Mobile

Sprint, SoftBank reportedly reach security deal with U.S.

SoftBank and Sprint Nextel have reportedly agreed to give the U.S. government veto powers and other oversight to alleviate national security concerns related to their planned $20 billion merger.

As part of the agreement, expected to be finalized in the coming days, the merged company would feature a four-member national-security committee, as well as a security director who would sit on the wireless carrier's board, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. The U.S. government would gain veto powers over any equipment purchases made by Sprint, and Sprint has agreed to remove Chinese-made equipment … Read more

iPhone users found to spend more time on their handsets

iPhone users in the U.S. average more time on their smartphones than Android users, but they spend less time talking on their handsets than their open-source counterparts, according to a new study released Tuesday.

Overall, the average American adult spends nearly an hour a day on their smartphones, but just a quarter of that time is spent talking, according to Experian Marketing Services research. The findings illustrate the increasing shift of consumer tastes to mobile devices for their information and entertainment.

Voice calling was the most popular single smartphone activity among U.S. users, comprising 26 percent of smartphone … Read more

HTC One Google Edition to be offered in very limited quantities, report says

The HTC One 'Google Edition' smartphone will be sold in very limited quantities when it surfaces later this summer, or so the always-gabby "people familiar with the matter" have told Pocket Lint.

That means that if you were hoping to get your hands on the 'Google Edition' of the popular Android flagship, you'll have to look hard to find it. According to Pocket Lint's sources, HTC will release just "around one percent of total sales of the device so far." And with HTC having announced roughly five million in sales for the HTC One … Read more

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini to debut at June 20 event -- WSJ

Samsung could take the wraps off the Galaxy S4 Mini at a launch event scheduled for Thursday, June 20.

Citing "a person with knowledge of the matter," The Wall Street Journal said today that the S4 Mini will likely be one of several new products taking the stage at next month's event in London. Announcing the event Monday, Samsung highlighted its Galaxy and Ativ lineup but was mum about which devices would be featured. The Ativ line includes PCs and tablets that run Windows 8, as well as smartphones outfitted with Windows Phone 8.

Samsung may have … Read more

Tablet shipments to surpass all PCs by 2015, IDC says

The tablet market should top all laptop shipments this year and the entire PC market by 2015, according to a report released Tuesday.

Market researcher IDC estimated that tablet shipments will grow 59 percent this year to 229.3 million units. That's higher than IDC's estimate for notebook shipments this year. Topping that, IDC predicts tablet shipments will surpass the total number of notebook and desktop PC shipments in 2015.

"Tablets surpassing portables in 2013, and total PCs in 2015, marks a significant change in consumer attitudes about compute devices and the applications and ecosystems that power … Read more

Future iPhone could adjust its volume based on your proximity

An iPhone of the future could change its volume all on its own by detecting how near or far you are to it.

"Adjustment of acoustic properties based on proximity detection," a patent application published Tuesday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, describes how the iPhone's promixity sensor could be used to automatically change the volume or even switch between the receiver and the speaker.

Holding the iPhone to your ear would lower the volume through the receiver. Moving it slightly away from your ear would raise the volume. Putting the phone down and moving … Read more

Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 could offer more advanced camera

Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 could see some major enhancements to its onboard camera.

Due out in the second half of 2013, the next Note may sport a 13-megapixel camera with an anti-shake feature designed to capture higher-quality pictures. Citing "industry insiders," Korean site ETNews claims that Samsung's mobile communications team is developing technologies to bring OIS (optical image stabilization) and shutter functions to the Note 3, putting it more on par with traditional digital cameras.

An official from the communications division reportedly told ETNews that "we are pondering various technologies at this stage -- for … Read more

Redditor says Galaxy S3 caught fire, burned his finger

A Reddit poster going by the handle Vizionx1208 says his Galaxy S3 suddenly caught fire recently and burned his finger.

In a post to Reddit on Sunday, the person said that he plugged his Galaxy S3 in to be charged and about an hour later "was awoken by a loud noise and a weird squeaking sound." That he, says, is when all kinds of trouble broke loose.

"So, I woke up, and saw a ton of smoke coming out of my phone -- it also smelled REALLY bad," he wrote. "Half asleep, I jumped out … Read more

LG unveils white Nexus 4, says no plans for for Nexus 5

LG unveiled on Tuesday a white version of its blockbuster Nexus 4, while an executive nixed plans for a sequel device.

An LG executive told Dutch Web site All About Phones that it has no plans to build the Nexus 5, citing Kim Wong, head of LG's Europe business. The report was translated by Android Beat.

An LG representative confirmed the executive comments, but noted that the company wouldn't rule out another Nexus in the future. The representative said that the executive intended to convey the belief at LG that it didn't need the Nexus name to … Read more

Ending the headaches of Wi-Fi

Soon wireless subscribers won't even have to think about signing on to a Wi-Fi hot spot. New standards that will be included in the latest generation of products will take the headache out of Wi-Fi.

Millions of wireless customers access public Wi-Fi hot spots every day. Some people get free access to Wi-Fi through their mobile operator and use the networks to avoid going over their data caps. Others subscribe to Wi-Fi services to get access to higher-speed data wherever it's available. Whether you use free Wi-Fi or you subscribe to a service, getting on to whatever Wi-Fi … Read more