Mobile

Samsung's secret weapon in the mobile wars: Tizen

You've probably never heard of Tizen, but the companies behind it are some of the most recognizable brands in the tech industry.

Tizen draws its heritage from the likes of Nokia and Intel through their aborted MeeGo initiative, as well as Samsung Electronics, Verizon Wireless, and Vodaphone through the LiMo Foundation. Now it's under the direct control of Samsung and Intel, two companies steering the development of an operating system that claims to be more open and customizable than Android.

Tizen has come about in some ways as a reaction to the growing dominance and influence of Google'… Read more

Sprint to expand 4G LTE to 28 more cities in coming months

Sprint Nextel announced plans to expand its 4G LTE network to 28 new cities in the coming months, continuing its push to blanket its entire network with the high-speed wireless access.

The Overland Park, Kan., company listed Paris, Texas; Branson, Mo.; Oxford, Miss.; and other smaller cities in its latest update. It didn't specify what "coming months" means, but as CNET has reported, that could be as much as six months.

Sprint has been playing catch-up in terms of 4G LTE, lagging far behind rivals Verizon Wireless and AT&T. It earlier made a bet on … Read more

Dish Network to FCC: Pause the Sprint-Softbank merger review

Dish Network has asked the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to pause its review of Softbank's proposed $20.1 billion acquisition of Sprint.

When Japanese carrier Softbank acquired a 70 percent stake in Sprint in October, it provided Sprint with the cash to acquire the Clearwire shares it didn't already own. Sprint has been floundering in the cellular market for some time, and made the Clearwire bid to acquire greater spectrum and more customers.

Sprint offered to buy remaining Clearwire shares for $2.90 apiece. Softbank then capped the bid at $2.97 per share and wouldn't … Read more

Asustek set to dive into Windows Phone 8 market

Looks like Microsoft has some good news coming its way. Apparently Asustek Computer is close to committing to putting serious resources behind the Windows Phone 8 mobile platform. Specifically, the Taiwanese electronics maker plans to begin creating phones that run WP8. … Read more

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 may pop up in February

Samsung Electronics may add another member to its already large family of tablets.

The company is set to unveil the Galaxy Note 8.0, possibly next month at the Mobile World Congress conference, according to self-described "fansite" SamMobile, which did not cite sources for the information.

Among the mobile device vendors, Samsung has been one of the most aggressive in pushing its tablet lineup. It was one of the first to introduce an Android tablet in the original Galaxy Tab, and it releases new sizes and variants on a regular basis.

The Galaxy Note line, which includes a … Read more

In iPhone vs. Galaxy battle, Apple still way on top

Despite the doom and gloom talk surrounding Apple, its iPhone franchise has still vastly outsold Samsung Electronics' own Galaxy lineup.

That's according to Raymond James analyst Tavis McCourt, who compiled the cumulative sales of the iPhone 4, 4S, and 5 and stacked them against the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note smartphones. In total, Apple outsold Samsung 219 million to 131 million.

"Although undoubtedly Samsung's Galaxy lineup has been tremendously successful, given the sudden negative sentiment related to iPhone, we thought it would be interesting to compare Galaxy sales vs. iPhone sales over the last two and a … Read more

iPhone, iPod Touch users can now buy music from Amazon

iPhone users now have another option for downloading songs from their device.

Amazon today launched its MP3 store for iPhone and iPod Touch users, allowing them to buy digital music from Amazon's 22-million song catalog. There's one catch, though. The purchases have to be made via the Safari Web browser, not through any of Amazon's apps. That means the process isn't quite as seamless as buying music through iTunes.

Amazon noted that music purchases are automatically saved to the customer's Cloud Player library and can be downloaded or streamed instantly from an iPhone, iPod Touch, … Read more

NRA's iPhone shooting app triggers petition for its removal

A new shooting game bearing the NRA name has enraged a number of people who are now petitioning Apple to remove it from the App Store.

Released this past Sunday, NRA: Practice Range features a virtual shooting gallery in which you can fire at targets by tapping the screen. The app offers you a few handguns and rifles for free, but you can upgrade to such weapons as an AK-47 assault rifle or an MK-11 sniper rifle.

Compared with scores of other video games, NRA: Practice Range is rather tame, despite the ability to use assault and sniper rifles. You'… Read more

Nokia to slash over 1,100 IT jobs

Nokia today announced that it was cutting over 1,100 IT jobs from its workforce.

The company says that it will lay off 300 employees currently working in an IT function. Nokia will also transfer up to 820 employees to IT services firms, HCL Technologies and Tata Consultancy Services.

Nokia announced in June that it would make broad cuts -- about 10,000 layoffs -- across its business to save money and make its operation more agile. According to the company, the IT cuts will be the last part of that plan.

Nokia will offer employees affected by the layoffs &… Read more