BlackBerry (BBRY) says it has a plan to be acquired by a group led by Fairfax Financial in a $4.7 billion deal. Fairfax already owns 10% of the troubled Canadian smartphone maker. Prem Watsa, CEO of Fairfax, is a former BlackBerry board member. He...
Apple says it sold a record 9 million new iPhones this weekend. That includes sales of the 5S and the 5C. The company also says 200 million devices have downloaded iOS 7.
At the other end of the spectrum, BlackBerry is confirming that it will...
The contrast could not be more stark: This weekend while Apple was selling a record nine million iPhones and while 200 million iOS users were downloading iOS 7, the company that once dominated the smartphone business announced 4,500 layoffs, postponed the promised launch of...
Just a few hours after the iPhone 5S went on sale, Apple is already telling customers and carriers that they must wait until next month if they want the gold 5S. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has asked its Asian...
BlackBerry (BBRY) is reportedly planning deep cuts in its workforce just as it launches a new smartphone and extends its popular BBM service to the iOS and Android platforms. As many as 40% of the Canadiam company's employees will be let go, according to...
Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column where C-level executives and advisory firms from across the mobile industry share unique insights and experiences.
As smartphone use in emerging markets continues to explode, some emerging markets are growing faster than others. In fact, a...
Apple on September 10 announced two updates to its ubiquitous smartphone, the iPhone 5C and 5S, which include more exciting configurations than ever. With everyone's eye on Apple and iPhones buzzing in our brains, it feels like a good time to explore just how these...
Apple wanted to launch a lower-cost iPhone, but maybe not this low. Walmart has undercut Apple's pricing, offering the 16GB iPhone 5C for $79 with a contract, $20 off the price that Apple and its carrier partners are charging. Customers can pre-order the 5C...
Year-end demand for tablets is expected to drive fourth quarter shipments to record levels, meaning that tablet shipments will surpass personal computer shipments for the first time, according to IDC. But the research firm says that for all of 2013, personal computers will outsell...
Apple unveiled two new iPhones today: the 5S and the 5C. The 5S is the successor to the iPhone 5, and the 5C is a lower-cost version that offers many of the same features found in the iPhone 5, and comes with Apple's new...
While the world awaits Apple's announcement today, the company that once dominated the smartphone space has been trimming its ranks. BlackBerry (BBRY) has laid off a number of sales people as its new Z10 and Q10 handsets continue to falter in the marketplace.
The...
A new iPhone launch is not the only thing Apple is reportedly prepping this week. According to The Wall Street Journal, the company is also getting ready to ship iPhones to the world's largest wireless carrier, China Mobile. Other sources say Apple will not...
Samsung took the wraps off its Galaxy Gear smartwatch today in Berlin. The $299 Android device is meant to be a companion to Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 smartphone, and its 2014 Galaxy Note tablet, also introduced today. The Galaxy Gear is a stainless steel...
Microsoft shares are down about 2% this morning, after sliding 6% yesterday on news that the software giant will buy Nokia's mobile phone business. CEO Steven Ballmer said yesterday that after discussing alternatives for their partnership, Microsoft and Nokia decided that Microsoft's purchase of...
Microsoft is spending $7.2 billion to buy Nokia’s smartphone business. Nokia (NOK) will retain its Nokia Solutions and Networks infrastructure business (NSN), its Nokia HERE mapping tool, and its patents, which Microsoft will continue to license. The Finnish company says the deal will close...
For the second time this year, Google's Android unit is losing a key executive. Hugo Barra, vice president of product management at Android, is leaving Google to take a position with Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi. Earlier this year, Andy Rubin, who is credited with...
The first smartphone to be made in America costs less to make than Samsung's Galaxy S4, according to a teardown analysis prepared by IHS iSuppli. The research firm estimates the total production cost of the Moto X at $226, lower than the 16GB S4's...
BlackBerry said earlier this month that it will explore strategic alternatives, and now it looks like it may be ready to make its popular BlackBerry Messenger service a stand-alone company. The report comes from The Wall Street Journal, and says that the new unit...
AT&T Mobility is rolling out the much-anticipated Motorola Moto X phone and Verizon Wireless is busy launching three new Motorola Droid smartphones, even as pictures of what looks like a "Droid 5" are leaking in China.
The Moto X is $200 on contract, and...
Traffic on wireless networks may soon have a whole new meaning. Google is reportedly so eager to produce a driverless car that it has started conversations with component makers in an effort to bypass existing automakers. The company apparently wants to build its own...
Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer said today that he will retire within a year, and that could open the door for the software giant to replace Ballmer with a new executive more focused on mobility. Two insiders whose names may show up on the...
Mobile phone makers as a group saw revenue growth far outpace the growth of units shipped and units sold during the second quarter. Global handset wholesale revenue grew 24% in the second quarter, according to Strategy Analytics. The firm attributes much of the growth...
The creators of Ubuntu have raised a record $10.3 million in a crowdfunding campaign to build a hybrid PC/smartphone. Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, is selling the Ubuntu Edge online for $695, having cut the price during the campaign. It says it needs to...
Talk of Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Gear device has been circulating ever since the Korean company filed trademark applications for the name earlier this summer, but now Bloomberg is reporting a launch date for the wristwatch that could double as a smartphone. Samsung will reportedly...
