Samsung updates ChatON with Olympic buddy feature, tells the latest on London 2012 games

Who needs real life friends when you have all your virtual buddies online and available to chat with 24/7, right? If you’re rather partial to Samsung’s ChatON instant messaging app, the phone maker has just updated the app with more features and bug fixes. The first thing you probably notice when you load the app is the new ChatON logo, but the other changes do go beyond skin deep. Being one of the major sponsors of the 2012 Summer Olympics, it’s...

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SandroProxy: Increasing your privacy and security when Web browsing on Android

Whether we’re on a trip, at work, or even at home, Web browsing has become a part of our daily life. Mobile phones have allowed us to keep connected to the Internet wherever we go. Browsing, however, has a few perils. You could come across harmful malware or viruses that could damage your device, or worse, steal your log-in credentials. It’s only natural for us to seek something that could improve our browsing security and data protection. The more...

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Patent smackdown: Apple teams up with Microsoft to bid against Google and Android OEMs for Kodak’s patents

The patent arms race is reaching a feeding-frenzy stage. Over the past months, we’ve witnessed a series of high profile legal spats between the technology companies that make our beloved gadgets. A quick recap of the most visible battles includes the Oracle vs Google trial, the Samsung vs Apple global conflagration, the Microsoft vs Motorola case that caused the ban of all Motorola devices in Germany, and the Apple vs HTC debacle, which affected...

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Hackers can exploit NFC, Chrome browser to take over your Android phone

Despite Google’s valiant attempt to make Android a safer playground for its users by introducing the anti-malware Bouncer service last February, which helps scan apps on Google Play Store for malware and keep them out, experts are still finding security loopholes that can wreak havoc on your Android device. The first threat we’re going to talk about today comes from the Near Field Communication (NFC) feature on certain Android devices, which...

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Colorful (back) pictures of Sony Xperia J leaked

We first learnt and got a glimpse of the Sony Xperia J – known also as the ST26i – about two weeks ago. If the first round of leaked pictures of the J wasn’t good enough in satisfying your Xperia craving, we have more photos of Sony’s upcoming mid-range phone out in the open. Bringing the goodies this time is ePrice, where several pictures of the phone – albeit only its backside – has been posted there. But no biggie, since we’ve already seen what...

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Google may deliver broadband for cheap to your area

On the heels of the successful release of the much hailed Nexus 7, comes exciting news from Google: cheaper gigabit broadband coupled with TV. This may not seem like much, but to be honest, in the monopolized realm of US ISP’s, it’s big news. Google just launched its first rollout in the Midwest region and is using an old marketing trick of growing their customer base. Remember the old Gmail and Google Wave invite?  They plan to use the same...

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BBC Olympics: Bringing the Olympic games to your Android device

BBC is one of the best news channels that keeps us abreast of all the important events around the globe, from local news up to the events of international significance. With the London Olympics now in motion, BBC also prepared something for Android users–the BBC Olympics app for Android–to keep them updated on the important happenings of this long-awaited international event. The app lets you stream videos of the Olympic games right to your Android...

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Ourcast: Community-driven weather forecast app for Android

It’s always wonderful to spend time with your loved one but a mild drizzle can definitely spoil the moment. If you’ve been in situations when you’re forced to delay or cancel important appointments because of bad weather, then you might want to check out this new weather forecast app for Android. With the Ourcast app available on both Android and iOS devices, you’re already a step ahead of  unpredictable weather changes. Never fall prey to...

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Simplify Wi-Fi Manager: Simplifies management of Wi-Fi and mobile network connections on Android

An easier way of connecting to the Internet is now available for Android devices. Armed with an Internet connection management interface, the Simplify Wi-Fi Manager app makes it easier for you to connect to the best network anywhere. Be it a Wi-Fi connection or cellular data connection, the app provides you ease by automatically switching to the available connections. The app has built-in Zero Touch and Eco Surf technologies, making it not only...

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Analysis: Apple sounds warning bell for smartphone industry

If Apple Inc's weaker-than-expected quarterly result is anything to go by, the global smartphone industry is a lot more vulnerable to economic shocks these days than during the 2008-2009 financial crisis.In developed markets, every other person already owns a smartphone. In emerging markets, penetration rates are much lower, but cheaper phones that cost under $100 are squeezing profit margins. That was not the case during the last recession, when Apple's iPhone and Google Inc's Android were still in their infancy. Smartphone demand remained strong...

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Apple, Samsung take patent fight to crucial California trial

1 of 2. An Apple retail store is seen in Carlsbad, California April 6, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Mike Blake By Dan Levine and Poornima Gupta SAN FRANCISCO | Sat Jul 28, 2012 12:13am EDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd take their battle for mobile supremacy to court on Monday in one of the biggest-ever technology patent trials, a case with the potential to reshape a fast-evolving market they now dominate. The tech...

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Smartphones power record Samsung profit of $5.9 billion during Apple lull

Samsung Electronics Co, the world's top technology firm by revenue, reported on Friday a record operating profit of $5.9 billion for the June quarter, as rampant Galaxy S handset sales helped stretch its lead over Apple Inc.September quarter mobile profits are expected to forge further ahead as the latest Galaxy model enjoys a sales boom before the next iPhone launch, widely expected in October, driving Samsung's profit to a record of nearly 8...

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Samsung unveils limited edition Team GB Galaxy S3 phones, to start selling on August 1

Right as we fervently waited for the official kick off of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, Samsung made our day even brighter by unveiling two special edition Galaxy S3 phones. These will be available for sale in the UK soon and target British tech users who want to show their support for their Olympian heroes. The Games’ grand opening ceremony might start in just a few hours, but the Olympic fever won’t be easily quenchable across England for the...

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Apple says Google told Samsung that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 looked too much like the iPad

The Apple vs Samsung patent-based U.S. case is set to start on July 30, but until then we already have various tidbits to show you from the cases each company will try to prove in court in this legal clash of the titans – and they surely have a complex relationship. The two companies are fighting for market share and profits in the smartphone and tablet business, but they are also bound by a multi-billion dollar component supply partnership. Also...

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MetroPCS-bound Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G leaks, to be released in August

Dominating the high-end part of the smartphone world doesn’t seem to be enough for Samsung, which is constantly looking to strengthen its presence in the low-end and mid-range niches as well. One phone that could place itself right between these sectors is the Galaxy S Lightray 4G, supposedly headed to MetroPCS in August. The information comes via a Howard Forums leak and is not yet confirmed, but the fistful of high-quality “spilled” photos...

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Mark Zuckerberg: No Facebook phone from us

Over the past few years we’ve been hearing rumors every now and then about a possible Facebook phone. However, Mark Zuckerberg has just crushed that idea in Facebook’s recent earnings call saying: “Building out a whole phone really wouldn’t make much sense for us to do.” And indeed it doesn’t. There are now close to 800 million Android and iOS devices in the market, and Android phones are now growing at a rate of 1 million per day, or 365+ million...

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Rumors: AT&T to cut HTC One X price by half, red Galaxy S3 to start selling

Although it was hailed as HTC’s comeback and it supposedly started off more than decently, the One X couldn’t stand the Galaxy S3 charge and saw its sales rapidly drop. No, that’s not an official story, but earlier rumors, combined with a new one, certainly make the scenario trustworthy. The new rumor comes from an XDA-Developers forum user, who supposedly got his hands on an AT&T e-mail announcing the upcoming price slashing of the One...

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Amazon Q2 2012: Kindle Fire best-seller device, net income down 96%

All the main companies in the tech business are posting their financial details for the second quarter of the year, ending on June 30, and after we looked at various players in the mobile business – including Google, Apple, AT&T or Samsung – we now have Amazon’s financial report for Q2 2012 to inspect. As expected, the most important product for the company remains its own tablet, the Kindle Fire, a device that’s sold at cost, as the giant...

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Apple U.S. margins for iPad about half of iPhone: filing

Apple Inc earned gross margins of 49 to 58 percent on its U.S. iPhone sales between April 2010 and the end of March 2012, while gross margins on the iPad were much lower during much of that period, according to a court filing. The information was revealed on Thursday in a freshly unsealed statement from an Apple expert witness, filed in the company's patent battle against Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. An Apple representative declined to comment...

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Want to know how much Motorola’s patents are worth? It’s $5.5 billion

When the news broke about Google’s intention to acquire Motorola Mobility last year, the move was put down mainly as a way for Google to access Moto’s extensive list of patents. However, the industry was left to wonder how much out of the $12.4 billion deal can be attributed to said patents. Hopes of finding out details of the deal were squashed when the acquisition was finalized on May 2012, but no information was shared with the rest of the...

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Bolls: Android strategy game of cute, algae-eating balls

Bolls is a turn-based Android strategy game that not only involves fighting off your opponent’s own Bolls but also gathering resources for them. That isn’t a typo you’re looking at. Bolls are the eponymous creatures of this online multiplayer strategy game. These creatures are circles with faces, mouths, and occasionally, hands, fangs, wings, or gills. The aim of the game is to pit these cute creatures against your enemy’s own army of Bolls. Don’t...

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Intel plans to port Jelly Bean to Atom-based gadgets, no ETA announced just yet

The Verge Intel, the world’s number one supplier of PC processors, has neglected getting in the Android game until a few months ago, thus allowing ARM to easily dominate the market. The Santa Clara-based company is now finally looking to make a push in the Android world, and, while its first steps might seem a bit hesitant, its future plans are pretty bold.There might not be many Intel-based Android gadgets available for sale right now, but, according...

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Sony might unveil new smartphones in Berlin on August 29, Hayabusa and Mint could lead the line-up

The CES, MWC and IFA electronics tradeshows used to be the events where new trends were made and products were unveiled. But lately some of the big manufacturers have shifted their strategies. Samsung, Sony, and Asus have all started to hold exclusive events of their own, to ensure that all the spotlight is on their products. The Samsung Unpacked event from May, when the Galaxy S3 was unveiled, was probably more popular than both this year’s CES...

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Jelly Bean OTA update for WiFi Motorola Xoom now available, soak testers get it early

Getting jealous seeing those jolly jelly beans on the Nexus 7, Galaxy Nexus, and Nexus S? The official Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update for the Motorola Xoom will be rolled out soon, but you can try your luck by downloading and installing the OTA file yourself, which has been uploaded by Google on its website. Manually flashing the Jelly Bean OTA file on your Motorola Xoom will be quite a challenge though, because the file is meant only for “soak...

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Want Adobe Flash on your Jelly Bean-running device? Find out how to install it and make it work

As expected for quite some time, Google has broken all  ties with Adobe Flash and ceased offering support for the web technology in the latest Android version, Jelly Bean. And while many users are probably doing fine without the multimedia platform, there surely are a few nostalgic ones who would like the chance to install Flash on their new Android 4.1-running gadgets. Fortunately, a couple of XDA-Developers forum members have already thought...

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Box partners with Qualcomm to preload app on Snapdragon devices, users to get free 50GB storage

The cloud storage competition on mobile devices is heating up, as Box goes on the offense against other established players in the market. The cloud storage company has struck a deal with Qualcomm, one of biggest SoC makers in the Android ecosystem, as well as with Microsoft for its Windows Phone devices. We figure you’ll be more interested in the former, so here are the deets. The Qualcomm partnership means that select devices powered by Snapdragon...

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Wi-Fi standard 802.11ad will offer up to 7Gbps over small distances

The 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard promises gigabit speeds in the under 6 Ghz spectrum, with a focus mostly on the 5 Ghz band. It’s meant to replace today’s still quite fast 802.11n standard, but we can’t argue with improvements can we? The 802.11ac standard can massively increase speed, but also the energy efficiency, which is important for mobile devices. But while we’re waiting for the 802.11ac Wi-Fi specification to start being implemented in devices,...

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