Thursday, May 26, 2011

MobileBurn.com

MobileBurn.com

Google Maps for mobile now has 200 million users

Posted: 26 May 2011 04:59 AM PDT

Along with the announcement of a new version of Google Maps for Android, the Google Maps team has made it known that Maps for mobile devices now has over 200 million users across various devices and platforms. Should traditional GPS manufacturers be worried about that? Yeah, probably, if they have any business left to worry about at this point.
Read the full story here.


Say goodbye to 3-year mobile contracts in the UK

Posted: 26 May 2011 04:52 AM PDT

The UK wireless regulatory committee, Ofcom, has enacted a new rule that mandates wireless contracts to be no longer than 24 months, effectively banning 3-year contracts in the country. Three-year contracts may be enticing to users looking to save a little more on the cost of their phone, but with today's fast-changing mobile market, three years is a long time to hold on to one phone. The regulator has also mandated that carriers offer a 12 month contract option to users who do not wish to sign a two-year agreement. The new rules go into effect today.
Read the full story here.


Google Maps for Android updated to version 5.5

Posted: 26 May 2011 04:40 AM PDT

Google has just released an update to its Maps for Android app, bringing the version number up to 5.5. There are three changes with this update: check-ins and rating buttons on Place pages, editable Home and Work locations for your Latitude history, and a redesigned look on transit pages. The transit location page will now show a list of upcoming scheduled departures, all the lines that serve the station, and links to other, nearby transit stations. Google Maps 5.5 for Android is free and available in the Android Market now.
Read the full story here.


Facebook-centric HTC ChaCha available June 6 in the UK

Posted: 26 May 2011 01:23 AM PDT

Customers in the UK can purchase HTC's ChaCha smartphone starting June 6 for 210 GBP ($339) from retailer Clove. The ChaCha runs on the Android smartphone operating system and offers a unique Facebook button that, when pressed, automatically delivers Facebook functionality to its users. The device can be pre-ordered now for June 6 delivery.
Read the full story here.


EU committee proposes ban on mobile devices in schools

Posted: 26 May 2011 12:53 AM PDT

In an effort to limit exposure of children to electromagnetic emissions, the European Committee of Ministers has proposed banning mobile phones and devices from classrooms and schools.
Read the full story here.


Windows Phone web marketplace to arrive with Mango update

Posted: 25 May 2011 01:24 PM PDT

Microsoft has announced its plans for a web-based version of its app Marketplace, where users can browse and install apps on their Windows Phone smartphone from a browser on a PC or Mac.
Read the full story here.


Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY gets first crack at Minecraft for mobile

Posted: 25 May 2011 01:02 PM PDT

Sony Ericsson's new PlayStation certified phone, the Xperia PLAY, will be the first mobile device to receive a version of Minecraft, the popular PC game. The game will be optimized for the PLAY's gaming buttons and layout. After debuting with the PLAY, Minecraft will then make its way to other Android phones and iOS, eventually.
Read the full story here.


Cox ditches plans for cell network, will use Sprint's 3G instead

Posted: 25 May 2011 12:51 PM PDT

Cox Communications has announced that it will cease plans for a 3G cellular network and decommission its currently deployed infrastructure. It will use Sprint's network in place of its own.
Read the full story here.


Amazon offering Xperia PLAY smartphone for $100

Posted: 25 May 2011 12:15 PM PDT

Amazon is offering a major price cut to the new Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY gaming-centric smartphone, before its official release tomorrow. The phone is priced at $99.99 with a new two year service contract with Verizon Wireless and comes with free shipping. The phone currently shows that it is on backorder but is expected to ship within 8-9 days.
Read the full story here.


Apple iPhone 4 landing in India May 27

Posted: 25 May 2011 11:45 AM PDT

Indian mobile carrier Bharti Airtel, along with its smaller Indian rival Aircel, have separately announced plans to launch Apple's iPhone 4 on their respective networks starting May 27. India is the fastest-growing market for mobile phone services, and is currently the second-largest overall, with almost 800 million mobile subscribers.
Read the full story here.


HTC confirms the obvious; Windows Phone Mango smartphones in development

Posted: 25 May 2011 10:55 AM PDT

It's far from a huge surprise, but HTC CEO Peter Chou has confirmed that the Taiwanese manufacturer is actively working on Windows Phone devices with the new "Mango" software due out this fall. HTC was one of the hardware partners when Microsoft originally launched Windows Phone 7 last year, and it was mentioned as a current partner during Microsoft's VIP Preview event for the "Mango" version of the OS yesterday. Chou did not indicate when HTC phones with "Mango" would be available, but he did say that the company is "very committed to Windows phone products."
Read the full story here.


T-Mobile G2 and Sidekick 4G Android smartphones free tonight

Posted: 25 May 2011 10:31 AM PDT

T-Mobile is offering two free (on contract) smartphones tonight for 6 hours only, the G2 and the Sidekick 4G. Both devices run on the Android smartphone operating system and require a new two year service agreement with the carrier. The sale begins at midnight EST and continues until 6 a.m. (9 p.m. to 3 a.m. PST).
Read the full story here.


AT&T outlines details for T-Mobile transition

Posted: 25 May 2011 10:06 AM PDT

AT&T has revealed some of its plans for transitioning T-Mobile customers to its network if the proposed buyout gets approved.
Read the full story here.


Sprint, Motorola holding event June 9 to show off new hardware

Posted: 25 May 2011 10:05 AM PDT

We just got an invitation to an event with Sprint and Motorola to demo new hardware that the two companies have been developing. Both Sprint CEO Dan Hesse and Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha will be present, so we expect to see something of worth at the event. Either way, we will be present to report back with what happens.
Read the full story here.


Motorola DROID X gets Android 2.3 Gingerbread on Friday

Posted: 25 May 2011 09:23 AM PDT

Verizon Wireless has just reached out to us to confirm that the Motorola DROID X smartphone will start receiving its Android 2.3 Gingerbread update this Friday, May 27. Enhancements include a new download manager app, an updated user interface, and app grouping. The update will be rolled out in phases and users will receive a notification on their phones when it is ready to be installed.
Read the full story here.


Samsung Galaxy S surpasses Apple iPhone in Japan

Posted: 25 May 2011 09:10 AM PDT

According to a new report, Samsung's Galaxy S Android smartphone outsold Apple's iPhone in Japan during Q1 2011. The success of the Galaxy S has propelled Samsung into the top four of Japanese handset vendors - not an easy thing to do in a market dominated by domestic manufacturers. This also marks the first time that Android phones have outsold the iPhone in Japan as a whole.
Read the full story here.


MeeGo 1.2 released for developers

Posted: 25 May 2011 08:20 AM PDT

MeeGo has released version 1.2 of its operating system for mobile devices to device makers and developers. This is not something that can be installed on current consumer devices, but manufacturers and developers can now start to use the new OS to create apps and software tailored for it. The new version supports kernels for both Intel Atom and ARM processors, and includes a set of core apps for netbooks. Developers can download the new version of the SDK now.
Read the full story here.


"Skin of Mine" iPhone app gives immediate diagnosis of your bug bite

Posted: 25 May 2011 07:58 AM PDT

A new app released for the iPhone promises to alleviate concerns of bug bites and rashes this summer by providing a way for users to get a quick diagnosis of their ailment, even if they are far from seeing a skin specialist.
Read the full story here.


Nokia launches Oro smartphone with gold and leather - and a lofty pricetag

Posted: 25 May 2011 07:25 AM PDT

Nokia has just introduced a new smartphone called the Oro, based on the existing C7, but with an added touch of luxury.
Read the full story here.


Samsung loses patent battle over antenna technology

Posted: 25 May 2011 07:25 AM PDT

Samsung has lost a patent battle to a company named Fractus, which had sued Samsung over patent violations related to antenna technology for mobile phones. Fractus, based in Barcelona, was awarded a royalty of 35 cents per mobile phone sold, totaling over $23 million for past damages.
Read the full story here.


Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to arrive with Android 3.1 in store

Posted: 25 May 2011 07:07 AM PDT

According to Samsung's official Facebook page, the upcoming Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android tablet will arrive with Android 3.1 Honeycomb installed, not the previously expected 3.0 version of the operating system. Along with the 3.1 version of Honeycomb comes an improved user interface, Android Market Movies rentals, and USB peripheral support.
Read the full story here.


AT&T 4G LTE markets revealed

Posted: 25 May 2011 06:58 AM PDT

The president of AT&T's business solutions unit, John Stankey, has revealed the first five markets that will get 4G LTE service from the carrier this summer. Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio will be the first areas blessed with a high-speed, LTE-based data network from AT&T. The carrier will deploy LTE across 15 additional markets by the end of the year. No word on what LTE service will cost from AT&T, or on what LTE-capable devices will be available. Stankey did say that the carrier was working with handset manufacturers to develop devices that work seamlessly with AT&T's existing HSPA network and its future LTE network.
Read the full story here.


Ad supported Amazon Kindle 3G launched for $164

Posted: 25 May 2011 06:40 AM PDT

Following last month's release of the ad-supported, Wi-Fi-only version of Amazon's Kindle with Special Offers ebook reader, Amazon has released an ad-supported 3G version.
Read the full story here.


China becomes first country with 900 million mobile users

Posted: 25 May 2011 06:39 AM PDT

Last month we reported that China was well on its way to cracking the 900 million mobile user number, and according to recent information, the country has done just that. The month of April saw the country add 11 million users to its count, enough to push it over 900 million.
Read the full story here.


4G-capable LG Revolution hits Verizon Wireless on May 26 for $250

Posted: 25 May 2011 06:19 AM PDT

The next phone in Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE arsenal, the LG Revolution, will hit retail shelves on May 26. The Revolution, like its stable mates, the HTC ThunderBolt and Samsung DROID Charge, features a 4.3-inch touchscreen and Android 2.2 Froyo.
Read the full story here.


Samsung Galaxy S II gets another software update

Posted: 25 May 2011 06:12 AM PDT

Samsung's current flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S II, has been blessed with yet another software update to fix some bugs and update software. Following last week's updates that brought the phone's software to version KE2, the new update bumps the version up to KE7.
Read the full story here.


Samsung Omnia 7 finally gets its NoDo Windows Phone 7 update

Posted: 25 May 2011 06:00 AM PDT

The Samsung Omnia 7 for T-Mobile UK has finally received its NoDo update for the Windows Phone 7 operating system. The carrier posted a tweet to its official Twitter account today informing users that they can now download the update through the Zune software. The NoDo update brings improved performance as well as copy and paste support.
Read the full story here.


UK to get its first trials of 4G LTE service soon

Posted: 25 May 2011 05:45 AM PDT

The UK will soon see its first trials of 4G LTE service, thanks to a joint effort between British Telecom and Everything Everywhere. Though LTE has been deployed in the U.S. already, the UK trial will be the first to combine both land-line and wireless broadband.
Read the full story here.


Samsung forced by court to turn over smartphone, tablet samples to Apple

Posted: 25 May 2011 05:24 AM PDT

Samsung must not be too happy right now as the court that is presiding over the patent lawsuit case filed by Apple against Samsung has mandated that Samsung provide samples of its tablets and smartphones to Apple for discovery. The samples include products that are not yet available on the market.
Read the full story here.


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