Mobile & Wireless
15 June 2013
Phones Leave a Telltale Trail Wall Street Journal
The April robbery at the Cartier store in Chevy Chase, Md., was brazen and quick. After grabbing 13 watches valued at $131,000, the suspects fled in a waiting car and melted into traffic. It was one of more than a dozen similar capers that had stumped police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
14 June 2013
Smartphone Makers Pressed to Address Growing Theft Problem In US New York Times
Seeking to curb a nationwide increase in smartphone thefts, New York's attorney general and San Francisco's district attorney on Thursday announced an initiative to push the industry to develop technologies that will discourage theft and dry up the market for stolen devices.
11 June 2013
One-third of Americans now own a tablet, Computerworld
A third of American adults now own a tablet computer, double the number of a year ago, the Pew Research Center said Monday.
08 June 2013
Apple accused of securing preferential terms for iPhone with mobile operators The Guardian
Apple used its influence to secure preferential treatment from mobile operators wanting to offer the iPhone, squeezing out competition from rival brands, according to a former senior executive at a major European operator.
01 June 2013
Official Pushes for End to Roaming Fees in Europe New York Times
Neelie Kroes, the European commissioner who was the scourge of American tech companies like Oracle, Microsoft and Intel, urged European Union lawmakers Thursday to abolish cellphone roaming charges.
21 May 2013
EU Digital Agenda chief promises single mobile market by 2015 ZDNet
The European Commission's digital agenda chief has promised to break down the barriers between cellular firms across the 27 EU member states before she leaves office in just under two years.
15 May 2013
Samsung's 5G mobile claims played down by experts The Guardian
Researchers have played down claims by Samsung to have developed "5G" mobile systems able to transmit data hundreds of times faster than 4G networks, pointing out that its tests only apply to one element of the system needed to implement a standard.
BlackBerry to offer BBM for iPhone and Android - but rivals await The Guardian
BlackBerry is making its Messenger (BBM) real-time messaging service available on Apple's iPhone and iPad and Google's Android platforms from summer, abandoning the platform exclusivity that had for years been a crucial tool in attracting and retaining users.
14 May 2013
Apple, Microsoft, Google, Samsung asked to help fight US mobile phone thefts Los Angeles Times
New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is pressing leading cellphone manufacturers to do more to help stem a growing tide of mobile phone thefts.
13 May 2013
Samsung Claims 5G Mobile Breakthrough Wall Street Journal
Samsung Electronics said Monday it has made a breakthrough in developing mobile technology for fifth-generation networks, though it expects it will take years until the service is brought online for subscribers.
10 May 2013
Mobiles 'to outnumber people next year', says UN agency BBC News
There will be more mobile subscriptions than people in the world by the end of next year, according to a UN agency report.
08 May 2013
Google under pressure to cut $5bn valuation of smartphone patents The Guardian
Google could face pressure to write down the $5bn (£3.2bn) value of the patents in its Motorola subsidiary, as the mobile arm faces fines from Europe's antitrust commissioner for trying to use them to block sales of Apple's iPhone in Germany.
07 May 2013
EU regulator takes aim at Google over Apple mobile patent lawsuit Reuters
The European Commission said it believed Motorola Mobility, a unit of Google, was abusing its market position by seeking and enforcing an injunction against Apple in Germany over patents essential to mobile phone standards.
02 May 2013
Why Aren't Smartphones Making Us More Productive? Wall Street Journal
... By that I mean they can't find how these mobile devices are improving worker productivity, which computers have been doing quite ruthlessly for the last 70 years. Productivity is the reason living standards rise. It's why we have more goods and services than our grandparents could imagine.
01 May 2013
Travellers Craving Wi-Fi, Preferably Free and Really Fast New York Times
Travellers hitting the road with their mobile electronic devices have three questions about staying connected away from home: will there be Wi-Fi, how much will it cost and how well will it work?
Mobile phone data redraws bus routes in Africa BBC News
Researchers at IBM have redrawn the bus routes of Ivory Coast's largest city using mobile phone data.
BlackBerry chief: tablets will be dead in five years' time The Guardian
BlackBerry's chief executive has said that in five years "I don't think there'll be a reason to have a tablet any more" - but he expects the company to sell "tens of millions" of its new keyboard-based Q10 handsets.
29 April 2013
Chat app messaging overtakes SMS texts, Informa says BBC News
Instant messaging on chat apps, such as WhatsApp, has overtaken the traditional SMS text message for the first time, according to research firm Informa.
28 April 2013
UK mobile networks see bright future for electronic wallet The Observer
Britain's big three mobile networks have united on a project to make debit cards of our smartphones. And they're even planning to outsmart Google
27 April 2013
Netflix CEO says future of TV is in apps Washington Post
After Netflix's blockbuster earnings sent its stock soaring this week, the company's chief executive made a bold prediction: TV as we know it is coming to an end.
North Korea embraces 3G service BBC News
Almost two million North Koreans now use the country's only 3G network, reports a blog dedicated to technology news in North Korea.
24 April 2013
Apple blocks Google Motorola's sensor patent challenge BBC News
Google has failed in its latest attempt to convince a US trade agency that Apple has infringed its intellectual property.
22 April 2013
Mobile apps: A spat between Apple and a popular French start-up causes a furore The Economist
The French have always loved Apple. Its elegant products and nimble operating systems, and its underdog struggles against IBM and Microsoft in the 1980s, are especially appealing in a country that prides itself on being chic, clever and revolutionary. Apple's two stores in central Paris nestle in locations that are dear to French hearts -- under the Louvre and directly opposite the Opéra.
18 April 2013
Going over the top: Who is going to profit from the rise of WhatsApp and Viber? The Independent
Smartphone owners now have so many apps at their disposal for communicating with friends across the internet for free, it's like they're confronted with a selection box of assorted digital chocolates. Dozens of companies are jostling for their attention, waving about treats such as voice calling, supersized emoticons (or stickers), gaming and more.
U.S. Accuses Company of Adding Mobile Fees New York Times
Those surreptitious charges for flirting tips, yoga lessons and psychic services, long a problem on landlines, have become a costly nuisance for mobile phone users -- and a new focus for regulators.
