Devices

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the FBI are both investigating the ambitious plan to provide an iPad to every child in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Meanwhile the school district is asking Apple to refund millions of dollars that the district …

Furniture has wireless charging stations and adapter cases built-in This month Swedish furniture-maker Ikea is launching a line of home furnishings – lamps, side tables, knick-knacks – equipped with wireless charging capabilities. And, no, you won’t be required solder together …

Sprint rolling out housecalls, selling against AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile US Sprint really wants your business. The carrier is trying to beat out its closest rival T-Mobile US while gaining ground on AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless with novel rate structures and promotional …

KPN’s CIO Jaya Baloo wants everyone to “live long, laugh a lot and encrypt everything.” Speaking at the International NCSC One Conference in The Hague, Baloo said encryption was essential for protecting the freedom of expression. Baloo also praised the Blackphone, a secure …

Analyst: Combined company better suited to compete against Ericsson, Huawei Nokia officials confirmed on April 14 that the Finnish company is in “advanced discussions” with Alcatel-Lucent on a potential purchase of the rival networking firm. Nokia released the statement following numerous …

Will the Apple Watch wow Wall Street? Analysts are not in agreement, with some expecting the watch to give the stock an iPhone-like boost and others worrying that investors will dump the stock if big watch sales don’t materialize in …

Intel also spends $16M on IoT and $13M on angel fund WASHINGTON – At the Intel Developer Forum last week, the company announced plans to spend $24 million on a mass-market accelerator program in China. Intel claims the program is …

What a difference one night can make. After a week of mixed reviews and an intense ad campaign, the Apple Watch finally became available online during the wee hours of Friday morning. It sold out by daybreak. Shipping dates slipped …

WASHINGTON – China has been working since 2014 to develop a domestic mobile operating system, largely at the behest of the Chinese government. The state sees the widespread use of modified versions Google’s Android OS system as a major vulnerability …

Smartphone sales soar in Brazil Brazil’s smartphone market is growing rapidly, which could also push demand for data services. Last year, smartphones sales were up 55% compared to 2013, totaling 54.5 million units, according to a survey conducted by IDC. When …

Verizon may push Galaxy S6 release date Verizon Wireless’ release of the Samsung Galaxy S6 has hit a bit of a snag ahead of its scheduled April 10 release date. It appears that many customers might have to wait until May to …

Media Vision 2020 from Ericsson predicts on-demand will overtake live TV Media and networking powerhouse Ericsson is launching a new cloud-based digital video recording platform to replace legacy television services. The move into the on-demand media content space is predicated …

An accident may have led to a discovery that could change the way we use our smartphones. Researchers at Stanford University said they inadvertently discovered that graphite can be used with aluminum to create a new battery that will charge …

Good news for those who preordered the Samsung Galaxy S6. Sprint, T-Mobile US and AT&T Mobility are reportedly shipping orders for the new smartphone ahead of the April 10 release date. Customers have already received the phones up to six days …

Pilot of Project Ara set for Puerto Rico Google plans to launch its Project Ara, a modular, customizable smartphone platform, later this year in Puerto Rico, partnering with Ingram Micro Mobility on forward logistics. Google describes Project Ara on its …

If you’ve ever used hotel Wi-Fi, listen up. A major vulnerability discovered in hotel Wi-Fi devices could put your information at risk. The CVE-2015-0932 vulnerability has been discovered in a Wi-Fi device that many hotels use to provide Internet access …

Two of mobile’s highest-profile ‘frenemies’ are reportedly teaming up again. Bloomberg reports that Samsung will win the contract to manufacture Apple’s A9 chips for the next iPhone. Samsung made Apple’s chips for years until the two companies found themselves at …

Wireless networking vendors grew revenue, particularly from 802.11ac access points In a new market analysis report, Infonetics Research tallied some $5 billion in wireless local area networking gear sold in 2014, with 802.11ac access points powering growth. Infonetics reported approximately …

Pew: Domestic smartphone penetration hits 64% WASHINGTON – According to a Pew Research Poll, smartphone ownership in the United States has reached 64%, with roughly half of people surveyed responding that their smartphone is something they “couldn’t live without.” The …

Today is April 1. That means watch your cellphone, don’t leave your Facebook account open at any cost, and most importantly, don’t believe anything Google tells you. On this day, the world celebrates mistrust and paranoia worthy of the Cold …

Verizon’s advertising tracking tags drew Congressional rebuke Making good on a January promise, Verizon Wireless customers, as of March 31, can opt out of a targeted advertising program powered by so-called supercookies. Supercookies are an identification number used to track …

ITC to look into Ericsson vs. Apple patent infringement The Ericsson vs. Apple battle escalated again with the agreement by the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate Ericsson’s claims that the iPhone maker infringed on its LTE technology patents. The companies …

ZTE is top 10 global smartphone OEM China’s ZTE saw its net profit soar by 94% in 2014 thanks mainly to growth in its global smartphone business and domestic high-speed network division. The telecom equipment-maker notched profit of $423.4 million …

The consumer obsession with Apple products is hurting American regional carriers, even though Apple is not the best device on the market. That was a major thrust of discussion at the Competitive Carrier Association’s 2015 Global Expo this week in …

Huawei, Microsoft producing low-cost smartphone tailored for Indian market WASHINGTON – Driven in part by the ongoing wireless revolution, India, a country marred by the fallout of colonialism and stagnated by populist economics, is poised to leave the past behind …