Samsung Electronics has acquired LoopPay, a U.S. mobile payments firm that could help it counter the Apple Pay obile payments system. LoopPay produces small add-on devices for smartphones that can transmit credit card information in conjunction with a mobile app. When the devices are held within a few centimeters of a traditional magnetic strip reader, the […]
New rules on How to Unlock Your Smartphon
GOOD NEWS! As of February 11, 2015, that's all changed. Back in December of 2013, the major U.S. carriers set a voluntary deadline for a date by which consumers would be able to unlock their phones -- provided they met certain criteria. (By the way, tablets can be unlocked as well, and the rules for […]
“Uber” is in Talks to Sell Over $1 Billion in Convertible Debt
Uber (private Car Rental Application Company) is in talks to sell more than $1 billion in convertible debt, a source familiar with the matter said, soon after the U.S. taxi service said it raised $1.2 billion in its latest funding round. The new funding, which valued the firm at $40 billion, the planned debt sale […]
Samsung ask Court to Throw out $930M Damages in Apple IP Suit
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) asked a U.S. appeals court on Thursday to toss out an order that it pay Apple Inc. (AAPL.O) $930 million for infringing on iPhone patents to make its Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets. The hearing at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit was the latest fight […]
Last week represented the first time in history that more people used mobile phones and tablets to visit online stores than using computers. Looking at data from over 100,000 ecommerce stores that use the Shopify platform, we saw 50.3%...
Smartphone growth to slow
Forecast: IDC says - Smartphone growth will continue at nearly 10% annually through 2018, but that’s well behind increases in recent years. IDC said Monday that global smartphone shipments in 2014 will reach nearly 1.3 billion units, an increase of 26% over 2013. But for 2015, IDC predicted, 1.4 billion smartphones will ship to retailers, only a 12% increase […]
If you were wondering why your Nexus or Google Play Edition phone hadn't received an over the air (OTA) update delivering Android 5.0, the answer appears to be that Google is ironing out some serious bugs that would have made it unwelcome in...
Lenovo Plans New Small-screen Windows Tablet
Lenovo has stopped sales of its existing small-screen Windows tablets in the U.S., but plans a new model for release by the end of the year. "We will continue to bring new Windows devices to market across different screen sizes, including a new 8-inch tablet and 10-inch tablet coming this holiday," the company said in […]
Google’s Android Studio Development Environment is Available
Google's Android Studio development environment is available in a beta version that makes it easier to create apps for smart-watches and TVs. The beta was announced at the Google I/O developer conference along with preview versions of Android L and the associated SDK (software development kit). The preview version of Android Studio, an IntelliJ-based IDE (Integrated […]
Wireless Carriers a Challenge for Internet of Things (IoT)
According to Google, the Internet-of-Things (IoT) will often require slow-but-cheap connectivity, pretty much the opposite of what wireless carriers offer today. The company has challenged carriers to make this IoT plan known so developers and customers can begin to plan their futures. Google’s Don Dodge says current mobile plans are poorly suited for a world […]