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Corning and Samsung form joint venture to combine ‘Lotu... Feb 04 2012 01:00:20	Boy Genius Report
Corning and Samsung form joint venture to combine ‘Lotus Glass’ with OLED displays Samsung and Corning — best known for its Gorilla Glass products — announced a new joint venture this week that will manufacture specialty glass substrates for OLED displays. The joint venture will be based in South Korea and will combine Samsung’s OLED display technology with Corning’s ultra tough Lotus Glass substrate. The new displays will be utilized in mobile devices as well as larger products, such as televisions, and will be used in Samsung products and sold to other South ... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Verizon begins testing new mobile payment solution Feb 04 2012 00:01:50	Boy Genius Report
Verizon begins testing new mobile payment solution Vantiv, a provider of mobile payment solutions, announced a new point-of-sale product on Friday that it will be rolling out in partnership with Verizon Wireless. The product, which is currently in field testing, includes custom tailored applications and an Android-based point-of-sale solution for accepting payments. The applications will be available in Verizon’s Private Application Store for Business. “Merchants and consumers are seeking greater mobility, control and timely access t... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Samsung Galaxy S Advance receives early hands-on preview Feb 03 2012 23:00:52	Boy Genius Report
Samsung Galaxy S Advance receives early hands-on preview The Samsung Galaxy S Advance was announced on Monday, and not even a week later the device has shown up in Vietnam and received a hands-on from Mai Nguyen. The handset reportedly features a design that is a combination of the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Nexus, complete with a curved display. The Advance’s specs fall between the Galaxy S II and original Galaxy S, however, featuring a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, a 1GHz dual-core processor, a 5-megapixel camera, 768MB of RAM and 2GB of internal s... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Mozilla developing push notification system for Firefox Feb 03 2012 22:01:51	Boy Genius Report
Mozilla developing push notification system for Firefox Mozilla is developing a push notification system for the company’s Firefox Web browser. The system will allow users to receive notifications from any website, even if the site is not open in a tab or window. The system will also be able to relay push notifications to mobile devices. Mozilla is seemingly looking to close the gap between desktop Web apps and native mobile apps, which utilize push notification systems on a number of mobile platforms. “Push notifications are a way for we... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Lawmaker launches assault on violent video games Feb 03 2012 21:00:23	Boy Genius Report
Lawmaker launches assault on violent video games An Oklahoma lawmaker has proposed levying a new tax on violent video games. Oklahoma Democrat Will Fourkiller has suggested the tax be applied to all games that receive an ESRB rating, which is intended for adults only. In addition, Fourkiller thinks T-Rated games should also have a tax added to the cost of the games, since some include “simulated gambling.” But a tax on all T-Rated games would be too broad, Ars Technica points out, as there are also titles that are rated T for &... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Canalys: Smartphone shipments surpassed PC shipments in... Feb 03 2012 20:01:32	Boy Genius Report
Canalys: Smartphone shipments surpassed PC shipments in 2011 Smartphone shipments overtook client PC shipments for the first time in 2011, according to new data from market research firm Canalys. Vendors shipped a total of 158.5 million smartphones in the fourth quarter, representing a 57% increase compared to the 101.2 million units shipped in the same quarter a year earlier. Shipments for the full year of 2011 rose 63% to 487.7 million units, up from 299.7 million shipped in 2010. The PC market only grew 15% to 414.6 million units in 2011, which inclu... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Apple and Samsung to pull in 90% of smartphone profits ... Feb 03 2012 19:00:37	Boy Genius Report
Apple and Samsung to pull in 90% of smartphone profits in 2012, UBS says Industry watchers agree that smartphone sales will continue to balloon in 2012, but much of the projected growth will seemingly be enjoyed by just two companies. In a report to clients earlier this week, UBS analyst Maynard Um lowered his full-year unit sales projections for cell phones to 1.69 billion from his earlier estimate of 1.7 billion units. At the same time, however, he raised his industry revenue estimates to $242.8 billion from $238.8 billion thanks in large part to a huge year projec... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
iOS apps crash more than Android apps, study shows Feb 03 2012 18:01:19	Boy Genius Report
iOS apps crash more than Android apps, study shows Apps running on Apple’s iOS devices crash more frequently than Android apps according to a new study preformed by mobile app monitoring company Crittercism. The data, which was collected between December 1st and 15th last year, spans 23 different versions of iOS and 33 different Android versions. The latest version of iOS (5.0.1) leads all others with 28.64% of all crashes, Forbes reports. The OS build is still relatively new, however, so much of the poor performance could be attributed to... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
HP CEO says webOS will be better than ‘fragmented’ Andr... Feb 03 2012 17:00:02	Boy Genius Report
HP CEO says webOS will be better than ‘fragmented’ Android and ‘closed’ iOS Though Hewlett-Packard was unable to produce webOS devices that consumers were interested in buying — at a positive margin, at least — CEO Meg Whitman still thinks the beleaguered platform has legs. After unsuccessfully trying to sell or license webOS, HP decided late last year to donate its $1.2 billion platform to the open source community. The firm still plans to launch new webOS devices in the future, however, and Meg Whitman explained HP’s position while speaking with CRN. Read... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Ban on iPhones and iPad suspended in Germany, sales resume Feb 03 2012 15:51:20	Boy Genius Report
Ban on iPhones and iPad suspended in Germany, sales resume Sales of Apple’s iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G and iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G resumed on Friday after a permanent injunction had gone into effect early Friday morning. ”All iPad and iPhone models will be back on sale through Apple’s online store in Germany shortly” an Apple spokesperson told SlashGear in a statement. “Apple appealed this ruling because Motorola repeatedly refuses to license this patent to Apple on reasonable terms, despite having declared it an industry stand... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
EU tells Google to stop rolling out privacy changes Feb 03 2012 15:00:24	Boy Genius Report
EU tells Google to stop rolling out privacy changes Regulators with the European Union have asked Google to stop rolling out new privacy changes that the company originally introduced earlier this month. “Given the wide range of services you offer, and the popularity of these services, changes in your privacy policy may affect many citizens in most or all of the EU member states,” the European wrote in a letter to Google’s CEO Larry Page. “We wish to check the possible consequences for the protection of the personal data o... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Apple’s iTV launch reportedly hampered by display avail... Feb 03 2012 14:05:24	Boy Genius Report
Apple’s iTV launch reportedly hampered by display availability Apple has been widely rumored to be readying a Siri-enabled television for release this year, but a new report claims component availability issues will prevent the highly anticipated “iTV” from launching in the first half. Citing unnamed sources within Apple’s supply chain, DigiTimes on Friday reports that Sharp, rumored to have been contracted to supply display panels for Apple’s debut HDTV, is not yet ready to ship the indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) panels Apple w... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
iPhones, iPad 3G pulled from online Apple Store in Germ... Feb 03 2012 13:00:29	Boy Genius Report
iPhones, iPad 3G pulled from online Apple Store in Germany following ban Apple’s aggressive litigation strategy against Android vendors over the past year has seen precious little return considering the huge investment it reportedly requires, and on Friday things took another turn south for the Cupertino, California-based technology giant. A court in Germany has issued a permanent injunction against the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G and iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, upholding a ruling issued in December. Online sales of the phones have been banned in the country, and... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Sales of smartphones, tablets and notebooks expected to... Feb 03 2012 12:15:21	Boy Genius Report
Sales of smartphones, tablets and notebooks expected to grow 25.7% annually through 2015 NPD In-Stat recently issued a report in which the firm said it expects smartphones, tablets and notebooks — which are all included in its “mobile magnet platforms” category — to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of of 25.7% through 2015. The company also said it expects the overall mobile market to grow 8.7%. ”The technology driver of all these smart devices is the mobile technology, because it represents the largest and fastest growing segment of the entire electron... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Images of ASUS’s next-generation ASUS Eee Pad ‘TF300T’ ... Feb 03 2012 05:45:19	Boy Genius Report
Images of ASUS’s next-generation ASUS Eee Pad ‘TF300T’ leak Images of a possible next-generation ASUS Eee Pad tablet have leaked onto the Internet through Taiwanese website NCCC. The mysterious 10.1-inch slate could be a followup to the Transformer Prime — with its “TF300T” code name, the device’s pre-release moniker is somewhat in line with the original naming convention used on the Transformer (TF101) and the Transformer Prime (TF201). Aside from a couple of blurry photos, there are no specs or other details to report at this ti... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Qualcomm performs the first successful voice-over-LTE c... Feb 03 2012 04:30:49	Boy Genius Report
Qualcomm performs the first successful voice-over-LTE call with handover to WCDMA Verizon, AT&T and any other LTE providers currently rely on 3G networks to carry voice phone calls. In the future, carriers hope to use voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) technology, and Qualcomm recently reached an important milestone on the road to making VoLTE a reality. Qualcomm announced on Thursday that the company had successfully completed the “first voice call handover from an LTE mobile network to a WCDMA network using Single Radio Voice Call Continuity (SRVCC).” The company, while... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Avid releases video editing app for the iPad Feb 03 2012 03:35:59	Boy Genius Report
Avid releases video editing app for the iPad Apple’s iMovie mobile application has new competition when it comes to mobile video editing. Long-time digital video editing software vendor Avid has released its Avid Studio mobile video editing app for the iPad. The app is currently available in the App Store for an introductory price of $4.99 and will increase to $8 after 30 days. Avid Studio for the iPad is the company’s first video editing program for Apple’s mobile platforms. Avid Studio looks to provide most of the featur... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Apple patent suggests real-time sharing of fitness work... Feb 03 2012 02:40:13	Boy Genius Report
Apple patent suggests real-time sharing of fitness workouts coming to iOS Future versions of Apple’s iOS operating system may incorporate new fitness sharing technology, according to a patent uncovered by AppleInsider. The new technology will encourage users to be more competitive by allowing them to share and compare their performance in real-time with other users around the world. The patent, which was filed only three months ago, builds upon the functionality of the Nike+ iPod system, which allows a user to complete his or her workout and then upload and shar... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Sprint announces ZTE Optik tablet, available February 5... Feb 03 2012 01:45:51	Boy Genius Report
Sprint announces ZTE Optik tablet, available February 5th for $99.99 on contract Sprint on Thursday announced the ZTE Optik Honeycomb tablet. The 7-inch device will be available February 5th for $99.99 with a new two-year agreement, as previously reported. ”ZTE Optik is ZTE’s first tablet in North America and makes the tablet experience available to a new segment of consumers,” said Lixin Cheng, CEO and president of ZTE USA. “Paired with Sprint’s cutting-edge network, ZTE Optik provides an exceptional user experience to consumers who demand affordabili... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
DROID 4 rumored to launch February 9th for $199.99 on V... Feb 03 2012 00:50:35	Boy Genius Report
DROID 4 rumored to launch February 9th for $199.99 on Verizon [updated] Verizon Wireless and Motorola unveiled the DROID 4 at last month’s Consumer Electronics Show, but the handset never formally received a release date. A new rumor from Droid-Life points to a launch next week on February 9th, however. The newest DROID will reportedly launch at $199.99 with a new two-year agreement — a price that matches a recently leaked MAP list and what we were told by a Verizon representative. The smartphone features a 4-inch qHD display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, ... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Google to pay €500,000 fine to French cartographer in G... Feb 03 2012 00:05:20	Boy Genius Report
Google to pay €500,000 fine to French cartographer in Google Maps case Google has been ordered to pay €500,000 to Bottin Cartographes, a French company that filed a lawsuit against Google France after it began providing its free Google Maps services to customers. Google is also responsible for paying an additional €15,000 in fees. The court found Google “guilty of abusing the dominant position of its Google Maps application,” Economic Times said Thursday. ”We proved the illegality of [Google's] strategy to remove its competitors… the c... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
RIM woos Android developers with free PlayBook tablets Feb 02 2012 23:30:19	Boy Genius Report
RIM woos Android developers with free PlayBook tablets At last month’s Consumer Electronics Show, Research in Motion previewed the company’s upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 update, which we exclusively reported would land in mid-February. The anticipated update will give PlayBook users the ability to use Android apps that have been compiled for RIM’s platform, but getting developers on board remains the issue. RIM is taking steps to get the attention of developers, however, and one of the first is to offer free BlackBerry PlayBoo... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Touchscreen iMac could be in the works according to App... Feb 02 2012 22:55:19	Boy Genius Report
Touchscreen iMac could be in the works according to Apple patent Apple certainly helped shape the mobile space by popularizing multitouch screens on smartphones and tablets, but can it do the same for desktop computing, too? The United States Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday published an Apple patent application that describes a desktop computer — likely the iMac — with a touchscreen display. Dell, HP and plenty of other firms have introduced all-in-one PCs with touchscreens, of course, but Apple’s invention may make some applications more in... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Android and iOS see continued growth in Q4 as BlackBerr... Feb 02 2012 22:20:52	Boy Genius Report
Android and iOS see continued growth in Q4 as BlackBerry, Windows and Symbian slide ComScore released its most recent U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share report for the three-month period ending in December, 2011. The research firm found that Samsung remained the top mobile phone vendor in the fourth quarter with a 25.3% market share — the same share as it held in the third quarter. LG’s market share dropped 0.6 percentage points to a 20% share for second place followed by Motorola, which fell 0.5 percentage points to 13.3%. Apple had the fourth largest share with a 12... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Google introduces ‘Bouncer’ security system to keep mal... Feb 02 2012 21:55:57	Boy Genius Report
Google introduces ‘Bouncer’ security system to keep malware out of the Android Market Google announced on Thursday that the company has begun to take a more active approach to keeping malware out of the Android Market. The search giant is using a new service called “Bouncer” to search through the Market for potential malware. Bouncer will scan new applications, ones already in the Market, and developer accounts for known malware, spyware, trojans and misbehaving apps. The service has been running for some time and between the first and second halves of 2011, the comp... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Verizon Wireless wins top spot in J.D. Power customer c... Feb 02 2012 21:30:40	Boy Genius Report
Verizon Wireless wins top spot in J.D. Power customer care study [updated] Verizon Wireless on Thursday announced that it has received the top spot in J.D. Power and Associates’ 2012 Wireless Customer Care Full Service Study Volume 1. The carrier received a score of 762 out of 1,000, which was 10 index points above the industry average of 752. Virgin Mobile took the top spot in non-contract providers with an overall score of 735. J.D. Power also found that 38% of full-service customers who resolved technical issues online used an online chat service. Those who us... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Demand for Amazon’s Kindle Fire begins to cool off, stu... Feb 02 2012 20:51:17	Boy Genius Report
Demand for Amazon’s Kindle Fire begins to cool off, study suggests Demand for Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet has started to cool off according to one study. ChangeWave published results of a survey on Thursday, which found that just 2% of customers in January were “very likely” to buy a Kindle Fire, down from 4% in December. Respondents who were “somewhat likely” to buy the tablet fell as well, from 13% in December to 10% in January, though demand following the holidays is expected to slow. Amazon’s tablet has better satisfactio... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Purported Windows Phone 8 details leak: NFC, native Sky... Feb 02 2012 19:10:22	Boy Genius Report
Purported Windows Phone 8 details leak: NFC, native Skype support and more We’re still waiting for Microsoft to launch Windows Phone “Tango,” but supposed details have already emerged surrounding the next major Windows Phone release code-named “Apollo.” According to Pocketnow, which claims to have obtained a video of Windows Phone manager Joe Belfiore that was intended to be viewed only by Nokia employees, Apollo will launch as Windows Phone 8. Read on for more. Reportedly, Microsoft’s theme for the launch is “scale and choice,... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Rumors of a February Apple event debunked Feb 02 2012 18:31:02	Boy Genius Report
Rumors of a February Apple event debunked Apple has no plans to hold a media event in February according to a new report. Loop Insight’s well-connected Jim Dalrymple on Thursday debunked part of a rumor that began circulating early Thursday morning. The original report claimed Apple had plans to hold an “unusual” media event some time this month that would not be product related, and then its highly anticipated iPad 3 would be unveiled at a separate event in early March. While Apple’s plans for the iPad 3 may or ... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
RIM’s new chairwoman promises shake-up isn’t over Feb 02 2012 18:00:22	Boy Genius Report
RIM’s new chairwoman promises shake-up isn’t over Research In Motion’s newly appointed chairwoman of board Barbara Stymiest vowed on Thursday that the changes sweeping the struggling smartphone vendor will continue. RIM announced late last month that company co-founders Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis were stepping down from their roles as co-CEOs and co-chairmen of the board following more than a year of investor unrest. Replacing them atop RIM’s management team was Thorsten Heins, and Barbara Stymiest was named chairwoman of the ... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Wi-Fi security hole discovered in multiple HTC devices Feb 02 2012 17:25:44	Boy Genius Report
Wi-Fi security hole discovered in multiple HTC devices HTC has acknowledged that some the company’s handsets contain a security hole involving the handling of certain data requests while connected to a Wi-Fi network. Security researchers Chris Hessing and Bret Jordan discovered the vulnerability, which could use the android.permission.ACCESS_WIFI_STATE permission to create a command to view all Wi-Fi credentials while connected to the network. The researchers discovered the flaw in September, however over the past few months they have worked w... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Samsung Galaxy S III said to be launching in April Feb 02 2012 16:40:05	Boy Genius Report
Samsung Galaxy S III said to be launching in April Samsung may launch the successor to its wildly popular Galaxy S II smartphone this coming April according to a new claim. Following the leak of an image depicting what will likely be the first Galaxy-branded smartphone to carry Samsung’s custom user interface atop Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, industry insider Eldar Murtazin noted on Thursday that he believes the Galaxy S III will launch in April. Murtazin has a proven track record and the time frame lines up with earlier reports claimin... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Apple to unveil iPhone 5 at WWDC in June, report claims Feb 02 2012 16:15:37	Boy Genius Report
Apple to unveil iPhone 5 at WWDC in June, report claims Following the fall launch of its wildly popular iPhone 4S last year, Apple reportedly plans to return to its summer launch schedule and unveil the next-generation iPhone 5 during its annual Worldwide Developer Conference in June. DigiTimes relayed the claim, which cited a Daiwa Securities analyst when it first appeared in Chinese-language newspaper Commercial Times on Thursday. The continued use of glass-to-glass touch panel technology in the iPhone 5 is the only other detail noted in the repo... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
New Samsung smartphone running Android 4.0 revealed ahe... Feb 02 2012 15:30:20	Boy Genius Report
New Samsung smartphone running Android 4.0 revealed ahead of MWC announcement Samsung has plans to announce a new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich-powered smartphone at the annual Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona later this month. An image of the unknown device was published on Thursday by industry insider Eldar Murtazin, though no additional details were provided. The handset looks very similar to Samsung’s Galaxy S II handset, but the buttons beneath the display have clearly been updated to support Android 4.0. The phone is likely not the upcoming flags... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
RIM launches new ‘Be Bold’ campaign; maybe the superher... Feb 02 2012 14:44:01	Boy Genius Report
RIM launches new ‘Be Bold’ campaign; maybe the superheroes weren’t so bad [video] Research In Motion released the first set of commercials from its new “Be Bold” advertising campaign on Thursday and while the ads feature new faces, they are nearly identical to the campaign RIM has been running for months. The Waterloo, Ontario-based smartphone vendor was quick to point out that the team of four awkward superheroes that starred in an infographic RIM recently posted were not part of its upcoming advertising blitz, but perhaps they should have been. RIM’s new... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
IDC: Apple passes LG to become world’s third largest ph... Feb 02 2012 14:05:35	Boy Genius Report
IDC: Apple passes LG to become world’s third largest phone vendor Thanks to a strong fourth quarter, Apple has passed LG to become the world’s third largest cell phone vendor by volume, according to new estimates from market research firm IDC. The worldwide mobile phone market grew 6.1%  year-over-year in the fourth quarter as the feature phone market continued to decline to its lowest growth rate in two years. Vendors shipped 427.4 million phones in the fourth quarter compared to 402.8 million units in the same quarter last year. Nokia and Samsung rema... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Apple snatches Microsoft marketing exec as assault on g... Feb 02 2012 13:20:03	Boy Genius Report
Apple snatches Microsoft marketing exec as assault on gaming industry continues Apple has hired a former marketing executive from Microsoft to help promote the App Store and iTunes in Europe, MCV reports. Robin Burrowes, former head of Xbox LIVE marketing in the EMEA region for Microsoft, joined Apple in January according to his LinkedIn profile. His formal duties at Apple remain unclear — Burrowes’s profile only states that his role involves “App Store Marketing” — but the executive’s background suggests gaming will be a strong focus. Apple ha... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
iPad 3 to be announced in March following ‘unusual’ App... Feb 02 2012 12:35:37	Boy Genius Report
iPad 3 to be announced in March following ‘unusual’ Apple event this month [updated] Apple is planning to unveil its next-generation iPad 3 at a media event in early March and it will launch the new tablet later that month, Japanese blog Macotakara reported on Thursday. Prior to that press conference, however, Apple is said to be planning a separate “unusual” media event in early February. The subject of Apple’s supposed February event is unknown, however Macotakara states that it will not be product-focused. The iPad 3 is widely expected to feature a slightly... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Sony posts huge $2 billion net loss in Q3, cuts forecasts Feb 02 2012 11:40:39	Boy Genius Report
Sony posts huge $2 billion net loss in Q3, cuts forecasts Kazuo Hirai was appointed Sony’s new chief executive on Wednesday and one day later, the company reported a wider than expected loss in the third fiscal quarter of 2011 that sent its stock tumbling more than 6% in early trading. The firm posted an operating loss of $1.2 billion on $23.4 billion in revenue, down more than 17% compared to the same quarter in fiscal 2010, and its net loss for the quarter totaled $2 billion. Sony also said it now anticipates a full-year loss of $2.9 billion, m... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Samsung Infuse 4G receives Android 2.3.6 update from AT&T Feb 02 2012 05:15:05	Boy Genius Report
Samsung Infuse 4G receives Android 2.3.6 update from AT&T When the Samsung Infuse 4G was released last May 2011, early adopters were promised an update to Android 2.3 in the coming months. The device, unfortunately, continued to run Android 2.2 through the end of the year. After much delay, AT&T has finally released an Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread update and while it isn’t the latest build available to Android vendors, it will undoubtedly be welcomed by frustrated Infuse users. Those who own the device will now benefit from improved copy and p... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
LG reports second straight loss in Q4 Feb 02 2012 04:00:25	Boy Genius Report
LG reports second straight loss in Q4 LG Electronics on Wednesday posted its second consecutive quarterly loss despite record flat-panel TV shipments and solid performance from its mobile handset division. The South Korea-based electronics vendor recorded revenue of KRW 13.81 trillion, or approximately $12.05 billion USD, in the fourth quarter of 2011 along with an operating profit of KRW 23 billion, or about $20 million USD. Including one-time charges however, LG posted a net loss of KRW 112 billion, or approximately $97.7 millio... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
FCC to reform and modernize Lifeline program for low-in... Feb 02 2012 03:05:05	Boy Genius Report
FCC to reform and modernize Lifeline program for low-income families The Federal Communications Commission announced on Monday the reformation and modernization of the Lifeline program. The revamped program will ensure affordable phone service is available to low-income families. Lifeline is a “universal service program that fulfills Congress’s mandate to ensure the availability of communications to all Americans.” The percentage of low-income households with phone service has increased dramatically since the program began in 1985, from 80% to ... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
U.S. Cellular unveils first LTE devices, the Samsung Ga... Feb 02 2012 02:00:10	Boy Genius Report
U.S. Cellular unveils first LTE devices, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy S Aviator U.S. Cellular on Wednesday unveiled the company’s first two 4G LTE devices, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet and Galaxy S Aviator 4G smartphone. The carrier plans to launch its 4G LTE network next month, and it will cover 25% of the company’s current subscriber base. “With 4G LTE speeds, you can quickly get what you want when you need it,” said president and CEO of U.S. Cellular Mary N. Dillon. “This 4G LTE network builds upon our industry-leading network satisfac... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Pirates Bay founders’ Supreme Court appeal rejected, se... Feb 02 2012 01:05:36	Boy Genius Report
Pirates Bay founders’ Supreme Court appeal rejected, sentence finalized On Wednesday, Sweden’s Supreme Court announced that it decided not to grant an appeal in the long-running Pirate Bay trial. After a nine-day trial in April 2009, Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm and Carl Lundström were found guilty of assistance to copyright infringement and sentenced to one year each in prison and payment of roughly $7 million in damages. Each defendant appealed the verdict, and in November 2010 the sentences were shortened, but the fines were increased. The new... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Kinect for Windows now available for $249 Feb 02 2012 00:00:38	Boy Genius Report
Kinect for Windows now available for $249 At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, Steve Ballmer announced Microsoft would ship the Kinect for Windows on February 1st. The company has delivered on its promise and on Wednesday, version 1.0 of the Kinect for Windows SDK and runtime were made available for download. The software giant’s distribution partners across the globe have also begun to ship Kinect for Windows hardware. The device will retail for $249, with a special discounted academic price of $149 for “Qualifie... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Pictures of iPod nano with camera re-emerge Feb 01 2012 23:05:44	Boy Genius Report
Pictures of iPod nano with camera re-emerge Last year a number of leaks and photos suggested that Apple had a redesigned iPod nano with an integrated camera in the works. The new device wasn’t released last time Apple refreshed its iPod family, but now another round of pictures has surfaced that lends credence to the possibility that such a device may launch in the near future. The images show a camera-equipped iPod nano complete with its signature clip design, and the device appears to be the same size as the current-generation iPo... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
BlackBerry 7 devices gain government approval in U.S. a... Feb 01 2012 22:30:49	Boy Genius Report
BlackBerry 7 devices gain government approval in U.S. and Canada Research In Motion’s latest BlackBerry 7 devices has=ve been granted Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 certification by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC). FIPS certification is required before a device can be used by a government agency in either the U.S. or Canada. ”The FIPS 140-2 certification for BlackBerry 7.0 and 7.1 illustrates RIM’s continuing commitment to providing i... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Facebook files for biggest Internet IPO in history at $... Feb 01 2012 21:51:47	Boy Genius Report
Facebook files for biggest Internet IPO in history at $5 billion Facebook on Wednesday formally filed documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in its first step toward an upcoming initial public offering. Facebook said it is looking to raise $5 billion with its IPO, which has been eagerly anticipated by the Street and by investors. Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and others will underwrite the offering, and Facebook could raise as much as $10 billion following its IPO. Reports surfaced this past Friday stating that Facebook h... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Qualcomm reports record Q1, beats estimates with $4.68B... Feb 01 2012 21:40:36	Boy Genius Report
Qualcomm reports record Q1, beats estimates with $4.68B in revenue and raises outlook Qualcomm on Wednesday reported record earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2012. The company took in $4.68 billion in revenue, up 40% year-over-year and 14% sequentially, beating Wall Street’s estimate of $4.58 million. Qualcomm’s net income of $1.4 billion was up 20% year-over-year and 25% over the fourth quarter. The firm also managed earnings of $0.97 per share, up 18% year-over-year and ahead of the Street’s EPS estimate of $0.90. Qualcomm boosted guidance for the full... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
ITC reportedly rejects Barnes & Noble’s antitrust compl... Feb 01 2012 21:25:45	Boy Genius Report
ITC reportedly rejects Barnes & Noble’s antitrust complaint against Microsoft Barnes & Noble and Microsoft are currently tied up in two separate legal battles, one being heard by the Department of Justice and the other by the International Trade Commission. In March 2011, like previous Android vendors, Microsoft accused Barnes & Noble’s NOOK and NOOK Color of infringing on the company’s patents. The software giant, which takes in roughly $450 million a year through Android royalties, was looking to license the infringed patents to the bookseller, but t... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Android and iOS regain market share in January as Black... Feb 01 2012 20:40:07	Boy Genius Report
Android and iOS regain market share in January as BlackBerry slides Google’s Android platform and Apple’s iOS regained mobile operating system market share last month after both mobile platforms curiously showed declines in December. Analytics firm Net Applications on Wednesday released mobile phone and tablet operating system share data for January 2012, and the new numbers suggest that Android showed the biggest gains last month. Google’s mobile OS remained in the No.3 spot while rising to an 18.12% share from 16.15% in December, while Apple&... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Android users are more likely to have sex on the first ... Feb 01 2012 20:05:33	Boy Genius Report
Android users are more likely to have sex on the first date, study finds Users of Android phones are more likely to have sex on a first date and have one-night stands, according to survey results revealed by Match.com. The survey was conducted by Zoomerang and found that 62% of singles who use Android devices have had sex on a first date, compared with 57% of iPhone users and 48% of BlackBerry users. iPhone users are more likely to date someone in their workplace, with nearly a quarter of iPhone-owning singles having had an office romance in the last five years. ... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
German court denies Apple’s request to ban Samsung Gala... Feb 01 2012 19:20:53	Boy Genius Report
German court denies Apple’s request to ban Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Tab 10.1N The Munich Regional Court in Germany on Wednesday rejected Apple’s request to ban Samsung’s local subsidiaries from selling the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone and Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet. “Samsung has shown that it is more likely than not that the patent will be revoked because of a technology that was already on the market before the intellectual property had been filed for protection,” Judge Andreas Mueller said. In September, Samsung’s local retailer arm was banne... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Seagate says hard drive shortage will continue through ... Feb 01 2012 18:55:23	Boy Genius Report
Seagate says hard drive shortage will continue through this year Seagate said in its recent fiscal second-quarter earnings report that it expects the flooding in Thailand to result in a continued hard drive shortage throughout 2012. The company originally reported issues after flooding affected its factories in October, 2011. In addition, analysts have suggested that the floods could increase laptop and desktop PC prices, and hurt overall sales for major computer vendors. Seagate said that it shipped 47 million hard drives during the second fiscal quarter of ... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Microsoft is running anti-Google newspaper ads focused ... Feb 01 2012 18:10:01	Boy Genius Report
Microsoft is running anti-Google newspaper ads focused on privacy Microsoft has started to run anti-Google newspaper ads in a clear effort to sway people from using Google’s services. On Monday, Google announced that it was combining its individual privacy policies to make privacy “more intuitive” for its users. The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee was worried that Google was actually collecting more information under its new rules, but Google responded to those claims and said it was not actually collecting more data. Microsoft isn&... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Workers should not have to die so Apple can build the i... Feb 01 2012 17:25:53	Boy Genius Report
Workers should not have to die so Apple can build the iPhone 5, petition says A new web-based petition singles out Apple and calls for the company to force its suppliers to reform the working conditions at their factories. Original device manufacturer Hon Hai and its subsidiary Foxconn are among the Eastern firms repeatedly accused of mistreating workers, and Apple has again been called upon to demand change as Foxconn’s biggest customer. Read on for more. “Every day, tens of millions of people will swipe the screens of their iPhones to unlock them. On the oth... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Samsung Galaxy S II Plus benchmarks surface, may tide u... Feb 01 2012 16:40:12	Boy Genius Report
Samsung Galaxy S II Plus benchmarks surface, may tide users over until Galaxy S III launch While Samsung won’t be unveiling its highly anticipated Galaxy S III at the Mobile World Congress trade show next month in Barcelona, Spain, it should have a number of other devices on hand. BGR exclusively reported in December that Samsung will unveil a new HD tablet at the show next month, and now the “Galaxy S II Plus” smartphone has surfaced once again. First reported last summer, the Galaxy S II Plus is seen as an incremental update to the popular Galaxy S II with a mode... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Photos show quad-core iPad 3 processor, Wi-Fi and globa... Feb 01 2012 15:55:26	Boy Genius Report
Photos show quad-core iPad 3 processor, Wi-Fi and global LTE options A source claiming to be in possession of an iPad 3 prototype provided BGR with images containing details about Apple’s highly anticipated third-generation tablet. From the data in the photos, which contain the output from an iPad 3 using a development and debug tool called iBoot, we can infer plenty of information about the upcoming iPad 3. For starters, the model numbers are J1 and J2 (iPad3,1 and iPad3,2), and while DigiTimes reported this a few weeks ago, these two models are not diffe... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Sony appoints Kazuo Hirai CEO, Stringer takes chairman ... Feb 01 2012 14:45:00	Boy Genius Report
Sony appoints Kazuo Hirai CEO, Stringer takes chairman role Sony Corporation on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of executive deputy president Kazuo Hirai as CEO and company president, replacing Howard Stringer, who is currently President and CEO. Hirai will assume his new position on April 1st and Stringer will take a new role on the company’s board of directors as its chairman starting in June. ”Kaz is a globally focused executive for whom technology and the cloud are familiar territory, content is highly valued, and digital transformat... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Commenting on BGR Feb 01 2012 14:02:56	Boy Genius Report
Commenting on BGR With the relaunch of BGR over a year ago, I decided to switch comments to a more robust platform that I thought would give us more than useful sign-in options like Facebook and Twitter, but also features to help moderate comments and better reduce noise. One request we receive regularly is to do a better job at moderating the comment section. While we can’t moderate every comment all the time, I believe that discussion on BGR is incredibly important. In the early days, I couldn’t fin... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Samsung Galaxy S III announcement to come later than ex... Feb 01 2012 13:19:54	Boy Genius Report
Samsung Galaxy S III announcement to come later than expected Samsung reportedly confirmed on Wednesday that it will not be unveiling the Galaxy S III during the Mobile World Congress trade show next month. The news is partially in line with earlier rumors. Instead, TechRadar reports that the firm has plans to announce the highly anticipated smartphone at a separate press conference later in the first half of 2012. “Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012,” a Samsung... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Most mobile daily deal users are from high-income house... Feb 01 2012 12:30:31	Boy Genius Report
Most mobile daily deal users are from high-income households, study finds If you’re signed up for a daily deal service on your phone, odds are you’re from a high-income household. According to new data from comScore, 36.5% of U.S. phone owners who are signed up for a daily deal service have an annual income of more than $100,000. 19.6% come from households that have an annual income of between $75,000 and $100,000, 18.1% have a household income of between $50,000 and $75,000, 16.9% fall between $25,000 and $50,000, and 8.9% earn less than $25,000 per year.... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
T-Mobile now selling Square credit card payment systems... Feb 01 2012 07:21:38	Boy Genius Report
T-Mobile now selling Square credit card payment systems in retail stores T-Mobile USA announced on Tuesday that it is now selling Square credit card systems in its retail stores. Square allows people to take payments by swiping a credit card through the Square dongle, which can be plugged into the end of a smartphone. “The success of our small business customers is important to us. Formerly ‘cash only’ small businesses can now simply and cost-effectively accept credit cards with their smartphone using Square, giving them an easy path to growth,” said Matt Mi... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Nokia Siemens Networks to lay off more than 4,000 worke... Feb 01 2012 05:12:48	Boy Genius Report
Nokia Siemens Networks to lay off more than 4,000 workers in Europe Nokia Siemens Networks recently announced that it will cut as many as 1,200 jobs in Finland and lay off another 2,900 workers in Germany as it begins to restructure the company. Both Nokia and Siemens originally tried to sell the joint venture, which has struggled to report a profit, but gave up those plans this past summer. The move is expected to save €1 billion per year, Reuters said Tuesday. Nokia Siemens Networks is the second larger maker of phone network equipment in the world behind E... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Apple issues major Final Cut Pro X update with multicam... Feb 01 2012 04:19:18	Boy Genius Report
Apple issues major Final Cut Pro X update with multicam editing and more Apple on Tuesday announced a major update to its Final Cut Pro X video editing software. The company added “multicam editing that automatically syncs up to 64 angles of video and photos; advanced chroma keying for handling complex adjustments right in the app; and enhanced XML for a richer interchange with third party apps and plug-ins that support the fast growing Final Cut Pro X ecosystem.” The Final Cut Pro v10.0.3 update is available now and is free for all existing Final Cut Pro... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Foxconn to build five new Brazilian factories for futur... Feb 01 2012 02:30:37	Boy Genius Report
Foxconn to build five new Brazilian factories for future Apple products Foxconn plans to build five additional factories in Brazil to produce liquid crystal displays for future Apple products. The plan was announced by the Secretary of Planning and Development for the State of São Paulo, Julio Semeghini, and reported by Brazilian news outlet, Folha. The five factories are in addition to the one already believed to producing iPads and iPhones, and each is reportedly set to employ roughly 1,000 workers. In addition to building Apple products, the factories will also ... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
BlackBerry London shows up again with fresher design Feb 01 2012 00:11:42	Boy Genius Report
BlackBerry London shows up again with fresher design We first saw the BlackBerry London make it way onto the internet a few months back, though I reported that the version that would come to market would look a bit different, and not so Porsche Design look and feel. CrackBerry got a hold of an internal slide with, surprise, a refreshed BlackBerry London that will be RIM’s first BlackBerry 10 smartphone due to launch this fall. Read Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Mozilla’s Firefox 10 now available for download Feb 01 2012 00:00:53	Boy Genius Report
Mozilla’s Firefox 10 now available for download Mozilla on Tuesday released the latest version of its Firefox browser. In addition to allowing users to run full-screen apps, Firefox 10 offers the following enhancements: The forward button is now hidden until you navigate back. Most add-ons are now compatible with new versions of Firefox by default. Anti-Aliasing for WebGL is now implemented. CSS3 3D-Transforms are now supported. Mozilla also made some HTML5 changes and noted two bug fixes. The company said that it has fixed a Java-related cra... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Nikesh Arora rumored to become Motorola CEO after acqui... Jan 31 2012 23:05:27	Boy Genius Report
Nikesh Arora rumored to become Motorola CEO after acquisition Nikesh Arora, Google’s SVP and Chief Business Officer, will run Motorola once the Google acquisition closes later this year, according to rumor published by Business Insider. Arora ran the company’s international business for Eric Schmidt, taking over the global business after the former CEO stepped down. Arora has reportedly been “agitating” for a CEO position and was included on a short list of candidates to head Yahoo. It is possible, however, that a promised CEO slot... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Regional carriers ask FCC to impose a ‘shot clock’ for ... Jan 31 2012 22:10:29	Boy Genius Report
Regional carriers ask FCC to impose a ‘shot clock’ for roaming agreements MetroPCS, U.S. Cellular and several other regional carriers have requested that the Federal Communications Commission initiate a “shot clock” for roaming agreements with larger wireless carriers. “Supporters stressed that imposing a shot clock on negotiations is necessary to provide the proper incentive for potential roaming partners to timely respond to inquiries,” a lawyer representing the regional carriers said in a letter to FCC Secretary Marlene H. Dortch. “Alt... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Amazon reports $17.4B in revenue, sales up 35% but miss... Jan 31 2012 21:15:54	Boy Genius Report
Amazon reports $17.4B in revenue, sales up 35% but misses Street estimates Amazon on Tuesday reported its earnings for the fourth quarter, during which it took in $17.4 billion in revenue. While its net sales were up 35% from the $12.95 billion reported during the fourth quarter last year, the company missed analyst estimates of $18.26 billion in revenue for the quarter. Amazon’s net income decreased 58% to $177 million during the quarter, or $0.38 per diluted share, compared with the net income of $416 million it reported during the same quarter last year. Net s... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Galaxy Note to star in Samsung’s first-ever Super Bowl ... Jan 31 2012 20:40:26	Boy Genius Report
Galaxy Note to star in Samsung’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial Samsung announced on Monday that the company will be launching the Galaxy Note smartphone with a 90-second Super Bowl commercial, which will be the first-ever Super Bowl ad in the technology giant’s 71-year history. “During the past six months we’ve launched the Galaxy S II, Galaxy Nexus and now the Galaxy Note super phone in North America bringing unparalleled innovation to the marketplace,” said Todd Pendleton, Samsung‘s American Chief Marketing Officer. “The Galaxy Not... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
A visualization of Apple’s market cap and cash [infogra... Jan 31 2012 19:15:08	Boy Genius Report
A visualization of Apple’s market cap and cash [infographic] Apple reported a monster first quarter last Tuesday that sent the company’s stock skyrocketing over the past week. Apple’s holiday quarter was the most profitable quarter ever reported by a technology company, and the second most profitable quarter reported by any U.S. firm. With a market capitalization that now sits in excess of $420 billion, Apple is currently the most valuable company in the world, and with more than $97.6 billion in cash and cash equivalents at the end of calen... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Google responds to Congress’s concern over new privacy ... Jan 31 2012 18:30:40	Boy Genius Report
Google responds to Congress’s concern over new privacy policy Google on Monday announced that the company would combine individual privacy policies from a variety of its products into one main policy. Critics of the change were worried that Google was now collecting more data than before, and the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee demanded answers. The Mountain View-based company has now responded to Congress and defended its decision to change the policy. Read on for more. In a 13-page letter to several members of Congress, Google answered the la... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Wikileaks looks to move servers offshore to avoid prose... Jan 31 2012 17:35:28	Boy Genius Report
Wikileaks looks to move servers offshore to avoid prosecution In an attempt to evade U.S. prosecution, Julian Assange’s investors are said to be in the process of moving Wikileaks’s servers offshore, according to Fox News. Multiple unnamed sources spoke with the news network and said Assange’s financial backers have been going through the logistics of moving the servers to international waters. “They can keep running Wikileaks and nobody can touch them,” a source told Fox News. “If you get a certain distance away from any land then you̵... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Apple taking NFC payments mainstream with iPhone 5 Jan 31 2012 16:40:29	Boy Genius Report
Apple taking NFC payments mainstream with iPhone 5 Ed McLaughlin, MasterCard’s head of emerging payments, sat down with Austin Carr of Fast Company to discuss the future of credit cards. “We’re rapidly moving to a world beyond plastic,” said McLaughlin. “In many ways, plastic is just convenient packaging.” The future of on-the-go payments may lie in the hands of near-field communication but unfortunately, adoption and availability have been extremely slow and limited. While NFC technology has been featured in ... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Samsung faces antitrust investigation in Europe over us... Jan 31 2012 15:55:29	Boy Genius Report
Samsung faces antitrust investigation in Europe over use of mobile patents The European Commission announced on Tuesday that it has opened a formal investigation into Samsung’s competitive practices. The Commission will assess whether the Korean manufacturer “used certain of its standard essential patent rights to distort competition in European mobile device markets, in breach of EU antitrust rules.” Samsung has used a collection of its patents to launch a series of lawsuits against rival companies, such as Apple. The technology giant maintains, howe... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Can these four superheroes rescue RIM? Jan 31 2012 15:10:04	Boy Genius Report
Can these four superheroes rescue RIM? Research In Motion’s newly appointed CEO Thorsten Heins said during his first day on the job that hiring a new marketing boss and revamping the company’s marketing strategy was among his first orders of business. If some of us were unsure why finding a new CMO and revamping RIM’s marketing efforts are such a priority, this new campaign should help clear things up. RIM on Monday introduced four new cartoon superheroes who will help the company spread the word about its products.... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Sprint gives LightSquared six more weeks to gain FCC ap... Jan 31 2012 15:09:37	Boy Genius Report
Sprint gives LightSquared six more weeks to gain FCC approval Sprint has granted LightSquared six more weeks to gain approval from the Federal Communications Commission to launch its network. This is the second time the carrier has extended it deadline for LightSquared to prove to the FCC that its network does not interfere with GPS systems. There has been quite a battle going on between LightSquared and the government, however. LightSquared and a former FCC engineer have argued that the carrier’s 4G LTE network, which Sprint plans to use to help rol... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Unannounced HTC Ville with Android 4.0 and Sense 4.0 sh... Jan 31 2012 14:25:17	Boy Genius Report
Unannounced HTC Ville with Android 4.0 and Sense 4.0 shown off in leaked video HTC’s upcoming smartphone code-named the HTC Ville just stared in a leaked video ahead of an official announcement, which is expected to come at next month’s Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain. BGR exclusively reported this past November that HTC will unveil the Ville at MWC. We said the device would be thinner than Apple’s latest iPhone and would feature Android 4.0, Sense 4.0, a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon Series 4 proc... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Smartphone vendors said to be delaying launches to avoi... Jan 31 2012 14:00:22	Boy Genius Report
Smartphone vendors said to be delaying launches to avoid competing with iPhone 4S Global smartphone vendors including Samsung, HTC, Nokia and LG are expected to launch new smartphone models in the second quarter to avoid competing directly with the iPhone 4S, according to Digitimes. “Mainly due to hot sales of the iPhone 4S, Apple recorded the largest global smartphone market share of 23.9% in the fourth quarter of 2011, followed by Samsung with 23.5% and Nokia with 12.6%,” the publication’s supply-chain sources said citing data from Strategy Analytics. &#... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Apple hires former Dixons CEO John Browett as Senior VP... Jan 31 2012 13:15:28	Boy Genius Report
Apple hires former Dixons CEO John Browett as Senior VP of Retail Apple has hired Dixons Retail chief executive officer John Browett to run its retail business as senior VP of retail. Browett will assume his new position in April and will be responsible for Apple’s retail strategy and on expanding Apple’s presence around the globe. “Our retail stores are all about customer service, and John shares that commitment like no one else we’ve met,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We are thrilled to have him join our team and bring his incredible r... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
ASUS rumored to unveil a redesigned PadFone next month Jan 31 2012 12:30:48	Boy Genius Report
ASUS rumored to unveil a redesigned PadFone next month ASUS has confirmed that the company is planning to announce a tweaked version of its tablet-smartphone hybrid at Mobile World Congress on February 27th in Barcelona, Spain, according to Modaco. The Padfone — which combines a smartphone, tablet and netbook all in one — was first unveiled at the Computex trade show in Taiwan last year by ASUS chairman Jonney Shih. The innovative device is expected to feature Ice Cream Sandwich and Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon S4 processor. The PadFone consi... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Windows Phone Tango may add support for up to 120 langu... Jan 31 2012 06:05:43	Boy Genius Report
Windows Phone Tango may add support for up to 120 languages Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) currently offers support for 35 different languages, however Microsoft may be planning to add an additional 85 languages in the next Windows Phone Tango update. The new version of Windows Phone, codenamed Tango, is expected to better cater to emerging markets, which will help Microsoft and its Windows Phone partners expand the platform globally. WPSauce, the source of the rumor, said that Microsoft announced the added language support during an event in India where the ... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Motorola announces new RAZR with an unlockable bootloader Jan 31 2012 04:30:38	Boy Genius Report
Motorola announces new RAZR with an unlockable bootloader Motorola promised that a bootloader unlocking solution would be made available for its recent phones in late 2011 but as the year came to a close, the company’s self-imposed deadline came and went with no release. To make matters worse, the manufacturer launched the RAZR with an unlocked bootloader overseas while the American version was locked and encrypted. Motorola blamed Verizon, claiming the carrier requested the device be locked even though other companies were offering unlocking sol... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
U.S. chief technology officer Aneesh Chopra to step down Jan 31 2012 03:05:17	Boy Genius Report
U.S. chief technology officer Aneesh Chopra to step down Aneesh Chopra will step down from his position as the United States chief technology officer. The move is expected to be imminent and, while it’s unclear what Chopra’s next step will be, Fedscoop says sources have speculated Chopra is interested in running for political office or working as the head of a major technology firm in the Washington, D.C. area. Chopra was appointed U.S. CTO in April 2009 by President Obama. Fedscoop said possible replacements for Chopra’s position ... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Apple could sell as many as 40 million iPhones in China... Jan 31 2012 02:00:52	Boy Genius Report
Apple could sell as many as 40 million iPhones in China next year Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty believes Apple will partner up with both China Telecom and China Mobile over the next year, and will eventually make the iPhone available on all three Chinese carriers, reports Apple Insider. The move could bring sales of the popular handset to as many as 40 million units in 2013 alone. The iPhone is currently only offered by China Unicom, the nation’s second largest carrier. Through this partnership, Huberty believes Apple can only reach 10% of the 150 ... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Megaupload user data purge could begin Thursday [updated] Jan 31 2012 00:55:08	Boy Genius Report
Megaupload user data purge could begin Thursday [updated] Third-party companies that stored Megaupload’s data may delete all user files on Thursday. Megaupload customers, even those not guilty of piracy or using the service illegally, have been unable to access their files since the website was shut down on January 19th. So far, seven men have been charged for illegally allowing Megaupload users to store and share music, movies and other copyrighted content, among other things. The issue, however, is that millions of Megaupload users used the ser... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
63% of mobile users have made a phone call from the bat... Jan 30 2012 23:50:11	Boy Genius Report
63% of mobile users have made a phone call from the bathroom The bathroom is a popular place to use a mobile phone according to the results of a new study. ”The writing is on the stall,” says Nicole Burdette of 11mark, the firm that conducted the survey. ”This study confirms what we all know – that the last private place is no longer private. And, that the ‘mobile-everywhere’ phenomenon is flushing out a host of new opportunities for savvy communicators.” 63% of those surveyed said they have initiated a phone call while using the ... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Canalys: Apple blazes past HP to dominate global PC mar... Jan 30 2012 22:45:43	Boy Genius Report
Canalys: Apple blazes past HP to dominate global PC market in Q4 Apple pulled ahead of HP in the fourth quarter to become the largest player in the client PC market, a new report suggested Monday. The Cupertino-based company shipped more than 15 million iPads and 5 million Mac computers last quarter, and those figures represented 17% of all PCs shipped around the world during the fourth quarter. The report, which comes from market research firm Canalys, said PC shipments grew 16% annually to reach 120 million during the quarter, and the firm’s categoriz... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Verizon to reportedly roll out shared family data plans... Jan 30 2012 22:00:25	Boy Genius Report
Verizon to reportedly roll out shared family data plans soon Speaking during a UBS conference in December, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam said the company may roll out shared data plans in 2012. According to an unnamed source, the shared data packages could become available soon, reports Engadget. A family plan currently requires each smartphone to purchase a different data plan, but the new plans could allow all family members to share a single pool of data similar to how a they currently share voice minutes. The image above is said to show training materials... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Proposed congressional bill targets Carrier IQ and othe... Jan 30 2012 21:15:41	Boy Genius Report
Proposed congressional bill targets Carrier IQ and other mobile tracking software Democratic Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts released a draft of his cell phone privacy bill on Monday. The Mobile Device Privacy Act is designed to protect consumers from tracking software such as Carrier IQ, which caused an uproar late last year when it was discovered to be secretly monitoring 150 million smartphone users. The bill would require companies to disclose the use of such tracking software and clarify exactly what information the software collects. Customers would have t... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Xbox 720 will not launch this year, Microsoft exec says Jan 30 2012 20:30:15	Boy Genius Report
Xbox 720 will not launch this year, Microsoft exec says Microsoft will reportedly not launch the highly anticipated follow-up to the Xbox 360 this year. Cedrick Delma, Microsoft’s marketing director in France, recently told Le Point that he was “certain” the Redmond-based company would not release a new Xbox this year. Gamers shouldn’t give up all hope on at least getting a glimpse at Microsoft’s next-generation console this year, though. BGR exclusively reported last June that Microsoft has plans to unveil its Xbox 36... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
President Obama to host a Google+ hangout Monday at 5:30PM Jan 30 2012 19:45:31	Boy Genius Report
President Obama to host a Google+ hangout Monday at 5:30PM President Obama will be hosting his first Google+ hangout tonight at 5:30 p.m. Eastern. In the discussion, the president will be answering questions that were submitted over the past few weeks through YouTube. Google maintains that the White House has had no role in which questions will be selected. Google’s team will instead choose the top-rated questions among those submitted, ensuring there will be several different issues discussed. The event will take place in the Roosevelt Room of th... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Kindle Fire ‘defined and dominated’ low-end tablet mark... Jan 30 2012 19:00:35	Boy Genius Report
Kindle Fire ‘defined and dominated’ low-end tablet market with 6 million units sold When it comes to tablets there is no denying the iPad’s dominance, selling more than 15 million units last quarter alone. Not everyone can afford nor do they want a high-end device, however, and that is where Amazon’s Kindle Fire comes into play. Stifel Nicolaus analyst Jordan Rohan said on Monday that fourth-quarter Kindle Fire shipments likely reached 6 million units, placing the tablet on par with the original iPad. Rohan says it was “quite impressive” that the online... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Former RIM co-CEO Lazaridis says he planned to step dow... Jan 30 2012 18:05:30	Boy Genius Report
Former RIM co-CEO Lazaridis says he planned to step down for years Former Research In Motion co-CEO and co-Chairman Mike Lazaridis said in a recent interview that he had been planning to step down from his role at the helm of the company for several years. While speaking with The Record, Lazaridis confessed that he had been planning to relinquish his co-CEO role for several years leading up to January 22nd when RIM announced that Lazaridis and co-CEO Jim Balsillie were stepping down. Lazaridis said in the interview that he had been grooming new CEO Thorsten He... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Samsung marketing boss: Consumers should be obsessed wi... Jan 30 2012 17:00:26	Boy Genius Report
Samsung marketing boss: Consumers should be obsessed with Samsung, not Apple Samsung’s new run of television commercials is the start of a wider effort to make the company’s products the apple of the U.S. consumer’s eye. The ads, which mock iPhone users for their obsession with Apple products, attempt to present Samsung as the smarter, cooler alternative. On a larger scale however, Samsung is hoping to create a fundamental shift in the way its products are viewed by consumers. ”Especially in U.S., people are obsessed with Apple,” head of Sa... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
First look at SlingPlayer for Amazon’s Kindle Fire Jan 30 2012 16:01:30	Boy Genius Report
First look at SlingPlayer for Amazon’s Kindle Fire Sling Media has been the go-to provider for video placeshifting solutions for nearly seven years now. The California-based company launched its first Slingbox in 2005, enabling users to watch live television exactly as it was being broadcast to their homes on any Internet-connected PC. The company rolled out its first SlingPlayer Mobile application the following year and it hasn’t looked back, continuing to expand its mobile offering to support a wide range of popular platforms and devices... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
AT&T to launch Samsung Galaxy Note on February 19th for... Jan 30 2012 15:16:59	Boy Genius Report
AT&T to launch Samsung Galaxy Note on February 19th for $299.99 [video] AT&T announced Monday that the Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone will be available in stores on February 19th for $299.99 on contact, a day after we recently reported. Pre-orders are set to begin this weekend with delivery promised by February 17th and two color options will be available: carbon blue and ceramic white. “The Galaxy Note brings a new level of efficiency to busy customers who would normally rely on multiple devices,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president of devices at A... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »
Barnes & Noble’s next Nook said to launch this spring Jan 30 2012 14:15:35	Boy Genius Report
Barnes & Noble’s next Nook said to launch this spring Barnes & Noble’s fifth-generation “e-reading device” will reportedly launch this coming spring. Mentioned in passing within a New York Times profile of the struggling bookseller, it is unclear if the device in question will be a new media tablet or a standard eReader. With Barnes & Noble’s current-generation color tablet having just been announced this past November, however, a refresh of the company’s E Ink-equipped Nook Touch in the spring seems more likel... Read the full article on Boy Genius Report »

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