with AT&T's 3G network, a Nokia Purity HD Stereo Headset by Monster, a Nokia Luna Bluetooth Headset, and a Nokia Play 360° speaker. The bundle sells for a steep $899. Interested buyers will be able to choose from a bundle with all black components, or one that comes with a white Play 360 speaker and the rest of the pieces in magenta. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the luscious cyan Lumia 800 will be sold through Microsoft Stores.
source: Nokia

lumia 800 · nokia · windows phone · smartphone

news

NHTSA issues guidelines to limit car texting, email access

By Michael Oryl on Thursday February 16, 2012

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed a set of non-binding guidelines for auto manufacturers that deal with the issue of distracted driving due both to in-car electronics as well as dashboard integration with portable electronic devices that car drivers carry with them, such as mobile phones. More

industry

news

Mozilla offers first peek at Boot2Gecko user interface, promises more news at MWC

By Dan Seifert on Thursday February 16, 2012

Last year, Mozilla announced a project called Boot2Gecko that is essentially a mobile operating system built with existing web development tools. Now we have our first look at the Gaia UI that Boot2Gecko will use, and Mozilla has promised more announcements to come at Mobile World Congress later this month. More

software