Verizon explains locked bootloader stance in letter to FCC
In a response to the FCC following a formal complaint, Verizon Wireless has outlined the company’s policy on locked bootloaders. An irate Droid-Life reader became fed …
Mobile
Parrot AR Drone 2.0 quadricopter available for pre-order today [video]
The high flying HD-recording AR Drone 2.0 quadricopter that was announced at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, will be released in May for $299.99. The …
HTC sees negative smartphone sales trend reversing thanks to HTC One phones
HTC is confident the company’s new One series smartphones will rescue the company from slowing sales, propelling it to the No.5 smartphone vendor spot and beyond. “We are confident …
Verizon tops J.D. Power and Associates network quality rankings
Verizon Wireless on Thursday announced that the company was ranked No.1 in network quality in five of the six regions covered by a recent J.D. …
Samsung Galaxy Note sales top 2 million worldwide
Samsung confirmed earlier this week that the company has sold 2 million Galaxy Note handsets since the device launched last October, according to Forbes. The South …
HTC: Sense UI got too complicated
In the early days of Android, HTC Sense was welcomed with open arms. Since then, however, companies such as Motorola, Samsung and others have drastically …
Like iOS apps, Android apps can secretly access photos thanks to loophole
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that due to a permission loophole, third party app developers could access an iPhone’s photo gallery app. The …
Apple’s OS share skyrockets in February as Android inches up, BlackBerry slides
Apple’s share of global smartphone and tablet usage skyrocketed in February after remaining somewhat flat over the previous three months. Analytics firm Net Applications on Thursday …
AT&T amends data throttling policy: 5GB for LTE smartphones, 3GB for non-LTE
AT&T on Thursday announced a revision to its smartphone data throttling policy, which impacts users who have chosen to retain the unlimited smartphone data plan …
New app stats available for developers in the Android Market
Google on Tuesday announced on the company’s developer blog that it has updated its Android Application Statistics tool in an effort to provide more detailed …
Dual-core Windows Phone 8 handset for Sprint reportedly enters testing
Microsoft is testing a Windows Phone 8 handset with a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8960 chipset for Sprint’s network, The Verge reported on Wednesday. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon …
HP cuts webOS team in half during the transition to open source
Hewlett-Packard will cut 275 of its 500 remaining employees on the webOS team as its mobile platform transitions to open source, WebOS Nation reported on Tuesday. …
Windows on ARM won’t support some business features
Microsoft previously disclosed that Windows on ARM will feature a desktop mode to ensure an identical user experience between ARM and Intel-based tablets. On Wednesday, …
Sony: No quad-core phones until 2013
Sony has no plans to launch smartphones with more powerful quad-core processors this year, a Sony Mobile Communications executive confirmed on Wednesday. Speaking with CNET …
Facebook brings ads to mobile news feed and logout screen
Facebook on Wednesday announced at the company’s Marketing Conference that premium ads will now appear in its mobile application. Advertisements will be displayed on mobile …
Apple blocks eBooks that link to Amazon, report claims
A new report from Seth Godin of PaidContent claims Apple is rejecting eBooks from its iBooks store that contain links to Amazon. “I just found …
HTC also in talks to be Google’s next Nexus partner [updated]
Following LG’s statement that the company is “heavily in discussions” with Google to become the next Nexus partner, HTC said it too is in discussions …
Android fragmentation gets measured; 2012 is the year of Gingerbread
Fragmentation is a recurring issue that haunts the Android ecosystem in many ways. While Google’s latest version of the Android platform was intended in large …
Handset makers pessimistic about Windows Phone Tango’s chances in China
Microsoft plans to roll out its Windows Phone “Tango” update for its mobile platform in China some time this year. While the new version of …
Hands on with LG’s entry-level L-Series smartphones
The term “entry-level” immediately reduces the appeal of smartphones in markets like the U.S. these days, as flagship phones are typically far more exciting and …
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 launches March 1st for $500 on contract from Verizon
Verizon Wireless on Tuesday announced that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 will be available in stores and online starting March 1st. The slate was originally …
Permission loophole gives developers access to iOS photo library and location history
Earlier this month it was revealed that the popular social networking app Path was uploading entire iPhone address books to the company’s servers without first gaining …
Samsung Galaxy Mini 2, Galaxy Ace 2 and Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 hands-on
These three new devices announced by Samsung at Mobile World Congress are each intended to occupy different spaces in the mobile market. The Galaxy Mini …
Verizon shared family data plans still on track for 2012
Families looking for a shared data option from Verizon Wireless can look forward to a new pooled data option finally launching later this year. In …
Hands on with Samsung’s Galaxy S Blaze 4G for T-Mobile
Samsung has a number of new devices on hand at this year’s Mobile World Congress, and one of them was the Galaxy S Blaze 4G …
PlayBook OS 2.0 installed on 43% of devices after one week, firm says
Analytics firm Chitika on Tuesday revealed the findings of a recent study that shows the latest Blackberry PlayBook operating system update is already running on …
RIM reels in developers with promises of change
To say that the past 12 months have been a bit rocky for RIM and the Blackberry eco-system in general would be grossly understating the …
AT&T should be investigated for ‘fraudulent’ data policies, public interest group says
AT&T on Monday announced a new plan that will let developers pay for the data used by their apps and services. The data consumed by …
T-Mobile bails on HSPA+ 84 plans, heads straight for LTE
T-Mobile on Tuesday revealed from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that it is abandoning plans to update its current HSPA+ network with speedier HSPA+ 84 …
Hands on with Huawei’s Ascend D smartphones
Huawei is making quite a splash at this year’s Mobile World Congress. The company announced one quad-core handset — the Ascend D quad, which is …
