BROWSING: Devices

Nokia making moves for mobile return

Last month there was speculation about Nokia getting back into the handset business. Now, there is solid evidence that the company is indeed heading in that direction. Nokia is reportedly looking for sales partners and testing new products that indicate a return to the mobile...

New worm exposes Apple security risks

Thunderstrike 2 infects firmware; fix is to re-flash chip Two computer researchers have created a new firmware worm, Thunderstrike 2, which calls into question the airtight security usually associated with Apple MacBook products. The research, which has resulted in a proof-of-concept, was done by Xeno Kovach...

Apple could make listening to voicemail obsolete

Tech company is testing voicemail transcription feature Many smartphone users, particularly those that fall in the millennial age range, find the whole receiving-then-listening-to a voicemail process tiresome. Taking that cue, Apple is apparently testing a way that would make the whole process a thing of...

Apple no longer China’s top smartphone maker

Apple is no longer the leading smartphone maker in China. On the back of more affordable devices, Chinese device maker, Xiaomi took back the top spot from Apple, reporting a 15.8% market share in the second quarter of 2015. Huawei came in second with...

Mobile apps need bandwidth – Coders Episode 20

This week I'm talking to Haseeb Qureshi, CEO and co-founder of Audiohand. Audiohand is a mobile app that records audio on your iPhone, then mixes it with other live recordings and mixes the result down to a great-sounding MP3. Designed for musicians and podcasters,...

U.S. carriers partner with Google (RCR podcast)

Google expands Android's enterprise reach through carrier partnerships Google has enlisted all four of the major U.S. carriers to support Android for Work, security software that enables companies to separate work and personal content on Android smartphones. Employees know that their boss can't see their...

Device study: competitive gap widens, Samsung survives, Apple defies odds

A new device study by Juniper Research said smartphone shipments reached 338 million units globally for the second quarter of 2015. That is a 16% increase over last year. In spite of these huge numbers, growth slowed slightly from this time last year. One reason...

Motorola unveils new flagship smartphones

Motorola Moto X Style and Moto X Play run on Qualcomm chipset Motorola this week held simultaneous events in New York, London, Mexico City and Sao Paulo to unveil the latest flagship smartphones, the Moto X Style and Moto X Play. The Moto X Play will hit...

Making Virtual Reality – Coders Episode 19

This episode of Coders includes a talk with a trio of entrepreneurs looking to start a VR (Virtual Reality) company. Called UnrealVirtual, the founders hope to create VR content using cameras and 3D imaging tools. One challenge for VR on mobile: bandwidth. Capturing VR requires...

Police bust factory that made 41K fake Apple iPhones

Mom-and-pop operation produced $19M in fake Apple products On Monday, police in Beijing shut down a factory that produces counterfeit Apple iPhones; reports indicate the factory made some 41,000 fake iPhones with a value of approximately $19 million. According to reports, police first raided the factory...

HP: 100% of smartwatches have major security flaws

Smartwatches are a huge security risk according to a new study by Hewlett-Packard. HP tested 10 different smartwatches and found that 100% were vulnerable to cyber attacks. The vulnerabilities include insufficient authentication, lack of encryption and privacy concerns, according to HP Fortify. The study found, “Smartwatches...

RCR podcast: Best Buy bets on Apple

Best Buy is playing on both sides of the fence when it comes to mobile devices. I'm Martha DeGrasse with the RCR Podcast brought to you by telecomcareers. Best Buy launched the Samsung Experience Shops inside its stores a couple of years ago and...

Crippling Android smartphones with text attack

Cybersecurity group digs into Android source code to reveal vulnerability that could affect nearly 1B devices New research from Zimperium Mobile Security opens up Android-based smartphones to a text message attack that could be executed with no action by the end-user. The mobile security solutions firm detailed...

Will Nokia return to smartphone market?

Corporate blog post suggests return to device market with come via brand-licensing model With building speculation, a Nokia spokesman addressed rumors about the Finnish networking gear – and former device – powerhouse returning to the lucrative smartphone market. Last year Nokia sold its smartphone market for...

Ericsson on 5G – HetNet Happenings: Episode 23

This week on HetNet Happenings, RCR Wireless News Managing Editor Sean Kinney discusses the research and development being done by Ericsson that's driving 5G toward an international standard. Hakan Andersson, head of 5G strategy for Ericsson's radio business unit, talks about a recent 5G mobile...

Does the kill switch work?

The Wall Street Journal analysis questions value of anti-theft software The kill switch – software that enables a user to "brick" a stolen phone remotely – is meant to deter thieves by making stolen phones less valuable. For months, wireless carriers and device makers pushed industry initiatives...

Apple Q3 results: 4 things carriers should know

Apple achieved another record-breaking quarter this spring, earning $10.7 billion on revenue of $49.6 billion. CEO Tim Cook said that the company surpassed its sales expectations for the iPhone, iPad, Mac products, and yes, even the Apple Watch. Here are four key takeaways from...

Italian firm ChatSim aims to reach 1M users by year-end

ChatSim looks to Asia-Pacific market for growth SHANGHAI – Italian instant messaging provider ChatSim said it expects to reach nearly 1 million users by the end of this year, compared to its current usage base of 100,000 customers, the firm’s business development director Juan De...

Samsung vs. Apple: who has the edge?

Report says Samsung’s new flagship phones, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, 'failed to wow consumers’ A new market research report published by Argus Insights found that consumer demand for smartphones dropped by 8% in the second quarter of 2015 compared to the same...

Report: AT&T, Apple in talks on remote SIM

The way mobile operators market devices and design service plans could change dramatically if a reported collaboration between carriers and device makers comes to fruition. According to the Financial Times, AT&T, Apple, Samsung and several European carriers are close to announcing an agreement to...

Nuke deal could open door for Apple in Iran

The recent historic agreement to eliminate Iran's nuclear program could have fallout beyond a safer world. Part of the terms of the agreement include lifting sanctions on trade, which may open the door for the iPhone and other Apple products to make their way...

Sprint grows delivery service as it slips behind T-Mo

Direct 2 You now available in Dallas, Detroit, Tampa and Washington, D.C. As Sprint appears to have fallen to the No. 4 spot behind T-Mobile US in the domestic carrier wars, the Kansas-based operator has expanded its novel Direct 2 You service, which essentially offers...

GSMA predicts 913M smartphones in China by year-end

According to the study, the Asian nation will reach 1B 4G connections by 2020 SHANGHAI – China is expected to have 913 million smartphones by the end of the year, up compared to 805 million at the end of the first quarter of 2015, according to GSMA...

Wi-Fi Aware connects the (nearby) world

Following years of collaborative development, the Wi-Fi Alliance has released Wi-Fi Aware, a sort of always-on mechanism for device-to-device discovery that doesn't requires a GPS, cellular or hot spot connection. The Wi-Fi Alliance, founded in 1999, is a global nonprofit dedicated to furthering Wi-Fi technology...