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02/22/12--19:50: LG intros Optimus 4X HD with quad-core Tegra 3, Android 4.0 (chan 1035411)

LG's pre-MWC smartphone rollouts culminated Wednesday with the Optimus 4X HD. The device is the first officially unveiled smartphone to run NVIDIA's Tegra 3 quad-core processor. At 1.5GHz, it can both help Internet access as well as improve the ability to juggle multiple apps at once....




02/22/12--20:00: Facebook app arrives for PlayStation Vita (chan 1035411)

Sony has finally launched a Facebook app for the company's PlayStation Vita handheld game console. The native app enables users to take advantage of the social networking feature without using the web-based interface in the Vita's browser....




02/22/12--20:20: Ericsson tech triples HSPA upload speeds (chan 1035411)

Ericsson has reportedly made significant advancements in its network technology, enabling certain devices to achieve much faster upload speeds. The technology is said to triple upload speeds on HSPA networks, bringing the theoretical maximum speed up to 12Mbps in ideal conditions....




02/22/12--20:55: Samsung Galaxy S II at 20m sold, may be passed by iPhone 4S (chan 1035411)

Samsung notched another milestone for the Galaxy S II late Wednesday after it said the range-leading phone passed 20 million sold. The figure came about 10 months after launch and showed Samsung keeping a steady rate of sales, having reached 10 million five months after the April 2011 arrival. Hitting 20 million still took about seven months less than it did for the original Galaxy S....




02/22/12--21:30: Bug in iOS 5.0.1 allows bypassing of lock screen (chan 1035411)

A flaw demonstrated in a YouTube video (seen below) demonstrates a difficult-to-access but reproducible bug in iOS 5.0.1 that can allow unauthorized users to bypass a lock screen on GSM-based iPhones and access recent contacts, make calls or even use FaceTime, iPhoneIslam reports. The hack revolves around trying to return a missed call while the sim card is taken out and re-inserted repeatedly (or in an area with no network coverage)....




02/23/12--00:00: Proview court filings show China banks behind them (chan 1035411)

Court documents have revealed that the trademark battle between Apple and failed Hong Kong display maker Proview is not just between the two parties, but by the banks the company now says were controlling Proview at the time the deal for the rights to the "iPad" trademark was struck. Proview was already in receivership, and the creditors did not sign off on the agreement, company officials now claim....




02/23/12--02:00: Qualcomm Atheros intros 802.11ac Wi-Fi ecosystem (chan 1035411)

Qualcomm Atheros has announced its plans for a full product ecosystem to support Wi-Fi 802.11ac, the gigabit successor to 802.11n. Heading the lineup is its new WCN3680 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM module that OEMís can pair with devices shipping with Qualcommís next-generation Snapdragon S4 dual- and quad-core mobile processors. The new Wi-Fi standard can achieve speeds of up to 433Mbps in mobile phones, and up 1.3Gbps in tablets and PCs. This snap-in module will sit alongside the already built-in Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n capabilities of the S4 SoC, offering users compatibility with...




02/23/12--03:10: Korea's KT may charge all content providers for data use (chan 1035411)

KT, Koreaís top ISP may set a precedent for charging data-heavy content providers including Googleís YouTube and other Internet-enabled service operators including charging Apple, should it move forward with launching a rumored smart TV and back it up with content delivery services through iTunes and other apps. According to Reuters, while the company already charges heavy-end users for downloading content, they argue that services such as YouTube are ëfree ridingí on ISPs who have to foot the bill for heavy infrastructure investment....




02/23/12--03:45: Motorola Cliq 2 to finally get Android 2.3 (chan 1035411)

Motorola Cliq 2 users who may have been holding out for an update to Googleís Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS are on the verge of getting their long awaited update from Android 2.2 (Froyo). First released in late 2010, Gingerbread has since been superseded by Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Nonetheless, Motorola has announced that it is recruiting 1000 customers to try its latest Motoblur-inspired Gingerbread variant before a final release is issued to all remaining Cliq 2 users....




02/23/12--05:00: Proview denied ban on iPad in Shanghai (chan 1035411)

Proview suffered a major setback in its attempt to extract a settlement from Apple on Thursday after reports that it was denied a ban in the Shanghai Pudong New Area People's Court. Government-backed newspaper Xinmin Evening News said that the court agreed with Apple's position that it had legally bought the trademark for use in mainland China in 2009. The win keeps the iPad on shelves in Apple's three Shanghai stores....




02/23/12--05:40: T-Mobile gets LTE in 2013, says iPhone 4S cost 700K users (chan 1035411)

T-Mobile in reporting its fall quarter's results revealed that it would join other major US carriers in adopting LTE. The breakup fees and spectrum transfers from AT&T's abandoned takeover deal gave it the resources to add the faster network in "key US markets." It planned to use its existing AWS spectrum in the 1,700MHz and possibly 2,100MHz bands and would have a deployment in 2013....




02/23/12--06:05: ASUS Eee Pad Transformer gets long-promised Android 4.0 (chan 1035411)

ASUS posted confirmation Thursday that its long-promised Android 4.0 update to the original Eee Pad Transformer was starting to roll out. Beginning with Taiwan, over-the-air updates were supplying the OS to the company's first native Android tablet. Other countries would get the update "soon after," although it declined to give exact schedules....




02/23/12--07:05: With iPad included, Apple tops 2011 mobile PC sales (chan 1035411)

Apple was the lead mobile PC vendor in the fourth quarter of 2011 and the rest of the year, at least when including tablets, an NPD DisplaySearch report shows. The company shipped just under 23.4 million MacBooks and iPads in the fourth quarter, and more than 62.8 million for the entire year. NPD observes, though, that almost 80 percent of Apple's numbers were iPads, estimated at 18.7 million in Q4, and 48.4 million for the whole year....




02/23/12--07:05: NEC shows MWC world phones: dual-screen, Android 4.0 (chan 1035411)

Joint partnership NEC-Casio Mobile gave a preview Thursday of the Medias-badged devices it would have at Mobile World Congress as part of a major push into smartphones outside of Japan. Topping the group is an unusual dual-screen device, so far only known as the Best Cloud UX Device. The device carries two 4.3-inch screens and folds like a reverse book, with both screens on the outside; the Android 4.0 device becomes more of a tablet ideal for the cloud, NEC claims....




02/23/12--07:55: AT&T outs Samsung Rugby Smart, eco ratings, home automation (chan 1035411)

AT&T used the lead-in to Mobile World Congress to bring out a new phone and a pair of new services for users. The just recently spotted Samsung Rugby Smart both upgrades the Rugby line from its basic feature phone roots and gives AT&T a toughened Android option. It can survive the US military's 810F standards for dust, shock, and temperature, as well as splashes or full immersion in up to a meter of water for half an hour....




02/23/12--08:00: Obama intros Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights (chan 1035411)

President Obama and his administration this week released a white paper (PDF) outlining proposed new online privacy rules. A big part of the regulations includes Do Not Track technology for behavior-based web advertising. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will oversee and enforce these rules....




02/23/12--08:10: SumOfUs to protest Apple shareholder meeting (chan 1035411)

Activist organization SumOfUs is planning to protest supplier working conditions at Apple's annual shareholder meeting, being held today at the company's Cupertino headquarters, according to a press release. Demonstrators will rally outside of the event, while inside, two different actions are planned. SumOfUs says it will first deliver petitions demanding an "ethical iPhone;" during the event's Q&A session, the group says it will ask Apple CEO Tim Cook to end labor abuses in its supply chain....




02/23/12--08:15: T-Mobile CTO: our upgraded network will support the iPhone (chan 1035411)

T-Mobile's CTO Neville Ray used a call discussing the company's latest results to single out the iPhone as an objective. At least the switch to 1,900MHz for HSPA+ was highlighted as focusing on Apple. While he wouldn't say if that involved the LTE network as well, it was apparent the carrier was making changes to potentially court an iPhone launch....




02/23/12--08:20: Microsoft near done Win 8 Consumer Preview, Office 15 leaks (chan 1035411)

Microsoft is close to releasing the final version of Windows 8 Consumer Preview, as it has stopped compiling beta builds of the software, The Verge learned. The final build is said to be officially signed off on this Friday and carry the 8250 designation. Windows 8 Consumer Preview will have a dedicated event at Mobile World Congress on Wednesday, with a public release likely at or near the same time. Build 8250 will have pre-installed games and apps....




02/23/12--08:30: First official HTC One X image leaks online (chan 1035411)

The first image of the upcoming HTC One X smartphone has now been shared online by PocketNow. The phone, previously known as the Endeavor and Edge, will be a flagship device, said to be sporting a quad-core Tegra 3 chip and large, 4.7-inch HD touchscreen. It should ship with Android 4.0 onboard and be one of the first to have HTC's Sense 4.0 skin....




02/23/12--09:00: Early Google Music sales said disappointing (chan 1035411)

Google Music isn't generating the sales Google wanted, contacts uncovered Thursday. Although still in its first quarter, the Android-focused music store's sales were enough below estimates that CNET's music industry insiders had reason to be "concerned." There wasn't an immediate alarm as Google was hoping to "correct certain issues" and market Google Music more heavily, but it was undercutting low expectations....




02/23/12--09:10: Mozilla renames BrowserID to Persona (chan 1035411)

Mozilla this week announced a change to its BrowserID online identity system. Initially just a rebrand, the service is now called Mozilla Persona, which Mozilla believes is better suited to user identity. To go with the name change, however, Mozilla does have feature and interface changes in development....




02/23/12--09:55: Dish exec: we have an 80% chance of succeeding in cellphones (chan 1035411)

Dish Network chairman Charlie Ergen believed his company had an 80 percent shot at succeeding with its potential 4G phone network. It hinged on the FCC giving the LTE network a waiver to run, but he called it both a core part of Dish's plans. Cellphone service could even be a "transformative strategy," Ergen said....




02/23/12--10:00: Next Generation Hotspot trials end, promise automatic Wi-Fi (chan 1035411)

Industry association Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) revealed on Thursday that some of the biggest carriers in the world have successfully tested Next Generation Hotspots (NGH). Wi-Fi access to these hubs is much simpler, and the second half of 2012 will see more tests that involve more advanced features. The first commercial NGHs will be built over the course of the next 10 months....




02/23/12--10:40: Canalys: Android apps typically more expensive than iOS (chan 1035411)

Paid Android apps are on average over two and a half times as expensive as iPhone apps, says research group Canalys. As a test case, the company notes that buying the top 100 paid titles on the Android Market currently costs $374.37, averaging out to $3.74 per app. Buying the top 100 paid iPhone apps costs just $147, at an average of $1.47 per title....




02/23/12--10:40: ASUS teases super-dense tablet display for MWC (chan 1035411)

ASUS is beginning to release teasers for a new tablet, more than likely to be a follow-up to the Transformer Prime. It may be the Transformer Prime TF700T that was shown at CES, but it could be a totally different device. The TF700T may sport a higher-resolution, 1920x1200 display, which doesn't quite live up to the teaser video's promise of "twice the detail, twice the fun." The TF700T would run on Android 4.0 and ship in June, so it's unlikely ASUS would stoke anticipation for a reintroduction of the same tablet at a different show....




02/23/12--11:25: TI shows dual ARM Cortex-A15 chip blowing past quad Tegra 3 (chan 1035411)

TI has posted a demo video (below) of its OMAP5 processor in what could be a sign of how fast many next-generation processors will be next to even chips that have yet to arrive. Even clocked at just 800MHz with only two main cores, the use of ARM's new Cortex-A15 was able to run a web browser, MP3 playback, and downloading multitasking test more than twice as quickly as a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor. While the A9 wasn't named, it was likely NVIDIA's 1.3GHz Tegra 3, showing how little clock speed mattered....




02/23/12--12:10: ZTE to bring quad-core phone, seven others to MWC (chan 1035411)

Chinese electronics maker ZTE revealed this week it will bring eight new devices to MWC next week, including a quad-core flagship. Some of the new phones will be powered by Android, while others will use Windows Phone. The flagship and maybe some of the others will also have LTE radios on board....




02/23/12--12:15: Google said picking Senior VP Woodside as Motorola CEO (chan 1035411)

New leaks suggest Google may appoint one of its own to control Motorola. A trio of Bloomberg sources understood that Dennis Woodside, who was already helping with the Google-Motorola integration, would replace Motorola's current CEO Sanjay Jha. Both Google and Motorola candidates had been on the table, one said, such as Motorola Senior VP Christy Wyatt....




02/23/12--12:40: Google brings Circles to Google Voice (chan 1035411)

Google on Thursday has added the ability of users to organize their contacts within Google Voice thanks to their existing Circles in the Google+ social network. The change lets users control who can reach them and how, giving them options to send close friends to their mobile, so-so acquaintances to voicemail, or the in-laws to the wife's number. The changes can be made in the Groups & Circles tab in a user's Google Voice settings....




02/23/12--13:05: ViewSonic to bring 7-inch Android 4.0 tablet to MWC (chan 1035411)

ViewSonic will unveil a seven-inch Android tablet at Mobile World Congress next week, Pocket-lint learned. Likely to be called the ViewPad G70, the device should run on Android 4.0 and a 1024x600-resolution touchscreen. It should also have the firm's custom ViewScene interface, but it ought to still keep access to Google services and access to the Android Market....




02/23/12--13:20: Google, Microsoft, Netflix want encrypted HTML5 media spec (chan 1035411)

Google, Microsoft, and Netflix have put forward a proposal that could add a level of copy protection to HTML5 audio and video. Encrypted Media Extensions would let apps on the web and elsewhere use keys to control who has access to a given media stream. It would allow any format that would work in HTML5 as long as the format itself can support some kind of key or bit....




02/23/12--13:30: All-new Box app arrives for Android 4.0 (chan 1035411)

Cloud storage provider Box has just unveiled an all-new Android app (free, Android Market) for quick access to its service. Newly added are collaboration features such as commenting, bulk uploading, and adding uploaders to folders. Android 4.0 is also supported, and there are four new Western European languages....




02/23/12--14:15: ASUS Eee Pad Transformer gets Android 4.0 in US on Friday (chan 1035411)

ASUS will be releasing Android 4.0 for its original Eee Pad Transformer tablet owners in the US tomorrow. The company has posted on Twitter to let customers know it is coming. Taiwanese customers received access to the update earlier today....




02/23/12--14:35: Samsung gives early look at quad-core ARM mobile chip (chan 1035411)

Samsung at the ISSCC event this week has shown the first example of a quad-core version of its Exynos chips. Its new example still uses the ARM Cortex-A9 but runs on a more efficient 32 nanometer manufacturing process, which should improve both speed and battery life over 2011-era chips. Along with a newer graphics core with four pixel effects processors, it should be about 26 percent faster even as it uses 34 to 50 percent less power. Each core, as well as media processing sections, can be shut off independently to save power when a task isn't needed....




02/23/12--14:40: 36 attorneys general question Google's new privacy policy (chan 1035411)

Attorneys general from 36 states have sent a letter to Google CEO Larry Page raising questions over the company's new unified privacy policy. In it, the state watchdogs expressed concern over both the potential invasion of privacy and the increased risk of identity theft. They have asked for a response no later than next Wednesday, a day before Google's now policy is set to become effective....




02/23/12--15:00: Spotify adds gapless playback, crossfades, and more (chan 1035411)

The music service Spotify has answered a few of its more common missing features with a desktop app update. The latest version brings gapless playback and track-to-track crossfading to its subscribers on both Macs and PCs (free, OS X, Windows). The new update also incorporates several performance enhancements....




02/23/12--15:25: NVIDIA teams with GCT, Reneseas to join LTE to Tegra 3 chips (chan 1035411)

NVIDIA unveiled deals with GCT Semiconductor and Renesas that would mate Tegra 3 smartphones and tablets with LTE. The two cellular chip designers are both working on LTE modems that would be companions to NVIDIA's quad-core chip. Striking the deal would let companies make high-end mobile devices with both a Tegra 3 and 4G faster than they would if they had to shop around....




02/23/12--15:30: MetroPCS vows at least one VoLTE phone in late 2012 (chan 1035411)

MetroPCS will be adding Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services during the second half of this year. The flat-rate wireless provider's CEO, Roger Linquist, revealed this during his quarterly analyst conference call to discuss the company's most recent financial results. He indicated that the company plans on offering at least one phone capable of supporting VoLTE....




02/23/12--15:30: NuForce debuts Air DAC for CD-quality audio streaming (chan 1035411)

Users who have either Apple mobile devices using the 30-pin dock connector or other audio devices using USB ports can now stream high-quality audio without latency or interference using NuForce's Air DAC Wireless System. The two-part hardware system uses a transmitter and receiver that allow for easy creation of streaming audio networks using the 2.4Ghz radio band. Multiple receivers can be used to pipe audio wirelessly around a room....




02/23/12--15:55: Mystery Galaxy Note follow-up gets Bluetooth approval (chan 1035411)

Samsung has submitted a new mystery device to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) for approval. The hardware, identified as the Samsung Mobile Tablet GT-N8000, reached the compliance certification body last week. Although there has been no confirmation, the N8000 is believed to be the follow-on product to the Galaxy Note, which reached US shores earlier this month....




02/23/12--16:15: OmniVision suddenly upbeat about mobile camera outlook (chan 1035411)

OmniVision might have given hints as to plans for one or more mobile companies after a rebound in the winter. Its revenue was down to $185.2 million from $265.7 million a year earlier, but it had unexpectedly beaten outside targets that were nearly $10 million lower. Expectations for the spring were considerably higher than both what it achieved in the winter and what analysts were expecting, with a target of between $195 million to $215 million instead of a previously predicted decline....




02/23/12--16:45: Apple acquires Chomp mobile app search engine (chan 1035411)

Apple has bought both the team and technology behind Chomp, a mobile app search engine that could find apps for users based on vague descriptions of what the apps actually do rather than by title or publisher, TechCrunch is reporting. Some of the 20-plus Chomp employees are already showing on LinkedIn as Apple employees, and the technology may be used as part of a rumored App Store redesign to help focus app searches....




02/23/12--18:15: Proview sues Apple in US, accuses it of fraud over iPad name (chan 1035411)

Proview is now known to have quietly sued Apple in the US last week over the iPad trademark dispute. It claimed in a Santa Clara court that Apple's decision to use a shell company, IP Application Development Limited (IPADL), was allegedly fraudulent. By masking its own involvement, Apple was trying to "defraud and induce" Proview into signing a trademark handover deal that it might not otherwise have agreed to, according to the lawsuit....




02/23/12--19:00: TiVo to offer four-stream transcoder boxes by late summer (chan 1035411)

TiVo, which just announced better-than-expected earnings earlier today, has also announced a forthcoming model that offers "four-stream transcoding" and the ability to send those streams over the internet to up to four devices, both for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets for either pre-recorded material or live TV. The future product, modelled after last year's TiVo Preview, may also offer Netflix and other online video services....




02/23/12--19:50: Apple may be ready to commit to smaller iOS dock connector (chan 1035411)

Apple's possible plans to rework the dock connector for iOs devices might be edging closer to reality. A rumor relayed to iMore had Apple "getting ready" to switch to a smaller port. The tip had it being a strictly technology-driven move to save space in the iPhone and other instances where room was at a premium....




02/23/12--20:15: GlobalFoundries acquires troubled DRAM chip maker (chan 1035411)

Industry sources are reporting that former AMD manufacturing arm GlobalFoundries has agree to buy out ProMOS Technologies, a troubled RAM and chip manufacturer with facilities in Taichung, Taiwan. The move should help GlobalFoundries extend its influence with Chinese IC designers and other global companies that rely on integrated circuits but lack fabrication facilities of their own, DigiTimes reports....




02/23/12--21:30: Rumor: Mozilla, LG to team up on Boot2Gecko mobile phone (chan 1035411)

Mozilla, which will be launching its own open-source app storefront in the forthcoming Firefox 13, may use this weekend's Mobile World Congress to launch a smartphone made by LG that runs its own mobile OS, known as Boot2Gecko. The new OS is truly open, as opposed to the partially-open nature of Android or the "walled garden" of iOS, and may prove attractive to carriers who have seen much of their control removed by Apple and Google....




02/24/12--01:50: Sony rolls Android 4.0 beta ROM for Xperia arc S, ray, neo V (chan 1035411)

Sony is working hard to turn around its image as an Android laggard to the leading vendor when it comes rolling out Android updates to its mobile phones. Now known as Sony Mobile Communications, the company has posted a page on its website allowing users to officially unlock their bootloader and follow the posted instructions on how to install Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) on their handsets. So far, the beta ICS ROM is available for the Xpera arc S, Xperia ray and Xperia neo V and suggests that Sony is on track to make good on its promise to have ICS updates for its 2011...




02/24/12--02:35: Motorola lawsuit forces Apple to drop push e-mail in Germany (chan 1035411)

Apple has failed in its legal bid to stop Motorola from forcing an injunction against its implementation of push email in Germany. Consequently, Apple has pulled the function from its iCloud and MobileMe services. The Cupertino-based company has posted a statement on the matter, which now leaves German iOS users having to force e-mail updates by opening their mail application or setting their e-mail client to check periodically for new e-mail....